User:Dinomonke33/Ark: Survival Ascended

Lead
Ark: Survival Ascended is an action-adventure survival video game developed and published by SNAIL Games USA. The game was supposed to be released across all next-generation platforms, but instead, it was released in early access for Windows on October 25, 2023, Xbox Series S/X on November 21, 2023, and PlayStation 5 on November 30, 2023.

It is a remake of the 2015 game Ark: Survival Evolved.

Development
Ark: Survival Ascended was announced in March 2023. The first gameplay reveal trailer was shown during the Xbox Partner Preview showcase on October 25, 2023, and it was announced that the game would be released on the same day. The remake includes a graphical overhaul, providing improved visuals, character models, and environments by using Unreal Engine 5.

Periodically after the announcement of Ark: Survival Ascended, Studio Wildcard would release screenshots '''of concept art and models that were captured using the Unreal Engine. As the date grew closer, the developer team showcased a lot of assets to the public, but nothing concrete had yet surfaced.'''

'The development of Ark: Survival Ascended'' had many stages. When the game was first announced, it was set to be priced at sixty dollars at launch. However, as the date approached and players saw no in-game trailers or screenshots, the developers decided to reduce the price to forty-five dollars, with an added bonus of five dollars off the new price if you bought the game on the day of release.'''

Ark: Survival Ascended is available in early access, featuring the base game, a remastered version of the Scorched Earth DLC, and the ability to play the battle royale mode. In 2024, Survival Ascended is planned to receive the expansions Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1 and Genesis Part 2 in preparation for the release of Ark 2. 

Upgrades
'With Ark: Survival Ascended utilizing'' Unreal Engine 5. , the game developers were able to add a myriad of new features. This ranges from in-game options such as new baby dinosaurs to new modding capabilities.'''

The new upgrades contains:


 * Game Enhancements 


 * Photo mode
 * Dynamic navigation and creature pathfinding
 * increased customization in creator creation

Gameplay Improvements 


 * UI revamp
 * Improved minimap
 * Ping system
 * Queuing system
 * New structures
 * Dino management
 * Wild babies

Game Engine 


 * Unreal Engine 5 
 * Physics engine improvement
 * Dynamic water and foliage
 * Cross platform multiplayer and Anti cheat

Mods 


 * Cross platform mods
 * Legacy mod implementation
 * Premium mods

Reception
The Early Access release on Steam has received an influx of negative reviews due to numerous problems like game crashes, instability, server issues, and low performance, which include frametime spikes, visual glitches, and low frame rates.

'Due to the game having been a remaster and in early access, many Ark: Survival Evolved'' players had jumped ship and come to it. However, over time, many of the same problems started to arise, and new ones regarding the game's actual development started concerning players.'''

One of the many issues that concerned players was the "pay-to-win" '''aspects of the game that were being advertised to players. This stemmed from an announcement made by the game's developers that, on top of buying individual DLC packs, there would be another pack added to existing packs to increase their price. Adding to the unsavory news of added cost was the fact that with these price-gated "adventure packs" came new content ranging from skins, structures, creatures, etc. Expectedly, the already dwindling Ark: Survival Ascended community was outraged and demanded further clarification.'''

These incidents, although brief, piled up onto one another and forced a mass exodus from Ark: Survival Ascended back to its predecessor, Ark: Survival Evolved.