Community Crunch 411: An Update on Shastasauraus and More!

With the launch of the Center Map just around the corner on June 4th, we wanted to share some insight about the Shastasauraus and how its design evolved during the development process. The Shasta, and namely its saddle, is one of the more ambitious designs we’ve done, and the team really enjoyed the challenge!

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Two key areas we had to resolve related to making sure the Saddle actually functioned like a submarine (i.e. keeping water out while the creature moves, etc.) and how players and creatures moved inside of the sub itself. The first challenge required both a shift in the overall design of the saddle and a tech solution, as we learned pretty quickly that having it on top of the creature wasn’t going to be viable, so we had to redesign it to be under the Shasta instead. This change allowed us to ensure that we could keep the water outside of the saddle at all times and also eliminated the edge cases relating to the submarine being partially submerged. Tackling player and creature movement was purely a technology-driven solution, we rewrote some of the basing code – the logic that relates to what characters are standing (based) on – of Unreal when in different physics modes like falling and jumping, essentially creating a new basing system specifically when based inside of the new saddle.

This was definitely one of the more challenging creatures we’ve designed, so please excuse us for geeking out a little bit! So now you’ve heard the ins and outs of how we tamed the mighty Shastasaurus and its sub-aquatic saddle, it’s your turn next! We can’t wait to see you all cruising the seas in Shasta-style on June 4.

Download & play new custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated new Mod-bowser directly within the game. Enjoy an endless stream of new ARK content as the creativity and talent of the community is fully unleashed for the first time across gaming platforms and stay tuned as we spotlight more Cross-Platform Mods each week!

This video features:

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Dive into the depths of ARK with the incredible new Livyatan Premium mod! Available now on Steam and Xbox and coming to Playstation (with the launch of Premium Mods).

Unleash the Livyatan: This massive toothed whale is a force to be reckoned with. We’ll cover its unique abilities, from bone-crushing bites to sonic blasts, and how to make the most of them in battle.
Master the Sound Pad: Taming a Livyatan is no easy task, but we’ll guide you through the minigames and sound waves needed to win its trust. Get ready for a symphony of survival!
Craft and Conquer: Explore the custom crafting mechanics and build powerful saddles, weapons, and armor to make your Livyatan unstoppable. Prepare for epic underwater battles!
Face the Alpha Livyatan: Gather your Dino army and dive into the depths to face the ultimate challenge: the Alpha Livyatan boss. Claim valuable resources and unlock advanced technology!

Conquest servers are being introduced to ARK: Survival Ascended by Snail Games. Conquest is a new PvP player experience for PC players which focuses on large-scale PvP while avoiding the problem of mega tribes. Increased rates will allow tribes to set up and establish themselves quickly and enable them to rebuild after potential losses instead of being wiped completely. The official date will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

If you need any support during the Conquest season, join the Conquest Enforcement’s Discord.