Ark Ascended - A New Chapter In Survival Gaming
"ARK: Survival Evolved" is an action-adventure survival video game developed and published by Studio Wildcard. The "Ascension" concept in "ARK: Survival Evolved" refers to a key element of the game's progression. Players can ascend through multiple tiers of challenges and earn ascension points as they progress through the game.
In the game, players start on the beach of a mysterious island filled with prehistoric creatures, and they must survive by hunting, crafting, building shelters, and taming dinosaurs. Here's a general idea of what an "ARK: Survival Ascended" game concept might entail:
Title: ARK: Survival Ascended
Concept: In "ARK: Survival Ascended," players will embark on an epic journey of survival and discovery, set on an island filled with prehistoric creatures and strange mysteries. The game expands upon the original "ARK" experience by introducing a more structured narrative and deeper progression system.
Key Features
Ascension Progression: The core of the game revolves around ascending through various tiers of challenges and mysteries. Players will earn Ascension Points by completing tasks, quests, and overcoming unique challenges. Ascension Points can be used to unlock new technologies, abilities, and open new storylines.
Expanded Lore: Dive into a rich and mysterious lore that explains the origin of the island, the purpose behind the survival challenges, and the true nature of the prehistoric creatures.
Varied Biomes: Explore a diverse range of biomes, from lush forests and deserts to frozen tundras and volcanic landscapes. Each biome presents unique survival challenges and resources.
Creature Taming and Breeding: Continue the tradition of taming dinosaurs and other creatures, but introduce a deeper breeding system that allows players to create unique and powerful hybrids.
Story-driven Quests: Encounter NPCs and engage in story-driven quests that unravel the island's secrets and lead to ultimate Ascension challenges.
Complex Base Building: The game's intricate base-building mechanics offer creativity and strategy. You can create elaborate structures and defenses to protect against the island's ever-present dangers, as well as offering a elegant and beautiful design compared to the original game.
Mystical Artifacts: The inclusion of mystical artifacts as central game elements is a brilliant move. They add an element of mystery and challenge to the game, which complements the overall narrative.
Cons
Complexity: The deepened progression system and mechanics may feel overwhelming for newcomers or players unfamiliar with the "ARK" series. A more gradual introduction to these elements would be beneficial.
Performance Issues: The game can be demanding on hardware, and optimization issues may cause frame rate drops or other performance problems, particularly on lower-end systems and some higher end systems. To better clarify this there are players with high end computers that can handle even the most powerful of AAA titles and yet the game is not as optimized as it needs to be as you still have to set your settings to low or medium graphics just to make the game playable or spend maybe a hour or so on settings just to get the game to work, now do note game is still early access and from what I have seen there have been multiple patches and so far the patches have been helping stabilize the game but it still needs work. Frequent crashes
Performance Issues: The game can be demanding on hardware, and optimization issues may cause frame rate drops or other performance problems, particularly on lower-end systems and some higher end systems. To better clarify this there are players with high end computers that can handle even the most powerful of AAA titles and yet the game is not as optimized as it needs to be as you still have to set your settings to low or medium graphics just to make the game playable or spend maybe a hour or so on settings just to get the game to work, now do note game is still early access and from what I have seen there have been multiple patches and so far the patches have been helping stabilize the game but it still needs work. Frequent crashes
Resource Grind: The resource-gathering aspect of the game can sometimes become a grind, especially in later stages, which may deter some players looking for a more casual experience. For the first map known as the island I had found for there to be a lack of rich resources such as metal, and silica pearls that use to be abundant in the original game ASE.
Learning Curve: The learning curve for breeding and creature customization can be steep, potentially discouraging players who prefer a simpler approach to creature management
Solo Play Limitations: While the game offers both cooperative and competitive multiplayer, the solo experience might not be as enjoyable for players who prefer to play alone.
Multiplayer Adventures: Survive and ascend with friends in cooperative multiplayer, or engage in competitive Ascension Challenges against other players or tribes.
Base Building and Crafting: Craft and build elaborate bases with a variety of structures and defenses to protect against the island's dangers.
Mystical Artifacts: Discover mystical artifacts scattered throughout the island, which play a central role in Ascension and story progression.
"ARK: Survival Ascended" would provide a more structured and lore-rich experience within the world of "ARK," catering to both fans of the original game and those who crave a deeper narrative and progression system. The concept would maintain the core elements of survival, exploration, and taming while introducing a compelling storyline and a sense of purpose behind the player's actions.
Pros
Deepened Progression System: "ARK Survival Ascended" successfully builds upon the original game's progression. The Ascension mechanic adds purpose and direction, making the survival experience more engaging.
Engaging Lore: The introduction of a rich and mysterious lore surrounding the island adds depth to the game. It gives players a reason to explore, uncover secrets, and ascend through various challenges.
Beautiful and Diverse Biomes: The game's diverse biomes are stunningly crafted, each offering unique challenges and resources. This variety keeps the gameplay fresh and visually captivating.
Creature Taming and Breeding: The breeding system enhances the creature-taming mechanic, allowing players to create their own unique creatures with powerful abilities. It adds depth to the gameplay and encourages experimentation.
Story-driven Quests: The addition of NPCs and story-driven quests is a significant plus. It not only keeps players engaged but also provides a sense of purpose and narrative to the survival experience.
Multiplayer Opportunities: Whether you prefer cooperation or competition, "ARK Survival Ascended" caters to both. The multiplayer options provide a diverse and dynamic experience, making it suitable for various playstyles.
Overall Review
ASA has a lot of potential and so far I am enjoying the game with its beauty, gameplay and design however I feel that the $40 price tag is too much and that is due to the current state as it does not enough servers, a decent number of crashes, not enough dinos in both land and sea , lack of optimization, lack of enough resources and we have not yet gotten to be cross platform yet with console. I feel the correct price should be between $20-$30 range until it has the issues fix, what the game has going for it is its beauty, gameplay and easy structure utilization as well as new anti-cheat system. I give ASA a 3.5 rating and look forward to seeing the game grow to its full potential as I have found myself playing many nights on it. I would however recommend to newer players wanting to play the game to probably wait until some of the optimization features and server problems are fixed.
Once the issues are fixed especially after it goes to console, I can definitely see paying $60 for it I officially give this game 3.5 stars out of 5
Personal Notes Anti-Cheat
The question we have all been wondering the new anti-Cheat system
So far the game has not had any meshing problems at all from what I've and a number of other players have seen there were a small number of exploits but were quickly patched and dealt with by the devs and people who have cheats on their pcs were ban just for even having it in their pcs and note the cheats were not active. This is what we have needed a long time for the game and if wildcard keeps this up, they may be able to redeem themselves with their player base.
