Why Is This Game So Big?

[shrimple]

Ok, I don't play Ark that much. I have not spent more money than the base game and do not own the season pass. But I can't help but notice this game is 136.4GB (As shown on SpaceSniffer).
Now this is respectable, but this game is advertised as only needing 60GB.
Realising this I check further into the files.
Every single DLC is already installed, now this is stupid. I do not own and have not payed for these and obviously I can't play them. I understand some games do this, especially to cut down download times when something new is released but there is nearly 80GB of content I do not own.

• https://prnt.sc/lu6vs9
  
• https://prnt.sc/lu6w6q

Maybe this is done intentionally or the files are just named this way but it really confuses me.
Feel free to correct me.

[Jewels]

Even if you haven't purchased the DLC, you actually DO have access to the content. You can use console commands to spawn in items and dinos from those DLC into other maps without ever purchasing those DLC's. You just can't play on the maps.

[DemitriX]

Stole my post from other thread

if you need some more disk space you can reduce Ark's filesize with compactgui :)
https://github.com/ImminentFate/CompactGUI/releases
https://github.com/ImminentFate/CompactGUI/wiki <-- Games list with compression results

Its a nice and neat looking gui for the windows 10 compact function which does a great job compressing files, and considering i reduced Ark's filesize by 53% that has to raise some alarms to those that are curious just how much Ark's game is compressed ;=)

Every time there is a patch, the files changed/modified will become uncompressed again, so you will need to re-run the compression on the game folder.


Various results ive had
https://imgur.com/a/uc8Rx8F

[Nicoliolio]

Also I heard they couldn't update the store page when they left early access. Could be a reason why. Even the base game has grown in assets. Also we either get these posts 10 times a day or posts like why can't I play with my friend on a server that's the basic maps yada yada yada.

[Boomer Voncannon]

I have seen posters stating that not allowing updating of store page to reflect increased space requirements is a Steam policy. Why such a policy would be a good idea I can't imagine, in fact it strikes me as borderline intentionally and needlessly deceptive. There may be some legitimate reason for it, again if true, but I can't imagine what one might be off the top of my head.

[Leslie]

Didn't it used to say 40 gig on the store page?

I can see changing it while still in early access, but changing the terms of the license once it became a released game could be grounds for a refund.

And that, boys and girls, is why Extinction is and will be the last DLC for Ark.

[Leslie]

The base game with The Island map, and with all the files for the DLC items and creatures (which are necessary to play the base game if someone else has imported DLC items) but no DLC map files, and no saved files, and no Seek Free Content duplicate files, is right at 60 gigs.

There is no room to add more asset, item or creature files from another DLC and stay below the 60 gig advertised size.

[Ruse]

The store page hasn't been updated since the DLC was added. You download all the DLC even if you don't own it.

[Leslie]

Originally posted by Theresa Barkskin:

The store page hasn't been updated since the DLC was added. You download all the DLC even if you don't own it.

With the last DLC, Extinction, they have used up all the advertised 60 gigs of space. If they released another DLC with more new creature and item files added to the base game, they would exceed the 60 gig limit they advertised when they licensed the game to countless players.
So, no more DLCs with their large file additions to the base game..
They can tinker with the existing files so long as they don't get bigger.

[shrimple]

They're not going to advertise it as more than 60 GB, because it is true. The game itself is 60 GB but the DLC is not on the same page as Ark itself. So they do not need to show that the game is much bigger as it is not part of the base game. But I find it stupid how they would include nearly 80 GB of content in which half I can't even play.

[heroicidiot]

Originally posted by Boop:

They're not going to advertise it as more than 60 GB, because it is true. The game itself is 60 GB but the DLC is not on the same page as Ark itself. So they do not need to show that the game is much bigger as it is not part of the base game. But I find it stupid how they would include nearly 80 GB of content in which half I can't even play.

half of that is to make sure those without the dlc can see the dlc items and creatures. If it wasn't there, how else is the game gonna see that content that was brought over from the dlc maps?

[Anubis]

Originally posted by Boop:

They're not going to advertise it as more than 60 GB, because it is true. The game itself is 60 GB but the DLC is not on the same page as Ark itself. So they do not need to show that the game is much bigger as it is not part of the base game. But I find it stupid how they would include nearly 80 GB of content in which half I can't even play.

You cannot play on the maps, but you can have those dinos and itens from the dlcs. Do you prefer your game to crash everytime you get contact with dinos/itens from others dlcs?

[Ragnorok]

Honestly the devs/wildcard should just put a locked message called the game is huge!!! Get over it

[shrimple]

Originally posted by Anubis:

Originally posted by Boop:

They're not going to advertise it as more than 60 GB, because it is true. The game itself is 60 GB but the DLC is not on the same page as Ark itself. So they do not need to show that the game is much bigger as it is not part of the base game. But I find it stupid how they would include nearly 80 GB of content in which half I can't even play.

You cannot play on the maps, but you can have those dinos and itens from the dlcs. Do you prefer your game to crash everytime you get contact with dinos/itens from others dlcs?

I undestand this, but it something that I have not asked for nor they advertised.

[enchanter100]

Originally posted by Boop:

Originally posted by Anubis:

You cannot play on the maps, but you can have those dinos and itens from the dlcs. Do you prefer your game to crash everytime you get contact with dinos/itens from others dlcs?

I undestand this, but it something that I have not asked for nor they advertised.

Cmon, they also advertise a "living breathing ecosystem" which we know it's literally just randomly spawned dinos...

[heroicidiot]

Originally posted by Boop:

Originally posted by Anubis:

You cannot play on the maps, but you can have those dinos and itens from the dlcs. Do you prefer your game to crash everytime you get contact with dinos/itens from others dlcs?

I undestand this, but it something that I have not asked for nor they advertised.

So what? They can't tell you literally everything about the game before you buy it. A lot of it you can find out by looking around,asking, or even watching videos. If store pages tell you about literally everything, then you'd have pages upon pages to read.