Super Map

[Natjur]

We all know the map size limits and Ragnarok pushed the limits and had all the dinos from Island and SE on one map.

Is there any map or someone working on a map that is part Aberration and part Extinction, so it has the whole Ark experience on one map (if it had the tek cave and Rockwell on it too even better)

With so many moving to atlas, I was thinking of downgrading the server farm I play on (all 6 maps) to a single map with everything (if there was one) and transferring more memory/cpu to the Altas instance, so it can be 9x9 instead of 3x3

Anything out there? Or just spool up more virtual servers?

[Brain]

not even sure someone has made a map like that yet but it will be cool!

[KitsuneShiro]

Iso Crystal isles, not sure it's been so long since I have checked it out.

Volcano is a bit plastic looking, but get everything except extinction.

[KitsuneShiro]

I think the problem is that Ark maps take so so long to create. It will probably be a while before there is one really good (well balanced) all inclusive map.

I think a map Extension for the Center would be cool to turn the underworld into an Aberrantion zone, but I don't think this is possible.

[Natjur]

Originally posted by KitsuneShiro:

I think a map Extension for the Center would be cool to turn the underworld into an Aberrantion zone, but I don't think this is possible.

I would love to see the center revisited.

The Underworld turned into an Aberrantion zone and some dino that you can only get on the center would give it a lot of love. It was the first good player made map and now no one I know plays on it cause Ragnarok has way more resources (the metal in the south of the map is insane)

On the cluster of six I play on. Everyones main base is on Ragnarok or Extinction (for the easy element). No one goes to the Island except to do the Tex cave, and only use the Aberration blue zone for metal runs.

Would be nice to see some love for the center or SE. Or just one really big map like Ragnarok that has everything. Cause there is really not reason to play on the other maps.

I might have to keep an eye on Antartika if the modder gets Aberration and Extinction bios added https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=946379571

[🦊 Hermit]

I'll be honest, I don't particularly like the idea of modded maps having everything. Every mod map is doing it now, and imo it just makes them all feel the same.

The main reason I like the vanilla maps is that they are unique, with their own atmosphere, challenges, and gameplay quirks. They add new things to the mix, while perhaps removing some of the old stuff that you come to rely on, forcing you to look into other options.

But with a map that has everything, not only have we seen it all before, but it also loses definition and focus. It just becomes a large mess with no real purpose. Not to mention that with the map sizes of Ark, there's barely enough space to contain everything in one place so it switches from one area to another far too quickly. The areas bleed into each other, adding to that morass, the lack of definition.

Ragnarok did a good job getting away with it, because 1) it only covers the base game and 1 expansion, not all of them, 2) it's extreme size does reduce the crossover effect somewhat, allowing each area to retain a degree of character and uniqueness, and 3) the map's grand design and amazing visuals go a long way to making it feel unique and special even without the addition of new gameplay and with the resuing of multiple asset packs.

But honestly, if I were a modder, I wouldn't be working on a new map which contained everything we already have. I'd much rather see modders working on new, different things to add to what we have and take it in a whole new direction. As with official DLCs, have just a handful of standard Ark creatures on the map, but remove some of the base ones which people are comfortable using, and add new ones in their stead which can do similar things but work slightly differently, forcing players to adapt. And instead of the usual bossroll of broodmother/megapithicus/dragon etc, create entirely new bosses in brand new arenas with unique physics and challenges to overcome.

For example, how about that waterworld that we've all been waiting for for so long? Perhaps have an obelisk sunk in a deep underwater cave way below the map surface, and when you activate it it spawns an underwater boss like a jellyfish - 'Medusa' or something. And have standard metal, wood and fiber nodes be extremely rare on the map, replaced instead with underwater equivelants like coralwood and seaweed. And don't have an ankylo spawn there at all, force players to use the dunkie instead, and have other, new, unique underwater mounts which can farm the coral and seaweed in a similar way to how mammoths farm wood and theris farm fiber on other maps.

I'd much prefer to see that on the Workshop, myself...

[KitsuneShiro]

I would like to see more map Extension being created. I think they would be faster to make, since they are smaller.

For the Island there was one that added a wyvern scar.

For the Center there is one that adds a desert island and SE resources.

I personally would like to see the procedural generation system be fully functioning and more powerful.

[𝓝𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓲]

Originally posted by Hermit:

I'll be honest, I don't particularly like the idea of modded maps having everything. Every mod map is doing it now, and imo it just makes them all feel the same.

The main reason I like the vanilla maps is that they are unique, with their own atmosphere, challenges, and gameplay quirks. They add new things to the mix, while perhaps removing some of the old stuff that you come to rely on, forcing you to look into other options.

But with a map that has everything, not only have we seen it all before, but it also loses definition and focus. It just becomes a large mess with no real purpose. Not to mention that with the map sizes of Ark, there's barely enough space to contain everything in one place so it switches from one area to another far too quickly. The areas bleed into each other, adding to that morass, the lack of definition.

Ragnarok did a good job getting away with it, because 1) it only covers the base game and 1 expansion, not all of them, 2) it's extreme size does reduce the crossover effect somewhat, allowing each area to retain a degree of character and uniqueness, and 3) the map's grand design and amazing visuals go a long way to making it feel unique and special even without the addition of new gameplay and with the resuing of multiple asset packs.

But honestly, if I were a modder, I wouldn't be working on a new map which contained everything we already have. I'd much rather see modders working on new, different things to add to what we have and take it in a whole new direction. As with official DLCs, have just a handful of standard Ark creatures on the map, but remove some of the base ones which people are comfortable using, and add new ones in their stead which can do similar things but work slightly differently, forcing players to adapt. And instead of the usual bossroll of broodmother/megapithicus/dragon etc, create entirely new bosses in brand new arenas with unique physics and challenges to overcome.

For example, how about that waterworld that we've all been waiting for for so long? Perhaps have an obelisk sunk in a deep underwater cave way below the map surface, and when you activate it it spawns an underwater boss like a jellyfish - 'Medusa' or something. And have standard metal, wood and fiber nodes be extremely rare on the map, replaced instead with underwater equivelants like coralwood and seaweed. And don't have an ankylo spawn there at all, force players to use the dunkie instead, and have other, new, unique underwater mounts which can farm the coral and seaweed in a similar way to how mammoths farm wood and theris farm fiber on other maps.

I'd much prefer to see that on the Workshop, myself...

I agree 100%, except, i think Ragnarok was too large, some areas felt boring and empty.

I tried to play The Volcano but it felt... wrong... almost like the abberation assets were shoved in just to get them in.

[Natjur]

Originally posted by Hermit:

The main reason I like the vanilla maps is that they are unique, with their own atmosphere, challenges, and gameplay quirks. They add new things to the mix, while perhaps removing some of the old stuff that you come to rely on, forcing you to look into other options.

I used to aggree with this, until Ragnarok became an offical map and had everything and I felt broke the game, cause players stopped playing on the Island and SE and moved moved to Ragnarok.

On Ragnarok, the dino weighting is scaled, so L5 and L10 dinos never spawn and level 150 have a 5% change to spawn (only 0.5% on the island or SE) Also resources are insane on Ragnarok, and most player never visited the other server in the cluster due to this.

If all the offical maps had the same dino weighting, and same balance of resources, then that would make sense, but at the moment, some offical maps give so much more (and easier) to players then others.

The easy element on Extinction, no one farms bosses anymore for element. Everyone just has a base on Ragnarok and Extinction and ignore the other maps. So why not go to the next step and just have a map like Ragnarok that has everything and be done with it.

[KitsuneShiro]

Originally posted by Natjur:

Originally posted by Hermit:

The main reason I like the vanilla maps is that they are unique, with their own atmosphere, challenges, and gameplay quirks. They add new things to the mix, while perhaps removing some of the old stuff that you come to rely on, forcing you to look into other options.

I used to aggree with this, until Ragnarok became an offical map and had everything and I felt broke the game, cause players stopped playing on the Island and SE and moved moved to Ragnarok.

On Ragnarok, the dino weighting is scaled, so L5 and L10 dinos never spawn and level 150 have a 5% change to spawn (only 0.5% on the island or SE) Also resources are insane on Ragnarok, and most player never visited the other server in the cluster due to this.

If all the offical maps had the same dino weighting, and same balance of resource, then that would make sense, but at the moment, some offical maps give so much more (and easyier) to player then others.

There's a server plugin to get Ragnarok level distribution on all maps.

[Natjur]

Originally posted by KitsuneShiro:

There's a server plugin to get Ragnarok level distribution on all maps.

I prefer the other way around, give Ragnarok and the center the same distribution as the Island and SE. I really do not like that some level of dinos never spawn

[KitsuneShiro]

Originally posted by Natjur:

Originally posted by KitsuneShiro:

There's a server plugin to get Ragnarok level distribution on all maps.

I prefer the other way around, give Ragnarok and the center the same distribution as the Island and SE. I really do not like that some level of dinos never spawn

I suppose the plugin code be modified to switch it around. Or use a custom distribution.

[𝓝𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓲]

Isn't dino level always weighted more towards the lower ends?

Wild dino level... This is one mechanic in Ark i never fully understood.

[KitsuneShiro]

Originally posted by 𝓝𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓲:

Isn't dino level always weighted more towards the lower ends?

Wild dino level... This is one mechanic in Ark i never fully understood.

It's just a mathematical distrubution.

There are graphs on the linked plugin page.

https://arkserverapi.com/resources/better-spawn-distribution.42/

[Natjur]

This link show the level weighing of the different maps
https://imgur.com/a/tV1MG

Aberration and Extinction are the same as the Island and SE.

The Center and Ragnarok as you can see have gaps and a much higher change of a high level (130-150) so if your looking for high stat dinos for breeding, always look for them on The Center or Ragnarok.

Also Ragnarok has way more sheep (easy mutton for taming) and unicorns up then any other map at once, which again, just makes it the first choice over all the other offical maps. I much prefer it each map has there own good and bad, but that is not the case, Ragnarok wins hand down, so might as well embrace having one super map

[chinahunter76]

Have you checked out Ebenus Astrum. It has a desert region and Ext dinos w/drops too.