QUESTION- Is ARK a series of standalone games

[Phaylen]

I'm confused by their terminology, specifically their use f the word "Expansion" because it doesn't expand the content of my current experience. I'm playing the base game.

I purchased the expansions thinking that it would expand the map, introduce more biomes, dinosaurs, tools and options... but no. That's not the case. None of the expansions have anything to do with the game I've been playing for hundreds of hours.

I loved some of the content they introduced in scorched earth, but they don't exist in The Island. To play with some of the dinosaurs I like in scorch earth, I have to abandon my progress on the Island and start over on scorched earth or Ragnarok, or Aberration, I presume.

Effectively they're three separate games, right? None having any relationship with the other (Not the same dinosaurs, not the same progress carrying over from one to the other, you're a new character)

Do I understand this correctly? It's what is stopping me from buying any more "expansions."

When you invest so much time into establishing yourself, developing your habitat, taming difficult dinos, building, crafting, gardening, only to have to abandon it all to start over again naked on a beach again like nothing counted feels so defeating.

Why do they advertise them as expansions if they don't expand the current world but instead are stand alone games with no relationship to each other. I'd have loved to have brought dinos from scorched earth or Ragnarok to my home on The Island, but not possible?

For comparison, it feels more like the Grand Theft Auto franchise. They have the same name, and expand upon what you could do in the last game, but are not at all intersectional.

Why do we even need the base game to have these "Expansions" when they aren't necessarily compatible with each other?

Thanks for clarifying.

[ribeye007]

dif maps and content mods etc

[Vesuvius]

The "story" of Ark goes from TheIsland to Scorched Earth to Aberration to Extinction.

They are only expansions in that sense. But 'can' be done in any order.

[g0rml3ss]

With exception of taking critters to Abberation all the expansions are connected via travel, I guess the intention is the cross server travel is the link bringing them all together, you are suppose to progress through the different ARK's.

You don't lose anything just leave it behind but it's there to return to, unless destroyed in your absence of course.

It kind of sucks that single play doesn't really have a nice smooth transition for doing this, instead you have to save your current map, upload what you want to take, start a new map and download your stuff from an obi etc.

So I do get your point but the interaction is there it's just not done in the best way.

[Cobretti]

You can transfer your dinos and character between maps so progress isn't lost and you can use dinos from the expansion on your Island game.

The story progresses through them as Vesuvious explains. It will become clear when you complete the end game content for The Island.

[Cataclisto]

Its possible to bring these to other maps if you have a few servers running with cross-ark enabled on them.

You dont even need to buy the dlc to get what the dlc adds as the creatures are included as part of the base game files (your just buying the map in a sense). I'll give you a small example of whats in my game.ini file. Added some spawns to my island world for the beaches...

ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesBeach_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternLizard_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternBird_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternGoat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("MoleRat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2),(NPCClassString="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.4),(NPCClassString="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0)))

I know, big wall of text, this adds the abberation shoulder pets, some abberants and a roll rat to the beaches on the island map (also adds them to other maps that use this spawn point), this is just one line of writing in my game.ini file

[Vesuvius]

You can take any critter from aberration to any other map... you just cant take flyers to aberration (with vanilla settings).
All critters on all other maps can transfer to all other maps (except flyers to Aberration) without losing progress.

Its what sparked the whole cross-ark travel wars in the first place :)

[Phaylen]

Originally posted by Cataclisto:

Its possible to bring these to other maps if you have a few servers running with cross-ark enabled on them.

You dont even need to buy the dlc to get what the dlc adds as the creatures are included as part of the base game files (your just buying the map in a sense). I'll give you a small example of whats in my game.ini file. Added some spawns to my island world for the beaches...

ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesBeach_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternLizard_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternBird_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternGoat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("MoleRat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2),(NPCClassString="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.4),(NPCClassString="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0)))

I know, big wall of text, this adds the abberation shoulder pets, some abberants and a roll rat to the beaches on the island map (also adds them to other maps that use this spawn point), this is just one line of writing in my game.ini file

THANK YOU! This is amazing and I am super grateful you shared this!

[Vesuvius]

Originally posted by g0rml3ss:

With exception of taking critters to Abberation all the expansions are connected via travel, I guess the intention is the cross server travel is the link bringing them all together, you are suppose to progress through the different ARK's.

You don't lose anything just leave it behind but it's there to return to, unless destroyed in your absence of course.

It kind of sucks that single play doesn't really have a nice smooth transition for doing this, instead you have to save your current map, upload what you want to take, start a new map and download your stuff from an obi etc.

So I do get your point but the interaction is there it's just not done in the best way.

Wouldnt it have been cool if, when you cross-ark travel you got a stargate type cutscene with hints of the ascension cross-ark cutscene?

[Vesuvius]

Originally posted by Phaylen:

Originally posted by Cataclisto:

Its possible to bring these to other maps if you have a few servers running with cross-ark enabled on them.

You dont even need to buy the dlc to get what the dlc adds as the creatures are included as part of the base game files (your just buying the map in a sense). I'll give you a small example of whats in my game.ini file. Added some spawns to my island world for the beaches...

ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesBeach_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternLizard_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternBird_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternGoat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("MoleRat_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")),(AnEntryName="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Dodo_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="LanternGoat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Stego_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Lystro_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="Turtle_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0),(NPCClassString="MoleRat_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2),(NPCClassString="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.4),(NPCClassString="Trilobite_Character_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=1.0)))

I know, big wall of text, this adds the abberation shoulder pets, some abberants and a roll rat to the beaches on the island map (also adds them to other maps that use this spawn point), this is just one line of writing in my game.ini file

THANK YOU! This is amazing and I am super grateful you shared this!

There is also the Cross-aberration mod... wich also adds the nasty Abe critters to most maps.

[Cataclisto]

Id recomend using ark server manager, not for playing or anything but to generate the code like the example i pasted above, (its probibly much easier then typing all of that anyway :P)

Its map spawner overrides section can do the dinos, save it, then copy the code from the game.ini file it makes and paste that code into yours. The crafting override section can allow you to manually change specific abberation items to use island map resources of your choice (a program like notepad++ can neatly orginize the text when you open them, makes it easier to find single lines to copy)