What do we know about the ASA?

[LS]

No steam page, no screenshots or videos. What is going on? The release is in October?

[TheS1X]

Nobody knows, I don't even know what to wait.

[Firebaall]

Hopefully later than Oct...

We want Snailgames to get screwed over on their contract, and to broke first....

[🦊 Hermit]

There is a clause in the contract which seems to suggest that if ASA doesn't release on schedule, ASE will instead become subject to Nitrado's exclusivity contract, and Snail will have to send a letter to all other server hosting companies, demanding that they shut down their Ark servers immediately. This potentially could result in a large swathe of unofficial servers being taken offline, and the only way to restore them would be to switch to using Nitrado as host.

This is by no means certain, but supposing that were the case, would you be in favour of that outcome?

[dragonsphotoworks]

Makes me wonder if thats their plan already. Way to get extra funding from nitrado while hiding the desire to remove other server hosting sites?

[JoshTGW]

Originally posted by dragonsphotoworks:

Makes me wonder if thats their plan already. Way to get extra funding from nitrado while hiding the desire to remove other server hosting sites?

Overall, their decisions are going to REALLY hurt the ARK franchise. The bloatware/spyware Overwolf + Marbis (Nitrado) servers, which run terribly despite ironically having the best security to prevent a DDoS yet acting like one, are part of what will bring ARK to an end.

I once supported WildCard Studios and praised them for their work, but after all this I can't in good conscience play their game or even support them in the least anymore. I know it's Snail Games that's solely responsible, but WildCard does carry a portion of the blame too for all that's happened to the community. This assault by them went unaddressed and left questions, concerns and furthermore dangerous complaints around to fester.
If the extreme reactions from game developers that resulted from the breach of trust Unity recently caused isn't a bit of a wake up call, then just you wait Snail Games/WildCard Studios (I know they're likely not going to see this) because it's going to royally suck for you and I know for certain it will.

[Dedulka_DED]

relax and chill

it is just the game only))

[dragonsphotoworks]

Unity also what worries me. This game supposed to go to U5... But from all I see U5 is going to hurt devs. Which will make a financial hit on devs wallets. Which will effect development of games. Overwolf I have but it worries me... not sure I want to keep it from what I see. And U5 plus Overwolf will also hurt ARK in end. I also only play offline so servers dont effect me but others dont like it i know. Dont know what assualt you are speaking of?

I love ark and still play it a lot. For myself and my kid it runs great. And looks great on ultra on a 4080 OC. So the bug talk I dont see personally but know others have lot of bugs sadly.

But so far all I can see is ASA supposed to run better and look better. And have 1 extra dino per map... So for multiplayer it might be better. But unless get rid of the bugs it be just like a slightly prettier ASE in single player. They claim new features but I have seen no listing of any features :-(

Only reason currently I would get ASA is if all my main modders quit on ASE and only did ASA. Otherwise im likely just to stay on ASE. As I play with many mods. ECO are a must have collection for me as well as S+ :-)

[PhantomAnthrax]

Originally posted by Firebaall:

Hopefully later than Oct...

We want Snailgames to get screwed over on their contract, and to broke first....

this is good girl thinking

[Alucard †]

Originally posted by dragonsphotoworks:

Unity also what worries me. This game supposed to go to U5... But from all I see U5 is going to hurt devs. Which will make a financial hit on devs wallets.

Can you ellaborate what you meant?
What does Unity have to do with ARK ?

[dragonsphotoworks]

Unity has changed how they charge developers. As well as the analytical stuff they take from users PC's. It is very balanced against players and developers. Lot to explain and I dont understand it all myself. Have to google it. Was a thread talking about it in depth here some where to.

Also Unity has every thing to do with ark as they are planning to use Unity 5 as there base for the new games. So since both will be written in U5 the stuff Unity them selves added will be loaded on your pc. Also they will charge devs per installl of the game as well as a base price once hit so many installs. At first "been changed i hear" it was for ANY install devs would be charged.

So if you install it on your pc they get charged.
If your hard drive failed or some thing and you had to reinstall it.. they would charge devs again! Even if you install it on a second PC in your own home. So if had issues with game and needed to reinstall a few times.... that would be a charge on devs every time.

So people blew up and the wording been changed since but thats all i know atm.

[Alucard †]

Originally posted by dragonsphotoworks:

Unity has changed how they charge developers. As well as the analytical stuff they take from users PC's. It is very balanced against players and developers. Lot to explain and I dont understand it all myself. Have to google it. Was a thread talking about it in depth here some where to.

Also Unity has every thing to do with ark as they are planning to use Unity 5 as there base for the new games. So since both will be written in U5 the stuff Unity them selves added will be loaded on your pc. Also they will charge devs per installl of the game as well as a base price once hit so many installs. At first "been changed i hear" it was for ANY install devs would be charged.

So if you install it on your pc they get charged.
If your hard drive failed or some thing and you had to reinstall it.. they would charge devs again! Even if you install it on a second PC in your own home. So if had issues with game and needed to reinstall a few times.... that would be a charge on devs every time.

So people blew up and the wording been changed since but thats all i know atm.

What?

You are confusing Unreal with Unity. Unity is the one that announced the insane runtime fees that will hurt developers in the long run.
Not Unreal.

Ark is using Unreal Engine NOT Unity.

ASE is on Unreal Engine 4 ASA was officially announced to use Unreal Engine 5.

Where are you getting that ASA will be on Unity?

[retsam1]

Originally posted by dragonsphotoworks:

Unity also what worries me. This game supposed to go to U5... But from all I see U5 is going to hurt devs. Which will make a financial hit on devs wallets. Which will effect development of games. Overwolf I have but it worries me... not sure I want to keep it from what I see. And U5 plus Overwolf will also hurt ARK in end. I also only play offline so servers dont effect me but others dont like it i know. Dont know what assualt you are speaking of?

I love ark and still play it a lot. For myself and my kid it runs great. And looks great on ultra on a 4080 OC. So the bug talk I dont see personally but know others have lot of bugs sadly.

But so far all I can see is ASA supposed to run better and look better. And have 1 extra dino per map... So for multiplayer it might be better. But unless get rid of the bugs it be just like a slightly prettier ASE in single player. They claim new features but I have seen no listing of any features :-(

Only reason currently I would get ASA is if all my main modders quit on ASE and only did ASA. Otherwise im likely just to stay on ASE. As I play with many mods. ECO are a must have collection for me as well as S+ :-)

Ark SE and Ark Ascended run on the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) and Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) respectively.

Unity is a completely different game engine and has nothing to do with Ark.

Regarding mods, ECO said she's moving her mods to ASA but that she wasnt going to charge for them there. Orionsun, as far as I know, has made no mention as to whether S+ will be going under a payway. However, its a distinct possibility until we see otherwise.

To date, only one mod maker has been transparent that he's not only going to charge for his mods on Overwolf but that he also is part of the current, very small group of modders that was invited to make mods for ASA before its released. That would be Garuga123 who was featured in last weeks community crunch with a picture of a snippet of work he's doing.

Its not a stretch to presume that other mod makers invited are likely paywall premium mods to be introduced as well.

Originally posted by 🦊 Hermit:

There is a clause in the contract which seems to suggest that if ASA doesn't release on schedule, ASE will instead become subject to Nitrado's exclusivity contract, and Snail will have to send a letter to all other server hosting companies, demanding that they shut down their Ark servers immediately. This potentially could result in a large swathe of unofficial servers being taken offline, and the only way to restore them would be to switch to using Nitrado as host.

This is by no means certain, but supposing that were the case, would you be in favour of that outcome?

For clarity:

https://investor.snail.com/sec-filings/sec-filing/8-k/0001493152-23-026297

For the filing's bottom of page 12 and the top of page 13 under section 6.2 are what you're citing. But the absolute tempest an October 31st failure to launch that would create would be the worst publicity both Nitrado and Snail would ever see due to 90%+ of the current 60,000+ unofficial servers being forced to shut down overnight by their respective host companies.

That said, because Ascended is to be released in Early Access, missing the October 31st release would have to be seen as a 100% intentional sabotage on the part of Wildcard because Early Access essentially allows them to release in the most absolute broken state it could if so wished. Then they can take their time to do as they pleased from there.

We also have to keep in mind that the SEC document files is essentially a letter of intent and the filing also states it can be subject to change. Not necessarily drastic change mind you but change is possible.

The actual true contract drawn up and signed by Morbis(Nitrado) and Snail can be different(and even worse really). And we'll most likely never see that actual agreement.

Also of note, there's a new filing from the 21st made by Snail and it too is rather telling and perhaps concerning depending on how you interpret their making a second S-1 Filing:

https://investor.snail.com/node/7166/html

[retsam1]

Originally posted by dragonsphotoworks:

Unity has changed how they charge developers. As well as the analytical stuff they take from users PC's. It is very balanced against players and developers. Lot to explain and I dont understand it all myself. Have to google it. Was a thread talking about it in depth here some where to.

Also Unity has every thing to do with ark as they are planning to use Unity 5 as there base for the new games. So since both will be written in U5 the stuff Unity them selves added will be loaded on your pc. Also they will charge devs per installl of the game as well as a base price once hit so many installs. At first "been changed i hear" it was for ANY install devs would be charged.

So if you install it on your pc they get charged.
If your hard drive failed or some thing and you had to reinstall it.. they would charge devs again! Even if you install it on a second PC in your own home. So if had issues with game and needed to reinstall a few times.... that would be a charge on devs every time.

So people blew up and the wording been changed since but thats all i know atm.

Harping on the erroneous statements you're making that Ark is using Unity is absurd. Anyone can google this and debunk it or simply log into the game and see the launch up or end credits of the game to the contrary.

You're being silly.

[dragonsphotoworks]

Originally posted by retsam1:

Harping on the erroneous statements you're making that Ark is using Unity is absurd. Anyone can google this and debunk it or simply log into the game and see the launch up or end credits of the game to the contrary.

You're being silly.

Ah I was mixing the 2 up I admit. I read dozens of game forums a day and mixed up ark. Im not HARPING on anything. I was under incorrect info and i admit it. Though what I say about UNITY is correct. It just doesnt apply to ARK. I admit I mixed it up and im wrong on account of it and ark.

What happens when follow way too many games and stay up all night with out sleeping :-) Unreal/Unity names so close I mixed them up.

But on correct info.. :-)
The mod paywall is concerning. I dont mind donating to modders when I can. but to payway them sucks imho. Ya I saw that ECO wasnt going to charge. But others very likely will :-(

Originally posted by Alucard †:

What?

You are confusing Unreal with Unity. Unity is the one that announced the insane runtime fees that will hurt developers in the long run.
Not Unreal.

Ark is using Unreal Engine NOT Unity.

ASE is on Unreal Engine 4 ASA was officially announced to use Unreal Engine 5.

Where are you getting that ASA will be on Unity?

Your correct I mixed them. Sorry for that.


Id remove my prior comments but then thread would look off. And be like i was hide'ing my mistake which im not. I own up to it.

[Alucard †]

It's fine mistakes happen. ^^
Like i was confused once whenever 7DTD was on Unity or Unreal.