[7/16/15] Community Crunch #10

[Jat]

Greeting Survivors!

Welcome to the tenth issue of the Community Crunch! To those unaware this is a topic which primarily consist of content to share, made by the community, for the community! As well as any little changes I want to make survivors aware about, which happen within our community ;). This one is a big one, so be sure to check the second post!

Fanart, Screenshots and more!

This week I’ll be sharing some comics I came across in our Steam’s Community Hub artwork corner. They were all created by Grande and they’re great! Absolutely hilarious and we hope you keep this up Grande!

Valhalla

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=478708410

Flintstones

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=478709450

ARK Evolution

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=479350284

Rock Confusion

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=480645320

You defecated!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=481475367

Taming Obesity

Check out his Facebook page for this one! It's not been uploaded to Steam yet :p

Fantastic stuff! We had a right laugh about this and we’ll work on resolving some of those problems too :P https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grande-Artist/123840161007276

Workshop Spotlight

For our tenth crunch we’re bringing back the workshop spotlight and from here on out we’ll be making this a regular feature in the crunch! Since the release of the dev-kit, we’ve been actively keeping an eye on the workshop to see what you guys have come up with. We expected it to be a while before people really get dug in and start playing around with it, however we’ve been pleasantly surprised! You guys have already gotten started producing maps, mods, plugins and even introducing your own dinosaurs! It’s super great to see and we hope it continues. For the second edition of the Workshop spotlight, we’d like to present….

Canna-Ark

A Cannabis mod for ARK’s “TheIsland” map.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=481755557

This is a mod for TheIsland created by Sinari.Sinestro and Mr.Pwndabear that introduces prehistoric Ruderalis Cannabis aka good old Mary Jane along with many new harvestable resources, including “Hemp Fiber” and “Cannabis Flowers” which will later be used for crafting new item. There’s a lot more planned in store for the mod so stay tuned and check out the changelog for the full details.

Changelog and mod info: https://forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?75665-WIP-Canna-Ark-V1-0-A-Cannabis-mod-amp-much-more!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/changelog/481755557

Today we’re joined by one of the creators from Canna-Ark and they’re here to answer some questions and talk about the mod with us! Thanks for joining us :)

No problem! Happy to be here!

So first of all, could you introduce yourself to the community, and tell us about how you got started in the project?

Sinari.Sinestro: Hey Everyone! My real name is Jerry, but you’ll know me as Sinari.Sinestro on Steam. I’m an avid gamer, musician, aspiring game designer, character modeler and general jack of all trades. When I saw that ARK was releasing their Dev Kit, I got super excited and immediately knew it needed a Cannabis mod to add some new features into it’s already well established core gameplay. So myself and Mr Pwndabear (a.k.a Derrick) decided that Canna-Ark would be a good first mod to start learning about the tools and more about game design and development through Unreal Engine 4! We’re both really good friends in real life and have known each other for a long time, it’s an ambition of ours to start a Game Design Studio and hopefully start working towards a prototype for an original game.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=482954790

That sounds awesome! Hopefully you’ll be able to learn a lot from UE4 and one day achieve that dream of yours. So I need to ask, why the cannabis mod? Have you had success in other games creating something similar, have you modded in other games before?

Mr. Pwndabear: Well given the nature of ark and it seemed only natural for there to be some sort of cannabis related mod. Sinari and I are also huge supporters of medical cannabis and its natural and almost miracle ability to heal. So naturally it was the first place we turned to for this mod. In terms of modding this is the first project that Sinari and I have taken on for any game. We both have a huge passion for gaming and hope that in the near future we can get our studio up and running as well as continue work on our ideas for future mods as well as adding more onto cannark!

First project, impressive! We were actually thinking about adding Cannabis into the core game too, but we’ve not gotten to it yet :p. As inexperienced modders, how are you finding using the tools? any advice or tips you’d like to share? Perhaps something you wish you knew beforehand? Or any functionality you’re looking forward to getting?

Sinari.Sinestro: The tools have been a double edged sword in a lot of ways for us. Since we are still learning UE4 it has been quite a lot easier in comparison to trying to make your own game. At the same time though we experienced quite a ton of headaches and bugs along the way.

While modding was conceptually easier than we initially thought, the bugs we encountered just from it having just been released, made up for that big time. One of the things I wish I had known ahead of time was that (previously) if you clicked the cancel button while uploading it would corrupt your workshop config file not allowing further updates. As you can imagine that was a bit of a nightmare for us when we were trying to update our mod regularly. But such it is with being on the frontier of new sciences, technologies, and breakthroughs :P

In terms of functionality, just overall I'm excited to see more variables, parameters, and functions exposed for us to be able to wield in modding :D. I would however like to see some better support down the line for importing new particle effects if possible :P. Also at any point will we be getting some advanced documentation or tutorials on blueprinting capabilities within Ark specifically. Cause I've noticed some things function a bit differently in terms of booleans, variables, and functions that are accessible, so something we might do in UE4 one way we can't do in the Dev Kit the same way?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=482954795

There’s a tip for you budding modders! Careful when you cancel an uploading mod as it might lead to corrupting your workshop file! As for better support regarding particle effects, we’ll see what we can do! In regards to the documentation or tutorials - we’ve actually just released the first two episodes of our ongoing ARK Dev Kit tutorials! You can find the playlist here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG4-yrUH9d0&index=1&list=PLUO4xu2SPfEodX4oeE0lWNzq4RQXxKNuC - they first two episodes were by TheRightHand (a.k.a Kayd Hendricks) - we’ll give him a shout to get a tutorial up regarding blueprinting capabilities :)

[Jat]

So I’ve had spent a bit of playtime with the mod myself and something I really enjoy are the Distraction Arrows! It’s genius! THOUGH THE SPIDERS ATTACKED ME TOO :( - Who came up with the idea? And what else do you guys have planned for Cannark?

Mr.Pwndabear: Well the idea sprouted from another idea really. The original plan was to have an arrow, like the tranq arrow, have the ability to cause your foes to "trip". However given the current state of the dev kit we were unable to get this to work, so from there we decided to have the arrow spawn in a mob that would simply be a distraction. For the future we plan on adding a whole new crafting tier to be used with hemp fiber like armor and various other things. We have also been working on a super secret mod that we have yet to reveal too much about. However as a little spoiler it will use arrows in a new and very fun way!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=482954796

Sounds fun! Will be interesting to see what you guys come up with using the hemp tier as well! I know there’s a lot of focus on using the arrows to create new ways of fighting, but do you have any plans for the traps we’ve just introduced into the game? Have you had a chance to play with them?

Mr.Pwndabear: Actually I have not had the time to play with those, although YES, I already have a few ideas as to what we can do with that, and have it tie in very nicely to the super secret project we have been working on.

No worries, we’re adding some more utility to them in the upcoming 187 patch so hopefully you’ll be able to have even more fun with it! Now how about the lore and the creatures of the ARK? Does Canna-Ark have it’s own story? Is this mod just an addition to the current Island or are you planning on introducing a unique story?

Sinari.Sinestro: To be honest we really haven't thought about adding lore to Canna-Ark other than just basic stuff to go along with what Ark is providing already in terms of lore. Ark has yet to really show its true colors in terms of lore and backstory I think, and that's something we really like about it. Almost reminds me of Myst (the old Mystery/Puzzle game on PC) and how much mystery there was to that game! If anything most of our lore will be tied into the super secret mod that Derrick was talking about. Hopefully at some point we can figure out more ways to implement our idea we have right now (the super secret one) via new exposed functions, variables, etc. If anything I like to think that Cannabis is just naturally present on the Island, which is why we are working on getting a FULL version of Canna-Ark ready with WILD Cannabis plants and WAY more features!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=482954860

So many secrets! Gosh now I know what our players feel like… Mysteries are always fun, that’s for sure :P. So from everything you’ve already implemented and possibly have planned, what would be your favourite part of the mod?

Sinari.Sinestro: Right now for me personally it would be the Distraction Arrows/Poison Gas Arrows. I'm big into PVP (former Halo Competitive player) so I'm going to try my hardest to tailor a lot of features towards exactly that, like the Distraction Arrows. However those are quite nifty for PVE too. Saved my rear from a T-Rex yesterday!

Mr.Pwndabear: Well the magic mushrooms are pretty cool and personally feel that it adds a really cool feature to the game. But my favorite part of the whole thing is the prime cannabis and how that will make a lot of people's lives easier!

Sinari.Sinestro: Eventually Cannabis Prime will be the Herbivore equivalent to Prime Meat for Carnivores :D and also using it in the game will provide a boost to max Oxygen and Stamina. As we progress down the line we’ll be expanding on our items and medical items later with Cannabis Infused recipes, different ways to ingest/smoke it, and refined versions for a bigger/better buff! Personally I’d like to bring in some new animations and with those, custom tailored particle effects and statuses with unique overlays.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=482954762

Awesome! sounds like you guys have a lot in store for everyone and this mod is going to see a lot of development, really happy to hear that :). Can’t wait to see some of the changes you make, especially the new animations! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, it’s been great. Anything you’d like to end with?

Sinari.Sinestro: Thank you good sir :D

Mr. Pwndabear: We are excited to see what everyone does with their own ideas and hopefully we can come together as a community to understand the dev kit and expand off each other!

Sinari.Sinestro: We really hope you guys enjoy what we have to offer and what we are trying to bring to the table. If anyone has any suggestions/ideas/feedback please let us know, and we will take it into mind going forward with further updates!

Mr.Pwndabear: "Just DO IT! Yesterday you said tomorrow SO JUST DO IT!" Shia LaBeouf

If you guys would like to check out the mod, you can do so here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=481755557

ARKitect

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=477988486

This week’s ARKitect goes to Scud! They’ve created a magnificent villa upon a hill. They’ve done a fantastic job making use of both the stone and wood tier to create a homely but epic feeling to the structure. Love how you’ve made the roof from ramps too! When you see this Scud, great job buddy! Would love to see some more screenshots of the base!

Also we’re excited to announce that starting this week we will be awarding a $200 prize per week’s Community Crunch to whichever we deem the neatest ARKitect screenshot, starting with Crud! So congratulations! If you’d like to enter your #arkitect for next week, you can do so here:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/346110/discussions/2/535150948599735341/

That’s it for this week’s Community Crunch guys! If you’ve got anything to share please get in touch and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @survivetheark, Facebook at www.facebook.com/survivetheark and Reddit at www.reddit.com/r/playark!

Thanks everyone!

All the best,

Your Community Manager Jat and the ARK Survival Evolved Team

[Mad Mackey]

IT'S HUGE!!!!!! Glad the community has made such awesome stuff :D

[Jat]

Whoops, forgot to pin.

[Zerim]

We were actually thinking about adding Cannabis into the core game too, but we’ve not gotten to it yet :p

Hemp for fiber, maybe. Cannabis for smoking, no. Do you really think parents would buy this game for their kids if it had pot use in it?

I say leave it to mods. That's what they're for.

[~Ormagodon~]

ARK needs some cannabis, for sure!

[MadMek]

Originally posted by Zerim:

We were actually thinking about adding Cannabis into the core game too, but we’ve not gotten to it yet :p

Hemp for fiber, maybe. Cannabis for smoking, no. Do you really think parents would buy this game for their kids if it had pot use in it?

You do realize, of course, that "cannabis" is a scientific name that applies to both the narcotic and industrial plant right? The are two seperate species in the "cannabis" genus.

[Zerim]

Originally posted by sayerglasgow:

Originally posted by Zerim:

Hemp for fiber, maybe. Cannabis for smoking, no. Do you really think parents would buy this game for their kids if it had pot use in it?

You do realize, of course, that "cannabis" is a scientific name that applies to both the narcotic and industrial plant right? The are two seperate species in the "cannabis" genus.

Cool.

[FatherSlime]

Originally posted by Zerim:

We were actually thinking about adding Cannabis into the core game too, but we’ve not gotten to it yet :p

Hemp for fiber, maybe. Cannabis for smoking, no. Do you really think parents would buy this game for their kids if it had pot use in it?

I say leave it to mods. That's what they're for.

The game is M, parents shouldnt buy this game for their kids to begin with lol

[Gladman]

Originally posted by Zerim:

Originally posted by sayerglasgow:

You do realize, of course, that "cannabis" is a scientific name that applies to both the narcotic and industrial plant right? The are two seperate species in the "cannabis" genus.

Cool.

Knowledge is power brotha ;)
Also, Cannabis is used by children all over the US now as medicine. Just because we are taught to hate/look down upon something doesn't mean its right or even remotely based on fact. If anything history has taught us that hate really just equates to ignorance.

[Gladman]

Originally posted by Sw!zZ.Pii:

Originally posted by Zerim:

Hemp for fiber, maybe. Cannabis for smoking, no. Do you really think parents would buy this game for their kids if it had pot use in it?

I say leave it to mods. That's what they're for.

I doubt that they designed this game for kids :-P

Also, they buy a game where you kill tons of dinos and other players - but cannabis? NO, JUST NO!

Welcome to our misleading, f**ked up society! And that's exactly why.

Remember this; we have to give those the dignity of their mistakes (to a certain extent). Pushing em gently in the right direction and "killing" them with kindness is usually the route to go. But thankfully people are starting to wake up, slowly but surely. The day will come where society isn't run by money and power, but rather intellect, practicality, sustainability, etc etc, will be the governing power so to speak.

Anyways, tangent alert haha.

Thank you guys for the kind words, the chance for an interview, and all the love from all our fellow Arkians ^_^

[Pwnlarone_Adam]

Who do u release rogue updates(No notice for the WEEK this has happened on both of the official releases of primitive servers and due to that i have not been able to start on the servers.

The only notice you have ever given has been for the EU servers you said "We randomly decided to release a bunch of US primitive servers EU ones are coming later.
Thanks for the useless servers and the announcement that you didnt make.

Thanks

[Khaidu]

Originally posted by Mr.Pwndabear:

The game is M, parents shouldnt buy this game for their kids to begin with lol

alright, but lets also remember some of us live in backwards countries. The mere fact that the game even mentions the word Cannabis is enough for it to be banned in Australia or required to be modified to not say such a word and an R rating slammed on the game.

[sirkaill]

i need to make sure to make the next rounds of questions i want to know when we can attach more then one item to a gun i want a longrifle with a scope and a silencer

[King-Tek]

Keep the cannibis out of the core game!

I enjoy the game and it is a nice way for me and my son to play together. But I definitely do not want to see smoking pot as a core part of this game. Just let that sort of stuff stay in the realm of the modders!

[ReadBird]

Originally posted by Merkhava:

Keep the cannibis out of the core game!

I enjoy the game and it is a nice way for me and my son to play together. But I definitely do not want to see smoking pot as a core part of this game. Just let that sort of stuff stay in the realm of the modders!

It's a good thing that you enjoy this game with your son. I hope you will be spared from the evil cannabis plant that can do so much more than just beeing smoked. No, just continue making narcotics and forcefeed those animals, so you can be a good rolemodel for your son. And remember to whack that dodo over the head with your axe and show them who is the boss!