Community Crunch 385: Console and LiveOps Update, Extra Life Update, and More!

What a whirlwind of a week it's been for both our team and all of you. We've ridden the exhilarating highs of ASA's PC release, watching it claim the top spot on the Steam charts, and we've ridden the rollercoaster of post-launch LiveOps with its share of hitches and victories. On the flip side, there's no denying the disappointment accompanying the delay of ASA's console launch. We felt it, too. Let’s get straight into the console news:

Xbox Series X/S and Windows:

We’re on track for a November 14th (Tuesday) launch day!  As we get closer to the launch, we’ll share more information on precisely when it should be available for you to download. The Xbox version will be up-to-spec with the latest PC functionality as of Nov 14, and will launch directly into crossplay with the PC version (along with new servers, including Xbox-only servers).

Playstation:

We’re hoping to have a more precise date to share with you soon as we’re currently finalizing this with Sony, but it is slated for the end of November. We know this isn’t ideal, but we’re optimistic we’ll be able to share a date very soon!

Following the PC launch and the information and data we’ve gathered, we’ve decided to make some changes to our plans for the console launch. Here’s how everything is going to shake up:

Xbox Launch

• Cross-platform with Steam will be enabled Day One. 
• We’ll be onlining a new set of Official Servers for the respective game modes (PVP, PVE, and Small Tribes). These servers will be running boosted rates for a period of time to allow players starting on them to catch up. Our hope is to synchronize the rates by mid-December.
• We’ll also be onlining our first set of console-specific servers at this moment so that players who do not want to play on crossplay can play on those

PlayStation Launch

• Cross-platform with Steam and Xbox will be enabled Day One
• We’ll be onlining another new set of Official Servers for the respective game modes (PVP, PVE, and Small Tribes). These servers will be running with even higher boosted rates for a period of time to allow players starting on them to catch up. Our hope is to synchronize the rates by mid-December.
• We’ll also be onlining an additional set of console-specific servers with higher rates that will get synchronized by mid-December

Of course, there have been a few bumps along the way, and we're working hard to address any issues that players are reporting.  We’ve put out a record number of patches this week, but the patches can be summarized as

• Bug fixes: We've fixed a number of bugs, including server crashes, dino spawn issues, and mesh exploits.
• Performance improvements: We've made a number of performance improvements, including optimizing the dynamic navmesh system, server code (80%+ reduction in out-of-memory issues), and foliage.  We're also pleased to announce that we've significantly reduced server RAM usage. This should improve the player experience and help make servers more accessible for everyone
• Security improvements: We've added client-side protections to prevent players from listing unofficial servers as fake officials, and we've fixed a number of exploits.

For detailed patch notes visit this page.

We know there is still plenty more work to be done on all of those fronts, but we're committed to making ARK: Survival Ascended the best survival game it can be. We'll continue to release patches with bug fixes and performance improvements in the coming days, along with major feature additions over the coming weeks (and introducing Public Test Realm next week – more on that soon). In the meantime, thank you for your support and patience. We hope you're enjoying ARK: Survival Ascended so far!

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the delay of Extralife 2023 from November 4th to December 2nd. We know this is late notice, and we apologize for any inconvenience it may cause to our ExtraLife team members and those who join the stream to engage with us every year. If you’d still like to stream on Game Day, we more than encourage you to do so and we’d be happy to provide support. Also, if you want to wait for our stream day, that works too 🙂

This decision was not made lightly, as we have participated in ExtraLife’s “Game Day” event for 6 years.  Extralife is not only a day where we come together to raise money for children in need, but it’s also a day that we cherish because we get to hang out with the ARK community. We want to make sure that the event is a success for all of our participants, donors, and sponsors, and we believe that moving the date is necessary to ensure that we can hit the mark. That also means we need to make sure that as many ARK players as possible can take part and because of the console delay, we need to push back the date.

Extralife is one of our favorite events of the year, and we love seeing the community come together to raise money for such a worthy cause. We can’t wait to run it with you in a few weeks!  Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to seeing you on December 2nd for Extralife 2023!

More about Extra Life Gameday

The Studio Wildcard Extra Life Team

On the Studio Wildcard Extra Life Team page, you can donate to the cause or join our fundraising team.

This weekend, the Official Network will be receiving bonus rates! It will be active until Monday, November 5th.

• PVP/PVE: 1.5x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience + 1.5x Breeding
• Small Tribes: 4x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience + 3.5x Breeding
• ARKpocalypse: 4.5x Harvesting, Taming and Experience + 4.5x Breeding

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Help us discover your talent by tagging your art with #ARKPhotoMode or #ARKart on social media!

Creator: Syntac

Syntac showcases and discusses 10 thrilling additions made to ARK Survival Ascended. Which one are you the most excited about?

Creator: CHipZz

CHipZz demonstrates how to construct a workshop that includes a designated space for housing your harvesting tames. The video offers a step-by-step, voice-over tutorial, ensuring it's easy for you to follow along and construct the workshop.

Gigantoraptor and Giga Baby from ASA by кал калыч

Eerie Otters by N4STYR4BBiT 

Looks like someone is going to feast on calamari today! by @ScutalTheLizard

Yutyrannus by @therbisofficial

I have returned from the dreaded art block to post this. by @SoupAscended

The journey continues by @k3zk_627

Sinomacrops is baby by ark-erika

Not a bad little view by @TheAx3Man

Thank you for the photo mode by @TiiaAurora

Some beautiful screenshots from ARK ASCENDED by @Alexand90575037

This game looks like a damn movie by @Nekatus

Om Nom Nom.... Tail. by @_NERDPotion

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

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