Studio Wildcard have really cornered the market of the survival genre with their excellent game Ark: Survival Evolved. The title has a large online community based on achieving the highest levels of technology, and taming the Ark’s many savage beasts. A new experiment has just begun for PC users where the fundamental, and often very helpful, ability to tame and use the prehistoric creatures to your own advantage has been removed.
These new official servers have been announced via the official forum of the game. Jat, the Associate Producer at Studio Wildcard, describes them as being “a bit different to our standard servers as they do not allow players to tame, ride, or breed creatures.” This means players must focus purely on the survival aspect of the Ark. He reassures users that this isn’t a move away from a dinosaur-focus for the game, and is purely experimental.
The new servers specific features are:
- 120 Players
- No Taming
- Boosted Harvesting and EXP Rates (x2 rates of normal)
- Removal of Titanosaur
- Removal of Auto-Turrets
- Difficulty level set at 2.0
- Tribes limited to 10 players
- Isolated Cluster
Jat states that the developers are interested in what dynamic this will bring to players and their Ark experience, but makes it clear that this is purely for experimental purposes. Therefore, the servers may not remain online consistently, and there would be a risk of losing your progress.
If you wish to take part in the experiment, and challenge yourself to survive the Ark against dangers, such as an onslaught from a Carnotaurus, without the help of your trusty Velociraptor companion, then search in your server filter for : [120 Players] NoTamingExperiment.
Trying to meet your basic survival needs such as food, water and warmth are not too much of a challenge on Ark: Survival Evolved. Without the option to tame, ride and utilize the many useful creatures you come across, being able to reach the highest levels of technology might prove somewhat more difficult.