Ark: Survival Ascended is the long-awaited remaster of the popular survival game Ark: Survival Evolved, developed by Studio Wildcard and released on October 26, 2023 in early access On Steam. The game is built on Unreal Engine 5 and promises impressive graphical improvements, optimized gameplay and a smoother gaming experience. Fans of the original game looked forward to this upgrade, but the launch didn't go without punch or punch. Although there are many positive aspects to the game, players face significant technical problems and performance issues, which has mixed reception.
One of the biggest benefits of Ark: Survival Ascended is the jump to Unreal Engine 5. This has led to a series of impressive improvements in visual presentation and game mechanics:
Realistic lighting and shadows: Thanks to Lumen Global Illumination, the world looks more dynamic and realistic. Light bounces back more naturally, and shadows are displayed more accurately.
Detailed textures and models: Dinosaur models and environments have a higher level of detail than in the original, with improved animations and interactions.
Improved physics and AI: The game introduces more advanced weather systems, water physics and improved AI for wild animals, making them more realistic to players and the environment.
Quality improvements for user experience: A renewed interface, an improved inventory system and a streamlined construction mode make the game more accessible and user-friendly.
Despite these improvements, however, there are still many technical stumbling blocks that negatively affect players' experience.
When the early access version was released, there were immediate complaints about the performance problems, even on high-end PCs. Users with powerful hardware, such as an RTX 3080, reported that they only achieved around 50 frames per second at low settings. Another player with RTX 3070 reported only 14 fps on medium settings with DLSS enabled.
Other common problems include:
Frequent Crashes: Players report that the game crashes regularly, sometimes every 45 minutes, seriously hampering progress.
Server stability: The multiplayer experience is hampered by long loading times, lag and connection problems. Players find it difficult to stay stable online.
Lack of optimisation: Even on next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 players experience framedrops and malfunctions.
Such technical problems have led many players to express their frustrations in reviews and online forums.
Jeremy Stieglitz, co-founder of Studio Wildcard, acknowledged the problems during a live stream and stated: "The servers are worthless, they run worthless and their stability is worthless." The team has since released several hot fixes and promises further optimizations and performance improvements in the near future.
In addition, Studio Wildcard indicated that the early access period is used to refine the game and to make further adjustments based on community feedback. Regular updates and patches remain a priority to improve the overall playing experience.
At Steam, the game currently has a mixed review. Of the more than 35,000 assessments, about 60% are positive. Players praise the graphical improvements and the potential of the game, but the technical problems often overshadow the positive aspects.
The expectations for the future remain mixed. Fans hope that the game will be significantly improved over the early access period, but for now it's advice to be careful with a purchase if you don't have patience for optimization problems.
Studio Wildcard continues to work actively on updates and patches, and if the game ultimately gets stable and well optimized, Ark can: Survival Ascended become a worthy successor to the original. Until then, however, it remains a game with potential, but also with significant problems to be addressed.
For the latest updates and information, players can visit the official Ark community channels and news platforms.
