Recently we picked up Complexminded, an ARK Modder, to act as the new Community Mod Liaison. I recently had a chat with him about his new position, what it'll mean for the ARK Community and his mod, Primitive+.
Hey there Complex! It’s been awhile since we last featured you and a lot has changed since then. Now as the Community Mod Liaison, what can the ARK community expect to see from you?
Hey Jat!
We’re starting off with expectations already Jat? Nice welcome eh :) ? I have some really exciting ideas for mods in general and things we can do to organize the modding forum a bit but what I’m really interested in what the community wants out of a mod. Not only do I want to focus on the development side, but I’d also like to focus on the consumer side. Maybe we can give Drake that tornado he’s been wanting.
More importantly, I want to give people the same opportunity I had. Just a couple of weeks ago I wasn't working at a place that I never thought I'd have a chance to work with. It may sound silly, but that's due to a mod and the help of the modding forum and community. I hope to work with the mod community to figure out what makes sense and fill in the gaps with educational material where needed. There are already some helpful modders in the forums and I'd be looking to put them on an official team to help spread the knowledge and inspire other modders out there! There are also some things I know modders have asked for in the dev kit and I’ll be able to put a little pressure on the team :)
I'm also a big fan of modding and visit the workshop to try new mods. I'll be spotlighting things and talking with various mod authors because, let's be honest, I can learn too! I'm inspired by a lot of things I see and I love finding out the inspiration for some of the mods I see, particularly maps. Ideally, I'm here to be the voice, so it's about what the community wants.
On the Primitive+ side, it's going to be much of the same aggressive development cycle. It's a constant iteration. As the team adds more content into vanilla ARK, I will look to find primitive alternatives for accomplishing the same thing. It will continue to grow even as official content winds down. My hope is that the following and support for the mod grows which will allow me to make it the best primitive experience ever!
Mind giving our readers a catch up on what’s happened since we first featured you and Primitive+?
Lot's has happened since the last time we chatted. Shortly after entering the contest, that crazy thing we call life happened. I had a lot going on personally and at my job which took me away from Primitive+ and the community. While there are some things I know I should have done differently, thank you for all those who hung around. I think anyone who followed the mod before knows that I am very active and dedicated to the idea I'm trying to convey.
Winning the contest was unbelievable! There was a lot of good content and I'll be completely honest, I didn't think I would win. I really didn't! Actually I wouldn't have found out I won for a while. A co-worker was following the contest and asked me if I heard anything. It wasn't a few days later until they said "look in your spam folder", and there it was! I'd like to thank everyone who supported and now I get to support the next winner!
I always had plans to continue after the contest and the original mod was in the workshop before the contest was an idea. During the reboot of the mod outage I starting talking to Studio Wildcard about a position for the mod community and here I am! I'm excited to be a part of what's going on here at Wildcard and I can't wait to continue working on Primitive Plus.
Primitive+ has grown a lot since it first started. For those survivors who haven’t heard of it - mind letting us know what it is and how it’s progressed?
The biggest thing I get is "This is primitive.... with guns???" Yes, this IS primitive with guns :) Keep in mind that this mod isn't based in a medieval era or a specific technology age. The premise looks at what would be possible with present day knowledge and the resources that ARK provides. What would be possible? You'd be amazed how things, like electric, that can be made with primitive resources. I started this mod looking for a more immersive and realistic experience. While in some ways it may feel more "grindy" than a traditional experience, it counterbalances that by the added immersion of the character you are playing.
Before I add content I do a considerable amount of research and think how it adds value to the mod and if it would be realistic. My friends laugh when they come over and see me watching some documentary about present day indigenous tribes that still live a primitive lifestyle.
Primitive+ is very similar to traditional primitive in terms of weapons and tiers of material, It's aimed to create an economy and a trade system by using specializations. Every additional resource or object relies on another "specialization" offered in the mod. You will find in Primitive+, that original ARK items have different art, names, or just work differently than you would expect. I'm constantly tinkering and re-thinking things based off the feedback I'm getting and educational material I review. At this moment, there are over 100 custom items, resources, and objects for you to explore and personalize your experience with!
Recently, we launched some official servers for Primitive+. That means you WILL be able to find me on official servers playing and getting feedback in person. My first time loading into the official server I announced myself and got punched in the face I'll take that feedback too!!
I would like for all those joining to keep in mind, that this mod will continue to grow and change much like the traditional content. There will be bugs and issues so be sure to check the workshop page and report what you are seeing. I make mistakes, but I also fix them. Usually ;) I have a lot of things in store for the future of Primitive+ (wagons, electric, more meals/seeds, lights, etc). More importantly, the fans know that a lot of these ideas came from them! Keep submitting your experiences!
For those of you who would like to give Primitive+ a shot, we've launched some Official Servers for you to play with!
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=504360469
He'll also be creating a thread on both UE4 Forums & Our Workshop to keep you guys posted on all the latest news surrounding Primitive+, as well as the possibility for Official Supported mods!