Studio Wildcard is gearing up for a significant upgrade of a dinosaur survival game remaster Ark: Survival Ascended with extensive improvements to its development kit. The enhancements, set to roll out this month, promise to empower modders with unprecedented creative freedom. Alongside this, Wildcard unveils release dates for delayed expansion maps - The Center expected by the end of February and Scorched Earth on April 1.
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Empowering Modders with Unreal Engine 5 Editor
Ark's development kit is slated for a substantial overhaul this month, described by Studio Wildcard as a transformation that will "put the power of unbridled game creation directly in your hands."
The custom version of the Unreal Engine 5 editor appears capable of creating not only ARK mods but entire custom Unreal Engine games within Ark: Survival Ascended (ASA). The developer tantalizingly offers examples ranging from platformers to PvP dinosaur jousting arenas built inside the Ark universe.
Expansion Maps Release Dates and Features
Scorched Earth, originally intended to launch alongside the game last year, faced two delays and is now set for an April 1st release. The map, with a Wild West theme, will be accompanied by the Frontier Adventure Pack DLC featuring Wild West-themed garb and introducing a new desert dinosaur steed, the Fasolasuchus, along with the inclusion of trains.
"Build train tracks that crisscross the scorching landscape, choo-choo your way past sandworms, and create your own Wild West-style dino raids," shares Wildcard.
The community-originated expansion map, The Center, initially scheduled for a later release in the year, has been expedited to February's end. Described as a sprawling, diverse map, it promises to redefine the Ark experience with lush jungles, treacherous ice peaks, and crystalline caverns. The update will also introduce the Gigantoraptor creature.
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