Studio Wildcard is integrating the ambitious, albeit punishing, nautical mechanics of its 2018 survival title Atlas into the upcoming Ark: Survival Ascended “Tides of Fortune” DLC, aiming to deliver a more refined and accessible pirate experience.
Learning From the Past: The Atlas Legacy
During a recent discussion, Studio Wildcard co-founders Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak reflected on the turbulent launch of Atlas. While the game featured groundbreaking networked ocean technology, its core gameplay loop was plagued by design choices that many players found excessively brutal. Stieglitz admitted that Atlas served as a masterclass in what not to do, noting that the game’s “insanely punishing” systems meant a single error could erase dozens of hours of player progress.
Despite its flaws, the studio identified specific elements worth salvaging: the visceral sensation of sailing and the physicality of the ships. By pivoting away from the punishing grind—where players previously had to build ships plank by plank—Wildcard plans to distill these successful components into the Ark ecosystem.
Tides of Fortune: A New Era for Ark’s Oceans
The “Tides of Fortune” DLC, arriving this summer, aims to overhaul Ark’s notoriously flat water systems. By implementing the simulated ocean physics refined during the Atlas project, the developers are introducing realistic waves, dynamic wakes, and advanced light scattering to the game world.
“We know how to work the water systems, the physics, and the networking to pull that off,” Stieglitz explained. “It builds on our expertise with those mechanics from Atlas, and we hope to distill it into a more accessible form.”
Customization Meets Survival
While the visual fidelity of the water will see a significant upgrade, the gameplay loop for ship management is being overhauled to prioritize player enjoyment over tedious labor. Crafting and maintaining a vessel in the new DLC will be considerably less punishing than in Atlas.
Players will still retain a deep level of creative control, with the ability to customize ship attachments, place cannons strategically, and build structures directly onto their vessels. And, true to the Ark experience, these ships will fully support dinosaur transport, ensuring that even as you take to the high seas, the core survival elements remain intact.
