Studio Wildcard has just released a new patch for its highly-acclaimed open-world prehistoric game "Ark: Survival Evolved." The patch is said to contain the much-awaited feature that allows players to enter and explore procedurally generated maps.
According to the Studio's latest post on the Steam Community, the update is labeled "Patch 248" where fans can now "determine a myriad of landscape options." It somewhat similar to a map editor in previous games where they can adjust the terrain of the world, height of the mountains, depths of the valleys, number of lakes, or biomes of their own preferences - and probably even more!
The procedure of generating these maps is somewhat also akin to "No Man's Sky," where the possibility of getting varied landscapes is close to infinite. Just like the said spacefaring game, the process uses mathematical algorithms, based on earlier reports.
Studio Wildcard also pointed out that players can come across pieces of a journal-like item called the ARK Explorer Notes System. These items detail the accounts of the previous inhabitants that used to reside in the area. The studio added that these are "found within 130 treasure chests and available now, these chests contain the stories of actual inhabitants who have previously lived on the isle, as well as provide a temporary XP buff to those Survivors who collect them."
"These 3D Explorer and Story Notes are punctuated with powerful personalities from a Roman Centurion to an Ancient Chinese Warrior to an Egyptian Priestess," explained the post details. "Each one chronicling their experiences on ARK and unveiling kernels of the story secrets they have uncovered."
Along with these new features from the patch for "Ark: Survival Evolved" are also a whole lot of dinosaur species. These dinosaur species are the aquatic carnivore called the Kaprosuchus, the massive yet peaceful herbivore Chalicotherium, and the amphibian Diplocaulus.
The Patch 248 of "Ark: Survival Evolved" is now available on Steam.