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Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Ark: Survival Evolved on Xbox One

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  • Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Ark: Survival Evolved on Xbox One

    Ark: Survival Evolved - in its current, preview state - is best described as something of a technological work-in-progress in its Xbox One incarnation. By every measurable criteria Digital Foundry can attach to the game, it can often border on the disastrous. And yet, even in its early access form, Studio Wildcard has managed to shift over 1m copies, building a dedicated fanbase on both console and PC. Put simply, in this preview form, it's a triumph of concept over execution. Already a 'monster' hit, gamers have invested in the title's early access status and one of its key attractions is that users feel as though they're involved in the title's ongoing development.
    The basic idea behind Ark is innovative and enticing: hunt dinosaurs, build communities, and explore a tropical paradise filled with prehistoric flora and fauna. The game's island provides a massive 35 square kilometre open world to explore, along with a varied range of locations - such as sandy beaches, mangrove swamps and mountainous valleys, backed by a large selection of prehistoric wildlife freely roaming the landscape. Environments appear sufficiently detailed, though often rather last-gen in nature. Unreal Engine 4 is utilised for this project using the tech's physically-based lighting systems, but there's the sense that game isn't fully exercising the technology - materials such as wood, stone and cloth appear rather artificial, impacting the title's immersive qualities.
    Despite this, the scope of the overall island still stands out, with distant forests, valleys, and mountainous peaks featuring a fair share of trees and foliage. Locations feature an impressive sense of scale, enhanced by the uneven levels of terrain across the island. Draw distances can't compare with titles such as Just Cause 3 or Assassin's Creed Syndicate though, and it's clear that smaller environmental objects and the game's wildlife are culled at a much closer range. Pop-in is noticeable here, with scenery initially appearing via a dithered fade, before hard switches are made to higher quality models as the camera gets closer.
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