Ark Survival Ascended is set to receive a substantial enhancement with the transition to Unreal Engine 5.5. This evolution reflects the prowess of Epic Games’ graphics engine, a technology that has evolved since its debut in 1998. Over the last two decades, advancements in technology have accelerated the capabilities of this powerful software.
If you thought the introduction of cats in Ark Survival Ascended was groundbreaking, prepare for the leap that UE 5.5 will bring. The potential is already evidenced in titles such as Fortnite, which acts as a proving ground for the capabilities of the engine. Clearly, the upcoming changes are destined to elevate gameplay to exciting new heights.
Developers Share Insight Into the Ark Survival Ascended UE 5.5 Transition
The development team has communicated that this update represents their most ambitious project to date. Due to its expansive nature, progress has been slower than expected. However, players can anticipate the release of the UE 5.5 update sometime between April 15 and May 15, 2025. Currently, efforts are focused on addressing bugs emerging from the content upgrade.
For fans concerned about storage limitations, there’s promising news. Once the patch is implemented, significant improvements in game performance, rendering quality, and loading times will be immediately noticeable. Furthermore, aside from The Island map, other maps will become optional downloads, significantly reducing the game’s overall footprint.
Insights on Future Content from Developers:
“We’ll be using the new tools available from the engine to improve our pipelines and workflow which should result in a higher quality product, this will primarily be noticed on new releases such as Ragnarok (which is currently being developed in the 5.5 version of the engine), Valguero, and Lost Colony.”
The development team is also optimistic about integrating new rendering capabilities of UE5 into existing live content, though not every aspect of Ark Survival Ascended will receive these enhancements due to extensive workload constraints.
For modders, challenges remain. The team is committed to ensuring compatibility of mods with the UE 5.5 update, but complete functionality cannot be guaranteed. As the developers noted:
“We know there are concerns about modders when the upgrade happens and what this might do to the mods, we’re going to do our best to eliminate as many crashes as we can, and of course resolve issues (which will occur as we resolve them ourselves) that impact mods.”
Despite the likelihood of some mods experiencing compatibility issues post-update, there is a glimmer of hope. The developers affirmed their intention to verify all Premium Mods and the most popular Free Mods prior to the update, ensuring broad functionality:
“We intend to make sure that every Premium Mod is functioning for release, along with a sampling of the most popular Free Mods, and the breadth of that should ensure the vast majority of mods work prior to the release.”
“Our intrepid partners at Overwolf will be recooking all the ASA mods automatically for UE 5.5, and while some of the thousands of mods may potentially have new functional issues upon UE 5.5, if there are any modding-specific issues caused by the Engine upgrade, we’ll work to fix them expeditiously (chances are, we may be facing it too).”
In regard to future updates, the developers aim to improve mod compatibility and minimize disruption with each engine upgrade, committing to a maximum of one complete engine upgrade per year.
As for the anticipated Ragnarok map, the UE 5.5 transition will cause a delay. The new release date is set for June 2, 2025. The developers acknowledged the disappointment this may cause but reassured players:
“We recognize that this is disappointing as we know how beloved this map is, and we’re going to do our best to ensure that it meets your expectations when it releases. We’re also fortunate, and thrilled, to be working with the original creators of the map, who’ve recently rejoined the studio and are helping us get it out the door for June 2nd, ride or die!”
Additionally, a special “Eggcellent Adventure”event is in the works for April, with the exact date still to be finalized. This event is tentatively scheduled for after Easter; however, further updates will provide clarity later this month.
The transition to UE 5.5 stands to significantly enhance in-game performance, paving the way for smoother gameplay and more engaging experiences in the future. Stay tuned for the forthcoming updates.
- Upgrade to UE 5.5 is currently in progress, with the target launch set for between April and May 2025.
- UE 5.5 remains the team’s highest priority project.
- Immediate performance improvements will be evident, with additional long-term enhancements expected.
- Several maps will become optional downloads to conserve storage space.
- Overwolf will automatically recook all mods to ensure compatibility, with efforts focused on verifying the functionality of Premium and popular Free Mods.
- The team aims to streamline future updates, preventing disruptions for modders.
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