Hey there! Exciting news for all ARK: Survival fans out there! The latest update has just added a brand new feature that is sure to take your gaming experience to the next level. Curious to know what it is? Keep reading!

The gaming experience for players has been revolutionized by the introduction of the innovative “Custom Cosmetic” system. This groundbreaking system allows players to apply their own creatively crafted costumes to both players and dinosaurs within the game, eliminating generic appearances. Players can now showcase their individuality by donning unique and player-generated skins. But the customization options don’t stop there. The “Custom Cosmetic” system also extends to armor, weapons, and even structures, allowing players to design their skins for these essential in-game items. This means that players can express their personality and style through their personalized armor, weapons, and structures, setting themselves apart from others. The possibilities for creating captivating environments are limitless, whether it’s a majestic castle or a futuristic sci-fi outpost. Not only does the “Custom Cosmetic” system offer visual appeal, but it also has the potential for client-side functionality. Players can imbue their creations with dynamic features, interactive elements, and captivating animations, engaging other players in unique ways. What sets this system apart is its seamless integration. Unlike other customization options, the “Custom Cosmetic” system does not require server updating or loading onto the server. This means that players can enjoy the full benefits of their creations instantly, without any delays or dependencies on external factors. The era of player-created cosmetics has arrived, allowing players to truly immerse themselves in a world that reflects their creativity and individuality. The introduction of the “Custom Cosmetic” system has transformed the gaming landscape, offering unparalleled customization options and forever changing the world of gaming.

• Phase 1, launching Feb 1, will require clients to manually install such Custom Cosmetic Mods to see and use them on Official Servers.
• Phase 2, launching April 1, will automatically download them in the background when encountered during gameplay. Note: Clients can disable the usage of these globally or per-Mod-ID. Servers can disable globally or use a whitelist (we suggest servers use our official whitelist, which will be the default). The cosmetics allowed on official servers will be dynamically white-listed daily by Overwolf and Studio Wildcard to avoid any exploits or issue-causing cosmetics.

Here are some initial functional Structure Custom Cosmetics that we’ll be launching next week, as simple examples to show Modders some things that can easily be done in addition to visual swaps:

• It can be placed over any normal wall & turned into an adjustable glass panel (can hide borders to create larger or different-sized panes & can make it opaque, transparent, or one-way)

• Can be placed over the normal or the omnidirectional lamppost. Adds the ability to set a primary & secondary color (White, Red, Green, Blue, or the paint color of the light), a primary & secondary intensity (off, low, medium, high) & a blink speed (fast, slow). Fast blinking creates a strobe effect & slow blinking blinks every second. The slow blinking is synchronized to the network time, so turning on multiple lamps keeps them all blinking in sync. (network time is overkill for this, but we wanted to give modders an example that’s useful for longer periods as well)

This device can be installed on either the normal or omnidirectional lamppost. It provides the option to select a primary and secondary color from White, Red, Green, Blue, or the paint color of the light. Additionally, you can adjust the primary and secondary intensity to off, low, medium, or high. The blink speed can be set to fast or slow. When set to fast, it creates a strobe effect, while the slow option blinks every second. The slow blinking feature is synchronized to the network time, so if multiple lamps are turned on, they will all blink in perfect synchronization. (Although the use of network time may be excessive for this purpose, we included it as an example to demonstrate its usefulness for longer periods and for modders.)

• Two players can play a game of tic tac toe on the wooden table. Keeps a running total game wins & identifies players by their unique ID string, so they should be able to keep playing across sessions (no time out, so can each make a move when back at base… the game can be reset at any time, though).