Ark Survival Log 012315.2

HoC Ark: Survival Evolved Diaries - Pwnrock Edition

Found a note in our mailbox this morning thanking me for the t-rex saddle. And I didn't know we HAD a mailbox. Or notes. But first, some background.

Last night after logging in, I kept seeing pleas for help in the chat window. Someone from the tribe "Awesomesauce" had tamed a T-Rex, but at some point during that process, another clan had trapped the unconscius beast using spike walls. He could not get it out and was in a panic. Once a (sometimes lengthy) taming process has begun, only that clan can claim the animal. A reasonable measure against d-baggery. But apparently some guys had taken offence to this taking place on their "property", and responded in the only way available to them on a PvE (non-adversarial) server. I personally found this as infuriating as some D-Bags (note the capital letters) who wall in the location of regular supply drops, sometimes even building an entire fortress around it. Selfish and pointless, considering they aren't even online most of the day. So I mounted my trusty steed/Pteranadon, and set out to help.

"What a thoughtful gesture."

It turns out it was one of our new nearby neighbours, and the Rex was stuck in a compound just across the river. I was impressed with how closely they were able to build the spikes around the animal, it couldn't even turn around in the confined space, and was becoming agitated. I set about checking every nook and cranny of the adjacent walls and spikes, even crawling under one of their foundations looking for a gap that could be exploited. One of the strengths of PvE is that buildings cannot be destroyed by other players; in this case it was a drawback. I managed to get trapped myself for a stressful moment - thanks to the shoddy construction of some thatch walls - but squeezed out behind a man-sized cage. Which is something else I didn't know existed in this game. A testament to the intentions of this d-bag clan.

At one point the dude lamented not having a saddle, which might enable him to maneuver the Rex out. I thought about it for a moment, and said "brb". Made a quick run back to home base to gather some materials, and unlocked the engram needed to construct exactly what he needed. To say he was grateful would be an understatement. He gave me all the hides he had in exchange (not enough to replenish what was reuiqired to build it, but I wasn't looking for profit here), hastily attached it to the Rex, and mounted his impressive new conquest with pride. A gleaming moment in the history of the Herd of Cats tribe to be certain.

Unfortunately having direct control of the animal didn't help as much as we'd hope. He stomped the poor thing around in circles (well, one circle) in vain, shaking the ground furiously. I tried directing him to a couple tiny gaps, in hopes that pushing against them might cause the behemoth to "glitch" through. We have seen many enormous wild beasts in our own compound, so it had to be possible. And the T-Rex in this game is huge. Like 30 feet tall huge. I can easily walk under one without so much as tickling its belly. But despite the spike wall surrounding it being only about my height, the Rex could not cross over it, and let out a terrifying roar that literally startled me. He truly lives up to his name in this game.

"Can he jump?"

As someone else had suggested, I recommended to the dude to leave his Rex set on "wander", which might allow it to randomly find its own way out while chasing a butterfly, for example. I promised to keep checking back if any of the D-Bag clan had returned, on the remote chance one of them had some sense and would release the poor beast. Worst case, some of the enclosing structures were due to expire in 3 days (public claiming & demolishing becomes allowed after a period of clan inactivity), and I vowed to return and remove every last piece of their laboriously constructed village. The dude thanked me again and we parted ways.

After a while of doing the usual chores (feeding livestock, harvesting resources, checking supply drops for good loot), and asking random questions in the server chat ("Can a Quetz lift a Rex?"), I returned to the D-Bag compound to see if anyone was home. Not only was there now activity, but the Rex had been released! I dropped in with my Ptera to say hi and thank them in person. They ignored my friendly waves and messages, continuing to race around in their underwear, deconstructing the spikes and other hastily constructed thatch structures.

"They didn't let him out," came the reply from the Rex's rightful owner. "I did".

"But how?" I inquired.

"I set him to 'Follow' and ran into the forest," came the reply.

Apparently animals get more panicked the further you get when trying to follow you, going into a full sprint. I have witnessed Dodos actually take flight for short distances in an attempt to catch up. An impressive feat for those stubby little wings. Probably even more impressive for a 3-4 storey carnivorous lizard.

So I awkwardly stopped dropping gifts for the would-be captors, and scooped them all back up again. No sense rewarding bad behaviour. Based on the chat transcript, there is enough of that going on already. Deals not kept, trades not made. Even the well-organized claiming of an expired base's assets usually deteriorates into a free-for-all at some point. But on this night, the Herd of Cats tribe has made an ally. Not a particularly powerful one, but as the Federation has shown us, that's not the point.

The next evening I was hastily making my way to a nearby Purple supply drop (pretty rare in these parts), only to find someone arriving just ahead of me. I backed off to indicate my deference, and crouched nearby in hopes they might leave something. Turns out it was someone else from Awesomesauce. As the pod reached the ground, they quickly peeked inside... then walked over to me, bowed, and left. Puzzled, I went to see what scraps they had spurned. A slingshot? Some berries or stones perhaps?

No, it was a high powered rifle scope.