‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ Patch 241 Brings The Center To PC Officially And Interesting Fixes

Studio Wildcard surprised PC players of ARK: Survival Evolved with a new patch Tuesday. The latest update makes the custom “The Center” map an official part of the open-world dinosaur survival game and introduces a number of fixes.

The contents of this update were split from the planned update for the end of May. That PC patch is now numbered 242.0 and still includes the planned biome changes, Dragon Arena, diseases, and cures, plus much more.

The Center

The Center is now represented as a free expansion map on the Steam store and is approximately a 5GB download. Studio Wildcard has setup around 60 new official servers featuring The Center map, be sure to check out the guide for full details. As previously covered, these servers have been expanded to hold 100 players now. This is due to the fact the new map is both larger than The Island and has been better optimized than the starting map.

Servers are split between PVE, PVP, and Primitive+ versions. Studio Wildcard plans to add more, depending on demand, but there are always dedicated servers hosted by fans to try out as well. You can find a list of those at ARKServers.

Update 1: Official servers for The Center have not been brought online yet due to Studio Wildcard fixing issues from today’s patch. They are trying to get them up late Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning.

The Xbox One version of ARK: Survival Evolved also received new servers featuring The Center. It is the first officially-supported mods for the console with Primitive+ planned for this summer.

The 241.0 patch for ARK: Survival Evolved includes some welcome fixes, such as optimizing the server-side software and a glitch when transferring a large number of items. It also adds the ability to pick up and toss Dodos and Dung Beetles. It’s not quite Rocket League meets ARK, but it is a start.

However, the update shows a push to providing more options to those who run their own ARK servers. Owners can now disable building around critical resources, which means no more pillar farms around the Volcano and other locations on The Island. Additionally, server owners can now set a maximum number of members in a tribe, override the cost of crafting an item, and override the loot tables for supply crates.

It will be interesting to see how much more flexibility the developers add to ARK: Survival Evolved and what kind of interesting set-ups the game’s community can come up with on their own.

Here are the official patch notes for ARK: Survival Evolved PC patch 241.0:

• Added The Center Official ARK Mod/Map as Free DLC
• Added new 100-player ‘The Center’ Official Servers
• Improved Non-TrueSky Sky & Lighting (+ SM4/Mac/Linux)
• Significant server PhysX & Networking optimization
• Added option for PvE Servers to disable building around critical resource node regions
• You can now pickup and toss Dodos & Dung Beetles. Rejoice!
• Fixed the huge stall/lock when you “Transfer” a bunch of items at once
• Arthropluera “Turret” AI mode option: won’t move and will only used ranged attack against targets.
• Added server option to override per-Item Crafting costs
• Added server option to override the loot tables for each kind of supply crate
• Added server option to limit number of members in Tribes. Default: no limit.
• “Light” Server package, server is now only 4GB
• Warmap now dynamically shows the mini-map texture of whatever level you’re playing on (even with Mod maps

• New Creature: Diplodocus!
• New Creature: Leech!
• New Mechanic: Permanent Diseases & Cures
• Biome Update: Snow Extension & New Redwood Forests (this is a major environmental overhaul!)
• Tribe Groups Phase 2: Support for Limited Non-Admin Invites & Promotions per Group!
• Dragon Arena
• Ruins & Explorer Notes
• Added server option to override per-Item Crafting costs
• Added server option to override the loot tables for each kind of supply crate
• Added server option to limit number of members in Tribes. Default: no limit.
• Breeding Mechanics Phase 2 (Random Mutations, Family Trees, & Interactive Baby Raising)

The release of Breeding Mechanics Phase 2 has been delayed multiple times. Start taking bets on if the Grabthar’s Hammer guarantee from Co-Director Jeremy Stieglitz will come through this time.

Studio Wildcard has also marked the price of ARK: Survival Evolved down 33 percent on Steam. Interested parties can now purchase it for just under $20.

What do you think of the changes added with this update and the direction of ARK: Survival Evolved? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Studio Wildcard]