Ark: Survival Evolved Xbox One Patch Improves Frame Rate, Adds New Dinos

A new update for the Xbox One version of dinosaur game Ark: Survival Evolved has arrived. Among other things, it improves the game's frame rate, adds three new dinosaurs, and introduces "Extinction" servers.

The three new creatures include the Woolly Rhino, the deep-water Dunkleosteus, and the sea scorpion Eurypterid.

The Woolly Rhino is normally friendly, but you don't want to be in its path when it charges. If you kill one, its horns can be ground into "arousing powder," while the fur can be used for cold-weather clothing, Studio Wildcard explained, adding that, due to its size, it may also come in handy for transporting goods.

The Dunkleosteus, meanwhile, is a fish that is covered in armored plates that also has powerful jaws.

"It's an excellent battle fish that is heavy with armor and a terrifying bite that tears through chitinous shells," Studio Wildcard said. "While harvesting, Dunkleosteus can handily defend its rider from all but the largest threats in the waters. And once past its prime, Dunkleosteus can be harvested for a fair amount of chitin."

Finally, the Eurypterus is described as "dangerous and adaptable." They cannot be tamed, but can be harvested to make a "debilitating poison" you can use against your enemies.

"Upon death, Eurypterid provides digestive tracts often containing Silica Pearls, or even have incredibly rare Black Pearls used for manufacturing mysterious technologies," Studio Wildcard said. "This latter information makes them among the most valuable creatures on the island."

As for Ark's new "Extinction Event" servers, these are live in the game as of today. They will reset every month, with a "dramatic meteor impact" coming every month to mark the extinction event.

"These time-limited servers are a great way for new players to start on a level playing field and a challenging gameplay choice for those who want to see how far they can progress before the end of days," the developer said. "Participants will earn badges to mark their accomplishment."

Finally, as for the frame rate improvement, Studio Wildcard said players should see around a 10 percent improvement. The game's frame rate has been a pain point for some, and Studio Wildcard has for a long time now been pledging to improve it.

You can see other key details for today's Ark update in the bullet points below, written by Studio Wildcard.

• All-New "Extinction Event" Servers, which reset after each month, with an in-game countdown! (these are additional brand NEW servers, not existing servers)
• Improved game frame rate by approximately 10% (rendering & cpu)
• Fixed Bug: Focus is now NOT on the Leave Tribe button when opening the Tribe Menu. Also added a Leave Tribe confirmation dialog
• If you get stuck underground, you now teleport back above ground
• Mammoth colorization fixed
• Timer values that were resetting to 0 on "Reset Options" now reset to their correct value
• Server administrators can now specify a list of administrator users to have access to the full set of administrator (console) commands, as on PC. Singleplayer/Non-Dedicated hosts always have this option. If you have administrator access, all PC console commands can now be inputted at the Pause Menu
• Server Options now have edit boxes for inputting direct arbitrary values
• Spyglass now works properly in splitscreen

Ark is available on Xbox One today through the Early Access-style Game Preview program. The finished version is scheduled to come out this year across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

On PC, Ark was recently split into two games--the regular Ark and a free-to-play version called Survival of the Fittest.

In other news about the game, a lawsuit filed against Studio Wildcard could mean the developer will have to remove it from sale, though whether or not this will happen remains to be seen.