Can Humans Spawn in Ark? Exploring Human Characters and Spawning Mechanics in Ark: Survival Evolved
The question of whether humans can spawn in Ark is fundamental to understanding how the game works. In short, yes, humans are the only playable characters in Ark: Survival Evolved, and they are the only creatures that players can actively spawn and control. However, there are nuances to this spawning mechanic and how humans interact with the game world, so let’s delve deeper.
Understanding Player Spawning in Ark
Initial Character Creation
When you first join an ARK server, you aren’t thrust into the world as a pre-determined character. Instead, you’re presented with the character creation screen. This screen allows you to customize your human avatar, choosing between male and female sexes, adjusting body types, skin tones, hair styles and more.
Once your character is crafted to your liking, the right side of the screen displays a map and a spawn region selector. This region is a general area where your character will first appear on the map. It’s important to select a spawn region strategically based on your desired difficulty level. Some regions are generally more resource rich but are inhabited by more dangerous creatures.
Specimen Implants
Each newly spawned human character arrives with a Specimen Implant on their left arm. This implant is crucial as it connects the player to the ARK system, allowing them to level up, craft, and respawn upon death.
The Spawning Process
After selecting your spawn region and finalizing your character, the game will generate a new human within that location. This is the fundamental spawning mechanism in Ark. Unlike other creatures that roam the world, human characters are only spawned at the start of a new game or when a player respawns after death.
Human Interactions and Taming in Ark
While players spawn as humans, the game also features AI-controlled human characters which can be found in the game’s world.
AI-Controlled Humans
AI humans in Ark can spawn and form thatch dens. These AI characters can also breed to create offspring AI humans, which, if abandoned, may form tribes with other abandoned humans.
Taming AI Humans
Interestingly, AI humans can be tamed. The process is complex: you need to locate their dens, usually made of thatch. Often, you may find them asleep, but if not you must knock them out. The next step involves dragging the knocked out human to a cage. Upon waking, the player must point a shotgun or similar weapon at them. When the human is in a state of fear, you can issue commands, resulting in a tamed AI human. It is important to note that the mechanics of taming AI humans are controversial and less emphasized than the taming of other creatures.
Spawning Other Entities
While you can not spawn additional playable human characters, Ark allows the use of console commands to summon a variety of creatures, both friendly and hostile. This includes dinos and other entities that enrich the gameplay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Human Spawning in Ark
1. Can you customize your character further after spawning?
Yes, in most cases. You can typically change your hairstyle and some other cosmetic elements at the start of the game and in some cases throughout gameplay using certain items. However, you can’t fundamentally change your character’s sex or physical build after spawning. For this, you would have to create a new character.
2. Can you transfer your character between different Ark servers?
Yes, the ability to transfer characters between different servers depends on server settings, but many servers allow the player to do so with their current character and levels. This is often an efficient way to play the game and move between different maps.
3. What happens if you die in Ark?
Upon death, your character will respawn. You can either choose to respawn at your bed, a designated spawn point, or within a specified region of the map.
4. How do you level up your human character?
You level up by gaining experience points (XP). XP is primarily gained by killing creatures, completing tasks, and crafting items. Levelling up is a key aspect of character progression in Ark, as you gain Engram points for new technology and stat increases.
5. Are there different types of humans in Ark?
The main difference between humans is gender and appearance based on your initial character creation. There are however, other AI-controlled humans, which can be found across the map.
6. Can you use console commands to spawn playable human characters?
No, you cannot use console commands to spawn additional playable human characters. Console commands are primarily used to spawn creatures, items, or adjust gameplay parameters.
7. What are some good starting regions to spawn in?
For beginners, regions like the South Zone or the West Zone on The Island map are typically considered more forgiving due to a lower density of dangerous creatures. However, remember that the best spawn region is ultimately based on your personal preferences and risk tolerance.
8. What is the significance of the Specimen Implant?
The Specimen Implant serves as a means for communication with other players, provides the UI display of in game health and stamina, and it also serves to control the player’s respawn.
9. Is it better to start with a male or female character?
There is no difference in stats or abilities between male and female human characters in Ark. Your choice is purely cosmetic.
10. Can humans ride dinos?
Yes, humans can tame and ride many different types of creatures, which is a central gameplay mechanic in Ark. Taming is required for all ridable dinos.
11. Can human characters interact with structures built by other players?
Yes, depending on server settings, players can interact with structures built by other players. Players can form tribes to gain access to each other’s structures.
12. What is the ghost command?
The ghost command is a console command that allows players to bypass all obstacles, allowing them to move through walls, terrain, and other structures or creatures. This is primarily used for testing and troubleshooting. Use the walk command to turn this mode off.
13. Can you have a baby with another human in Ark?
Yes, you can breed with another player in-game. The resulting offspring is an AI that is tied to the parents. It will defend and follow players as a friendly AI.
14. Can you summon other creatures, like a raptor or a giga?
Yes, using the console command you can summon various creatures. A raptor can be summoned using GMSummon RaptorCharacterBPC and a Giganotosaurus with GMSummon GigantCharacterBPC.
15. What can you do with a tamed AI human?
Tamed AI humans can be used for various tasks, such as gathering resources or defending your base. However, their capabilities are limited compared to other tamed creatures.
In conclusion, while you can only spawn playable characters in Ark as a customizable human, the game world is populated by a variety of AI entities, including humans that can even be tamed. Understanding the nuances of these systems is key to navigating the wild and wonderful world of Ark: Survival Evolved.