With the release of Astraeos, the German modder Nekatus has further established himself as a key figure in the ARK community. Following his successful work on Valguero, Fjordur, and Svartalfheim, he is now launching his first official, paid map for ARK: Survival Ascended. But how did the development process unfold? What makes Astraeos special, and what plans are there for the future?
This is only needed in rare cases where a server mod wants to access a library (DLL) xaudio.dll and this is not present in an installation like https://github.com/mschnitzer/ark-survival-ascended-linux-container-image with Docker/Proton. Because usually a server does not require audio functions!
In such a situation, the server crashes immediately after starting; the following is visible in crashcallstack.txt (excerpt):
The wait is over – Astraeos, the stunning map by Nekatus, sponsored by Nitrado, is officially released as a partner DLC! Originally planned as our premium map surprise for June, we are bringing you this mythical world earlier than expected. Starting today, it is available for $14.99 as a fully integrated DLC – instead of a premium mod.
A new cluster "bukanier.org" for ARK Survival Ascended is in preparation. It will be a rather small cluster with The Island as the home map (PVE for now, as no safe base shield is available) and the PVP maps Scorched Earth, Aberration, and Extinction. Additionally, DLC maps like Center and other future maps will be available in a daily rotation.
Whether a second future map (e.g., Ragnarok or Astraeos) will be defined as a home map in addition to The Island will be reviewed at the appropriate time (also meaning +20 EUR per month).
