The developers of Ark: Survival Evolved have discovered a major exploit that is so severe that bans and a wipe of the official servers should follow. However, that will not happen.
It harms an online game when exploits are discovered and exploited. Normally, players who find an unintended way to gain advantages should report it. Then the developers can work on a fix. Usually, this also means punishments for all who have exploited this exploit.
The developers do not reveal exactly which exploit in ARK it is.
Exploit exploited, but no penalties
In Ark: Survival Evolved, however, the development team probably does not want to upset the players. The team discovered a severe exploit that has been in the game for two years and has also been exploited by many players. Since many mega-tribes are involved, they do not want to take a hard stance against the players now.
The developers explain that an exploit of this magnitude would normally be accompanied by a wipe of the official servers and the banning of multiple players, as well as monitoring with the anti-cheat tool Battleye. However, this time they are turning a blind eye for the good of the game.
Anyone who has exploited the exploit either intentionally and with malicious intent, or used it simply because they did not know it was forbidden, will be spared. Everyone gets the chance to prove that they are actually honest players.
However, they explicitly point out that this is a one-time situation. In the future, they will take a hard stance against players who gain advantages through unfair and prohibited means. The problem has now been removed from the game with a patch.
Decision received with mixed feelings
There is intense discussion within the community about this. Many find it unacceptable to not punish those who have gained unfair advantages. Those who were honest feel cheated. Others, however, understand the decision, as apparently, a large number of Ark players have exploited the exploit and it would have become problematic to upset such a large number of players. The developers found themselves in a dilemma and had to choose between a rock and a hard place.
What do you think about the situation? Did Studio Wildcard handle this correctly?
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