ARK: Cordus

As you wake, you ask yourself a flurry of questions as you take a gander at your new surroundings. Where are you? How long were you out? What will you do? Suddenly, a blue glow draws your gaze to your wrist, or the diamond-shaped device embedded into it. Despite your efforts, it's impossible to remove, yet it brings you no pain or discomfort. You stand to your feet, and march onward into this unknown world. Roars fill the air as you press onward, you know not what company you may share this land with, but will persevere through their trials.

## Overview

ARK: Cordus is set in a variety of alien planets, part of a colony's attempts to find a suitable one for human life after the events of Genesis. It's vastly similar to its predecessor, retaining features such as taming, Specimen Implants, etc. However, the features of this sequel dig deeper on the mechanics of the first ARK, further immersing the player in its world.

## Mechanics

### Trust

Every human who finds themselves stranded in isolation needs a companion, and these can be found in the many dinosaurs and other creatures around them. However, creating companionship in a different species takes time, and it may take them a while to adjust to being owned by a human.

When a dinosaur is tamed, they will have a trust meter, that can vary with each dinosaur, with the lowest being 0% and the highest being 100%. Creatures with low trust will refuse to let players ride them, ignore certain commands, and even attack their owner. On the other hand, creatures with higher trust will obey commands with out fail, and will protect their owners from any harm. Trust builds over time, but can also be gained by giving creatures their favorite food or curing them of volatile status conditions. On the contrary, the creature's trust will go down by a slight margin if harmed by the owner.

### Enhanced Combat

The adversaries one may find on the ARKs may not have scales or feathers. In fact, they may be one in the same. Competition will always be a factor when two living beings are together, and the one on top can always be dethroned.

The enhanced combat in ARK: Cordus can be used against creatures, but is put on display most when going hand-to-hand with another human.

Dodging: Players are able to dodge in three of the cardinal directions; being left, right, or backwards. This can be used to avoid attacks thrown by opponents. However, there is a small time frame in which one can dodge that will allow them to use another ability: Parrying.

Parrying: If a player dodges an attack at the right time, the game will prompt them to parry, which allows them to land an attack without having to worry about immediate retaliation. However, one must be ready for their opponent's next move after pulling a move like that. As such, players will receive a small, 3 second boost in speed after performing a parry.

Blocking: If one is backed into a corner, they are able to put up their guard to reduce damage taken form attacks. However, each attack taken will drain stamina, and if it runs out, the player will not only be unable to walk, but will be slower from exhaustion, leaving them open for attack.

### Body Parts

It takes effort from all parts of the human body to thrive in a survival situation. If even one if compromised, it could spell one's trouble, or even their demise. Keeping all of one's body in good condition while facing the wilderness is a daunting task, but a worthwhile one.

The player's body is separated into three sections: The Head and Torso, the Arms, and the Legs. They all do a part in helping the player survive, unless they have been damaged. If a player's legs have been severely damaged, they will walk and swim slower, and be unable to run. If a player's arms have been severely damaged, they will perform actions slower, and will be unable to hold heavy objects. If a player's head and torso have been severely damaged, their health and stamina will be reduced, and their hunger and thirst will deplete faster. Each body part has a health meter, which will become severely damaged if they reach 15% health or lower.

### Scraps

The ARKs held engrams to aid survivors. They guided them, planting schematics for some of the most complicated objects in the human mind in an instant. However, this is new, this is not an ARK.

Instead of engrams, players can find scraps scattered around the map that can spawn at certain timed intervals. There can also be tiers of scraps of the same item, allowing for the creation of new and improved versions of that item. Players will need to find a certain number of scraps to gain the blueprint of an item depending on its size and complexity.

## Worlds

Rozgen ("Roz" - "shattered" in Slovak, "Gen" - Greek suffix meaning "origin", essentially meaning "shattered origin")

## Trivia

* Cordus is a word in Latin meaning "second", essentially meaning the name of this game would be "Second ARK"
* ARK: Cordus is based on the official trailer for ARK II, and is a conceptualization of what's shown in the trailer, along with original creations and ideas