Last year had one more noteworthy release in it just before it kicked the bucket. Prominently featured at The Game Awards, Atlas promised to be a pirate MMO on a scale that just hasn’t been seen before. Since launch, the developers have seen the price you pay for dreaming big. With server issues, old assets from prior games and a bad case of sky whales, we’ve seen pretty much everything go wrong for the new game. Still, players are flocking to the experience based solely on potential. If you’re one of those players and you haven’t seen the issues, let us spin you a yarn.
Of all the stories so far, the players who hack into Atlas‘ code to spawn insane items are the most relatable. There’s something poetic about a game about scoundrels and outlaws having issues with keeping their player base playing by the rules. Of course, it’s also a serious concern for the active pirates out there, but whether or not those jets and tanks will ever see the light of day in some official manner is worth wondering about.
The story of Atlas is very much still ongoing. Even with the game’s premiere in Early Access, it has had an exceptionally buggy launch. We’ve also seen plenty of players willing to stick around and fix those issues. Even if the faithful few shrink in number after every buggy patch.
If we had to guess, things will probably get worse before they better. Players want to see the game expand to reach their expectations after a sensational trailer. However, Grapeshot Games will more than likely need to focus on patches and server work for a long while. If it expands too much in these early days, the bugs may scare away everyone. The studio would have a very impressive sandbox, but no one to play with.
The Troubled Waters of Atlas
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The Troubled Waters of Atlas
Atlas is a popcorn game. Despite a critical thrashing and a rocky launch, players are eager to stay on board to live out their pirate fantasies. However, the good ship Atlas has had plenty of leaks even in the short time since it set sail. Here's a chart of Atlas' troubled waters. -
A Shifting Launch Date
Atlas began with a release date that wouldn't stop shifting. Starting with a December 13 launch, the game kept pushing back its release for two weeks and didn't actually let players into its pirate world until December 22. With no staggered release, the servers were slammed on launch day with little communication from the devs. -
Atlas' Rocky Launch
Once players did set sail, their experience wasn't smooth in the slightest. Lag and a lack of polish shined through the hype, and that's when it wasn't disconnecting you for no reason. These problems eventually faded but there were plenty of issues still off on the horizon. -
We're Back! A Survival Evolved Story
Atlas originated as a pirate-themed DLC for Ark: Survival Evolved, and it showed. Not only is the starting area familiar to players of the dinosaur survival game, but more than just assets were shared between projects. Early players found the entire Ark menu system hidden within Atlas. -
Bugs Aplenty
Early players reported a host of issues that made Atlas almost unplayable. Sleeping in a bed would lock their player in an inescapable white void. Tutorials would linger on the screen with no way of dismissing them. Players venture into old age in weeks instead of months, and vital locations jump all over the map constantly. -
The Case of the Ramshackle Sloop
Early players also found it difficult to actually procure a boat and hit the high seas. It was prohibitively expensive, especially with all the survival mechanics in place. The developers decided to grant players a reprieve with the Ramshackle Sloop, a cheaper boat that got players out on the ocean. -
Madcap Sloop Explosions
There was just one problem. As originally implemented, the Ramshackle Sloop exploded whenever it left its initial docking area after it was built. No refund, no explanation, just flaming wreckage and more abandoned sailors. Not the best scenario for players who were already tight on in-game currency. -
East Versus West
As the game has worn on, bugs have been patched and Atlas is just a bit more stable technically. However, the playerbase is also having issues with the worldwide implications of its massive scope. Atlas players in China are highly organized, sharking starting players in order to horde resources. -
The Global Reach of Atlas
This is a problem that comes over from Ark, but the game's scope magnifies the issue tenfold. Some players from China are known for using exploits and hacks, and that has led to some pretty uncouth player behavior on social media towards their Eastern brothers and sisters. -
Sky Whale and the World of Tomorrow
Speaking of hacks, the most recent issue with Atlas has shut the game down completely on several occasion. Players are gaining access to admin controls. This lets them spam messages to the entire server and spawn in pods of whales, military tanks, jets and other crazy creatures. -
Parlay with the Pirates
Developers Grapeshot Games have repeatedly stated that the admin problem is fixed only to see it reoccur yet again. With the worry that the chaos is a smokescreen for item duplication and other nefarious activities, it may not be long before a complete server wipe is in order. Thus is the life of an Early Access game.
