Dragon's Lair

The Dragon's Layer Community Mod is a commissioned mod for the Dragon's Lair server. The mod adds several features exclusively designed for their server, many of which required me to learn about before implementation. A significant portion of the features for this project are different casino game implementations, however there is also a PvP Opt-Out system, and several other miscellaneous features.

Shops

The Shop is a structure allowing for admins to offer resources, items, and dinos to their server for a small fee. When players interact with a Shop, they are greeted with a user-friendly user interface that allows them to purchase that shop's offerings. Admins can also choose to designate shops as "starter kit pickups", allowing players to receive a single starter kit for free. After a player receives a starter kit, they can not acquire another or interact with shops marked as "starter kit pickups".

The assets used for the Shop structure visuals were modeled by my team member Mewsie.

Slot Machine

The Dragon's Lair slot machine is a standard three-reel slot machine. Under the hood, it's quite simple; three random numbers are generated, then compared against a configurable table of rewards. The server's admins have access to a panel that allows them to customize the symbols used, payout options, and spin cost. Players are able to increase or decrease the "buy-in multiplier", which scales the reward they receive if they win. Built-in are several exploit preventions, ensuring that players are not able to cheat the system and gain rewards they didn't win.

I purchased the slot machine physical asset from the Unreal Engine Marketplace, then pieced it together and created my own logic for the visual spinning of the wheels. Aside from the visual assets that were purchased, every part of the slot machine is my work.

Blackjack

Players interact with a blackjack table structure to sit on it and join the game. Each structure supports up to five simultaneous players, and once each player submits their buy-in they are dealt a hand. Depending on their cards players are able to hit, stand, double down, split, purchase insurance, or surrender. All of these abilities are implemented according to standard blackjack rules, so players can only perform them if their hand matches the required criteria. After each player finishes their turn, it becomes the dealers turn. The dealer is automated and also follows standard blackjack rules, where it must hit until its hand is 18 or higher. Once the dealer has completed its turn, the hands of all players are checked against the dealer's and rewards are automatically distributed.

This system also has several built-in exploit preventions, ensuring players aren't able to cheat to get rewards they didn't win. The system's server-side code validates all client requests, ensuring each player is allowed to perform the action they requested.

I used several purchased assets for this feature. The card deck images were created by a member of my team, JL. These cards were custom-designed to fit the Dragon's Lair server theme. Additionally, the physical blackjack table and chair assets were purchased from the Unreal Engine Marketplace.

Wheel of Fortune

[Not yet implemented]

Roulette

[Not yet implemented]

Passive System

The passive system is quite different than the other casino-related features in this mod. ARK: Survival Ascended doesn't provide a good way to make a server a true PvEvP experience, where some players can PvP and others can choose to opt out and live passive lives. This passive system helps remedy that, providing players with an easy way to opt-out of PvP combat.

This system is centered around a tribe's Flag, a structure they can place in their base that provides protection. Simply placing the flag isn't enough, however, they must interact with it and choose to opt-out of PvP. Once they have done this, their tribe is placed on a 48hour cooldown where it cannot switch their choice. After this cooldown they are able to opt-in, or vice versa. The tribe's Flag provides a radius in which it periodically scans for new structures and dinos, making sure that they are protected from PvP-related damage if the tribe is opted-out.

Players and their dinos in opted-out tribes are also protected from PvP damage. In order to prevent them from exploiting this opted out players and dinos are also unable to deal any PvP damage, even if it is against a PvP opted-in player. Opted-out players are additionally unable to equip certain PvP-exclusive weapons, such as the C4 Remote, so that they cannot bypass this damage prevention system.

Armor Skins

Joker Skins

The mod also includes a Joker-inspired suit skin. This asset was acquired from Sketchfab, and then rigged and weight painted to the ARK player skeleton by my team members JL and Lilith. During this process I primarily managed my team and handled communication with the commissioner.

Dragon Knight Skins

The mod also includes a Dragon Knight armor skin. This asset was acquired from the Unreal Engine Marketplace, and then rigged and weight painted to the ARK player skeleton by my team members JL and Lilith. During this process I primarily managed my team and handled communication with the commissioner.

Other Miscellaneous Features

Welcome Sign

The Dragon's Lair Welcome Sign is a vegas-inspired sign modeled by Lilith. It is a simple admin-placeable structure that supports each instance being colored by admins, for maximum customization potential.

Starter Pickup Sign

The Dragon's Lair Starter Pickup Sign is a simple neon sign displaying the words "Starter Pickup". It was first modeled by Mewsie, then cleaned up by JL. This sign is also colorable by the server's admins, allowing them maximum customization potential

Dragon's Coin

The Dragon's Lair coin is a simple item utilized in the casino games. Players use this coin as their buy-in, then are rewarded with more coins when they win. The design is a golden coin with the face of a fantasy dragon on it. The asset for the coin image was acquired from Sketchfab, from which I converted the 3D model's texture in to a 2D icon using Gimp.

Floating Foundation

The floating foundations are a simple addition: temporary foundation structure that can be placed anywhere, even in the air far off of the ground. Then, once placed, other foundations can be placed on top of them, destroying the temporary foundation but preserving the floating functionality. This allows the server admins to build structures that would otherwise be impossible.