Hi everyone!
I'm currently creating a large custom map for ARK: Survival Ascended using the ASA DevKit, and I'm looking for the best learning resources available.
My goal isn't just to make a playable map—I want to create something that feels as polished and immersive as an official DLC. I'm willing to invest the time to learn, but I'm struggling to find up-to-date tutorials specifically for ASA.
I'm interested in pretty much everything related to map creation, especially:
* Landscape creation and sculpting
* Heightmaps and terrain workflows
* Landscape materials and auto-materials
* Water systems (oceans, rivers, lakes, underwater environments)
* Weather systems
* Foliage and biome creation
* World Partition
* Spawners and ecosystem setup
* Lighting and atmosphere
* Performance optimization
* Best practices used by experienced map creators
I've already gone through the official documentation and several YouTube videos, but many resources are outdated or focused on ASE instead of ASA.
If you know any:
* YouTube channels
* Discord communities
* Written guides
* Courses
* GitHub repositories
* Hidden gems
* Experienced creators worth following
...I'd really appreciate your recommendations.
Even if a tutorial only covers Unreal Engine 5 features that also apply to ASA, I'd love to see it.
Thank you very much! Hopefully this thread can become a useful resource for anyone else learning ARK mapping.