← Development journal
Survivor’s journal

Survivor’s Journal: A Rocky Start

Palmreach, Archipelago. One survivor. Several very stubborn boulders. Today’s expedition takes a distinctly geological turn.

16 Oct 2026 · Archipelago
Illustrated survivor field journal with sketches of Palmreach rock meshes and coastal formations
Illustrated journal cover created from development screenshots · Not an unedited gameplay screenshot.

PALMREACH — FIELD NOTES, 16 OCTOBER

Woke up with a sensible plan: improve the coastline, make the island look a little more convincing, and perhaps finish before my tea went cold.

The rocks had other ideas.

THE GREAT BOULDER NEGOTIATION

Found a promising formation by the shore. Lovely colour. Excellent cracks. The sort of rock you could stand beside and say, “Yes. That’s definitely a rock.”

Moved it a little. Turned it a little. Moved it back. Stood on the other side. Apparently geology is mostly walking in circles and disagreeing with yourself.

By lunchtime I had assembled a small committee of cliffs and stones. Nobody had elected a chairman, but the tallest one was being difficult.

WHAT’S INSIDE A ROCK?

Took a closer look at one of the formations. Beneath that respectable stony exterior was a bewildering web of little triangles. I have decided not to ask why the island is made of triangles. Some mysteries are best left to the obelisks.

I did, however, insist that a rock should feel like a rock when walked into. Walking through solid stone would be convenient, but it would make my carefully planned cliffside retreat considerably less reassuring.

The sketches in this journal show the investigation. Future survivors: please admire the coastline without becoming permanently embedded in it.

EVENING REPORT

The pale, weathered formations are beginning to give this corner of Palmreach a character of its own. Still rough. Still a work in progress. But standing among them, with sand underfoot and clouds rolling overhead, I can finally picture the island taking shape.

Tomorrow’s objective: continue building a tropical paradise. Preferably without spending another entire expedition arguing with a boulder.

Supplies consumed: patience and several imaginary cups of tea.
Casualties: my confidence in the phrase “just a quick adjustment.”
Threat assessment: geologically unreasonable.

— TBB

Gallery

Pale coastal rock formations being arranged on Palmreach in the ARK DevKit
Work in progress · Testing rock shapes and placement on Palmreach.
An orange wireframe view of a cliff mesh in Blender
Behind the journal · Preparing and inspecting a cliff mesh in Blender.
Collision geometry displayed around a rock mesh in the ARK DevKit
Behind the journal · Reviewing collision geometry in the DevKit.
First-person in-game view of pale fractured rocks on a sandy Palmreach test area
Work in progress · A first-person look at the formations in the test area.

Explore Archipelago

View the project →
Back at the workbench

Behind the journal

The development notes behind our survivor’s tale.

This is a fictional survivor’s account inspired by the development work. Today’s focus was rock and cliff placement, mesh preparation in Blender, and reviewing collision in the ASA DevKit. The gallery contains the original work-in-progress screenshots. Archipelago is the map; Palmreach is its tropical island.