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Dododex Exclusive Interview – ARK
For those who aren’t aware, Dododex is a tool for ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended. It’s mobile-friendly and allows players to learn helpful tips, calculate stats, and so much more. We’ve previously covered Dododex here, but now we hear from the master behind the companion app! In this exclusive interview, Dan Leveille answers questions about all sorts of topics – ranging from Dododex’s creation to sharing useful advice.
Let’s jump in and learn from the man himself 🔥
Dan Leveille’s Dododex Interview
Inspiration & Creation Behind Dododex:
Dan, a developer and gamer from Los Angeles, has always enjoyed creating tools to solve problems that help people. In 2015, while he and his partner were deeply into ARK: Survival Evolved, he grew frustrated with the lack of a good mobile companion app.
“There was one existing web tool called Crumplecorn and, of course, the official ARK wiki. But I always found it hard to understand, difficult to use, and it didn’t have a proper mobile website.”
With no prior experience in mobile app development but a strong desire to learn, he built and launched Dododex in early 2016 as a small side project.
“The first version of the app was incredibly minimal—just taming info, kibble recipes, and saddle requirements. I thought it would remain a small side project that I might update occasionally.“
Unexpectedly, the app took off immediately, gaining massive popularity among ARK players. Now, nearly a decade later, what started as a passion project has turned into a full-time endeavor, with Dan continuously improving Dododex to support millions of players worldwide.
“…I’m still actively developing and improving Dododex almost daily. It’s been an incredible journey to see something I created grow into a resource that millions of ARK players rely on.“
Big Mistake While Creating Dododex:
Dan’s biggest mistake while coding Dododex came from a simple but crucial error in the app’s tip-sorting algorithm. Dododex allows users to submit and vote on dino-related tips, with a system designed to prioritize helpful advice. In an attempt to improve this ranking, he made a change meant to push low-quality tips further down.
“A few years ago I made one important change to the way tips are sorted that was aimed at pushing bad quality further down in the rankings, so you’d see more quality and helpful tips. But I made one stupid mistake in the formula (it was something like using a ‘+’ instead of a ‘-’) and it essentially changed the formula of all tips across the app to be ‘show users the most terrible tips first, especially brand new ones.’”
While it didn’t cause total chaos, it took him several days to notice, meaning players were likely bombarded with bad advice and unfunny jokes in the meantime.
“I wouldn’t say it caused chaos, but it took quite a few days for me to notice this error, so players were probably seeing a lot of terrible community advice or unfunny jokes during those days.“
Anything Unexpected in Dododex or ARK That Worked Out:
One of the most unexpected surprises for Dan was seeing Dododex evolve into a platform for ARK fan fiction. Originally, the app’s tips feature was meant for sharing gameplay advice, but players quickly began using it to post in-game stories.
“The tips feature really isn’t built to accommodate stories like this, but people really wanted to share their stories so I added a “stories” category where people can share interesting in-game experiences or fan fiction.”
The community grew and some stories consisted of many chapters, each posted as an individual tip. This passion even led to the creation of a fan fiction Discord server and a wiki site.
“You can now browse and sort through the most popular stories on Dododex. The stories started getting pretty in depth too, many with dozens of chapters…This community of fan fiction writers on Dododex even started their own Discord and wiki site. I always find it super fascinating when you build something and people use it for a completely different purpose. It helps shape the future of Dododex, too!”
Most Rewarding Feedback From The Community:
“Every so often, people ask ‘Can you make a Dododex for [some other game]?’ – that’s probably the most rewarding thing you can hear as a developer”
He’s especially amazed when longtime users mention they’ve relied on Dododex for years. Some of the most heartwarming messages come from players who have used the app for over seven years or from parents who share that Dododex helps them bond with their children while playing ARK.
“Every so often someone shares a really heartwarming review saying how much Dododex has helped them for 7+ years, or how a parent and child both use Dododex while they’re playing ARK together.”
Any Feature in Dododex That Was Funny:
Dan once added a feature to Dododex purely for fun, and it unexpectedly became a community favorite. Since new ARK creatures take time to get official images, players often complain when a dino appears in Dododex without one.
“As soon as new creatures are announced, I add them to Dododex. A few weeks after they’re released, Studio Wildcard releases the game files for modders and developers. These files are what I use to create an image of each dino, so that means there’s a period of time where a creature won’t have an image in Dododex. This really bothers Dododex users — people will complain in the tips and app store reviews about it.”
After the Desmodus was announced, he jokingly drew his own placeholder – a crude bat with exaggerated cute anime eyes without telling anyone.
“…I had a stupid idea to create my own image just for kicks. I drew a bat in Photoshop and gave it ridiculous but cute anime eyes. It looked like a terrible MS Paint drawing. I added it to the app and said nothing.”
The image quickly sparked confusion on Reddit and in Dododex tips, but many players loved it. It remained in the app for months, and even after the official image was available, users begged him to keep it.
“…everyone was so confused, but quite a few players fell in love with the image. Since the Desmodus was announced long before it was released, the image stayed in Dododex for quite a few months, and even after the game files were released, people kept begging me to keep it. I even got a feature request for a toggle to bring it back.”
Eye Rolling Moment From Any Creature’s Stats:
For Dan, the Giganotosaurus’ post-tame health drop was the most frustrating stat to input into Dododex.
“Definitely the Giga’s health after it’s tamed. It loses 63,000 health upon taming. I’d roll my eyes just because it causes a lot of confusion among new ARK players…”
They see the wild stats and assume their newly tamed Giga will be just as powerful, only to be disappointed.
…when they’re looking at the wild stats and expecting their tamed Giga to be so much stronger after they tame it.”
Dododex as a Creature:
Dan thinks of it as a Tek-style companion, similar to HLN-A or Sir-5rM8.
“I love this question! I would imagine Dododex to be some sort of Tek creature that provides information to the player, maybe similar to HLN-A or Sir-5rM8. It could scan a creature and tell you its stats or how much food it needs.”
Of course, it would have to be a dodo-shaped robot – both helpful and a little goofy.
“Maybe it would be a dodo-shaped robot. I’d say it’d probably be more of a hero or trusty companion, maybe with a little bit of a silly dodo personality.”
Dododex Tips for ARK Players
While Dan is an expert in stats and formulas, he mentioned that he isn’t the best person for expert advice for ARK. With this in mind, here are general tips from him:
- Tame Smarter: Shoot dinos at a tempo of 5 seconds. Don’t shoot too fast, and don’t shoot too slow. If you shoot too fast, torpor queues up and you can end up wasting resources because it looks like a dino hasn’t been hit enough times, when in actuality, torpor is just taking a while to fully inflict.
- Master Torpor Management: Pay attention to a creature’s torpor drain rate. A high torpor rate means you’ll need to pay much closer attention while feeding it narcotics, and you’ll have to be more careful about not missing shots when you’re trying to knock it out. If you miss a shot on a high torpor rate creature, its torpor will drop really fast, which might cancel out some of the hits you just landed. Torpor rates always increase with the dino’s level, but each creature’s base rate is different. There’s no easy way to remember which creatures’ rates are high or low (you can’t assume large or strong creatures have high torpor rates, for example), but you can check Dododex to see the dino’s actual rate and if it’s considered high or low.
- Starve Taming 101: “Starve taming” is a great way to prevent accidental resource loss. After you KO a dino, wait a while before giving it food. If you give it food too early, there’s a chance you could lose all your Kibble if it gets killed by another wild dino or player. But keep in mind that starve taming doesn’t impact the effectiveness or speed of taming.
- Build Small, Think Big: Don’t worry too much about building the perfect base early on. New players often waste a lot of time building thatch huts, expanding them, then wood, expanding them, then stone, etc. It can waste a lot of time and resources, and you’ll constantly need to improve it, expand to fit more dinos, or you might need to relocate to be closer to better resources. I always recommend starting small and focusing on leveling and taming before you put too much effort into an early base.
- Play Your Way: PVE is great for many players – don’t listen to what everyone else says. I never really understood why so many players hate on people who play PVE. If you’re looking for a more relaxed gameplay style, PVE might be right for you. It can be a lot of stress – especially on an official server – always having to worry about your base getting attacked and dinos killed.
Dododex + ARK: The Ultimate Combo
Back in the day when no mobile-friendly or user-friendly companion app existed for ARK, Dan decided to create Dododex! Ever since then, millions of players have used it for their own adventures. They learn about new tips, share advice with others, calculate stats, and even share fan-fiction. The community has grown so much that a wiki and Discord server have been started. The Dododex + ARK combination is a must have for anyone who enjoys the game!
