What did everyone think of ark survival evolved when they first seen it/played it

It didnt draw me in due to the draw distance and how glitchy it was and looked. Just wasnt polished enough. I put 10 hours in . Made some thatch houses etc.

I think I may be able to answer why new players aren't showing up. At first glance I thought Ark was amazing, beautiful colors, free open world, looks absolutely immersive. When I attempt to start, hardly any servers would allow me to begin, and the ones
that did would spawn in the dark and would be killed in mere moments. I downloaded it from my Xbox game pass ultimate subscription, and honestly only got to queue up in the one game. After enough frustration I simply deleted it, and haven't looked back.

Yes i agree with playing with friends is more fun. Did you consider joining a fan club with the game?

I have not played it, but one of my friends likes this game a lot. To me it was not that interesting.

Since the first time i play it i didn't like it. But most of friends enjoy the game so depends...

Regards!