Keepers managing Habitats

[AFanOfZoos]

We now have the option to have exhibits manage the amount of animals and keep the populations from getting too high. Can we get this functionality for habitats as well? Give us the same options for how many of each gender for each species we want to keep and which ones we want to remove. Then, the ones that should go should just get flagged for a keeper to come pick them up and drop them in the trade center.

When your zoo gets bigger, trying to keep tabs on every enclosure and make sure you didn't get a second male Dall Sheep or a third adult Bengal Tiger or any other animal that's going to cause fighting, or that the size of your animal group hasn't gotten so big that they now want more space just takes up so much time.

 

[hai_dee]

Even better, would it be possible for it to not be so black and white as to when animals will fight and when they can be released/ traded? It is annoying not being able to release or trade juvenile animals, so they have to be looked after until at least the moment they are an adult. Which is the same moment they then start the fighting stuff. I don't think that in real zoos, somebody has to stand there watching for the animal to suddenly fully mature and start fighting, so that it can then be shipped elsewhere.

I know it's just a game, but this issue does get a bit old a bit fast.

 

[DrosophiliaMelanogastar]

Just to add to this, it would also be nice if problems like infighting could be migitated through size and design of the enclosure. Maybe have a group that gets too large split up into smaller groups that try to divide the enclosure up into their own territories. And as long as both territories have everything the animals need it reduces infighting by the two groups simply not interacting much with each other. There should still be the occasional teriitorial fight but it just gets way less.

 

[hai_dee]

Just to add to this, it would also be nice if problems like infighting could be migitated through size and design of the enclosure. Maybe have a group that gets too large split up into smaller groups that try to divide the enclosure up into their own territories. And as long as both territories have everything the animals need it reduces infighting by the two groups simply not interacting much with each other. There should still be the occasional teriitorial fight but it just gets way less.

I reckon this would be difficult to implement, although absolutely awesome if they could. Animals would need to have a "sense" of deciding on their home territory, rather than simply treating their entire enclosure the same. And there would need to be minimum distances between different groups.

 

[DrosophiliaMelanogastar]

It's gonna be complicated, no question, but i think this would not need to be tied to the animals themselve. It would probably be possible to tie this to the enclosure. Essentially, the enclosure checks the number of animals and when it exceeds the safe population numer draws a new border across the enclosure and then treats both of these virtual enclosure as seperate and assigns the overpopulation to the new virtual enclosure. As for how the enclsoure is seperated, it would need an algorithm that tries to assign each enclosure everything they need but give preference to the larger group.

 

[timmystood]

I second the OP's idea! Larger zoos get tiresome quickly as you spend so long managing babies that have grown up. The mechanics are already there, can we please get them for exhibits too?

 

[DarthQuell]

I would like to add to this that having an option to choose what kind of color mutation the animal has would be nice.
Like, what if I want only albinos? Then the animals that are only albinos will be in the habitat/exhibit and every other color will be sold/released

 

[Skalea]

I share the opinion that the current system is not great, and that managing animal populations in Habitats is just tedious as your zoo grows, but I think the things you are suggesting need a bit more thought. There is design to the animal market, conservation credits and genetics, and all of these aspects of the game would be impacted.

I've been thinking about writing a detailed post about this for the longest time, and will do that eventually.