🐾 Planet Zoo - Update 1.2 coming 7 April 🐾

[Danny_zoo]

You do great threads. But I think they'll get noticed more if you keep them seperate from general discussions, so that people also can add to them, which lets frontier see that more people want what you want. But in threads like this I find the flood of pictures rather overwhelming and just scroll - which is a pitty when there are well thought-out ideas behind it.

Thank you for your input, you are correct, I will keep the feedback as a separate thread.

 

[Danny_zoo]

Huh? Curious: What YouTubers do you watch? Those that I watch all build realistic zoos with a parking lot in the first episodes and all on a budget. I sometimes wish they would actually theme more. since some zoos do that lately. Zoo Hannover is heavily themed for example and I love it. But yeah, as I said, there is a line between a zoo and a theme park. Traps aren't exactly my style, but I still think its just marketing and has nothing to do with the actual DLC. Maybe with a career mode level at the most.

Hannover Adventure Zoo is a perfect example of how geographical thematic elements can be successfully integrated in modern yet efficient zoo exhibits. Their theme worlds are fantastic and all within the scope of the animal stories being told. The last time I visited this zoo, they had just opened their Yukon Bay Exhibit, would love to have those pieces in Planet Zoo.

PS: Planet Zoo just posted a new entry into the Indiana Jones mystery saga, I thought about another thing as well, Aprils fool is coming up, could they be playing a joke on us? Is this something Frontier is known for? Are they big on humor?

 

[Swjosdotschka]

Hannover Adventure Zoo is a perfect example of how geographical thematic elements can be successfully integrated in modern yet efficient zoo exhibits. Their theme worlds are fantastic and all within the scope of the animal stories being told. The last time I visited this zoo, they had just opened their Yukon Bay Exhibit, would love to have those pieces in Planet Zoo.

Oh, YES please! Everytime I think of what want in Planet Zoo it is actually basically Yukon. With all those scenery pieces and the animals there (plus otters). But now I'm getting off topic. Any idea for a good thread for that kind of topic? I'll join you there.

 

[Danny_zoo]

Oh, YES please! Everytime I think of what want in Planet Zoo it is actually basically Yukon. With all those scenery pieces and the animals there (plus otters). But now I'm getting off topic. Any idea for a good thread for that kind of topic? I'll join you there.

That sounds like a great idea, I will work on the thread and post it in the general topics section. My thoughts is that it could refer to future DLCs that would give a more accurate representation of what can be found in modern zoos. I think it would be quite fun, we could include past and future thematic zoo exhibits as a point of reference. I do have a lot of information on those, thousands of documents, media and blueprints related to zoo planning and design, some not available online, since the were not released to the general public.

 

[Danny_zoo]

Getting this thread back on topic, Planet Zoo has released additional material in reference to the possible upcoming DLC announcement. There is not much still that can be gathered out of this, as it all points to some sort of surprise at the end of the story. The real question is how many days until the mystery is revealed? If this is in fact the road to a DLC announcement, it is almost certain that it has some sort of relation to a tropical biome, possibly a rainforest. It would be interesting to see what direction Frontier takes with this. The last DLC was an Arctic Biome with animals from different regions of the world that had Norwegian/Northern European construction pieces, just a thought.

 

[NZFanatic]

Well we're getting a llama.

Edit: I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that. Llama are farm animals. I was never especially excited by their inclusion in the original Zoo Tycoon and certainly not in Ultimate Animal Collection. They aren't exactly a species you go out of your way to see - my local zoo walks them around on leashes for the kids to pet. If we're only getting four animals per DLC, that leaves only three slots for different animals.

The question is, is this going to be South America in general, or specifically the Andes? My guesses are that we'll see the highly-coveted jaguar at the end of all this, and perhaps the spectacled bear. Fingers crossed we get some kind of New World monkey, but it doesn't seem especially likely right now.

 

[NZFanatic]

it is almost certain that it has some sort of relation to a tropical biome, possibly a rainforest.

I don't think so, considering the sillhouette in the image you posted is of a llama, decidedly not a rainforest animal. It looks to be South American-themed, possibly specifically Andean/Incan.

 

[markun]

We really don’t know how many animals there will be. We only have one DLC to compare it with so let’s wait and see. Anything is possible.

 

[DrBurrito]

Well we're getting a llama.

Edit: I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that. Llama are farm animals. I was never especially excited by their inclusion in the original Zoo Tycoon and certainly not in Ultimate Animal Collection. They aren't exactly a species you go out of your way to see - my local zoo walks them around on leashes for the kids to pet. If we're only getting four animals per DLC, that leaves only three slots for different animals.

The question is, is this going to be South America in general, or specifically the Andes? My guesses are that we'll see the highly-coveted jaguar at the end of all this, and perhaps the spectacled bear. Fingers crossed we get some kind of New World monkey, but it doesn't seem especially likely right now.

The ears do in fact resemble a llama more than a guanaco, but I would definitely prefer the latter if I am making a choice between South American camelids. The same dilemma is present in the domestic Bactrian camel when it would have been better for the conservation message if it was the wild critically endangered species of the same common name.

 

[Harbinger]

Something of note, is that Frontier was the studio behind Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection, released on October 31, 2017.

Not exactly.

Frontier developed the original Xbox 360 / Xbox One version in 2013 and maintained it until 2016, at which point Microsoft licensed Frontier's Cobra engine and passed on the development of Zoo Tycoon and Disneyland Adventures to Asobo Studios. If I recall correctly Microsoft paid £550,000 to buy out Frontier and license the engine.

Asobo studios ported both games to PC and added any additional content to the Ultimate Animal Collection of Zoo Tycoon.

So Frontier created the original game but anything post 2016 is Asobo Studios.

 

[paul78]

I have to admit it looks like a llama to me or one of the similar llama species. Could be a April fool’s joke but I doubt it. I’m ok with a llama...a little unexpected but it’s ok. I’ll use it in my zoos often. I first got a jungle vibe from this but the llama would represent more of a Andean vibe. Andean animals would be a welcome addition.

 

[WingardiumLevicoaster]

Llamas are frequently in zoos so if it's a llama, it seems fitting to me. Last three zoos I visited recently: London, Colchester and Berlin had them

 

[markun]

The same dilemma is present in the domestic Bactrian camel when it would have been better for the conservation message if it was the wild critically endangered species of the same common name.

But as this is a zoo game it would be completely unrealistic to have the wild Bactrian camel.

I’d love to have guanaco and vicuña as well but llamas are incredibly common in zoos and it would be nice to have the basics covered.

 

[DrBurrito]

But as this is a zoo game it would be completely unrealistic to have the wild Bactrian camel.

I’d love to have guanaco and vicuña as well but llamas are incredibly common in zoos and it would be nice to have the basics covered.

I do agree 100%, it would be more realistic to have the more common zoo species. However, knowing Frontier's priority is the conservation theme, I would have still expected them to opt with the CR animals (or simply wild in the case of the guanaco) instead of similar domestic species.

I really don't mind either choice, it was more an early prediction I had before launch taking some of the animals they chose for the original roster as reference; like the West African Lion and Himalayan Brown Bear. That being said I do appreciate either approach.

 

[Lea_G]

I had the same feeling about the DLC possibly becoming a bit too theme-parkish for a zoo game after seeing today's picture. But I think this might just be the storytelling leading up to the announcement - to keep us excited and engaged (and I certainly am). I wouldn't mind some adventure stuff as a minor feature, but I think in the end, the focus of the DLC will be on zoo content like animals and suitable building items.

Oh and thanks for pointing out the llama, I didn't spot the shadow when I saw the picture on Instagram. So curious now!

 

[Firestar97]

I don't think the inclusion of the Lama is bad. Maybe I build a Barn at the Entrance of my Zoo and create a little Petting Zoo. Is it safe for Humans to go into a Lama Enclosure or are they too aggressive?

 

[paul78]

Im pretty sure you can be around them but they can be a little unpredictable at times. They will also spit on you.

 

[NZFanatic]

I don't think the inclusion of the Lama is bad. Maybe I build a Barn at the Entrance of my Zoo and create a little Petting Zoo. Is it safe for Humans to go into a Lama Enclosure or are they too aggressive?

They are a domestic animal.

Just to clarify some points, I'm not against the inclusion of the llama in concept, I'm against wasting a slot on something that isn't exciting or necessary. Presumably the theme here is South America. We can assume it's a broad theme rather than a more localised one (the Andes, or something to that effect) because I doubt we'll be getting DLC's forever more to cover all of the possible content. So if we assume it's South America, then the llama is perhaps the least interesting animal they could have possibly included.

We must also assume the pack will only have four animals. Before anyone gets all huffy about this assumption, it's based purely on deductive reasoning; the first DLC we got was reasonably priced for what they included (four animals, building set, campaigns/challenges), and so far we know in this next DLC that we're getting a new theme (some kind of temple ruins), so it follows that this will be the new building set. We can also assume we're getting new campaigns and challenges as we did in the Arctic Pack, so it also follows that we'll be getting four new animals (we won't know until the whole DLC is revealed, but this is the safest and most logical assumption based on the information we have about PZ DLC's).

So if one of the four is the llama, and odds are good another of the four will be the jaguar (which is better, we all want that one), then what about the other two slots? What can we reasonably expect here? Are we going to miss out on something great (giant anteater? Capybara? Spider/squirrel/howler monkey?) and end up with, say, the spectacled bear and the black caiman?

This is all conjecture and not based on any insider information of course, and I'm not saying I'm going to be right or wrong, but it does make me worried.

 

[Indoraptor27]

They are a domestic animal.

Just to clarify some points, I'm not against the inclusion of the llama in concept, I'm against wasting a slot on something that isn't exciting or necessary. Presumably the theme here is South America. We can assume it's a broad theme rather than a more localised one (the Andes, or something to that effect) because I doubt we'll be getting DLC's forever more to cover all of the possible content. So if we assume it's South America, then the llama is perhaps the least interesting animal they could have possibly included.

We must also assume the pack will only have four animals. Before anyone gets all huffy about this assumption, it's based purely on deductive reasoning; the first DLC we got was reasonably priced for what they included (four animals, building set, campaigns/challenges), and so far we know in this next DLC that we're getting a new theme (some kind of temple ruins), so it follows that this will be the new building set. We can also assume we're getting new campaigns and challenges as we did in the Arctic Pack, so it also follows that we'll be getting four new animals (we won't know until the whole DLC is revealed, but this is the safest and most logical assumption based on the information we have about PZ DLC's).

So if one of the four is the llama, and odds are good another of the four will be the jaguar (which is better, we all want that one), then what about the other two slots? What can we reasonably expect here? Are we going to miss out on something great (giant anteater? Capybara? Spider/squirrel/howler monkey?) and end up with, say, the spectacled bear and the black caiman?

This is all conjecture and not based on any insider information of course, and I'm not saying I'm going to be right or wrong, but it does make me worried.

I wouldn't be mad even if it was something very similar. Anything, so long as I can have a tropical rainforest habitat.

 

[FoxyDee]

If there is not a giant anteater and instead we will get sometthing re-skinned as a spectacled bear I admit I would be a little dissapointed. But lets wait and see.