Suggestion: monthly surprise animal release

[markun]

I’ve mentioned this where relevant in a couple of threads but I thought I’d post it here to make it an actual suggestion.

I’m sure Frontier have a clear vision of their DLC releases but I hear two things quite often: that the DLCs so far have too few animals (something I agree with) and that things are too quiet in between updates/releases.

My suggestion is a monthly surprise release of a single animal perhaps combined with a foliage item or construction piece but my primary suggestion is an animal.

I know some people would complain about terrible corporations charging people for content but I for one would happily pay an appropriate price.

I think it would be a nice surprise - my suggestion is we wouldn’t know what the animal is until the day of release - and would be a regular kick of energy and interest for the community. Not to mention a source of revenue for Frontier.

I have no idea of work loads and challenges facing Frontier during this time but I think this would probably be feasible as the animals wouldn’t have to be ground-breakingly different to ones we already have.

One could be a black and white ruffed lemur for example, a mod of which already exists and essentially a reskin of an existing animal.

Others might be wild equids which aren’t so different in model to a zebra or animals such as a Brazilian/lowland tapir, rhea or wisent which are somewhat similar but distinct. And some others could hopefully be completely different like a capybara for instance.

I think this would be a genuinely welcome solution addressing a few issues in the community. Of course you can never make everyone happy but this I think would be a really positive step.

 

[FoxyDee]

I think that is an excellent suggestion. I am also willing to pay for Frontier hard work, but just some surprises here and there, be it an animal or objects, would be nice and would also give us more animals, some more unique ones then could be saved for DLCs.

Right now the cycle is waiting 4 months for DLC then nothing for another 4 months which is a bit quieter than most people like. As I recall JWE also had some free dinos, so I guess Frontier could be willing to do this if they wanted.

 

[Moonfox]

I would be very on board for this! It would be a really engaging way to maintain interest, keep us guessing and excited and keep the game active. The team deserve to be paid for their work (look at the consistent high quality they keep providing) so I would definitely be happy to pay for a new animal every month.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

I don't think a lot of players will take that well. Heck, they even don't take the price of the DLCs well and as much as I dislike the DLC concept by now, I think the price is fine.
However, I'd be all in with a monthly animal for a price. Would be much like those sticker collections we had as a kid. However, I don't know if one month or so is enough development time for an animal.

There could still be DLCs but these could have more complex animals. Like climbing or swimming ones. And for crying out loud, PLEASE, Frontier, add new FEATURES with a DLC.

 

[Jileha]

I actually do prefer the pack format. It is much more inspiring to get several animals from the same biome with plants and building pieces since we can build something new, like proper zoos in the tundra or South American zoos with the very lush vegetation and each with new styles of buildings and decoratoon. Getting just one individual animal would seem rather random. And what exactly would/could we do with it? Just add it to one of our existing zoos and that would be it. I think the overall effect in regard to additional incentive to play PZ is much greater with a complete DLC pack.

 

[random goat]

I can only support this great suggestion.

I actually do prefer the pack format. It is much more inspiring to get several animals from the same biome with plants and building pieces since we can build something new, like proper zoos in the tundra or South American zoos with the very lush vegetation and each with new styles of buildings and decoratoon. Getting just one individual animal would seem rather random. And what exactly would/could we do with it? Just add it to one of our existing zoos and that would be it. I think the overall effect in regard to additional incentive to play PZ is much greater with a complete DLC pack.

Nowhere do I see in the OP indicating that both DLCs and monthly animals would be exclusive. I'm actually pretty sure what Markun is suggesting is to have these an animals in addition to the DLCs

However, I don't know if one month or so is enough development time for an animal.

Good point, though I reckon only reskins shouldn't take that long, bearing in mind their needs and particularly their behaviour would be almost identical. Only the reskin and changes in the Zoopedia would be needed. Take OP's examples like the black & white ruffed lemur, zebras or tapirs, for instance. The same could be done with more lemurs, subspecies of tiger, wolves and brown bears, flamingoes, giraffes, South American camelids, Asian rhinos, pangolins, crocodiles, monitors...

 

[markun]

I actually do prefer the pack format.

My point is that this is an extra in between DLCs, not a replacement.

Getting just one individual animal would seem rather random. And what exactly would/could we do with it? Just add it to one of our existing zoos and that would be it.

Well yes, what else would you do with any animal in the game?

Many of us would like more animal species for the game and this, in addition to DLCs would go somewhere towards addressing that.

Look at the number of so-called implied enclosures for animals which haven’t been released people add to their zoos.

People can add animals to existing zoos and for me part of the pleasure of the game is having a base zoo to which I can add new species as they are released.

Personally I don’t really use theming very much at all. Even if you do, we don’t need a full blown theming pack for every species and some would fit in with existing packs if you only want to use them in that context, for example an arctic fox and a Brazilian tapir to name two possibilities.

 

[Firestar97]

I've also had this Idea that some Surprise Animals would be awesome (I did even believe when the Arctic Pack was short before being released, that we would get a Arctic Fox in a free Update). But I think if they would do it like that, maybe we would only get a Animal every 2 Months and maybe a Plant or some Decoration in the Months in between. It would even be great if we would just get a additional free Animal in the free Update that comes with every DLC

 

[Jileha]

My point is that this is an extra in between DLCs, not a replacement.



Well yes, what else would you do with any animal in the game?

Many of us would like more animal species for the game and this, in addition to DLCs would go somewhere towards addressing that.

Look at the number of so-called implied enclosures for animals which haven’t been released people add to their zoos.

People can add animals to existing zoos and for me part of the pleasure of the game is having a base zoo to which I can add new species as they are released.

Personally I don’t really use theming very much at all. Even if you do, we don’t need a full blown theming pack for every species and some would fit in with existing packs if you only want to use them in that context, for example an arctic fox and a Brazilian tapir to name two possibilities.

Lol, we all would like to get more species, lots of them. But we will never get all the species we would like to have since there are simply way too many great animals out there.

But even if we’d get one additional animal per month plus a DLC with the usual 4+1 new animals, I’d prefer them themed (four habitat animals from one region are not that many) and to get them all at once to be able to make full use of new environments and scenery.

If we’d get, for instance, the arctic fox as a surprise animal in between, that would not really motivate me to build yet another arctic zoo. If we get a bunch of animals from a particular region all at once, yup, completely different incentive for me. I would dive right in with one or more new themed zoo.

 

[markun]

If we’d get, for instance, the arctic fox as a surprise animal in between, that would not really motivate me to build yet another arctic zoo. If we get a bunch of animals from a particular region all at once, yup, completely different incentive for me. I would dive right in with one or more new themed zoo.

That’s up to you but we all play in different ways.

 

[VetGirl330]

I’d prefer them themed (four habitat animals from one region are not that many)

You seem to imply that Frontier has been releasing tightly, well-thought out themed packs. The so-called Arctic pack included one random and lonely alpine species (Dall Sheep) for some undisclosed reason. The so-called South America pack is an ill-conceived conglomeration of animals from Central and South America. It would have been nice to have four new animals from the Amazon, so we could create a nice-themed jungle exhibit(s). Not sure how you manage to mix one animal from Northern Columbia, one from the Andean highlands, one from the Chaco, with an exhibit animal from Central America into a "cohesive" themed area.

Not sure why you think a single animal at a time would be any more or less eclectic than what Frontier is already doing. More diversity would be great, and I think the more diehard fans (you know the type that actually care about Genus species) would be happy with just "recolor" animals. Plus if Frontier is just modifying some of the existing models they are almost guaranteed to fit into existing "themes". E.g. nearly everyone is going to include Zebras in their Africa area. This is an expectation among zoo goers. However it would be nice if not every zoo displayed the Plains zebra. Including even just the Grevy's zebra would start to add some diversity and realism to the game.

 

[markun]

The so-called Arctic pack included one random and lonely alpine species (Dall Sheep) for some undisclosed reason.

As long as we get interesting animals for our zoos I don’t really care what they call the packs.

I’ve seen you complain about the Dall sheep before and personally I don’t see the problem with it as they do in fact have ranges north of the Arctic circle in Alaska. It might not be an obvious choice of species or your personal preference but I do think they enrich the game and I love having them in my zoos.

 

[VetGirl330]

I have a problem with three out of four animals being from the Arctic tundra with a global distribution, and then a fourth that does fit thematically and seems like a random afterthought with a niche distribution in Alaska. If they had there hearts set on a caprid species, why not the muskox? Of the popularly demanded arctic fox. I think the a seal or walrus would have been best for a well-rounded pack, but we did not get them for obvious reasons.

I have nothing against Alpine species. They are needed too. I am just don't like ill-conceived "themes". Like Jileha, and like most modern zoo, I like to create clusters of thematic areas in my zoos. Hard to do if Frontier refuses to give us more than one or two animals per region.

As far as personal preference goes if I got to choose a caprid or alpine species from North America I would much rather have the Bighorn Sheep, or even the Mountain Goat. Both of which are also more common in zoos, and have a much wider distribution.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

That’s up to you but we all play in different ways.

Exactly. Those collectible animals once a month would fit my playstyle perfectly, for example. I work forever on my zoos and with my current project Unity I don't close a section: I add to it. And the time will come where I'll build a more traditional zoo, that is not yet completely modernized. Those zoos rarely have sections build on regions.
And in all honesty, if the South American DLC is all we get from Soutzh America, just because the region is finished now with a DLC, I'll grow grey hair. It's not represented in the slightest, tbh. And the Australian DLC will have the same fate.

I still think there would be an uproar if we would get animals that fit into a dlc for an additional cost, but I don't really mind. I'm one of those crazy people that like to pay Frontier for their hard work. And one animal a month would get me even more invested and excited for the game and would with some surprises even help me over polanet zoo downs like the one I have at the moment.

 

[FoxyDee]

Tbh even new objects would make me happy atm. Things like new animal statues, more banners, different types of educational boards and new foliage, those would be great too and probably would not be as much work as animals, so they could be done on monthly bases. Throw an animal there once in a while if its ready and it would be a nice thing for the community.

 

[ElectricMonk]

Whilst I think its unlikely we'll see anything like this happen, I'd LOVE it if it did.

 

[VetGirl330]

Tbh even new objects would make me happy atm. Things like new animal statues, more banners, different types of educational boards and new foliage

Definitely need more statues, and we can never have enough foliage. I really hope they introduce customizable banners and boards like they did in Planet Coaster. I think those would be more useful than just a few more Frontier prefab ones.

I think release of anything would keep excitement up, and build goodwill towards Frontier. If it's a once a month freebie, I think "stuff" is more likely than an animal, and I would be perfectly fine with that. While I wouldn't mind paying a few dollars for a single animal, I think that model is likely to incite a lot of backlash from the community.

 

[markun]

While I wouldn't mind paying a few dollars for a single animal, I think that model is likely to incite a lot of backlash from the community.

With some people Frontier are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

Obviously this is all completely hypothetical but I don’t think that should stop the release of content.

If people don’t like it then they don’t need to buy it.

And if the price was relative to the DLC price - which I think is really good value - it wouldn’t be a lot at all.

 

[random goat]

Yep, I also think hypothetical individual scenery/foliage items should be for free.

In case of an animal, even if clearly re-skinned, I'd gladly pay up to ~1.5€/ $2 but no more than that

 

[Swjosdotschka]

Yep, I also think hypothetical individual scenery/foliage items should be for free.

In case of an animal, even if clearly re-skinned, I'd gladly pay up to ~1.5€/ $2 but no more than that

Though I don't drink Coffee: Most people buy coffee to go. I just researched and found out a coffee with the most famouse coffee house is at least 2,75 €, at most 3,15 € I think a coffee a month (skiped for some) is a fair price for a well programmed animal that is maybe more than a reskin. But if I consider the price of a dlc, I might be one of the more generous customers. oO