Anniversary DLC

[12344321]

LOL Frontier has "horrid" communication with it's customers? really? you obviously don't have much experience with companies like EA...
Frontier actually does a pretty good job compared to a lot of companies. They often put out updates, add things people ask for in the game etc. I regularly staff interacting and commenting on posts. No one is asking you to kiss the ground frontier walks on, but the claims that frontier doesn't listen or doesn't try and appease their audience is just ridiculous , like you want them to ask "how high" every time you say jump? like YOU said, it's a company, not a charity.

It's COVID time, likely staff and work hours are reduced, no one should have to say this, it's pretty obvious and just common sense.

I love how you compared frontiers lack of communication to the two time winner of the worst company in America (EA) like have some awareness. You just compared frontier to the globally agreed upon most detested game developer on earth....EA.

 

[Cocolori]

This is technically not true. The soundtrack comes with the deluxe dlc pack, which also includes 3 animals for $12 USD.

The weird thing is that the soundtrack was made into it's own dlc, which is also $12 USD. I don't understand why they did this tbh. I guess the logic is that now people who don't own the game can download the soundtrack, but I really can't think that the market for that would be that big. It's also strange they decided to value it the same amount as the deluxe dlc, despite containing less content. I agree that it is definitely a cash grab when taking all of this into account though.

Edit: If anyone knows of a way to see how much the soundtrack on it's own paid dlc made, I would be very interested in that. I would be surprised if it made over $1000 USD, but I guess you never know.

All that may be true but it also might be something they've done not with the idea that they'll sell loads but to support the artists involved either to help them promote their work or because they get more money per sale. That's just pure speculation but either way I can't see that it has any negative impact on the game or the community. It's not like it was available to me becuase I bought the deluxe pack but they've now put it behind a paywall.

 

[Bearcat9948]

All that may be true but it also might be something they've done not with the idea that they'll sell loads but to support the artists involved either to help them promote their work or because they get more money per sale. That's just pure speculation but either way I can't see that it has any negative impact on the game or the community. It's not like it was available to me becuase I bought the deluxe pack but they've now put it behind a paywall.

It could be the case. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that they gave the artist more of a % of the money made. Of course there's also no evidence to suggest that they haven't. Which pretty much means that we all have to draw our own conclusions from it. I'll say this, the fact that it has not one review on steam after being out for nearly two months, to me means that it didn't do well at all.

I personally am under the impression this was done to try and get some more revenue for Frontier. Perhaps because we're going through a pandemic and they wanted to boost profits in some way, and this was a very, very low effort (in fact no effort) way to do that. I think that would be somewhat excusable, but they had no business charging $12 USD for it when it gives someone less content than the deluxe, if we're operating under the assumption that the artist did not receive a greater share of the profits, which I am.

 

[nutrit]

I hope we get some extra animals and some scenario for the anniversary. It would be really nice. If not it’s also ok because the game it’s great itself anyway. Also we should probably expect some DLC at the end of the year so... no worries guys. And stop being so serious. This is a fun game that should bring positive emotions. Focus on what we already have. And belive me we have recived a lot
Be happy. Be kind. Smile a lot.

 

[Bearcat9948]

I hope we get some extra animals and some scenario for the anniversary. It would be really nice. If not it’s also ok because the game it’s great itself anyway. Also we should probably expect some DLC at the end of the year so... no worries guys. And stop being so serious. This is a fun game that should bring positive emotions. Focus on what we already have. And belive me we have recived a lot
Be happy. Be kind. Smile a lot.

Chante let us know there won't be anything for the anniversary. Which by the way, that's the reason I asked for my anniversary speculation thread to be closed. Didn't really see much point in it being open since it was confirmed we wouldn't get anything.

 

[Ozric]

An expansion. One that was released the week of Elite Dangerous' anniversary.
(truthfully, and respectfully I'm not sure what your point is you are arguing....if you doubt season 1 of elite dangerous came out the week of their anniversary, your cellphone has a calendar in it)

By the way I am SO jealous that Frontier gave Elite Dangerous fans a heads up about when to expect dlc/seasons. Too bad they didnt let planet zoo fans know about dlc "many months ahead of its release"

Do you really want to go down this route? Because the last 'DLC' or 'Expansion' Elite had was 5 years ago, and was Horizons! Also the first season took 2 years to roll out.
I only brought it up because you were asserting that it was released as an anniversary DLC, which it wasn't.

How many DLCs has Planet Zoo had in it's first year alone? And how does that compare to the amount of DLCs that Planet Coaster and JWE had?

 

[nutrit]

Chante let us know there won't be anything for the anniversary. Which by the way, that's the reason I asked for my anniversary speculation thread to be closed. Didn't really see much point in it being open since it was confirmed we wouldn't get anything.

Chante said there won’t be any update for anniversary. But she confirmed that they working on something. We don’t know what exactly. Let’s be open and positive. I’m sure they won’t let us down.
When I first saw the game, I thought that with a potential like that, steam would be full of animals to buy as DLC’s. And it would be only a matter of money and your own interests how many animals you would like to buy. I would probably buy them all no matter the money. But it’s not like that. It’s not the dynamics I hoped for. And so what? Nothing. I still love this game. They have different approach to the subject and we have to be patient and respectful.
I’m sure they have a lot in store for us still.

 

[Bearcat9948]

Chante said there won’t be any update for anniversary. But she confirmed that they working on something. We don’t know what exactly. Let’s be open and positive. I’m sure they won’t let us down.
When I first saw the game, I thought that with a potential like that, steam would be full of animals to buy as DLC’s. And it would be only a matter of money and your own interests how many animals you would like to buy. I would probably buy them all no matter the money. But it’s not like that. It’s not the dynamics I hoped for. And so what? Nothing. I still love this game. They have different approach to the subject and we have to be patient and respectful.
I’m sure they have a lot in store for us still.

Not sure how I’ve been...disrespectful?

I am quite sure there will be a dlc sometime in December to take advantage of the holiday spending spree. I’ve always anticipated this. But nothing is happening for the anniversary. You’re certainly allowed to be as optimistic as you want, but unless they announce something tomorrow it isn’t happening. The anniversary is next week.

 

[nutrit]

I would never called you disrespectful bearcat. I was writing more generally to all the people here on forum. My purpose was only for us to be more patient. That’s all. You are right in many ways too. All the best to you and it would be great if you were right about tomorrow.

 

[Aero-Bubbles]

To be honest not a single person asked for the soundtrack (or wanted it). But people on reddit and frontiers forums have been vocal about wanting new dlc.

It's like thousands of people on pz twitter and PZ forums and PZ reddit want dlc....and instead of listening to the community PZ released a soundtrack literally no one asked for....that's tone deafness.

AGAIN, where is your evidence “no one wanted it” you’re making things up, cherry picking information that suits TO YOU,

1) Stop making things up to further your points
2) Stop speaking for the community

You continuously state that “no one wanted...”as if you scoured the internet and found nothing, it makes you sound less and less credible.

I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with other game companies if you think frontier is “tone deaf” I invite you to take a look around at other companies because it’s almost like a joke, that’s how ridiculous you sound

 

[ElectricMonk]

Who said free? Dont put worda in my mouth

Apologies - since the thread you mentioned in your post was specifically about FLC for the anniversary, I assumed that's what you meant.

So,... if you're talking about paid DLC, then you're still going a bit overboard. First, you implied that you thought the paid DLCs so far weren't worth the money, so more DLCs wouldn't be all that great anyway? Second, I'd put money on the pandemic delaying the planned releases - I'd guess that the Australia DLC was delayed compared to when it was planned - similarly, any planned paid DLC to be released for the anniversary would have been delayed compared to when it was planned - i.e., it would no longer launch on, or near the anniversary. There's no reason to think that the absence of an anniversary DLC is because Frointier has some weird antipathy to their own game.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Who said free? Dont put worda in my mouth ...

Apologies - since the thread you mentioned in your post was specifically about FLC for the anniversary, I assumed that's what you meant.

Oops, indeed. I fell into this trap as well - for exactly the same reason as ElectricMonk.

In this case, my snarky comment about sending them money as a birthday gift isn't as justified (in this thread) as I thought it was.
It really was (and still is) a toung-in-cheek comment on the apparent entitelment stance of some players and why it doesn't make sense in my opinion ... highlighting it with the reverse idea of sending them free money instead of demanding free content.
Anyway, it wasn't you doing so, @12344321. Sorry for this again.

Nevertheless (and like ElectricMonk and many others), don't feel entiteled to a new paid DLC either.
Would I have expected a large expansion one year after launch? Certainly. It seems to be a quite usual timeframe for something like this - and not only for Frontier games, but with other game companies as well (Firaxis and Civilization, for example).
Am I dissapointed for its (current) non-existance? A bit, yes. I can't deny that.

But starting a quite ranty thread about it, talking about the lack of gratitude and slaps in the faces ... that did set a certain tone and honestly triggered me as well.

I am sure, new DLC will come, when done. (And the timeframe of "done" might very well have shifted due to SARS Covid-19.)
We definitely will get some more "4+1 Animals-and-building-pieces" DLC.
And I am still pretty sure, there is at least one major expansion in the making.

When?
Well, we'll see.
But ranting and demanding certainly will not change anything about it.

 

[FoxyDee]

I do not think worlds like entitlement or demanding really fit most people being dissapointed by no anniversary update here. OP is a bit harsh though I admit.

I do not demand free stuff, but perhaps I overestimated Frontiers generosity. It just surprised me that for a one year anniversary it would not be celebrated even with one animal, I never meant something like meerkats as other suggested, but even something easier to do like a malayan tapir would be amazing, considering it is a highly requested animal, while it would just require to change the fur and size. Considering PC got a whole update, it just feels like we are less of a worth. (Did we not make enough money byuing the game or is PZ just a byproduct of PC? - not saying it is the case, but it is how it feels right now).

Sure you can say covid delayed things, but really the anniversary could have been planned in advance and even a one free animal (an easier one) would not take as much work as a whole update surely?

I think being dissapointed is not the same as entitlement.

 

[paul78]

I agree with @FoxyDee a planned anniversary animal or object or whatever could have been as easy as frontier wanted them to be. You look at the dlc packs and you could argue animals like the polar bear,jaguar, and kangaroo should have been in the base game. But it is a smart easy way to use them as dlc well imo the same could have been done for anniversary. It would have been a easy quick solution if properly planned out. And although we aren’t necessarily entitled to anything I do think we were entitled to more then we’re getting.

 

[TFG21]

Second, I'd put money on the pandemic delaying the planned releases - I'd guess that the Australia DLC was delayed compared to when it was planned - similarly, any planned paid DLC to be released for the anniversary would have been delayed compared to when it was planned - i.e., it would no longer launch on, or near the anniversary. There's no reason to think that the absence of an anniversary DLC is because Frointier has some weird antipathy to their own game.

This comment nails it. I also agree that the pandemic has more than likely screwed up their entire time frame for several DLCs/updates, and the fact we aren't getting a big update on the anniversary in no way means one was never planned, nor that this update will never come out. And just to head off comments of "but they could have communicated that with us", well, they may have chosen not to because they did/do not have a firm grasp on how long the update will be delayed. And honestly, having a CM come out and say "we are working on it" doesn't make the release any faster. And to the comments of "well at least we would know they are working on something", it has been brought up many times how PZ has sold better than PC in the first year of release, do you honestly believe that Frontier has suddenly ceased all production of PZ content?

The line of "no anniversary update = PZ is the forgotten child" is so hyperbolic and over reactive and completely misses that we are not living in normal times, comparison to past game development and release schedules is both unfair and unrealistic. These threads all seem to be people expecting things based on little to no information, then creating their own disappointment when those expectations weren't met. This is not Frontier's fault. People need to do a better job of managing their expectations, especially when based on idle speculation alone

 

[Swjosdotschka]

I do not think worlds like entitlement or demanding really fit most people being dissapointed by no anniversary update here. OP is a bit harsh though I admit.

I do not demand free stuff, but perhaps I overestimated Frontiers generosity. It just surprised me that for a one year anniversary it would not be celebrated even with one animal, I never meant something like meerkats as other suggested, but even something easier to do like a malayan tapir would be amazing, considering it is a highly requested animal, while it would just require to change the fur and size. Considering PC got a whole update, it just feels like we are less of a worth. (Did we not make enough money byuing the game or is PZ just a byproduct of PC? - not saying it is the case, but it is how it feels right now).

Sure you can say covid delayed things, but really the anniversary could have been planned in advance and even a one free animal (an easier one) would not take as much work as a whole update surely?

I think being dissapointed is not the same as entitlement.

I agree with @FoxyDee a planned anniversary animal or object or whatever could have been as easy as frontier wanted them to be. You look at the dlc packs and you could argue animals like the polar bear,jaguar, and kangaroo should have been in the base game. But it is a smart easy way to use them as dlc well imo the same could have been done for anniversary. It would have been a easy quick solution if properly planned out. And although we aren’t necessarily entitled to anything I do think we were entitled to more then we’re getting.

Perfectly worded, respectful and yet honest comments that sums up the anniversary-lack perfectly for me. You two worded it better than I ever could. Thank you and I agree 100%.

 

[Ozian]

It sounds like there’s a lot of frustration and annoyance around various aspects of the game and I appreciate that, however, I do think that games do take time to iron out. PlanCo was developed over 4 years and additions/tweaks happened over that time - we can’t expect PlanZoo to be complete and perfect after one year and have every animal and feature we want now otherwise it has nowhere to go. This is a living game and bugs will come up as players play in lots of different ways and problems come up due to this.

I do agree that the pandemic has likely delayed time lines and I think Frontier is still invested in the game. Considering the business of this game for the future, if Frontier sees that players are turning away from the game with lesser player numbers or a community that’s gone against the game it would make sense to reduce investment and focus on other properties that are doing well. To counteract is this though, I’ve read about the long term life of Frontier games in their released performance analysis - players are buying these games long after the initial launch even if this is in lesser numbers which still generates income so developments aren’t only targeting initial purchases. Something else to consider in this is that now we know PlanCo is coming to console and Mac, I imagine that there will be similar plans for PlanZoo if these launches are a success. This is means it makes sense to continue investing in PlanZoo even if overall PC user interest is declining.

An argument would be for Frontier to work on what players want to retain them, however, what happens when you get a feature demanded (I.e. semi-aquatics) and then months later it doesn’t fulfil the itch anymore as we’re currently seeing? It seems all relative. If we got more animals in packs, our expectation and therefore disappointment could go up again.

Yes, I appreciate having 5 animals in a pack is a small number and some of these are similar to others already in game but I also imagine these take a lot of time to model and programme. Business wise they’ll be looking at return on investment and how many hours it takes to develop animals vs how many players buy these. If less bought the Australia pack than before and thus covered less developer hours and the pack made a loss, it’s perhaps not viable to make more than 5 animals at a time or even more packs. It’s supply and demand, more content that we want will follow if people continue to buy the game and DLC’s. My personal feeling is deepening gameplay elements alongside animals is what will keep players interested.

Personally, I’d be behind Frontier having a scale of add on packs like the Sims - separate Stuff packs (scenic elements), game packs (animals) and expansion packs (adding fuller gameplay like increased educational aspects, etc -).

If you consider the Sims Stuff packs are £9.99, Game packs are £17.99 and expansions are £34.99 (which is the same cost as base game) - £7.99 is not a lot for what we get in a pack relative to this and if they scaled up different pack styles I think players would be open to paying more to get more - thus giving more developer hours, profits and giving the community what it wants satisfying everyone. What does everyone think about this?

I get that some people have spent £100 on the base game and all DLC’s but comparatively with the Sims for all stuff, game and expansion packs you’re looking at nearly £500. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/sims-4-dlc-price?amp

In my view if we could collectively voice ourselves as a community with appreciation and encouragement then we’re more likely to get what we want for the game. If the tone is negative and critical of Frontier then it potentially could stifle developments if they see players are turning off from it. If a creative sees some of the feedback it’s not going to inspire them and cause them to make their best work.

Everyones feelings are valid and I’m not devaluing any of them in anything I say, it’s clear that they come from passion for the game. People seem to really care for this game and see its potential which is why the response is so big - it’s like ‘we see the game this could be so fulfil its potential’!

 

[Ozian]

To add to this as well in terms of communication - if Frontier were to give release dates or info before things are near ready and then can’t meet it this could cause more disappointment and can really backfire. Look at the response to the delayed release of PlanCo Console Edition.

 

[Prince Chester the Third]

Frontier Developments is a publicly traded company which means they won't announce things until they're ready to announce things. Their announcements affect their stock prices, which is one of the reasons why they don't have roadmaps for their games.

 

[12344321]

Do you really want to go down this route? Because the last 'DLC' or 'Expansion' Elite had was 5 years ago, and was Horizons! Also the
I only brought it up because you were asserting that it was released as an anniversary DLC, which it wasn't.

How many DLCs has Planet Zoo had in it's first year alone? And how does that compare to the amount of DLCs that Planet Coaster and JWE had?

Let's go down this route because I'm right.

Elite Dangerous releasd Dec 16 2014. Season 1 DLC of elite dangerous was released Dec 15 2015.

Math can be hard in this case it isn't. One year after relase Elite Dangerous released season 1.


Without starting an argument can you calmly explain how "first season took 2 years to roll out"

Show your work please so we can all see your evidence

To counter your point, how many anniversary dlc's did Jurassic World Evo and Planet Coaster get compared to Planet Zoo? 100% more? Did planet coaster and jwe get 100% more anniversary content than planet zoos fanbase? Yes.

Did Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evo and Elite Dangerous all recieve dlc the week of their first anniversaries? Yes. That's my point. I find the neglect of planet zoo fans around the anniversary in particular insulting (eapecially when compared to the attention and dlc's jurassic world evo and planet coaster and elite dangerous fans have revieved in the past)