For the record just before the Australian dlc, the update featured a saltwater crocodile, the only species in the game that was found in australia up to that point. Maybe it's a coincidence with the asian animals this time around? Maybe it isn't
Southeast Asia DLC incoming?
- Thread starter Danny_zoo
- Start date
I see your point, that might be another angle to it. It is possible that the showcase of the Giant Pandas, time and time again, points to Asia, and the inclusion of the Orangutan Statue picture further points to South East Asia. For what is worth I still believe that South East Asia makes all the sense in the world and is the more likely candidate to be released with the new dlc, it just did not go down exactly as I expected. It might mean nothing or that Frontier definitely changed something for this dlc, we will find out soon.
My two (or three) cents:
So far the pictures shared by Planet Zoo don't show any new building pieces and/or foliage. But what it does show is that the map was specifically created to show-case the update, and likely, the future DLC (and it's not a pre-alpha, early development build, since it includes foliage from, at least, the Australia Pack). Potentially it's the new (or part of) the "timed challenge scenario" that comes with the DLC.
Everything hints towards Asia (leaked sun bear, very asian theme in the Billboard and update posts, Orangutan statue, diving for gharials...). They won't use SouthEast Asia for marketing purposes (it's too long).
Anyway, I think this will be a DLC focused on animals rather than foliage and building pieces. So we might see more animals, but less new building and foliage. And I think that's how Frontier will continue, with Europe, Birds, North America (don't know in which order exactly) and the final one, closing the game, Africa (Summer 2022), with meerkats, rhinos, leopard,... and that's about it. And no TMTK, of course.
So far the pictures shared by Planet Zoo don't show any new building pieces and/or foliage. But what it does show is that the map was specifically created to show-case the update, and likely, the future DLC (and it's not a pre-alpha, early development build, since it includes foliage from, at least, the Australia Pack). Potentially it's the new (or part of) the "timed challenge scenario" that comes with the DLC.
Everything hints towards Asia (leaked sun bear, very asian theme in the Billboard and update posts, Orangutan statue, diving for gharials...). They won't use SouthEast Asia for marketing purposes (it's too long).
Anyway, I think this will be a DLC focused on animals rather than foliage and building pieces. So we might see more animals, but less new building and foliage. And I think that's how Frontier will continue, with Europe, Birds, North America (don't know in which order exactly) and the final one, closing the game, Africa (Summer 2022), with meerkats, rhinos, leopard,... and that's about it. And no TMTK, of course.
Sounds like a reasonable roadmap, if you ask me, but it'd leave South America lacking a bit. I also agree that sooner or later the devs should/will focus more on animals than anything else. Not just because it is very requested, but because scenery and specially building sets are way more limited, and also because PC took a similar route with rides-only packs. Not sure if the upcoming pack will be the first one breaking away from the usual 4+1, but the change will be happening this year with 99% certainty (imo).
Sounds indeed about right, but I hope it will go beyond that.
Too many animals missing that even after the support ends could not be modded in because there is simply no good rig or animations for them. For example if we do not get a sea lion, because Frontier might think that one pinniped is enough, we will never get them, because modding it from a seal would simply be really, really bad looking.
Same with other things like foxes, badgers, sloths, porcupines, beavers, meerkats, capybaras , tas. devils and many, many more. For that I hope for a longer support, even though I will probably end up dissapointed.
Its nice people want a leopard in a African DLC, but I would never want it instead of for example a honey badger, since the leopard can be modded from another big cat, the badger...not so much.
Too many animals missing that even after the support ends could not be modded in because there is simply no good rig or animations for them. For example if we do not get a sea lion, because Frontier might think that one pinniped is enough, we will never get them, because modding it from a seal would simply be really, really bad looking.
Same with other things like foxes, badgers, sloths, porcupines, beavers, meerkats, capybaras , tas. devils and many, many more. For that I hope for a longer support, even though I will probably end up dissapointed.
Its nice people want a leopard in a African DLC, but I would never want it instead of for example a honey badger, since the leopard can be modded from another big cat, the badger...not so much.
The thing is that, while I agree with you FoxyDee, Frontier most likely don't or won't care about what modders could do based on their animal models. They'll just go for whatever they think would sell better and/or whatever it's easier to achieve. If we're lucky, we might get some "odd" animal choices based on some of the devs personal preferences. It's been like that in every pack so far. Big ticket animals and then some 'reskinned' ones. So if we get a sea lion, it's most likely because they think it'll sell pretty well (in a NA pack, for instance). Fortunately, that seems to be the case for some of the animals we don't have a rig for now (most of the ones you mentioned).
You are right of course. Perhaps that is unreasonable from a business point of view, I am am of course biased, because I waited for so long for a modern zoo game that I cannot imagine we would be mising some of those amazing animals. But still, for that I hope there will be more than 4-5 more packs. I dont think that 4 packs could bring us all those unique animals, but we will see I guess.
I'm actually getting a bit more worried about that. If this 5th pack is coming with update 1.5, assuming they only go up to update 1.9 and don't cross over to 2.0, that would seem to me we might have only four more packs after this. Which is an honestly depressing thought, that if they stick to the current release model we may only get 25 more animals.
Not to start a panic, they may well continue on for several years with 2.0, 3.0 etc but I think it's entirely possible.
of course, if they don't stick to the previous release model and up the number of animals in the pack to 8-10 animals, that wouldn't be nearly as depressing. I do think we'll have to see what this pack releases as, other people have commented that if it sticks to the same release model, that may well be how it's going to be from here on out. This is their chance to really give us hope.
In Planet Coaster, they had update 1.10, 1.11, etc.
Oh wonderful. That's good to know and is hopeful at least. Thank you!
I was going to say, that numbering is quite common. It isn’t a decimal but [major version].[minor version]
But that's because the first year was like an open beta, with no real DLC, only updates.
So after 1 year, the first DLC was launched and boom 1.2.
Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. Updates 1.10.1, 1.10.2, 1.11.1... came long after 1.2.1
Sorry my bad. For some reason I read 1.1.0, 1.1.1,... not 1.10 or 1.11.
As I said in another thread, I'm also of the opinion that certainly the next Pack will be more animal based (I'm hoping for 8-10 species) but almost no decorative or foliage items.
With the images Frontier has released since the announcement of the custom billboards, I think they want to show us that we can do awesome things with the Asian pieces in the base game and that there is no need to add more.
Also, the fact that the update was announced 2 weeks before its release means that we can expect an announcement of the DLC this week (certainly tomorrow) so Frontier will have time to post a picture of an animal from the pack every day until release.
Finally, the fact that the Sun Bear was already present in the game files a few weeks before the release of the Aquatic Pack also suggests that the animals in the next pack were already in development before the release of the Aquatic Pack (which would seem logical if there are indeed more animals in the Asian Pack).
With the images Frontier has released since the announcement of the custom billboards, I think they want to show us that we can do awesome things with the Asian pieces in the base game and that there is no need to add more.
Also, the fact that the update was announced 2 weeks before its release means that we can expect an announcement of the DLC this week (certainly tomorrow) so Frontier will have time to post a picture of an animal from the pack every day until release.
Finally, the fact that the Sun Bear was already present in the game files a few weeks before the release of the Aquatic Pack also suggests that the animals in the next pack were already in development before the release of the Aquatic Pack (which would seem logical if there are indeed more animals in the Asian Pack).
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From your mouth to God ears my friend
I would definitely welcome a more animal balanced dlc, and can definitely understand them downsizing on the scenery, just hope we still get a decent amount of foliage, it is as needed as the animals to create zoos.
The only scenery I'm satisfied with are animal signs and statues, and customisable signs, like what we already have
FoxyDee you would need a top of the line professional to do that. There is nothing currently in game to do the African Leopard or any of the tropical leopard subspecies justice. The amur leopard is the closest point of reference with the already existing snow leopard. I have tried already to offer a large incentive to have that African Leopard created, and it just does not work. Now if we are talking about just a bad quality mod, it is certainly possible, just not the level we have become used to with some of the other mods.
Did not understand, you meant you are not satisfied with any of the current scenery? Or is it that you do not want any more scenery, zoos without scenery are like stores without merchandise. They have a saying the San Diego Zoo, "people come for the animals they stay for the plants"