December Dlc Discussion! New PZ in the following two weeks days?

yoav_r

yoav_r
So I wanted to summarize all the common options for a december dlc, which is expected to be announced in the next 21 days (estimated).

DLC options:
Supported by leak:
  1. Tropical dlc - Supported by Capybara leak
  2. South America animal dlc - Supported by Capybara leak
  3. Second aquatic dlc - Supported by leaked enrichment items
Supported by speculation and JWE2:
  1. Aviary dlc - JWE2 has aviaries, and December is expected to have a "game changing" mechanic
  2. Birds dlc -very popular
Not supported:
  1. Aquariu dlc - while JWE2 has lagoons, we already have essentially lagoons with deep diving and terrain tools, so we have no support for actual aquarium
  2. Europe dlc - the only missing continental dlc, but will be similar in niche to the NA pack (temperate), and does not correspond to the season
  3. No dlc - PZ is doing well by all known standards, and there was a lot of work in steamdb


Potential announcements dates:
  1. 7.12 - Earliest option, unlikely
  2. 14.12 - Very close to the holidays
  3. 21/28.12 - seems too close to the holidays
  4. January 2022 - Misses the holidays, but gives time to breath from the NA pack

What are your thoughts are you hyped?

I'm honestly finding it a bit hard to get hyped, because unlike with previous dlcs we have no idea what to expect, and unlike before the NA dlc it seems pretty clear that something is coming, so the "is PZ spport ending?" debate is not occuring this time around (plus it has been very little time since the NA dlc).
 
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becks474

B
I am pretty sure the DLC will come before Christmas. And in my opinion the most likely date ist the 14th because one week later it seems to be to close to Christmas for me. According to this the announcement could either be next week (animal pack or big aviary expansion) or the week after (normal pack).
Personally I would like to have a tropical animal pack but I think there will not be two animal Packs in a row until now. I still think there will be aviaries which come in a new Format of DLC (more species + scenery for a higher price). As I personally prefer more habitat animals instead of flying birds I also would not call it "bringing expectations high" in my case as I would not be mad if this does not happen. It is just a feeling that there could come something bigger.
 

avietar

avietar
You missed the Europa DLC :)

Anyway, I expect a scenery pack, so 4+1 animals and new building stuff and foliage.
OR a new DLC format, like a biome pack that includes something like 6+1 animals and lots of foliage.
 

nutrit

nutrit
Although I am not a biggest fan I have a gut feeling that it would be a birds/avian DLC, possibly new format and new price or just a standard animal pack with 8 animals but with scenery.
Birds dlc is the most expected and usually when something is it just happens. For me it’s no game changer but I understand people for whom it is. I expect only Shoebill from this pack and I would be happy with it.

I would love it to be the Tropical animal pack for the most with some new zoo scenery for the people who are so craving for it and 3 extra flying birds along with brachiation for other apes.
Tropical animal pack could introduce flying (macaws or ibises), full aquatic animals (manatees or river dolphins) or brachiation (gibbons or spider monkeys) or all those new features in one special animal pack.

I also hope that they going to announce something next week and premiere new pack on 14th December.

Imagine a Tropical animal pack with:
  • Capybara - aquatic rodent, most wanted and SA
  • Lar gibbon - brachiation and primate
  • Maned wolf - unique canine high on the list and SA
  • Fossa - cat-like very unique mammal from Madagascar also high on the list
  • Red River hog - very interesting and brightly colored ungulate from the forests of Africa
  • Tree kangaroo - amazing large arboreal marsupial
  • Caribbean Manatee - first fully aquatic mammal and SA
Extra birds:
  • Hyacinth macaw - flying and SA
  • Scarlet ibis - flying and SA
  • Toco Toucan - flying and SĄ
 
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NZFanatic

NZFanatic
yoav_r said:
Second aquatic dlc - Supported by leaked enrichment items
Click to expand...
Ironically this one is actually the most likely and least likely at the same time.

Both the leaked enrichment items and the capybara would fit into an Aquatic Pack, so the majority of the evidence leans towards this concept, but simultaneously it doesn't seem particularly likely that they'll revisit a pack they've already done wholesale. I'm also not entirely sure what other animals it could contain. The Asian small-clawed otter seems obvious (could also go in a Tropical pack) since it's the most highly-requested otter species, but the pack would naturally also contain two 'marine' species like the original Aquatic Pack and that is where we get a bit stuck because there aren't an overabundance of marine animals that are reasonable to expect.

The sea otter would be the first obvious choice, but part of me doesn't think that's likely since the small-clawed otter has been so heavily requested. A pelican would be a great addition for such a pack, but Frontier doesn't seem overly interested in adding birds these days. We already have two penguins, and although a third one wouldn't go amiss it doesn't seem likely (I consider the black-and-white ruffed lemur to be an outlier rather than part of a pattern). Another pinniped? We already have the two 'major' ones.

I've kind of fallen off the "aviary" train. I still badly want them, but I no longer expect them to come in December.
 

yoav_r

yoav_r
NZFanatic said:
Ironically this one is actually the most likely and least likely at the same time.

Both the leaked enrichment items and the capybara would fit into an Aquatic Pack, so the majority of the evidence leans towards this concept, but simultaneously it doesn't seem particularly likely that they'll revisit a pack they've already done wholesale. I'm also not entirely sure what other animals it could contain. The Asian small-clawed otter seems obvious (could also go in a Tropical pack) since it's the most highly-requested otter species, but the pack would naturally also contain two 'marine' species like the original Aquatic Pack and that is where we get a bit stuck because there aren't an overabundance of marine animals that are reasonable to expect.

The sea otter would be the first obvious choice, but part of me doesn't think that's likely since the small-clawed otter has been so heavily requested. A pelican would be a great addition for such a pack, but Frontier doesn't seem overly interested in adding birds these days. We already have two penguins, and although a third one wouldn't go amiss it doesn't seem likely (I consider the black-and-white ruffed lemur to be an outlier rather than part of a pattern). Another pinniped? We already have the two 'major' ones.

I've kind of fallen off the "aviary" train. I still badly want them, but I no longer expect them to come in December.
Click to expand...
I also doubt an aquatic pack because the obvious would-be headliner (the sea lion) was used in the NA pack. If they'd planned an aquatic pack it would be much easier for them to put any other animal in the NA pack, be it the bighorn sheep, racoon, peccary, black bear, and they would all be using preexisting rigs, unlike the sea lion which uses an entirely new rig.
 

yoav_r

yoav_r
avietar said:
You missed the Europa DLC :)

Anyway, I expect a scenery pack, so 4+1 animals and new building stuff and foliage.
OR a new DLC format, like a biome pack that includes something like 6+1 animals and lots of foliage.
Click to expand...
I added the Europe dlc to the unlikely section
 

Aramar

Aramar
I keep saying that the North America pack was already the second aquatic pack with 3 aquatic habitat animals and 1 aquatic exhibit, only 1 animal less than the original aquatic pack, so we should talk about a third aquatic pack 😂

yoav_r said:
  1. Aviary dlc - JWE2 has aviaries, and December is expected to have a "game changing" mechanic
  2. Birds dlc -very popular
Click to expand...
What's the difference?
 

yoav_r

yoav_r
Aramar said:
I keep saying that the North America pack was already the second aquatic pack with 3 aquatic habitat animals and 1 aquatic exhibit, only 1 animal less than the original aquatic pack, so we should talk about a third aquatic pack 😂


What's the difference?
Click to expand...
Great point about the aquatics.
Regarding the birds pack, I referred to a generic non-aviary birds pack which people have been speculating about.
 

Aidan635

Aidan635
yoav_r said:
So I wanted to summarize all the common options for a december dlc, which is expected to be announced in the next 21 days (estimated).

DLC options:
Supported by leak:
  1. Tropical dlc - Supported by Capybara leak
  2. South America animal dlc - Supported by Capybara leak
  3. Second aquatic dlc - Supported by leaked enrichment items
Supported by speculation and JWE2:
  1. Aviary dlc - JWE2 has aviaries, and December is expected to have a "game changing" mechanic
  2. Birds dlc -very popular
Not supported:
  1. Aquariu dlc - while JWE2 has lagoons, we already have essentially lagoons with deep diving and terrain tools, so we have no support for actual aquarium
  2. Europe dlc - the only missing continental dlc, but will be similar in niche to the NA pack (temperate), and does not correspond to the season
  3. No dlc - PZ is doing well by all known standards, and there was a lot of work in steamdb


Potential announcements dates:
  1. 7.12 - Earliest option, unlikely
  2. 14.12 - Very close to the holidays
  3. 21/28.12 - seems too close to the holidays
  4. January 2022 - Misses the holidays, but gives time to breath from the NA pack

What are your thoughts are you hyped?

I'm honestly finding it a bit hard to get hyped, because unlike with previous dlcs we have no idea what to expect, and unlike before the NA dlc it seems pretty clear that something is coming, so the "is PZ spport ending?" debate is not occuring this time around (plus it has been very little time since the NA dlc).
Click to expand...
I’m finding it hard to get hyped as well, but I’m sure this thread will change that! I feel like I should be more hyped because we’re pretty in the dark about what’s coming. And if it is birds, we really have no idea how they’re gonna do it. Will it be similar to JWE2 or different, share some similarities, who knows.

I wouldn’t rule Europe out completely, as yes it’s very similar to the climate as North America was (temperate/taiga vibes), but they could put a Christmas/holiday spin on it like what they did with the Arctic Pack.

My bet is on birds, as for how they’re gonna do it… they would be like exhibit animals (Before there was exhibit animals and habitat animals, now there would be a third type: aviary animals). I think a good idea is to expand/minimize exhibit animal box sizes in the free update, then announce the whole bird thing in the DLC with expanded sizes for them as well. Similar to the exhibit animals, you’ll be able to put in different perches, branches, enrichment items, etc. So basically what I’m trying to say is that they won’t be like habitat animals, because I if you think about it, they aren’t in real life really. It’s a whole new way of displaying an animal.

As for the dates, my favorite thing to speculate on, I’m thinking the release will be on December 21st, just before the holidays. So, we should see some teasers in the next couple of weeks now! Let’s get hype everyone!!!
 

SalamAnders

SalamAnders
I'm personally leaning most towards Europe right now. A few reasons why (WARNING! Heavy speculations coming up)

A basic 4+1 seems the most logical to me right now, since the animal and animations team must have had a busy year. I guess they could use something a bit 'easier'. For the same reasons I don't find it the right time for flying birds. Scenery sets do just seem more logical for continental/region packs than for something like a biome pack.

But since we are already looking at JWE2 for clues, I think there are aspects in it that game which could fit into a Europe Pack or similar.

- Alpine Biome (as part of the free update)
The biomes and foliage in JWE2 are very similar to what we got in PZ. There seem to have been some kind of reused work here. The big exception here is the Alpine biome, but even some of the foliage we see in that look similar to some we already have in PZ.
To add Alpine to PZ would be fairly easy. We already got a lot of plants and animals for it especially if we look within the current Taiga category. We basically just need new rock textures and terrain paintings.

But if we already got most of the stuff, what would the point of adding it then be?
Well it would give us new map backgrounds as well as the new terrain textures mentioned before.
Getting new terrain paintings would give us more options if/when a tool for choosing terrain types for our maps shows up, which there were some talk about a while back.
Otherwise a new biome type would bring new map backgrounds, which is also very requested.

And in the Europe DLC coming alongside this update, you would then find the perfect match for this new biome - The Alpine Ibex.

- A dead deer
So in a few scenarios in JWE2 a dead deer is seen. First time we see it is in a North American Taiga map and it is seen at least one more time on a tropical island. Looks like the same species/model both times. The logical choice here would be to base the deer model on a common American deer like an elk/wapiti or white tailed deer, since it is seen in and around the Americas. To me that deer looks more like a red deer, especially the color of the fur. Could they be reusing a model already made for PZ? Of course they might just have went for a none specific generic deer since the game is about extinct creatures anyway, but I do find it interesting.


This is my guess for what is next. There is probably a decent change I am not right about this at all.
 

12344321

1
Last December was the Aquatic pack and an update which introduced a new mechanic, deep diving or "swimming".

I hope this December is the Aviary pack and a new update which introduces new "flying" mechanics. This would coincide with the speculation that Planet Zoo is getting flying mechanics (eventually) which has been speculated since JWE2 released with aviaries.

I also think since December is the best time of year for sales, especially gaming sales, that the "BIG" DLC we have all been waiting for (Aviary DLC) will release before Christmas. It's literally the smartest business decision if you want to sell a lot of DLC for the holidays and get people interested in PZ for the new year! The best time for sales is winter holidays, and if the pack is larger, or more expensive than normally I believe it would still sell very well since aviaries have been SO highly requested.

Furthermore, there is rampant speculation we were getting 5 more DLC. So IF that means
1) Fall 21 (NA pack),
2) Winter 21,
3) Spring 22,
4) Summer 22
5) Fall 22 (the last DLC)
Then the last winter holidays to cash in on would be right now...Winter 2021. (That's assuming DLC support will end by Fall 22 😥😞). I could also see this year being Europe DLC, but only if we are getting DLC for Winter 2022 (I really think Aviary DLC will be released during Winter).

As for dates...at the very earliest NOVEMBER 29, 2021.

At the very latest DECEMBER 21, 2021.

If I was a gambler. I'd say Aviary pack December 7, or 13 2021. And new flying mechanics in the corresponding update.
 
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yoav_r

yoav_r
12344321 said:
Last December was the Aquatic pack (which introduced a new mechanic, deep diving or "swimming").

I hope this December is the Aviary pack (which introduces new "flying" mechanics). This would coincide with the speculation that Planet Zoo is getting flying mechanics (eventually) which has been speculated since JWE2 released with aviaries.

I also think since December is the best time of year for sales, especially gaming sales, that the "BIG" DLC we have all been waiting for (Aviary DLC) will release before Christmas. It's literally the smartest business decision if you want to sell a lot of DLC for the holidays and get people interested in PZ for the new year! The best time for sales is winter holidays, and if the pack is larger, or more expensive than normally I believe it would still sell very well since aviaries have been SO highly requested.

Furthermore, there is rampant speculation we were getting 5 more DLC. So IF that means
1) Fall 21 (NA pack),
2) Winter 21,
3) Spring 22,
4) Summer 22
5) Fall 22 (the last DLC)
Then the last winter holidays to cash in on would be right now...Winter 2021. (That's assuming DLC support will end by Fall 22 😥😞). I could also see this year being Europe DLC, but only if we are getting DLC for Winter 2022 (I really think Aviary DLC will be released during Winter).

As for dates...at the very earliest NOVEMBER 29, 2021.

At the very latest DECEMBER 21, 2021.
Click to expand...
Actually, NA was the 7th dlc, meaning 5 more (at least) left, so the last winter dlc would dec22. Snd that is if they really stop at 12, they could always add more.
 

jcp011c

jcp011c
My thoughts are most likely learning towards either an Aviary pack or something forest/jungle/tropical/rainforest oriented. Last December introduced the diving mechanic, this year could also introduce something new. Of course, that something new could also mean fully marine animals. I just wonder if they'll go that route at all, so I'm more confident of Avian mechanics eventually. However, if they choose to just a standard terrestrial pack like we've been getting I do think it's likelihood is of the below:

As mentioned already some kind of forest/jungle pack. This could be worldwide and encompass not only the highly requested Capybara (of which partial files were found for signs which is more than nothing) as well as other requested animals - Gibbons, another otter, a leopard, Red River Hog, all as potentials.

Europe - i think this is next most likely. I would actually put this a most likely if not for the fact we've had three region based DLCs in a row. I definitely won't be unhappy with a European pack, and think it's absolutely needed. But I do think they'll mix it up and bring in another general theme for this next pack, leaving Europe to almost certainly be the pack after that. Or, perhaps not Europe but Eurasia.

Desert - Of existing biome I think the desert biome has the second least amount of animals. Tundra has the least I believe, but there's only so far they can go with that. And we did get the Arctic pack to help pad that. I think the Desert biome probably has more ability to provide more diversity than Tundra as well.

After that I'm honestly not sure. I do feel like we need another Oceania pack, but I think that'll come after the above. I don't feel like we'll get a second dedicated Aquatic pack. There was that debunked rumor about the North American Aquatic pack - and while that was debunked, 3 of those 4 animals showed up in the pack anyways - the North American River Otter was the only one "missing". Sure they could technically do an aquatic pack, but I don't see it happening, or if it does, not right now. Maybe something if content extends into 2023.

There's always the thought of something that's not biome or location related. Endangered animals for instance. Or something related to an order or family. I do think "order" is so encompassing though that it would end up being a random mix of animals, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but marketability wise, might be a weird move to make. Family might work but i wonder if that's too limiting - not everyone will want a Canine DLC, Rodent DLC, etc. Endangered animals makes more sense. But I think either of these routes is probably not what is going to be coming in December.

Release date my bet is on December 14th, the 7th is also possible but if so, I'm feeling like there would already be update highlights shared, though they could always do that first of next week. I don't think the forums are quite as in an uproar for new content/announcements as we were in late Septembers as it hasn't been quite two months yet since the NA pack. 21st feels too close to Christmas to really hit those sales, though in the era of digital content, you don't have to go out and find that gift, it's right there whenever you want to "give" it. This is all assuming that we do indeed get something for December.

TL; DR - if not avians, Forest/Jungle or Europe. Desert less of a chance but possible. December 14th release date most likely.
 
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Iben

Iben
I think in general it might be good to be cautious about expecting a DLC entirely focused around a new mechanic based on the Aquatics pack alone. Let's not forget that we had a previous December DLC (Arctic) that wasn't a pack focused on a new mechanic, I don't think we can already come to the conclusion that December DLCs automatically guarantee a big new mechanic coming alongside it. It will depend on what the pack will be next. And on top of that, we know Frontier also introduces new mechanics in non December DLCs (digging).

Personally, I don't know exactly what to expect from the next DLC. I do assume it's a 4+1 pack as it seems that the balance will be 2 animal packs and 2 regular packs ( which, in my opinion, is the perfect combination), so that's why I don't lean towards Avian because my assumption is that it will be an animal pack. From a technical standpoint, I'd also think that Frontier might just want to iron out bugs in the aviary system in JWE2 first, before launching the system in a more complex form in an other game. So that's another reason why I'm not really expecting an Avian DLC this time around, but rather expect it to come in March/April.

What it could be then? No clue really. Europe/Mediterranean? Central America? Madagascar?

12344321 said:
It's literally the smartest business decision if you want to sell a lot of DLC for the holidays and get people interested in PZ for the new year!
Click to expand...
Not necessarily though. It might be a smarter business move to release an Avian pack in the March/April bracket; a period in the year that people don't traditionally buy a lot of games (Summer and Winter Holidays being the two main spots given their big school breaks) because we know that an Avian pack is heavily requested and therefor would sell well. That means that the pack would boost the sales in that period, rather than the period boosting the DLC. It would then even be smarter to release a pack with the holidays of which you want the extra boost of the holidays, something an Avian Pack most likely doesn't need.
 

Swiftie_Midnights_

Swiftie_Midnights_
I think if frontier are planning to do dlc in honor of christmas then I estimate it will be from 14th to 22th (it's unbelievable that it has been almost 3 months since north america dlc)
I also think that probably the dlc will be Aviary dlc / Birds dlc I will also be happy because every zoo has Aviary but I also hope for Aquarium dlc or Second aquatic dlc (although the animal I would be most happy to see in this game is African crested porcupine and probably if we get it it will only be Europe dlc or for example Desert dlc or something like that but I want them to come into the game😲).
But i think the next dlc is Aviary dlc / Birds dlc gift from frontier for christmas, but I will be happy for any dlc and I can't wait to hear updates soon about it 💚
 
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