3rd DLC Pack Discussion - What region do you think it will cover? When do you see it releasing?

evrard

evrard
I haven’t been on the forums of played much since the South America DLC was released due. I’m going to vent the next two paragraphs, I apologize but I can’t even think about the game without getting this off my chest.

I’m a bit salty with Frontier as I’ve been unable to load my zoo (500+ hours) since early February (1.1.4). Frontier kept telling me they have figured it out and it will be patched in the next update. Despite all of the updates we’ve had since late February, I am still unable to load my zoo. The icing on the cake was having to resubmit the entire issue after each patch, which takes a fair amount of time and effort to appropriately fill out. I apologize for the ramble, despite this, I am hoping the next DLC will make it a bit more bearable.

I suspect Australia will be the next general region. I am confident that if it is Aussie, Kangaroo would absolutely be included. I would say there’s a good chance for Dingos, Tazmanian Devils, and Koalas.

As for a release window, I can see the next DLC dropping soon. I say that because E3 would have been this week, there is a PC Gaming Show scheduled for the 11th - perhaps we will get an announcment/teaser then. It would be great exposure. I’ve also noticed there have been a lot less updates since the South American DLC as there were between the games release and the Arctic DLC and between the Arctic DLC and South American DLC. Less time working on patches means more time working on DLC packs.
 

danny420

D
To be honest, i hope we are not getting another DLC soon. Planet Zoo has a lot of gamebreaking problems which need to be fixed. Some of these problems have been in the game since release. Also i understand the whole Covid Situation is hard, but i cant believe that they are not able to work on the game at all. Its like every other programm or APP out there, we are still here and using the "product" so why is it taking to long for a new patch?

That beeing said, yes i wish for more DLC in the future. Australia sound like it could have really exctiting new animals to add to the game. Maybe also more aquatic animals, i would love to build habitats for penguins, whales or just make a huge aquarium and fill it with fishes. Maybe they could take the idea of the small exhibits and make small like 4x4 aquariums or something like that, then we click it and choose what fishes to drop in.
 

Cool Cats and Kittens

Cool Cats and Kittens
Chante Goodman said:
We're working on 1.2.5 now, and we're aiming to have it out within the next few weeks. We'll be able to share more info on it, such as a smaller timeframe, closer to the time.
Click to expand...

Chante wrote on the 3rd, that there will be a patch 1.2.5 in June. I don't think, that Frontier would release this patch if the planed to release a big version 1.3 soon.

I expect 1.3 in august, four months after 1.2 in April. I do agree, that Australia is the most likely candidate.
 

NL_Mutso

NL_Mutso
Venting is good. Helps with anger issues :D
You kept it very civilized, compared to some users complaining about their situation. A lot of people have experienced similar issues.

Atm, I'm still thinking it could be a 50/50 between North America/Australia (I still think the chances for a Australia might be a bit higher)
There are a lot of unique animals in Australia and also unique compared to other animals in PZ.
The only reason I think there's a chance for a North American DLC, because most animals from North America have something in common with a current animal in PZ (so easier to add). And imo building pieces for a NA DLC could be more interesting than Australian building pieces.
My guess for Australian habitat animals: Red Kangaroo, Emu, Koala and Dingo
My guess for NA: Moose, Alligator, White Tailed Deer and Raccoon
(Hoping for some others, but based on current game-mechanics this would be my guess. Even if the kangaroo/koala features are unique, can't imagine an Aussie DLC without those)

An European DLC could happen as well. But based on user requests, that seems to be less requested/likely than others. I think most people just expect this to be one of the last continent DLC.

Release window, I'm hoping for a DLC in early July. So if an announcement should be made, that would be near the end of June. With the whole COVID19 situation, I think there's a chance for a later release window. (which I will understand). Most people (including me) have an 3-month DLC timepath in mind.

Less updates seems to be in line with most games. Early on, you get a lot of fixes for bugs, some changes in gamemechanics, adding some new features. But slowly that becomes less of an issue.
 

[VR] Deggial

[VR] Deggial
I am hoping for an European DLC, but expect Australia or N-America.

What I am wondering though: Based on Planet Coaster experiences - when is the first “major” expansion (covering flying or diving animals, in my expectation) due?
 

random goat

random goat
It's always been roughly 3 months for PlanCo, however, with the Covid19 situation it would be understandable to expect a small delay, so I guess 2nd half of July.

I do agree that Australian/Oceania DLC would be the most likely one as it's an area with a remarkable fauna and flora that is not covered in the game yet. Regarding included content, there are some animals (dingo, tasmanian devil, emu, wombat, etc.) that shouldn't be too difficult to implement. Hopping animations and rigs for kangaroos and wallabies could be a bit trickier but it wouldn't make sense to make an Australian DLC without any of them. My biggest concern is the potential inclusion of koalas, as their behaviour is very unique and dependent on climbing objects. For this reason there's a chance we might not even see them in the pack, unless they do a considerable effort on their climbing mechanics and preferences.
As for scenery, it'd be highly desireble if they focused more on plants and less on building pieces as Australian architecture is not particularly unique nor characteristic (no offense for Aussies!!). Red-ish desert rocks would also make a lot of sense in this DLC.

I think NA or European DLC are more fitting to autumn and/or winter (besides, there are already some animals from these regions).
 
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FoxyDee

FoxyDee
It is very quiet nowdays for sure, but hopefully the developers are working hard on the new DLC and the promised fur variation, with the amount of animals, it must take alot of time and the home office during these times is probably not helping either as the communication between the team from long distance will never be as good as in person.

Personally I would really love to see Oceania DLC with kangaroos, koalas, tasmanian devils and kiwi birds. Realisticaly the animals will probably be different though. As for the time frame, I think it might be released later in summer rather than sooner, it has been just 2 months since SA pack, so probably another 2+ more months of waiting.
 

markun

markun
We can only guess and speculate really.

It seems very likely that the next DLC would be released at the beginning of July if all is going to schedule. I feel sorry for people with game-breaking issues but we don't know who does what at Frontier and releasing a new DLC - which I really hope they do - doesn't mean other issues aren't being addressed.

We can't assume that issues aren't being worked on just because we don't get constant progress reports, as frustrating as that is if you are waiting for answers. And we have no idea how the current situation is impacting work on the game so I think it's a bit pointless to speculate.

My expectation is that it will focus on Australasia, probably just Australia. Like others have said I would predict a kangaroo species, emu and koala. I would hope if it's just four habitat animals the fourth would be the Tasmanian devil. I would love a bigger pack but nothing we have seen previously suggests there will be more species than that. I image one habitat animal but given Australia's diversity there could easily be more. If I had to pick one it would be the frilled lizard.

I think Australia will be next as it's the biggest gap in the geographical spread of species. I can see a North America pack at some point but given we have dall sheep, polar bear, grizzly bear, pronghorn, wolf and bison some of the major iconic species are covered so I think it will be a while down the line. I really hope we get a Europe pack but I think Australia is more obvious. Other gaps are South East Asia and there are of course some major African species missing - most obviously the rhinos, both of which have in-game decorations already which suggests they are on the way eventually.

I'm really looking forward to what comes next but of course we have no idea what is going on behind the scenes at a pretty challenging time for us all.
 

Salamol

Salamol
Oceania is a good shout.

According to Steamcharts the SA DLC saw a ~70% average player count for the month of April, those players didn't stay around though. It's unclear whether people returned for the DLC or the huge QoL changes that came at the same time.

I'm not sure either of the DLCs have been particularly well received, with Mixed reviews on Steam. Problems have been introduced and not addressed (hello Dall Sheep) and I'd rather things be fixed before putting more paid content out there, personally.
 

Valinor

V
I don't want a new DLC pack at all. I haven't bought any of the extras yet, and I won't be buying any until they fix all the game-breaking bugs present in the base game. They should be spending all their time right now fixing bugs and giving us a bit of free content as a bonus for our patience. It's been 9 months and some of the original issues present at release have not been fixed yet, but they want to sell us more DLC? Sorry, no. Count me out.
 

random goat

random goat
Valinor said:
I don't want a new DLC pack at all. I haven't bought any of the extras yet, and I won't be buying any until they fix all the game-breaking bugs present in the base game. They should be spending all their time right now fixing bugs and giving us a bit of free content as a bonus for our patience. It's been 9 months and some of the original issues present at release have not been fixed yet, but they want to sell us more DLC? Sorry, no. Count me out.
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While I agree that the game doesn't feel completely polished yet, I'm curious to know what are those game-breaking bugs you're referring to. Even though there are indeed quite a lot of bugs or even deliberate decisions (huge hitboxes, lacking exhibits system, path system, etc.), I don't find any of them really game-breaking, you can always work around them to some extent. The only real issue that might be considered game-breaking and I'd agree with you on this one is that you cannot create medium-big zoos without a massive drop in performance which makes the game unplayable.

Also, bear in mind that if no DLCs are released every 3-4 months the game would pretty much die soon (check steamcharts!).
 

Valinor

V
random goat said:
The only real issue that might be considered game-breaking and I'd agree with you on this one is that you cannot create medium-big zoos without a massive drop in performance which makes the game unplayable.
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Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. This is the main issue that I consider game-breaking. My desktop is built for gaming, and can play most modern games at high or ultra graphics, but it absolutely struggles with PZ if anything more than 1.5k guests and ~50 habitat animals are present. I'm talking 10fps and stuttering like you wouldn't believe. I feel like that's unacceptable, at this stage. They should have been furiously working on optimization, but all they seem to be doing is pumping out more DLCs. From my side, there doesn't seem to be a mite of improvement in this issue since the game was released.
 

Arrakai

A
random goat said:
While I agree that the game doesn't feel completely polished yet, I'm curious to know what are those game-breaking bugs you're referring to. Even though there are indeed quite a lot of bugs or even deliberate decisions (huge hitboxes, lacking exhibits system, path system, etc.), I don't find any of them really game-breaking, you can always work around them to some extent. The only real issue that might be considered game-breaking and I'd agree with you on this one is that you cannot create medium-big zoos without a massive drop in performance which makes the game unplayable.

Also, bear in mind that if no DLCs are released every 3-4 months the game would pretty much die soon (check steamcharts!).
Click to expand...

While not "game-breaking" in the sence that it makes it impossible to play, I would say that the ATM bug I am experiencing in all my zoo's are a quite big one, as it makes playing the game extremly frustrating.
A few other bugs that are quite annoying;
  • Guests littering like crazy when playing on high speed
  • Animals escaping thru concrete walls
  • Guests ignoring exibits 95% of the time even though the exibit is on their "want list"

Not a bug, but still extremly frustrating; Having over 30 drink shops in your zoo, placed evenly throughout the zoo, and guests still complaigning that they are thirsty -.-
 

inspectorgadget1

inspectorgadget1
Valinor said:
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. This is the main issue that I consider game-breaking. My desktop is built for gaming, and can play most modern games at high or ultra graphics, but it absolutely struggles with PZ if anything more than 1.5k guests and ~50 habitat animals are present. I'm talking 10fps and stuttering like you wouldn't believe. I feel like that's unacceptable, at this stage. They should have been furiously working on optimization, but all they seem to be doing is pumping out more DLCs. From my side, there doesn't seem to be a mite of improvement in this issue since the game was released.
Click to expand...

Can I ask what games you refer to that you play with high+ graphics? Any simulation games? And another thing we see frequently on this forum, people just say 'game should be more optimised' when they have issues expecting the game to constantly run at high FPS. And I think your 1st post is a bit unrealistic, having every single dev working on bugs is ridiculous. You do realise they have different teams for various areas of the game? Free content as a bonus for our patience? Yep that's not happening, certainly not for the reason you mentioned.
 

Arrakai

A
inspectorgadget1 said:
Can I ask what games you refer to that you play with high+ graphics? Any simulation games? And another thing we see frequently on this forum, people just say 'game should be more optimised' when they have issues expecting the game to constantly run at high FPS. And I think your 1st post is a bit unrealistic, having every single dev working on bugs is ridiculous. You do realise they have different teams for various areas of the game? Free content as a bonus for our patience? Yep that's not happening, certainly not for the reason you mentioned.
Click to expand...

While other games might require less when it comes to preformance, it's still very wierd that they give us a pretty big map to work with, when it is impossible to use all of the map without experiencing extrem FSP drop and stuttering.
 

markun

markun
Valinor said:
They should have been furiously working on optimization, but all they seem to be doing is pumping out more DLCs.
Click to expand...

We don’t know what they are or aren’t working on. I’m really not sure I’d describe 2 DLCs in the seven months since November as ‘pumping out’.
 
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