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I was talking from a morphological perspective.
Analysing the current Roster and Meta-wishlist (habitat animals)
- Thread starter yoav_r
- Start date
Snipped this for focus (though I think the Pere David's Deer is an interesting animal).
I've noticed a balance somewhat with both Least Concern and some form of Endangered/Threatened et al in the content, but I agree that this doesn't seem quite as much a focus as it was thought it was going to be three years ago.
The Twilight, North America and European DLCs were 100% Least Concern animals. In the Conservation (obviously) and Southeast Asia packs, they were all some form of being endangered. So that's 18 Least Concern and 13 Endangered of some status right there.
Some of the other exhibit animals are Data Deficient, so from habitat animals, Africa has 2 that are LC and 2 that are not. Of the 5 from Aquatic, 3 are least concern and 2 are not. From Arctic 2 are least concern and 2 are not. Australia, 3 are least concern, 2 are not. South America 2 are least concern (the llama is domesticated so should be of least concern) and 3 are not. And the Wetlands, 3 are of least concern and 5 are not. The Deluxe is 1 least concern and 2 that are not.
So total DLC stats - 34 least concern animals and 31 that are endangered in some way (interestingly enough that the Wetlands has so many actually then).
For the game overall, so far 69 animals that are some form of endangered status, 60 that are Least Concern (Lumping in the Domesticated Llama and Camel here) and 12 that are Data Deficient.
That's almost fairly balanced, but it feels like there should be a bit more unbalance honestly. Conservation should play a larger role in the roster overall. It does seem like they went slightly heavier on the endangered species in the base game, but that could be because so many of those are your standard type of zoo animals (the Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Pandas etc), and that they've more balanced out the roster in total in DLC. I guess I just feel like the message of conservation should be pushed stronger, beyond just the one pack that was clearly the whole point.
I understand your concerns but hear me out.
I know it’s also a large deer so it’s somehow similar to the red deer but it’s also so much different in many many ways and would diversify and enchance the game very nicely:
- color (Perè David’s deer is definitely more red in color in summer coat than the red deer is)
- facing backwards antlers,
- unique shape of the head,
- long donkey tail,
- smaller size
- large and wide hooves
- origin (I need typical Asian deer species)
- conservation status and since it was nearly hunted down to extinction by humans - the educational value
- most importantly water and coastal connected behaviors (spends more than 60% of it’s time in the water, dreses up their antlers for the doe, feeds on water plants)
In the past it didn’t stop frontier to add two brown bears, tigers, otters or chimpanzees even if the the case here is kind of different.
So I hope that I will convince you with even at least one of my reasons.
Red deer
Père David’s deer
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Or spectacled caiman. I’ve grown to like this species but still.
I absolutely love this species and it would definitely have been a great choice for another deer, but honestly, I don't think it will add a lot to the game for now. For an Asian deer, I would rather take a Visayan spotted deer, a tropical species, that occurs in a archipelago which is really poorly represented (I belive only the Binturong? And even that seems to be a different species).
After reading your comments I become to realize that release of the free red deer was the official death date of my hopes for Père David’s deer. That’s the way it goes I guess
Some species are just more appealing then the others. For me Perè David’s deer is simply extraordinary just because of being extinct in the wild but those are one of those things that are not crucial for the wider audience.
It isnt that bad honestly.
Its main rivals at this point are an North American deer and a small deer, while being the most visually unique amongst them if we disregard the small deer.
Its pretty much reevees muntjac > Peeres David deer > Pudu > NA Deer > everything else
Its main rivals at this point are an North American deer and a small deer, while being the most visually unique amongst them if we disregard the small deer.
Its pretty much reevees muntjac > Peeres David deer > Pudu > NA Deer > everything else
And I absolutely agree, it's such a wonderful species and it's story really needs to be told, but after a wetlands pack, a conservation pack and a free red deer, it narrowed our chances a lot. For me personally, I don't see it as a priority anymore, I belive that we really need a tropical deer.After reading your comments I become to realize that release of the free red deer was the official death date of my hopes for Père David’s deer. That’s the way it goes I guess
Some species are just more appealing then the others. For me Perè David’s deer is simply extraordinary just because of being extinct in the wild but those are one of those things that are not crucial for the wider audience.
Indeed, I consider myself a Perè David's deer enjoyer, but after the red deer? Like we have discussed lots of times, for me it depends on how much time is PZ going to last and therefore how many new animals will get the game. I wouldn't like Perè David's deer before getting a small deer (muntjac), an Indian antelope, peccary, another pig and 1-2 more goats. Just to say some other ungulates that could be its competitors.After reading your comments I become to realize that release of the free red deer was the official death date of my hopes for Père David’s deer. That’s the way it goes I guess
Some species are just more appealing then the others. For me Perè David’s deer is simply extraordinary just because of being extinct in the wild but those are one of those things that are not crucial for the wider audience.
Don’t forget Mouse Deer! There are a number of species that are often held in captivity and they all come from more tropical regions (PZ currently doesn’t have a tropical cervid).
My personal pick would be the Lesser Mouse Deer. It’s the smallest hooved animal on the planet, being only slightly larger than PZ’s current smallest habitat animal, the Prairie Dog. They even have fangs like Musk and Muntjac Deer. Additionally, through convergent evolution Mouse Deer behave/move more like rodents than deer, meaning they would likely come with an assortment of new interactions/animations. They also have these huge tongues for their size, and even clean their eyeballs with them like a gecko!
Plus, look how cute/little the babies are!
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Y'all sleeping on the Axis Deer. A tropical/grasslands deer that coild do wonders to Indian Safari areas. Could go well with the Blackbuck as well.
Im honest after my whole deer escapade for the ungulate talk i really dont want the axis deer.
Its a decent enough pick, but the samba deer does everything the axis does, but more, only being less common in zoos (but still decently common) while the revees muntjac, lesser mouse deer, peeres david deer and indian hog deer all look much more unique.
I wouldnt mind getting the axis deer and i would still be happy about it, but imo there are just much better options.
Btw so you get what i mean, some pics
Main Animals to differentiate from: (Height by shoulder for a male adult animal as not all have females mentioned, samba has no gender mentioned)
Red Deer: (95-130 cm)
Fallow Deer: (85-95 cm)
New Deers:
Axis Deer: (90-100 cm)
Samba: (102-160 cm) (Of note that their colors range from yellow over all kinds of browns and reds to black)
Hogdeer: (70 cm tall)
Lesser Mouse Deer: (45 cm (propaply refers to lenght and not shoulderheight), the pic is appropriatly smaller aswell)
Reevees Muntjac: (50 cm)
Peeres David Deer: (120 cm)
I think the pictures show what i mean, but regardless id love to get any if not all of these animals anyways.
Its less of a bad inclusion, more of a there are better options inclusion
I think Drylands (Deserts) is a very likely animal pack. This is the one pack that i'm most confident will get a nice roster. My wishlist for a desert pack would be something like:
1. Addax
2. African Crested Porcupine
3. Secretary bird
4. African spurred tortoise (alt. perentie)
5. Collared peccary
6. Greater rhea
7. Hamadryas baboon
8. Ex: any cobra
I would say the dromedary camel would be better as an anniversary animal.
Another animal pack i think is pretty necessary to fill a lot of vacant niches is a tropical animals pack:
1. Sloth
2. Ocelot
3. Howler monkey
4. Mantled guereza
5. Red river hog
6. Scarlet ibis
7. Sloth bear?
8. WE: Hummingbirds (i know everyone wants macaws, toucans and parrots, but for now this is what it seems more likely as the first flying birds in the game for a WE)
As for scenery packs i think a Mountain Pack with Tibetan inspired pieces and an Islands pack with Caribean or Polynesian theme (or both, just like Europe was a mix of different countries architecture)
Mountain Pack
1. Spectacled bear
2. Markhor
3. Golden pheasant (i think is more likely than the himalayan monal, although i will not complain)
4. Wolverine
5. Ex: Giant chineses salamander
Islands Pack
1. Fossa
2. Tasmanian Devil
3. Kiwi
4. Any tree kangaroo
5. Ex: panther chameleon
Even with all this i will still feel like that game is incomplete leaving out a lot of importan animals and also a bunch of my favorites, so i hope for at least two more years of support. Let's make it to five!