I’m getting to the point I think it’s likely possible that the final pack will be divisive, I just think it’s not likely to appeal to everyone equally at this point. Or the final pack is a “jack of all trades and master of none” where it doesn’t make everyone happy, but no one hates it either. A lot of people want aquatic animals, so I honestly can see a Coastal pack as it’s pretty heavily requested. Same with stuff like Latin America. Yes it’s “unfair” to people who have wanted more old world animals and they wouldn’t get them in the final pack. But that’s just as “unfair” as Latin America having cruddy representation to begin with.
I mean, people say they want "aquatic" animals but do they
really want it in a way that could meet expectations? Mostly people want the manatee, sea turtles, pelicans, ducks, and things that won't ever make it in-game anyway (e.g., aquariums, cetaceans). The manatee and sea turtle would require brand new exhibit entrances/styles, new feeding methods, updates to keeper functionality, and so on that all (to me) make it seem unlikely at this point. So that leaves you with the pelicans and ducks. Which could fit right at home in a more general pack...
I think that's why I don't understand the drive for some of the more specific packs at this point. A more general pack is the option that will give the most people the most of what they want. I get that making wish lists for random pack themes is fun but in terms of speculating on what might realistically happen given what we know? A general pack or Latin America just feels infinitely more likely to me compared to other options.
But if we are gonna go the “Barnyard route” where the free update drives the feature, maybe we get a fix to climbing/ a “light aviary system”.
So the dlc would have what people have been asking for: birds and arboreal animals. Besides offering basic fixes to climbing, maybe it adds some enrichment items birds can “fly to”. Kind of like what we saw with the new hornbill mod?
A "light" aviary system, you say? Tell me more! Anything that ties in flighted birds effectively would be a general win for the community. But man, would it be a risky move to introduce a new feature like that just before they move on to new projects... If people thought the non-functioning gift shops was rough, imagine if aviaries broke the game and it didn't get fixed for months.
I do think an arboreal/treetops pack would be a great way to sneak in most of the key Latin American animals, the tree kangaroo, and some flighted birds. I still think it's super unlikely but if it hinges mostly on new enrichment items rather than a new ? I guess I could see it.
For the top meta wishlist animals they’ve never chosen a different sub species. For example the North island brown kiwi was listed in the meta wishlist, so that’s the subspecies we got. Because of this, I doubt we get a different subspecies of baboon, monkey, etc. if they choose those species from the meta.
Sadly, this is the case. I say "sadly" because Goodfellow's is in the PlanCo dictionary instead of Matschie's and the latter is the infinitely cuter tree kangaroo.
