Autumn DLC Speculation

[jcp011c]

Exactly this. Though the official forums are great and have some really avid fans, they can sometimes turn into an echo chamber. What’s popular at the moment on here may not actually be what the PZ community at large is wanting to see/get.

I also agree that if Frontier is hoping to sustain/increase DLC sales for PZ, they are going to eventually have to introduce flying and/or fully aquatic species. The general public more than likely isn’t as interested in more “niche” species as we, the zoo fanatics of the forums, are.

For sure. I know it's not what most of us here want to hear, since we're probably a bit more inclined towards animal interest, but after the conservation pack, there are no more terrestrial animals that are a big draw to bring in or keep new players that have a more limited interest and knowledge in animals. If the game is going to continue on past this year, I do feel like Frontier is going to have to release something that'll grab those casual player's interest, and that's either flying or fully marine animals.

Most of us here would probably buy just about any pack, but I also think that we are not the majority of the game's players - by far. As popular as the Tasmanian Devil and Maned Wolf, etc are here, I just don't see them grabbing people's attention that play every so often. Zoo games have a rich history of having marine packs, and even though I'm more ambivalent towards one (team bird here!) I recognize that it would have a large amount of appeal. Whales and Sharks would be that "new shiny" that brings the casual player back to play, and more importantly, bring the money back.

 

[NZFanatic]

Where can i find this "larger" PZ community you are all talking about? I only use IG, YT and this forum... and the opinions seem to be pretty much the same everywhere i read.

There's a popular community on Reddit. I'm not a member but I often scope it out to see what's up.

 

[SalamAnders]

There's a popular community on Reddit. I'm not a member but I often scope it out to see what's up.

On Facebook as well.

And the type of posts really various a lot between the different communities. It is quite interesting actually

 

[NZFanatic]

On Facebook as well.

And the type of posts really various a lot between the different communities. It is quite interesting actually

I find Reddit is pretty similar to here, except like, a year behind. As in they bring up "new ideas" that we've been talking about since launch quite often.

There's also a lot less actual zoo enthusiasts there.

 

[SpookDoc]

Saw this recently and thought it in some ways was relevant to the current discussion we are having around the future lifespan of PZ. Apparently Frontier is now looking to hire additional staff for an upcoming, undisclosed Planet Franchise game. What the game’s focus will be is currently unknown, but if I was a betting man I’d wager it’s the infamous Planet Coaster 2 that’s been discussed on-and-off for the past few years since Frontier’s roadmap was leaked.

 

[Doran]

They have 750 staff (or so, you can correct me). Dunno if release of other game will do something for PZ future.

 

[yoav_r]

They have 750 staff (or so, you can correct me). Dunno if release of other game will do something for PZ future.

Some of the time will likely be delegated to the new game, whatever that is.

 

[NachoB]

They have 750 staff (or so, you can correct me). Dunno if release of other game will do something for PZ future.

Unless is something like Planet Aquarium

 

[yoav_r]

Unless is something like Planet Aquarium

 

[SpookDoc]

They have 750 staff (or so, you can correct me). Dunno if release of other game will do something for PZ future.

I’m definitely not saying that a new Planet Franchise game would be the death of PZ by any means. But I also think we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge the fact that another Planet game will definitely affect how Frontier handles PZ and its future.

 

[yoav_r]

I really hope for PZ2 down the line anyway, with aquariums and birds.

 

[NachoB]

I really hope for PZ2 down the line anyway, with aquariums and birds.

Honestly i'd rather have a complete PZ now... i mean at least with aviary animals. I will not spend all this money again for essentially the same game, once again collecting different animals with the DLCs and so on. I can see aquariums being their own game though.

 

[Sahara]

I'm almost certain Planet Coaster 2 has been in the works for a while now and is the next title.

I expect either end of 2022 or spring 2023 will be the end of DLC's for Planet Zoo and then summer to late autumn 2023 Planet Coaster 2 gets announced.

 

[ElectricMonk]

If the Autumn DLC matches a temperate biome with a forest pack, which new trees would you like to get in the free update?

I know lots of Eurasian and North American trees that could match such a pack, but especially I'm interested in knowing which new trees could match a Tasmanian Devil. Any interesting tree in Tasmania? Or in temperate Oceania? @ElectricMonk, any ideas?

Have a few ideas but won’t be able to post them for a while (and there are so many that u have to do some mental culling).

 

[jcp011c]

View attachment 312653

For real. I would love for Planet Aquarium to be the next game, despite it would likely get some flak for not tying directly into Planet Zoo. I recall something about Planet Golf being registered or something like that, which is a headscratcher. Sim games like Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo...and Golf. How can golf really be that gameplay heavy to be in the same league as Coaster and Zoo?!?! Maybe Golf is code for Aquarium and they don't want to give it away; if they did, it would be pretty likely that it would be like announcing that there will not be fully marine animals in Planet Zoo.

 

[SpookDoc]

I'm almost certain Planet Coaster 2 has been in the works for a while now and is the next title.

I expect either end of 2022 or spring 2023 will be the end of DLC's for Planet Zoo and then summer to late autumn 2023 Planet Coaster 2 gets announced.

If Frontier doesn’t introduce a new “mechanic-focused pack” for either this fall or winter, then I think what you are saying is pretty likely.

With every new DLC, “ABC” terrestrial species that aren’t already in PZ become fewer and fewer. And this isn’t a bad thing necessarily. Frontier is providing the community, for the most part, all the large, iconic land mammals that casual players know. But this also means that unless Planet Zoo taps into other popular, currently untouched animal categories (birds, marine life, even extinct lifeforms, etc.), wider audience reception (cash flow) will start to greatly decrease.

For example, can anyone confidently say that two and a half years ago, before any of the regional packs, that their most wanted DLC animal was a Maned Wolf or Tasmanian Devil? And if so, how many other people in the larger community agree? Right now these two species are on the top of the forum’s meta-list sure, but two years ago they weren’t when majority of the DLC animals we now have were above them. Yes, there are still interesting terrestrial species out there. But do any of them match the popularity/draw that polar bears, penguins, and kangaroos did?

 

[NachoB]

If Frontier doesn’t introduce a new “mechanic-focused pack” for either this fall or winter, then I think what you are saying is pretty likely.

With every new DLC, “ABC” terrestrial species that aren’t already in PZ become fewer and fewer. And this isn’t a bad thing necessarily. Frontier is providing the community, for the most part, all the large, iconic land mammals that casual players know. But this also means that unless Planet Zoo taps into other popular, currently untouched animal categories (birds, marine life, even extinct lifeforms, etc.), wider audience reception (cash flow) will start to greatly decrease.

For example, can anyone confidently say that two and a half years ago, before any of the regional packs, that their most wanted DLC animal was a Maned Wolf or Tasmanian Devil? And if so, how many other people in the larger community agree? Right now these two species are on the top of the forum’s meta-list sure, but two years ago they weren’t when majority of the DLC animals we now have were above them. Yes, there are still interesting terrestrial species out there. But do any of them match the popularity/draw that polar bears, penguins, and kangaroos did?

I agree there isn't any "big names" left. There are however popular common zoo animals missing that is just weird that they have not been introduced in the game such as the dromedary camel, nile crocodile, black rhino, red deer, emu and certain monkeys and birds. But they won't draw that many buyers as a jaguar, a kangaroo or a polar bear do.

 

[jcp011c]

If Frontier doesn’t introduce a new “mechanic-focused pack” for either this fall or winter, then I think what you are saying is pretty likely.

With every new DLC, “ABC” terrestrial species that aren’t already in PZ become fewer and fewer. And this isn’t a bad thing necessarily. Frontier is providing the community, for the most part, all the large, iconic land mammals that casual players know. But this also means that unless Planet Zoo taps into other popular, currently untouched animal categories (birds, marine life, even extinct lifeforms, etc.), wider audience reception (cash flow) will start to greatly decrease.

For example, can anyone confidently say that two and a half years ago, before any of the regional packs, that their most wanted DLC animal was a Maned Wolf or Tasmanian Devil? And if so, how many other people in the larger community agree? Right now these two species are on the top of the forum’s meta-list sure, but two years ago they weren’t when majority of the DLC animals we now have were above them. Yes, there are still interesting terrestrial species out there. But do any of them match the popularity/draw that polar bears, penguins, and kangaroos did?

This kind of goes along with my thread "what one animal you expect will make it into the game". All the big names and usual suspects have all been included - barring avians and marine animals, I'm just going to stick to mechanics we have now and my post should be referred to in such a way. We all have our long lists of animals we'd want to see, but that's probably also divided up somewhat. I have one "must have" left, and I realize it's not the community's "must have" so I may end up being dependent on mods for that (as if, once support is over, I'm not going to have dozens upon dozens of mods lol) My tiered wants are not all that expansive anymore. I'm at the point that with the right choices, another animal pack and another scenery pack worth's of animals could almost leave me in a place where, I may not have every animal I wanted, but I'd be content with the roster. I'd probably need one animal pack's worth to really get to full contentment though, so around 20 animals, including anniversary animals.

Could I be creative and throw out lists for another 2 years, of course I can, I think most all of us can do that. But we also know in doing that, it may not be feasible. If we're really looking at the type of packs we have now, with no avian or marine DLC, that 20 animal mark could even be overshooting it. But I really am loathe to paring it down to 13 animals just yet.

That's why as much as I want more oceania animals, I really hope the next pack is avians, or to a much lesser degree, marine/aquarium based animals. That would be key to continuing the game's content support life.

 

[Khaidu]

Deserts are still an underrepresented

Just trying something out here, sort of a reverse of my previous post's dry/tropical to see what would be missed.

Arboreal Animal Pack

• Matschie's tree kangaroo
• Fossa
• Two-toed sloth
• Lar gibbon
• Golden lion tamarin
• Spider monkey
• Raccoon or Coquerel's sifaka

Desert Pack

• Dromedary
• Emu
• Hamadryas baboon
• African crested porcupine

Ugh. There's just no winning with only 11 species left. I guess I prefer my initial lineup.

I think the desert pack is now my most wanted given your animals listed

 

[NachoB]

The next pack is probably going to be an animal pack if they keep following this system they've been using so far. Like i said in a previous post i think a Forest animal pack (that includes rainforests) is a good idea to cover a lot of fan favorites and then a regular DLC with new mechanics for sure... hopefully flying, but even so 5 animals won't cut it to cover the lack of flying animals (mostly birds). Unless the last DLC this year not only introduces a new mechanic but expands the roster with more than 4 habitat animals, functioning more like an expansion, specially if it is going to be the last pack.