Common in Captivity DLC

SalamAnders

SalamAnders
If we look away from the typical region/continent based DLCs, a concept I feel like got a lot of potential is a Common in Captivity pack.

This idea is able to cover several high ranking wished for species. Can add to continents already covered in previous DLCs but which still feels unfinished. Add in overlooked animal groups like rodents. Add a lot of useful species for realistic zoo builders and add in smaller species which are still much needed.

There are plenty of species to choose from, a possible lineup could look like this (in the form of an animal pack).
I tried to cover several regions and made sure to add in some high ranking species from the Meta-Wishlist. Didn't go with animals which would need flight animations.
To have a lower limit for what I considered common I only went with species from the top 100 on Zootierliste.de (found in 200+ facilities). But I believe all of these are quite common in zoos outside of Europe as well.


-Emu
-Bennett's Wallaby
-Capybara
-Asian Small-Clawed Otter
-African Spurred Tortoise
-Indian Crested Porcupine
-Great white Pelican

-Bearded Dragon (Exhibit)

This could also work as a standard pack (4+1 species), with the scenery being useful basic zoo and behind the scenes stuff.

Feel free to comment with your own ideas for line-ups or species within this concept. Doesn't necessarily have to be from the top 100 on Zootierliste.
 

SalamAnders

SalamAnders
yoav_r said:
Great idea! Did you have runner ups that didn't make the list?
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Yes, also why I decided to go with the top 100 list to narrow it down a bit. I decided not to go with any European species, since I believe a lot of them aren't common in zoos outside of Europe, the fallow deer might be an exception, was considering that. Was also thinking about adding other birds like the black swan or rhea. Raccoons, coatis and maras would also be good candidates. Would also have been nice with a primate.

Pygmy goats and alpacas are also super common and would make a lot of sense to add, but in the end I just prefer wildlife.
 

markun

markun
Brazilian tapir is another possibility. I’d also agree with a rhea and ducks, geese and swans in general. Cranes and storks are also common. And guinea fowl would work with the current game mechanisms.
 

biggest_dreamer

biggest_dreamer
I think this idea is onto something, but I think the best implementation would be to give it the double purpose of bringing us some of those common animals, but also giving us the opportunity for petting zoo areas. Here's my take:
  • Emu
  • Capybara
  • Bennett's wallaby
Okay, with you through here. But then what if we spin it a bit so that it looks like this:
  • Kunekune pig
  • Watusi cattle or yak
  • Black swan or wild turkey
  • Nigerian dwarf goat
I think that such a pack would feel strangely cohesive, and give us so much value as far as far as making realistic zoos. It does bring multiple traditional wild animals that would surely be popular, but it also includes a selection of "exotic" domesticated animals that would hopefully satisfy both sides of the fence given the controversial issue of petting zoos. All of these species are commonly kept in zoos, so it's not like they're that "out there", but at the same time they're not exactly your bread and butter domestic breeds, either. I think bundling them with a few other explicitly wild species that are sometimes included near petting zoo areas would help sell the whole concept to those who are anti-petting zoo, as well. Also, this wasn't a goal when making it or anything, but this could totally function as a stealth Oceania Pack 2 for what that's worth.

That said the pack in the OP looks amazing too and I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 

NZFanatic

NZFanatic
My issue with this is, "common in captivity where?"

For example, the African spurred tortoise isn't in New Zealand at all, or Australia I don't think; we normally have the leopard tortoise. The pelican isn't hugely common, and the more common crested porcupine is the African species.

I think threads like this fall into the trap of being "common wherever OP is from" rather than "common overall" (with exceptions - the emu, wallaby, and otter are all common all over the world). I understand the spirit of the thread and I don't think it's a bad idea, but I think we need to be careful with it.
 

SalamAnders

SalamAnders
NZFanatic said:
My issue with this is, "common in captivity where?"
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As mentioned I based this partly on Zootierliste.de, which means that of course this is more from an European point of view. My main reason for doing so, is the lack of good sources for other continents. If I knew of any, I would gladly make a more bulletproof example of a pack roster.

My intentions was not to make it feel too European based, which is also why I didn't include an animal like the European lynx, which otherwise could have made sense. But in the end I know more about European zoos, so of course it will get a bit biased here. Which is also why this should be seen as an example of a roster more than the most ideal picks.

I can see why I might have made a bad choice with the pelican, since zoos of some continents/countries might be more likely to have a more local species on display.

I went with the Indian porcupine since it is the most common in Europe, but if we get one or the other doesn't matter too much to me personally.

Even though the spurred tortoise might not be common on display everywhere, I feel like there are enough in private hands to still consider it globally common
 

NZFanatic

NZFanatic
SalamAnders said:
I feel like there are enough in private hands to still consider it globally common
Click to expand...
Not in Australasia. The exotic pet trade is tightly controlled here.

Anyway, as I said, I know what you're going for and I think it's a good idea! I had a similar idea a while ago before the Africa Pack where I suggested a "Zoo Pack" that included the white rhinoceros and meerkat for example, as common zoo animals all over the world (they're both in the game now so it's a moot point, but I totally agree it's an interesting concept for a pack).
 
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