Like many others, I have to assume we will be getting DLC's based on each individual continent. As it stands, there are currently four continents underrepresented in the game, and I think I have managed to compile a list of potential inclusions for each one that is at least reasonable, if not realistic.
Australia
The obvious first choice. Aside from the death adder, burrowing cockroach, and eastern brown snake, there are no Australian animals in the game whatsoever. While I'm pessimistic about how much effort Frontier might be willing to put in to each animal they create (they can stand a bit of community disappointment for a quicker dollar, like most companies), I think Australia is one region they really cannot afford to neglect. If I had to pick only four animals, here they are:
My reasoning for each one is fairly simple; they wouldn't get away with excluding the kangaroo, and the red kangaroo is the most iconic (though personally I'd prefer the eastern grey, as it is more docile and more common in zoos). The emu can share a base rig with the ostrich, making it the easiest animal in the pack to create while still being uniquely Australian. Its inclusion would also make PZ the first zoo game to include the emu, which to me is notable. The Tasmanian devil is currently extremely endangered - recently every major New Zealand zoo has taken on devils to try and save them, for example, as they are severely threatened by disease. The koala is another obvious choice, and with the recent bushfires koala conservation really should become a priority.
As for other content, there are countless exhibit animals they might include, but in lieu of that, I'd like to see some Aboriginal art set pieces such as painted rocks and other props, as well as red desert rocks to really give habitats that uniquely Australian colour. A baked mud path would also be nice, and translate well over to African-themed areas, too.
South America
Probably the next most popular neglected region, with only the Baird's tapir, Galapagos tortoise, and exhibit animals to represent it. South America is really hard to break down into only four habitat animals, but I think my list is reasonable;
The jaguar is yet another obvious one, with art pieces in the game already existing for it. I chose the spectacled bear because it has become a rather popular zoo animal in recent years and represents a biome not often associated with South America, as well as being another animal that could use the existing bear rig. The capybara, too, has become incredibly popular, especially as a top choice for mixed-species exhibits (you could give it an enrichment bonus for sharing with the tapir and howler monkey), and has become rather iconic for South America. I chose the howler monkey because it was found via datamining during the beta, which implies that it potentially exists somewhere in the game's files and just needs to be completed. Plus it would add a New World monkey.
In terms of building sets, some kind of colourful Brazilian-themed set might be nice, or an Inca-themed set to represent the Andes. I'd also like to see jungle ruins added as set pieces, possibly even as climbable objects, which would translate nicely to any tropical environment.
North America
Although we got the Arctic Pack, North America still feels like it's lacking. North America contains a variety of biomes and I think it has been underutilised.
The alligator art piece is, to me, a crocodile that has been misnamed, not an actual alligator, but I still think we should get the American alligator. It's very common in zoos, reaching as far as New Zealand, so it would be a welcome addition. The collared peccary (javelina) would do nicely to represent the southwestern desert regions. The moose has been in both Zoo Tycoon titles so it makes sense to translate it over to PZ even if its only for the nostalgia factor, and it's an animal more frequently associated with North America than Europe where it also resides. Aside from the Arctic fox, the wolverine felt like the only real missing piece of the Arctic DLC (I mean, there's the muskox too, now that I think about it, but still).
For the additional content, some kind of Native American-themed set would be nice, or a swampy bayou set, with mossy wood and vine-tangled pieces.
Europe
Personally I'm of the belief that European animals have largely been exlcuded due to the fact that many European animals are closely related to animals already in the game. We already have the wolf (and yes, it counts, it is not the true timber wolf but the grey wolf species as a whole, including the Eurasian wolf), but there are of course certain animals I think the game could really use that hail from Europe.
My reasoning is as follows; the deer would make a really nice walkthrough species, as fallow deer are domesticated all over the world, and many zoos do include them in petting zoo areas and such. The Iberian lynx is critically endangered and would fit the game's theming really well. The ibex is an icon among mountain goats, and the Alpine species is the most recognisable. People have been asking for a fox since before the game even launched, and the red fox seems like a good choice because despite it's commonness in Europe and other places it really is the iconic fox.
For a building set, the classic German timber-frame set would be really nice in-game, or a Spanish set in the colonial style that could work in a Latin American setting as well.
So those are my ideas for continent-themed DLC's. Africa and Asia are both pretty well represented, though we are lacking some obvious inclusions. As a sort of quickfire round, for Africa I'd include;
and for Asia;
I also have ideas for more regional packs (Ceraddo, Madagascar, Gir Forest, Indonesia) as well as an 'endangered species' series (Endangered Primates, Endangered Hoofstock, Endangered Carnivores). I've neglected to put too much thought into birds or marine animals only because we have little but vague hints as to how these things might be handled in-game.
Australia
The obvious first choice. Aside from the death adder, burrowing cockroach, and eastern brown snake, there are no Australian animals in the game whatsoever. While I'm pessimistic about how much effort Frontier might be willing to put in to each animal they create (they can stand a bit of community disappointment for a quicker dollar, like most companies), I think Australia is one region they really cannot afford to neglect. If I had to pick only four animals, here they are:
- Red Kangaroo.
- Emu.
- Tasmanian Devil.
- Koala.
My reasoning for each one is fairly simple; they wouldn't get away with excluding the kangaroo, and the red kangaroo is the most iconic (though personally I'd prefer the eastern grey, as it is more docile and more common in zoos). The emu can share a base rig with the ostrich, making it the easiest animal in the pack to create while still being uniquely Australian. Its inclusion would also make PZ the first zoo game to include the emu, which to me is notable. The Tasmanian devil is currently extremely endangered - recently every major New Zealand zoo has taken on devils to try and save them, for example, as they are severely threatened by disease. The koala is another obvious choice, and with the recent bushfires koala conservation really should become a priority.
As for other content, there are countless exhibit animals they might include, but in lieu of that, I'd like to see some Aboriginal art set pieces such as painted rocks and other props, as well as red desert rocks to really give habitats that uniquely Australian colour. A baked mud path would also be nice, and translate well over to African-themed areas, too.
South America
Probably the next most popular neglected region, with only the Baird's tapir, Galapagos tortoise, and exhibit animals to represent it. South America is really hard to break down into only four habitat animals, but I think my list is reasonable;
- Jaguar.
- Spectacled Bear.
- Capybara.
- Red Howler Monkey.
The jaguar is yet another obvious one, with art pieces in the game already existing for it. I chose the spectacled bear because it has become a rather popular zoo animal in recent years and represents a biome not often associated with South America, as well as being another animal that could use the existing bear rig. The capybara, too, has become incredibly popular, especially as a top choice for mixed-species exhibits (you could give it an enrichment bonus for sharing with the tapir and howler monkey), and has become rather iconic for South America. I chose the howler monkey because it was found via datamining during the beta, which implies that it potentially exists somewhere in the game's files and just needs to be completed. Plus it would add a New World monkey.
In terms of building sets, some kind of colourful Brazilian-themed set might be nice, or an Inca-themed set to represent the Andes. I'd also like to see jungle ruins added as set pieces, possibly even as climbable objects, which would translate nicely to any tropical environment.
North America
Although we got the Arctic Pack, North America still feels like it's lacking. North America contains a variety of biomes and I think it has been underutilised.
- American Alligator.
- Collared Peccary.
- Moose.
- Wolverine.
The alligator art piece is, to me, a crocodile that has been misnamed, not an actual alligator, but I still think we should get the American alligator. It's very common in zoos, reaching as far as New Zealand, so it would be a welcome addition. The collared peccary (javelina) would do nicely to represent the southwestern desert regions. The moose has been in both Zoo Tycoon titles so it makes sense to translate it over to PZ even if its only for the nostalgia factor, and it's an animal more frequently associated with North America than Europe where it also resides. Aside from the Arctic fox, the wolverine felt like the only real missing piece of the Arctic DLC (I mean, there's the muskox too, now that I think about it, but still).
For the additional content, some kind of Native American-themed set would be nice, or a swampy bayou set, with mossy wood and vine-tangled pieces.
Europe
Personally I'm of the belief that European animals have largely been exlcuded due to the fact that many European animals are closely related to animals already in the game. We already have the wolf (and yes, it counts, it is not the true timber wolf but the grey wolf species as a whole, including the Eurasian wolf), but there are of course certain animals I think the game could really use that hail from Europe.
- Fallow Deer.
- Iberian Lynx.
- Alpine Ibex.
- Red Fox.
My reasoning is as follows; the deer would make a really nice walkthrough species, as fallow deer are domesticated all over the world, and many zoos do include them in petting zoo areas and such. The Iberian lynx is critically endangered and would fit the game's theming really well. The ibex is an icon among mountain goats, and the Alpine species is the most recognisable. People have been asking for a fox since before the game even launched, and the red fox seems like a good choice because despite it's commonness in Europe and other places it really is the iconic fox.
For a building set, the classic German timber-frame set would be really nice in-game, or a Spanish set in the colonial style that could work in a Latin American setting as well.
So those are my ideas for continent-themed DLC's. Africa and Asia are both pretty well represented, though we are lacking some obvious inclusions. As a sort of quickfire round, for Africa I'd include;
- Eastern Black Rhinoceros.
- Red River Hog.
- Hamadryas Baboon.
- Meerkat.
and for Asia;
- Blackbuck.
- Proboscis Monkey.
- Saiga.
- Clouded Leopard.
I also have ideas for more regional packs (Ceraddo, Madagascar, Gir Forest, Indonesia) as well as an 'endangered species' series (Endangered Primates, Endangered Hoofstock, Endangered Carnivores). I've neglected to put too much thought into birds or marine animals only because we have little but vague hints as to how these things might be handled in-game.
There are so many species out there!
