Hayo zookeepers!
In celebration for the upcoming Planet Zoo: Australia Pack, we have a Developer Journal sharing some behind-the-scenes information from two of the developers.
Please welcome Senior Artist Anthony McKenzie and Senior Animator Joshua Shepherd!
Hello, we're happy to share more about the awesome things coming in the Australia Pack!
Anthony:
With the introduction of five diverse and exciting new animals, players can expect some new challenges. These animals come with their own needs, and we have been sure to include a host of new enrichment items that feature unique interactions. Whilst the animals take centre stage of any zoo, we wanted to arm the community with the scenery assets to build beautifully authentic habitats, featuring some incredible, native foliage from grasses to trees. We wanted to transport you and your park guests to Australia, so for the first time in Planet Zoo history, we have worked with an indigenous artist, John Smith Gumbula, to bring players his authentic artwork onto a collection of painted rocks and canvas scenery items.
John Smith Gumbula, Founder|Cultural Ambassador & Chief Indigenous Creative of Bur'an Holdings Australia:
My style is a unique, contemporary, indigenous, fusion style, with elements of common creatives. However, I still express my own personal, spiritual, creative, evolutionary journey, and experiences. These are connected to Mother Earth, Land, Water, and all the indigenous flora, fauna, and global people I have connected with, who have shared inspirational, common philosophical beliefs, and authentic, ethical, creative engagements. My art is the temporal expression of my physical, and spiritual connection to Country, “My Dreaming”; the metaphorical narrative of my past, present, future, and acknowledgement of my elders, and community.
When I was very young, I had an illness called Scheuermann's disease. I found art to be a means to, not only escape the physical pain to focus, and express myself, but also it became a vehicle for my imagination. It was becoming part of my therapy, it was what I was meant to do, and I was able to imagine and create, being happy in the unlimited creation space, seeing, and experiencing beyond my confinement.
As a young artist, I spent a lot of time serving, listening, and learning from my elders; as I continued my walkabout journey and travelled the ancient lands of my home, my birthplace Australia, and the world, my style evolved, and transcended into diverse mediums, the passion, and love of innovation was embedded in my thinking, heart, and spirit.
Having my passion, and authentic indigenous artworks, incorporated into Planet Zoo: Australia Pack means many things to me. I had the opportunity to contribute to beautiful, integrated artwork; these games are expressions of creative genius in their own right. Of huge importance also, is the recognition of the need to have more support for authentic, fair trade, indigenous artworks be present in the game, and industry in general. It was an honour to be part of this unique project. Working with the Frontier team was great! I am honoured that they acknowledge my wealth of indigenous cultural knowledge, and related authentic design. I loved the mutual respect of the environment; artists coming together to create beautiful things. I’d like to be able to work closely and in person with the team in the future, that would be amazing.
Josh:
There are lots of fun features we've added; Koalas have Eucalyptus Tree enrichments that they can climb and eat from, while Red Kangaroos will face off against each other with their signature kicking fights if they're feeling aggressive. There are some really fun, new enrichment items, one of our animators Dave Clifford did an amazing job getting Dingoes to playfully jump around and interact with the new tug rope.
We tend to use a lot of video reference, study nature documentaries, and even go to the museums in Cambridge and study anatomy! One animator Victor Gil has family members who work at the Zoo so he's always bringing in a lot of cool references and animal facts. From an animation perspective, we want to capture the animals' character, and that requires being meticulous about detail and trying to capture a sense of realism.
One thing I worked on for Australia Pack was animating Joeys in Red Kangaroo pouches, which was an awesome challenge! I worked with our super talented programmer Megan (responsible for the fantastic MeggieB code), we worked hard to get the Joey climbing out of pouches and having a few little interactions with their mothers. I think the final result is really sweet, so I hope people enjoy it!
Anthony:
It’s always important to us, as a team, that we responsibly represent any region of the world in Planet Zoo. This usually starts with a diverse session of research and reference gathering; from the native animals, the indigenous cultures, the incredible architecture, the latest lifestyle trends and, the diverse landscape. One thing that initially stuck out to the team was the visual contrast between the sleek modern cityscapes and the vast red sand plains of the outback - it was important to us to find a good balance between the two. When collecting reference from Australia, we started to see recurring themes that would begin to inform the material choices. The outback had some great visuals of rusted metals that naturally form over time and visually this is something we chose to incorporate across a variety of assets for the pack.
We always have to be mindful of how we incorporate that into a zoo setting and in this example we opted for an evenly painted faux rust effect. We always try to keep the aesthetic of Planet Zoo playful and fun, incorporating the native animals into the design and artwork, which is something players will see across the Australia Pack.
Josh:
The Southern Cassowary had some tough challenges for the artists, riggers and, animators, it's just such a beautiful and unique animal and we wanted to do it justice. We did dozens of iterations of walks, runs, and behaviours, and we spent hours watching them. Our rigging team also added physics-driven wattles so that they jiggle and bounce as they run...they may have been jokingly referred to as 'dingledangles' by certain members of the Animation team! It was difficult to do, so I'm very proud of the final result!
Anthony:
One of my favourite additions for this pack has to be the Mech-A-Roo! It’s one of the pack's enormous new centrepieces. The Kangaroo is such an iconic animal in Australia and to be able to celebrate it in-game like this is incredible, it even comes complete with a little joey all tucked in! The animation team has done an amazing job of bringing it to life with all its little mechanics and a throwback to some of the larger animated assets we did for Planet Coaster.
Josh:
Yes, Mech-A-Roo! He's just great - Gerald Fitzgerald painted the concept of a mechanical clockwork Kangaroo, and everyone who saw it thought it was hilarious and awesome. Our Senior Animator on the team, Tim West, really went to town adding all the little springs and inflections as it winds up, so it feels real. It's inspiring when everyone pours their passion into an idea like that and I think that Mech-A-Roo is a great example of the creative Frontier spirit!
Also, hands-down, I love the Red Kangaroo. I'm biased because of working on the Joeys, but I love how they can at one minute be completely sweet and adorable and the next minute they can come across as very threatening, or conversely they can be hilarious by laying down and doing a sassy pose. I feel what we got in the game captures that and I'm excited for people to see the variety of behaviours we added.
Anthony:
For me, my favourite part of the Australia Pack is the Southern Cassowary; it's essentially the feathered modern-day dinosaur itself! Watching a juvenile Cassowary roaming around its habitat and squeaking non-stop as a little chick is so cute! I think the community is going to love the details and attention our animation team has poured into them.
Josh:
I think the community will fall in love with the Koalas, they're such sweet and adorable creatures, and I hope they make great additions to the community's Zoos! It was heart-breaking to see the wildfires in Australia and how devastating it was to Koala populations in particular, so I hope that their inclusion will help to raise awareness and encourage further conservation of those amazing, beautiful animals!
In celebration for the upcoming Planet Zoo: Australia Pack, we have a Developer Journal sharing some behind-the-scenes information from two of the developers.
Please welcome Senior Artist Anthony McKenzie and Senior Animator Joshua Shepherd!
Hello, we're happy to share more about the awesome things coming in the Australia Pack!
Anthony:
With the introduction of five diverse and exciting new animals, players can expect some new challenges. These animals come with their own needs, and we have been sure to include a host of new enrichment items that feature unique interactions. Whilst the animals take centre stage of any zoo, we wanted to arm the community with the scenery assets to build beautifully authentic habitats, featuring some incredible, native foliage from grasses to trees. We wanted to transport you and your park guests to Australia, so for the first time in Planet Zoo history, we have worked with an indigenous artist, John Smith Gumbula, to bring players his authentic artwork onto a collection of painted rocks and canvas scenery items.
John Smith Gumbula, Founder|Cultural Ambassador & Chief Indigenous Creative of Bur'an Holdings Australia:
My style is a unique, contemporary, indigenous, fusion style, with elements of common creatives. However, I still express my own personal, spiritual, creative, evolutionary journey, and experiences. These are connected to Mother Earth, Land, Water, and all the indigenous flora, fauna, and global people I have connected with, who have shared inspirational, common philosophical beliefs, and authentic, ethical, creative engagements. My art is the temporal expression of my physical, and spiritual connection to Country, “My Dreaming”; the metaphorical narrative of my past, present, future, and acknowledgement of my elders, and community.
When I was very young, I had an illness called Scheuermann's disease. I found art to be a means to, not only escape the physical pain to focus, and express myself, but also it became a vehicle for my imagination. It was becoming part of my therapy, it was what I was meant to do, and I was able to imagine and create, being happy in the unlimited creation space, seeing, and experiencing beyond my confinement.
As a young artist, I spent a lot of time serving, listening, and learning from my elders; as I continued my walkabout journey and travelled the ancient lands of my home, my birthplace Australia, and the world, my style evolved, and transcended into diverse mediums, the passion, and love of innovation was embedded in my thinking, heart, and spirit.
Having my passion, and authentic indigenous artworks, incorporated into Planet Zoo: Australia Pack means many things to me. I had the opportunity to contribute to beautiful, integrated artwork; these games are expressions of creative genius in their own right. Of huge importance also, is the recognition of the need to have more support for authentic, fair trade, indigenous artworks be present in the game, and industry in general. It was an honour to be part of this unique project. Working with the Frontier team was great! I am honoured that they acknowledge my wealth of indigenous cultural knowledge, and related authentic design. I loved the mutual respect of the environment; artists coming together to create beautiful things. I’d like to be able to work closely and in person with the team in the future, that would be amazing.
Josh:
There are lots of fun features we've added; Koalas have Eucalyptus Tree enrichments that they can climb and eat from, while Red Kangaroos will face off against each other with their signature kicking fights if they're feeling aggressive. There are some really fun, new enrichment items, one of our animators Dave Clifford did an amazing job getting Dingoes to playfully jump around and interact with the new tug rope.
We tend to use a lot of video reference, study nature documentaries, and even go to the museums in Cambridge and study anatomy! One animator Victor Gil has family members who work at the Zoo so he's always bringing in a lot of cool references and animal facts. From an animation perspective, we want to capture the animals' character, and that requires being meticulous about detail and trying to capture a sense of realism.
One thing I worked on for Australia Pack was animating Joeys in Red Kangaroo pouches, which was an awesome challenge! I worked with our super talented programmer Megan (responsible for the fantastic MeggieB code), we worked hard to get the Joey climbing out of pouches and having a few little interactions with their mothers. I think the final result is really sweet, so I hope people enjoy it!
Anthony:
It’s always important to us, as a team, that we responsibly represent any region of the world in Planet Zoo. This usually starts with a diverse session of research and reference gathering; from the native animals, the indigenous cultures, the incredible architecture, the latest lifestyle trends and, the diverse landscape. One thing that initially stuck out to the team was the visual contrast between the sleek modern cityscapes and the vast red sand plains of the outback - it was important to us to find a good balance between the two. When collecting reference from Australia, we started to see recurring themes that would begin to inform the material choices. The outback had some great visuals of rusted metals that naturally form over time and visually this is something we chose to incorporate across a variety of assets for the pack.
We always have to be mindful of how we incorporate that into a zoo setting and in this example we opted for an evenly painted faux rust effect. We always try to keep the aesthetic of Planet Zoo playful and fun, incorporating the native animals into the design and artwork, which is something players will see across the Australia Pack.
Josh:
The Southern Cassowary had some tough challenges for the artists, riggers and, animators, it's just such a beautiful and unique animal and we wanted to do it justice. We did dozens of iterations of walks, runs, and behaviours, and we spent hours watching them. Our rigging team also added physics-driven wattles so that they jiggle and bounce as they run...they may have been jokingly referred to as 'dingledangles' by certain members of the Animation team! It was difficult to do, so I'm very proud of the final result!
Anthony:
One of my favourite additions for this pack has to be the Mech-A-Roo! It’s one of the pack's enormous new centrepieces. The Kangaroo is such an iconic animal in Australia and to be able to celebrate it in-game like this is incredible, it even comes complete with a little joey all tucked in! The animation team has done an amazing job of bringing it to life with all its little mechanics and a throwback to some of the larger animated assets we did for Planet Coaster.
Yes, Mech-A-Roo! He's just great - Gerald Fitzgerald painted the concept of a mechanical clockwork Kangaroo, and everyone who saw it thought it was hilarious and awesome. Our Senior Animator on the team, Tim West, really went to town adding all the little springs and inflections as it winds up, so it feels real. It's inspiring when everyone pours their passion into an idea like that and I think that Mech-A-Roo is a great example of the creative Frontier spirit!
Also, hands-down, I love the Red Kangaroo. I'm biased because of working on the Joeys, but I love how they can at one minute be completely sweet and adorable and the next minute they can come across as very threatening, or conversely they can be hilarious by laying down and doing a sassy pose. I feel what we got in the game captures that and I'm excited for people to see the variety of behaviours we added.
Anthony:
For me, my favourite part of the Australia Pack is the Southern Cassowary; it's essentially the feathered modern-day dinosaur itself! Watching a juvenile Cassowary roaming around its habitat and squeaking non-stop as a little chick is so cute! I think the community is going to love the details and attention our animation team has poured into them.
Josh:
I think the community will fall in love with the Koalas, they're such sweet and adorable creatures, and I hope they make great additions to the community's Zoos! It was heart-breaking to see the wildfires in Australia and how devastating it was to Koala populations in particular, so I hope that their inclusion will help to raise awareness and encourage further conservation of those amazing, beautiful animals!
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