Welcome to our sixth Developer Journal! We love introducing you to our hard-working team behind Planet Zoo and highlighting features they have been creating! We've taken a deep dive into Zookeepers, Climbing, and more, and for this Developer Journal we wanted to talk more about Weather.
Please give a warm welcome to Render Programmer Clement Bellot and Gameplay Programmer Joshua Tanner!
Hello everyone! We're here to chat more about the weather in Planet Zoo - thanks for having us!
Clement:
It was very important for us to have weather in Planet Zoo, because weather conditions are what really makes the difference between biomes; switching from the Savannah to a temperate climate becomes much more than a visual change!
Joshua:
On a basic level, varying weather conditions bring a beauty and liveliness to the zoos. Beyond that, they also bring out interesting behaviours in the animals. Seeking shelter in rain and snow, and taking a dive in the hot sun are a couple ways animals will react to the changing weather. Every species of animal has evolved to thrive in a particular climate. In bringing animals from all over the world into your zoo, you're going to encounter challenges in satisfying each species' temperature needs. Building a suitable habitat for a species, far from its natural environment, is always a satisfying problem to solve.
Clement:
Weather ranges from sunny to cloudy, light and heavy rain, snow, and a wide range of temperatures. Guests will shiver in cold weather, sweat in hot weather, and (if you choose to sell them), purchase umbrellas to protect themselves from rain.
Joshua:
Each weather type drastically changes the atmosphere of the zoo! The weather conditions in your zoo will have a direct influence on the temperature. Over time, an animal's body temperature will tend towards its ambient temperature. If the animal is used to a significantly different temperature than what it’s experiencing, its welfare will be reduced. Animals will move about their habitat to find areas which will bring their temperature to a more comfortable value. For example, if an animal is finding themselves too hot, they might head to their habitat's lake for a swim.
Clement:
Managing temperature inside habitats is an important part of the game. Timber Wolves will not thrive under the heat of a park in the Sahara, nor will Plains Zebras enjoy the Northern Europe climate. Placing down coolers and heaters to keep temperature within their favourite range is going to be the best tool to solve those problems. Animals also will seek shelter under trees or buildings when it rains, so make sure you build some options for them.
Joshua:
As Clement said, heaters and coolers will be very useful to moderate temperatures. These handy devices allow you to increase or decrease the temperature within a small radius. Animals can seek out heaters and coolers to satisfy their temperature need. In a hot climate, coolers can be used to keep an area cold and prevent snow from melting away. Likewise, in a cold, snowy environment, heaters can be used to melt the snow.
Different locations around the world are naturally going to have different climates. That translates to different temperatures and probabilities for each weather type to occur. The weather changes gradually throughout the day, selecting weather types based on the probability of them occurring in that environment. You won't see a hot, sunny day immediately turn; it will become cloudier first. In Sandbox mode, you'll be able to change the weather to whatever you fancy. You can try to make it snow in the Savannah but it still won't get cold enough for snow to build on the ground.
Clement:
A big challenge in bringing the weather to Planet Zoo was handling sheltered areas. We knew you would build elaborate structures, and we needed to figure out which areas were sheltered from precipitation in a believable and aesthetically pleasing way. Another interesting part was the intersection of snow and heaters/coolers. Having snow melt around heaters, or stick earlier around coolers, was a neat way to give temperature a visual impact beyond just the behaviour of guests and animals.
Joshua:
I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of habitats you will build to make animals from distant parts of the world feel right at home.
Clement:
I'm excited to see the more unusual zoos that you will be creating. What made Planet Coaster great was seeing the crazy parks people made, and I'm eager to see what you will come up with in Planet Zoo!
Please give a warm welcome to Render Programmer Clement Bellot and Gameplay Programmer Joshua Tanner!
Hello everyone! We're here to chat more about the weather in Planet Zoo - thanks for having us!
Clement:
It was very important for us to have weather in Planet Zoo, because weather conditions are what really makes the difference between biomes; switching from the Savannah to a temperate climate becomes much more than a visual change!
Joshua:
On a basic level, varying weather conditions bring a beauty and liveliness to the zoos. Beyond that, they also bring out interesting behaviours in the animals. Seeking shelter in rain and snow, and taking a dive in the hot sun are a couple ways animals will react to the changing weather. Every species of animal has evolved to thrive in a particular climate. In bringing animals from all over the world into your zoo, you're going to encounter challenges in satisfying each species' temperature needs. Building a suitable habitat for a species, far from its natural environment, is always a satisfying problem to solve.
Clement:
Weather ranges from sunny to cloudy, light and heavy rain, snow, and a wide range of temperatures. Guests will shiver in cold weather, sweat in hot weather, and (if you choose to sell them), purchase umbrellas to protect themselves from rain.
Joshua:
Each weather type drastically changes the atmosphere of the zoo! The weather conditions in your zoo will have a direct influence on the temperature. Over time, an animal's body temperature will tend towards its ambient temperature. If the animal is used to a significantly different temperature than what it’s experiencing, its welfare will be reduced. Animals will move about their habitat to find areas which will bring their temperature to a more comfortable value. For example, if an animal is finding themselves too hot, they might head to their habitat's lake for a swim.
Clement:
Managing temperature inside habitats is an important part of the game. Timber Wolves will not thrive under the heat of a park in the Sahara, nor will Plains Zebras enjoy the Northern Europe climate. Placing down coolers and heaters to keep temperature within their favourite range is going to be the best tool to solve those problems. Animals also will seek shelter under trees or buildings when it rains, so make sure you build some options for them.
Joshua:
As Clement said, heaters and coolers will be very useful to moderate temperatures. These handy devices allow you to increase or decrease the temperature within a small radius. Animals can seek out heaters and coolers to satisfy their temperature need. In a hot climate, coolers can be used to keep an area cold and prevent snow from melting away. Likewise, in a cold, snowy environment, heaters can be used to melt the snow.
Different locations around the world are naturally going to have different climates. That translates to different temperatures and probabilities for each weather type to occur. The weather changes gradually throughout the day, selecting weather types based on the probability of them occurring in that environment. You won't see a hot, sunny day immediately turn; it will become cloudier first. In Sandbox mode, you'll be able to change the weather to whatever you fancy. You can try to make it snow in the Savannah but it still won't get cold enough for snow to build on the ground.
Clement:
A big challenge in bringing the weather to Planet Zoo was handling sheltered areas. We knew you would build elaborate structures, and we needed to figure out which areas were sheltered from precipitation in a believable and aesthetically pleasing way. Another interesting part was the intersection of snow and heaters/coolers. Having snow melt around heaters, or stick earlier around coolers, was a neat way to give temperature a visual impact beyond just the behaviour of guests and animals.
Joshua:
I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of habitats you will build to make animals from distant parts of the world feel right at home.
Clement:
I'm excited to see the more unusual zoos that you will be creating. What made Planet Coaster great was seeing the crazy parks people made, and I'm eager to see what you will come up with in Planet Zoo!
) in my first zoo 
