As the title says do you use mods and how are they? I see about 30-40 I’d be interested in. I guess I’m waiting for a breakthrough in implementing some animations and realistic sounds. But they do look great and have come quite a long way in a relatively short time. Reminds me of the zt2 mod movement started off reskins and subtle touches and before you knew it completely new animals with the occasional set of new animations. I love the mute swan and the mammoth to name a few. Funny I didn’t and don’t really think about prehistoric animals in PZ but the mammoth looks amazing.
Do you use mods?
- Thread starter paul78
- Start date
Heh, mods. Pathetic. I thoroughly enjoy my superior vanilla game, thank you very much. 
HeatherG
Volunteer Moderator
Heh, mods. Pathetic. I thoroughly enjoy my superior vanilla game, thank you very much.
That was sooo believable Leaf! Try again!
Currently not anymore, no. I collected them before last update but only had time to build one habitat for one species. The species by an active modder wasn't updated, so I got burned.
I have high hopes for the future of some modders and some mods and will definitely use them again down the line, probably at the end of dlcs, which will hopefully be far far away and give modders the time to figure out things like sound and animation.
Some modders really do fantastic work and are constantly improving. Others seem to sit on a high horse lately and think of their work as top notch when basic things like hooves, form of horns etc. are inadequate. I think there is still a lot of room to welcome good modders and mods.
I have high hopes for the future of some modders and some mods and will definitely use them again down the line, probably at the end of dlcs, which will hopefully be far far away and give modders the time to figure out things like sound and animation.
Some modders really do fantastic work and are constantly improving. Others seem to sit on a high horse lately and think of their work as top notch when basic things like hooves, form of horns etc. are inadequate. I think there is still a lot of room to welcome good modders and mods.
Which one was it, Linda? I can check to see if I can update it - I've been trying to get through the entire library as much as I can to get everybody's updated
I don't use them, frankly they're basically just mangled animals that are already in the game.
We'll be waiting for you! <3 We've just passed around 200 mods as a community and there's a ton of more awesome ones on the way.
I do. I've downloaded quite a few (over 40) but am only actively using 3 now as they're animals I just "have" to have in the game, and that are not likely North American animals to be included within the next pack or two (I'm content to just have that much patience for those). and don't want to wait for when/if an official release comes along. After updates and official support are done I"m sure I'll be using a huge amount though as so many of them look amazing. I want to have an interest, but also am not wanting to keep up with the updating/updates to the game - I'm not worried the mods themselves will cause a problem when they're compatible with the game version, it's more just when they're not, it was for me a bit of work to get all the ones I had in there out. But...3 isn't so hard to manage and there's one more animal I'd absolutely have a mod I'd be actively using, but alas, it has not shown up as yet. I'm a bit weary on the non-animal mods that affect game play mechanics, so I think for now those are not on my want list to use, though I'm sure they mostly work great.
TL;DR - yes I use them sparingly right now. Most of the animal mods are fantastic, I'm just content to mostly wait. But I'll definitely be using a lot of them in the future.
TL;DR - yes I use them sparingly right now. Most of the animal mods are fantastic, I'm just content to mostly wait. But I'll definitely be using a lot of them in the future.
Now my question is, which 3?
Well, my dislike for the creepy official otter has been made clear and I like to have options.
And the other is the very obvious official exclusion (which is one of the best ones out there btw)
Not as yet. I probably won't ever use new species mods until the code is cracked for adding custom sounds or creating unique animations, and getting them into the game to the same level as official Frontier animals (so, seamless integration). There are one or two replacement mods that I'll probably get after support ends if some issues aren't fixed, such as the Malayan tapir.
I'm just curious about this "Custom Sounds" argument, this seems to be such a big thing for you guys, but what of mods that... don't require it? Like for example the Flamingo mods that are out, they're more or less exactly what you could expect from Frontier (I still need to rig edit the South American species), but what ones in particular do you think are immersion breaking if they don't have the right sounds?
Don't use any Mods. I just enjoy Franchise Mode way too much for it to make Sense for me to use them. I could use Mods that let Animals look less stylized/more realistic (don't really like that Frontier feels the Need to stylize some Animals) but then I couldn't post Pictures in the Forum on which those Species can be seen. But I really enjoy watching those Mod Showcase Videos on YouTube. Some Mods look really awesome. Maybe I'll use them someday but until then, it's probably a long Time
I love mods and modders! I'm consistently impressed by both their talent and dedication to the game. I love seeing the creations, and have even enjoyed many of the videos showing how it's done (even though it's well beyond my ability level to do or even follow, it's still fun to watch).
Unfortunately, I'm not very technologically advanced, so I did not use mods back when only replacement mods were available, because I worried that user error on my part would lead to problems that I might not be able to figure out myself. (I want to emphasize that this is all about user error by me -- not the mods or modders themselves).
I also play mostly in franchise mode, and really enjoy the trading/welfare/breeding/management/challenges parts of the game. Since the animal mods can't be used in franchise, there is a portion of the enjoyment that is missing for me, in much the same way that some players don't get as much enjoyment from exhibit animals because they can't do the things with them that they most enjoy doing. This, again, is in no way the fault of mods or modders. Just a technical limitation that places them largely outside the possibilities of my preferred game mode.
That said, when non-replacement animal mods came out, I downloaded every one of them and created a sandbox zoo (MOD-ern zoo) that had habitats for every single non-replacement modded animal. The non-replacement mods were within my technical comfort level to install, didn't replace my franchise options, and I loved having so many new animals to choose from, since animals are the main reason I play the game. It was heaven!
A huge part of my comfort level at that time was in the hope/speculation that they might not break with future updates. When that didn't pan out, my personal use changed. Again -- this is in no way the fault of the mods or modders, who have been amazingly awesome about upgrading things following each new dlc/update, and amazingly helpful and transparent about what is happening and how to prepare for it ahead of time and fix it afterward. But for me, the fear of personal user error in getting them in and out every three months, the fact that I couldn't place them in franchise, and the correlation with things beginning to re-open in my area after covid, with all of the events and responsibilities that entailed, meant that my time to play the game decreased and I've had to choose how to use that time. I decided that faced with the maintenance time involved to be able to play in only my less enjoyed modes, and the worry that I might forget and miss an update that might make a zoo unusable and lose much of my work, that it made more sense for me to spend my gaming time working on my franchise zoos, and let the mods go by for now.
But again, I think the mods and modders are great, and I fully anticipate using them quite extensively in the (hopefully distant) future when dlc support stops and/or if franchise mode winds down (whether officially or just through fewer trading partners). I could also see myself giving them a try before that if the technology developed such that mods were usable in franchise mode, or if there was a commitment by frontier that they wouldn't break with future updates. (Although I understand neither of these possibilities are likely to happen).
At a larger scale, I do worry about the fact that mods can't be used in franchise mode, what this means for the game as a whole, and whether I'll be left behind. Again, I don't think this is the fault of mods or modders -- They would happily make their mods available to everyone in all modes if they could. But there are already existing chasms between play styles and game modes, and those chasms widen as more things become possible, normalized, standard, expected, or assumed in one part of the community, that aren't in another (and that goes in all directions). While there are lot of players who play across modes and across settings, I think the unavailability of mods in franchise (which again, is not the fault of modders), does have an impact that effects all of our other discussions in various indirect ways -- often subtly, invisibly, tangentially, or cumulatively. It starts to show up in all the other conversations, from the relative importance of animal welfare in franchise success to the lack of high genetics in sandbox, from the number of animals available in one's vanilla game mode (I personally prefer the kink of trading!), to larger questions about how many and what kind of dlc are needed, to which workshop items can be used depending upon one's modded building options. Mods and modders aren't responsible for this expanding list of differences (and shouldn't be expected to do anything differently because of it). But it is another place where our worlds diverge, and our needs and possibilities become less recognizable to each other.
But never fear -- Ten years from now when they stop making DLC, I'll be first in line to get every mod there is, just as I was when the non-replacement mods first appeared.
Unfortunately, I'm not very technologically advanced, so I did not use mods back when only replacement mods were available, because I worried that user error on my part would lead to problems that I might not be able to figure out myself. (I want to emphasize that this is all about user error by me -- not the mods or modders themselves).
I also play mostly in franchise mode, and really enjoy the trading/welfare/breeding/management/challenges parts of the game. Since the animal mods can't be used in franchise, there is a portion of the enjoyment that is missing for me, in much the same way that some players don't get as much enjoyment from exhibit animals because they can't do the things with them that they most enjoy doing. This, again, is in no way the fault of mods or modders. Just a technical limitation that places them largely outside the possibilities of my preferred game mode.
That said, when non-replacement animal mods came out, I downloaded every one of them and created a sandbox zoo (MOD-ern zoo) that had habitats for every single non-replacement modded animal. The non-replacement mods were within my technical comfort level to install, didn't replace my franchise options, and I loved having so many new animals to choose from, since animals are the main reason I play the game. It was heaven!
A huge part of my comfort level at that time was in the hope/speculation that they might not break with future updates. When that didn't pan out, my personal use changed. Again -- this is in no way the fault of the mods or modders, who have been amazingly awesome about upgrading things following each new dlc/update, and amazingly helpful and transparent about what is happening and how to prepare for it ahead of time and fix it afterward. But for me, the fear of personal user error in getting them in and out every three months, the fact that I couldn't place them in franchise, and the correlation with things beginning to re-open in my area after covid, with all of the events and responsibilities that entailed, meant that my time to play the game decreased and I've had to choose how to use that time. I decided that faced with the maintenance time involved to be able to play in only my less enjoyed modes, and the worry that I might forget and miss an update that might make a zoo unusable and lose much of my work, that it made more sense for me to spend my gaming time working on my franchise zoos, and let the mods go by for now.
But again, I think the mods and modders are great, and I fully anticipate using them quite extensively in the (hopefully distant) future when dlc support stops and/or if franchise mode winds down (whether officially or just through fewer trading partners). I could also see myself giving them a try before that if the technology developed such that mods were usable in franchise mode, or if there was a commitment by frontier that they wouldn't break with future updates. (Although I understand neither of these possibilities are likely to happen).
At a larger scale, I do worry about the fact that mods can't be used in franchise mode, what this means for the game as a whole, and whether I'll be left behind. Again, I don't think this is the fault of mods or modders -- They would happily make their mods available to everyone in all modes if they could. But there are already existing chasms between play styles and game modes, and those chasms widen as more things become possible, normalized, standard, expected, or assumed in one part of the community, that aren't in another (and that goes in all directions). While there are lot of players who play across modes and across settings, I think the unavailability of mods in franchise (which again, is not the fault of modders), does have an impact that effects all of our other discussions in various indirect ways -- often subtly, invisibly, tangentially, or cumulatively. It starts to show up in all the other conversations, from the relative importance of animal welfare in franchise success to the lack of high genetics in sandbox, from the number of animals available in one's vanilla game mode (I personally prefer the kink of trading!), to larger questions about how many and what kind of dlc are needed, to which workshop items can be used depending upon one's modded building options. Mods and modders aren't responsible for this expanding list of differences (and shouldn't be expected to do anything differently because of it). But it is another place where our worlds diverge, and our needs and possibilities become less recognizable to each other.
But never fear -- Ten years from now when they stop making DLC, I'll be first in line to get every mod there is, just as I was when the non-replacement mods first appeared.
I do use mods, there are just alot of animals that I am missing that might never come to the game because of the small number of animals we get through DLCs. Before 1.6, I had around 20 installed, even some that I basically never used, because they were just too good to not have. After 1.6 when we had to delete them all because of the unfortunate breakage I am trying to be more picky about stuff that I download, just so I dont overhoard them again. I have around 12 or so atm. But I will download more if I ever need that particular animal.
Got to say though, most of the mods were updated very quickly, really appriciate the constant work modders put into them.
Got to say though, most of the mods were updated very quickly, really appriciate the constant work modders put into them.
Currently using alot of Oceania mods, because there are not enough animals from there: Numbat, Platypus, Emu, Magpie Goose. Also some European animals, European badger and still waiting for the Red Fox updated.
Some other animals I have currently: American Flamingo, North American River Otter, Tamandua, Yellow-Throated Marten, Wild Horse, Striped Hyena...
Also plan to use some more birds mods, Ibis and Nene looking great.
But yea, totally agree with you, I will probably end up with like 30 of them soon anyway. The quality of mods has risen so much, that there are so many of them that look great.
Some great choices. The mute swan, black swan, badger, wild horse, and striped hyena are just a few I’m interested in. I like the alligator but I get the feeling a NA pack is in the mix so I’ll wait and see. I really like all the flamingos and some of the leopards as well. I really like the mammoth after seeing the trailer they made for it. If you didn’t know any better you’d swear it was a frontier trailer.
I know what you mean, I am holding on to see what is the next DLC, otherwise I would have download the Alligator, Moose and Puma (if it was updated) already.