I see zoo keeper mode is controversial
Not really a surprise, like many controversial "nonsensical" wishes its mostly pushed for due to zoo tycoon nostalgia.
You see it with animal choices, where many animals like the ehtopian wolf or japanese serow that have no reason to be even part of the discussion being mentioned just due to nostalgia and others like the secretary bird also greatly benefitting from the fact that it was in zoo tycoon first.
And i mean i get the idear, there is a first person mode and taking care of the animals yourself is cool and something many people would like to do irl + it has been done before so why not?
Well several reasons actually.
For one, it doesnt really fit with the current gameplay. Unlike Zoo Tycoon 2 Planet zoo is about Building first, animals second and then a loooooooong gap to management and anything else, which in some aspects is a shame. Things like the Zoo Tycoon 2 Missions, Random Events, Star rating unlocking animals or emphasis on taking screenshots of the animals all fit into the management gameplay and would help with Planet Zoos pacing problems, as just building is quite exhausting so some smaller management for inbetween to take a breather is quite nice.
Thats why i for example would very much love a camera feature for the game, with an ingame gallery to look at your pictures, because the game popping up inbetween and going like "Hey you want some extra conservation credits by watching your cute animals and photographing them doing specific things?" would be a nice shake up that wouldnt be to hard to add, as the function to take a picture of your screen is literally baked into the hardware your running the game on.
So whats the difference with the keeper mode? To keep it short, money and devolpment time are the biggest reasons. It shouldnt be to hard for frontier to put a gloriphied screenshot gallery into the game, meanwhile keeper mode would actually do need some effort.
Keeper Mode needs atleast somewhat resembling a gameplay loop, atleast i doubt being able to press e to refill a food bin and using a poop scoop to scoop some poop would satisfy anyone while also creating theoretical game ballance issues as you dont need staff or atleast reduced staff if you do a tedious job instead yourself.
So what would that gameplay loop look like?
If you ask me, something thats in anyway desireable would look more like a small minigame collection in planet zoo. You can interact with different staff facilitys and do some mini games, while also pressing e to refill food and scooping poop on the side.
Lets say in the keeper hut you can prepare meat, fruit, fish, hay and/or water with small actions, cooking mama style. Cut the meat by sliding the mouth, pluck the salad, cut the fish in a different pattern, chop some fruits and vegies by rhytmically tapping, filling the water bucket juuuust right, you get the deal.
The break room could be a quizz, the vet could be spot the difference between a healthy pic and your ill animal, security office scrolling through the zoos cameras trying to find a wrong doer, you get the idear.
Now with that said, all these mini games would need new menus, ui, backgrounds, etc etc etc, but for what?
For people to play them once or twice to grow bored and never touch them again?
Planet Zoo is a building + management game that also attracts animal nerds, and as someone who likes all three of those things, a halfbaked minigame collection still doesnt sound appealing, something less even more so.
People are annoyed at frontier all the time when an update didnt have anything "for them" in it, with many features like the height maps, dinoramas or camera tours often being dismissed, but now imagine an update with literally nothing but some minigames that add nothing to the actual building or management part of the game, making this a dead update for everyone that does not like them or doesnt think that they are worthwhile.
It would easily be one of the biggest and most ambitious updates for whats essentially a gimmick people ask for out of nostalgia for a 20 + year old game.
Now imagine all this effort would instead be put into different exhibit sizes or animal personalitys, something literally everybody could get on board with.
I suggested it just because it made me feel more connected to my zoo back in ZT2 days.
