Hot takes for planet zoo

[SuzieSky]

I'm just going to focus on habitat animals.

• Deluxe: Thomson's Gazelle -> Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
• Arctic: Arctic Wolf -> Muskox
• South America: Giant Anteater -> South American Coati
• Australia: Southern Cassowary -> Black Swan
• Aquatic: Dwarf Caiman -> Mandarin Duck
• Southeast Asia: Binturong -> Muntjac
• Africa: White Rhino -> Guereza
• North America: Prairie Dog -> American Black Bear
• Europe: Eurasian Lynx -> Iberian Lynx
• Wetlands: Asian Small Clawed Otter -> Great White Pelican
• Conservation: Przewalski's Horse -> Golden Lion Tamarin
• Twilight: Red Fox -> Southern Tamandua
• Grasslands: Maned Wolf -> Grey Crowned Crane
• Tropical: Lar Gibbon -> Scarlet Ibis
• Arid: African Crested Porcupine -> Serval
• Oceania: North Island Brown Kiwi -> Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo
• Eurasia: Mute Swan -> Indian Crested Porcupine
• Barnyard: Alpine Goat -> Dwarf Goat
• Zookeeper: African Spurred Tortoise -> North American River Otter
• Americas: Ocelot -> Margay

 

[FlameWizard492]

Is everyone picking the cassowary as their favorite over the koala?

 

[Marvinb]

Is everyone picking the cassowary as their favorite over the koala?

Not surpising tbh, the koala isnt really the greatest

 

[Mjmannella]

Is everyone picking the cassowary as their favorite over the koala?

While people generally think koalas are cute, it seems to me that koalas are put in zoo games because that's more-so the expectation and less-so actual demand.

 

[Marvinb]

I think its more that the model looks overly cartoonish and that they seemingly climb even less than other arboreal animals.

So my guess is that people dont like the PZ koala because it doesnt really look like one and it doesnt act like one either

 

[Chuditch]

While people generally think koalas are cute, it seems to me that koalas are put in zoo games because that's more-so the expectation and less-so actual demand.

I’m probably biased of course, but I don’t see a scenario in which the koala wouldn’t be one of the top requested animals if it hadn’t been in the first year of DLC.

 

[Mr-Hyrax 2]

I’m probably biased of course, but I don’t see a scenario in which the koala wouldn’t be one of the top requested animals if it hadn’t been in the first year of DLC.

Yay, but the same could be said about the leopard, yet I didn't see that much hype for it compared to the horse or siamang. Even to this day the leopard seems to be not that remembered in comparison to other cats and animals in general, so I think same would apply to koala.

 

[Chuditch]

Yay, but the same could be said about the leopard, yet I didn't see that much hype for it compared to the horse or siamang. Even to this day the leopard seems to be not that remembered in comparison to other cats and animals in general, so I think same would apply to koala.

Regardless of how hyped or remembered the leopard is it was right at the top of the metawishlist once the capybara got knocked off, so there was absolutely a demand for it. Thats what I’m saying with the koala.

 

[Jeminyne]

My hot take is that management, gameplay, and progression are more important in this kind of game than Frontier was willing/able to deliver on, and it’s strange that players act like creativity and animal behaviour are the only things that matter. The original Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 were better at that than PZ, and it helped them hold up for so many years. If you had to chose only one, I’m glad Frontier chose creative freedom. But ideally they’d care about all these things, and a PZ2 should really deliver on it.

They should wait much longer before making a PZ2 though, if they want it to do well financially, and be worth existing. (Plus then I’ll have more time to finish my zoos and share them )

 

[Jeminyne]

OH and I don’t know how hot this take is, but it was kinda disappointing that they chose the caracal over the serval for the grasslands pack. It’s basically just the desert version of a lynx, meanwhile a serval is so much more unique and fun.

 

[Utahraptor Arcanus]

It’s basically just the desert version of a lynx, meanwhile a serval is so much more unique and fun.

"I don't like the serval cuz it's just an African version of the ocelot, meanhwhile, the caracal is so much more unique and fun", same logic.

 

[Milurian]

My hot take is that management, gameplay, and progression are more important in this kind of game than Frontier was willing/able to deliver on, and it’s strange that players act like creativity and animal behaviour are the only things that matter. The original Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 were better at that than PZ, and it helped them hold up for so many years. If you had to chose only one, I’m glad Frontier chose creative freedom. But ideally they’d care about all these things, and a PZ2 should really deliver on it.

They should wait much longer before making a PZ2 though, if they want it to do well financially, and be worth existing. (Plus then I’ll have more time to finish my zoos and share them )

it really is a nightmarish feedback because there is no complexity in the management people would would play management games dont like planet zoo so frontier doesnt see them as an important audience so never develops the management further isolating a group that could potentially love the game. This inevitably results in only creativity and animals being the only important feature because these are the primary audience for the game because frontier built a very narrow game.

Also I suspect that frontier has been working on this sequel for a minimum of 4 years 5 by the time it actually releases. If it is to be believed that the game will take the third cms slot that means minimum by the time it releases 4 years will have passed and I doubt they would have announced it for anything less than a years worth of development placing the start time at the same time as a massive switch in design for planet zoo and its dlc.

 

[Mr-Hyrax 2]

Regardless of how hyped or remembered the leopard is it was right at the top of the metawishlist once the capybara got knocked off, so there was absolutely a demand for it. Thats what I’m saying with the koala.

I don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with your statement that the Koala wouldn't be very high demand (guess I could have worded it better), I jsut feel that after it's inclusion it wouldn't be as fondly remembered as animals like the Porcupine, Tasmanian Devil, and of course Cassowary.

 

[SanRazo]

My hot take is that the Koala as is, is an amazingly implemented animal and I really don’t mind it being more active or cute-ified. Much rather that than having them in the WE. Honestly I think people over react when talking about how they exist in game

 

[Mjmannella]

I think koalas are too active for walkthrough exhibits, funny enough. On the ground they're shockingly quick to scamper around, almost more like a big squirrel than a tree sloth

 

[Jeminyne]

"I don't like the serval cuz it's just an African version of the ocelot, meanhwhile, the caracal is so much more unique and fun", same logic.

It’s not though. The serval is so different in build and appearance from the ocelot, lynx, OR caracal. This thing looks like an alien cat, lol

(In a way that’s a little more interesting to me than the ocelot having big eyes or the caracal having ear tufts.)

 

[aubreykitsune]

So if we assume both aviary and aquarium species are coming to PZ2, I feel like the best approach to DLC would be to shift the focus away from adding new* land animals (groundbirds aside,) in order to minimize the variety discrepancy between land, air, and sea as much as possible. Birds and aquatics will need as many species as they can get. Regional packs should prioritize them in the majority of slots, and there's plenty of options for specialized packs that focus exclusively on either group.

*"New" being the keyword. I do think PZ2 should strive to add most if not all of PZ1's roster over time, perhaps similarly to how PlanCo1 scenery is being handled in free updates.

 

[Jeminyne]

it really is a nightmarish feedback because there is no complexity in the management people would would play management games dont like planet zoo so frontier doesnt see them as an important audience so never develops the management further isolating a group that could potentially love the game. This inevitably results in only creativity and animals being the only important feature because these are the primary audience for the game because frontier built a very narrow game.

Also I suspect that frontier has been working on this sequel for a minimum of 4 years 5 by the time it actually releases. If it is to be believed that the game will take the third cms slot that means minimum by the time it releases 4 years will have passed and I doubt they would have announced it for anything less than a years worth of development placing the start time at the same time as a massive switch in design for planet zoo and its dlc.

I agree about the management problem, for sure. Though I’m a little confused by that last sentence in your second paragraph— could you clarify what you mean?

 

[Milurian]

I agree about the management problem, for sure. Though I’m a little confused by that last sentence in your second paragraph— could you clarify what you mean?

Basically because frontier built a poor management game but a great sandbox game most of the current players either dont care about or dont like management aspects so now to maintain popularity frontier has to focus on those aspects because that has become the main audience for the game. For instance if there were to change management to make it more complex and better but didnt allow these features to be removed from sandbox the primarily sandbox driven community the game would lose more fans than it will gain.

 

[Milurian]

My hot take is that the Koala as is, is an amazingly implemented animal and I really don’t mind it being more active or cute-ified. Much rather that than having them in the WE. Honestly I think people over react when talking about how they exist in game

I dont know what animals your using but they are not "amazingly" implemented. They arent as badly introduced as some people make it out to be and based on the current game they are about as perfect as the could be they are not amazing by any means the are as best implemented as the system will allow.