Your Feature Request / Idea
I took a few days to assess the current state of Sorna's in-game map and came up with a few ways to improve its overall feel as well as a way to differentiate it from Matanceros and Tacano (which both use the same foliage palette).
I'll explain what I mean by 'foliage palette'...
Internally, its probably not referred to as a foliage palette but, the fact of the matter is that islands like Muertes and Pena actually use different assets than Matanceros, Tacano, Sorna, and Nublar.
With the inclusion of the Lighting Settings options in the most recent update, I was able to discover that Pena and Muertes actually use different plants than the other islands.
This revelation has led me to believe that islands can in fact have their own unique types of foliage but, its simply a matter of taking the type to create and implement the foliage into the game.
Initially, I was going to go on a tangent about how Sorna (obviously) lacks and needs its iconic redwood trees to truly make it feel like more than another island with a different sized and shaped map but, then I realized another crucial detail.
All the dinosaurs have sections about their ideal ecosystems in their database profiles but, no real way to create these environments beyond use of imagination and meeting the forest/grassland standards. I could even take this a step further by addressing the fact that an effort was made to create ecosystems in the film.
HOWEVER, the point I'm getting at is that the game needs more options than just "tree" and "bush" because it's literally just a game of coloring in the numbers when it could have so much more. While the generic 'jungle trees' are adequate, hopefully, we can one day have the game reach Zoo Tycoon levels of depth where using foliage native to a dinosaurs place of origin could boost their ratings and comfort levels.
You may all be wondering at this point why I'm blathering on about tree types and ecosystems, well, I want to present a little side project I've been working on to show what potential there could be by implementing a more diverse selection of foliage. I made a mock-up of Sorna using Cities: Skylines' map editor to illustrate what Sorna could look like if it had more film faithful flora.
BEFORE
AFTER
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AFTER
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BEFORE
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BEFORE
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AFTER
It's amazing what a difference in tree type (and the inclusion of debris and smaller objects) can do to change the entire look and feel of a setting.
Sure, you can say its Sorna because you added Stegosaurs and a Spinosaurus but, just those details alone aren't enough to call a landmass Sorna which brings me to my next point.
There's WAY too many Stegosaurs on Sorna.
I get it, they're a highlight of the second film but, they're not show-stoppers. There's a couple dozen of them on the map at the start.
In all honesty, while I get that the devs didn't want to give the player too much of a head start, they could have opted for maybe 2 more types of dinosaurs to throw into the mix.
In the second film, they introduced the Mamenchisaurus and showed Parasaurolophus up-close during the iconic InGen roundup scene.
Maybe instead of spamming Stegosaurs, there could have been 4 Parasaurolophus and maybe 2 Mamenchisaurs in one section of the map and the Stegosaurs in another area.
Hell, I would say even go a step further by having at the very least "Arid" Velociraptors on the map as a nod to JP2 if the Paras and Mamens are too much but, at the same time, it's the final island of the game, all cylinders should be have been firing to make the island worth unlocking (if not for the change of scenery that it already lacks as previously stated).
I mean...I could go on about how ruins could have been added but, that would be pushing it. At the very least, an increased diversity of starting Sorna dinos and conifers would be enough to fit the bill on how to improve the island and the game exponentially.
I took a few days to assess the current state of Sorna's in-game map and came up with a few ways to improve its overall feel as well as a way to differentiate it from Matanceros and Tacano (which both use the same foliage palette).
I'll explain what I mean by 'foliage palette'...
Internally, its probably not referred to as a foliage palette but, the fact of the matter is that islands like Muertes and Pena actually use different assets than Matanceros, Tacano, Sorna, and Nublar.
With the inclusion of the Lighting Settings options in the most recent update, I was able to discover that Pena and Muertes actually use different plants than the other islands.
This revelation has led me to believe that islands can in fact have their own unique types of foliage but, its simply a matter of taking the type to create and implement the foliage into the game.
Initially, I was going to go on a tangent about how Sorna (obviously) lacks and needs its iconic redwood trees to truly make it feel like more than another island with a different sized and shaped map but, then I realized another crucial detail.
All the dinosaurs have sections about their ideal ecosystems in their database profiles but, no real way to create these environments beyond use of imagination and meeting the forest/grassland standards. I could even take this a step further by addressing the fact that an effort was made to create ecosystems in the film.
HOWEVER, the point I'm getting at is that the game needs more options than just "tree" and "bush" because it's literally just a game of coloring in the numbers when it could have so much more. While the generic 'jungle trees' are adequate, hopefully, we can one day have the game reach Zoo Tycoon levels of depth where using foliage native to a dinosaurs place of origin could boost their ratings and comfort levels.
You may all be wondering at this point why I'm blathering on about tree types and ecosystems, well, I want to present a little side project I've been working on to show what potential there could be by implementing a more diverse selection of foliage. I made a mock-up of Sorna using Cities: Skylines' map editor to illustrate what Sorna could look like if it had more film faithful flora.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
It's amazing what a difference in tree type (and the inclusion of debris and smaller objects) can do to change the entire look and feel of a setting.
Sure, you can say its Sorna because you added Stegosaurs and a Spinosaurus but, just those details alone aren't enough to call a landmass Sorna which brings me to my next point.
There's WAY too many Stegosaurs on Sorna.
I get it, they're a highlight of the second film but, they're not show-stoppers. There's a couple dozen of them on the map at the start.
In all honesty, while I get that the devs didn't want to give the player too much of a head start, they could have opted for maybe 2 more types of dinosaurs to throw into the mix.
In the second film, they introduced the Mamenchisaurus and showed Parasaurolophus up-close during the iconic InGen roundup scene.
Hell, I would say even go a step further by having at the very least "Arid" Velociraptors on the map as a nod to JP2 if the Paras and Mamens are too much but, at the same time, it's the final island of the game, all cylinders should be have been firing to make the island worth unlocking (if not for the change of scenery that it already lacks as previously stated).
I mean...I could go on about how ruins could have been added but, that would be pushing it. At the very least, an increased diversity of starting Sorna dinos and conifers would be enough to fit the bill on how to improve the island and the game exponentially.
