This forum post is not about a DLC, just want to make that clear. And to clear up on that, I'm not going to be saying which animals will go in each DLC, and all of that. Another thing of note is that these are mammals and birds, NOT FISH. I don't think well ever get sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish (at least anytime soon). These are realistic options that I can totally see Frontier doing, as they had already leaked some of these animals recently.
The little system I used for my wish list is as follows:
-10 animals total; I think a healthy amount, a realistic number
-3 pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walruses, etc.)
-4 aquatic birds (penguins, puffins, etc.)
-3 semi-aquatic marine mammals (monotremes, otters, beavers, etc.)
-Must be realistic in zoos, aquariums, etc.
-Achievable in the game (no dolphins, whales, manatees, etc.)
-These must be animals that can "walk" on land and swim in water
So, basically this is my ultimate semi-aquatic animal Wishlist!
I. Pinnipeds
1. Pacific Walrus
The Pacific Walrus (and walruses in general) have always intrigued me simply due to the fact that they are so unique. The massive tusks, floppy look, and whiskers definitely make it one of my favorite marine mammals. Plus, it is another arctic animal, living along the coasts of western Alaska (US) and eastern Russia.
2. California Sea Lion
Ah, the classic California Sea Lion, probably the most common pinniped in zoos and aquariums. This classic looking pinniped would be an excellent fit for the game and would work quite nicely with the new update 1.4 feature, Animal Talks where keepers could possibly throw food to them just like a real zoo.
3. Harbor Seal
Seals, similar to sea lions, are very common in zoos and aquariums as well, often being displayed in the same area. I knew I wanted to have a nice balanced list so that would only include one species of seal. There are so many Frontier could choose from; grey seals, fur seals, leopard seals, harbor seals, etc. But the reason I chose the Harbor Seal is for three reasons; one is that they are very prevalent in zoos, two, their coloring and spotting is amazing, and looks really cool to me, and three, is the fact that Harbor seals can be found along the east coast of the United States and Europe, differing from the California Sea Lion and Pacific Walrus.
II. Seabirds
1. Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin has always been an interesting bird to me, because similar to the Pacific Walrus, this bird is so unique! Their unique beak is beautiful and I feel like Frontier can knock it out of the park on the details and colors (like with the Southern Cassowary). Also, this is just to switch it up a little bit, rather than having four penguins.
2. African Penguin
The African Penguin, I feel, is definitely the most common penguin species in zoos for obvious reasons. They live in Africa, which is obviously an advantage for zoos because they don't need extremely cold temperatures like Antarctic Penguins. Also, the Animal Talks would work really well with these guys (and all of the other penguins). This is just a classic, and I feel like a no-brainer at this point.
3. King Penguin
This was a decision between the King Penguin and the Emperor Penguin; and I obviously chose the King Penguin. Since they look pretty much identical, there is only really one factor when deciding between the two: size. The King Penguin is smaller than the Emperor Penguin and therefore I feel as if it is a better choice for a zoo game since most Antarctic penguins are kept indoors, in a controlled environment. I just feel like the King Penguin is an overall better choice for a zoo game, since they are way more common in zoos.
4. Little Penguin
Since I wanted to include three different sized penguins on this list (small, medium, and large) I had to go with the smallest penguin species, the Little Penguin. Geographically, similar to the pinniped situation, would balance out nicely as each penguin can be found in a separate part of the world (these in southern Australia and New Zealand). And, they are just absolutely adorable.
III. Semi-Aquatic Mammals
1. Platypus
While being a very unique animal, I do have one small concern for its inclusion into the game. They are not common in zoos, like at all. I'm pretty sure only the San Diego Zoo in the US has them outside of Australian Zoos. But, they would still be absolutely awesome to have in the game.
2. Asian Small-Clawed Otter
As with most animals on this list, I choose the Asian-Small Clawed Otter over its North American counterpart simply due to it being more realistic in zoos. Other than that, I wouldn't really have any problems with the North American River Otter, its just that the Asian species will provide a more geographically balanced lineup.
3. North American Beaver
This animal was one of my favorites in Zoo Tycoon 2 when I was younger, and was slightly disappointed with their exclusion upon release of the game. I think these animals would be so cool if Frontier could implement damn building mechanics into the game, even if it is something really simple.
Here is a more "Top 10" format (in order of most wanted):
10. Platypus
9. Little Penguin
8. King Penguin
7. North American Beaver
6. Atlantic Puffin
5. Pacific Walrus
4. Harbor Seal
3. Asian-Small Clawed Otter
2. California Sea Lion
1. African Penguin
So, I hope you enjoyed this and I would love to see everyone else's list in this same format, if you only had to pick 10. I would be totally fine with only three of these but I'm hopeful that well get all 10. Also, I'm not an expert on different, more detailed species of animals so these may be a little generic and bland, but I feel like these are the most needed and wanted. Hopefully we can see some of these animals in the game in just a few weeks now!
The little system I used for my wish list is as follows:
-10 animals total; I think a healthy amount, a realistic number
-3 pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walruses, etc.)
-4 aquatic birds (penguins, puffins, etc.)
-3 semi-aquatic marine mammals (monotremes, otters, beavers, etc.)
-Must be realistic in zoos, aquariums, etc.
-Achievable in the game (no dolphins, whales, manatees, etc.)
-These must be animals that can "walk" on land and swim in water
So, basically this is my ultimate semi-aquatic animal Wishlist!
I. Pinnipeds
1. Pacific Walrus
The Pacific Walrus (and walruses in general) have always intrigued me simply due to the fact that they are so unique. The massive tusks, floppy look, and whiskers definitely make it one of my favorite marine mammals. Plus, it is another arctic animal, living along the coasts of western Alaska (US) and eastern Russia.
2. California Sea Lion
Ah, the classic California Sea Lion, probably the most common pinniped in zoos and aquariums. This classic looking pinniped would be an excellent fit for the game and would work quite nicely with the new update 1.4 feature, Animal Talks where keepers could possibly throw food to them just like a real zoo.
3. Harbor Seal
Seals, similar to sea lions, are very common in zoos and aquariums as well, often being displayed in the same area. I knew I wanted to have a nice balanced list so that would only include one species of seal. There are so many Frontier could choose from; grey seals, fur seals, leopard seals, harbor seals, etc. But the reason I chose the Harbor Seal is for three reasons; one is that they are very prevalent in zoos, two, their coloring and spotting is amazing, and looks really cool to me, and three, is the fact that Harbor seals can be found along the east coast of the United States and Europe, differing from the California Sea Lion and Pacific Walrus.
II. Seabirds
1. Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin has always been an interesting bird to me, because similar to the Pacific Walrus, this bird is so unique! Their unique beak is beautiful and I feel like Frontier can knock it out of the park on the details and colors (like with the Southern Cassowary). Also, this is just to switch it up a little bit, rather than having four penguins.
2. African Penguin
The African Penguin, I feel, is definitely the most common penguin species in zoos for obvious reasons. They live in Africa, which is obviously an advantage for zoos because they don't need extremely cold temperatures like Antarctic Penguins. Also, the Animal Talks would work really well with these guys (and all of the other penguins). This is just a classic, and I feel like a no-brainer at this point.
3. King Penguin
This was a decision between the King Penguin and the Emperor Penguin; and I obviously chose the King Penguin. Since they look pretty much identical, there is only really one factor when deciding between the two: size. The King Penguin is smaller than the Emperor Penguin and therefore I feel as if it is a better choice for a zoo game since most Antarctic penguins are kept indoors, in a controlled environment. I just feel like the King Penguin is an overall better choice for a zoo game, since they are way more common in zoos.
4. Little Penguin
Since I wanted to include three different sized penguins on this list (small, medium, and large) I had to go with the smallest penguin species, the Little Penguin. Geographically, similar to the pinniped situation, would balance out nicely as each penguin can be found in a separate part of the world (these in southern Australia and New Zealand). And, they are just absolutely adorable.
III. Semi-Aquatic Mammals
1. Platypus
While being a very unique animal, I do have one small concern for its inclusion into the game. They are not common in zoos, like at all. I'm pretty sure only the San Diego Zoo in the US has them outside of Australian Zoos. But, they would still be absolutely awesome to have in the game.
2. Asian Small-Clawed Otter
As with most animals on this list, I choose the Asian-Small Clawed Otter over its North American counterpart simply due to it being more realistic in zoos. Other than that, I wouldn't really have any problems with the North American River Otter, its just that the Asian species will provide a more geographically balanced lineup.
3. North American Beaver
This animal was one of my favorites in Zoo Tycoon 2 when I was younger, and was slightly disappointed with their exclusion upon release of the game. I think these animals would be so cool if Frontier could implement damn building mechanics into the game, even if it is something really simple.
Here is a more "Top 10" format (in order of most wanted):
10. Platypus
9. Little Penguin
8. King Penguin
7. North American Beaver
6. Atlantic Puffin
5. Pacific Walrus
4. Harbor Seal
3. Asian-Small Clawed Otter
2. California Sea Lion
1. African Penguin
So, I hope you enjoyed this and I would love to see everyone else's list in this same format, if you only had to pick 10. I would be totally fine with only three of these but I'm hopeful that well get all 10. Also, I'm not an expert on different, more detailed species of animals so these may be a little generic and bland, but I feel like these are the most needed and wanted. Hopefully we can see some of these animals in the game in just a few weeks now!
