Mixed Species Exhibit: How Would They Work?

[NZFanatic]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately since the topic of aviaries has everyone all wound up.

One of the biggest draws of aviaries, particularly walkthrough aviaries, is the mix of species contained within. For example, an African wetlands aviary could have grey crowned cranes, hammerkops, whislting ducks, jacanas, and bee-eaters all together, or an Australian lorikeet aviary might have two or three species of lorikeets, finches, and so on (Auckland Zoo also keeps little red flying foxes in their lorikeet aviary). In the game, however, due to the way exhibits work, we can only contain one species at a time.

As it stands, none of the current exhibit animals are really suitable for mixing, so that's probably the most likely reason as to why it hasn't been tried yet, but with flying animals potentially coming the opportunity is there. So, how would it work? Given that exhibit animals are on looped animations, I'm curious as to how the game would allow us to choose which species are contained.

I'm wondering if @Iben, who seems fairly knowledgeable about this stuff, has any input.

 

[peafowl]

I'm not sure how. Maybe they could implement like.. decors and natural elements that they could "stick to" and bounce between. That would be the nicest, most seamless way. But i dont know that it would be possible. I really want this feature, though.

 

[Iben]

I'm wondering if @Iben, who seems fairly knowledgeable about this stuff, has any input.

Since exhibit boxes are essentially anchor points where you attach models to and let play an animation, in theory you should be able to just attach whatever model to it and let it play whatever animation. So whether that's a model of a toucan or a macaw, it shouldn't really matter.

 

[Bearcat9948]

Since exhibit boxes are essentially anchor points where you attach models to and let play an animation, in theory you should be able to just attach whatever model to it and let it play whatever animation. So whether that's a model of a toucan or a macaw, it shouldn't really matter.

We can certainly hope!

 

[Elbslayer]

when you talk such large aviaries it would be a legit enclosure not just an exhibit. however, i wish that will happen. it would add a total new element to the game

 

[NZFanatic]

when you talk such large aviaries it would be a legit enclosure not just an exhibit. however, i wish that will happen. it would add a total new element to the game

The only frame of reference we have is the new bat, which is an exhibit animal. So that's what I'm basing the question on.

Since exhibit boxes are essentially anchor points where you attach models to and let play an animation, in theory you should be able to just attach whatever model to it and let it play whatever animation. So whether that's a model of a toucan or a macaw, it shouldn't really matter.

What I'm curious about, and I suppose we'll find out more this week, is how the bats are going to behave. Presumably they will have an A-B-A flying animation depending on where in the exhibit they're situated. If it was birds in an aviary rather than a bat in a nocturnal house, I'm wondering if different species could be 'timed' so as to not collide during flight.

For example, with our current exhibits, when you leave and come back the animals have shifted to a new anchor point, but if you had two species how would they prevent two different animals from hitting the same anchor point at the same time? Or rather, do they do that already for exhibits that have more than one animal in them?

 

[ElectricMonk]

The only frame of reference we have is the new bat, which is an exhibit animal. So that's what I'm basing the question on.

What I'm curious about, and I suppose we'll find out more this week, is how the bats are going to behave. Presumably they will have an A-B-A flying animation depending on where in the exhibit they're situated. If it was birds in an aviary rather than a bat in a nocturnal house, I'm wondering if different species could be 'timed' so as to not collide during flight.

For example, with our current exhibits, when you leave and come back the animals have shifted to a new anchor point, but if you had two species how would they prevent two different animals from hitting the same anchor point at the same time? Or rather, do they do that already for exhibits that have more than one animal in them?

Obviously no one can know how they’d do multi-species exhibits (or even if it’s on the cards) but I can’t see a reason (from an animation perspective) that it’d be any more complex for more than one species than for just one. Rather than have different predefined paths for each species, I think you’d just have a number of paths for any flying entity - having a separate set for each species would just be adding unnecessary work and complexity. It shouldn’t matter if there is only one or two or however many species - you’d just assign a path (randomly) to each animal.

 

[NZFanatic]

Obviously no one can know how they’d do multi-species exhibits (or even if it’s on the cards) but I can’t see a reason (from an animation perspective) that it’d be any more complex for more than one species than for just one. Rather than have different predefined paths for each species, I think you’d just have a number of paths for any flying entity - having a separate set for each species would just be adding unnecessary work and complexity. It shouldn’t matter if there is only one or two or however many species - you’d just assign a path (randomly) to each animal.

That's kind of what I'm thinking, too.

Hopefully they go down this road if aviaries are indeed going to happen.