One step closer to birds for 2024

CharlieXGaming · Dec 9, 2023

Something I didn’t pick up and that I didn’t notice until now, what if the gift shops hear me out are for aviaries?

First frontier kept putting bird teasers in scenery pieces across each pack (tour guide with the owl, seagull in Aquatic, etc) we all assume by this point it’s nothing, understandable.

Walkthrough exhibit gets introduced. We get bats as a starter, butterflies introduce multiple species in the same enclosure, and sloth brings in sexual dimorphism. In all 3 of these packs that we got these things, there were no birds. Hold onto that for a second.
Idk how to explain not having any birds in arid, I really don’t know it was probably the porcupine taking too much time.

Now we have the Giftshops, giftshops that are able to be expanded by a tiling system.

I know this is a long shot, but what if frontier is still planning birds? Combine the animal dimorphism, multiple species in the same enclosure, tiling system to make aviaries / WTEs as big as you want, all of this could be pieced together.

Also keep in mind that we have gotten a decent amount of birds in the last two packs, maybe they’re trying to remind people they know about birds and to get themselves hyped off again? Is this a sign that they’re almost done perfecting a bird pack and ready to release next year? Maybe?

I’m not fully sold on this idea, I just saw a comment on YouTube and found it really interesting for a discussion.

Markiz · Dec 9, 2023

NZFanatic · Dec 9, 2023

I think we should operate under the assumption that we're never getting flying birds. Then on the tiny slim chance it does happen, WOOHOO BIG SURPRISE HURRAY and on the much larger chance that it never does everyone can shut up about it until PZ2 launches with aviaries in the base game.

Besides, I'd be pretty peeved if they tossed in aviaries with some brand new system but the bats and butterflies were still locked into the WTE.

RightWhale · Dec 9, 2023

A man can wish. A man can

TBH I don’t think it will be coming but man wouldn’t that be exciting. Something that always confused me though is a lot of the larger bird species in zoos don’t move much. Owls, eagles, and macaws may stay in one spot for awhile. A lot of birds can honestly act as a living statue. I always thought WTE can work with the smaller species: budgies, lorikeets, Inca terns, gouldian finches, etc. they move around so much looped animations would work.

ScotiaMugdock · Dec 9, 2023

I think the mute swan points towards getting at least a bird per pack. It’s much easier to create waterfowl and pelicans, plus the other likely candidates now.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see any of these next year given current obvious gaps:

Any flamingo or crane
Rhea
Pelican
Mandarin or wood duck
Capercaillie
Turkey
Screamer
Bustard

Exhibit birds are unlikely but if we do get them, it will be in a Safari Scenery pack with Golden weavers. Golden weavers, rainbow lorikeets and a macaw species are the only reasonably likely ‘flying’ birds we’ll get

SalamAnders · Dec 9, 2023

I'm at least optimistic we will see another waterfowl, maybe even two if support lasts long enough. New popular rigs that can be reused tend to be so. Often we even start with a larger species and then get smaller ones made from it later on.

Red Kangaroo - Smaller Macropods
King Penguin - Smaller Penguins
Giant Otter - Asian Small-Clawed Otter
Siamang - Lar Gibbon
Mute Swan - Duck and/or Goose?

Captain Callum · Dec 9, 2023

I've lost hope for flying birds, we can get 20 more waterfowl and I still wouldn't be convinced flying birds in aviaries are going to come. Sure the mute swan and the double bird additions in the oceania pack is a huge change from what we are used to but it honestly doesn't feel like Frontier is willingly putting all hands on deck to make complex rigs based on mechanics that don't exist. The walkthrough exhibit is absolutely not the answer to flying birds if it hasn't been made clear enough already.

Habitat birds on existing or altered rigs though is entirely possible when looking at the likes of the swan. Birds like more waders, pelicans, waterfowl and general land based birds are possible through the existing habitat system and is ideal for the mechanics we have. Speaking of the gift shop tiling though, I would like to see an update to the restaurant or cafes on a tiling system. I feel that's far more suitable for what it sounds like it can do.

becks474 · Dec 9, 2023

Trust me. It will very very likely not happen. And seeing the Gift shops as a hint feels Like Kind of desperation. The acceptation of that likely reality that the Packs Just will be as they are now is the first step torwards less frustration about new Packs for such people. After all these years I have No pity anymore if people puts Up their expectations Just too high. Frontier never has promised a Feature Like Flying birds.

Tinou97 · Dec 9, 2023

CharlieXGaming said:
Something I didn’t pick up and that I didn’t notice until now, what if the gift shops hear me out are for aviaries?

First frontier kept putting bird teasers in scenery pieces across each pack (tour guide with the owl, seagull in Aquatic, etc) we all assume by this point it’s nothing, understandable.

Walkthrough exhibit gets introduced. We get bats as a starter, butterflies introduce multiple species in the same enclosure, and sloth brings in sexual dimorphism. In all 3 of these packs that we got these things, there were no birds. Hold onto that for a second.
Idk how to explain not having any birds in arid, I really don’t know it was probably the porcupine taking too much time.

Now we have the Giftshops, giftshops that are able to be expanded by a tiling system.

I know this is a long shot, but what if frontier is still planning birds? Combine the animal dimorphism, multiple species in the same enclosure, tiling system to make aviaries / WTEs as big as you want, all of this could be pieced together.

Also keep in mind that we have gotten a decent amount of birds in the last two packs, maybe they’re trying to remind people they know about birds and to get themselves hyped off again? Is this a sign that they’re almost done perfecting a bird pack and ready to release next year? Maybe?

I’m not fully sold on this idea, I just saw a comment on YouTube and found it really interesting for a discussion.

I talked about that 2 days ago on a thread (don't remember which). For me there is indeed a possibility that those modular giftshops are a step towards modular walkthrough exhibits for birds. I mean at this point they practically have everything to make a successful bird pack.
And I still can't believe that they launched those WE more than 1 year ago only to put bats, butterflies or sloth in it...

MMaire · Dec 9, 2023

I agree with this observation and am very optimistic for the future. I think we are sometimes a bit like very impatient spoiled children. I have the feeling that on the contrary, in response to this very strong desire among players to have flying birds in an aviary, Frontier are trying to unravel the feasibility of the thing step by step.

The first was the Walk Exhibit with the bat. They gave the community time to get to grips with this and provide feedback on this concept. What first emerged was the desire to divert the Walk Exhibit into a non-traversable aviary. Right after that, Frontier gave us the null paths.

After that, they were able to see that the players were getting used to looping animation. Overall, what is most requested is more customization of the aviaries and a modular aspect. Now it's arriving in gift shops.

Again, in my opinion, they will look at what the creators do with it. And the limits of the thing, listening to feedback and using it to improve a possible aviary system.

Finally, the fact that many habitat birds regularly reach us in game is a good step forward in terms of the challenges of modeling future birds.

For me, all the lights are green. The only unknown is what these experiments are for this version of the game, or in view of a Planet Zoo 2. Personally I am quite convinced that Planet Zoo 1 still has years ahead of it. On the condition that they redirect a lot of development towards optimizations for game performance and new mechanics.

Spiderhawk · Dec 9, 2023

I feel like I took both the red pill and the green pill in the matrix

I would like to believe that aviaries will come but I doubt it as we are entering the 4th year of PZ and doubt has been clouding many of us.
I want birds of prey more then anything, if frontier was to add aviaries I believe they would have already.
I’m still hoping we get song birds or humingbirds for aviaries yet it seems they want to stick with bats and hopefully not another sloth.

DarthQuell · Dec 9, 2023

It's not a bad theory. However, I don't have enough reasons to believe it. I'm not saying you're wrong or that it's impossible, but I'm at a point where I think that, despite all the hints towards flying birds, they may never come. While disappointing, I've decided to shift my focus on land based species, instead. The swan is exactly what a lot of us wanted, so animals like that (swans, ducks, geese, rheas, curassows, fowl, even pelicans) would really enhance the game

Doran · Dec 9, 2023

tbh delusion > boring reality.

DarthQuell · Dec 9, 2023

Doran said:
tbh delusion > boring reality.

But ducks, pelicans, and the rhea aren't boring...
Unless you aren't Doran and you're an imposter

synthetase · Dec 9, 2023

My most wanted bird type is a dove...

Iben · Dec 9, 2023

MMaire said:
Frontier are trying to unravel the feasibility of the thing step by step.

But... they are not though. Because, what feasibility needs to be tested here? Frontier has literally already done flying animals in a looped system before in the last JWE1 DLC. And it's not like that was an immense leap either from what PZ's exhibit boxes already offered.

I feel like people are trying to come up with hurdles Frontier has to overcome that would require them to take a phased path like this (which, by all means, is a horribly inefficient way of doing it and quite irregular in terms of development) so that it just has to lead to birds. To a point where even null paths are seen as a sign for a non-walkthrough aviary (they would just make one without a path of course, aka a regular exhibit), instead of what it really was being a very very commonly requested feature they added because the game was mature enough so people would know how to work with it. And that's not coming from me; that's coming from an actual dev who told us that on stream.

The idea that Frontier started with bats as an experiment is still baffles me to this day; simply because if they wanted to add birds that way they simply would have added birds instead of a bat.

RightWhale · Dec 9, 2023

Iben said:
But... they are not though. Because, what feasibility needs to be tested here? Frontier has literally already done flying animals in a looped system before in the last JWE1 DLC. And it's not like that was an immense leap either from what PZ's exhibit boxes already offered.

I feel like people are trying to come up with hurdles Frontier has to overcome that would require them to take a phased path like this (which, by all means, is a horribly inefficient way of doing it and quite irregular in terms of development) so that it just has to lead to birds. To a point where even null paths are seen as a sign for a non-walkthrough aviary (they would just make one without a path of course, aka a regular exhibit), instead of what it really was being a very very commonly requested feature they added because the game was mature enough so people would know how to work with it. And that's not coming from me; that's coming from an actual dev who told us that on stream.

The idea that Frontier started with bats as an experiment is still baffles me to this day; simply because if they wanted to add birds that way they simply would have added birds instead of a bat.

We don’t deserve answers, but man, I wish Frontier was more transparent with what the issue could be. Why would they start with bats, then double down on bats? Is it a technical issue? Do they just not like how it looks? Obviously the swan looks amazing so whoever they have doing birds is doing a great job. I wouldn’t even be mad if they told us flying birds are never coming I just need to hear an answer.

BiologicalHorror · Dec 9, 2023

That was exactly my thought with the Gift Shop announcement- exhibit overhaul and flying birds/small mammals !

TheDuckKnight · Dec 9, 2023

Sounds like a bit of stretch to me, but stranger things have happened.

You know, like having a walkthrough aviary in your zoo game, and filling it with...sloths...

Look I'm over the moon because of the addition of waterfowl, but there are somedays I just really want to have a drink with this dev team and ask some questions from over the years lol

jcp011c · Dec 9, 2023

Gonna still hope for a few larger habitat birds, but I feel like there's no hope for medium/small-ish sized flying birds for exhibits. I mean..if we got the Secretary Bird, Shoebill, Wild Turkey, Scarlet Ibis and a Pelican I'd be really happy with that roster for habitat birds.