Path - Underwater Tunnel Option Proposal

[Ozian]

Currently it is very fiddly to create underwater tunnels within the game and water can still be seen within them unless you view from a certain angle. I feel strongly this should be properly implemented within the game. With more aquatic animals in the roster this is a necessary addition.

I see 2 different additions to the UI contributing to achieving this:

1) A new guest gate with sliding doors for the start and end of the tunnel. This must be added to the side of a habitat wall that is able to contain water for it to be valid.
2) An option within the path settings you can tick to enable - ‘enable glass tunnel’. This would create a curved glass tunnel over any path you place but would only work when placing the path from where the new guest gate type has been placed. It also needs to be connected to a second guest gate to make it a complete tunnel and validated.

I imagine this would need to be placed before water is put inside a hole within the ground, but once the tunnel is validated (similar to how habitats become validated once a habitat gate is added), water can then be placed but will not fill the tunnel.

See pictures below for reference.

Surely this must be possible!

What do you think?
Hoping the devs will see this!

 

[SotF]

Yep, perhaps with some additional versions of tunnels for some of the different possibilities. I could see a more steampunk look for one that reminds me of the old Epcot seas aquarium they had when I was there years ago...but most of the theming there could be done with arched and box shaped pieces for the tunnels (I'd also love to be able to have a full tube appearance there with a raised platform in the middle for the scifi look.

I'd also say the "half-tunnel" and underwater dome should be potentially in it as well. There's several zoos where there is a few steps out from the side with animals that swim with an underwater viewing area...I've seen it with various bears where they can swim or walk overhead as you look up. While it's with Dolphins, the Indianapolis Zoo and Aquarium's Dolphin Dome looks amazing...

Perhaps also the tunnels could include a smaller version with pop-ups that are common where you almost need to crawl to go through them and areas where you can stand up and look around from an animal eye view of the exhibit right next to the animals.

Another thing of the same sort would be a "glass" pathway that would work with bridges and tunnels so you can look down at the animals crossing below you...

The Cincinnati Zoo used to have some with their older outdoor penguin exhibit, not sure if it's still there because I think they moved them around for their new kangaroo valley and replacing the old walrus exhibit which became a sea lion exhibit. The Newport Aquarium in Kentucky has a decent sized area with their main tank's tunnel that you can look down through as well.

 

[Ozian]

Just to flag to the dev team over on the Reddit with a poll of 1,280 people the biggest majority (461 people) voted for this as their most desired update feature (see the Reddit poll for options I gave), which shows as an example it’s highly requested.

 

[jcp011c]

Yes. Definitely want. very much so!

 

[MerelViVeri]

Yes yes yes yes!
I work as a guide at a zoo where we have one of these tunnels with stingrays and eagle rays, and guests always love to be able to see the underside of rays so you can explain more about their anatomy and point out the claspers that distinguish male from female etc. And it makes it easier to explain the difference between free-swimming rays (like the triangular eagle rays) and floor-dwelling rays (like the pancake-shaped stingrays), because you can see that the free-swimming rays have room to flap their 'wings', but floor-dwelling rays can't do that and need to undulate their outer edges to stay close to the sea floor. Guests are always amazed when they see both rays cross over the tunnel and they can see from below how differently they both move through the water.

 

[GRAMPERS62]

An actual path type that would create the effect could be very useful. Or even a barrier type that is a watertight tunnel could be acceptable. I could even conceive a building or wall set that was watertight for that purpose.