Planet Zoo 2 Speculation and ideas

Hey Mjmannella, I understand your critisim against AI, I really do. But it was meant as a peace of fun and inspirantion for the community. I sat here two hours until it spat out a picture, that I thought was good enough, to share it with the community. I mean look at the animals in the enclosure around the big tree. I still don't know what these animals are supposed to be. A real human with the right skill can do this so much better.It was meant for fun. And I tell you all: When the real announcement-trailer for PZ2 comes out, a lot of people here will be hyped. PZ was so successfull for Frontier, they would be stupid, if they wouldnt already be working on a successor. And I know, they are not stupid.

I have played PC2 alot since the last update, and the path-building feels so much better. The graphics, especially die water-graphics and the lighting is such a huge step forward. Imagine if we just can draw the pools from PC2 for our sea-lions. Our old engine just can't handle it. I know, a lot people want this game to continue on and on. But to face the realtity: If we want aviaries, nighthouses and aquariums, I mean all those things that are essential for a zoo: we will have to wait for PZ2. They have tried to bring us some of those things with the WTE, but it wasn't the real deal, so they gave up. And they did it, because they respect us, as a community.

A real matter that we all should discuss is, that they should really give us all our animals back for free. "Total War: Warhammer" did it with their DLC-factions. If you bought Woodelves in the first game and Tomb Kings in the second, you can still play those factions in Total War: Warhammer 3. And it could work again with PZ2. I don't say, they must release all of our over 200 animals right at the start. I'm totally fine it they include them in the updates following the release. Again: this is stuff for discussion!

The fact that they refused to give us Mara, Coati, Walrus...anything else that cannot be made from extisting rigs or could be a seller for PZ2 or it's DLCs, makes me confident, that PZ2 is already in the works. JWE3's release was announced in the schedule, and so we Zoo-lovers are in for a amazing time, next year.

(and as a personal note: give us Squirell-monkeys in PZ2, Frontier: They are in nearly every zoo in Europe. And they are duper-cute! 😄 )
 
Hey @Mjmannella, I understand your critisim against AI, I really do. But it was meant as a peace of fun and inspirantion for the community. I sat here two hours until it spat out a picture, that I thought was good enough, to share it with the community. I mean look at the animals in the enclosure around the big tree. I still don't know what these animals are supposed to be. A real human with the right skill can do this so much better.It was meant for fun.
I suggest reading the previous exchanges and the supplementary articles I provided on the matter.
real matter that we all should discuss is, that they should really give us all our animals back for free. "Total War: Warhammer" did it with their DLC-factions. If you bought Woodelves in the first game and Tomb Kings in the second, you can still play those factions in Total War: Warhammer 3. And it could work again with PZ2. I don't say, they must release all of our over 200 animals right at the start. I'm totally fine it they include them in the updates following the release. Again: this is stuff for discussion!
Fully agreed. As to if Frontier will make such a decision after double down on re-buying species in the JWE trilogy, I will reserve my doubts.
 
A real matter that we all should discuss is, that they should really give us all our animals back for free. "Total War: Warhammer" did it with their DLC-factions. If you bought Woodelves in the first game and Tomb Kings in the second, you can still play those factions in Total War: Warhammer 3. And it could work again with PZ2. I don't say, they must release all of our over 200 animals right at the start. I'm totally fine it they include them in the updates following the release. Again: this is stuff for discussion!
I have brought this up here before but as you point out other franchises have done a system where you can port over existing content from previous games if you own it prior or you can purchase them for the new game if you dont already own them. This idea in my opinion meets both requirements with developers still getting paid for new sales of dlc by making sure new players or old players without all the dlc still have to pay for the content but gives old players who already paid for content the peace of mind that they can use or their favourite animals and not have to purchase them again.
 
I have brought this up here before but as you point out other franchises have done a system where you can port over existing content from previous games if you own it prior or you can purchase them for the new game if you dont already own them. This idea in my opinion meets both requirements with developers still getting paid for new sales of dlc by making sure new players or old players without all the dlc still have to pay for the content but gives old players who already paid for content the peace of mind that they can use or their favourite animals and not have to purchase them again.
Well but if some old animals are locked behind new animals in new DLCs you will inevitable have to pay for them again if you want the new stuff.
 
Well but if some old animals are locked behind new animals in new DLCs you will inevitable have to pay for them again if you want the new stuff.
? Using my proposed idea the old animals wouldn't be in new dlc if you own the animal in planet zoo you own the animal the dlc will be ported over so that new players can access them but old players wont need to pay again.
 
About to sit on my soapbox for a while, so for anyone interested enough to read, here are my (unranked, except for the first) expectations and wishlist for a potential PZ2:

0. So important I'm putting it at step 0 is a significant improvement in game performance. They should have the expectation that a moderate to high level PC should be able to run a zoo that contains every single species in game at a usable FPS. It's a bit absurd that such a thing isn't currently possible, so optimising performance (the first basic step would be multi-threading) should be the primary reason that the game should be a sequel and not just an expansion pack

1. I want a lot of PZ1 species - it would suck for players to lose their favorite species when transitioning into the "better" game, and there's no saying it won't be mine or yours. Something along the lines of a statement that PZ1 species will all eventually be added would suffice - assuming there is a good reason that they can't be ported over directly, which leads me to...

2. Improved pathfinding and animal interactions. It's annoying how much space we have to give animals in order for them to move. Nothing worse than creating an awesome looking cave, door, tunnel, etc. only to find that despite the fact it's 2x the size of your animal, it still can't pathfind through. Animation improvements for jumping and (possibly an entire rework of) the climbing system and swimming would be nice

3. I think it's a given that we'll be getting aviaries, and most likely aquariums. Personally I'm not too concerned with aquariums, but I'd obviously take them... I don't go to the zoo expecting to see any sharks or other aquarium species so it might feel a bit non-zoo to add, but obviously you don't have to use them. Aviaries on the other hand are a must have, and it should be a major priority to get the flying system absolutely on point from the get go, rather than things like adding (the equivalent of) janky deep diving in later updates

4. Improved guest interactions, ranging from selling upgraded tickets to access behind the scenes experiences like animal feeding, to having usable drinking fountains, playgrounds, binoculars etc.

5. It goes without saying that paths need an overhaul. Ranging from allowing us to make 1m paths, making one-way paths, making elevated paths take up much less space vertically, allowing us to create automatic elevation without needing to use transport tricks, allowing us to designate any path style as staff only paths, and of course making them behave normally in the first place. I first bought this game many years ago, and genuinely quit after about an hour because the paths were so incredibly awful that I didn't want to play. After a few years I tried again, and once I moved past the path issues, I loved it. I wonder if any others quit because of this...

6. Basic item scaling should be added, or at the very least some simple things such as adding 50cm versions of most construction pieces, adding thinner versions of most walls, adding a lot more rock variants, etc

7. This is a 2 parter: I would love to see a more realistic approach to franchise/challenge mode. Starting with a more realistic approach to funding. Currently having to add multiple donation boxes at every habitat looks ugly and is absolutely nothing like how a real zoo operates. It doesn't need to be a full on financial simulator, but we could have sponsorships, charity fundraising, and other options available that would be more immersive and realistic. Outside of pure gameplay, we should address:

8. Animal welfare significantly takes away from the ability to build a realistic and functioning zoo. Animals being upset that plants are not part of their native continent is an absurdity. Terrain requirements can be way too strict, and often contradict what you see in real zoos. Animal AI does not mesh at all with their requirements. I can give them a nice, cooled indoor area of their habitat where any real animal would go during a heatwave, but mine will stay outside and suffer and cause protests because they can't work it out. Same with stress levels, when 95% of their habitat is shielded from view and yet every few minutes I get a notification that they are stressed. I understand it's not a simple fix, but it needs to be addressed in some way - it's so frustrating playing anything but sandbox and feeling funnelled into making a zoo where half the animals will never be seen due to their stress

9. Map and biome options are so limited. We should be able to pick the map size (let's say up to 2x2 km assuming improvements from the current 1x1 maximum), as well as (realistic) temperature ranges. Making us use magical outdoor heaters and coolers that can create snow in a desert takes significantly away from the immersion - it would be great to just set a basic temperature range of 3-35 degrees and leave it at that.

10. Allow us to use all terrain paints in a map. So strange how limited we are in that respect given how much freedom we have in others. We can place a magical floating concrete slab, we can clip a tree through the ground so only its leaves are showing, we can place hundred-year-old redwoods instantly, and yet we can't put normal brown dirt in a grassland.

11. I'd like to see improvements to power options. It's annoying to have to create generators everywhere. Wires exist. I wouldn't even mind if I could place a solar farm somewhere and use that throughout my zoo, but needing to be within a certain radius, once again, pushes me away from playing franchise and towards playing sandbox.

12. Lastly, exhibits are in such a messy state right now. 64 cubic metres to store a cockroach is bizarre and makes it really hard to use them in a realistic manner. There should be 1x1, 2x1, 2x2, 4x2, 4x4, and 8x4 exhibits as a minimum. They would also be assisted by the aforementioned path rework.

If anyone stuck through reading that, I'm impressed! I'm sure I'm not the first to say a lot of these things, but I've had little ideas along the way for a while and figured it was time to put them in one spot
 
5. It goes without saying that paths need an overhaul. Ranging from allowing us to make 1m paths, making one-way paths, making elevated paths take up much less space vertically, allowing us to create automatic elevation without needing to use transport tricks, allowing us to designate any path style as staff only paths, and of course making them behave normally in the first place. I first bought this game many years ago, and genuinely quit after about an hour because the paths were so incredibly awful that I didn't want to play. After a few years I tried again, and once I moved past the path issues, I loved it. I wonder if any others quit because of this...
I don't know if you've seen the ramp tool of JWE3 and the fact that PC2s paths basically function as scenery pieces (aka they can be advanced moved, blueprinted, etc.); so I'd say that alongside scaling we're most likely going to be getting their new path tool as well.

It's a lot and it takes a while to get the hang of it, but it gives you much better results than with PZ. And I'm using Freebuild in PZ lol
 
For the next game, I hope that there is a rotating habitat system so that you can move a group of animals and schedule them to be moved to certain exhibits or rotate through a couple of exhibits for a set period of time. I also would like the ability to schedule a time where two habitats would be connected to each other and open up if they are connected physically that way for species like the tiger that are solitary, can only be together when it’s time to breed and then separate afterwards. That way we have more realistic dynamics for our habitats and planet zoo.
 
Another thing I would love to see is three life stages/ages of animals in the game.

So you’d have a baby/juvenile, young adult/adolescent, adult.

This would be especially useful in groups where you have animals at multiple life stages living together such as gorillas.

You could also have animals like blackbuck where the young males might be tan coloured and perhaps with less developed horns.

IMG_3707.jpeg
 
Another thing I would love to see is three life stages/ages of animals in the game.

So you’d have a baby/juvenile, young adult/adolescent, adult.

This would be especially useful in groups where you have animals at multiple life stages living together such as gorillas.

You could also have animals like blackbuck where the young males might be tan coloured and perhaps with less developed horns.

View attachment 433237
For a second I thought this image was from the game.
 
A real matter that we all should discuss is, that they should really give us all our animals back for free. "Total War: Warhammer" did it with their DLC-factions. If you bought Woodelves in the first game and Tomb Kings in the second, you can still play those factions in Total War: Warhammer 3. And it could work again with PZ2. I don't say, they must release all of our over 200 animals right at the start. I'm totally fine it they include them in the updates following the release. Again: this is stuff for discussion!

The fact that they refused to give us Mara, Coati, Walrus...anything else that cannot be made from extisting rigs or could be a seller for PZ2 or it's DLCs, makes me confident, that PZ2 is already in the works. JWE3's release was announced in the schedule, and so we Zoo-lovers are in for a amazing time, next year.

(and as a personal note: give us Squirell-monkeys in PZ2, Frontier: They are in nearly every zoo in Europe. And they are duper-cute! 😄 )
It won't even be free we’ll have to buy the base game, which will probably cost around 50–70 euros. For me, this is where I draw the line. I'm not going to buy a new game and then pay for 20 DLCs just to get content I’ve already purchased in PZ1. I play this game for the animals that’s why I never even tried PC 1 or 2, and I’m not interested in other games of this genre. I do hope PZ2 includes more management features and improvements, but 20 DLCs would cost around 200 euros, plus the base game. So yes, I’ve already paid more than enough for these species. If the 50-70 euro base game of Planet Zoo 2 doesn’t come with these animals,(or they get add with free updates) I’ll just move on and play something else.
 
For the next game, I hope that there is a rotating habitat system so that you can move a group of animals and schedule them to be moved to certain exhibits or rotate through a couple of exhibits for a set period of time. I also would like the ability to schedule a time where two habitats would be connected to each other and open up if they are connected physically that way for species like the tiger that are solitary, can only be together when it’s time to breed and then separate afterwards. That way we have more realistic dynamics for our habitats and planet zoo.
I was actually gonna say, add this feature with the Breeding Management building from Frontiers Zoo Tycoon 3, I think it would be a great way to make your zoo feel more like a conservation center.

Not only could you have herds of endangered hoofstock, but the breeding center can help automate the management and you could move herds from paddock to paddock.
 
It won't even be free we’ll have to buy the base game, which will probably cost around 50–70 euros. For me, this is where I draw the line. I'm not going to buy a new game and then pay for 20 DLCs just to get content I’ve already purchased in PZ1. I play this game for the animals that’s why I never even tried PC 1 or 2, and I’m not interested in other games of this genre. I do hope PZ2 includes more management features and improvements, but 20 DLCs would cost around 200 euros, plus the base game. So yes, I’ve already paid more than enough for these species. If the 50-70 euro base game of Planet Zoo 2 doesn’t come with these animals,(or they get add with free updates) I’ll just move on and play something else.
I don't understand this logic.You bought a hammer at the shop are you forever entitled to their hammers when they sell new hammers?
 
I don't understand this logic.You bought a hammer at the shop are you forever entitled to their hammers when they sell new hammers?
That comparison makes no sense, they’re not even comparable. It’s not about being “entitled” to their new hammer since I’m paying for the base game (pz2). A better analogy would be this: I bought a full toolset piece by piece, and now the same company is releasing a new version of the toolbox. But instead of selling new tools and including the old ones in the base toolbox, they’re reselling the same tools I already own. I’m not asking for free stuff I’m asking not to be charged again for content I’ve already purchased . And if that’s the case, I’ll just move on and go to the next shop to buy paints and a canvas I already have a toolbox.

t’s simply drawing a line as a consumer who’s already heavily invested in the franchise. If PZ2 doesn’t respect that investment, I’m not going to sink another few hundred euros into it especially when most of what I’d be getting, I already have. The few updates the animals would get should be included in the price of the base game. We’ve seen other games and franchises do this right where old content carries over or is included in the new game. So it’s not unreasonable to expect the same here.


Meanwhile Iphone pops out a new model every year with barely visible changes and people buy them like hotcakes
Yeah, and to me, those people are a bit specialit's like they're just being asked to repurchase the same content, only with a new title and a few tweaks.
 
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