So I have been reading a few of the subs going around about what people would like to see the devs work on next DLC-wise and figured I would give the thought exercise a try. I ended up coming up with something that might be a little niche, but I feel like the Frontier team should tackle more niche ideas like this to keep things fresh. I am also working on a zoo revolving around North American animals though so I will be honest in that likely had something to do with this idea as well. Anyway without further ado here is my idea for an American Southwest Pack.
Animals:
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America, Central America (Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama)
Reasoning: I have seen the Coyote pop up on a few people's lists so I am not sure the extent of player interest but I would say there is at least some healthy desire for them. They are also a considerable staple to the North American ecosystem so I find it hard to believe they have not been considered already seeing as they could have been perfect additions to either the North America, Grasslands or even Twilight pack. I can not speak from personal experience on this, however, I would hope this would not be a very hard animal to rig up either (compared to something like bats or birds) since they have a few Canis animals they could use for the base to start with. They are also a widely common and recognizable animal throughout the American Southwest and I really can not see a reason to not include them beyond maybe being of low conservation interest.
2. Texas Longhorn [Domestic Cattle] (Bos taurus)
Conservation Status: Domesticated
Range: North America (USA/Texas) or Worldwide for Domestic Cattle in general
Reasoning: Frontier has already added one domesticated animal in the game in the form of Llamas so we already know they are not afraid to develop livestock animals. As I am sure a lot of us have also experienced many zoos tend to have some level of domesticated animals in their care so it would not be out of character for Planet Zoo to have them. For example, domesticated dogs are sometimes housed with Cheetahs for interspecies enrichment and many have petting zoos with domesticated animals. Longhorns are also another pretty iconic and interesting-looking animal that I can see being a draw for folks.
3. Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Range: North America (USA) [Historically Central Texas to Atlantic Coast now only a small pocket in North Carolina]
Reasoning: Okay so I know TECHNICALLY Red Wolves are more of an American Southeast species, especially now, but since they have extensive historical presence west of the Mississippi I am also calling them a Southwest species. They would be another critically endangered animal added to the game and one of the two most endangered Canis species on the planet with the other being the Ethiopian Wolf so they are certainly attractive as a conservation species and they also have melanistic color morphs as well to make breeding efforts even more interesting. Just like the previously mentioned Coyote as well it hopefully would not be too taxing of a development workload to take on.
4. Mule Deer/Black-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Canada, Mexico)
Reasoning: An obvious staple herbivore of the American Southwest and another animal that could be added into interspecies habitats like with other large herbivores such as Bison and Peccaries or smaller ones like Armadillos and Prairie Dogs. It would also be the first strictly North American deer added into the game and since Europe got two in the Fallow and Red Deer I feel like North America is due for one.
5. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico)
Reasoning: I find it kind of shocking that Frontier has not added a single rabbit or hare into the game since it was released, literally not a single one. This would rectify that while also adding another animal for interspecies habitats which I personally think opens the door for a lot of habitat themes when you have more species like that. The Black-Tailed Jackrabbit could also have an interesting little Zoopedia entry since it is a hare and not actually a rabbit (thinking about it though they could also just go with their other common name, the American Desert Hare instead.)
6. Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico)
Reasoning: Neat little desert exhibit animal with a very appealing look. They add to the short list of desert exhibit animals from North America and can also be an interesting addition to the Zoopedia with their unique dietary habits and some subspecies having the unique defense mechanism of shooting blood from the eye.
7. Western Mastiff Bat (Eumops perotis)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay)
Reasoning: So this one might be a tougher ask since I am assuming bats are a lot harder to rig and model vs other species but since we only have two species of bats in the game right now I think the devs probably have it in mind to add more in the future anyway. This particular species is also the largest bat native to North America which I think makes it worth special consideration over other bat species, and they also have a unique look with their bonnet-like ear shape so I think they would be an instant draw for people looking for new exhibit species.
(Honorable Mention) 8. California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Range: North America (USA/California)
Reasoning: I thought about these special little guys after I already made this post so I will call them an honorable mention especially since they may not be an animal on anyone's radar. I would still like to see them fit in somewhere anyway, they are a unique species and attractive from a conservation standpoint. They are endemic to my state though so I do have some obvious bias. However, I would like to add we only have two salamanders and one newt in the game so I feel like they are due for more additions sooner rather than later. Why not these guys?
Plants:
1. Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
2. Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
3. Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
4. Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)
5. New Mexico Thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum)
6. Texas Ebony (Ebenopsis ebano)
I completely forgot about plants when I first made this post but these are some I came
up with that I think would tie the pack together.
Building Theme:
1. Old Western
2. Adobe/Pueblo
Now I think Old Western may be a bit better of a theme draw since you can kind of get the Adobe theme through using the mud walls and plaster walls already in construction, also, cowboys. However, I think some more specifically designed buildings utilizing architectural features the Pueblos used would be much better than just using the base game construction tools. I think either of these building themes would fit perfectly with the overall pack though, and if both were possible I would be thrilled to see both themes added to the game. This could also be a chance to add new facilities like a BBQ-themed food shop or even new facility types like a western pony ride for entertainment features.
Anyway, that pretty much covers the whole base of the idea and I feel like it has something everyone could get on board with but I would love to hear some feedback. What do you guys like about it or not like, what would you add, replace or tweak?
Animals:
- Coyote (Canis latrans)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America, Central America (Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama)
Reasoning: I have seen the Coyote pop up on a few people's lists so I am not sure the extent of player interest but I would say there is at least some healthy desire for them. They are also a considerable staple to the North American ecosystem so I find it hard to believe they have not been considered already seeing as they could have been perfect additions to either the North America, Grasslands or even Twilight pack. I can not speak from personal experience on this, however, I would hope this would not be a very hard animal to rig up either (compared to something like bats or birds) since they have a few Canis animals they could use for the base to start with. They are also a widely common and recognizable animal throughout the American Southwest and I really can not see a reason to not include them beyond maybe being of low conservation interest.
2. Texas Longhorn [Domestic Cattle] (Bos taurus)
Conservation Status: Domesticated
Range: North America (USA/Texas) or Worldwide for Domestic Cattle in general
Reasoning: Frontier has already added one domesticated animal in the game in the form of Llamas so we already know they are not afraid to develop livestock animals. As I am sure a lot of us have also experienced many zoos tend to have some level of domesticated animals in their care so it would not be out of character for Planet Zoo to have them. For example, domesticated dogs are sometimes housed with Cheetahs for interspecies enrichment and many have petting zoos with domesticated animals. Longhorns are also another pretty iconic and interesting-looking animal that I can see being a draw for folks.
3. Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Range: North America (USA) [Historically Central Texas to Atlantic Coast now only a small pocket in North Carolina]
Reasoning: Okay so I know TECHNICALLY Red Wolves are more of an American Southeast species, especially now, but since they have extensive historical presence west of the Mississippi I am also calling them a Southwest species. They would be another critically endangered animal added to the game and one of the two most endangered Canis species on the planet with the other being the Ethiopian Wolf so they are certainly attractive as a conservation species and they also have melanistic color morphs as well to make breeding efforts even more interesting. Just like the previously mentioned Coyote as well it hopefully would not be too taxing of a development workload to take on.
4. Mule Deer/Black-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Canada, Mexico)
Reasoning: An obvious staple herbivore of the American Southwest and another animal that could be added into interspecies habitats like with other large herbivores such as Bison and Peccaries or smaller ones like Armadillos and Prairie Dogs. It would also be the first strictly North American deer added into the game and since Europe got two in the Fallow and Red Deer I feel like North America is due for one.
5. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico)
Reasoning: I find it kind of shocking that Frontier has not added a single rabbit or hare into the game since it was released, literally not a single one. This would rectify that while also adding another animal for interspecies habitats which I personally think opens the door for a lot of habitat themes when you have more species like that. The Black-Tailed Jackrabbit could also have an interesting little Zoopedia entry since it is a hare and not actually a rabbit (thinking about it though they could also just go with their other common name, the American Desert Hare instead.)
6. Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico)
Reasoning: Neat little desert exhibit animal with a very appealing look. They add to the short list of desert exhibit animals from North America and can also be an interesting addition to the Zoopedia with their unique dietary habits and some subspecies having the unique defense mechanism of shooting blood from the eye.
7. Western Mastiff Bat (Eumops perotis)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: North America (USA, Mexico), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay)
Reasoning: So this one might be a tougher ask since I am assuming bats are a lot harder to rig and model vs other species but since we only have two species of bats in the game right now I think the devs probably have it in mind to add more in the future anyway. This particular species is also the largest bat native to North America which I think makes it worth special consideration over other bat species, and they also have a unique look with their bonnet-like ear shape so I think they would be an instant draw for people looking for new exhibit species.
(Honorable Mention) 8. California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Range: North America (USA/California)
Reasoning: I thought about these special little guys after I already made this post so I will call them an honorable mention especially since they may not be an animal on anyone's radar. I would still like to see them fit in somewhere anyway, they are a unique species and attractive from a conservation standpoint. They are endemic to my state though so I do have some obvious bias. However, I would like to add we only have two salamanders and one newt in the game so I feel like they are due for more additions sooner rather than later. Why not these guys?
Plants:
1. Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
2. Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
3. Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
4. Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)
5. New Mexico Thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum)
6. Texas Ebony (Ebenopsis ebano)
I completely forgot about plants when I first made this post but these are some I came
up with that I think would tie the pack together.
Building Theme:
1. Old Western
2. Adobe/Pueblo
Now I think Old Western may be a bit better of a theme draw since you can kind of get the Adobe theme through using the mud walls and plaster walls already in construction, also, cowboys. However, I think some more specifically designed buildings utilizing architectural features the Pueblos used would be much better than just using the base game construction tools. I think either of these building themes would fit perfectly with the overall pack though, and if both were possible I would be thrilled to see both themes added to the game. This could also be a chance to add new facilities like a BBQ-themed food shop or even new facility types like a western pony ride for entertainment features.
Anyway, that pretty much covers the whole base of the idea and I feel like it has something everyone could get on board with but I would love to hear some feedback. What do you guys like about it or not like, what would you add, replace or tweak?
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