Planet Zoo | Americas Animal Pack | Announce

NachoB

NachoB
Annie_konik said:
But Minecraft has those items and no warnings?! :unsure::ROFLMAO:


(The text below is not an answer to your post, Aardvark, just a general thought.)

I'm quite surprised to read a couple of extreme reactions to this pack. It didn't feel quite controversial to me, honestly. More like a reasonable mid-tier pack. The biggest flaw is the omission of the top requested animal from the meta wishlist. It's painful, I got it, and I'm sad about it too (and about Mara!). Maybe this decision was some kind of weird mistake? Or was it harder to make a good model of it because of climbing? Or is this species unknown to the more casual PZ players? But it must be better known than the bush dogs or saki? I have a feeling we will get this animal at some point. Fingers crossed!

And yes, some animals in this DLC are very similar to what we already have (flamingo, bighorn), and in general, the pack is missing the wow factor. But, to be fair, some of our wishes were answered: we got two birds and a monkey in one pack and more SA animals in general. And I think it's not mentioned often enough: the ocelot looks awesome. I can't find a flaw in the model; perhaps it's the most realistic-looking cat in the game.

What makes me sad is that there is no indication of a free update or any new plants. Annoyingly, among the new scenery items, they listed paper flowers. Why add paper flowers but no real ones? That seems like a weird decision on their side. :cry:
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All around weird decisions in this pack. Coyote but no coati, adding a rhea but nor a mara, making a saki (not complaining) instead of the howler which is the most requested NWM.

Honestly by just making this full on Latinoamérica and replacing the coyote and bighorn with coati and mara and this pack elevates to top tier. Of course you could also changed the flamingo for something more unique like the roseate spoonbill or the Scarlet ibis and there you have a top Quality DLC.
 

Annie_konik

Annie_konik
NachoB said:
All around weird decisions in this pack. Coyote but no coati, adding a rhea but nor a mara, making a saki (not complaining) instead of the howler which is the most requested NWM.

Honestly by just making this full on Latinoamérica and replacing the coyote and bighorn with coati and mara and this pack elevates to top tier. Of course you could also changed the flamingo for something more unique like the roseate spoonbill or the Scarlet ibis and there you have a top Quality DLC.
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Perhaps the main reason for extreme feelings about this pack that some people have is that it had the potential to be fantastic but ended up being so-so. Yes, I agree, changing just two animal choices would make a huge difference.

At the same time, we did get some lovely and requested animals. So, to me, at least, it's still a nice DLC. Not amazing or top, but it's still pretty nice.
 

nutrit

nutrit
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The other two names for Coyote are Prairie wolf and Brush wolf and I know it’s stupid but I like those names better and I’m more happy with another wolf in the roster.

Also look at those pups @FoxyDee
 

DarthQuell

DarthQuell
nutrit said:
View attachment 425566The other two names for Coyote are Prairie wolf and Brush wolf and I know it’s stupid but I like those names better and I’m more happy with another wolf in the roster.

Also look at those pups @FoxyDee
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Coyote is a Mesoamerican word, from the Aztec. Well, technically it's a Spanish word derived from the Aztec. That's why it should be pronounced kai-yo-tea or coh-yo-teh. Not kai-oat or (shudders) yotes

Edit: looked it up. The Aztec word is Coyolt. It means trickster
 

DarthQuell

DarthQuell
I wanna spread some Coyote love. As a Texan, we all have our family ranch (no, it's not a TV thing. But in my case we don't have animals.on our ranch anymore, since I was a baby)
We go up so often to the farm that it could be said I was raised in the country. We do have our share of wild animals, like white-tailed deer, rabbits, armadillos, skunks (which sprayed me once), raccoons, etc.

But, we also have a ton of coyotes. A ton. I hear them almost every night, especially on cold days. Their yips and screaming howls send chills...

So, last time I was up there, I had the bright idea to take a walk at night. By myself. As I'm walking down the pitch black road (because we have no streetlights and there are pine trees all around), I suddenly hear the coyote yips. And they weren't far, like on the other side of a strip of trees. I high tailed outta there and went home...

Another story. We had a family reunion back in 2016. Real nice, but it was during a drought. So, as we were outside eating BBQ and listening to some rockabilly, we saw a black dog walk right up to the porch, stared at.us for a moment, then ran off. We all assumed it was a stray dog, but since my dog is black we were afraid she got out. So my dad and I got in the truck to check on her back at the house. On our way we saw the black dog again: it was a black Coyote. It was crazy, we had never seen one. I didn't even know they could be that color until that moment. I've never seen it again.

And now the final story. Because the land is big and we have some swamps, we have a 4-wheeler. But I also use the bike to take the trash at the front of the property, which is a bit of a walk. So, as I was driving on the road, I saw a Coyote trot onto the dirt road and then turn around and go back into the forest. It was a distance away so I went to see it (plus, I had to go that way anyways). Y'all will not believe that it was.still there, about 20 feet away (which is something like 6 or 7 meters, I think). It was standing on a log and we just stared at each other for a few seconds. It them trotted off deeper into the woods...


So yeah, those are my Coyote stories. Hope y'all enjoyed them
 

NachoB

NachoB
Annie_konik said:
Perhaps the main reason for extreme feelings about this pack that some people have is that it had the potential to be fantastic but ended up being so-so. Yes, I agree, changing just two animal choices would make a huge difference.

At the same time, we did get some lovely and requested animals. So, to me, at least, it's still a nice DLC. Not amazing or top, but it's still pretty nice.
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Yes don't get me wrong. I LOVE rhea, saki, ocelote and bush dog. I think they are fantastic aditions and do a lot for SA Rep. I actually really like the big horned sheep in a vacum just... Not now and not in this pack.

The abscence of the coati REALLY hurts this pack and the abscence of the mara hurts me personally because i don't think will ever get them now. This was their chance...
 
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jcp011c

jcp011c
Annie_konik said:
Perhaps the main reason for extreme feelings about this pack that some people have is that it had the potential to be fantastic but ended up being so-so. Yes, I agree, changing just two animal choices would make a huge difference.

At the same time, we did get some lovely and requested animals. So, to me, at least, it's still a nice DLC. Not amazing or top, but it's still pretty nice.
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Heck even just one choice change and we all know which one that would be for me.

It’s just baffling. No ABB. No coati. No Mara. Not even the Muak Ox! Ungulste inclusion is from NA not SA of which they could have made several picks. Fifth most wanted monkey type (but 1000 times better than no monkey at all). Two canines after 2+ years of no canines…
 

Swjosdotschka

Swjosdotschka
It's funny how so many people hate on the Flamingo while I am just happy to finally have Flamingos that have COLOR (and hopefully better feather work) than the base game Flamingo. I have far more problem with the sheep/goat clone for which base rig I paid for in: The Arctic Pack, The European Pack, the Barn Yard Pack and now again. And I love sheeps and goats, but oh boy, them taking up space in DLCs has to stop - as much as I would love an african dwarf goat. It really has to stop for me.
 
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Marvinb

Marvinb
Swjosdotschka said:
It's funny how so many people hate on the Flamingo why I am just happy to finally have Flamingos that have COLOR (and hopefully better feather work) than the base game Flamingo. I have far more problem with the sheep/goat colne for which base rig I paid for in: The Arctic Pack, The European Pack, the Barn Yard Pack and now again. And I love sheeps and goats, but oh boy, them taking up space in DLCs has to stop - as much as I would love an african dwarf goat. It really has to stop for me.
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I know for me its mainly that there where so many more intersting options for american birds than the flamingo, even just for the very specific niche of leggy pink water bird.
Whereas for the sheep the other options for american ungulates dont really tickle my fancy either, so it doesnt feel like im missing out much.

I do still prefer the flamingo tho, as a really common bird is still inherently more usefull to me than something with practically no captive presence (from a european point of view)
 

Swjosdotschka

Swjosdotschka
SivatheriumGuy said:
And then I'm here finally glad to have a proper set of caprids lmao
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That's what I meant when I talked about different needs in a DLC 😅

@Marvinb I am usually also someone who looks at captive presence, but the Coyote has at least a fair amount of presence in NA, far more than the Proboscis monkey or the Saiga Antilope, so...
And yeah, probably there would have been other choices for a bird, but we know Frontier has to rely heavily on easy to make animals due to their staffing. I can sympathise with that to a degree, but with this pack it feels like only the Bush Dog got soooome more model work and to be grumbly okay with paying 10 Euro I would definately want TWO animals in the pack to be touched more - which would have been the Coati.
 
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Marvinb

Marvinb
Swjosdotschka said:
That's what I meant when I talked about different needs in a DLC 😅

@Marvinb I am usually also someone who looks at captive presence, but the Coyote has at least a fair amount of presence in NA, far more than the Proboscis monkey or the Saiga Antilope, so...
And yeah, probably there would have been other choices for a bird, but we know Frontier has to rely heavily on easy to make animals due to their staffing. I can sympathise with that to a degree, but with this pack it feels like only the Bush Dog got soooome more model work and to be grumbly okay with paying 10 Euro I would definately want TWO animals in the pack to be touched more - which would have been the Coati.
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Mouflon also has like 450 holdings in europe, doesnt mean the average american player is gonna give a hoot about that animal
 

zom03

zom03
Rankin' time!

Bush Dog: Easily the highlight of the pack in my opinion! This was the only canine I was still hoping to receive in-game, since they're such funny-looking little walking meatloaves and a great South American rep. I really, really hope the model looks good - if it does, it's an easy 5/5 for me. But seriously, Frontier, we really don't need any more dogs after this. Please.

Greater Rhea: I'll be real, for a while, I didn't really get the appeal of these guys at first. I kinda just saw them as another ratite, which is, of course, never a bad thing, but not something that would top my personal wishlist. However, I ended up seeing them at a smaller zoo while I was studying abroad in France, and I kind of instantly got the hype. They're very charming, and from what we can see in the trailer, they look pretty great! 4/5 - a good birb, glad to have it.

White-faced Saki - I'm not a monkey fan nor a monkey hater, but it's a well-agreed upon fact that they're underrepresented in PZ, and the saki is a good choice for another one. I can't imagine they'd ignore their sexual dimorphism, but I suppose that remains to be seen... Not much else to say about it, though. 4/5.

Bighorn Sheep - I know I'm definitely in the minority here, but I'm actually quite happy we got the bighorn! It's an iconic North American animal, and caprids are one of my favorite flavors of ungulate, personally. I know a lot of people have deemed it a reskin of the Dall sheep, and I get that frustration, especially when it's surrounded by other clone-adjacent animals... but as a certified Dall sheep hater, I see this as Frontier finally giving us a PROPER American caprid lol. 4/5.

Coyote - Oh boy, it's arguably the most controversial animal of the pack... I understand why so many people are disappointed - it's a dog, which we have plenty of already, and not a highly requested one in the slightest. Plus, the fact that we're getting it alongside the bush dog is genuinely crazy, I can't even begin to defend that decision.
However... I can't bring myself to dislike it! I've always tended to sympathize with animals that the general public sees as "gross" or "pests", and the coyote is definitely a shining example of that. They're underdogs in every sense of the word, very charming, a good animal to represent Americas prairies and deserts... so in my book, they're a fine inclusion.
Now, that being said, it's not a species I was actively asking for, so it's only getting a 3/5. However, I absolutely think it's overhated.

American Flamingo - I know that I'm very likely the only person on this forum who actively didn't want a second flamingo species, and yeah, it's another bird for the Americas. That's a good thing. Personally, though, I really don't get any value out of a slightly more saturated pink bird. Sorry. 2/5.

Ocelot - Now here's an animal I don't feel bad about being mean to in the slightest! I'm not a cat hater, but we almost certainly don't need more of them in PZ (the serval would be nice, but it's far from essential at this point), and the ocelot is just so plain, not something I will ever care about. The only redeeming quality is that it is, in fact, a species from South America, but just about anything else from the continent, even something clone-y like the guanaco/vicuna or the South American tapir, would be more valuable in my humble opinion.
1/5. Go back to Minecraft.
 

RightWhale

RightWhale
Honestly, I’m totally fine if people find the American Flamingo boring. It kind of is, it’s another “flavor” of flamingo. As basic of a choice as chocolate and vanilla at an ice cream shop. However, there is a reason most ice cream stores/ shops provide the basics. They are needed.

Suffice to say, the American Flamingo was a long time coming. Flamingos are common in captivity, and TBH I think Frontier not picking the more colorful American Flamingo over the Greater Flamingos was a mistake since launch. Yes, the GF is more common in zoos, but when you think flamingo you think Caribbean/ American and its vibrant colors. But it really should have been a free update animal, akin to the black and white ruffed lemur. A good animal choice for a free update, doesn’t take away from DLCs but provides diversity in its building options.

However when it comes to the flamingo there is a couple points I would like to make:
  1. I genuinely don’t think the Flamingo took a slot over any other bird. TBH with how “easy” it would be to make it was probably chosen because of that. I can honestly say the same with the Rhea, and I can see an alternate universe where we got no birds in this pack because something at Frontier makes them think birds aren’t worth the effort. Other birds may have been more interesting yes, but I don’t think it’s “taking up a slot” but more “it fits best with what we can do, and would satiate some of the bird people”.
  2. This is, after 5 years, the first real habitat bird for North America, and one of only two habitat animals for the Caribbean. Even for basic representation this stuff matters, like the Galapagos tortoise can make a “Galapagos” area the American Flamingo can make a “Caribbean” area all on its own.
  3. This is more of a personal point, but after years of having to hear how important “mammal #10-20 is so important and different we need it for our builds!” I think we can afford a second flamingo. I get the reason why, but I think it’s unfair every bird option basically has to be something new, when we just added another caprine, two dogs, and another small cat. (Granted, I’ll still give it to people that the Flamingo would have been a better suited Free Update Animal, but my point still stands)
Either way I am happy North America at least has something, and call me a doomer, but I unfortunately don’t think the Americas will see any more birds for the rest of development. I would love to be wrong though.
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