Planet Zoo: Eurasia Animal Pack arriving 13 Dec ❄️

I know for sure that some European-themed zoos will certainly be able to expand a bit further with animals like the Wisent, Wild Boar, Wolverine, Mute Swan and Hermann's Tortoise.
I've started a Europe-themed zoo a couple of weeks ago and was saddened by how little it was possible to make my selection of animals stand out. Now it feels truly possible to build a complete, fleshed-out European section. Maybe the Alpine Marmot, the Eurasian Otter, the Chamois and some bird species (White Stork, Dalmatian Pelican) are missing, but I can live without these mammals, and other than that, I think Europe is very well represented now.
 
In a weird way I am going to say that it is good that some people are disappointed.

Of course I’d love everyone to be happy but for me, this shows the strength of where Planet Zoo is now and how broad the selection of animals is.

Some people felt that the kiwi was a pointless addition, for others it was absolutely crucial in building their preferred kind of zoo.

For some people the raccoon was useless vermin, for others a common zoo animal that is an incredibly useful addition to the game.

I am so, so glad that more and more of us can build the kind of zoos we want to without all having the same standard lineup.

The flip side of this is that there will be some animals that people just don’t want or need. It doesn’t make it a wasted slot, it just means that this particular animal in this particular pack isn’t perfect for them.

But another one will be.

Clearly support won’t go on forever but there are so many possibilities that could still come and I am feeling more positive and invested in the game than ever.
 
I'm sure there are some happy people with this pack and wanted these animals, but the only one I'm really looking forward to is the Mute Swan. Everything else is just meh to me unfortunatley. I was hoping for a Hamadryas Babboon, a Bald Eagle or Snowy Owl in the walkthrough exhibit, and the Saiga to be a Spekes Gazelle so I can at'least add it to my Reid Park Zoo. The Saiga even though cool and unique are rarely put in zoos or not at all. The Wolverine and Takin I guess are ok, but not to keen for another Pig/Boar species and bear species when we already got so many now. <- Don't get me wrong, they do really look nice and cool though. We need something big and completely different that PZ doesn't have yet to draw more people to the game like Aviaries and Aquariums. I don't know why it's so hard to give us birds when they already gave us butterflies and bats. Aquatics are already in PZ too and just need to add a bit more work to make Aquariums happen. Maybe they are going to give them to us in the future and are just perfecting it. Idk... Heck give us more attractions to put in our zoo like Zoo Trams, Sky lifts/Chairlifts, Carousel, Splash Pads, Playsgrounds, Giraffe Feeding, Petting Zoo. I know if they do this they'll get an even bigger player base and more money towards the game. I care too much for PZ to see it's player base possibly dying out and ultimately see PZ die out. I know at'least for me I will continue to support them, because I care about this game and Frontier. They already created an amazing game with so many variety of animals and hope in the future they'll finanlly give the playerbase what they want when Frontier finally stabalizes financially after what happened.
I am totally with you. It's just meh all around, bunch of copy-paste animals again (not just talking looks here but habitat building/behavior wise) except the swan. Though I bet even that's gonna be more or less a short legged flamingo where building and behavior are concerned. There's just nothing really new brought to the overall game play at all. We need something really different, like you said, aviaries and fully aquatic animals/aquariums that bring new mechanics to the game to keep it interesting. This is just the same old, same old again and I really don't feel any excitement whatsoever over it.

Heck even the update looks super tiny and kinda "eh, okay?" considering the only real new feature worth advertising seems to be those gift shops and I'm really not sure what to make of that tbh. Like yeah, okay, I can put down finished shelves now instead of building it out of a few scenery pieces, still far from game changing, though. And I never had any issues building nice and functional shops with those custom shelves before either, especially since we got the counters only. Would've much prefered an actual new mechanic like playgrounds for the kids instead as that is really something that you can't build a functional version of with what we already got...

So, sad to say, but all in all I'm just really, really far from jumping onto the hype train this time around.
 
I am totally with you. It's just meh all around, bunch of copy-paste animals again (not just talking looks here but habitat building/behavior wise) except the swan. Though I bet even that's gonna be more or less a short legged flamingo where building and behavior are concerned. There's just nothing really new brought to the overall game play at all. We need something really different, like you said, aviaries and fully aquatic animals/aquariums that bring new mechanics to the game to keep it interesting. This is just the same old, same old again and I really don't feel any excitement whatsoever over it.

Heck even the update looks super tiny and kinda "eh, okay?" considering the only real new feature worth advertising seems to be those gift shops and I'm really not sure what to make of that tbh. Like yeah, okay, I can put down finished shelves now instead of building it out of a few scenery pieces, still far from game changing, though. And I never had any issues building nice and functional shops with those custom shelves before either, especially since we got the counters only. Would've much prefered an actual new mechanic like playgrounds for the kids instead as that is really something that you can't build a functional version of with what we already got...

So, sad to say, but all in all I'm just really, really far from jumping onto the hype train this time around.
I'm saying this as someone wholly not thrilled with this DLC, but you are simply setting your expectations far too high and that's kind of on you.

Seriously, would everyone please stop waiting for aviaries and fish? And playgrounds; they are virtually impossible due to how guests actually function.
 
I'm saying this as someone wholly not thrilled with this DLC, but you are simply setting your expectations far too high and that's kind of on you.

Seriously, would everyone please stop waiting for aviaries and fish? And playgrounds; they are virtually impossible due to how guests actually function.
Seeing how these things are totally possible and there in other games made by them I honestly do not see how wanting them in PZ is setting too high expectations. Playgrounds can function like rides, heck even ZT2 and WLP were able to get it done back in the day, so no one can tell me Frontier couldn't do it in some way or other if they wanted to.

Both systems for open tanks and aviaries are already in place in JWE2 and we got the walkthrough in PZ too, so building upon that for a possible addition in PZ is definitely not too far off. So yeah, really don't see how wishing and hoping for that in PZ is setting expectations too high.
 
But thank god they are in the pack. People that are not the biggest fans of European fauna will also have something to look forward to, tbh, so this is a good outcome.
I think this is a really good viewpoint. Europe has a rather strange predicament where the animals are really common in Europe and highly requested, but are almost non-existent outside of Europe and can then become underwhelming. Take the wisent for example, it probably does nothing for an NA player, but means a lot for someone in Europe.

So having a pack like this with some of those needed European 'clones' but padding it out with some Asian representation is a really good idea. Takins and sloth bears and wolverines are found in zoos across the world.
 
Playgrounds can function like rides
No they can't. Children can't separate from adults. That isn't how it works. AFAIK the entire guest system would need to be recoded to make playgrounds functional, because right now child guests only exist as part of a mass with adult guests. They aren't individual characters.

As for birds and fish, yes, these are possible (other games aren't relevant; the cobra engine isn't used for other games, only the Planet franchise and JWE I believe), I never said they weren't, but to still seriously sit here and say "when birds" at this point in the game's life is just ridiculous.
 
People that are not the biggest fans of European fauna will also have something to look forward to, tbh, so this is a good outcome.
Not really. A niche antelope, a bear not hugely dissimilar from the Formosan, and an ungulate. These three things are not very high on most people's wishlists.
 
Looks like we're getting Sichuan takin:

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Awesome... although I once again wonder why they identify it with a generic name when it's clearly a specific subspecies.
 
Not really. A niche antelope, a bear not hugely dissimilar from the Formosan, and an ungulate. These three things are not very high on most people's wishlists.
I mean yeah, if you are not thrilled with these particular species, then there is still not much for you. But I think at least some people outside of Europe will be pleased that it is not all just Europe. I have seen some people from NA in particular say that the Wolverine, Takin and Sloth Bear do save the pack for them, even if those are not their most wanted species.
 
Okay so, my opinions of each animal:
  • Sichuan takin: Incredibly excited we got them. Most definitely my most wanted animal after the Przewalski's horse got in last year. What they have shown is just so good, I'm just very very very excited. I don't have much else to say, just look at them.
  • Mute swan: A duck. Waterfowl. More birds in this game. What else can I say??? I'm super excited for these guys!!!!! Such a good zoo animal too, can't wait to have some just inhabiting the moats of my exhibits. And what can I say for modders??? I'm so happy to see what they do with them!
  • European bison: The only way Frontier could make me angry about getting them would be if they replaced the takin ahahaha. When the trailer notification got to my phone and saw the bison on the thumbnail my hearth broke for a sec, because after the very good theory SalamAnders posted I was convinced that if one got in, the other would be out. But when I saw BOTH were in the pack I screamed a little of pure joy. The wisent is such a good animal for a zoo game, and one I see in so many collections. It's a must have European zoo animal and I'm so happy that we finally have them in THE zoo game!
  • Wild boar: Another amazing-looking model. Wild boars are pretty much at most zoos around me (The native subspecies can be found very easily at any Spanish institution) and I think they make an amazing display species. I also really like suids and I was missing them, in general, most European species are welcome in my book to the game.
  • Wolverine: Been waiting for these for a very long while too! Alongside the takin, the wolverine was in my original meta wishlist submission back before the Europe Pack was even released! They are an amazing representative of boreal forests and another representative of the great variety mustelids can have. Incredibly happy we got them.
  • Saiga: Now we get a lil bit more... controversial. I'm not as big as a fan of the saiga as I am of the rest of the pack, but I do love saigas. The lack of proper captive populations always conditions my feelings thorwards which species we should get in the game, and saigas are known to not do that. By the same measurements, I love the idea of this lovely gazelle reaching more and more public through PZ, I'm always happy if an endangered species gets in. Would I have preferred something like a markhor or muntjac? Yes. Am I upset we got a saiga? Not at all.
  • Sloth bear: This one is just... weird. We have an entire pack of European, central-asian and north asian species and we suddenly get a species from the indian subcontinent? I won't be complaining though, the sloth bear is my favourite bear species and I'm very happy it's here, although when it came to bears I was ready to just close the box if the Andean got in. Would I have replaced them with something else? Yes. Am I upset we got it? Nope.
  • Hermann's tortoise: How I wish they were a habitat animal. I love myself some small tortoise enclosures, too bad they are confined to the box! A very cool species nonetheless.

Back when we were still speculating the Europe pack, I was one of the few that was saying that Europe needed a whole Animal Pack. Now, after all the time and additions we got with DLCs and updates, and this pack alone, I can safely say that European fauna has been made justice. And the takin too, I'm incredibly happy with this whole roster. Can't wait for it to release.
The highest profile missing European animal is now the Eurasian Brown Bear. They’re 95 there..cmon frontier just update the HBB, like 90% of us would like or at least be fine with that.
 
Maybe a slightly larger size of sapling?
The tropical pack did fool us with a new tree which eventually turned out to be a cecropia sapling so could be a larger sapling but then I'm sure it's an oak tree sapling, it doesn't match the existing evergreen taiga trees and doesn't look 'new' enough for a new tree.
 
Wow the Takin is looking fantastic. I hoped for the Golden Takin, but it is still a takin so I am not going to complain! This and the Swan are certainly my favourites out of this pack.
For something like that, this is going to be a brilliant rig. We'll have unofficial reskins of every subspecies within a week. Just like we did the peccary.
 
In a weird way I am going to say that it is good that some people are disappointed.

Of course I’d love everyone to be happy but for me, this shows the strength of where Planet Zoo is now and how broad the selection of animals is.

Some people felt that the kiwi was a pointless addition, for others it was absolutely crucial in building their preferred kind of zoo.

For some people the raccoon was useless vermin, for others a common zoo animal that is an incredibly useful addition to the game.

I am so, so glad that more and more of us can build the kind of zoos we want to without all having the same standard lineup.

The flip side of this is that there will be some animals that people just don’t want or need. It doesn’t make it a wasted slot, it just means that this particular animal in this particular pack isn’t perfect for them.

But another one will be.

Clearly support won’t go on forever but there are so many possibilities that could still come and I am feeling more positive and invested in the game than ever.
Love this outake. At the end of the day I see the game like this and makes me appreciate many aspects of the fandom.
 
Well...that's something I guess. The sloth bear and swan are the only ones in this pack I'm remotely looking forward to. Everything else is just...very, very, very meh. Well, the takin sits somewhere in the middle - not an animal I was really desperate for but at least one I'll probably use. I can't believe they're making us pay for the wisent, it's just like the blue wildebeest; should have been an anniversary animal. Still no blackbuck! Instead we have the saiga. I feel the same way about the saiga as I feel about nearly every super rare in captivity species. And to everyone saying "at least it's unique", is it? How is it more unique than any other antelope? They all look wildly different from each other. There's no new challenge in building for it.

Anyway, the most exciting part of all this for me is the swan. Not because I'm going to build deliberate, unique habitats for it - I'm not - but because I can now actually put something in the ponds and lakes I like to dot around my zoos. Here's hoping for a pelican next year, too.

I feel comfortable that this isn't our last pack, at least. It would be a bit like going out with a whimper instead of a bang.
I'm typically a stickler for animals being common in captivity but in defense of the saiga - a) it is our only Asian antelope and B) iirc it is also our only cold-climate antelope? So that in itself is going to make for some degree of interest to build for.

I'm fairly confident it'll have some interspecies enrichment too - definitely the Przewalski's Wild Horse, potentially the Bactrian by extension? Possible the wisent too.
 
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