🐾Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack arriving 4 April🐾

I am fully with you, we got 4 highly requested animals, a building theme that's popular in zoos and evident in the community builds (koali, for example), that will help reduce piece count and improve performance, and people still want to complain.
However for a community to be alive, I still think people getting a chance to voice, share, and discuss their disappointments and complaints is healthy. I'm also glad Frontier seems to be very much in touch with wishes and complaints. Negative feelings and disagreements are not nice per se, but they contribute as much as positive feedback to the evolution of a videogame.

I shared my few disappointments here today and it helped me appreciate what's coming even more.
 
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I’m really don’t base content on koali or any other YouTube collaborations. Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy various YouTubers and they truly do make some amazing things but 3 yrs in and I myself have gotten much better at building and designing zoos so the interest has dwindled some. I’m good with the pack for the most part I’m not going to lie I think there were definitely some better options out there honestly. I mean I’m not really one for the meta wishlist 3 yrs in at this point either. Some of the animals I could be happy with and be ok with if they didn’t make it in at the same time. For example when the devil was number 1 and the maned wolf was number 2 I was always team maned wolf by quite a wide margin. The Tasmanian devil is a awesome animal but even to this day I’d still say it ranks somewhere in the middle for me. I do realize there’s more dlc to be had tho with more opportunities in the future so not a huge deal. I’m still convinced we get some great stuff along the way so definitely looking forward to the future of planet zoo and definitely will continue to support it.
 
Most of these animals are pretty common in zoos so I’m happy to see them in. It’s good to see more highly requested animals getting picked.

Honestly, I do not get the disappointment with this pack. First of all, Frontier added 3 of the top 10 Meta-Wishlist animals, which are animals that are HIGHLY REQUESTED by the fans. Frontier doesn’t have to listen to us at all honestly, because its truly a rarity for a company to even listen to requests. Frontier could’ve chosen all of the animals themselves and it might’ve been an even worse selection.

Its strange to me that this selective outrage is suddenly coming out for people with ā€œpersonal wishlistsā€ and who focus on whether the animals are similar to other animals or those whining about ā€œbut its the same rig.ā€ Who cares? This isn’t Zoo Tycoon 2013 which was literally the same rig for like 10 animals used on repeat.

And for the love of our feathered friends, with just got a bird in the last pack! There are harsh realizations you guys need to make. They will not put a bird in every pack. They will not put a reptile in every pack. Frontier has the right to pick whatever animals they want in addition to highly requested animals. Let me tell you something. I may not have been a fan of the Nile Lechwe, and nobody really asked for it, but it became one of my most favorite animals in the game.

Also, as more and more DLCs roll out, there us going to be overlap. There are only so many unique animals they can add. You can be disappointed in the pack all you like, but don’t knock their picks when you know full well they were highly requested or they wanted to give some spotlight to under-requested animals and Frontier is actually listening to fans.

I’ll bet you $100 the next pack they release with highly requested animals, people will be like ā€œbut we already have thisā€ or ā€œthis pack is awful because it has none of MY personal wishlist animals on there.ā€

To keep this story short: Frontier can’t please everybody and that shouldn’t be held against them.
I agree people are being overly harsh, and after thinking about the pack a bit more I think it’s fine. I love every animal frontier adds, I really think every single one of them is great. This pack has one of my most requested mammals being the RRH. I think what it was is for such a long wait people got themselves over hyped for a game changing animal pack, which obviously didn’t happen. That isn’t a fault of Frontier’s though.

What I will disagree is on the bird thing. The lack of birds is actually hurting some of my enjoyment for the game. Lack of habitat birds (compare the 8 we have to just 11 cat species alone) no aviary birds, and no waterfowl pond,
Really limits the types of zoos I like to make. It’s true that we got ā€œa birdā€ in the last pack, but imagine saying the same thing for mammals? Guys calm down we got a ā€œmammalā€ in the last pack. I think Frontier has a mammal bias (unless it’s new world monkeys) and the limited number of birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians is a little tiring at this point. I would like the same diversity of choice I have with mammals for the other little guys. Not to mention the whole point about planet zoo is conservation, and some of the biggest conservation success stories comes from birds and other non-mammals.

I still 100% agree people are being way too harsh with frontier literally giving us 4 of our top 10 most wanted community animals. Not to mention I always found the rig argument silly. Yeah a lot of animals will act very similar, or look similar. So you have my full support with that being a silly complaint. They also can do 100% whatever they want with this game, it’s theirs they made it. As a fan who bought all the dlc and as a consumer their is just some things I wish they would start doing a bit differently.

Also you are once again 100% right, not everyone will like every pack. So just remember if you dislike a pack a lot you don’t have to buy it. Just remember we all love the game here and wish to see continued support. Frontier you guys are my favorite developers!
 
I really hope that the team has plans to add a walkthrough exhibit bird in the next pack.

I’m so excited for the sloth (and this species is by far the best looking and most visually interesting) and I think it’s the perfect (non-flying) mammal for a walkthrough exhibit, but I will be so disappointed if birds aren’t added in the next pack. I have faith in the PZ team, I’m sure they’re working hard to develop flying birds and will knock it out of the park when they’re ready, but I’m so sad to still not have them!
 
Can't wait to get my hands on these new animals, the Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth was an odd pick, but I can back the others.

Lar Gibbon - Will be nice to hear their songs echoing through our zoos.
Red River Hog - A very welcome addition to the colourful pig of the Congo, can't wait to use them.
Fossa - Madagascar's most famous animal after the lemurs, can't wait to see what they look like up close as they are in the Tropical Pack splash screen.
1679625946274.png

Asian Water Monitor - Great to see the world's second largest lizard after the Komodo Dragon, can't wait to see what it looks like in bulk.
Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth - As nice of a surprise as it is, I am just really curious as to how they'd be able to breed, as they have not been able to breed in captivity to my knowledge, as well as only being found in one institution outside of their native range. This is probably the most bizarre pick in the DLC for me personally.

I have seen that many are not too happy with this DLC, and I can see where many are coming from. But just because we got a Tropical Pack as a scenery pack, doesn't mean a Rainforest themed Animal Pack is off the cards, there are still many rainforest species missing from the game, particularly from Central and South America, those being animals like Tamanduas, Coatimundis, Bush Dogs, Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Tamarins and Marmosets, Squirrel Monkeys, a Linne's Two-Toed Sloth (as they can breed in captivity and would have been the more functional pick) and the Ocelot.
As far as other parts of the world are concerned, Africa has Guenons, Duikers, Dwarf and Slender Snouted Crocodiles, Colobus Monkeys and Forest Buffalo, as well as Coquerel's Sifakas from Madagascar.
Asia has still got a few such as False Gharials, Fishing Cats, Lowland Anoa, Visayan Warty Pig, Langurs, Mouse-Deer and a few Macaque species that would be fitting. Maybe the Sumatran Rhinoceros and Sumatran Tiger too.
Oceania has Tree Kangaroos which are sorely missing, it would be great to see them at some point, Islands is still available.
Not to mention countless exhibit animals like Macaws, Toucans, Lorikeets, Cockatoos, Ibises, Spoonbills, Ducks, Chameleons, Cobras, Vipers, Basilisks, Turtles, Frogs, Pythons and Boas.

If I were to structure a Rainforest Animal Pack, here are the animals I would put in it.

Black Howler Monkey
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
Southern Tamandua
South American Coati
Coquerel's Sifaka
False Gharial
Ocelot
and Linne's Two-Toed Sloth (unless we could get that as an anniversary animal alongside something else perhaps)
my alternative would be a variety of 5 Macaws, Scarlet, Blue and Yellow, Red and Green, Hyacinth and Military Macaws for the Walkthrough exhibit.

Overall I love the animals and scenery in the pack, can't wait to see what Frontier has in store for the rest of the year.

#BringtheTasmanianDeviltoPlanetZoo
 
Honestly, I do not get the disappointment with this pack. First of all, Frontier added 3 of the top 10 Meta-Wishlist animals, which are animals that are HIGHLY REQUESTED by the fans. Frontier doesn’t have to listen to us at all honestly, because its truly a rarity for a company to even listen to requests. Frontier could’ve chosen all of the animals themselves and it might’ve been an even worse selection.
Why should the meta list matter for my personal feeling of disappointment? There’s nothing wrong with being disappointed with the pack if preferred animals aren’t included. There’s also nothing wrong with expressing that, especially if, as you say, Frontier listen to feedback - my feedback may make it less likely I’ll be disappointed next time.

As for community wishes… First, the gibbons place in the meta list pre-dates the siamang’s release, and it would likely rate much lower following the siamang’s introduction (for e.g., I voted for it but wouldn’t have after the siamang). Second, the votes for needed groups, e.g., monkeys, were split because there were so many species to choose from - the meta list, whilst it was great, didn’t account very well for this and flying birds were more or less excluded completely.

Its strange to me that this selective outrage is suddenly coming out for people with ā€œpersonal wishlistsā€ and who focus on whether the animals are similar to other animals or those whining about ā€œbut its the same rig.ā€ Who cares? This isn’t Zoo Tycoon 2013 which was literally the same rig for like 10 animals used on repeat.
The ā€˜same rig’ isn’t a big deal for me, but it is for some people for lots of reasons, one of which is that more rigs = more modding potential.
And for the love of our feathered friends, with just got a bird in the last pack! There are harsh realizations you guys need to make. They will not put a bird in every pack. They will not put a reptile in every pack. Frontier has the right to pick whatever animals they want in addition to highly requested animals.
Did anybody say frontier doesn’t have the ā€˜right’ to add whatever they want? No one that I have seen has even implied this.
 
I definitely agree with @ElectricMonk the meta wishlist was great back in the day but now maybe holding the game and selection back a little bit. While all of us truly have different animals we’d rather see get in which is unavoidable I too lost the desire for a lar gibbon once the siamang got in. A lot of desire for the gibbon may come from zt2 and the fact it was probably the more popular choice all along. The same could be said about the red fox once the arctic fox came I lost the desire for it. Nothing in the world wrong with the said gibbon or fox but other choices definitely came to mind. But then again I too have some similar animals I’d like that others prefer not. That all being said it would be nice to get away from the meta wishlist for awhile and see what we get. Maybe not abandon it all together but it’s definitely nothing to live by. It’s been months since I even looked at it and at this point I can truthfully say I don’t even care.
 
I think the pack on its own is okay, but when you compare it to the rest of the content and look at the whole picture, it falls short, and I think this is where the disappointment comes from (especially with a theme with such a broad meaning, there are literally countless animal choices). Criticism is good as long as it's constructive which it has been. This pack just isn't for me and that is completely fine. Usually there's always something in the pack I enjoy.
 
I think the pack on its own is okay, but when you compare it to the rest of the content and look at the whole picture, it falls short, and I think this is where the disappointment comes from (especially with a theme with such a broad meaning, there are literally countless animal choices). Criticism is good as long as it's constructive which it has been. This pack just isn't for me and that is completely fine. Usually there's always something in the pack I enjoy.
I think the building pieces and free updates are great but animal choice can be more diverse.
Monitor change to a bird
Lar gibbon change to another monkey
 
Here is a great quality pic of the Splash Screen if you want to use it as a background. You can see a baby Gibbon, the Red River Hog again with babies, the Fossa Scenery piece "plus the Fossa itself barely visible on the platforms!!!😲", and some other scenery we might not have seen or noticed before. We can also see that the snake like thing is the Asian Water Monitor from this angle. Alright...I'm heading to bed now! Night everyone!!! :sleep:šŸ›ŒšŸ’¤
Planet Zoo Tropical Pack.jpg
 
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Meta-wishlist cannot be a benchmark for what the community wants because it was conceived on the wrong principles of composition. The number of votes for an animal was extracted from everyone's personal list. Only very few have placed the Tasmanian Devil, for example, as the first animal they want to appear in the game. For many, the Tasmanian Devil is perhaps in the middle or even at the end of the list. But because it comes first by the number of appearances in everyone's lists, the Tasmanian Devil gives the impression that it is the animal that the community wants the most. It was easy for each member of the community to psychologically suggest to himself that the priority animals of each are the ones given by the order in the wishlist.
When Frontier started to take into account the hierarchy of wishlist animals, they mistakenly believed that they were fulfilling the wishes of the majority of this community. Following that list will continue to lead to a wave of disappointments.
 
To those saying yay this new monitor.

Nile monitor:
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Asian water monitor:
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Sorry, but I don't see the win when there are monitors like this around:
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After sleeping on it, I really like this new DLC and I will buy it on release day (even if my computer is still broken and I'll be able to play just a few days during Easter holidays).

My thoughts on the animals before seeing the reveals:

-Fossa: 10/10 - The best animal in the pack.
-Lar gibbon: 10/10 - I wanted them and I'm going to use them much more than siamangs. They might be my most used primate from now on. Besides, they come with different colours and improved brachiation.
-Red river hog: 7/10 - Not a priority for me, but a nice addition anyway. Hopefully they bring many interspecies bonus.
-Brown throated sloth: 8/10 - I always thought that we would never see them in the game, so I'm glad they are added. Before joining the forums I had no idea about the different species, so I'm not mad that the most common species has not been chosen. If they implement babies for this exhibit animal, it rises to 10/10.
-Asian water monitor: 5/10 - if this was an animal pack, it would be great, but in a standard pack it feels not so good since we already have Komodo dragons as a large South East Asia reptile and Nile monitors look quite similar. If the diving animation is reused for the Nile monitor, it rises to 6.5/10.

In addition, the building set and plants seems to be a 10/10 too. And another non-timed scenario is šŸ‘.

The downsides:
-no new enrichment items (apparently)
-no traditional exhibit animal again

So this is an excellent pack. Of course, it could be better the same way that all previous packs could also be improved.
 
Here is a great quality pic of the Splash Screen if you want to use it as a background. You can see a baby Gibbon, the Red River Hog again with babies, the Fossa Scenery piece "plus the Fossa itself barely visible on the platforms!!!😲", and some other scenery we might not have seen or noticed before. We can also see that the snake like thing is the Asian Water Monitor from this angle. Alright...I'm heading to bed now! Night everyone!!! :sleep:šŸ›ŒšŸ’¤
View attachment 349673
Any idea where I could get this picture without the logo? I love the composition of this cover and would love to use it as PC backround.
 
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