There's nothing. It's complete.
Ranking the areas still requiring animals
- Thread starter yoav_r
- Start date
Essential animals
Nothing really
Good additions
I know we already have a monkey, but even if you toss aside the taxonomy discussion, a single monkus for SEA is like having one drop of ketchup in the a hamburger. Sure you technically have ketchup in the hamburger so you can considier the hamburger complete. But is it really? Of course not and that is my take on monkeys for SEA (and African forests.) Which is why I advocate for the crested macaque.
Unexpected oddballs
We already have the wild water buffalo, but the banteng and lowland anoa are, in my oppinion, far more charismatic than the buffalo with the banteng's sexual dimorphism and the anoa's small stature.
The Bornean earless monitor would make a neat exhibit animal. It is like a tiny dragon. Obliously it is not too urgent.
Essential: A bird, idk if they allready count for SEA but pheasents and targopans would be dope
Good:
- Nicobar Pidgeon (is bird, not as cool and usefull as a pheasent)
- all Monkeys (special attention to Javan Langur, Sulawesi crested macaque and southern pigtailed macaque for being common, visually distinct and filling the gabs the proboscis couldnt fill, i want them all with mr nose remaining as our special SEA monkey)
- low land Anoa (small ungulate, pairs well with the babirusa, most distinct bovine, asia severly lscks ungulate variety)
Oddball:
- Slow Lori (very whacky nocturnal arboreal creature)
- tropical squirrel (colorfull climbers, very welcome but hard to call essential)
- fishing cat (personally i dont need any more felines but a diving one does have its charms)
Tropical SEA
Essential animals: None
Good additions: Sulawesi Crested Macaque
Lowland Anoa
Oddballs: Sulawesi Bear Cuscus
Prevost's Squirrel
Even though not essential, I would be happy to see those 4 animals in the game.
PS: Add Nilgai to essential if India counts as SEA but I don't think it does?
Essential animals: None
Good additions: Sulawesi Crested Macaque
Lowland Anoa
Oddballs: Sulawesi Bear Cuscus
Prevost's Squirrel
Even though not essential, I would be happy to see those 4 animals in the game.
PS: Add Nilgai to essential if India counts as SEA but I don't think it does?
Missed out on Europe, which is just as well because I think the bulk of that discussion is what European players need to build European zoos. I'd only have considered the wild boar essential, and then a water bird more so for taxonomy.
On Tropical SE Asia, I do have two essentials for me (note that I'm from India, so have that subjective perspective, though I'm trying to be objective/global-minded).
Essential:
Good additions:
Oddballs:
I don't really want more SEA monkeys because I think the limited primate slots should go to the Neotropics, an Old World monkey from India (lion-tailed macaque!), and a non-forest baboon like the hamadryas.
On Tropical SE Asia, I do have two essentials for me (note that I'm from India, so have that subjective perspective, though I'm trying to be objective/global-minded).
Essential:
- King cobra
- Indian muntjac (gives a tropical deer to Asia; gives a small ungulate to India, China and SE Asia all at one go, which is especially good as this is one niche lacking for Asia and fully barren for India and China; prevalent in zoos worldwide; morphologically unique to our existing deer)
Good additions:
- Tokay gecko (almost essential, IMO; one more exhibit animal for tropical Asia as well as India and Pacific Islands, all of which are exhibit-sparse right now)
- Fishing cat
- Asian palm civet (I get that others will find this too close to the binturong, so this is more of a subjective want from me)
- Any of the cool-looking E/SE Asian pheasants or maleo
Oddballs:
- Greater/lesser adjutant stork
- Slow loris
- Gaur/banteng/anoa (I love them all, but a deer > cattle for all tropical Asian regions at this point IMO)
- Yellow-throated marten
- Luzon giant cloud rat (if we get exhibit mammals)
- Northern treeshrew (if we get exhibit mammals)
- Philippine sailfin lizard
- Atlas moth (WE exhibit)
- Any of the giant flying squirrels (just inspired by the idea of WE exhibit with these from Singapore Night Safari)
I don't really want more SEA monkeys because I think the limited primate slots should go to the Neotropics, an Old World monkey from India (lion-tailed macaque!), and a non-forest baboon like the hamadryas.
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@yoav_r the giant forest scorpion just made me realize: are we counting the tropical regions of southwestern India (Western Ghats) and Sri Lanka with SE Asia? This question is really only relevant for the lion-tailed macaque of all remaining species that pop up on the forums. Just checking because we think of an "Indian monkey" as a niche that needs filling with the lion-tailed macaque as a frequent frontrunner, but it is technically not a savanna species.
Although in an earlier discussion on the map choices for this thread, we had decided to group that with Indian Savanna based on the commonality of species and the fact that players might group species/design sections based on a region/buildset rather than a biome in these blurred cases.
There's a typo in the op in the "Red category" where instead of "expansions" its "exapnsions"
SEA
Essential:
- Nothing
- Fishing Cat: decently popular small cat with unique behaviors. A little cat would be good for India/SEA
- East Javan Langur: cute and kept in zoos black monkey with a golden morph
- Lowland anoa: small cow that would look good with babirusas
- Orchid Mantis: a really neat bug that would go nicely with the leaf mantis
- Red Shanked Douc: my favorite old world monkey. please, Frontier?
- Sumatran Rhino: kind of interesting rhino
- Asian Golden Cat: a little cat that comes in many colors
- Bateng: dimorphic cow, possible sub for anoa
- Sumatran Tiger: a few people have been asking for it, but I'm not one of them. A newer tiger model wouldn't be the worst, though
- Sailfin dragon: really cool lizard for exhibits. the region could use an exhibit animal or two
- Sulawesi gliding lizard: another interesting choice for an exhibit animal
Essential:
- Blackbuck: needs an antelope, and this is the most iconic and popular one. I like the sexual dimorphism
- Grey Langur (or another monkey): India desperately needs a monkey
- Cobra: most requested exhibit animal from a region that ought to have more
- Sloth Bear: rather iconic tropical bear that is an excellent pick
- Fishing Cat: also lives in India
- Lion Tailed Macaque: another more popular candidate for an Indian monkey. possible sub for the grey langur, but both would be good.
- Painted Stork
- Indian Muntjac: also in SEA, it could come instead of the Reeve's
- Nilgai: an interesting antelope that is relevant for conservation purposes
- Asiatic Lion/Indian Leopard: Both are possible. Again, I'm not clamoring for more big cats, but the lion could give us a new model
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I'm not really getting into the subtopic about areas that need more based on taxonomy, but yeah, I could go the rest of the game without seeing another non-bird from SEA. Unless Sulawesi is counted as Asia and not Oceania then there is my new
Essential:
None. Frontier has treated SEA fantastically.
Good:
Lowland anoa
Banteng
Francois' langur (most of their range is in China, but it's still tropical and they do extend into Vietnam)
Celebes crested macaque
Tokay gecko (exhibit)
Fishing cat
Yellow-throated marten
Oddballs:
Tomistoma
Green peafowl
Sumatran tiger (in the vein of "de facto replacement to a subpar base game animal")
None. Frontier has treated SEA fantastically.
Good:
Lowland anoa
Banteng
Francois' langur (most of their range is in China, but it's still tropical and they do extend into Vietnam)
Celebes crested macaque
Tokay gecko (exhibit)
Fishing cat
Yellow-throated marten
Oddballs:
Tomistoma
Green peafowl
Sumatran tiger (in the vein of "de facto replacement to a subpar base game animal")
SEA might be the most fleshed out area we have in game so i dont think there is anything thats really essential
Essential: none
Good additions: Javan langur, crested macaque, lowland anoa, reticulated or burmese python.
Oddballs: Silver pheasant, banteng, mouse deer,
Let's discuss what we need in each region, but in a smart way.
For each discussion, answer what you think we need from it in the following format:
Essential animals
Good additions
Unexpected oddballs
And with that we finish with the new dlc animals! I expect this to be a controversial round.
Btw feel free to add to prebiously discussed regions I'll add your suggestions.
For each discussion, answer what you think we need from it in the following format:
Essential animals
- Animals which you think must be in the game
Good additions
- Animals you think are good for the region but not necessary
Unexpected oddballs
- Animals you think could come as a surprise but are not on the common radar (i.e. low/nonexistant on the wishlists)
- Baird's tapir
- Capybara
- Colombian white-faced capuchin
- Cuvier's dwarf caiman
- Giant anteater
- Giant otter
- Jaguar
- Nine-banded armadillo
- Spectacled caiman
- Brown-throated sloth (WE)
- Menelaus blue morpho (WE)
- Amazonian giant centipede (E)
- Boa constrictor (E)
- Brazilian salmon pink tarantula (E)
- Brazilian wandering spider (E)
- Golden poison frog (E)
- Goliath birdeater (E)
- Green iguana (E)
- Lehmann's posion frog (E)
- Lesser antillean iguana (E)
- Mexican redknee tarantula (E)
- Titan beetle (E)
- Yellow anaconda (E)
And with that we finish with the new dlc animals! I expect this to be a controversial round.
Btw feel free to add to prebiously discussed regions I'll add your suggestions.
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Essential: This area is missing a lot. SA monkeys are very common in zoos. I've listed the basics. A bigger and a smaller one are critical if the slots are limited, but I really hope we can get them all.
- Howler Monkey: most popular SA monkey. Grasslands as well as rainforests.
- Spider Monkey: Geoffroy's for me for all of the colors. A spider monkey is missing
- Squirrel Monkey: also decently popular, and the easiest to implement. very similar to the capuchin and very cute
- Tamarins: a zoo staple, they could be an exhibit animal, Golden Lion is my favorite by far, but the cotton top and emperor are also good
- Ocelot/Margay: a little cat is needed, covers more than just rainforests
- Spectacled Bear: Mountain and jungle? mostly needed for the Andes, but I think its considered tropical as well
- Coati: two great options, but the SA one would give a warm brown small mammal, there are already a few black and white small mammals and more are requested
- Tamandua: essential now that the sloth is an exhibit animal
- Spoonbill/Ibis: a tropical SA bird is essential
- Emerald Tree Boa: really basic and requested zoo snake
- Collared Peccary: the more popular peccary is also a tropical animal. needed for non-tropics as well
- Saki: less popular but still good monkey
- Uakari: same as above
- Brazilian Porcupine: a good choice for a New World Porcupine
- Spoonbill/Ibis: another would be nice
- Blue Poison Frog: another colorful SA frog to fill large exhibit blueprints with SA frogs
- Marmoset: also common in zoos
- Manatee: don't know if it will work, but decently requested
- Kinkajou: pretty cool little coati relative
- Bush Dog: a little more popular, but it seems like an oddball to me
- Marsh Deer: unpopular, but SA needs a deer, tropical and grasslands?
- Pampas cat/jaguarundi: oddball picks for a second SA cat
- armadillo: another one is possible
- Tayra: would prefer European and yellow throated martens, but possible
- Wooly, Night, and Titi monkeys
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Region: Tropical South and Central America
Essential animals
Good additions
Unexpected oddballs
Essential animals
- Animals which you think must be in the game
- Ocelot: i think this one is the last remaining wild cat that is an absolute must for the game. It has a big range going all the way up to NA even, lives in a variety of environments and gives rep to SA and CA. Is nice alternative for a tropical cat for smaller zoos and is also fairly common in captivity.
- South american coati: unique among other carnivore choices, arboreal, super fun to watch (i've seen them in the wild irl and they are super cute and entertaining) and is an iconic SA species.
- Black howler monkey: one of the three types of SA/CA monkeys that i deem absolutly necessary to complete the roster. Arboreal and highly vocal, could make a nice use of the howling system.
- Any spider monkey: another arboreal animals (is clear we need an arboreal pack lol), but with a very unique look and locomotion. Would be interesting to see how the way it moves is adapted to the brachiating system since these guys also make use of their tails as a fifth limb basically. Also common in zoos. Any species would be ok.
- Golden lion tamarin: i think a small monkey is necessary and the golden lion tamarin is the one i picked for being the best known for its looks. I just hope not as WE animals.
- Squirrel monkey: they could be combined with a variety of animals (i really want to mix them with my capybaras overall) and are also very fun energetic species and imo more iconic than capuchins.
- Collared or chacoan peccary: we need a peccary, now that we got pretty much all the essential true pigs (only the wild boar missing really). It also has a large range. Can work as a shrubland/desert animal as well as tropical and helps expand the SA, CA and NA roster. Also taxonomically unique from other animals in the game.
- Any macaw: iconics birds, known by everyone very colorful and interesting with fun behaviours. Also tropical birds. Without birds no rainforest section is complete.
- Any toucan: same as above
- Harpy eagle: if we ever get flying birds then this one is in the top of my personal wishlist as the most essential tropical eagle. This is more of a personal preference, but they are one of my favorite animals, a top predator of the rainforest canopy and a must have if possible.
- Roseatte spoonbill: habitat bird, wading bird, doesn't need to fly to work. Colorful and weird looking. We have no spoonbills in game and would love to get one and of all the species i think this one takes the priority. Also helps its wide range.
- Scarlet ibis: small, colorful bird that can work as habitat bird. Works for rainforest and wetlands habitats and for mixed exhibits and tropical domes. No need for free flying although perching animations would be nice.
- Green anaconda: the one famous reptile trully missing from the SA rainforest. Iconic, enormous, could be a way to introduce a new size and shape for regular exhibits (i would love it if it turns out to be our first habitat snake). Semiaquatic, gives bonus points.
Good additions
- Animals you think are good for the region but not necessary
- Southern or Northern tamandua
- Brazilian tapir
- Emperor tamarin
- Cotton top tamarin
- Common marmoset
- Any agouti
- Bushdog
- Any curassow
- Arrau river turtle: would love a large freshwater turtle as a habitat reptile. This one has the size and versatility to be mixed with tons of other animals.
- Red footed tortoise
- Two toed sloths
- Brazilian procupine
- White face saki
- Bald uakari
- Emerald tree boa
- Hummingbirds: note to this one. I really want them lol I think they will work perfect for the walkthrough exhibit system.
- Argentinian tegu
- Argentinian horned frog
- Blue poison dart frog
- Plumed basilisk
- American flamingo
Unexpected oddballs
- Animals you think could come as a surprise but are not on the common radar (i.e. low/nonexistant on the wishlists)
- Olingo
- Kinkajou
- Tayra
- Quetzal
- Hoatzin
- Orinoco crocodile
- Margay
- Jaguarundi
- Pampas deer
- Marsh deer
- Giant armadillo
- Southern screamer
- Jabiru stork
- Andean of the rock
- Yellow spotted river turtle
- Eyelash pit viper
- Mata mata turtle
- Red legged seriema
- White face whisling duck
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Essential animals:
- Monkeys, Frontier I beg you more new world monkeys. If I had to say the three species I would like to see most are a howler monkey, squirrel monkey, and a golden lion tamarin.
- Green Anaconda
- Agouti
- Coati
- American Flamingo
- Scarlet Ibis/ Spoonbill
Good Animals:
- Blue poison dart frog
- Basilisk
- Leaf cutter ant
- Peccary
Oddballs (my list of birds):
- White faced whistling duck
- Red legged seriema
- Great tinamou
- Ocellated turkey
If I could include flying birds this list would be a lot longer.
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What minimum of new world monkeys would you consider essential?
Essential:
Golden lion tamarin
Common marmoset
Spider monkey(any)
Scarlet ibis
Jabiru
Agouti
South america coati
Collared peccary
Southern Tamandua
Macaw (three at least)
Harpy eagle
Yellow fotted tortoise
White faced whistling duck / irere
Basilisk
Good:
Squirrel monkey
Spectlated bear
Marsh dear
Ocelot
Maguary
Black caiman
American flamingo
Curassow
Bush dog
Emperor tamarin
Emerald tree boa
Oddball:
Bald Uakari
Brazilian tapir
Tayra
Kinkajou
Saki
Other armodillo
Blue poison dart frog
Brazilian porcupine
TT sloth
Could you guys provide a brief explanation for why you consider these essential? It's needed for the summation I make in the end.
Also until aviaries are introduced aviary birds won't be included in the post.