Small DLC in between seasons
- Thread starter tigris115
- Start date
I would call them "Variety Packs". Of course we run into the problem of "what animal is suitable for this but not a major DLC?"
I suspect the answer is that it doesn't matter; I mean they gave us a morphologically fairly unique red deer for free on the anniversary, but then put the blue wildbeest in a PDLC. So who really knows?
In any case, I support the idea in concept, and it's a guaranteed money maker for Frontier.
I suspect the answer is that it doesn't matter; I mean they gave us a morphologically fairly unique red deer for free on the anniversary, but then put the blue wildbeest in a PDLC. So who really knows?
In any case, I support the idea in concept, and it's a guaranteed money maker for Frontier.
I would love this idea and happily give frontier my money! One animal a month would be great for the community engagement and add variety by adding a lot of morphologically similar animals (like grevy zebras or masai giraffe) and help them with extra revenue. Of course we don’t know the cost that would go into an animal in terms of man hours or so
Anything that adds more animals to the game is a plus to me.
Same, no matter what you think about them, we need more exhibit species
I personaly think the idea is pretty cool.
But idk how realistic this is, surely depends on which species would be considered as a single purchase and how much work something like this would be for frontier.
If they go with high profile and often requested species, they might me missing as one of the main selling points in later DLCs. On the otherhand less sought after species or simpler "reskins" would maybe struggle to make enough money to justify the work put in. For example: The Eurasian Wolf/Brown Bear wouldnt really sell well i would imagine, since the vast majority of the PZ playerbase are casual who a probably contend with just the Timberwolf and Grizzly and using them as stand ins.
But then, i really have no idea how much work something like this would be and i could be absolutely wrong
But idk how realistic this is, surely depends on which species would be considered as a single purchase and how much work something like this would be for frontier.
If they go with high profile and often requested species, they might me missing as one of the main selling points in later DLCs. On the otherhand less sought after species or simpler "reskins" would maybe struggle to make enough money to justify the work put in. For example: The Eurasian Wolf/Brown Bear wouldnt really sell well i would imagine, since the vast majority of the PZ playerbase are casual who a probably contend with just the Timberwolf and Grizzly and using them as stand ins.
But then, i really have no idea how much work something like this would be and i could be absolutely wrong
This, I wouldnt mind a pack with a couple exhibit species, they dont get nearly enough love nor spotlight. i dont think anyones been super excited for the exhibits till this year with the axolotl, bat and now butterflies.
I've been a proponent of this idea for a long time. It could open things up in a very meaningful way, as far as what species are able to fit into packs or not. And it could be a nice way to add animals to the game that might be tricky to fit into other packs, have a niche audience, etc. Beyond that? It would add another "hype cycle" when we're about halfway toward a bigger DLC -- and further encourage content creators.
The examples I always point to are Madagascar and mustelids. There are a handful of animals from Madagascar that people would really want in-game, but there aren't quite enough to justify a full animal DLC. But a smaller pack with 1-2 new lemur species, the fossa, and a mongoose or civet? I bet that would sell really well! Sure, some of these could be incorporated into an "islands" or "rainforest" pack but... This would allow that region to be fully fleshed out - and allow more space for animals in that bigger pack. It's a win-win.
With mustelids, imagine a pack with the honey badger, wolverine, NA river otter (or sea otter), black-footed ferret or a stoat of some sort, and the honey badger. Most of these are really wanted by the community! And again, they could fit into another potential DLC, but the options are limited given that these would have all had slots in existing DLCs.
All said, I think packs like this could work really well to "fill gaps" and put animals into the mix that might not see the light of day because their "chance" has already happened.
I'll even take it a step further and suggest that they could do something similar for scenery pieces! No animals, just scenery. 75-100 items for $5-10 or whatever. And there's loads of potential here too! A vintage zoo/menagerie building set and props. An 80s-90s style zoo building set. New sign sets for base game and early DLC animals that match the current art style. Prop packs centered around various themes: Parks and gardens, barnyards, cities and towns (building facades, parking lots, street lines that could snap to the center of paths), gift shops and restaurant decor. The list goes on!
These are all things that could add even more life to the game than Frontier already has, would be easier to put together as they wouldn't be hyper-themed, and could just... Really expand the game.
So yeah, this is a great idea and I'm here for it!
The examples I always point to are Madagascar and mustelids. There are a handful of animals from Madagascar that people would really want in-game, but there aren't quite enough to justify a full animal DLC. But a smaller pack with 1-2 new lemur species, the fossa, and a mongoose or civet? I bet that would sell really well! Sure, some of these could be incorporated into an "islands" or "rainforest" pack but... This would allow that region to be fully fleshed out - and allow more space for animals in that bigger pack. It's a win-win.
With mustelids, imagine a pack with the honey badger, wolverine, NA river otter (or sea otter), black-footed ferret or a stoat of some sort, and the honey badger. Most of these are really wanted by the community! And again, they could fit into another potential DLC, but the options are limited given that these would have all had slots in existing DLCs.
All said, I think packs like this could work really well to "fill gaps" and put animals into the mix that might not see the light of day because their "chance" has already happened.
I'll even take it a step further and suggest that they could do something similar for scenery pieces! No animals, just scenery. 75-100 items for $5-10 or whatever. And there's loads of potential here too! A vintage zoo/menagerie building set and props. An 80s-90s style zoo building set. New sign sets for base game and early DLC animals that match the current art style. Prop packs centered around various themes: Parks and gardens, barnyards, cities and towns (building facades, parking lots, street lines that could snap to the center of paths), gift shops and restaurant decor. The list goes on!
These are all things that could add even more life to the game than Frontier already has, would be easier to put together as they wouldn't be hyper-themed, and could just... Really expand the game.
So yeah, this is a great idea and I'm here for it!
I agree with it too! It would seem like a nice compromise between those of us who want so called "clones" and those who want more diverse representation. This is controversial but I hope they would do a fox pack! Bat-eared, Grey, Corsac and some sort of South American "false" fox for example.
I don't mean to be a party pooper but I can't see something like this happening where Frontier completely change their DLC model that is presumably based on what resources they have. Yes they could increase their resources if the profit margin was high enough but the dedicated community is going to be much smaller than the casual community that would be less likely to pay. Presumably they also have to worry about if profits from the reskin packs is really 'new money' or whether it will mean people will have less to pay for the larger DLCs and wait for sales etc. It's a bit like saying it would be nice to get a new animal every day - true but it probably isn't either practical or in the profit interests of the company.
Also personally if Frontier can put more resources into PZ then I would like them to focus on new mechanics (including things like a scenario editor, mayve modding support tools eventually) and drastically new models so that when support ends the modders will have excellent materials for filling out the roster and thereby maximising the longevity of the game.
Also personally if Frontier can put more resources into PZ then I would like them to focus on new mechanics (including things like a scenario editor, mayve modding support tools eventually) and drastically new models so that when support ends the modders will have excellent materials for filling out the roster and thereby maximising the longevity of the game.
I actually agree with you. It's pretty unlikely. But that doesn't make the suggestion, or that people want it, any less valid. It just means it's much less likely to happen! Haha. I think it's still worth putting out there as an idea... If enough people demonstrate that they want it (which would equal profit)? It could happen.
Unlikely. But still... Never hurts to try. Just gotta keep our expectations tempered, y'know?
For me, it's more about switching up the DLC formula to work things in that might not find their way into the game otherwise. Even if it was like, two smaller DLCs in the same time frame (one with 3-5 animals and one with 75-125 building pieces, let's say, and alternating between the two) I could get behind it with the right themes. There's just so much I can think of that would be hard to fit into the game otherwise that could really benefit the community.
$3-$5 packs for 3 animals a piece + matching signs for each is just fine and fair imo, I wouldn't mind an in-between big DLC model like that. I very much like the idea of having more options and this gives less popular animals / subspecies of animals a chance to be in the game for the people who want them.