Really cool Ideas! I don't know why, but the Northern Animal pack got me!I want to give a shot at what my predictions for the next year could be, assuming we get four new packs (which I don't expect to be completely honest) and also assuming we never get a flying bird pack. Despite that last part, I do think this year could be really important when it comes to getting cool habitat birds, as well as expanding South America and animals with new rigs and in general lacking similar species in the game. I also wanted to incorporate the 10 most voted species in the Meta Wishlist, giving some alterations when it comes to species in some cases to fit the pack's theme (Some of them have very similar counterparts that fit the pack while others can be a little bit of a bigger stretch). For my own demise or fortune I really love being creative with my predictions and I like imagining how Frontier might try to surprise us while at the same time delivering content we could enjoy, so I hope my packs give the same feeling. The animals with a little star next to their name are the headliners of the pack. These are the ideas I came up with:
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CARIBBEAN PACK (April 2024)
Discover the wonders the Caribbean Sea connects with species of both animals and plants coming from the coasts and rainforests of Central America as well as the diverse architectural variety found in the various islands and locations throughout this wonderful spot of the world. Forage for seaweed in the swamps and beaches with the unique and spectacular Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) ★ while the wonderful American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) soar the skies looking for a good fishing spot. Follow a group White-nosed coati (Nasua narica) as they make way through the jungle to observe the athletic Black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) use every limb at their disposal to navigate the dense canopy. If the pace of the monkeys is too fast for you, hang around with the Hoffman's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) and take a nap in the nice Caribbean sunset.
(The manatee is currently 9th in the meta wishlist, but I guess it can be deemed as too "unrealistic" to be added into the game. I disagree with this and see it as the most doable "fully" aquatic animal for PZ, but I understand the concerns that might arise with this. As substitutes for the manatee in case it is too out there, I'd put the Cuban hutia and Cuban crocodile, two animals I originally wanted to add to this pack but I later realized that there are more essential species that could fit their spots, but I wanted island endemics to have their spot in here as well. The white-nosed coati is here to take the spot of his South American cousin, currently in the second spot in the meta wishlist. The black howler monkey is currently in the 5th spot on the list, I'm pretty sure it's this up high because we just want a neotropical monkey and it's the most common option for it, so the spider monkey is taking its place. If you need a howler though, you could substitute it with the Venezuelan red howler, of which the range does get to the Caribbean Sea. The pelican is here because I can safely say we ALL want a pelican, I'd personally prefer the Great white pelican but I wouldn't complain for the species at this point of the game. The sloth would be a WE animal and a second chance to "fix" the sloth, coming with less-themed climbing frames and structures similar to what the flying foxes and fruit bats have instead of the monstrosity the three-toed sloth comes with.)
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ENDANGERED ANIMAL PACK (June 2024)
Travel the world and discover eight new species and the dangers they face on their natural habitats, and help save them by bringing them in and breeding them at your zoo! Discover the amazing comeback of the Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) ★ made to the forests of Brazil, go back to the Caribbean island of La Española to meet the incredible Hispaniolan rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta cornuta) or travel to Papua New Guinea to meet face to face with the adorable Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi) munching on the leaves of the rainforest canopy. Start rewilding the (for now) extinct in the wild Pere David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) to the wetlands of China and discover a facet of Africa you have rarely looked into; going from the mighty Secretary bird (Secretary bird) hunting in the savannah, the rarely known Giant east Usambara blade-horned chameleon (Kinyongia matschiei) looking for insects in the afrotemperate forests, look for fish with the iconic Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in the wetlands of Uganda and finish off in the Malagasy spiny forest as you leap with the Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli).
(This pack has four animals in the top 10 in the meta wishlist, those being the secretary at number 1, tree kangaroo at number 4, tamarin at number 8, and the shoebill at number 10. The deer is here because it's a very iconic extinct-in-the-wild species and, in my opinion, an amazing species to have in a zoo game. I was also toying with the idea of putting the Nene goose instead of the shoebill because of its conservation story, but I ended up going with the shoebill because I'll be adding an Anseriformes in the last pack. I picked the rhinoceros iguana to get a proper iguana rig in habitat animals making it a unique reptile for the game, being a cool one at that, but I'd also love to get a Radiated tortoise since medium-sized and smaller tortoises are also very needed in the game. The chameleon is there because it's easily the most wanted reptile for the terrarium boxes out there, but I couldn't find any specific chameleon in particular that was both common in zoos and endangered, this species only housed in a single zoo. A good substitute I thought of as well is the Titicaca water frog, which similar to the axolotl brings a new fully underwater species to the game.)
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MOUNTAINS PACK (September 2024)
What a hike! Go from peak to peak spending the nights in cozy refuges in different mountains of our world, discovering brand new animals and plants in your entire expedition. Start in the Swiss Alps as the Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota marmota) ★ say good morning with their iconic vocalizations, make your way to the Andean cloud forest and try to spot the unique Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), reach the Ethiopian Plateau to study the behavior of Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) troops, attempt to scale the all-mighty K2 in the company of a herd of Tajik markhor (Capra falconeri heptneri) and finish off in the impressive Hunan cliffs of China to cross paths with the Mangshan pitviper (Protobothrops mangshanensis).
(This is just a guilty pleasure of mine, I want a Mountains pack ahahah. The only animal substituting anything in the meta wishlist is the gelada instead of the Hamadryas baboon, which are both baboons that fulfill different niches. I want both species in the game but I want the gelada a tad bit more. The markhor and bear are requested animals, but in the case of the latter one I wouldn't mind swapping it out for some other species, but with the lack of birds or South American animals in this pack I decided to go with the bear. Although we could get a Himalayan monal, Pallas cat, Western capercaillie,... The pitviper can also be swapped for anything else, but I do think it's a rather beautiful species. If Chinese giant salamanders were doable I'd be very happy with them too.)
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ANNIVERSARY ANIMAL (November 2024)
I think of three animals that can fit this category, three of which I'd very happy with. First of all (and most unlikely) we have the Ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata), a South American bird! As I said, this species I'd expect the least, they could work with the peafowl rig for a very good result but there are easier picks. Between those easier inclusions, I would love to get a Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) or Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), being both great anniversary species.
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NORTHERN ANIMAL PACK (December 2024)
Brrrr... Getting cold up here! Explore the taigas, tundras and coasts of Eurasia and North America with eight new animals coming from all nooks and crannies of said regions. Sail the seas next to a group of Alaskan sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) ★ as they collect and feed off shellfish on their bellies and while the enormous Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) search for their favorite mollusks in the depths of the sea. Not far from the beach a flock of King eiders (Somateria spectabilis) surf the waves looking at a herd of Greenland muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus wardi) get on their defense position when danger is sensed. The musk oxen aren't alone, since the vigilante Mountain hare (Lepus timidus) is feeding off the same grasses the large caprids also eat, while not far from where these two species cohabit the adorable Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans volans) pop out their heads from their tree cavities. As the night falls and the squirrels start gliding from tree to tree, the spiky North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) decides to take a stroll through the forest, crossing paths with the fanged Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), secretive inhabitant of the taiga.
(The walrus is currently third on the meta wishlist, and the musk ox is sixth. The pack adds some very welcomed concepts in the community, such as a lagomorph rig with the mountain hare as well as a duck with the eider (despite now having the swan this may have decreased). The porcupine and musk deer are very good animals that seem like perfect oddball picks for Frontier to add in, with a new and pretty unique way of movement when it comes to the porcupine, a nice replacement could be the Northern yellow-throated marten. I was debating on adding the Rocky Mountain goat instead of the musk deer, but with the markhor and musk ox this would have felt like a too-caprid heavy pack (something I'd love), but I still think it would be an amazing inclusion. I ended up adding the musk deer because of the increasing interest in fanged ungulates, it's no Reeves muntjac (I really want Reeves muntjac) but it also adds a cool species. I followed the same pattern as for this year with the WE, with one unique and one "reskin" addition (the sloth and flying fox) and I feel like the unique WE animal being a flying squirrel really would end the year on a nice note.)
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The species I miss the most out of these lists are a stork and small ungulates, but I feel like it could be an amazing DLC year if we got these. Feel free to give your opinions, would love to hear what you guys think
Spring 2024 DLC Speculation
- Thread starter The Carcharodontogenius
- Start date
right! I'd like to see the manatee in endless support (OR maybe even in a bigger pack!)... but, there are soooo many better LAND animals to still add.
The manatee would ruin alot of ACTUAL zoo animals' chances.
Things we know:
- Frontier are not afraid to add small animals to the game, evidenced by additions like the meerkat and kiwi
- Functionally, as Iben points out, there is nothing to suggest that the climbing system wouldn't work for monkeys smaller than the capuchin
- If an animal needs items in order to function better (e.g. climbing frames for gibbons, new exhibit types for bats), Frontier has shown they will add them to the base game for free
There’s still the issue with filling feeders and enrichments
Well introduce new sorts of feeders. They already introduced underwater feeders with the aquatic pack I believe so it shouldnt be too much of a problem.
Oh yeah, I forgot about those.
But still, I don’t really see them adding one fully aquatic and then dip. Also, I don’t get why the manatee gets a free pass on the meta wishlist but whales and dolphins don’t. They’re both fully aquatics, so why does the manatee get special privileges?
They are just so different, in how they move, how they eat, how they just exist.
Ones common in zoos (manatee) and the other isn’t. They’d both have equal difficulties in being implemented in the game, and would be virtually impossible without some sort of overhaul.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love manatees, and I would love if they were added, but it frustrates me that the get a free pass on some things that other fully aquatics don’t.
The manatee is one of my most wanted animals for the game but i left it out of my new wishlists because i know they will never come. Is pointless to even keep discussing them, so i rather focus on animals that have real possibilities.
Also not related to this but any final roster for SA that doesn't include the rhea will ever be incomplete and missing an animal that imo is essential for true southamerican zoos and fauna representation.
I want SA coati but i'll be fine with white nosed one, i can accept not getting official ibis or spoonbill, i can get any other howler monkey species that is not the one i most want, i even understand not getting the SA tapir at all or the margay instead of the ocelot or the mara in favor of the agouti (even though i'll be sad about this last one) but not getting the rhea at all will be just wrong to me.
Idk why i felt like i needed to vent about that but there it goes lol
Also not related to this but any final roster for SA that doesn't include the rhea will ever be incomplete and missing an animal that imo is essential for true southamerican zoos and fauna representation.
I want SA coati but i'll be fine with white nosed one, i can accept not getting official ibis or spoonbill, i can get any other howler monkey species that is not the one i most want, i even understand not getting the SA tapir at all or the margay instead of the ocelot or the mara in favor of the agouti (even though i'll be sad about this last one) but not getting the rhea at all will be just wrong to me.
Idk why i felt like i needed to vent about that but there it goes lol
This is the way
I disagree, the biggest challenge I can see on the manatee implementation is the staff members putting the animal directly into the water rather than at the gate, the rest is already there.
And manatees aren't more common than cetaceans, there are 26 zoos/aquariums alone in the European Union that have Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and only 10 parks within the European Union work with manatees. I don't have much expectations for manatees in the game but a man can dream.
My objection has never been about technical problems (at least, not wholly - I do think the jankiness of the climbing system will be exacerbated with such tiny animals, even if it isn't a problem in and of itself), but rather how annoying it is to build realistic tiny habitats. It's the same reason I've never supported the green iguanas going into habitats. Obviously it's possible, but I don't want the creative pressure of needing to deal with it. And unlike many I have exactly zero problems with the exhibits aside from their general overlargeness, but that has nothing to do with their functionality.
This is further demonstrated in my desire to see the koala actually put into the WTE rather than as a habitat animal. It works for the sloth, it would work for the koala, too. Not to mention most real koala habitats are about that size anyway.
No matter the thread, no matter the topic, why are you everywhere.
Oh yeah by all means, that's why I included the first line. Whether people want it in a WTE is obviously up to them, I wholeheartedly disagree with it but at the end of the day that is personal preference.
I just keep seeing the "oh they're too small for the climbing system" argument pop up, which is just demonstrably false. We've got marmosets as mods and ingame baby capuchins/lemurs and those climb just the same as other animals, size does not affect their climbing at all. And whereas modders cannot do tweaking to the climbing system to make it work even better, we know Frontier does and would in this case. So there's no technical reason why they cannot be put in a habitat as we can literally see it with out own eyes; and with how easily misinformation spreads through this community I feel it's necessary to put a stop to it where we can.
Regardless, I do think it's fair that you prefer the animals as a WTE animal; in the same way you probably understand that builders like me want to have total control which the WTE's cannot give us.
I hope we get all animal packs!
Spring 2024 (Safari)
Spring 2024 (Safari)
- Secretary Bird
- Hamadryas Baboon
- Grey crowned Crane
- Serval
- Honey Badger
- Nile Crocodile
- Aardwolf
I’m starting to get scared now, they added all of the trailer music to the speakers since twilight. These were first in the game at the twilight pack, which makes me wonder, is this a sign of the end? Why add the music from the latest 5 trailers now out of all times?
