Spring 2024 DLC Speculation

Milurian

Milurian
RightWhale said:
I was talking to my GF about the Eurasia pack, and all around the packs from the past year or so. I also watched a YouTubers video on the slow and steady decline of community involvement. As much as I have enjoyed every animal that has been added into game, and I think every animal even “clones” deserve to be in here, I do think as time moved on each DLC has added less gameplay into the game. That doesn’t mean the DLCs haven’t done other things, like providing cool scenery or fleshing out regions with needed animals. If anything I have found the free DLCs have done more, but even then what might be exciting for all of us on the forum just may not be all that interesting to a majority of the players.

As to the Gameplay thing, if we look at what each DLC added this past year their hasn’t been much “new” animals to build with. The tropical pack added the Gibbon which has brachiation, one of only three animals in game to have it. It also added a monitor that deep dives, so if you don’t want a crocodile you have that. It also added a new flavor of WTE. The arid pack gave us the porcupine, it also gave us our first small cat in the sand cat. (I am not starting the arid pack argument, I have come around on it a lot. But while it did a great job adding some needed animals and fleshing out the Middle East, once you build an exhibit for one African ungulate you have built one for them all (obviously there are exceptions but then it is getting into it too much)) The Oceania pack gave us another flavor of WTE, and building for the kiwi is different as it is a burrowing bird. Likewise the little blue penguin can also use a burrow, but otherwise how different will its habitat be from the African Penguin? Finally the Eurasia pack added the Wolverine, which can climb and use the burrows! It also added the swan, the first waterfowl in game. Still, how different is building for the flamingos from the swan? Or crane? I know I am being overly pedantic, and people could probably point out a million small ways that building for x animal is different than Y animal. “Well the region, climate, and scenery are different. It’s also not the same species!” That is all true, and why I think every animal deserves to be in game. You may build the same habitat for a greater flamingo as you would an American, but that doesn’t mean the American flamingo doesn’t deserve to be in game. Though that is what I am trying to talk about, in terms of gameplay how different is a zebra, from a wild horse, to a Somali ass?

I often forget that us on the official forum probably makes up some of the most dedicated players to the game, so it can be easy to fall into a bias. I get Planet Zoo is a niche game, but we make up a niche of a niche if that makes any sense. So while I 100% agree the Wolverine, wild boar, takin, and wisent are needed and some awesome animals, it makes me wonder what the rest of the player base thinks? While we are certainly a dedicated bunch, we probably don’t even make up half of Frontiers sales. So it just makes me wonder, what do the rest of the player base want? When I talk to most people, they don’t even know what a takin or wisent even is. I know I am from North America so there is massive bias there, but I still wonder just how much do people care? Most people are pretty shocked that a zoo game doesn’t have parrots, and at this point in Planet Zoos run we have covered most of the Universal ABC zoo animals. So it still makes me wonder what is in store of the future.

I think what Planet Zoo could really use is something along the lines of a bird/ aviary dlc or an aquatic dlc. The thing is I don’t think it will happen though. Frontier has found a formula that works, and like I have mentioned in the past there has been financial issues and lay offs. That isn’t to say I don’t think planet zoo doesn’t need a South American dlc, or more monkeys. It’s just in terms of gameplay I think it could use those packs, especially to revitalize interest in the game. Especially it’s the new social media accounts. Still I expect the next dlc to be along the normal Frontier formula. And I am hoping it’s a Latin America/ South America. Still I have been thinking about Planet Zoos future a lot lately, what do you guys think?
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I agree to all of this the rosters for last years packs were on paper good having animals high up the meta wishlist but what the failed to do was add something truly unique. I also agree at this point the average person looking at this game is going to have no idea what most of the animals in the recent packs are and if the comments on social media are anything to go by only really want aquatics birds and domestics.
sidzee123 said:
Frontier need a massive revenue boost. Even by releasing JWE2 and PZ dlcs last year like clockwork they made a 26 million operating loss. The loss was obviously due to the bad decisions and poor performance of games like warhammer and formula 1.

The revenue boost can either be something huge like a aviary/aquatic pack but i doubt it. They are working on 3 games for the next 3 years and the PZ team is probably quite small. As they release games and develop them over time, they can always release the next Planet game early maybe late summer and continue developing it.

But basically just releasing these 'safe' dlcs isn't going to cut it until the end of the year.

What would I personally do? I'd release the console version + release the next Planet game slightly earlier. The revenue from a console version can maybe even be used to develop more dlcs for PZ or for PZ2.

I know many people are against a console version or PZ2 but think of it this way. If Frontier continue as they are their company won't survive. Then we won't get anything. If by releasing a console version and make a bigger and better PZ2 they get back on track, in the long term i think its worth it.
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I can honestly see them doing a quick avairy or aquatic inspired pack as a quick way to try and get a huge revenue boost with not as much effort as a whole game I also see the console release coming since soo many people keep asking for it and console is a bigger market.
KönigDerKaffeebohnen said:
If you split hairs like that, the only truly new thing this year was......nothing.

So while it wasnt exciting, the polish this year brought was wonderfull and easily overlooked and the only reason people are salty about it is SAs sorry state and the fact that the ungulate quota really was very high this year, both more then valid.
And anybody not hooked like this will not come back for birds and fish, or atleast not for more then one pack, valueable sales sure but even if we are the niche diehard fans of a niche game, any "casual" still playing the game and buying dlc is not so different to us here. If they are sitll playing and buying, its because the game how it is is fun to them and they like adding new flavors, even if they arnt mindblowing.
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you saw the point and completely missed it all the animals werent "new and that was the problem bare maybe the sloth everything added already had something that would result in a similar style habitat.

You again saw the point and completely missed what you were saying last year had a great selection of animals that polished off the roster in certain areas well but that was all they were there was nothing substantial only polish.

You also completely miss the fact that frontier makes most of their money off base game sales not dlcs they use the hype of the dlc to sell the base game and while yes a casual who is still consistently playing the game is no different to us now what is different is someone who bought the game in 2019 and hasnt played it since because they got bored these players along with new ones are what something game changing will bring and ultimately frontier wants more new players since that will make them more money.
 

Milurian

Milurian
KönigDerKaffeebohnen said:
Not saying your wrong, but i bet you feel real dumb rn saying that the common birds are lame when these first 5 are all very much very common birds.
Even the shoebill isnt that rare its just that its history in captivity has been quite the detrament to species survival due to next to no breeding success and wildlife trafficking to sell shoebills to zoos with less then great moral makeup.

Common animals =/= boring animals.
All 6 of these are spectacular birds in their own way, saying one of them is more special for being rare in captivity might not be objectivly wrong, but saying the rest are for being common might aswell be.
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There is alot of nuance to this topic that I think your missing I dont think anyone is saying that say the grey crowned crane is boring because it is common in captivity because its not boring it is a beautiful animal that would add something new to the game and represent plenty of real life zoos. What makes it seem "boring" in a sense is that it is a typical zoo animal you can go to a zoo and see it people already know alot about it and are familiar with it. Compare that to the shoebill which isnt common it has a sense of exoticism and intrigue which you just cannot get from a common zoo animal. A zoo game needs these exotic and rare animals to help it stand out from both real zoos and other games. Planet zoo needs both the rare and intriguing animals that have no practical zoo use but are comical and the animals that are common and fill new zoo niches and expand collections they are not boring just not unique.
 

Narwhaler

Narwhaler
Milurian said:
I agree to all of this the rosters for last years packs were on paper good having animals high up the meta wishlist but what the failed to do was add something truly unique. I also agree at this point the average person looking at this game is going to have no idea what most of the animals in the recent packs are and if the comments on social media are anything to go by only really want aquatics birds and domestics.
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Yes this is what I've been saying lately, the meta-wishlist ignores that the most wanted things are birds and aquatics. The only big pack that would sell well that does not consist on those would be something focusing on South America or domestic pack (but only if it has rabbits and ducks)
 

Annie_konik

Annie_konik
Here's a weird idea I just had. Although maybe something like that was suggested before, I don't know! What if the new DLC was dedicated to species named after different animals? You know, for example:
Spider Monkey
Hog Deer
Antelope Jackrabbit
Elephant Shrew (probably too small for a habitat, though)
Giraffe Weevil (E)

If that was a scenery pack, we could get animal-themed scenery. That's So original for a zoo game, I know. But hear me out; it could include a lot of new mix-and-match statues, new plushies for the gift shop, and new wallpapers with various animal prints. For the wall set, we could get a faux rock wall set (that last one is a suggestion I read in a different thread, and I loved it)

And maybe we could get a new educational station where guests would try to solve a puzzle :)
 
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CharlieXGaming

CharlieXGaming
Annie_konik said:
Here's a weird idea I just had. Although maybe something like that was suggested before, I don't know! What if the new DLC was dedicated to species named after different animals? You know, for example:
Spider Monkey
Hog Deer
Antelope Jackrabbit
Elephant Shrew (probably too small for a habitat, though)
Giraffe Weevil (E)

If that was a scenery pack, we could get animal-themed scenery. That's So original for a zoo game, I know. But hear me out; it could include a lot of new mix-and-match statues, new plushies for the gift shop, and new wallpapers with various animal prints. For the wall set, we could get a faux rock wall set (that last one is a suggestion I read in a different thread, and I loved it)

And maybe we could get a new educational station where guests would try to solve a puzzle :)
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Cool idea, but it seems an unlikely theme for them to do.
 

jcp011c

jcp011c
Annie_konik said:
Here's a weird idea I just had. Although maybe something like that was suggested before, I don't know! What if the new DLC was dedicated to species named after different animals? You know, for example:
Spider Monkey
Hog Deer
Antelope Jackrabbit
Elephant Shrew (probably too small for a habitat, though)
Giraffe Weevil (E)

If that was a scenery pack, we could get animal-themed scenery. That's So original for a zoo game, I know. But hear me out; it could include a lot of new mix-and-match statues, new plushies for the gift shop, and new wallpapers with various animal prints. For the wall set, we could get a faux rock wall set (that last one is a suggestion I read in a different thread, and I loved it)

And maybe we could get a new educational station where guests would try to solve a puzzle :)
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interesting idea and choices! How about a Groundhog, Bat Eared Fox and Raccoon Dog?
 

Annie_konik

Annie_konik
jcp011c said:
interesting idea and choices! How about a Groundhog, Bat Eared Fox and Raccoon Dog?
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Yes, those are all great suggestions! Especially Raccoon Dog would fit right in :giggle:

Another cool one could be a Leopard Gecko for the exhibit. Or maybe a Peacock Mantis Shrimp :LOL:

What makes this idea even more unlikely is that I wouldn't even know how to name such a set.
 

podna86

P
CharlieXGaming said:
I think these would make people’s zoo collections really different:

Tigers
  • Siberian
  • Sumatran
  • Bengal (White variant included)
Lions
  • Asiatic
  • African
Zebras
  • Grevy’s
  • Plains
Giraffes
  • Masai
  • Reticulated
Otters
  • Sea
  • North American
  • Giant
  • Eurasian
  • Asian Small Clawed
Gazelles
  • Thompsons
  • Dama
  • Slender Horned
Elephants
  • African Savanna
  • African Forest
  • Indian Elephant
Flamingos
  • American
  • Greater
  • Chilean
These would obviously be for a PZ2.
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If we are going for realistic then they shouldn't include a white morph tiger. They are all descended from 1 single individual and typically have health problems. No ethical zoo breeds white tigers. Plenty of roadside and unethical zoos do. But if we are throwing ethics out the window then I want cetaceans 😉 Black morphs for jags are very common and as far as I'm aware are not associated with any health problems or inbreeding.
 

Orkan

Orkan
podna86 said:
If we are going for realistic then they shouldn't include a white morph tiger. They are all descended from 1 single individual and typically have health problems. No ethical zoo breeds white tigers. Plenty of roadside and unethical zoos do. But if we are throwing ethics out the window then I want cetaceans 😉 Black morphs for jags are very common and as far as I'm aware are not associated with any health problems or inbreeding.
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I thought the bad health was because of inbreeding with them in the past? I've been to a couple of AZA zoos that kept white tigers. I'm no expert so I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there are wild white tigers as well.
 

podna86

P
Orkan said:
I thought the bad health was because of inbreeding with them in the past? I've been to a couple of AZA zoos that kept white tigers. I'm no expert so I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there are wild white tigers as well.
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Yes bad health is caused by inbreeding as every single one is descended from 1 single individual and often they are still inbred to keep the color going. I have never heard of one in the wild and considering how viral the adult wild puma spotted on a trail cam went i think we would have heard of adukt wild tigers. The original white tiger was found as a cub i believe and may not have made it as an adult.

And as someone who works in an AZA accredited facility, imo it's a joke. All means is the organization paid a bunch of money and they jumped through a bunch of hoops. I know personally of 1 aza facility that has only white tigers but for people in the know it is a shady place. So for me personally having a white tiger means it immediately gets put on a "do not visit" list.
 

Orkan

Orkan
podna86 said:
Yes bad health is caused by inbreeding as every single one is descended from 1 single individual and often they are still inbred to keep the color going. I have never heard of one in the wild and considering how viral the adult wild puma spotted on a trail cam went i think we would have heard of adukt wild tigers. The original white tiger was found as a cub i believe and may not have made it as an adult.

And as someone who works in an AZA accredited facility, imo it's a joke. All means is the organization paid a bunch of money and they jumped through a bunch of hoops. I know personally of 1 aza facility that has only white tigers but for people in the know it is a shady place. So for me personally having a white tiger means it immediately gets put on a "do not visit" list.
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Oh god, I did some reading on the wwf. Man, that sucks. Like I said, I could be wrong, and I was. I knew they had some issues, but this is worse than I thought. On the contrary though, I don't think a zoo keeping white tigers is necessarily a bad thing. Franklin Park had a white and an orange for a while, but they both passed away recently of natural causes. They're a trustworthy zoo and most of their habitats are good-great and they have good intentions.
 

podna86

P
Orkan said:
Oh god, I did some reading on the wwf. Man, that sucks. Like I said, I could be wrong, and I was. I knew they had some issues, but this is worse than I thought. On the contrary though, I don't think a zoo keeping white tigers is necessarily a bad thing. Franklin Park had a white and an orange for a while, but they both passed away recently of natural causes. They're a trustworthy zoo and most of their habitats are good-great and they have good intentions.
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Like I said, just my opinion. A lot of good zoos used to have them. But I think there has been a shift away. If one happened to be born they certainly wouldn't "dispose" of it but it probably wouldn't be bred and studbook keepers might recommend the parents not be bred to eachother again.
 

synthetase

synthetase
Villanelle said:
Having just spent 3 weeks in South Africa I'm all in favour of another African pack, even though I know it would spark some fury in the community.

My line up would be:

South Africa Animal Pack

1. Rock Hyrax
2. Honey Badger (headline)
3. Bat-Eared Fox
4. Waterbuck
5. Chacma Babboon
6. Secretary Bird
7. Blue Crane
8. Bee-eaters WE, mixed varieties

I'd also love the Aardwolf and the Vervet Monkey in that pack, not to mention the Cape Mountain Zebra and Southern Giraffe, and the Impala. Why oh why must packs be limited to 8?
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Thank you so very much for including bat-eared fox as an option! Rock hyrax doesn't get enough support IMO. Honey badger depending on how long support lasts is almost certain! Waterbuck would be cool!
 
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