Why devs are not ADDRESSING these!

[Swjosdotschka]

I think the "time-speed" problem has been blown out of proportion. I honestly don't think the time scale is the problem. It seems to me that the insane breeding rate is what has everyone flipping out. I too thought it was just a problem of clock-speed. It's just utterly insane how fast these animals breed. The idea of a "difficult to breed" species is nonsense at this rate. I put two monitor lizards together and before I even left them they were pregnant. Pregnancy and birth should be an accomplishment, not a nuisance. I really hope they don't respond directly to the fan requests and instead tackle the underlying problem. BIRTH RATES

I disagree in parts. The time is a big problem. It is indeed way too fast and the whole management of the zoo seem to be "selling animals and filling up habitats with fresh blood again". That's not how real zoos work. And I want to get attached with my animals in ANY mode. That's not possible as well.

However, I agree that not every endangered animal shoukd breed like mice and rats. There is an imbalance as well. I seriously do not want to have breeding reduced like it was at the end of the beta. But reduced nevertheless. Especially for the rarer animals.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

Yes, please, DON'T lower the birth rates. It will kill the game (as the end of the beta showed). At least, it will kill the game for me.

Yes, the end of the beta killed the game. But I really think there is a lot between the breeding rate now and the non-breeding at the end of the beta. It went from one extreme into the other there and what it really needs is something in between.

 

[howardbells]

Yes, the end of the beta killed the game. But I really think there is a lot between the breeding rate now and the non-breeding at the end of the beta. It went from one extreme into the other there and what it really needs is something in between.

It's in no way extreme now. It was toned down substantially since the start of the beta.

In fact, it now follows in-game descriptions of animals, which are based on real life. Please let the breeding stay as it is. It's the game speed that is the problem - the speed includes ALL events as expressed in multiple threads over the forum, not only breeding. The breeding itself is working fine.

 

[xTosca]

Yeah, breeding is fine, and most of the breeding times and whatnot are actually pretty realistic- it's just that time passes so quickly that animals seem to breed constantly. If time was slowed down, breeding wouldn't need to be tweaked at all- you'd still get the same amount of breedings out of your animals, it'd just take longer and not be constant.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

Yeah, breeding is fine, and most of the breeding times and whatnot are actually pretty realistic- it's just that time passes so quickly that animals seem to breed constantly. If time was slowed down, breeding wouldn't need to be tweaked at all- you'd still get the same amount of breedings out of your animals, it'd just take longer and not be constant.

Good point. Didn't think that to the end, so thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Juniper]

My experience is that the time speed is clouding all the other issues - so that should be sorted first, before looking at anything else - because there may not actually be a real problem with those.

An example: before I turned it off, the weather system ensured that there was a torrential downpour that lasted over three months. I had to turn the weather off, because I couldn't see my zoo even in pause mode. The weather system itself may be fine, but because of the insane speed, it made it unusable.

Reduce the speed to at least 1/4 of what it is now, and I think a lot of other "issues" may become clearer and even turn out not to be issues at all.

 

[peteuplink]

Biggest issue for me are the low resolution textures. I got the game Friday, but am holding off playing it until the bug is fixed. Once that's done, I'll be happy.

 

[xTosca]

My experience is that the time speed is clouding all the other issues - so that should be sorted first, before looking at anything else - because there may not actually be a real problem with those.

An example: before I turned it off, the weather system ensured that there was a torrential downpour that lasted over three months. I had to turn the weather off, because I couldn't see my zoo even in pause mode. The weather system itself may be fine, but because of the insane speed, it made it unusable.

Reduce the speed to at least 1/4 of what it is now, and I think a lot of other "issues" may become clearer and even turn out not to be issues at all.

I think the whole animal social group thing would definitely still be an issue even with time slowed down lol... and honestly? I think along with time speed, fixing the animals' social groups and refining animal behavior should take absolute top priority over anything else, since it is literally THE most important aspect of gameplay. People mainly play a zoo game for the animals, after all.

Of course, fixing actual /bugs/ comes first, but you know what I mean.

 

[Juniper]

I think the whole animal social group thing would definitely still be an issue even with time slowed down lol... and honestly? I think along with time speed, fixing the animals' social groups and refining animal behavior should take absolute top priority over anything else, since it is literally THE most important aspect of gameplay. People mainly play a zoo game for the animals, after all.

True... the social group thing is a bit borked IMO, and that's unrelated to the time issue.

I was referring more to other issues like endangered animals behaving like Tribbles.

 

[Wolfen75]

It's in no way extreme now. It was toned down substantially since the start of the beta.

In fact, it now follows in-game descriptions of animals, which are based on real life. Please let the breeding stay as it is. It's the game speed that is the problem - the speed includes ALL events as expressed in multiple threads over the forum, not only breeding. The breeding itself is working fine.

You have even the "recent birth" perk for females so they don't start to breed immediately after they gave birth.

I think many people have a wrong idea about many of the endangered species here.
They are not endangered because they are slow breeders or have difficulties in mating.
The vermin that our own species is, is destroying their life habitats while growing like the cancer that we are, that is the only reason for them to get extinct.
They are not sensitive or have other issues.

In a protected enviroment a chinese pangolin reproduces with the same easy as a squirrel.

 

[Juniper]

I think many people have a wrong idea about many of the endangered species here.
They are not endangered because they are slow breeders or have difficulties in mating.
The vermin that our own species is, is destroying their life habitats while growing like the cancer that we are, that is the only reason for them to get extinct.
They are not sensitive or have other issues.

I'm sure RL giant panda zookeepers will be delighted to hear that.

 

[Wolfen75]

I'm sure RL giant panda zookeepers will be delighted to hear that.

The "problem" on Giant Pandas is unique.

When an animal has a safe enviroment that it feels well in, their instinct tells them to
start mating.
Again, no difference between a exotic animal and a mice.
That works in nature as well as in capitivity... if you are no giant panda.

I am sure the devs can half their fertility, but still the sad situation of the giant panda in captivity
is no reason to cripple the working breeding mechanics in Planet Zoo.

The numbers are correct, they just pass by so fast, that most people have the feeling that the
animals are breeding like rats, cockroaches, or humans.

 

[xTo]

It's been said before but I'm going to say it again because I want to make sure as many people as possible voice this concern: Please do not lower the birth rates..
As of right now only high fertility animals regularly give offspring. In franchise mode, the first high-end animal breeding pair you buy are mostly going to be common-bronze quality unless you're swimming in CC (looking at you Giant Panda's). I have over 10k CC right now and I still have to be conservative. The pair of panda's I bought both had about 50% fertility and were very young adults. Even with the 30% increased breeding chance I've had only 1 offspring, with both parents nearing the end of their lifespan. Quite frankly it would almost be financially impossible to sustain a Giant Panda habitat if the breeding rates were lowered even further.

I, like many others, believe the gamespeed should have a slower bottom setting. I've gone through multiple generations of Bengal Tigers within a single day while playing on the normal speed setting...

However I play on Franchise mode and in my opinion that just isn't the mode to "relax and look at your animals" and to be honest I like that. I think Franchise should be a bit faster otherwise the community challenges would be nearly impossible.
I just don't want the Sandbox mode to go at the same speed because that mode to me seems like the "connect with your animals and watch them do silly things" mode.

 

[Crea_TivELA]

I think the whole animal social group thing would definitely still be an issue even with time slowed down lol... and honestly? I think along with time speed, fixing the animals' social groups and refining animal behavior should take absolute top priority over anything else, since it is literally THE most important aspect of gameplay. People mainly play a zoo game for the animals, after all.

Of course, fixing actual /bugs/ comes first, but you know what I mean.

I think the animals just don't have time to show social behavior, because their needs come first - so maybe we already would see more social interactions when days pass slower and the calculating in the background which says "get hungry every 15 days" and soon, would give them more time until they have to go to eat the next time. I believe social behavior is not turned off in the actual game, it just has rarely time to show off.

I think the time passing is worth to change first and then look at other issues because they maybe turn out as fine solution as others said here before.

AND even we humans can get pregnant within the first month after a birth... so that's really not strange to me at all.

 

[xTosca]

I think the animals just don't have time to show social behavior, because their needs come first - so maybe we already would see more social interactions when days pass slower and the cauculating in tje back which says "get hungry every 15 days" and soon would give them more time until they have to got to eat the next time. I believe social behavior is not turned off in the actual game, it just has rarely time to show off.

I think the time passing is worth to change first and then look at other issues because they maybe turn out as fine solution as others said here before.

AND even we humans can get pregnant in the first month after a birth... so that's really not strange to me at all.

That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about the fact that animals immediately try to kill eachother the second their social group reaches some arbitrary number value that is completely inaccurate for their species.

 

[Charmmy Colour]

Yeah, I also thought my animals were breeding too much, but upon paying attention...they’re not. They reproduce a normal number of times for their lifespan. It’s just that the time is so fast that I feel that I didn’t even had time to properly see the babies before a new litter is due. I proposed myself to name every animal born in my zoo (it’s a small one) to not treat them like numbers, but...I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up! And I don’t even breed exhibits!

 

[Crea_TivELA]

That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about the fact that animals immediately try to kill eachother the second their social group reaches some arbitrary number value that is completely inaccurate for their species.

Yes THIS is a issue I'm really sure about too.

Oh and on another point, Frontier sets the goals for community challenges so they could/would set the goals diffrent so they still can be achived.

 

[Wolfen75]

And I don’t even breed exhibits!

I have given that up too.
300+ animals in one zoo are enough without them

Funny enough my stress level* is lower now that i tried and failed on a second zoo.
I fixed my mainzoo now financially (at least i hope so) and will give it a second try now with
a new one to see if i can set up a small breedings zoo.

Yesterday i set up one and went bankrupt, but i was able to get 3 habitats with gorialls stable enough to release 15 of them...
after staring at the screen for 10 years go by to make them mature... i was 750.000 $ in the minus by then.
I did what every successful manager of this sick society does: i closed the business, moved on and let the debts for someone else to solve.
Now i start a new try with the personal money i have put aside.
If it works in real life, why not in virtual life?

Its good to remember that nothing is gone if you leave it alone for a day, its not a pure online game where the time
goes on even if you are not around.

*(but those 116 hours was so much fun most of the time )

 

[JamieCA]

I think the animals just don't have time to show social behavior, because their needs come first - so maybe we already would see more social interactions when days pass slower and the cauculating in tje back which says "get hungry every 15 days" and soon would give them more time until they have to got to eat the next time. I believe social behavior is not turned off in the actual game, it just has rarely time to show off.

I think the time passing is worth to change first and then look at other issues because they maybe turn out as fine solution as others said here before.

AND even we humans can get pregnant within the first month after a birth... so that's really not strange to me at all.

Interesting theory but I don't know if it's correct. I have an entire zoo I built to just watch social interactions and test theories about what may make those happen. The animals spend little of their time eating or going to the food. Most of it is spent just sitting around/having a dust path/climbing a tree/other solitary behavior. For most species I don't think hunger is preventing them from socializing.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

I think the animals just don't have time to show social behavior, because their needs come first - so maybe we already would see more social interactions when days pass slower and the cauculating in tje back which says "get hungry every 15 days" and soon would give them more time until they have to got to eat the next time. I believe social behavior is not turned off in the actual game, it just has rarely time to show off.

I think the time passing is worth to change first and then look at other issues because they maybe turn out as fine solution as others said here before.

THIS! You might be totally right here. However, the wolf-issue of "just two wolfs in a social group" is on another page.