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Planet Zoo How would you change Planet Zoo’s current animal roster?

Discussion in 'Zoo Games & Simulators' started by evilmonkey239, 28 Feb 2020.

  1. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Someone on this site once made a thread about how they would change the lineup of animals featured in Zoo Tycoon 2 and its expansion packs. So, I was inspired by that to make a similar article about Planet Zoo, it’s spiritual successor. Although PZ’s starting animal roster of 76 animals was pretty solid, there were definitely some iconic zoo animals anticipated for the game that were left out, as well as some animals in the game that felt like unnecessary clones.
    Here is exactly how I would’ve changed it:

    Habitat animals

    Black wildebeest- far from the worst species to have in the game, but I’d replace it with the blue wildebeest, both more recognizable and common in zoos.

    Bonobo- we didn’t need both species of chimp at launch. Move this one to a future DLC pack (maybe Congo-themed?) and replace its slot of fourth ape with some type of gibbon such as a white-handed gibbon or siamang.

    Chinese pangolin- it’s nice to have pangolins in the game to raise awareness of the threats these mammals face from poaching, but considering how rare it is in zoos, I’d move this to a future DLC pack and replace its slot with a giant anteater, a more typical zoo insectivore.

    Formosan black bear- replace with either a non-subspecific version of the Asiatic black bear, as this subspecies has very low captive representation, or with a sloth bear, another Asian bear that’s far more numerous in US zoos.

    Himalayan brown bear- remove and give this slot to the polar bear instead of saving the latter bear for the Arctic Pack, as it’s needless to say a far more popular zoo bear.

    Siberian tiger- two tiger subspecies is too many when they make up 40% of the cat roster. I would save this animal for a future DLC pack and give its slot to the jaguar instead, especially considering how underrepresented Latin America is among habitat animals so far.

    Take the following habitat animals (Aldabra giant tortoise, bongo, Nile monitor, nyala, sable antelope, springbok) and fill their slots with the following creatures not in the game thus far: meerkat, southern white rhinoceros, Amur leopard, red kangaroo, koala, and moose.

    Exhibit animals

    Common death adder- replace with a king cobra, one of the most iconic venomous snakes that was unfortunately left out of PZ’s terrarium animal roster

    Giant burrowing cockroach- give slot to Madagascar hissing cockroach instead

    Green iguana- feels like more of a pet animal than a zoo animal. I’d keep the lesser Antillean iguana but give this slot to some type of chameleon instead, which are thus far completely unrepresented.

    Lehman’s poison frog- replace with the more iconic blue poison dart frog.

    Titan beetle- replace with some type of rhinoceros beetle, perhaps the Hercules beetle.

    Yellow anaconda- give anaconda slot to the more iconic green anaconda instead.

    Arctic Pack
    Polar bear- now that this animal has been moved to the base game, put a musk ox in its slot.

    Arctic wolf- since we’ve already got a grey wolf subspecies in the base game with the timber wolf, put an Arctic fox in this slot instead.
     
  2. turkeyfox

    turkeyfox Well-Known Member

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    I agree with everything you said except maybe the koala. Koalas just sit in their tree all day and don't really come down. In the game currently all animals eat and drink from feeders placed on the ground which doesn't really fit for koalas. They'd have to redesign climbing for them. A different ground based Australian animal (wombat? cassowary? Tasmanian devil?) would be better.
     
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  3. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Fair point, though maybe they could use a little artistic license here with feeding koalas like ZT2 did.
     
  4. grevy's zebra

    grevy's zebra Well-Known Member

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    The jaguar came in the South America DLC, and the only animals I don’t like are the Himalayan Brown Bear, the Formosan Black Bear, and the Bonobo. The other habitat animals (especially the bongo and Nyala) should stay since some are in the original Zoo Tycoon.
     
  5. EsserWarrior

    EsserWarrior Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I disagree with the statement about bonobos. I am biased towards them, but we've never had them in zoo games before. Zoo Tycoon 2 never had a good bonobo mod, so I couldn't even enjoy bonobos then.

    I do think that animals like smaller primate species should've been included in the main roster.
     
  6. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Agree with your last statement. The game thus far is pretty lacking in smaller mammals in general.
     
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  7. EsserWarrior

    EsserWarrior Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I think that I might just be picky due to the plethora of animals that Zoo Tycoon 2 had. If people could mod Planet Zoo similarly to how they modded Zoo Tycoon 2 we'd be set.
     
  8. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    And in time, we might get more diversity in the animal roster. If only the DLCs would come out quicker...
     
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  9. EsserWarrior

    EsserWarrior Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    It was nice not having to buy ZT2 animals as well.
     
  10. dillotest0

    dillotest0 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Goliath Frog - Not really sure why this was in the game, not really a mainstream animal by no means, especially not in the Western world, though some seem to be popping up in the East, but still not mainstream by any means. Is something like a Giant Salamander too mainstream? It is another 'giant amphibian' and seems to be doing well in captivity all things considered.
     
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  11. dillotest0

    dillotest0 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    That said, there seems to be an Australia pack coming in 5 days, and will include the following animals:
    Dingo
    Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
    Koala
    Red Kangaroo
    Southern Cassowary

    Of course since this is an Australia pack, Kangaroos and Koalas are essentially given. However, I'm not too fazed by the fact there are only 5 animals. Dingos are also iconic Australian animals, however are just a subspecies of the domestic dog, and are though to originally come from Indonesia. Would something like a wombat be too mainstream? They are found in zoos worldwide, and are a pretty popular choice for an extra PZ animal all things considered. As for the skink, not entirely sure why they went with the specific subspecies as opposed to the Blue-tongued skink. I suppose this is to push the reptile houses onto the players. However, skinks aren't really too Aussie-famous fauna considered, and given how much unique life actually lives 'dunnunder' I don't really see this pack doing justice. What about a monitor lizard of some sort, somewhat representative of Australia's reptile fauna? And kookaburras are pretty common in zoos worldwide all things considered, making it odd to see none of them either.
    These are just my opinions though.
     
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  12. Loxodonta Cobra

    Loxodonta Cobra Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I'm the one who started the aforementioned ZT2 thread, and honestly I would change a-lot of my choices I made back then. The thread is posted here:Unnecessary Zoo Tycoon 2 Animals [Zoo Tycoon]

    As for Planet Zoo, my biggest change would honestly be to expand the roster. With the increased technological achievements regarding A.I. and how easy it is to modify animation rigs and models, we could've had a lot more animals in the base game. Unfortunately we would all have to lower our expectations for what the final reveal was. I talk in other Planet Zoo-related threads about those so I'll get to the subject of this thread; my ideal Planet Zoo roster. If I had the choice to change Planet Zoos animal roster, dlc included, it would look like this:

    Standard Edition Habitat Animals
    1. Aardvark
    2. African Buffalo
    3. African Bush Elephant
    4. African Wild Dog
    5. American Alligator
    6. American Bison
    7. Amur Leopard
    8. Asian Small-clawed Otter
    9. Bactrian Camel
    10. Bengal Tiger
    11. Binturong
    12. Black Howler Monkey
    13. Black Rhinoceros
    14. Blue Wildebeest
    15. Bornean Orangutan
    16. California Sea Lion
    17. Capybara
    18. Common Warthog
    19. Crested Porcupine
    20. Galapagos Giant Tortoise
    21. Gemsbok
    22. Gharial
    23. Giant Anteater
    24. Giant Panda
    25. Golden Takin
    26. Greater Flamingo
    27. Grizzly Bear
    28. Hamadryas baboon
    29. Hippopotamus
    30. Indian Elephant
    31. Indian Peafowl
    32. Indian Rhinoceros
    33. Jaguar
    34. Japanese macaque
    35. King Penguin
    36. Koala
    37. Komodo Dragon
    38. Lar Gibbon
    39. Malayan Tapir
    40. Mandrill
    41. Meerkat
    42. Moose
    43. Mountain Bongo
    44. Northwestern Wolf
    45. Nubian Ibex
    46. Okapi
    47. Polar Bear
    48. Pronghorn
    49. Przewalski's Horse
    50. Pygmy Hippopotamus
    51. Red-crowned Crane
    52. Red Deer
    53. Red Kangaroo
    54. Red Panda
    55. Reticulated Giraffe
    56. Ring-tailed Lemur
    57. Sable Antelope
    58. Saltwater Crocodile
    59. Secretary Bird
    60. Sloth Bear
    61. Snow Leopard
    62. South African Cheetah
    63. Southern Cassowary
    64. Southern Ostrich
    65. Spotted Hyena
    66. Tasmanian Devil
    67. Thomson's Gazelle
    68. Transvaal Lion
    69. Western Chimpanzee
    70. Western lowland Gorilla
    Standard Edition Exhibit Animals
    1. African Bull Frog
    2. Amazonian Giant Centipede
    3. Blue Poison Dart Frog
    4. Boa Constrictor
    5. Brazilian Wandering Spider
    6. Burmese Python
    7. Cane Toad
    8. Common Death Adder
    9. Egyptian Tortoise
    10. Emperor Newt
    11. Gaboon Viper
    12. Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion
    13. Giant Rainforest Mantis
    14. Giant Tiger Land Snail
    15. Gila Monster
    16. Goliath Beetle
    17. Goliath Birdeater
    18. Hercules Beetle
    19. Lesser Antillean Iguana
    20. Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
    21. Mangrove Snake
    22. Northern Caiman Lizard
    23. Panther Chameleon
    24. Red-eyed Tree Frog
    25. Spectacled Cobra
    26. Spider Tortoise
    27. Spiny-tailed Monitor
    28. Tokay Gecko
    29. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
    30. Yellow Anaconda
    Arctic Pack
    1. Arctic Fox
    2. Arctic Hare
    3. Canadian Lynx
    4. Muskox
    5. Reindeer
    6. Snow Goose
    7. Walrus
    8. Wolverine
    9. Wood Frog (Exhibit)
    South America Pack
    1. Baron's Green Racer (Exhibit)
    2. Black-headed Spider Monkey
    3. Blue-billed Curassow
    4. Eyelash Viper (Exhibit)
    5. Guanaco
    6. Greater Rhea
    7. Lowland Tapir
    8. Maned Wolf
    9. Ocelot
    10. Peruvian Firestick (Exhibit)
    11. Plumed Basilisk (Exhibit)
    12. South American Coati
    13. Spectacled Bear
    14. Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Exhibit)
    15. Twist-necked Turtle (Exhibit)
    16. Yacare Caiman
    Australia Pack
    1. Central bearded Dragon (Exhibit)
    2. Common Wombat
    3. Corroboree Frog (Exhibit)
    4. Dingo
    5. Emu
    6. Frill-necked Lizard (Exhibit)
    7. Inland Taipan (Exhibit)
    8. Irwin's Turtle (Exhibit)
    9. Little Blue Penguin
    10. Matschie's Tree-Kangaroo
    11. Platypus
    12. Quokka
    13. Scrub Python (Exhibit)
    14. Short-beaked Echidna
    15. Tiger Quoll
    16. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
    In short, I changed the game by adding animals that weren't present in the base game to complete the collection and add more zoo stables over rarer species more suited for dlc, incorporated the three deluxe edition species into the standard edition, and I swapped out a lot of the repetitively modeled exhibit animals in favor of creatures that were missing (pythons, salamanders and newts, small tortoises etc), bringing the base game to 100 species of animals. I also I also expanded the dlc packs to at least eight habitat animals and at least one exhibit animal. Another thing I did was to change and specify the subspecies of some animals (grants zebra, south African cheetah, mountain bongo) with certain subspecies represented more frequently in captivity. It may seem like too much for some, but I feel like if the game was set like this it would better represent the massive amount of diversity in the animal kingdom and the large collections that are often kept in zoos.
     
    Last edited: 20 Aug 2020
  13. dillotest0

    dillotest0 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    It's a fluffy koala, but spends too much time on the ground. And also runs too fast.
     
  14. HOMIN96

    HOMIN96 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    To be fair Koalas can be pretty rapid when they need to be...
     
  15. BucerosKeeper

    BucerosKeeper Active Member

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    I personally felt happy that Formosan Black Bear and Chinese Pangolin (I would have gone with Sunda) were represented. Just because they aren't represented enough in US Zoos doesn't mean us players from around the world can't have something a little closer to home.
     
  16. Old_Dog

    Old_Dog New Member

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    So animals I feel like have no place in base game ( not that I wouldn't want to see them in some DLC later) are as following:

    -Aldabra Giant Tortoise
    -Bonobo
    -Chinese Pangolin
    -Formosan Black Bear
    -Gharial
    -Himalayan Brown Bear
    -Japanese Macaque
    -Nyala
    -Red Ruffed Lemur
    -Pronghorn Antelope
    -Siberian Tiger
    -Springbok

    Animals I would add instead of them
    -Alaskan Moose
    -Alpine Ibex
    -Asiatic Black Bear
    -Black Rhinoceros
    -Giant Anteater
    -Iberian Lynx
    -Jaguar
    -Koala
    -Red Kangaroo
    -Polar Bear
    -Przewalski Wild Horse
    -Siamang Gibbon

    List would finally look like this

    -Aardvark
    -African Buffalo
    -African Bush Elephant
    -African Wild Dog
    -Alaskan Moose
    -Alpine Ibex
    -American Bison
    -Asiatic Black Bear
    -Bactrian Camel
    -Baird's Tapir
    -Bengal Tiger
    -Black Rhinoceros
    -Black Wildebeest
    -Bongo
    -Bornean Orangutan
    -Cheetah
    -Common Ostrich
    -Common Warthog
    -Galapagos Giant Tortoise
    -Gemsbok
    -Giant Anteater
    -Giant Panda
    -Greater Flamingo
    -Grizzly Bear
    -Hippopotamus
    -Iberian Lynx
    -Indian Elephant
    -Indian Peafowl
    -Indian Rhinoceros
    -Jaguar
    -Koala
    -Komodo Dragon
    -Mandrill
    -Nile Monitor
    -Okapi
    -Plains Zebra
    -Polar Bear
    -Przewalski Wild Horse
    -Pygmy Hippo
    -Red Panda
    -Red Kangaroo
    -Reticulated Giraffe
    -Ring Tailed Lemur
    -Sable Antelope
    -Saltwater Crocodile
    -Siamang Gibbon
    -Snow Leopard
    -Spotted Hyena
    -Thompson's Gazelle
    -Timber Wolf
    -West African Lion
    -Western Chinpanzee
    -Western Lowland Gorilla

    And then the DLCs that came out could afford a little leisure when it comes to animal choices, so with some of their staples the DLCs ( in my vision) would look like this :

    Arctic DLC:
    -Reindeer
    -Dall Sheep
    -Polar Fox ( Wolfie out )
    -Musk Ox ( Polar Bear's on list )

    SA DLC:
    -Capybara ( Jaguar's on list )
    -Black Howler ( Capuchin out )
    -Maned Wolf ( Not a fan of Llamas )
    -Spectacled Bear ( Anteater's on list )
    -Red Eyed Tree Frog

    Aussie DLC:
    -Bennet Wallaby ( Kangaroo's on list )
    -Southern Cassowary
    -Common Wombat ( Koala's on list )
    -Tasmanian Devil ( I prefer marsupial carnivore )
    -Frilled Necked Lizard ( I mean come on )
     
  17. CrashMegaraptor

    CrashMegaraptor Well-Known Member

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    Bonobos were in the XBox version of Zoo Tycoon.
     
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  18. EsserWarrior

    EsserWarrior Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I pretend that game doesn't exist.
     
  19. CrashMegaraptor

    CrashMegaraptor Well-Known Member

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    OK, fair enough.

    But seriously, on topic, I think the only animals I could have done without are the Aldabra Giant Tortoise and the Himalayan Brown Bear, because they're almost completely identical to the Galapagos Giant Tortoise and the Grizzly Bear. I'd be tempted to oust the Bonobo, Nyala and Siberian Tiger, but they at least have some noticeable differences.

    On a far more dynamic level, though, I would have been tempted to adjust the roster completely and create it with an even spread across continents...so it would literally be a "Planet Zoo". Although in retrospect, trying to have a limited yet varied amount of African animals is extremely difficult.
     
    Last edited: 24 Sep 2020
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  20. tschandler71

    tschandler71 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    These games are almost entirely void of Kudu a very common zoo animal. I wonder if the tight spiral horns are harder to animate than the looser ones of say Bongo or Nyala.
     
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