What I Want to See in Planet Zoo 2

As you're all probably aware by now, Frontier is busy working on a sequel to Planet Zoo and the trailer is due to drop at some point today.

The countdown live stream for this trailer has already revealed some delicious screenshots, showing lots of scenery and the graphics engine.

Even though the first game is one of my all-time favourite video games ever made, there's definitely a few areas where it could have been even better.

 Before the trailer drops, here's a summary of my hopes for the next game!

Animals

The undisputed stars of any zoo game, here's what I wish to see in a sequel:

• Birds and fully aquatic animals. I'll drop specific wish lists for these in a future post!
• If having both would limit the terrestrial roster, then I'd rather just birds. 
• A roster that prioritized animals that exist in real zoos. The more common and versatile for different regions, the better.
• A return of most animals from the first game, as well as new ones we didn't get to see the first time around (additional to the birds and aquatics). I'll make a wish list for these in a separate post.
• More diverse animal behaviours and animations (no more random sprinting or quirky climbing). 
• More individuality in the animals themselves, giving them more character and uniqueness in their appearance.
• No exhibit-style boxes for birds and other small animals, except reptiles, amphibians, small fish and invertebrates.
• An overhauled exhibit system, with the option of more sizes, especially smaller ones.

Enhanced sandbox mode

Sandbox mode in the first game was my preferred method of playing due to how much creative freedom it gave me, but it could be better. I hope to see:

• An option to remove hunger and thirst so that we can create our own (implied) feeders and drinkers that are tailored to our habitats. The pre-made ones in the first game weren't always visually appropriate and sometimes difficult to place due to terrain or space constraints.
• An option to remove staff or at least toggle their visibility; I don't want to build trade centres or staff rooms and I don't want to see staff walking into habitats with dangerous animals. 
• Smaller hit boxes and/or the option to disable them altogether, so that we can make tighter, more realistic spaces that animals can fully navigate. 
• A rework of how you buy animals. The animal market from the first game feels more appropriate for franchise mode; in sandbox, I just want to choose the exact animal I want and maybe even customise its attributes.
• Map customisation so we can tailor the skybox, biome and climate.

Better visuals and sound

The countdown live stream already revealed some beta screenshots showing the game's upgraded graphics and all I can say is.. I'm glad I recently upgraded my PC! I hope to see:

• More emphasis on realism and immersion. I'd prefer animals to look exactly like their real-life counterparts (so not stylised to be cute like we saw with the cats and dogs in the first game).
• A visual consistency between things; in the first game, I feel like some plants were super vibrant whilst others were dull and the animal sign pieces all had different styles to them making it hard to make consistent signage.
• Better interior lighting is a must for me so that we can create darkened interiors, like nocturnal houses, and have ceilings that aren't always tinged orange.
• A more reactive environment for animals, for example plants that actually move when animals nudge them, rope that actually swings when animals climb and more water effects when animals swim.

 Scenery & Construction

A couple wishes of mine for scenery (and construction) are: 

• A new path system reminiscent to the one in Planet Coaster 2.
• An overhauled water system so that it can be placed closer to barriers and paths and not only at 1 meter height intervals. 
• Item scaling so that we have an easier time creating smaller details.
• More 'null' options, including for elevated paths and habitat gates, so we can create fully custom ones ourselves.
• More fonts that are appropriate for a zoo game (the ones in the first game felt more theme park-y).
• More mesh options than the first game, especially triangular pieces for angled roofs.
• Transparency for billboards so we can create custom decals or signs that aren't just rectangular in shape.

And I think that's it! I don't ask for much do I?

I'll probably make a follow-up post after the trailer drops in the next 30 minutes, so I'll see you there!