Summer is fast approaching, and alongside the longer days and warmer nights, it's also bringing with it a new Planet Zoo update! Free update 1.14 will be making its way to you on 20 June - keep reading to find out exactly what's coming your way!
Staff Flexicolour New season, new wardrobe! With the addition of Staff Flexicolour options for your Zoos, you'll be able to customise the colour combinations of your staff's uniforms, allowing for a whole new range of possibilities. These options will allow you to create custom colour schemes for your favourite members of staff through their individual info panel, or select different colourways for each staff type through the Staff Overview screen so you can get an at-a-glance overview of where they are in your zoo. The decision is yours!
Spitting Behaviours Guests might be in for a surprise next time they're a little too close to your habitats...some animals will now exhibit spitting at guests as a new behaviour! They'll be able to spit through some of the fences, and you might even be able to spot them attempting to spit through the glass walls of their habitats (eye emoji) Both the Bactrian Camel and Llama are capable of spitting at your guests in-game, so you'll want to keep an eye out to spot this behaviour in-action. Luckily, guests who experience spitting behaviours first-hand won't have their happiness impacted - how understanding!
Scenic Camera Mode Lights, camera, action! With the new Scenic Camera Mode, you'll be able to create smooth vista shots throughout your Zoos.
Just place the camera in your desired location and select from a few predefined camera behaviours like spin, ellipse, spiral in, spiral out, then further adjust the zoom and movement speed of the camera to experience cinematic views of just parts of your zoo or your whole zoo if you'd like!
Cinematic Route Editor That's not all, for our nifty Planet Zoo community who love creating more intricate and compelling videos and views of your park, we've added a new Cinematic Route Editor! This tool will put you into digital animation mode, allowing you to add specific key frames to any area of your park that can all be connected or separated in sequence to create a unique and defined path for the camera to transition through.
You can add as many key frames as you like and each key frame can be customised by changing camera position, rotation, focus, zoom or cutting directly to the next key frame. There are also some route settings you can add once you've created your key frame animation that include: hiding the UI whilst your route is being played, looping the route or changing the speed of the animation as a whole. It's a truly dynamic way to show off all your hard work to the world, so make sure you have a play around with it!
You will be able to access both these new modes in the Camera Modes button on your UI and routes you have created will also be unique to the space you initially created them in. We can't wait to see what you do with these new tools, Zookeepers! 👀
As always, these exciting new features will come alongside a range of fixes and quality-of-life improvements, which you can read in the patch notes after release.
There's definitely more news coming for you soon, so keep your eyes peeled! Make sure to join us later today for a ✨special livestream✨ where we'll be taking a closer look at everything coming your way in free Update 1.14. Catch us on Twitch and Youtube at 17:00 BST - see you there!
Planet Zoo Update 1.13.1 is available now!
Hayo Zookeepers,
Update 1.13.1 is available now for you all to enjoy! Simply update your game to play. For full patch notes, see below:
Planet Zoo - 1.13.1 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes.
General Bug Fixes and Improvements
● Animals ● Polished the Siamang brachiating animations ● Fixed an issue where the Raccoon walks through the Slow Feeder enrichment, causing the animal animation to break ● Fixed an issue where the Siamang would be stuck in the air after leaping from one item to another ● Polished the Lar Gibbon Juvenile interaction with Block of frozen fruits ● Giant Anteater is now listed as Central America instead of North America ● Fixed an issue where the American Bison would escape through solid walls after a fight ● Updated audio while Lar Gibbon Juvenile is feeding from the Suspended Forager ● Fixed Menelaus Blue Morpho life expectancy in Zoopedia's Species Data
● Facilities ● Fixed an issue preventing mulch from covering all the floor of the Brown-Throated Sloth Walkthrough exhibit ● Fixed an issue where players were unable to unlock Indonesian Staff Room Large after researching Staff Facilities & Indonesian theme to max level
● Scenario ● In 'The Madagascan Simian Conservation Project' scenario, "Box all animals" can now be completed while the game is paused ● Removed a cooler in 'The Summer Project' scenario ● Fixed an issue preventing the 'Caldera Safari Park' scenario Transport Ride Objective counter from updating properly
● Blueprint ● Removed DLC warning when placing Brachiation Frame Small, Medium and Large
● UI ● Added a toggle option to disable the Multi-Axis Advanced Movement tool for players preferring the initial way of building ● Adjusted the Multi-Axis Advanced Movement tool by making the arrows easier to grab ● Added a tooltip to "Filter Habitat Items by Species" button for when the button is disabled ● Added a missing icon to "Facilities Repaired Last Year" on the Mechanic info panel ● Fixed an issue in the Path Size slider after switching from meters to feet ● Fixed an issue causing missing unhappy face icons on heat maps after using the Water Temperature Regulator heat map
● Stability ● Fixed a crash when deleting a large number of buildings with the bulldozer tools ● Fixed a crash caused by using the Jholthausen in game cheat ● Fixed a crash occurring when players send Proboscis Monkey from Trade Center to a habitat
Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack and Free Update 1.13 Out Now! 🌴
Hayo Zookeepers!
Spring has sprung so let's get ready for the sun reappearing with the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack, out now! Grab the pack on Steam and update your game now to enjoy free Update 1.13.
Time to welcome 5 new animal friends into your Zoo: the agile Lar Gibbon, elusive Fossa, gentle Asian Water Monitor, vibrant Red River Hog, and new Walkthrough Exhibit animal, the sleepy Brown-throated Sloth!
Alongside these new creatures, you'll be able to enjoy a range of new building materials! Spruce up your habitats with new foliage including the Rafflesia and Pitcher's Plant, add a bit of Southeast Asian flare to your Zoo with new intricately carved benches and tables, vibrant parasols and drapery, amidst other decor inspired by the architecture and traditions native to the area, or even create a whole new serene area with our new Tongonkan-inspired buildings!
You can also put your managerial skills to the test once again with a new Career Scenario set in a tropical forest. Tiffany has gotten herself into yet another pickle, and this time Dominic Myers has gotten involved too - oh no! Do you have what it takes to steer her on the right path?
Free Update 1.13 also brings several exciting features, including new Animal Sociality! This feature aims to bring a more life-like experience to the introduction of new animals in your habitats, and the coexisting bonds between your already established groups. This new managerial function can be found under the Social tab of your animals. For more comprehensive info on Animal Sociality and how it works, be sure to check out this post.
Alongside this you can enjoy a range of new building tools, making customising your zoos better than ever. Create custom paths - or have no visible path at all! - with new Null Paths, move items with even more freedom with the new Multi-Axis Advanced Movement Tool, and customise your barriers and climbing frame enrichments with the new Climbability Toggle, allowing you to pick and choose which items can be scaled!
Enjoy these beautiful new species and unleash your building creativity with NVIDIA's GeForceNOW service, which gives you instant access to GeForce PC performance on nearly any PC, Mac, SHIELD TV, Android, iOS device or Chromebook without any downloads! Make sure you can enjoy the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack as well as Update 1.13, no matter what device you're on!
Check out the full Update Notes below for more information and all you need to know about various bug fixes, improvements, and changes in Update 1.13!
But before you read on - make sure to join us later today for an extra special launch livestream where we'll be fundraising for our friends at Chester Zoo! They do incredible work with animals and conservation, including in the Madagascar rainforest which our new Fossa friends call home.
We'll be there for 4+ hours for a range of fun including special guests, forfeits, giveaways, and more - so be sure to check it out! We'll be live from 14:00 BST on both Twitch and Youtube, and if you'd like to donate you can do so on Tiltify. See you there PlanZo fam! 💚
Now onto the patch notes:
Planet Zoo - 1.13.0 Update Notes This update contains bug fixes, updates and some new content. New Content - Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack
NEW - Animals
New animals in the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack:
Asian Water Monitor
Fossa
Lar Gibbon
Red River Hog
Brown-Throated Sloth
NEW - Career Scenario
There aren't many places that exude as much charm as this primeval forest, soon to be the location of the new 'Summer Project': a jungle paradise zoo developed and built by young socialite and up-and-coming conservationist, Tiffany Summers. She'll be running it under the ever-watchful eye of her father's, rather familiar-looking, right-hand man.
NEW - Scenery Pieces
Indonesian Mossy Stone Step
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Small
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Half Small
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Quarter Small
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Corner Small
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Large
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Half Large
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Quarter Large
Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Corner Large
Indonesian Gilded Stone Swirl
Indonesian Mossy Stone Swirl
Indonesian Mossy Stone Block 0.5m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thick 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thin 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thick 2m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thin 2m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Smooth 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Smooth 2m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Leaf 2m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Swirl 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Palm 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Cornice Midsection
Indonesian Mossy Stone Cornice Corner
Indonesian Mossy Stone Column Base
Indonesian Mossy Stone Column Topper
Indonesian Mossy Stone Base 1m
Indonesian Mossy Stone Base 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Fence
Indonesian Stained Timber Fence Post
Indonesian Stained Timber Fence Support
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 4m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 4m
Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 4m
Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 2m x 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 1m x 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 1m x 0.5m
Indonesian Stained Timber Panel Angled 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Panel Angled 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Cap
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 0.5m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 0.5m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 1m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 2m
Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Cap
Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Small
Indonesian Painted Wooden Arch
Indonesian Painted Wooden Arch Half
Indonesian Painted Wooden Cap Large
Indonesian Painted Wooden Cap Small
Indonesian Painted Wooden Corner
Indonesian Painted Wooden Flower
Indonesian Painted Wooden Triangle Large
Indonesian Painted Wooden Triangle Small
Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Medium
Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Large
Indonesian Painted Wooden Horn
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Small
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Arch
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Arch Half
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Cap Large
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Cap Small
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Corner
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Flower
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Triangle Large
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Triangle Small
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Medium
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Large
Indonesian Gilded Wooden Horn
Indonesian Door Handle Metal
Indonesian Door Handle Ring
Indonesian Door Handle Wood
Indonesian Drapery Hanging
Indonesian Drapery Corner 1m
Indonesian Drapery Corner 2m
Indonesian Drapery Trim
Indonesian Drapery Curtain Top
Indonesian Drapery Curtain Bottom
Indonesian Drapery Loop
Indonesian Drapery Knot
Indonesian Drapery Tie
Indonesian Drapery Wide 1m
Indonesian Drapery Wide 2m
Indonesian Earthenware Pot 01
Indonesian Earthenware Pot 02
Indonesian Earthenware Pot 03
Indonesian Earthenware Pot 04
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Square
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Square Tunnel
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Tunnel
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Large Window
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Shop Front
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Station Surround 01
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Station Surround 02
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 1m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 4m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Door
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 1m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 4m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 1m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 4m
Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 1m
Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 4m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor Quarter Circle
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor Quarter Circle Mirrored
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Gable 1m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Gable 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 1m x 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 2m x 2m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 1m x 4m
Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 4m x 2m
Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 1m
Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 2m
Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 4m
Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave Corner
Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave End
Indonesian Thatch Roof Gable Large
Indonesian Thatch Roof Gable Small
Indonesian Thatch Roof Midsection Large
Indonesian Thatch Roof Midsection Small
Indonesian Thatch Roof Wedge
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper 2m
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper 4m
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper End
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 1m
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 2m
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 4m
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Cap
Indonesian Pagoda Roof Corner
Indonesian Tonkonan Roof End
Indonesian Tonkonan Roof Midsection
Indonesian Roof Topper
Indonesian Lantern
Indonesian Lantern Bracket
Indonesian Lantern Pole
Tropical Sculpture Asian Water Monitor Head
Tropical Sculpture Fossa Head
Tropical Sculpture Lar Gibbon Head
Tropical Sculpture Red River Hog Head
Tropical Sculpture Snake Arm Left
Tropical Sculpture Snake Arm Right
Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Eighth Turn
Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Quarter Turn
Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Straight
Tropical Sculpture Snake Tail
Tropical Sculpture Snake Torso
Tropical Sculpture Human Legs
Tropical Sculpture Human Torso
Tropical Sculpture Topper
Indonesian Bench
Indonesian Bin
Indonesian Picnic Bench
Bark Panel 01
Bark Panel 02
Bark Panel 03
Indonesian Fence Panel
Indonesian Lattice Panel 1m x 1m
Indonesian Umbrella
Indonesian Straw Tassle
Indonesian Bamboo Panel 01
Indonesian Bamboo Panel 02
Indonesian Drum
Indonesian Wooden Trellis
Indonesian Package Bag 01
Indonesian Package Bag 02
Indonesian Package Cardboard 01
Indonesian Package Cardboard 02
Tropical Animal Sign Fossa
Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 01
Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 02
Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 03
Tropical Animal Sign Red River Hog
Tropical Animal Sign Brown-Throated Sloth
Tropical Animal Sign Asian Water Monitor 01
Tropical Animal Sign Asian Water Monitor 02
Indonesian Zoo Entrance
Indonesian Keeper Hut Large
Indonesian Keeper Hut Small
Indonesian Quarantine Large
Indonesian Quarantine Small
Indonesian Research Centre Large
Indonesian Research Centre Small
Indonesian Staff Room Large
Indonesian Staff Room Small
Indonesian Trade Centre
Indonesian Veterinary Surgery
Indonesian Workshop
Indonesian Toilet Large
Indonesian Toilet Small
Indonesian Shop Large [Shell]
Indonesian Shop Small [Shell]
Indonesian Archway 01
Indonesian Archway 02
Indonesian Centrepiece 01
Indonesian Centrepiece 02
Indonesian Spired Roof House
Indonesian Temple
Indonesian Tongkonan House
Indonesian Walkthrough Exhibit
Indonesian Bicycle
Indonesian Gate
Indonesian Nature Scene
Indonesian Pagoda Tower
Indonesian Ruins Corner
Indonesian Ruins Doorway
Indonesian Ruins Entrance
Indonesian Ruins Wall
Indonesian Shrine
NEW - Foliage
Rafflesia Large
Rafflesia Small
Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Pitcher
Attenborough's Pitcher Plant
Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Small
Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Pitcher Small
Basket Fern 01
Basket Fern 02
Basket Fern 03
Tetrastigma Vine 01
Tetrastigma Vine 02
Tetrastigma Vine 03
Tetrastigma Vine 04
NEW - Avatar Costume
Brown-Throated Sloth avatar costume
New Content - Free Update 1.13.0
NEW - Animal Sociality
Improving the feedback provided to players when and why overcrowding issues happen, sociality introduces the concept of Outsiders, Bonded animals and Leaders to Planet Zoo
Outsiders
Outsiders are unable to mate, interact, herd, or participate in any other social behaviour with the group. Fights occurring due to overpopulation are directed at Outsiders, rather than everyone beginning to infight as soon as the habitat becomes overcrowded
An animal's Outsider status is shown in its info panel as well as highlighted in the habitat info panel's animal list
Outsiders are generated if animals are introduced (or mature into) a habitat where it would exceed the population limits, gender ratio limits, or are rejected based on a new criteria: maturation type
There are four maturation types, which define how animals interact with their matured offspring:
Gregarious - meaning matured offspring is accepted into the group regardless of their gender. Timber Wolves or Flamingoes are examples of a gregarious species
Matrilineal - meaning male offspring related to the habitat's alpha are becoming outsiders, while the female line is accepted to remain in the group. Plains Zebras or West African Lions are examples of a matrilineal species
Patrilineal - meaning female offspring related to the habitat's alpha are becoming outsiders, while the male line is accepted to remain in the group. Western Chimpanzees are examples of a patrilineal species
Solitary - meaning offspring of either gender are becoming outsiders while their parents are present in the habitat. Siberian Tigers or Grizzly Bears are examples of a solitary species
A species' maturation type is listed in its zoopedia entry in the reproduction section
Outsider relationships can be lost if the reason for an animal being considered an Outsider are no longer valid, i.e. the animal fits into the habitat's population limits or gender ratio again, or it is no longer related to the current alpha. In this case, they enter an integration phase, after which they lose their Outsider status and can participate in the habitat's social environment again
Bonds
Animals can also become Bonded - these are individual, friendly relationships between two animals. Bonding happens between all juveniles of the same parents in a habitat, or on a low chance upon social interaction or play chases in adults
Bonded animals do not fight each other, even if one animal ends up being an Outsider to the habitat
It is unlikely for all animals in a habitat to form bonds among each other, however this may enable brothers of an alpha lion to remain in the habitat even though they would technically exceed the gender ratio of the species
Both Outsider and Bonded relationships will be lost over time if the animals are removed from their habitat - so careful management of separation and reintroduction is required
Leaders
In some species, the alpha animal tends to lead and guide the group, but does not claim exclusive mating rights. These leaders will now display a crown icon next to their gender symbol, in place of the alpha icon, to provide clearer information about their social and reproductive status in your groups
NEW - Null Paths
When placing any of the natural paths with the option "Kerb on ground path" turned off, they turn into Null Paths: paths that will become indistinguishable from the terrain they are placed on
Like with Null Barriers, Null Paths will still be highlighted with a white outline when editing terrain, building, or hiring and moving around staff members, to help you find them again. This can be disabled via the new "Highlight hidden paths" dropdown in the building browser's setting
Normal path behaviour of course still applies to Null Paths - terrain can be painted, but not deformed around them, and they obstruct water and facility placement
NEW - Climbing Asset toggle
Any climbable scenery or nature object now comes with a toggle on its info panel to turn of the climbable functionality of the piece. This toggle is also available for grouped scenery or multi-selections of pieces, showing you the current status of all pieces (climbable, mixed, not climbable) and the option to change it for all objects at once
In the animal traversable area heatmap, pieces whose climbing functionality has been turned off but would technically be traversable by your animals otherwise will highlight black instead of green.
NEW - Brachiation Extension
Brachiation has been extended to vines, trees and beams
NEW - Multi-Axis Advanced Movement
Advanced Movement tool now features connecting handles between all adjacent directional axes, grabbing and dragging the handles moves the object along both connected axes at the same time, allowing for much finer control when creating intricate buildings
NEW - Transport Ride UI Updates
Transport Ride info panels have received a touch-up, improving their set-up and information
Ride prices are now no longer set per station, but on the ride info panel's finance tab directly. Existing ride's prices will average between all their stations individual prices
Additionally, ride and station info panels now contain further information on their Overview tabs, which will be helpful in planning zoo layouts around your rides:
Ride info panel:
Species seen from the ride over the last 12 months
Station info panel:
Species seen en route between this and the next station over the last 12 months
Guest facilities within walking distance from this station
Guests whose wishlisted animals are visible from a ride now have a greater desire to purchase a ticket for the ride
Venture through the depths of the tropical rainforest and take a look at the new friends heading your way!
Keep a keen eye up in the trees and you'll spot the Lar Gibbon leaping between the boughs, or maybe you'll even see a Fossa asleep up in the branches of the trees. If you head down to the water there are some new friends to be found too, such as the Asian Water Monitor slinking down the river. And look there, at the edge of the swamp! It's the Red River Hog basking in the sun - it looks like it's having a great time. Last but not least, we couldn't forget our new Walkthrough Exhibit mammal - the Brown-throated Sloth! They'll be sure to sloooooowly climb their way into your guests' hearts 💚
Alongside this, you'll get a range of new scenery items including architectural pieces inspired by places across Southeast Asia, and tropical foliage such as the Rafflesia, Pitcher's Plant, and Epiphytes!
Continue our ongoing story in a Planet Zoo Career Scenario as Tiffany has gotten herself into another pickle! This time, Tiffany's dad bought her a Zoo at auction and left it to her to fix up, and she's hired both Dominic Myers and yourself to help her do so - oh no! Can you help her turn the place around, and what is Myers really up to? Can he be trusted?
The Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack will be available for purchase for £7.99 ($9.99, 9.99€) on Steam from 4 April. If you want to be notified when the game is available, then head on over to Steam and wishlist it now! Please remember that you'll only be able to enjoy the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack if you already own the base game of Planet Zoo.
Head over to our social media in the run-up to the Pack launch as we see the return of Zookeeper Steve! This time he's heading off on a research trip and is asking for your help in an unexplored tropical forest, keep an eye out there for the animal reveals. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Also, if you missed our ✨special livestream✨ yesterday you can check it out here.
Join us on 4 April for a special charity livestream that we'll be hosting to celebrate the launch of the Tropical Pack and raise money for our friends at Chester Zoo! Chester Zoo is a world-leading conservation zoo that’s carrying out some vital, species-saving work. As a not-for-profit, the zoo ploughs everything into its conservation work, both in the UK and right across the world. The zoo is doing amazing things such as helping preserve Madagascar's rarest forest type, with Madagascar being where our new Fossa friends are from! We'll kick things off at 2pm BST on 4 April on both Twitch and Youtube, and we'll be joined by some friends both from Frontier and from our community. See you there!
We hope you enjoyed this announcement, and we look forward to exploring with you and Zookeeper Steve! Tell us what you're more excited for below ⬇️
Update 1.13 coming to Planet Zoo 4 April, 2023
Hayo Zookeepers,
Spring has sprung and with it comes a new Planet Zoo update! ✨Free Update 1.13✨ will be making its way to you on 4 April - take a look below for more info on what you can expect to see👀 ⬇️
Animal Sociality A new animal interaction mechanic is making its way to Planet Zoo - introducing Animal Sociality! This feature aims to bring a more life-like approach to the introduction of new animals into your existing habitats, and to provide clarity when and why overcrowding issues happen. This will not change how you manage your animals but is instead an overhaul in how we communicate this to you, and how the animals engage within their group relationships.
All animals will now have an additional definition in their Zoopedia entry; solitary, matrilineal, patrilineal, or gregarious. This will let you know how they engage with their offspring. New animals that are introduced to a habitat (and juveniles that mature) will be marked as Outsiders if they exceed the gender or population limits of a habitat, if they are rejected due to their relationship with the group Alpha (i.e. a male in a matrilineal group), or if their parents are present when they are a solitary species. This will maintain a more stable existing population and reduce infighting amongst existing animals, instead having them group together to target the new outlier and continue to fight until they are removed (or the situation causing them to be deemed an Outsider is improved). Outsiders will also be rejected and unable to partake in group dynamics such as mating, social interaction, and playing, thus creating a more realistic experience and helping stop further overpopulation issues (so if you forget to pause and go grab a snack, you won't come back to 30+ unintentional new offspring!).
However, some groups where coexisting wouldn't have been possible without aggression (such as habitats with an unbalanced gender ratio) may now be able to be formed if the members have developed a bond prior to maturing. Sociality will show you which animals have become bonded. Bonded animals will never fight their Alpha or their bonded partners, and can become bonded through spending time together, or by being juveniles born from the same two parents. It is unlikely that all animals in a large group will be bonded but, for example, it can allow for more than one male to remain in a matrilineal society (i.e. the alpha lion's brother being able to remain within the pride). Furthermore, in some species, the alpha male or female tends to lead the group but doesn't claim exclusive mating rights. These leaders will be marked with a crown in the info panel (replacing the alpha symbol) so that, whatever claim they have, it is clear who they are within the group and so that players can be aware of their reproductive role.
The Outsider relationship can be lost once an animal is removed from the habitat and time has passed allowing the relationships to decay. After this, an animal can be reintroduced to a group as if they have never met before, but unless the habitat has changed (i.e. the gender ratio is now balanced), the animal may still be rejected and become an Outsider once more. However, if all conditions that are causing an animal to be deemed an Outsider become invalid, it will enter an "integration" period, after which it will be fully integrated and accepted by the existing group. This can happen if the gender and population limits are balanced again, or if the animal is no longer impacted by the alpha of the group. The type of Outsider an animal is will be displayed within the info panel, so you will know the cause and be able to take appropriate managerial steps from there. This panel will also display the time left in the integration period, should your animal enter one.
Animal Sociality will add all of this information under the Social tab. All sociality dynamics will also be labelled appropriate per species, whether that be as a pride, pack, herd, clan, or similar.
Null Paths Ever wanted to have a hidden or completely natural path, or to style your own via decorative items? We know you have, and now you can! Introducing Null Paths ✨
Disabling the "Kerbs on Ground Path" toggle on any Natural Path will now create a Null Path - an "invisible" path that allows guests and zoo staff to walk across a seemingly unmarked terrain. These paths will function the same as any other path meaning that terrain cannot be deformed around them, nor can facilities or similar be placed on them, but they will only show an outline when selected for building purposes and can be customised beyond that to your heart's content.
Similar to Null Barriers, any build mode will now have a settings dropdown to "Highlight Hidden Paths". This is enabled by default but can be toggled as necessary for those who really go in-depth with their building!
Multi-Axis Advanced Movement Another improvement coming for all of our builders is an addition to your Advanced Movement options - multi-axis movement!
Until now, when moving objects you have had to pan it across each axis individually to reach the exact placement you want. Now, when you are in building mode, an additional handle has been added between each of the axis arrows. These handles can be selected to move any asset freely across two axes at once, i.e. forward/back and left/right, whilst remaining locked in position up/down. This should make building easier than ever!
Climbable Asset Toggle Ever created a build that you're really happy with but then you unpause and - oh no! - some of your assets are climbable and now your animals keep escaping? This is no longer an issue with the introduction of the Climbable Asset Toggle!
Any object that is climbable can now have its climbing function toggled on/off. This selection is also available for groups and multi-selections, allowing you to toggle large amounts of assets at once. This will allow you to customise what animals are able to climb on, therefore restricting what they can scale - and stopping them from being able to escape from undesired areas! When looking at the animals' traversable area, disabled climbing assets will be highlighted in black whereas enabled climbable assets will be highlighted in green. This will be particularly useful for things like custom barriers, or for creating more comprehensive climbing frames in which sections of it are maintained as purely decorative without disrupting the rest of the frame.
As always, these exciting new features will come alongside a range of fixes and quality-of-life improvements, which you can read in the patch notes after release.
There's more news coming for you soon but, for now, join us later today for a ✨special livestream✨ where we'll be taking a closer look at everything coming your way in free Update 1.13. Catch us on Twitch and Youtube at 17:00 GMT - see you there!
Planet Zoo Update 1.12.4 is available now!
Hayo Zookeepers!
Update 1.12.4 is now available for download. Just update your game before you play! This update contains various bug fixes - you can read more below:
Planet Zoo - 1.12.4 Update Notes This update contains bug fixes General Bug Fixes and Improvements
Animals
Fixed the Nine-Banded Armadillo disappearing when feeding from the Termite Mound
Fixed the Formosan Black Bear mouth being always open
Facilities
Fixed the Grasslands Walkthrough Exhibit from requiring Twilight pack DLC to be placed
Scenery
Buffalo Grass, Blue Stem Grass and Red Oat Grass dry variants reverted to their original colour variants and are now called "Parched" grass
Added yellow toned variants to Buffalo Grass, Blue Stem Grass and Red Oat Grass, called "Dry" grass
Stability
Fixed a crash that could happen when using the Automation Management Population and reaching the Conservation Credit limit
Planet Zoo Update 1.12.3 is available now!
Hayo Zookeepers!
Update 1.12.3 is now available for download. Just update your game before you play! This update contains various bug fixes - you can read more below:
Planet Zoo - 1.12.3 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes
General Bug Fixes and Improvements
Animals
Fixed "moving multiple selected animals" in the exhibit info panel not always moving the selected animals
Fixed Raccoons passing through scenery to interact with enrichment toys
Fixed an issue where animals interacting with burrows were teleported across the park
Removed the possibility for animals in burrows to stand idle for long periods of time
Fixed the navigable area heatmap not updating when the selected animal had to be reset to the habitat gate
Fixed an issue where animals could not enter or exit a burrow correctly
Fixed an issue where animals were temporarily considered escaped from their habitats, particularly when climbing
Increased the size of skeletal remains left by juvenile Emus that decomposed in a habitat
Added interspecies enrichment bonuses between Emus, Red Kangaroos and Red-Necked Wallabies
Fixed Raccoon's whiskers and fur disappearing if viewing from specific distance
Fixed Formosan Black Bear Juvenile eyes floating if viewing from specific distance
Fixed Nine-Banded Armadillo teleporting when exiting burrow
Made Scarecrow Feeder more accessible for Blue Wildebeest
Fixed some sharp edges on the Maned Wolf sleeping animation
Fixed leg flickering on the Emu walking animation
Fixed overextended front upper legs on the Blue Wildebeest Female walking animation
Adjusted animation when the Striped Hyena shakes
Adjusted animation when the Nine-Banded Armadillo turns
Updated Striped Hyena animal icons for both Male and Female
Updated Striped Hyena Zoopedia images
Facilities
Fixed Tour guest wellbeing being rated much lower than expected
Fixed "Educational item placed too far from target species" alert on Tour Points not assigned to an Animal Talk
Fixed some habitat objects being incorrectly considered scenery objects when using the bulldozer tool
Fixed an issue where ride stations sometimes do not get fully deleted when using the bulldozer tool
Franchise
Fixed theAutomated Exhibit Population Managementrules showing the "Release to wild" option in franchise mode
Game Modes
Height map zoos created in the following places now use their matching flat skirts:
Africa Savannah
Antarctica Tundra
Asia Tropical
Europe Tundra
North America Savannah
North America Temperate
Oceania Tropical
Path added to Temperate Europe Sculpted map entrance
Loans are now available in Sandbox mode
Guests
Enabled moving tour guests onto staff paths during their tour
Added feedback for inaccessible Tour Points in tours
Habitats
Fixed habitat shelter heatmap not displaying correctly
Fixed incorrect animal accessibility message on climbing frames
Fixed an issue where terrain around a burrow interior could be edited
Removed possibility to place burrows in lakes
Localization
Added localized string informing players when Tour Points are inaccessible
Fixed a spelling mistake in the Red Barn River timed scenario description
Scenario
Foliage removed from beneath terrain in Pumamarca Educational Reserve
Scenery
Fixed some glass construction assets to allow guests to see animals through them
Added Temperate biome to Emu's infoboard
Adjusted specular response of the Buffalo Dry Grass
Adjusted colour variants on the Buffalo Dry Grass, Blue Stem Dry Grass and Red Oat Dry Grass.
Staff
Fixed tour guide gliding away from the Tour Point at the end of a tour
UI
The UI flow for creating and naming tours has been simplified
Crashes
Fixed a crash when placing a quarantine building
Fixed a crash when placing a staff building
Fixed a crash when placing a habitat gate
Fixed a rare crash when getting a welfare notification for Butterflies
Fixed a rare crash when Butterflies attempted to land on guests
Fixed a crash when species did not have a listed food grade in their habitat
Update 1.12.2 is available now!
Hayo Zookeepers!
Update 1.12.2 is now available for download. Just update your game before you play! This update contains various bug fixes - you can read more below:
Planet Zoo - 1.12.2 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes
General Bug Fixes and Improvements
Animals
Nine-Banded Armadillo adult male and female will now interact with the Natural Termite Mound
Game Modes
Fixed an issue where updating the terrain in diorama mode would cover paths, changed to match all over terrain tools
Guests
Fixed an issue where tour guests wouldn't use the bins they passed while following a presenter
Scenery
Added localisation for the Education sub category under Facilities in the browser
UI
Fixed an issue with the 'Facility Inaccessible' notification coming up for tour spots
Fixed an issue with animal navigation heatmaps not updating after switching to a different animal
Crashes
Fixed a crash that could occur when assigning a vendor to a single shop
Fixed a crash that could occur sometimes after multiple butterfly births in the same frame push the population over the exhibit limit
Fixed a crash that could happen if a butterfly dies while landing on a guest
Fixed a rare crash that could happen when manipulating tour spots in the tour manager
Known Issues
If you have a save with over 95 butterflies in a single exhibit that crashed due to the exhibit limit, clearing these out below the limit should now avoid this crash
Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack and Free Update 1.12.1 Out Now 🌿
Hayo Zookeepers!
It's time to venture into the tall grass to see what wild animals we can find there, with the Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack and free update 1.12, both out now! Grab the pack on Steam now, and don't forget to update your game to be able to enjoy the new free content!
Let's meet the lovely animals you can add to your zoos with this new DLC pack: the Nine-Banded Armadillo, with its extraordinary armour; the Maned Wolf with its impressively long legs; the curious Emu, with its recognisable grey plumage; the agile and elusive Caracal; the remarkable Red-Necked Wallaby; the scavenging Striped Hyena; and the striking Blue Wildebeest. In addition to these Habitat animals, colourful flying butterflies can now be added to your Walkthrough Exhibits: Menelaus Blue Morpho, Cloudless Sulphur, European Peacock, Old World Swallowtail, and Monarch butterflies. Your guests will truly be amazed when going through a walkthrough Exhibit filled with butterflies!
The storyline that was started in the Twilight Pack continues in the Grasslands Animal Pack with a brand new Campaign Scenario. You'll be helping a sanctuary in the Argentinian grasslands care for their animals, whilst helping a certain someone learn how to best care for their animals. You'll have to contend with the needs of many different species as you work your Zookeeper magic to make the place into a shining beacon of animal conservation. We know you're up to the task!
This new Career Scenario follows after the Career Scenario from the Twilight Pack, and we are incredibly excited to continue this narrative! Don't worry though, you won't have to have played the previous Career Scenario to follow the story, and you can jump in completely fresh if you want to.
The Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack is available now on Steam for £7.99 ($9.99, €9.99). Don't forget that you need the base game in order to play the new content!
Update 1.12 is also out now, and is free for all players to install. Let's talk about what you can expect from this new game update.
The free update comes with several exciting new features, including Guided Zoo Tours, a new Diorama Mode, and a new Bulldozer Delete tool. You can read more about the free update in the announcement post, or check the full update notes below, but we'll share the highlights here too.
Your guests will get to see the best parts of your zoo with the new Guided Zoo Tours, a brand new way to offer guests more in-depth information about the animals in your zoos. Members of staff will guide your guests through the zoo, educating them on life at the zoo and the animals who live there. The tours are completely customisable, letting you plot your guests' journey through your zoo – from the Habitats and Exhibits, to the shops and food stalls – using special Tour Points.
The VIP treatment also means more opportunities to earn additional income for your zoo! Guests will have to pay a tour fee in addition to the zoo's ticket price, and will also be spending money to take care of their needs during the tour. Their desire to spend money relates to how much they've been enjoying your tour, so make sure it's a memorable one!
Want to make a cool diorama style zoo, but don't know how? With the new Diorama Mode, we've done the basic setup for you, making you free to build the perfect diorama any way you'd like. Choose your region and biome, and then you're off to the races on a pre-generated block of land. This mode was inspired by the amazing Rudi Rennkamel, who kicked off a popular trend of making Sandbox dioramas in Planet Zoo.
Last, but not least, we wanted to highlight the new Bulldozer Tool, which makes it easier than ever to remove large swaths of your zoo at once. This new tool will not only let you remove multiple items at once, it will also let you select what you want to remove. Do you need to get rid of all the paths, bins, benches, and decorations in an area, but want to keep other building pieces, shops, and enclosure fences? Just select the right options from the menu, move the bulldozer over what you want to destroy, and it will take care of the rest. 🚜
Check the full set up Update Notes below for more information on the bug fixes and changes coming with Update 1.12!
We are incredibly excited to see how you integrate these new animals, and gameplay features, into your zoos. Don't forget to join us for a launch livestream later today, on Twitch or YouTube, at 16:00 GMT.
Planet Zoo - 1.12.1 Update Notes This update contains bug fixes, updates and some new content. New Content - Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack
NEW - Animals
New animals in the Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack:
Blue Wildebeest
Caracal
Emu
Maned Wolf
Nine-Banded Armadillo
Red-Necked Wallaby
Striped Hyena
Cloudless Sulphur
European Peacock
Menelaus Blue Morpho
Monarch
Old World Swallowtail
NEW - Career Scenario
Travel to the Purmamarca Educational Reserve, a small establishment aiding in rehabilitation of animals and education of students and visitors alike
Challenge, and Sandbox versions of the map are available
Terrain only sandbox and challenge variants of the map are also available
NEW - Scenery Pieces
Grasslands Animal Sign Blue Morpho
Grasslands Animal Sign Blue Wildebeest
Grasslands Animal Sign Caracal
Grasslands Animal Sign Cloudless Sulphur
Grasslands Animal Sign Emu
Grasslands Animal Sign European Peacock
Grasslands Animal Sign Maned Wolf
Grasslands Animal Sign Monarch
Grasslands Animal Sign Nine-Banded Armadillo
Grasslands Animal Sign Old World Swallowtail
Grasslands Animal Sign Red-Necked Wallaby
Grasslands Animal Sign Striped Hyena
Grasslands Animal Sign Pole
NEW - Blueprints
Grasslands Walkthrough Exhibit
NEW - Avatar Costume
New Emu avatar costume
New Content - Free Update 1.12.0
NEW - Guided Tours
Guided Tours are created using the new Tour Point asset, found in the Facilities browser. With it, you can set up custom routes through your zoo along which educators guide guests and tell them about the zoo
NEW - New Colourmorphs and Colour Variations
Melanistic Timber Wolf
Golden Formosan Black Bear
King Cheetah
Pale Reindeer
NEW - Diorama Game Mode
Available as a new Terrain Type when creating a new zoo in Sandbox mode, you can now create 'Diorama' zoos
These maps have no terrain skirt but additional settings such as the background colour and the available terrain shape
NEW - Bulldozer Delete Tool
The Bulldozer tool allows you to quickly remove objects and paths in the zoo to redo areas
There are several categories you can toggle on or off independently, to have full control over what you are removing:
Construction and Nature
Facilities and Exhibits
Path Extras
Paths
Habitat Objects
Barriers
Rides and Tracks
Water
The Bulldozer's effective radius and height can be increased or decreased, the standard height of its alignment can be modified by dragging it up or down while holding Shift
NEW - Habitat Visibility Heatmaps
Three new heatmap modes are available in the 'Habitat' heatmap category
Predicated area visibility shows how much of a habitat the guests will see
Current animal visibility shows from where guests can see animals in a habitat at the current time
Yearly average animal visibility shows from where guests can see animals in a habitat on an average of the past 12 months
NEW - Split Group Button
The new 'Split Group' button is available on a scenery group's info panel
When clicked, the group is dissolved and all items are unlinked from each other
NEW - Foliage
Big Bluestem Grass - Small, Medium, Large
Big Bluestem Dry - Small, Medium, Large
Red Oat Grass - Small, Medium, Large
Red Oat Grass Dry - Small, Medium, Large
Buffalo Grass - Small, Medium, Large
Buffalo Grass Dry - Small, Medium, Large
NEW - Scenery
Walkthrough Exhibit Hanging Basket Planter
Walkthrough Exhibit Hanging Basket Planter Chain
Walkthrough Exhibit Netting Panel 2m x 2m, 4m x 2m, 4m x 4m
Walkthrough Exhibit Netting Panel Gable
Walkthrough Exhibit Netting Panel Roof
General Bug Fixes and Improvements
Animals
Adjusted face of the Striped Hyena - these changes have been implemented after the launch trailer was captured, so although not visible in the trailer, the changes are currently in-game
Fixed an issue where animals may walk above the water's surface
Fixed an issue where saving a zoo mid-jump would cause animals to float on load
Fixed some jump animations looking too slow
Fixed an issue where Raccoons would not play their jump animation when climbing
Fixed an issue where animal carcasses were stuck after dying in the burrow
Prevented animal animations becoming synchronised after a fight
Made improvements to the orientation of animals while on climbing frames
Reduced the number of small jumps made by animals while climbing
Fixed animals walking on Fig Trees
Fixed an issue with carnivore poop clipping into the ground
Fixed the missing genetic description string for the Red Deer's colourmorph
Removed species tags from climbing blueprints where the species in question couldn't navigate the blueprint well, due to the animal requiring thick climbing beams
Added Red Deer tags to all suitable shelter blueprints
Fixed vibrating Raccoon poop on feeders
Fixed fur popping when zooming in and out for the Formosan Black Bear
Camera
Updated the orbit camera to be more stable when orbiting bats
Fixed a consistency issue where starting camera positions were inconsistent across Zoo maps
Fixed slow camera movement near the edge of zoos in some biomes
Facilities
Fixed shading issue on Walkthrough Exhibit strip doors that caused visual issues
Fixed shading issue on Walkthrough Exhibit when using the glass wall type
Players are now able to delete guest entrance
Fixed an issue where anniversary balloons are not sold by default in shops
Fixed an issue where the Green Iguana Exhibit would return a null error
Game Modes
Fix for the "Disable Facility Maintenance" sandbox setting sometimes being enabled in non-sandbox saves
Guests
Fixed guests sometimes getting stuck while looking for a bench
Fixed guests getting stuck when exiting a toilet that was entered from a nearby, but not connected, path
Fixed guests sometimes getting stuck on stairs
Fixed an issue where guests exiting transport rides would teleport across the world into the air
Guests no longer complain about shops making them need a toilet
Habitats
Fixed conflicting accessibility information for brachiation frames
Fixed Eucalyptus Tree Feeders being inaccessible
Fixed a bug where undoing burrow placement would change the orientation of the underground section
Removed 'Climbable' tag from a handful of assets that wrongly had it assigned and were never climbable
Scenario
Fixed an issue where wolves would escape their habitat in Goodwin House
Fixed an issue where several species would escape their habitat in Al's Pine Zoo
Fixed an issue where the Cougar would escape their habitat in Jameson Wildlife Park
Players are now unable to sell the entrance area of the Myers Castle Career Scenario for profit
Scenery
Fixed inverted Planco and scientific name on Red Deer Habitat Information Board
Fixed DLC foliage not costing anything to remove in scenarios
Fixed graphic issues on Classic Shop Canopy 02
Made improvements to the visual transitions of the Black Spruce Trees
Staff
Fixed an issue where keepers would constantly try to clean up inaccessible feeders
UI
Fixed an issue where enrichments listed in the animal info pop-up would sometimes be duplicated or missing
Fixed non-functional 'All' checkbox in the animals tab of the walkthrough exhibit pop-up
Fixed animal talk point not updating correctly after a move is undone
Changed how the animal timeline in the info pop-up is laid out, so that the elderly marker isn't reached until the animal is actually elderly
Animal age dials displayed in the UI will no longer always show elderly animals as infertile, but will instead reflect the fertility status of the animal
Fixed an issue where the shop that a vendor was assigned to would not appear in the staff management window
Fixed an issue where feeder enrichments would show the multiple enrichment symbol if only one was present
Removed the "Facilities" header from the selection UI when selections don't include any facilities
Fixed issue with the Scenery rating in the Quarantine tab of the Animal Management screen
Fixed an issue with the alert's locator in the Habitats tab of the Animal Management screen
Added a new 'Education' subcategory to the 'Facilities: Media Devices and Education' browser category
Performance
Fixed an issue where selecting large groups would cause performance issues
Known Issues
Nine-Banded Armadillo familly is not able to interact with the Natural Termite Mound
Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack Arriving 13 December 🦋
Hayo Zookeepers!
It's time to venture into the tall grass to find animals hiding in it. Introducing the Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack which will be making its way to you on 13 December alongside Free Update 1.12!
What's hiding in the tall grass, you ask? A plethora of fascinating wildlife that calls the steppes, plains, and prairies across the world their home!
Say hello to the Nine-Banded Armadillo, with its extraordinary armour; the Maned Wolf with its impressively long legs; the curious Emu, with its recognisable grey plumage; the agile and ellusive Caracal; the remarkable Red-necked Wallaby; the scavenging Striped Hyena; and the striking Blue Wildebeest. These come with new and unique behaviours, like the Nine-Banded Armadillo's preening and sniffing, or the Caracal's bouncing and floppy ears. We're sure both you and your guests will enjoy these new species!
In addition, you can also add a stunning assortment of five colourful species of Butterfly to populate your Walkthrough Exhibits, including: Cloudless Sulphur, European Peacock, Menelaus Blue Morpho, Monarch, and Old World Swallowtail. These flying insects can be kept together as the game’s first ever interspecies-compatible exhibit animals. 🦋
You'll also be able to test your management skills with the brand new Career Scenario set within the picturesque grasslands of Argentina! You'll be working alongside wealthy socialite Tiffany Summers to help her learn the importance of animal care and animal sanctuaries in species conservation. You'll be relocating the diverse inhabitants of her sprawling mansion to a more suitable new home. We're sure your zoo management magic can make life much better for these animals.
This new Career Scenario follows after the Career Scenario from the Twilight Pack, and we are incredibly excited to continue this narrative! Don't worry though, you won't have to have played the previous Career Scenario to follow the story, and you can jump in completely fresh if you want to.
The Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal pack will be available for purchase for £7.99 ($9.99, 9.99€) on Steam from 13 December. If you want to be notified when the game is available, then head on over to Steam and wishlist it now! Please remember that you'll only be able to enjoy the Planet Zoo: Grasslands Animal Pack if you already own the base game of Planet Zoo.
Don't forget to also join us on our social media channels for the upcoming animal reveals in the run-up to the Grasslands Animal Pack! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
We hope you enjoyed this announcement, and we look forward to seeing you over on our social channels! Let us know what your favourite bit was below. Stay green, Zookeepers! 🦋
