Animal Antics

[jbl89]

Hm, since I actually did start working on this (although just privately - but I might as well start to share it at some point), here's the latest status update on my unofficial expansion pack.

 

Still waiting for the laptop (downside of buying it straight from the factory: it takes a while to get here, although it should be newer than models in the local shops), which should arrive this week. From then on, I'd gladly give 3D modelling a shot.

 

I did some preparations already, including a tiny bit more research on:

• research on a few new animals (more out of interest, let's first see if I can properly animate the Sunfish and then import it in ZT1 and then see if it matches the style). I really like Bowmouth Guitarfish - even it's name sounds cool.
  
• suitability rating. I'm kind of annoyed by those animals for which you can't reach 100%. I've more or less found the formula behind it all by experimenting a little bit - still struggling a bit with how certain penalties are calculated but it doesn't matter that much. This would allow animals like the Gemsbok (or the Addax) to reach 100% suitability. I'd try to match the original requirements as much as possible, but I will tweak some unlogical stuff (now you have to fill most of your snow area for the polar bear with snow rock formations, which don't even count as rocks... Theoretically I could "fix" a lot of the original animals [mainly savannah, and a few others like the sea lion]. After all, it's a game.
  
• shows for land animals [illusion]: I've worked on a realistic approach. The default platforms will be 5x5, I'm considering adding 10x10, but it probably won't happen. There's a small issue with the small platform [but not a show-stopper] due to how Marine Mania renders graphics, it would only get larger with a bigger version [it would get a lot more annoying]. I'll soon try to use a brand new toy and animation for the tiger, originally designed by Taz, but probably just as a stand-in for now. The animation she once created, has too many colors in each frame. The biggest issue: I need lots of new animations. So, you all know I'm a noob but I am experimenting; but my original call for help still applies: anyone who's able to generate animations which are of a high quality and who wants this to happen, give me a shout. (yes, I see only a few familiar faces are still interested in ZT1, so I doubt there will be help...). Testing with a tiger makes most sense, since I hope to reuse some of the 3d work/animating with slightly altered models (so, tigers, bears, elephants... are good animals to start with).
  
• animal enrichment. This is a more recent strain of thoughts. But, if for example I'd have to recreate (and succeed) in creating a tiger which looks almost like ZT1: why not use that model for a few more things? There's still a lot more possibilities for animal enrichment, also most toys would require new ZT1 animations (an exception could be an anthill). Similar animals would have the highest chances of getting new stuff, since I can probably recycle and recolor their model and 3D animations. Same goes for the toys: some could be reused, but with different animals/interactions. I've seen splendid examples of simple things (to stay in the current theme: wonderful examples of tigers, polar bears, monkeys, sea otters etc. enjoying treats in a pumpkin).
  
• I've also been thinking about some new decorative objects and buildings. Apart from the beta stuff, there would be some more non-themed items (new filters, a new grandstand with a speaker- sadly not color changeable but who knows?). But I've also got some inspiration for a Wild West theme (okay, you're more likely to find animals in a Western theme park than you'll find an Old West theme in a zoo. Still, it should be a nice addition and a Pirate theme pack. I also have quite some ideas for an Australian theme. Hopefully I manage to make some of it reality. (I've got a more detailed personal wish list in mind, including some new animals but mostly scenery).
  
• I also have an idea in mind, which would allow guests to ride with a jeep. The main issue here is that the footprint would still be 1x1, so you would need to create boundaries (the invisible fence which was once available, could do) around every object. Technically, you could build a few exhibits with the invisible fence, then create a different area and preferably mark it with a path and this would allow you to create a safari experience. I haven't put this into practice, I'm still thinking about limitations, but it would be very similar to the boat rental places and dolphin shack. Also, guests would just randomly drive around. So only one, maybe two jeeps could be rented at a time to avoid conflicts.
  
• Currently, I'm mostly recycling stuff. Beta graphics. And being one of Taz' biggest fans and since this is actually a project for myself, I'm also updating her animals. Some of them have to be researched, they're on the prey list of other official animals.... Her ice floe toy can be used by penguins as well. So far I've taken care of the Baiji, Vaquita, Ribbon Seal, Harp Seal and Addax - for which you can now reach 100% suitability.
  
• Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I'm currently settling on the name Animal Antics for this project.
  Antics: foolish, outrageous, or amusing behaviour. This name would go along well with the idea of both shows and animal enrichment.

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Want to chip in?

• If someone wants to write up quite some animal info (feel free to use Wikipedia) in more or less the same, consistent way ( general info, habitat info, social behavior, conservation ...), I'm interested to hear. Must have superb English writing skills.
  
• Very talented (animal) designers. I know my skills are far from perfect too when it comes to graphics, but I only want to work with the very best. You should theoretically be able to recreate an existing ZT1 animal from scratch, and people shouldn't be able to spot the difference. Preferably how Taz did it: create a 3d model and then port it to ZT1.

[(Admin)Savannahjan]

Professor Paul may already have animal descriptions in his encyclopedia listings. They will be of the highest quality.

 

I agree with you, not being able to get the exhibits to 100% suitability is really frustrating for me. For one thing, it just doesn't make sense; it's like they got distracted and never finished the animal. I'm also very excited at the prospect of shows for land animals; that would be such a great feature. You have some great ideas here, we would all to see these come to life in the game.

[jbl89]

The shows are a reality, although it's an illusion. It's just a matter of animations, but it could (and should) happen. The only unrealistic part so far is how animals exit the show tank/exhibit. I do have a solution for that, but it makes the audience unhappy. So I'll have to either balance that, give users the option, or find a true alternative. I'm in the stages of perfecting everything. Next task: replace the stand-in animations. It would certainly add a new dimension to the game, especially if we have some different animals that can perform :)

 

I finally got my new laptop, but it will take a few days to copy all my old stuff (not just ZT1 obviously), but I'm really looking forward to do some more experimenting with 3d modelling. So yes, I really hope to make this happen, but the animations are a long road ahead. I'm only a noob when it comes to 3d modelling and animating, let alone porting it to ZT1. I think Taz is the only one who's done it exactly like that.

 

I know about Professor Paul's tremendous work, I was and still am considering to get his expertise, but I also didn't want to make him feel like he couldn't refuse. Hence the more open call, although I've already asked a few questions and I'm considering one of his animal suggestions as well.

 

You're right about the suitability inconsistency. On one hand: okay, you can never truly replicate a habitat, but you should get very close. Since mainly savannah animals are affected, and those were among the first ones created, I think they changed the formula at some point and never got to update the animals in time. I'm close to the formula (or how it might be calculated). The good thing is that I don't need to get it 100% correct. With what I know, I can reach 100% suitability for all animals. I've updated some of them already. Also, rock formations will count as rocks (I actually think there was a reason they changed that, but it's not a good one to keep it that way).

[(Professor Emeritus)Professor Paul]

JBL, work now only gives me a few hours so I couldn't help much. PPNE takes most of my spare time (it's a bit of an obession tbh). If you want to use information I can give you access, or let me know what you need & I can precis what's there for you.

 

You may like to check the Zoo Tycoon Brains Trust for ideas for new animals as well. If you check out our download section you'll find several of the animals there had input from me , always happy to help if I can as a well informed amateur zoologist.

[jbl89]

I've mainly focussed so far on improving the configuration of Tasmanian Tiger's animals, since a lot still needs to be copied from my old laptop. I've also made updates for the ingame stables so they can be used as well. I also neglected to mention in this first topic post that I'm also offering some fixes for Blue Fang "errors" (files in the wrong folder, typos, also planning to alter some cPrefIcons so they match the real preference).

 

For the suitability, I'm currently trying to build a big database of every line in every configuration file (.cfg, .ai, .scn....) in the original ZT1-series. I hope it helps me discover some new stuff too, and help me with creating a more accurate suitability score for some animals in a more efficient way.

 

One of the few things I did do, was create a new Outback Path (based on the sand path, but more orange, which coincidentally made me think it did fit well with Halloween).

 

I've also been considering the Safari feature a bit more. Actually it only requires a new animated jeep (easier than creating a new animal). But I did originally plan the jeep to be 2x2 in footprint, but I noticed the footprint of the ingame jeep is larger (2x4). In that last case, you'd have moe graphic conflicts or would need to take into account a bigger buffer. So yeah, we'll see how well I could work that out.

 

In the meanwhile, I made some small improvements to the Mola Mola, or the Ocean Sunfish. I'm happy to share my progress, but I realize I'm an utter noob when it comes to graphical stuff. Keep that in mind. This is the status of my very first model, and obviously it still needs coloring and after that I'd need to make some animations and find the right angles to get it into ZT1.

 

Also, I've seen quite a variety of textures for the Sunfish. Most are either white or grey, some have a beautiful mix of white/light grey and dark grey. I hadn't thought about it until now, but I think I could offer some varieties. The young could end up in a silver pattern, while the adults are more likely to end up in a combination of dark and silver (I know, it's a bit of cheating, but it might make the animal more beautiful in ZT). I've also seen a variety of tails. The current one is based on my original reference image.

[(Professor Emeritus)Professor Paul]

There are a variety of tails because there are several species of sunfish. The commonest is Mola mola, the Ocean Sunfish, i'd guess that's the one you were thinking of.

[jbl89]

I'm indeed going for the Mola Mola, and they all have a similar tail, but still, there seem to be huge differences in bulges etc. Some are much more distinctive:

[jbl89]

Progress?
Not much. I'm still struggling with Blender (which is an awesome program though). I've looked for a nearby course, but apparently they're rare over here. Quite a shame. Anyhow, I followed some tutorials, and I did want to share my first coloring attempt - which has some issues, as you can see. Anyhow, it's also a spoiler for another animal I'm considering. I'll probably have to recreate this little creature, along with the Sunfish, one more time...

 

I've also created a database I'll try to put to some use for the suitability issues. I've indexed most (or all?) .AI, .scn, .cfg, .txt files in ZT1:CC. From there, I've also tried to deduce the statistics, and I'm currently trying to create a simple table where I have an object id (actual object or animal or anything else), along with the purchase cost, foot print, location, habitat. I've indexed 423.992 lines (which also includes comment lines, empty lines etc). Quite an amazing statistic for BF :)

 

 

 

 

[jbl89]

A slightly improved version (the nose and eyes are colored, I just need to figure out how to display it all at once). I'll try to start animate this little creature soon!

 

 

[jbl89]

Here's another picture. I've been experimenting a bit with texturing models in Blender. I've taken a screenshot of a side view of an Ocean Sunfish-model, and I've resized it to what I think will be more or less the size in ZT1. (the model is missing the eye and a fin). Also, I'm not satisfied about the smoothness.

 

It's still a long road ahead to a ZT1 animal, since I need to learn to animate. For the Sunfish, I think animations will be pretty limited. It's a weird creature, so it should swim in different directions, it should be able to turn on its side, For the Dingo, I'll have to create a lot more animations.

 

IF I ever make [more] animals, one of the criteria I'll be looking at, will be: can I re-use them to easily create other animals? (Kind of the way Taz made some variations on deer and seals).