VNDragon's ZT1 Projects

[VNDragonV2]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:06 PM, LapisLazuli77 said:

So it has been almost a full year since the last update, and almost a full year since I've been using this mod. Definitely very useful, very well-made, and very satisfying, but I do ask; would it be possible if I could please modify this hack and possibly improve it(mostly in regards to editing the .ai files of the animals further and strive for even more accuracy and logic).

Hi, sorry I clearly haven't been checking the forum in recent months (although it's odd that I did not get notified by your comment at all...).
All Zoo Tycoon mods are public domain, so you are free to work on your own version of it. In hindsight, I might reverse the aquatic preference on Meiolania now, but I will skim the scientific literature again to see if any new arguments have risen on either side in the past years.

 

If I find your edits sensible I may even just update the current file with yours so we wouldn't have multiple versions in the download section.

 

[dakota529]

Hi, I have been a huge fan of this mod ever since I installed it a year ago, and it has been part of the reason I have gotten into Zoo Tycoon again. I have been going through the arduous process of learning to mod myself, and am currently working on a more accurate plesiosaurus that is entirely aquatic, inspired by the accuracy that this combined mod brings. I have successfully made the plesiosaurus fully aquatic, and I just need to do some animation tweaks since there wasn't a submerged-aquatic eating animation already, and the plesiosaurus has a glitchy upwards swimming animation already present in the game. I'll post it when I finish it up, and if you'd like to add it to the combined mod, I would love that!

[MF217]

Is there any guides to the DD Combined Realism Hack that indicates how to make the best exhibits for the altered animals and additions, almost akin to how this website does so for the base animals?
https://rc-anodizing.tripod.com/PEZT/

[Fern]

Good grief I had no idea that Pixigger's site was still around.

I'll see what I can find out.

[Goosifer]

2 hours ago, Fern said:

Good grief I had no idea that Pixigger's site was still around.

I'll see what I can find out.

I found another time-capsule circa 2001 that is still up and is so fascinating to go through. I wish I could share it but some of the websites it links to are now parked at less-than-friendly URLs. Maybe I'll take screenshots later.

[Fern]

Exhibit info starts in post 2

Dinosaur Digs Combined Realism Hack by VNDragon

[VNDragonV2]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:00 AM, Fern said:

Exhibit info starts in post 2

Dinosaur Digs Combined Realism Hack by VNDragon

A million thanks to you and Jay for doing those time-consuming analyses.

[VNDragonV2]

Never thought I would consider updating this patch a bit in 2025... but here we are. Focusing strictly on the paleobotany side with more minor integration into Borsato's lang file and tweaks to the "No Grass, Please" plants, since my plan is to be additive so the update doesn't break existing enclosures. Here is what I have in mind so far:

1.  Further degrassing: another dinosaur-friendly tree has been under our nose this entire time - the rare-these-days Chinese Fir. The genus it belongs to, Cunninghamia, is one of the basalmost cypress conifers alive, dating back to the Jurassic (while things like swamp cypresses and redwoods only came to the scene in the Cretaceous). Cunninghamioid conifers were widespread in both the Morisson (Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Camptosaurus, Stegosaurus) and Hell Creek (T. rex, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus), giving this tree great utility. 
2. Vondell's NGP trees: there actually exist two alternate versions of it Vondell's NGP trees. The ones bundled in NGP only show up in the DD filter, while the ones hosted on his Google Drive come in both Habitat and Decorative forms but only show up in the Zoo Tycoon filter.  To make things more unified, the update will have Vondell's trees visible under both filters, with the Decorative version included. All of this is done under Vondell's permission, so if there is a change he doesn't like I will revert it.
3. Tankable/swimmable plants: some tropical rainforest plants and the Bald Cypress are prime candidates for tank compatibility.
4. Animal plant compatibility: potentially broader compatibility with more plants so that these paleobotanical adjustments are useful. Nothing concrete yet, so I will have to look through the codes again to refresh my memory.
5. Minor era/period adjustments. 

 

 

[Fern]

Make sure you check the rotations ingame of any files from that no grass pack. When it was first released there were some needed fixing. I have not checked that pack since then to know if things were fixed.

[VNDragonV2]

16 minutes ago, Fern said:

Make sure you check the rotations ingame of any files from that no grass pack. When it was first released there were some needed fixing. I have not checked that pack since then to know if things were fixed.

 

Noted. I will keep that in mind when I am playtesting.