Predation Confirmed! - Animal Brain Creature Feature - Planet Zoo 2

[00:00:00]Hello everyone and welcome to a new Planet Zoo 2 video, where today we're going to be covering the new creature feature focused around the animal brain.

[00:00:11]So, the animal brain is looking to be really interesting in Planet Zoo 2. So, let's start having a read. So, welcome to the first in a series of articles where we take a closer look at some of the unique new features coming to Planet [music] Zoo 2. To get us started in style, this week we'll be digging into the new animal brain system in Planet Zoo 2. How it works and what new behaviors you can expect to see from the animals in Planet Zoo 2.

[00:00:35]So, in Planet Zoo 2, the animal brain is a collection of systems that governs how animals behave across your zoos and wildlife reserves, resulting [music] in amazingly natural interactions. This is built on a structure of behavior for our animals based around four different types of [music] actions, together forming what we have called the reactive brain. So, this snazzy system groups all the actions our animals can take and enables them to seamlessly transition based on what is happening around them.

[00:01:02]First up is routines. The animal engages in normal actions [music] by default.

[00:01:07]Examples including exploring, resting, or using enrichments. So, that's basically how animals worked in the first game where they would go food, water, sleep, rest, yada yada yada. Um but now we have a few new ones. So, periodics, the animal reacts to environmental changes in between their routines. Examples include finding shelter or escaping predations. So, predation confirmed by word of mouth from Frontier. So, yeah, we're going to we're going to have animal hunts. So, that's going to be really interesting cuz yeah, the the hunting in the last game was not it wasn't really hunting really. It was more the prey animal stands there and the predator comes up and kills it.

[00:01:50]That's basically how it happened.

[00:01:52]Um but now you're going to have animals able to escape from predation. So, it's going to be really interesting to see more of because yeah, of course zoo animals predation is not really necessary, but having the wild as a feature, predation is of course going to make sense. And we have seen leopard and lions within the Great Rift Valley Wildlife Reserve. And well, those animals will have to eat sometimes. So, um yeah, it will be really interesting to see. And of course, lions will be able to easily bring down a a wildebeest or a zebra >> [music] >> um if they do the right strategy, of course. And leopards would probably go for more of the smaller animals. So, maybe baby wildebeest, baby zebras, and probably smaller antelopes. So, I'm expecting we'll see some form of um small antelope in the in the reserve.

[00:02:45]So, possibly the Thompson's gazelle.

[00:02:48]Um But yeah, that's really exciting.

[00:02:51]Distractions. So, the animal reacts to stimuli to change how they're performing their actions. Examples include joining a herd while exploring or completing a social call to a nearby peer while resting. So, that does happen in real life, of course. So, you'll have a lion which is just resting on the ground, but will then start contact calling or just roaring to um sort of get the attention of others in the pride or to ward off any rivals. So, that will be really interesting. So, one thing I would really be curious about is whether different species can trigger um >> [music] >> these calls. So, I was at Taronga Zoo in the last couple of months and on one of my visits, there was the li- the lions had just come out. It's the early morning um and the big male um Ato, he starts roaring. And uh yeah, the his two sons who were backstage, uh they start contact calling as well, but then a Sumatran tiger, uh I believe it was the big male there, He started calling as well. Um and [music] of course lion tigers different species um but they sort of get the gist of what each other is saying in a way.

[00:04:03]>> [music] >> Um and so it would be really interesting to see lions roaring and then if you've got another roaring cat in the in the zoo like a tiger, they could start roaring too. Would be really curious about that.

[00:04:16]And then the last one is interruptions.

[00:04:18]So the animal reacts to stimuli and stops their action to do something else.

[00:04:22]Examples include playing with another member of their species or waking up from sleep when disturbed. So I've seen that twice now uh with the wolf pup in the the video that we got at Oh, what was it called? What was the event called? Um I can't quite recall.

[00:04:39]>> [music] >> Um but yeah, you had uh Was it Cozy Games? I think that's what it was. Um >> [music] >> and yeah, the gray wolf pup was woken up by the tennis ball that rolled into it.

[00:04:51]So that's an example of an interruption.

[00:04:53]We've also seen it with the Sumatran tiger where in one video um the B-roll um that creators got access to [music] the Sumatran tiger that was sleeping was woken up by one of the balls that just rolled into it. So that Those are examples of interruptions. It'll be interesting to see more of like how those can occur um but yeah, really curious to see [music] more.

[00:05:18]So this system also considers how an animal is feeling at any particular time. If an animal is happy, sad, angry, or scared, this will impact how they're behaving. For example, a sad animal will complete different actions in a different manner than an animal which is in a happy state. Moods are also visually identifiable with an animal appearing differently depending on its mood such as a hot lion panting or an angry tiger flattening their ears. These moods can even impact the animals around them such as a scared zebra alerting the rest of their herd to danger.

[00:05:49]So, that's um going to be part of the herding mechanic. So, we'll get into that in a little bit.

[00:05:55]So, to support the animal brain, animals in Planet Zoo 2 will react to a wide variety of stimuli including everything from the time of day and weather to the presence of predators and the current season. This can be especially impactful to the courting [music] and breeding behavior of animals as they move through any seasonal fertility. Animals can also behave differently in the wild compared to within a zoo as they react to very different stimuli and circumstances.

[00:06:19][music] In short, the animal brain gives the animals in Planet Zoo 2 a huge amount of reactivity resulting in even more for you to discover as you care for your zoo and wildlife reserves.

[00:06:29]>> [music] >> But, that's not all. Formations are a new feature for Planet Zoo 2 acting as a layer on top of the animal brain enabling animals to act as a unified group. When multiple animals of the same species are close together, they can form a formation with their peers.

[00:06:43]Different types of formations can be formed depending on the animals and their circumstances including groups for migrating, defending, fleeing, and neutral situations. The shape, size, and density of a formation depends on its type and species. So, for example, a bison may form a defensive ring against the a nearby predator while migrating zebras may form a line shaped formation with the male at the rear. So, that's really cool. So, herd herd defense, that is going to be so fun to see.

[00:07:15]Um and I've seen a few people say that the bison mentioned [music] here may confirm American bison. It doesn't.

[00:07:22]Um but, it is possible that the American bison could also make it into the game alongside the already confirmed European bison.

[00:07:30]So, both of which very similar in terms of behaviors, but are very different in appearance. So, American bison are shorter, stockier, more muscular, um bigger heads, um and are grazers.

[00:07:43]Whereas the European bison is almost a stilt version, so it's taller, a shorter frame, >> [music] >> or thinner frame from the front at least, smaller head, and yeah, it holds its head much higher because it's a browser. So, when two related species are very different in appearance, I'd say worth having both.

[00:08:08]Um and so, that's why I kind of think we might get both African rhinos. Cuz southern whites, they might be the most common in captivity, but they look very different to the black rhino, which would make a lot of sense for the Great Rift Valley.

[00:08:22]>> [music] >> like that is the rhino that is primarily found there.

[00:08:26]These days at least, white rhinos were of course once prominent there.

[00:08:30]>> [music] >> Um but it given both of those rhinos are very different, like the white rhino is a grazer, holds its head much lower. Black rhino, it's a browser, very different head structure, and holds its head much higher, and is [music] overall a little bit more athletic in its appearance.

[00:08:49]But they also prefer different habitats in a sense. So, the white rhino prefers to be out in the plains and in the and a little bit in the scrub as well.

[00:08:59]but the black rhino is almost always in the scrub because, well, they eat scrub.

[00:09:06]That's that's what they eat, they're a browser.

[00:09:08]and so, I could see us getting both of them, and given how good the African leopard looks, I'm really excited to see the rhinos.

[00:09:17]Um so, animals in a formation will compare their individual animal brains routine behaviors, which determines which behavior the group wants to do as a whole, depending on the sociability of a given species. Animals are more or less likely to perform this formation level behavior, or choose another individual routine behavior. For example, you'll likely spot zebras and wildebeest all grazing together, while giraffes may more often do their own thing while staying in the vicinity of their herd. The members of these formations and essentially vote on what action they want to take, such as resting, exploring, [music] or grazing together. This allows social animals to behave, well, socially.

[00:09:56]We get a good look at our African penguins. Uh this was a shot in the gameplay um >> [music] >> not gameplay trailer, the awe-inspiring animals feature focus.

[00:10:06]So, formations are another layer to Planet Zoo 2's animals, enabling them to depict even more authentic behaviors that you'd expect to see in the natural world, particularly for social animals.

[00:10:17]>> [music] >> So, that's a interesting note there. So, formations are pretty much going to only be for social animals. Any animal that's solitary don't really expect too many formations from them. So, black rhino, for instance, if we get it, would be solitary. The leopard that we've got is solitary. But then compare that to lions, your chimpanzees, your penguins, and your zebras, they're all going to be in formations.

[00:10:41]The greatest consequence of all this work tinkering with the animal brain is a huge improvement in the kinds of emergent, unplanned behavior animals in Planet Zoo 2 will exhibit. In the original Planet Zoo, animals would perform the same limited range of actions consistently. [music] Now, in Planet Zoo 2, they have a huge range of actions which can be completed in different ways depending on their circumstances and the environment around them. Now, a playful chimp would knock over an enrichment item into a sleeping troop member, waking them up, or a lion could get angry if you remove their favorite scratching post right as they were about to use it.

[00:11:14]Very mean.

[00:11:15]>> [laughter] >> Um not only do these new emergent behaviors create exciting and believable interactions for you to discover, they can also have a direct impact on how your zoos and wildlife reserves are managed, requiring you to adjust to the unexpected and maintain the welfare of your animals. Your actions will directly impact the mood and behavior of your animals, so it's up to you to keep them as happy as possible. The animal brain is just one of the ways Planet Zoo 2 is delivering the most authentic depiction of wild and zoo animals to [music] date, bringing a generational leap forward in animal simulation to your screens in October. These systems all come together to create animals, zoos, and wildlife reserves that are truly alive like never before. We'll be back soon to take a deep and dive into another of the features coming to Planet Zoo 2 later this year.

[00:12:03]Probably next week, actually, because well, we look at the Zoopedia.

[00:12:09]Um, got my African leopard, of course.

[00:12:12]But, if we scroll down, we've got an odd number of aquarium boxes.

[00:12:16]>> [laughter] >> Um, so probably the aquarium feature focus is next with the blacktip reef shark um, that was teased in the last feature focus that we got. Um, now the regularity of the feature focuses is probably not going to be like how it has been um, or at least seemingly going to be uh, where we've had one feature focus, week break, and then another one.

[00:12:42]It's probably going to be maybe every 2 weeks um, but if it was every uh, um, [music] like oh, hang on. Every 2 weeks?

[00:12:49]No.

[00:12:50]Uh, let me think. Every two Tuesdays, perhaps. Um, there'll be a feature focus, but they could do it fortnightly.

[00:12:59]Um, that would be pretty nice and have an occasional animal spotlight in between. Now, when it comes to the animal [music] spotlights, um, I'm sort of thinking the way they'll work is they'll be for the most popular animal of an animal lineup. Now, of course, popularity is something that's in the eye of the beholder. [music] Um, but overall, I think out of all the animals that we got, um, other than the Masai off, probably.

[00:13:28]African leopard is the most popular as when you see people going on game drives in Africa, what's one of the the animals people want to see the most? Leopards. They're part of the big five. People want to tick off the big five.

[00:13:41]Um and so that is probably the reason why the leopard was singled out here.

[00:13:46]Um but it also displayed a good number of different behaviors and showed off the Rift Valley Wildlife Reserve pretty well.

[00:13:53]>> [music] >> Um and so that's what I'm sort of thinking the animal spotlights will be between feature focuses and [music] before the animal that um that that Frontier thinks are the most popular and frankly the leopard is a valid example.

[00:14:08][music] Um so depending on what we get the week after next, um yeah, we'll see what animal we get.

[00:14:16]And uh yeah, very interesting. But when it comes to the aquarium lineup, one I'm pretty sure is going to be the blacktip reef shark. That's going to be the big one. Um [music] the second one is going to be the mystery animal that we've recently had teased. So I'll throw up a picture of it now.

[00:14:34]Um looks pretty interesting. Looks to be another fish. And well, everyone's almost unanimously thinking that it is the lionfish, [music] uh specifically the red lionfish, otherwise known as the volitans lionfish or common lionfish.

[00:14:49]Whatever name you prefer, same species.

[00:14:52][music] Um really cool animal and I'm really excited to see it. Uh is it our first venomous animal um for the game so far?

[00:15:02]I think so. Yeah, we don't have any other venomous animals. We have poisonous animals, but no other venomous creatures. Blue-tongues aren't venomous, they just have a strong bite.

[00:15:12]>> [laughter] >> Um but yeah, that'll be really interesting. And [music] the other three, we'll see what they are. Now, I've seen some people suggest they're hero species, all five of them.

[00:15:20]Um that would be really cool. And the ideal situation, I'd say.

[00:15:26]Um, but I feel like we could get one shelving species or potentially an aquarium exhibit animal as well, uh, depending on how it goes. But, we'll of course learn next week. Uh, and then we have four terrestrial boxes, two of which being for exhibit animals and two for habitat. Um, if we're going to go with the aquarium theme, one could be the California sea lion, the other maybe the Eurasian beaver, just so we can, um, continue to tick off the, um, already seen animals. And then the two exhibit animals, I'd want to wager diamondback terrapin, um, and perhaps if it was another returning species, either the bullfrog or, um, maybe a snake.

[00:16:09]I would like to see a snake, so possibly either boa constrictor or an anaconda of some kind. [music] Um, one of those would do just fine. I don't think we're going to get every exhibit animal back from Planet Zoo 1, um, [music] because frankly some of them are interchangeable with better animals. Um, as as much as I love Australian snakes, you don't really see death adders and brown snakes [music] out of it outside of Australia too often.

[00:16:37]Um, like they're very popular, uh, at least outside of Australia. I know a lot of people who are who are scared, uh, witless of snakes, particularly browns.

[00:16:46]Um, but I feel like we could get different snakes in place of the death adder, even though it's a very unique elapid. Uh, could get a new [music] viper, maybe an eyelash viper, Gaboon viper perhaps.

[00:16:59]Um, instead of brown snake, uh, a cobra. Just to get just get a cobra finally.

[00:17:06]>> [music] >> Um, but yeah, really interested to see what animals we see.

[00:17:11]Two of them I pretty I'm pretty sure are definite, uh, but the other three, really curious to see what those will be.

[00:17:18]Spotted eagle rays, an animal that we've already seen, that I would like to see more of. I'd like to see more of it >> [music] >> just swimming about, performing behaviors, cuz yeah, they're very cool animals. And I just want to know exactly which species it is because spotted eagle ray is a fairly general term that can be applied to three different species. But given the aquarium seemed to at least the salt water aquarium seems to be largely focused around the Indo-Pacific, I'd say it's the white-spotted eagle ray as [music] the general appearance fits that species a lot better. Like we go to the gallery, >> [music] >> pull it up. Yeah, it looks much closer to the white-spotted eagle ray than the Nari Nari species from the Caribbean. [music] So, yeah, I'm pretty sure it is the white-spotted. [music] Both of which can get to a really substantial size as we've seen in the [music] gameplay so far. It's a pretty big animal.

[00:18:20]But yeah, let me know what you think the aquarium species will be and even just the terrestrial species.

[00:18:29]What are your guesses?

[00:18:30]What did you think of the implications that the animal brain provides? So, formations, predation, all that lovely stuff.

[00:18:40]Leave your thoughts down in the comments and I'll see you probably with the next feature focus I'll see you then.