Prehistoric Kingdom News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Welcome, Park Testers! [/p][p]This early version of Update 15 includes breeding, paleobotany, improved landscaping, new feeders and a variety of other changes. We are expecting to launch this update on August 25. While the update remains a work in progress, we are looking for feedback in these areas:[/p]

• [p]Challenge Mode balance[/p]
  • [p]Financial difficulty[/p]
  • [p]Research tree experience[/p]
  • [p]Animal poop frequency and compost conversion[/p]
• [p]Breeding frequency and reliability[/p]

[p]As mentioned there have been a lot of changes since the last update, so be sure to read the full patch notes below to see everything that's new![/p][p][/p][h3]PTB Features[/h3][p][/p][p]The headlining feature for this update is breeding! Throughout the year, animals experience a breeding season that allows them to partake in courtship, reproduce and maintain a nest or birthing bed built by the player.[/p][p]To maximise the amount of offspring an animal can have, players can create animals with high fertility from the Animal Nursery. Creating creatures from a young maturity at slower growth speeds yields the best result once they reach sexual maturity.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Gallimimus also hits the PTB with all three skins and its ontogeny ready to go! Players can excavate this animal from the Nemegt Formation or grab it immediately in Sandbox Mode.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Paleobotany is a big inclusion for Update 15, adding over 200 plant variations across 30+ species of Mesozoic flora. In Challenge Mode, players can unlock paleobotany via the Fossil Depot, excavating them just like animals. [/p][p]In terms of gameplay, a new Mesozoic or Cenozoic flora bar has been added to the animal habitat and enrichment panels. This bar will fill up as era-appropriate foliage is added to their enclosure, providing additional animal points. We plan to add more benefits later down the line![/p][p]Note that providing era-appropriate foliage is not a hard requirement and simply a reward for players who want to go the extra mile![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Landscaping has seen massive updates with a new interface, terrain brushes, new grass masking rules, reworked foliage densities and auto-slope painting.[/p][p]The new UI can be vertically scaled to show more or less depending on what the player wants, while new options such as a water mask when painting plants has been added too. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Similarly, the enhanced global building grid makes it easier than ever to construct organised parks like zoo-sim games of the past. This feature has been expanded to fences, too![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Shifting back to animals, the reworked Animal Nursery menu provides a more intuitive layout with a myriad of settings to organise your animal list exactly how you want. [/p][p]Selecting an animal reveals basic information as well as new options for randomization and skin customization. The preview itself is now entirely accurate to the individual specimen you're about to create, too![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Animal Milestones are a new mechanic that allow animals to grow with you. As they spend time in the park, they can achieve various goals, rewarding them with Animal Points.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Finally, a variety of new feeder sizes (1m, 4m trough, 6m) and a new plastic style have been added to the basic food trays. Additional enrichment feeders such as hay piles, hay bales and faux fish carcasses have been included too. Finally, your tiny animals don't need to eat from massive trays![/p][p]We hope to get a couple more of these in by the full release of Update 15.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]PTB Changes[/h3][p][/p][p]CHALLENGE MODE: PROFIT TAX[/p][p]To address the economy bloat reported by Challenge Mode players during the mid-late game, we’ve introduced profit tax. [/p][p]At the start of each month, players can earn up to $10,000 tax free. After this, a tax percentage is automatically deducted from their income, scaling with higher earnings. Your profit tax resets each month and can be seen in the Finances menu under the quarterly profit. A tooltip reveals more information about the various tax brackets.[/p][p][/p][p]CHALLENGE MODE: EXCAVATION EVENTS[/p][p]Positive Excavation events now last for two months, allowing players to better take advantage of their benefits. The amount of negative events per month have also been decreased.[/p][p]This coincides with a general rebalancing of excavations as well as the inclusion of paleobotany sites.[/p][p][/p][p]CHALLENGE MODE: RESEARCH ADJUSTMENTS[/p][p]A number of research items have been added, changed or removed to improve the game’s progression.[/p][p][/p][p]ENCLOSURE ANIMAL LIST[/p][p]An animal list has been added to the enclosure menu, allowing players to quickly see all the contained animals and filter by species.[/p][p][/p][h3]What is NOT included in this PTB?[/h3][p][/p][p]As usual, we are still working to add the remaining features, audio and other components that'll be there when the update fully releases. While the game is playable, you can expect to run into bugs, crashes or general oddities. Please send your feedback and bug reports to our Discord server's appropriate channel.[/p][p]Here are the major outstanding things not present in the PTB:[/p]

• [p]Threaten system[/p]
• [p]Animal Head IK[/p]
• [p]Animals browsing from foliage[/p]
• [p]Animal feeder diversity need[/p]
• [p]Expanded tutorials and adjustments to make them more detailed[/p]
• [p]Oviraptor[/p]

[p]Though we are on track for most of this to make it into the final release, we are likely going to have to follow up with an Update 15.1 to truly flesh it out. [/p][p]Head IK has taken much longer than we anticipated to come online, leaving the planned threaten behaviors less developed than what we’d like.[/p][p][/p][h3]How to Access the Public Testing Branch (Experimental!)[/h3][p]The Public Testing Branch (PTB) is a version of Prehistoric Kingdom that can be opted-into on Steam, containing experimental and potentially breaking changes. With the help of the community, we're able to hunt down various issues and gather feedback before pushing a an update to the public version of Prehistoric Kingdom. Right click Prehistoric Kingdom in your Steam Library Go to Properties Betas Select 'ptb_public_testing'Please note that it is not recommended to play Public Testing Branch parks on earlier versions of the game. Please send feedback and bug reports to our Discord server's appropriate channel. [/p][p][/p][h3]Known Issues & Additional Notes[/h3][p][/p]

• [p]Undo/redo for terrain sculpting with automatic slope painting attached isn't fully hooked up yet,[/p]

• [p]Animals socialization needs frequency balancing, and currently the socialization need can remain low for a long time,[/p]
• [p]Animal drinking points need a review, as animals can pick wildly inconsistent drinking points,[/p]
• [p]Some players may experience severe FPS drops when opening the Animal Management Menu, we're actively working on a fix for this[/p]
• [p]Various sound effects for new animations have not been hooked up yet[/p]
• [p]There are a number of temporary or missing icons for research and paleobotany paleopedia entries[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]Features[/h2]

• [p]NEW ANIMAL: Gallimimus bullatus[/p]
• [p]NEW FEATURE: Animal Courtship & Breeding
  During the breeding season, male animals will attempt to court females and create their next generation. After successful courtship, females will try to look for a nest or birthing bed built by the player in order to build, manage and guard it. [/p][p][/p][p]Following a pregnancy period, animals will either lay eggs or give birth at their respective modules. The behavior seen throughout the breeding process is variable depending on the species, leading to parents that may abandon their nest or species where parents work together to maintain it.[/p][p][/p][p]If parents wander too far away to find food or water, they have a greater chance of losing their offspring.[/p]
• [p]NEW FEATURE: Paleobotany
  An array of Mesozoic paleobotany can be excavated around the world by dig teams. Placing era-appropriate foliage into habitats will reward animals with enrichment and additional Animal Points, making them worth more.[/p]
• [p]NEW FEATURE: Animal Milestones
  Animal Milestones are a new mechanic that allow animals to grow with you. As they spend time in the park, they can achieve various goals, rewarding them with Animal Points.[/p]
• [p]NEW CHANGE: Overhauled Global Grid The global construction grid has been given many visual and mechanical improvements! Any modular group can now be fully fitted to the global grid, allowing players to perfectly align facilities across the park. This feature also applied to fence placement, which can now stick to the grid tiles’ outer edges[/p]
• [p]NEW CHANGE: Landscaping Menu[/p]
• [p]NEW CHANGE: Animal Nursery Menu The animal nursery has a new layout for easier navigation! Sort by unlocked, alphabetical, price, rating, type and clade to find an animal at a glance. Adjust the new filtering options to get a granular look at specific animals in your collection. The animal preview is now accurate to what will be created, featuring the new randomize buttons, overridable mutations and adjust variation for skins and sizes![/p]

[h2]Additions[/h2]

• [p]Gameplay[/p]
  • [p]Added 22 paleobotany excavation sites: [/p]
    • [p]North America:[/p]
      • [p]Colorado Flats[/p]
      • [p]Eagle Sandstone[/p]
      • [p]Edmonton Shale[/p]
      • [p]Kansas Rocks[/p]
      • [p]Montana Hills[/p]
    • [p]South America:[/p]
      • [p]Araripe Basin[/p]
      • [p]Chubut Conglomerate[/p]
      • [p]Deseado Massif[/p]
      • [p]San Luis Siltstone[/p]
    • [p]Europe:[/p]
      • [p]Bavarian Lithic Reef[/p]
      • [p]Bohemian Massif[/p]
      • [p]Lusitanian Rift[/p]
    • [p]Asia:[/p]
      • [p]Bartala Hill[/p]
      • [p]Gobi Badlands[/p]
      • [p]Henan Deposits[/p]
      • [p]Honshu Group[/p]
      • [p]Korean Shale[/p]
      • [p]Wuyun Clays[/p]
      • [p]Yanliao Sediments[/p]
    • [p]Africa[/p]
      • [p]Cape Sandstones[/p]
      • [p]Maghrebian Desert Beds[/p]
    • [p]Antarctica[/p]
      • [p]Antarctic Highlands[/p]

• [p]Added new Research progression items:[/p]
  • [p]Biology[/p]
    • [p]Chromatic Phenotype Selection Enables picking specific skins for animals in the Nursery[/p]
    • [p]Chromatic Expression Modulation Enables editing an animal’s mutations and coloration in the Nursery[/p]
    • [p]Somatic Growth Modulation Enables size editing for animals in the Nursery[/p]
    • [p]High-Capacity Low Feeders Unlocks feeders suitable for feeding larger animals[/p]
    • [p]High-Capacity Tall Feeders Unlocks feeders suitable for feeding large or tall animals[/p]
  • [p]New Research Tree: Management[/p]
    • [p]Higher Education Speeds up Staff skill learning in the Staff Center[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Plants Unlocks the Produce Station Plants, allowing for the local production of herbivore feed[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Fruit Unlocks the Produce Station Fruit, allowing for the local production of frugivore feed[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Meat Unlocks the Produce Station Meat, allowing for the local production of carnivore feed[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Fish Unlocks the Produce Station Fish, allowing for the local production of piscivore feed[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Insects Unlocks the Produce Station Insects, allowing for the local production of insectivore feed[/p]
    • [p]Produce Station Mixed Unlocks the Produce Station Mixed, allowing for the local production of all types of animal feed. Requires all the Produce Station researches to be unlocked before being researchable[/p]
    • [p]Storage Produce Large Unlocks the Storage Produce Large facility, increasing storage space for animal feed[/p]
    • [p]Storage Goods Large Unlocks the Storage Goods Large facility, increasing storage space for imported goods[/p]
    • [p]Industrial Paleo-Fertilizer Enables the selling of extra compost produced by the Compost Heap[/p]
    • [p]High Productivity Paleo-Compost Allows for Produce Station to more efficiently produce feed with compost, requiring less Animal Dung overall[/p]
    • [p]Improved Cost Management Reduces the construction cost of all Infrastructure by 10%[/p]
    • [p]Advanced Budget Allocation Reduces the upkeep cost of all facilities by 15%[/p]
    • [p]Improved Credit Score Unlocks access to lower interest rates across all loan providers by 1-2%[/p]
    • [p]Non-Profit Status Reduces profit tax by 10% when guest and animal welfare are both over 90%[/p]
    • [p]Emotional Engagement Boosts guest donations by 25%[/p]
    • [p]Deep Pockets Increases all Donation Box max capacity by 50%[/p]
  • [p]Security
    Reorganized the fence research items into the following:[/p]
    • [p]Wood Fences - Medium Strength Provides Medium Strength wood fences[/p]
    • [p]Stone Fences - Medium Strength Provides Medium Strength stone fences[/p]
    • [p]Stone Fences - High Strength Provides High Strength stone fences[/p]
    • [p]Metal Fences - Medium Strength Provides Medium Strength metal fences[/p]
    • [p]Metal Fences - High Strength Provides High Strength metal fences[/p]
    • [p]Metal Fences - Extreme Strength Provides Extreme Strength metal fences[/p]

• [p]Animals[/p]
  • [p]Added digging animations to all animals. These animations will be utilized in nest preparation[/p]
  • [p]Added courtship animations to all animals, to be used to impress potential mates during breeding seasons. Some animals have unique, bespoke dances, while others have more subdued idle actions[/p]
  • [p]Added baby idle animation to:[/p]
    • [p]Acrocanthosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Ankylosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Apatosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Argentinosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Brachiosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Brontosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Camarasaurus[/p]
    • [p]Carcharodontosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Charonosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Coelophysis[/p]
    • [p]Dilophosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Dryosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Edmontosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Iguanodon[/p]
    • [p]Lambeosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Leaellynasaura[/p]
    • [p]Parasaurolophus[/p]
    • [p]Paraceratherium[/p]
    • [p]Protoceratops[/p]
    • [p]Psittacosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Scelidosaurus[/p]
    • [p]Smilodon[/p]
    • [p]Velociraptor[/p]
• [p]Buildings & Scenery[/p]
  • [p]Added animal reproduction modules:[/p]
    • [p]Birthing Bed Large[/p]
    • [p]Birthing Bed Small[/p]
    • [p]Nest Large[/p]
    • [p]Nest Medium[/p]
    • [p]Nest Small[/p]
  • [p]Added new animal feeders (includes all diets + new plastic style):[/p]
    • [p]Feeder Dish 1m[/p]
    • [p]Flat Tray 4m[/p]
    • [p]Feeder Dish 6m[/p]
  • [p]Added new animal enrichment Feeders:[/p]
    • [p]Faux Fish Carcass Small[/p]
    • [p]Faux Fish Carcass Large[/p]
    • [p]Hay Clump Small[/p]
    • [p]Hay Clump Large[/p]
    • [p]Hay Bale Small[/p]
    • [p]Hay Bale Large[/p]
  • [p]Added new silhouette pieces:[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Animal Gallimimus[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Animal Oviraptor[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Araucaria[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Cinnamon Fern[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Cycadeoidea[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Equisetites[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Metasequoia[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Nilssonia[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Todites[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Zamites[/p]
    • [p]Silhouette Foliage Weichselia[/p]
• [p]Environment[/p]
  • [p]Added unique terrain grass textures to Desert, Scrubland, Grassland, Temperate and Tropical (originals found in Coastal and Boreal)[/p]
• [p]Foliage[/p]
  • [p]Added Cypress Knees (3) to the Gardening tab[/p]
  • [p]Added Tropical Sparse Forest and Tropical Bananas preset[/p]
  • [p]Added boreal paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Aculea (6)[/p]
    • [p]Athrotaxites(10)[/p]
  • [p]Added coastal paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Coniopteris (3)[/p]
    • [p]Elatides (7)[/p]
    • [p]Eobowenia (4)[/p]
    • [p]Ginkgo yimeansis (6)[/p]
    • [p]Ginkgo yimeansis Seasonal (3)[/p]
    • [p]Nilssonia (7)[/p]
    • [p]Todite Fern (7)[/p]
  • [p]Added desert paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Ephedra (5)[/p]
    • [p]Welwitschiophyllum (6)[/p]
  • [p]Added grassland paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Ctenis (4)[/p]
    • [p]Ruffordia (5)[/p]
    • [p]Schizaeopsis (6)[/p]
  • [p]Added scrubland paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Araucaria delevoryassi (8)[/p]
    • [p]Cycadeoidea (9)[/p]
    • [p]Gleichenia (4)[/p]
    • [p]Watsoniocladus (6)[/p]
    • [p]Zamites (7)[/p]
  • [p]Added temperate paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Cinnamon Fern (4)[/p]
    • [p]Ginkgo adiantoides (6)[/p]
    • [p]Ginkgo adiantoides Seasonal (4)[/p]
    • [p]Platanites (7)[/p]
    • [p]Trochodendroides (5)[/p]
  • [p]Added tropical paleobotany and presets: [/p]
    • [p]Agathis (9)[/p]
    • [p]Archaeanthus (8)[/p]
    • [p]Chloranthoid (6)[/p]
    • [p]Laurales (10)[/p]
    • [p]Pseudoctenis (6)[/p]
  • [p]Added wetland paleobotany and presets:[/p]
    • [p]Cobbania (3)[/p]
    • [p]Equisetites (3)[/p]
    • [p]Hydropteris (3)[/p]
    • [p]Marsilea (4)[/p]
    • [p]Metasequoia (5)[/p]
    • [p]Metasequoia Seasonal (3)[/p]
    • [p]Nelumbo (5)[/p]
    • [p]Quereuxia (3)[/p]
    • [p]Weichselia (5)[/p]
• [p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Added a paleobotany section to the Paleopedia[/p]
  • [p]Added new diet needs analysis in the Animal Info menu[/p]
  • [p]Added a mating season indicator graphic in the Animal Info menu and the Animal Paleopedia[/p]
  • [p]Added a ‘Compatible Bedding & Nests’ category to the enrichment tab in the animal paleopedia page[/p]
  • [p]Added an animal list tab to the Enclosure Info menu, listing out all of the animals in the enclosure. This tab also has a filter option[/p]
  • [p]Added a ‘Fence Upkeep’ read-out in the ‘Exhibit Score’ section of the Enclosure Info menu[/p]
  • [p]Enabled the ‘Animal Milestones’ tab in the Animal Info menu, giving players a quick overview of an animal’s current unlocked milestones[/p]
• [p]Audio[/p]
  • [p]Added foley to baby animations[/p]
  • [p]Added foley to ceratopsian animations[/p]
  • [p]Added foley to low eating animations (Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Camarasaurus, Paraceratherium)[/p]
  • [p]Added additional sound variants to mammoth drinking[/p]

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• [p]Balance[/p]
  • [p]Progression:[/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced animal points and attraction points rating goals[/p]
    • [p]Adjusted fossil DNA yield during excavations, so that higher rated animals take longer to fully excavate[/p]
    • [p]Excavation events are now reset when an excavation site becomes fully researched[/p]
    • [p]Positive excavation events now have a minimum duration period of 2 months, making for a longer lasting reward[/p]
  • [p]Economy & Logistics:[/p]
    • [p]Doubled the cost for research and excavations[/p]
    • [p]All fencing now has upkeep costs that are paid at the end of each game month[/p]
    • [p]Introduced Profit Tax, a bracket system that taxes park income based on current monthly profit. The profit tax read out is accessible by hovering over the profit header in the Finances Summary[/p]
    • [p]Landscaping operations now cost money based on the actions’ weight. Park balance is now actively affected by terraforming costs[/p]
    • [p]Rebalanced max donation amounts for all Donation Boxes[/p]
    • [p]Increased purchase and upkeep costs for Loading Bay trucks[/p]
    • [p]Shortened Loading Bay import times[/p]
    • [p]Decreased Loading Bay import amount[/p]
    • [p]Decreased loan pay back times across the board[/p]
  • [p]Animals:[/p]
    • [p]Different animal growth speeds now impact incubation costs for all animals, the slower the growth speed, the higher the incubation cost, and viceversaIncreased facility upkeep costs across the board[/p]
  • [p]Guests:[/p]
    • [p]Slowed down guest need draining considerably, allowing their AI to prioritize exploration and animal viewing over constant need fulfillment[/p]

• [p]Gameplay[/p]
  • [p]Research progression gameplay:[/p]
    • [p]Re-arranged certain research items to fit the newly added trees[/p]
    • [p]Removed obsolete research items[/p]
  • [p]Landscaping gameplay:[/p]
    • [p]Terrain sculpting and terrain painting now feature brush selection, allowing players to pick from individual libraries of brushes for each action. This drastically expands sculpting and painting options, leading to more natural looking custom environments[/p]
    • [p]Water-floating plants will now automatically stick to the water’s surface when painted using the foliage brush, retaining their relative position to the water with any terrain change. If no water volume is readily available at their position, these plant items will stick to the terrain like normal[/p]
    • [p]By default, fully aquatic plants will paint on water bodies only, while fully terrestrial plants will be masked out by water. This effect can be turned off through the ‘Respect Water Mask’ toggle in the new Landscaping GUI[/p]
    • [p]The foliage brush has been majorly overhauled, with new internal density rules allowing for much more naturalistic environments at any brush size or intensity[/p]
    • [p]The Landscaping Brush intensity/size can now be changed by holding Ctrl/Shift and using the mouse scroll wheel[/p]
  • [p]Construction[/p]
    • [p]The global construction grid has been completely overhauled, with new visuals and improved support for modular group snapping[/p]
    • [p]Fences can now be placed using the global grid, allowing for precise barrier construction[/p]
• [p]Animals[/p]
  • [p]Updated animal diets[/p]
    • [p]Piscivore diet added to Coelophysis, Velociraptor[/p]
    • [p]Insectivore diet added to Deinocheirus, Dryosaurus, Leaellynasaura, Velociraptor[/p]
    • [p]Frugivore diet added to Ankylosaurus[/p]
  • [p]Updated animal biome preferences:[/p]
    • [p]Boreal preference added to Leaellynasaura[/p]
    • [p]Coastal preference added to Deinocheirus[/p]
    • [p]Scrubland preference added to Deinocheirus[/p]

• [p]Environment[/p]
  • [p]3D grass has been improved, featuring shadow casting and better height rules for various substrate transitions[/p]
  • [p]Changed temperate leaf litter texture to match a stone age path[/p]
  • [p]Changed wetland sand texture to be lighter and more red[/p]
  • [p]Changed wetland dirt texture to be darker and more red[/p]
  • [p]Moved standard grass texture to Coastal[/p]
  • [p]Moved dry grass texture to Boreal[/p]
• [p]Foliage[/p]
  • [p]Updated impostors for redwoods, sequoias and coconut palms[/p]
  • [p]Updated foliage contents for desert presets[/p]

• [p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Animal selection now has precedence over any other overlapping items, making selecting animals much easier[/p]
  • [p]Updated terrain texture icons[/p]
  • [p]Improvements to the Excavation Worldmap:[/p]
    • [p]Formation pin overlap has been massively reduced, with the pins pushing each other apart at maximum zoom out, while returning to their respective position the more zoomed-in the map is[/p]
    • [p]Each formation pin’s graphics now better reflect the main excavation site’s category: theropod footprint for Mesozoic, mammal pawprint for Cenozoic, and a Gingko leaf for paleobotany sites[/p]
    • [p]The excavation item tooltip features better screen-area clamping, improving readability and minimizing sharp position shifts[/p]
    • [p]Improved map movement input speed[/p]
  • [p]Improvements to the Research Menu:[/p]
    • [p]The research item tooltip now displays research dependencies for currently inaccessible items in a tree (e.g. Rapid Genetic Replication requires Accelerated Ontogenetic Synthesis)[/p]
    • [p]Like its excavation counterpart, the research tooltip features better screen-area clamping, improving readability and minimizing sharp position shifts[/p]
    • [p]Players can now use the movement keys to scroll the larger trees[/p]
  • [p]The Structure Menu search bar text will now default to empty upon closing the menu[/p]
  • [p]The Enclosure Info Menu is now contextual based on whether the enclosure has animals in it or not[/p]
  • [p]Removed the temperature value from the time capsule rect at the bottom of the main HUD. Clicking on this capsule will now access the Weather Menu[/p]
  • [p]Updated the animal tooltip GUI widget to be more in line with the rest of the game’s HUD[/p]
  • [p]Mouse tooltips can now update their content without requiring the element hover event to end[/p]
• [p]Graphics[/p]
  • [p]Improved up-close shading fidelity for little to no GPU cost[/p]
  • [p]Updated human shader, giving characters’ more expressive eyes[/p]
• [p]Audio[/p]
  • [p]Ambient wildlife sounds near water should be more frequent[/p]
  • [p]Ambient audio mid-frequencies are now slightly ducked when music is playing for mix clarity[/p]
• [p]Music[/p]
  • [p]Music ducking during dialogue should now retain more of its volume whilst still letting voices be clear and audible[/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Crashes[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a major crash triggered by selecting an animal in the Animal Nursery [/p]
• [p]Critical[/p]
  • [p]Addressed potentially critical animal age processing oversight, which could have been causing inconsistent aging speeds for animal individuals[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a Special Exhibit-related data desync causing in-game animal and species counter to report incorrect numbers[/p]
• [p]Animals[/p]
  • [p]Fixed Styracosaurus horn scratch animation length[/p]
  • [p]Fixed Dilophosaurus eat to idle animation[/p]
  • [p]Fixed certain animal species being forever locked on the wrong navmesh - this incidentally resolves some instances of animal mass data misalignment[/p]
• [p]Environment[/p]
  • [p]Fixed the sky being extremely bright during the day, leading to a more washed out appearance[/p]
• [p]Construction[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a modular action initialization issue causing piece placement to be badly offset on the vertical axis[/p]
  • [p]Fixed the modular grid graphics’ one frame positioning delay when moving groups[/p]
  • [p]Fixed rare instances of grid-bound modular rotation snapping resetting a piece’s edited rotation[/p]
• [p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a layout overlap issue within the social tab of the Animal Infomenu, triggering when a young animal would exit a parental group[/p]
  • [p]Fixed incorrect text label in the research item tooltip[/p]
  • [p]Fixed landscaping brush FX visual initialization[/p]
  • [p]Fixed excavation funding cost not properly updating text when assigning/removing teams in the Excavation Assignment Menu[/p]
  • [p]Fixed keybind cycling for the various Management menus[/p]
• [p]Audio[/p]
  • [p]Fixed dialogue not considering the Master volume slider[/p]
  • [p]Fixed certain species not playing swim sounds[/p]
  • [p]Fixed dromaeosaur footsteps not accounting for ground material and water depth[/p]
  • [p]Fixed small theropod eating sounds not playing from fish feeders[/p]
  • [p]Fixed breathing and skin sounds not playing under specific circumstances[/p]
  • [p]Fixed Bear, Deinocheirus, Elephant, Rhino, small herbivore and small theropod vocalisations not pitching up for younger animals[/p]
  • [p]Fixed overly sensitive drag sounds for glass fences[/p]
• [p]Music[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where music in the Park Services menu could be abruptly cut and started again[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a variant of a Park Services track that would end unmusically[/p]

[h2]Performance[/h2]

• [p]Potentially fixed a source of VRAM leaks[/p]
• [p]Made many small optimizations to GUI layout processing[/p]
• [p]Optimized redundant refresh calls on the Structures Menu[/p]

[h2]Steam Achievements[/h2]

• [p]Fixed the ‘Fossil Record’ and ‘Noah’s Park’ achievements not properly unlocking due to data misalignment[/p]
• [p]‘Crowds o’ Plenty’ now tracks for 3,000 guests in the park, instead of 5,000[/p]
• [p]Added the following Steam achievements:[/p]
  • [p]Ancestor Have an animal become an ancestor to over 3 generations of offpring[/p]
  • [p]Newborn Have an animal be naturally born in the park[/p]
  • [p]Guardian Have an animal adopt an unrelated baby[/p]
  • [p]Unrequited Lover Have an animal attempt courtship 3 or more times without success[/p]
  • [p]Misfit Have an animal reach old age without having socialized with any animal[/p]
  • [p]Spine Lizard Release a Spinosaurus in Challenge Mode[/p]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Update 15 is coming this month on August 25!

An early version of this release will be available on the Public Testing Branch starting August 11, allowing the team to gather bug reports while we continue working on the remaining features and content for Update 15.
[/p][h2]New Animals[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Joining the roster in Update 15 are two feathered dinosaurs from the Cretaceous: Gallimimus and Oviraptor! Like other species, these animals come with seamless ontogeny cycles, allowing them to grow from baby to adult.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Breeding & Courtship[/h2][p][/p][p]Throughout the year, each species will have its own breeding season! Provide nests for dinosaurs and birthing beds for mammals to let them naturally reproduce.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]After successful courtship, animals will look for a nest to build, maintain and guard to varying degrees depending on the species. If the parents stray too far, it's even possible for their unborn offspring to perish. Don't make them walk too far for food and water![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Paleobotany[/h2][p][/p][p]Excavate and discover over 30 species of Mesozoic flora across 8 biomes with Paleobotany! Send teams out around the world to bring back 200+ individual plant variations for your dinosaur habitats.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For both dinosaurs and mammals, placing era-appropriate plants in your habitats will allow them to gain rewards such as bonus animal points![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]And More![/h2][p][/p][p]ANIMAL MILESTONES[/p][p]Throughout their life, animals can achieve various goals to improve their perception in the park. This can include things like being born naturally, growing up in the park and becoming the alpha of a herd.[/p][p][/p][p]ANIMAL NURSERY OVERHAUL[/p][p]Breed animals in the updated Animal Nursery menu, boasting improved layouts and functionality with features like random skin selection, skin editing and genetic mutation overrides. [/p][p][/p][p]ANIMAL FEEDERS[/p][p]Add a variety of new feeders to your exhibit with additional sizes (1m, 4m trough, 6m), a new plastic style and additional enrichment feeders such as hay piles and hay bales. Finally, your tiny animals don't need to eat from massive trays![/p][p][/p][p]LANDSCAPING IMPROVEMENTS[/p][p]Easily create the habitat of your dreams with a reworked landscaping menu and features. Auto-paint terrain slopes or try out our suite of new brush textures to quickly add detailed substrate.[/p][p][/p][p]IMPROVED GLOBAL BUILDING GRID[/p][p]Build highly organised zoos with a reworked global building grid, making it easier than ever to construct symmetrical or evenly spaced areas across the park. This feature has been extended to fences, too![/p][p] [/p][p]The full patch notes will be available once the update goes live.

See you soon, park managers!


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[p][/p][p]https://www.patreon.com/c/BlueMeridian[/p][p][/p][p]Welcome to the July Development Update! [/p][p]We are officially less than a month away from Update 15 and there’s still quite a bit to talk about! So without further ado, let’s get right into it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Due to a variety of real world factors impacting our team, it was not possible for Update 15 to begin public testing in July. Despite this, we are continuing to work tirelessly on getting the initial PTB release candidate ready for players as soon as possible. This early version will include:[/p]

• [p]Gallimimus[/p]
• [p]Paleobotany and paleoflora excavations[/p]
• [p]Animal courtship, breeding and nesting[/p]
• [p]Animal Look IKs[/p]
• [p]Animal Milestones[/p]
• [p]New Nursery menu[/p]
• [p]New Landscaping menu and landscaping improvements[/p]
• [p]New Research trees[/p]
• [p]Improved world grid[/p]
• [p]Challenge mode rebalance[/p]

[p]Features coming with the full live update in late August will include:[/p]

• [p]Oviraptor[/p]
• [p]Animal aggression and fleeing, threat behaviors[/p]
• [p]Animal vegetation browsing[/p]
• [p]New feeders and feeding enrichment items[/p]

[p]For more information on breeding, you can check out last month’s Dev Diary to learn all about it. As for the release date of Update 15, we’ll be dropping a trailer within the next week, so keep your eyes peeled![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Update 15[/h2][h2]Oviraptor[/h2][p]Joining Gallimimus in Update 15 is the equally (if not more) feathered friend, Oviraptor! This small dinosaur is similar in size to Velociraptor, boasting rich plumage and a particularly elegant tail fan.[/p][p]In the park, our scientists discovered that most restorations of Oviraptor are actually based on a relative named Citipati. Though many guests expected to see a larger animal due to this error, the real Oviraptor was more compact and basal by comparison. Scientifically speaking, they have the vibe of an overgrown parrot![/p][p][/p][p]Check out the iridescence on those feathers![/p][p]Having lived in the deserts of Cretaceous Mongolia, Oviraptor is a great companion to animals like Protoceratops. The pair go great together with some paleobotany, too![/p][p][/p][h2]Animal Milestones[/h2][p]Last year, we introduced a new scoring system for animals called Animal Points. Depending on the species, its individual size, mutations, growth stage, etc. would all contribute to its final value, making it more or less appealing to guests.[/p][p]In Update 15, we’re adding on to this system through Animal Milestones - a collection of achievements that can be completed throughout an animal's life! With each milestone that’s unlocked, the animal will receive extra points depending on how much of an accomplishment it was.[/p][p]Some examples of milestones include:[/p]

• [p]Ancestor
  Became an ancestor to over 3 generations of offspring[/p]
• [p]Newborn
  Naturally born in the park[/p]
• [p]Alpha
  Became the leader of a herd[/p]
• [p]Unrequited Lover
  Attempted courtship 3 or more times without success[/p]

[p][/p][p]The amount of points per milestone is subject to change![/p][p]Based on what a specific animal does during their time in the park, they could have a completely different journey to other individuals. There are currently around 20 milestones implemented in U15 with more planned to be added as the animal AI continues to grow in complexity.[/p][p][/p][h2]Animal Look IK[/h2][p]One of the lesser discussed aspects of U15 is the inclusion of animal look IK - allowing animals to look at other creatures and objects. [/p][p]Due to our seamless ontogeny, rigging pipeline and diverse neck shapes across the animals, this has been quite the undertaking! Lots of engineering has gone into its development and will continue to do so as we get closer to release. Though not yet ready for mass implementation, you can see how it’s developing below with some tests on the Ugrunaaluk.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Once it’s finished, this’ll become a core part of our future combat systems to take advantage of adjustable head positions.[/p][h2]Global Grid Improvements[/h2][p]In case you didn’t know, players can enable a global grid while placing objects or prefabs in the world. This can help make building a lot easier and more organised! The problem is that in the current game it doesn’t work too well…[/p][p]That’s why for Update 15 we have vastly improved the global grid logic. It now has a dedicated grid graphic to indicate when it’s enabled, and it’s infinitely more usable for a variety of structures. It’s pretty satisfying to build a park this way!. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]In fact, players can now toggle this grid while building fences! Enabling this certainly gives us a wave of nostalgia for our favorite childhood zoo-sims.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We eventually hope to bring this feature to paths if we have the resources to rework them before leaving Early Access![/p][p][/p][h2]Feeders[/h2][p]One of our most anticipated parts of this update is the addition of new feeders! Increasing the player’s choice of feeders is crucial to us as in U15 some animals will not only want multiple diets present, but multiple feeder designs for enrichment, too.[/p][p]This process began with designing a library of updated food assets that can be sprinkled across the upcoming feeder types. Though they adhere to the existing diets, their content is much more diverse. For example, the fish diet can now include crabs and squid![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of, we’ve updated our standard feeders to use new models, support recoloring and even added three new types: large, small and long feeders. As you might imagine, different sizes hold different amounts of food. There’s also a new plastic material, bringing the total styles to 4![/p][p][/p][p]In addition to the three new feeder sizes above, we’re also aiming to include a few new feeder types inspired by zoos! One of our ideas is a plastic fish carcass that keepers can fill with chunks of fish.[/p][p]Concept Art[/p][p]And would you look at that: it seems all this talk about food have made our Gallimimus hungry![/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to their height, Gallimimus will have the ability to eat from both short and tall feeders. This is a feature that we look forward to expanding to animals like hadrosaurs in the future![/p][p][/p][h2]Landscaping Improvements[/h2][p]July brought quite a few unexpected developments to our landscaping suite! To start, there are now a variety of brush types available for terraforming and texture painting respectively. Including perfect circles, squares and a set of noise brushes, it’s incredibly easy to create more organic looking terrain.[/p][p]Players will also be able to use their mousewheel + shift or control to adjust the size and intensity of their brush on the fly.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Similarly, we’ve updated the grass masking rules, making it easier to blend multiple grass types together. You’ll also find that the 3D grass blades tend to remain visible even at low intensities, solving some of the usability issues we’ve had when subtly blending grass with sand or dirt.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]And for our final trick, we’ve added a highly requested feature - Automatic Slope Painting! With this setting enabled, players can automatically paint rock on steep slopes, making it incredibly easy to create realistic looking mountains, cliffs or inclines.[/p][p]The slope texture is automatically picked depending on what biome you’re painting from. So if you paint tropical sand or grass with auto-slope enabled, you’ll get the tropical rock on slopes. Temperate textures use temperate rock, desert uses desert rock, etc.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]For terraforming, a similar option is also available called Sculpted Slope Painting. When enabled, terraforming actions will automatically paint grass and rock depending on the map’s biome. This can be handy for sketching out ideas or building habitats that don’t need unique terrain paint![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Putting all these features into practice, we’ve been having way more fun designing habitats. We can’t wait to see what you do with it![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Created by rott_n.exe[/p][p][/p][p]Created by Carvente[/p][p][/p][p]Created by ASSASSINSPINO[/p][p]Thank you for reading July's dev diary![/p][p]It’s been a busy month but we’re still chugging along. As mentioned, keep an eye out for Update 15’s trailer within the next week. You won’t want to miss it![/p][p]- The PK Team [/p]

• [p] Facebook[/p]
• [p] Twitter[/p]
• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Reddit[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]

[p][/p][p]https://www.patreon.com/c/BlueMeridian[/p][p][/p][p]Welcome to the June Development Update! [/p][p]Surprise! This month we have a very special blog post with information on a highly awaited feature - breeding! That’s right, animals will finally be able to create their next generation come Update 15.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Before we get into how it works, we wanted to mention that the game is currently 30% off on Steam until July 11! It’s a very exciting year for Prehistoric Kingdom, so it’s a great time to jump in and prepare for Update 15. Now, let’s talk about how breeding came to be![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Though originally slated for the end of Early Access, the team have been secretly working on breeding since Update 14 launched back in April. Thanks to its very warm reception, we re-evaluated our plans and came to a few conclusions:[/p]

• [p]Players LOVED baby animals![/p]
• [p]We really wanted to work on breeding![/p]
• [p]Breeding would add even more gameplay to the vets and diseases coming in Update 16![/p]

[p]As you might imagine, it was a pretty quick decision for us. It also made a lot of sense since our initial vision for Update 15 was an animal behavioral update.[/p][p]With breeding on top, this is the first time that the animals are actually trying to accomplish a long term goal. They’ve only ever had to solve immediate needs like hunger or thirst, but now they have an impulse to mate, look for a mate, successfully court each other, find a nest, build it - there’s A LOT going on in their little brains! And it’s a true evolution of the partner state and family dynamics we first introduced in Update 14. [/p][p]So, with all the said, we do need another month on this thing. This means we’re aiming to get a PTB out in late July to test various features with the full Update 15 coming in late August. It is a really big update with a lot of moving parts so we can only ask for your patience.

[/p][p][/p][p]The following discussion has been written from the perspective of Challenge Mode. Some details and imagery may be altered by the time Update 15 releases.[/p][p][/p][h2]Update 15[/h2][h2]Breeding[/h2][p]In Prehistoric Kingdom, breeding becomes viable once the player has unlocked male animals through research. In order to have your animals successfully breed, there are a number of factors that must be considered.[/p][p][/p][h3]Fertility[/h3][p]Fertility is a new value that determines the maximum amount of offspring an animal can have. This means that animals with a high fertility have the potential to yield many babies, while a lower fertility can only produce few or none.[/p][p][/p][p]UI Concept Art[/p][p]In order to get animals with high fertility, players will need to adjust the growth speed and maturity of their creatures in the Animal Nursery. The slower an animal grows and the younger it is, the higher its fertility will be upon reaching adulthood.[/p][p]This means that players who take the time to raise their animals from baby to adult will be properly rewarded when it’s time to breed them! This is especially important as any offspring will inherit the fertility of their parents, averaging the two together.[/p][p][/p][h3]Breeding Season & Courtship[/h3][p]Throughout the year, each species has their own breeding season. This can be seen through the Paleopedia or by looking at an animal’s biology panel. An indicator displays how long the season lasts and where you currently are in the year.[/p][p][/p][p]UI Concept Art[/p][p][/p][p]During their breeding season, adult animals have a chance to partake in courtship. While this process can be simple for many species, others such as Leaellynasaura have a unique dance move performed by males. Courtship attempts can be accepted or rejected by females, leading to either a positive or negative encounter.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h3]Nesting and Bedding[/h3][p]A successful courtship means that a female has been bred and has the potential to carry offspring for the remainder of the breeding season.[/p][p]In order to actually receive babies, however, the player must add specific modules to their habitat. Dinosaurs will require a Nest, while mammals require a Birthing Bed. If the player does not include these modules in the habitat, animals will never carry offspring, allowing players to selectively choose when they want naturally born babies.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Different species require different nest sizes![/p][p]After a successful courtship, the female will seek out a nesting module to claim as her own. Once claimed, she will physically dig up the nest or birthing bed, changing its features in real time. Nests in particular can be built up into craters or mounds, while birthing beds have dried grass and leaf litter.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Keeper’s Note: Tyrannosaurus will build a mound styled nest in the final update![/p][p]Players can also select what species are allowed to use a nest or birthing bed before they’re claimed. This makes it easy to have separate nesting areas for animals that share the same habitat, for example, this Coelodonta and Elasmotherium.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]The Next Generation[/h3][p]Once a nest has been fully built up, eggs will appear! Each egg now has a health bar and must be tended to by parents or in the future, vets. If the parents spend too much time away finding food or water, the egg health will drop, gradually killing the eggs one at a time. After the incubation period has ended, baby dinosaurs will finally hatch at the nesting site.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Birthing beds work similarly, though unlike dinosaurs, mammals are more resilient and less at-risk of losing offspring. At the end of their incubation period, the mother will rest and deliver her babies on the birthing bed.[/p][p]Nests and birthing beds will return to their original dirt-like state a short time after all the babies have been born, allowing new parents to claim the module.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So, why go through all this? To put it simply, animals that are born in the park have a higher amount of Animal Points than those that were bred in the Nursery. Investing into breeding is a great way to get your park rating up without spending thousands on cloning new individuals. This’ll be especially important come Update 16 when the animals can finally die of old age.[/p][p][/p][h3]Breeding FAQ[/h3][p]Why did you go with placeable nests and birthing beds?
Compared to the other options we thought of, they had the best pros overall. Not only do they act as birth control, but they also allow players to design realistic nesting sites or dens exactly how they want.

Leaving nest creation up to the animal AI wouldn’t have yielded satisfactory results for players and could have even caused navigation issues for baby animals or staff. We wanted to put that choice and control into your hands.[/p][p]
What happens when animals with two different skins breed?
Each baby will be assigned a random skin from their mother or father.[/p][p][/p][p]Will animals fight over nests?
While fighting is not implemented yet, there will be disputes that can occur between females of competitive species if there aren’t enough nests or birthing dens. This is an area we’d really like to expand on in the future!
[/p][p]What happens if I delete a nest or birthing bed?
Deleting a claimed nest or birthing bed will issue a warning popup that will destroy the eggs or pregnancy if accepted.
[/p][p]Can nests become diseased / will there be pregnancy complications?
We’re aiming to add things like that later when vets arrive in Update 16. In the next update however, pregnant animals will consume more food and water at the very least, so there is a little bit of management coming there.
[/p][p]Will animals have realistic offspring amounts?
Since breeding is a yearly occurrence and players can have as many nesting sites as they want, we can’t use realistic clutch sizes. While it’d be cool to see 50 baby sauropods emerge from a nest, it’s less cool to have that happen 20 times in the same month! We need to make things more reasonable for gameplay.[/p][p][/p][p]Does a high fertility mean animals will always have lots of offspring?
There is always a chance that fertile animals may produce little offspring during the breeding season. This is an intentional choice to ensure clutches remain random and varied.
[/p][p]Do I have to worry about inbreeding?
Animals will not breed with direct relatives.
[/p][p]How do I prevent overpopulation?
Species will naturally stop breeding once they go over a certain level of overcrowding in a habitat. Players can also delete nest modules or sell animals once they’re happy with a population level.

Later in Update 16, players will have more control over their breeding populations through feeder supplements. Of course the animals will also die of old age or disease in Update 16, so please look forward to that.[/p][p][/p][h2]Nests in Detail[/h2][p][/p][p]Now that you know how breeding works, we wanted to quickly showcase how much dynamism has gone into our nests. As mentioned above, both nests and birthing beds start as dirt mounds. It’s only once they’ve been claimed that the animal will “build” the module into their desired settings.[/p][p]Thanks to their granular nature, we can do a decent job at replicating nests seen in the fossil record. For example, nests can either be craters, mounds or anywhere in between depending on the species. There’s also a variety of substrates for both them and birthing beds. Here’s how it looks when a developer fiddles with the backend nest controls:[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We also have four different egg types including ovoid, round, soft and long eggs that actually sit on the outside of a nest - just like what you’d see from dinosaurs like Oviraptor in real life! Each species can also have its own egg colors, making them even more distinct.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]What’s also cool is that the amount of eggs roughly depends on how many babies are actually incubating. It’s not an exact 1:1 for technical reasons, but if your dinosaur has a small clutch, it’ll be reflected in the nest. And yes, once the babies hatch, the cracked egg shells are also left behind![/p][p][/p][h2]Baby Gallimimus[/h2][p]In case you missed it, we recently showed off some baby Gallimimus on our socials! These adorable chicks frequently run around, chirping and clucking along the way.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Like the other animals in Prehistoric Kingdom, Gallimimus grows up seamlessly from baby to adult! Even though we made the system, it always blows us away seeing it in action. Keep in mind any “popping” seen below is not actually visible in-game at regular growth speeds.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]For fans who played the original Steam demo back in the day, the color scheme for our baby Gallimimus might seem familiar! Despite this, our dino artist Cindy swears it wasn’t on purpose. Just a happy little accident![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Ground Texture Updates[/h2][p]Last update, we changed the wetland grass in response to community feedback requesting more grass texture diversity. [/p][p]For Update 15, we’re happy to say that the grasses for desert, grassland, scrubland, temperate and tropical have all been updated. The original green and dry grasses have now been moved to Coastal and Boreal respectively. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Please note that these changes will impact existing saves, so some habitats may require a repaint depending on which grasses were used. Although this may be frustrating, we’d rather get it out of the way now while we are still in Early Access. Thank you for understanding![/p][p][/p][h2]Mesozoic Environments[/h2][p]For this section, we’d like to highlight our environment artist Nathan who has spent the last 6 months exclusively working on plants. Finally, 32 species and over 200 variants later, this monumental task is finished. Nathan can rest now (he can’t) (sorry nathan).[/p][p]Thanks to these additions, 22 new paleobotany formations will be added in Update 15, greatly expanding the world map in the Excavations menu. To help keep things readable, dig sites now use unique icons depending on if they are Mesozoic, Cenozoic or paleoflora related.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And with that, let’s take a look at our final paleobotany showcase.[/p][p][/p][h3]Mesozoic Boreal[/h3][p]Boreal has two plant species: a fern-like ground covering called Aculea and a coniferous tree named Athrotaxites. The trees in particular offer a variety of shapes and even dead variants.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Mesozoic Desert[/h3][p]Desert also has two species. The first is Ephedra, a diverse plant that can look like shrubbery or a tree. The second is a particular mouthful referred to as Welwitschiophyllum. It’s best recognised by its large leaves and cones that grow from its center.[/p][p][/p][h3][/h3][h3]Mesozoic Grassland[/h3][p]Since grasses didn’t evolve until the end of the Cretaceous period, Grassland is a bit of a weird biome! We picked three species that fill the niche of grass coverage in a habitat. These being the low lying cycad Ctenis, the fern Ruffordia and the grass-like Schizaeopsis.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Mesozoic Wetland[/h3][p]Wetland has some of the most diverse presets in the game with a total of 8 species to work with. You’ve got forests, marshes, horsetails and hydrophytes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]A new quality of life feature coming in Update 15 is the ability to paint aquatic plants directly onto your lakes and rivers! This is in addition to a water mask toggle that prevents non-aquatic foliage from being painted in water.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]With the water mask toggle enabled, specific plants like mangroves, cypress and reeds will generate in water up to a certain depth - making it super easy to create convincing wetlands.[/p][p][/p][h2]New Species[/h2][p]If one surprise wasn’t enough, we’ve got another! Given the update’s theme, we felt it was only appropriate to introduce a species best known for its relation to eggs. Say hello to Oviraptor, a small feathered dinosaur from Mongolia! Originally described as an egg thief, it’s now understood that Oviraptor was but one of many dinosaurs that cared for their young.[/p][p]Unlike most other theropods, the toothless jaws of an Oviraptor are equipped with a beak and dentary bones - protrusions within the mouth that allow them to easily break down various fruits and nuts in the park.[/p][p][/p][p]We can’t wait to show you how this animal looks in-game as we get closer to the release of Update 15. We’ve wanted to bring this animal back for a long time and are so proud to introduce it alongside nesting.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Created by Sr Yepetto[/p][p][/p][p]Created by brostigy[/p][p][/p][p]Created by Mighty-Boy11[/p][p]Thank you for reading Junes dev diary![/p][p]It’s been very hard to keep breeding a secret over the last few months but we are so happy to finally reveal it in detail to the world. We will have more news next month as we approach the August release for Update 15 and hope you are just as excited as we are for the future of Prehistoric Kingdom.[/p][p]If you’d like to support the game, don’t forget to check us out on Patreon and visit the Steam Summer Sale![/p][p]- The PK Team [/p]

• [p] Facebook[/p]
• [p] Twitter[/p]
• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Reddit[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]

Welcome to the May Development Update!

The team is currently deep in the midst of Update 15’s production, working on the required code and art for what we detailed last month. It’s been a busy time but worth it seeing all the new things make their way into the game!



With all the new threaten animations in development, it’s been a fun time collaborating across departments and figuring out how the animals should behave. This extends to work on the additional baby animations that couldn’t make it into U14, like the wobbly hadrosaurs and jumping sauropodlets! They are very, very cute.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Though there’ll be more to show with the animals next month, today we’d like to take a look at some of the other things coming in U15!




[h2]Gallimimus First Look[/h2]
Boasting three very different designs (1,2,3), Gallimimus is an animal that requires much attention to detail. Having finalized one of its skins in 3D, we’re ready to provide your first look at the upcoming chicken mimic!



Over the next two months, we’ll be fitting this dinosaur with fresh animations inspired by emus, ostriches and cassowary. To do this properly, we’ve given Gallimimus a unique rig with bones that allow our animators to control its various plumage, not unlike what you’ve seen in our Velociraptor.



[h2]Mesozoic Environments[/h2]


As our array of paleoflora continues to grow (heh), over 180 variants from the Coastal, Grassland, Scrubland, Temperate, Tropical and Wetland biomes have been implemented so far. It’s shocking to think there’ll be close to 200 new foliage items once the Boreal and Desert biome have their paleoflora completed!

Today’s showcase will be focusing on 4 of the 8 environments in-game. We’re excited to see how you use them once U15 releases!

[h3]Mesozoic Coastal[/h3]

[h3]Mesozoic Scrubland[/h3]

[h3]Mesozoic Temperate[/h3]
These Mesozoic plants can look nice in mammal habitats, too!
[h3]Mesozoic Tropical[/h3]


[h2]Animal Nursery Menu[/h2]
Coming in U15, the Animal Nursery menu will be updated with new features, a fresh look and greater responsiveness. This is something the team’s wanted to do for a long while so we’re pleased the time has finally come.

[h3]Animal Gallery[/h3]
Starting with the main gallery page, the animal buttons have been condensed to the left side of the screen. Sorting has also been improved, with the option to sort animals by unlocked, alphabetical order, rating, price, type and clade. A new filter menu allows players to find animals within certain biomes and time periods, just like the Paleopedia.



Here’s an in-depth video looking at how the various sorting and filter options work in practice.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Animal Preview and Incubation[/h3]
Once an animal has been selected, the menu transitions into the animal preview, displaying its basic info and customization options. The animal preview can be changed to show either a fidget, walk or idle animation.



In the bottom right you’ll find all the ways that an animal can be changed prior to incubation. Some of these options include new toggles that can select a random skin, sex, maturity or neoteny stage for each created animal. It’ll be a lot easier to create diverse looking groups!

Another change is in the animal preview itself. Unlike previous iterations, the preview will be completely accurate to the individual you’ll create! This means that with each press of the creation button, the animal preview will update to reflect individual variation and random mutations.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Customization[/h3]
As part of this update, we’ll also be introducing a new skin editing panel. From here, you’ll be able to override not just an animal’s color and size variation, but activate mutations like albinism, too.

With these overrides enabled, sliders appear to adjust the overall size, hue, saturation and value of an animal. We’ll be working to extend these sliders slightly above and below the natural variation range so that players have a bit more flexibility beyond what’s shown below.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Created by Francoo192


Created by acrogiga2004


Created by Incog



Thank you for reading May’s dev diary!

We’ll be back next month with another blog post to discuss Update 15 and show off even more content. As mentioned previously, we’re aiming to release this update in July, so stay posted!

Until next time,

- The PK Team

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