Not many builders have the type of mastery over development and administration sims the way in which Frontier Developments is, and Planet Zoo is maybe the sport that exemplifies that higher than most. The Zoo Tycoon non secular successor launched for PC shut to 5 years in the past, and has garnered a sizeable and devoted fanbase within the years since then (thanks in no small half to the substantial post-launch assist it has obtained). Now, Frontier is able to open the gates for a good bigger viewers to leap into the sport’s choices.
Planet Zoo: Console Version has launched for PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S, and we lately had the prospect to talk with its builders at Frontier concerning the port’s growth, what adjustments it makes from the PC model, and extra. Under, you may learn our interview with Thomas Linthe (Head of UI), James Locket (Engineering Lead), Chris Cox (Principal Render Programmer), and Ged Keaveney (Principal Programmer).
NOTE: This interview was carried out previous to Planet Zoo: Console Version’s launch.
“Seeing the group’s want for us to deliver the sport consoles acquired us very excited to get to work so much more gamers can take pleasure in Planet Zoo.”
It’s been over 4 years since Planet Zoo first launched for PC. This lengthy from launch, what motivated the choice to lastly deliver it to further platforms?
Thomas Linthe (Head of UI): The continued success of Planet Zoo, and the stellar work the staff has executed previously on Planet Coaster: Console Version, made this a simple resolution. Seeing the group’s want for us to deliver the sport consoles acquired us very excited to get to work so much more gamers can take pleasure in Planet Zoo.
James: We’ve had so many requests from gamers to deliver the sport to consoles, and whereas engaged on free updates and content material for Planet Zoo on PC we’ve additionally been in a position to make optimisations that will take us in direction of that purpose, so it felt like the best time.
Frontier Developments clearly has expertise with stable console variations of administration sims, particularly with the Jurassic World Evolution video games. Was the choice to deliver Planet Zoo to consoles prompted in any approach by seeing how properly the Jurassic World video games play even when the participant isn’t utilizing a mouse and keyboard? Does Planet Zoo’s console model borrow any concepts from the Jurassic World video games?
Linthe: The Jurassic World Evolution video games had been each properly obtained on consoles, and we did study loads throughout their growth, nonetheless Frontier’s expertise of wonderful console video games on the whole helped us immensely in bringing the enjoyable and pleasure of Planet Zoo to new gamers.
Planet Coaster: Console Version stands out for us particularly. It shares many widespread options with Planet Zoo, and so we had a good suggestion of how we’d make it intuitive for gamers. These embody accessing time controls, importing blueprints to the workshop to share with different gamers, utilizing fast shortcuts through the radial menu, and viewing all the info on their zoos. The staff’s ardour and expertise made the entire course of a lot simpler, and enjoyable. Everybody used their expertise to assist form the wealth of content material out there to the gamers and it reveals.
James Lockett (Engineering Lead): The success of the Jurassic World Evolution video games and Planet Coaster: Console Version definitely helped drive and inform our selections for implementing the sport on console. We’ve discovered loads about translating a fancy administration sim to really feel simple to make use of with a controller, and are excited to ship the limitless creativity expertise of Planet Zoo to consoles.
What had been the largest challenges you needed to overcome when attempting to make sure that Planet Zoo feels enjoyable and straightforward to play on consoles with out dropping any of its complexity?
Linthe: Efficiency and reminiscence optimisation are paramount for a sport as deep as Planet Zoo, however along with this, one among our greatest challenges was in fact making certain that the participant interplay that was initially designed for a PC mouse and keyboard, additionally feels intuitive utilizing a controller. Within the case of the wonderful Planet Zoo, we opted to rebuild the UI and controls from scratch to make sure the absolute best console expertise, together with redesigning how instruments work intuitively with controllers.
We made certain to contemplate how a participant may navigate the Interface, enabling fast entry to targets and notifications, heatmaps, and different areas to assist them effortlessly handle their zoos. New panels with rapid factors of curiosity assist the participant take care of larger targets and challenges. Shortcuts from data panels and filtering had been additionally added to offer all the knowledge a participant may want for caring for animals and constructing habitats.
Lockett: One in every of our greatest areas of focus was updating the UI to offer an intuitive expertise when taking part in with a controller. A administration simulation sport has a number of data to current, however we’ve labored laborious to make sure the UI on consoles feels pure each with a controller, but in addition with a keyboard and mouse if somebody opts to play that approach.
We additionally wished to make sure gamers are in a position to share and obtain creations with each other, so have labored so as to add cross-console assist for Frontier Workshop.
“The success of the Jurassic World Evolution video games and Planet Coaster: Console Version definitely helped drive and inform our selections for implementing the sport on console.”
Past the controls and the UI, have you ever made any adjustments to the sport when it comes to mechanics or programs within the means of bringing it to consoles?
Linthe: Our focus all through growth has been on bringing all of the unimaginable options of the PC sport to the consoles to offer the identical nice expertise for gamers. This contains trying on the instruments and adjusting how they work for controllers. The collaboration between our specialist groups inside UI and Gameplay helped us to make this a clean expertise regardless of the sport being so deep and detailed. We’ve additionally added cross-console assist for Frontier Workshop, so gamers can share their wonderful zoo builds.
We’re over three years into the present console technology, however we do see fairly a little bit of cross-gen releases. Why did you select not to try this with Planet Zoo? Was it a case of scoping and prioritizing, or would the PS4 and Xbox One {hardware} have had hassle working the sport at a passable stage?
Linthe: Specializing in bringing Planet Zoo to present gen consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X|S) permits us to benefit from the {hardware} to make sure the seamless gameplay expertise, deep administration, and gorgeous visuals you’d count on from a Planet sport. We are able to’t look forward to gamers to get caught in and see their wonderful zoos.
Lockett: We wished to totally utilise the facility of the present technology of consoles to its fullest to provide gamers giant zoo areas to construct in whereas giving them the wonderful visuals of the animals and the deep administration of the sport with out compromise.
Will all of Planet Zoo’s multiplayer sharing and buying and selling choices assist cross-play?
Linthe: The Frontier Workshop is the primary approach we give gamers the prospect to share their work with everybody cross-consoles. It was essential that we will enable gamers to have entry to all of the creativity on the market throughout console platforms.
Lockett: We may have Frontier Workshop to allow sharing of blueprint and zoo creations throughout Xbox and PlayStation, whereas gamers can even have the ability to acquire animals for his or her zoos from different gamers through the animal trade in Franchise mode.
Given that you’ve expertise working with all of the current-gen consoles, I hoped to select your mind on a few of the variations between them. As an example, the place their GPUs are involved, the PS5 clocks in at 10.28 teraflops, behind the Xbox Collection X’s 12 teraflops. In actual phrases, nonetheless, how a lot of an influence does that distinction have throughout growth?
Ged Keaveney (Principal Programmer): Every platform is completely different, so we issue that into our video games through the use of an engine that enables us to create content material that’s scalable relying on the {hardware}, but in addition permits our staff to nice tune and optimise for every platform based mostly on its particular traits, in order that we will make full use of the out there {hardware} and supply the absolute best expertise for our gamers whether or not they select to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S, or PC.
“One in every of our greatest areas of focus was updating the UI to offer an intuitive expertise when taking part in with a controller. A administration simulation sport has a number of data to current, however we’ve labored laborious to make sure the UI on consoles feels pure each with a controller, but in addition with a keyboard and mouse if somebody opts to play that approach.”
The PS5 options an extremely quick SSD with 5.5GB/s uncooked bandwidth. How can builders make the most of this, and the way does this examine to the Xbox Collection X’s 2.4GB/s uncooked bandwidth?
Lockett: Whereas it’s difficult to instantly examine platforms, the quick SSDs compared to earlier generations actually allow our streaming options to release extra reminiscence on the whole, and supply a seamless expertise for gamers.
Keaveney: SSD know-how permits us to stream content material into the sport on demand after the participant has loaded their park, decreasing the quantity of information wanted in the course of the preliminary loading part and reducing the reminiscence footprint required while the sport runs. The bandwidth of each consoles is great and permits us to stream the related knowledge in our parks shortly.
Chris Cox (Principal Render Programmer): The extremely quick SSDs inside the present technology of consoles are thrilling and make it doable to have very responsive texture streaming. It’s now possible to stream in solely the content material that’s at present seen to the participant, permitting us to scale their zoos with out rising texture reminiscence necessities, leading to a clean expertise.
Each the PS5 and Xbox Collection X boast Zen 2 CPUs, however there’s a distinction within the processors of each consoles. The Xbox Collection X options 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz, whereas the PS5 options 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz. Your ideas on this distinction?
Lockett: Once more, it’s fairly difficult to check them instantly – the consoles every excel at completely different efficiency metrics, and we utilise these wherever doable to make sure a clean expertise on all platforms.
Keaveney: The CPUs are very comparable, nonetheless our engine framework is designed in order that sport knowledge is processed optimally on each consoles.
The Xbox Collection S options lesser {hardware} in comparison with Xbox Collection and Microsoft is pushing it as a 1440p/60 FPS console. Do you assume will probably be in a position to maintain up for the extra graphically intensive video games as this technology progresses?
Lockett: Builders will at all times work with the {hardware} in thoughts and proceed to seek out new methods to get probably the most out of any console to make sure an optimised, clean expertise – which is our prime precedence no matter how they select to play.
What body price and determination will the sport goal on the PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S?
Linthe: Now we have nothing to share in the mean time relating to particular body charges, however gamers can count on to see sooner load occasions and a real 4K expertise because of the superior capabilities of subsequent gen consoles. We’re excited for them to get caught in with Planet Zoo: Console Version in all its element.
