Xbox exclusive Zoo Tycoon offers cloud-based multiplayer - loads of new details
Microsoft will donate to animal charities when you complete challenges
Microsoft has posted an interview with studio manager Jorg Neumann about Zoo Tycoon, the Xbox One and Xbox 360 strategy sim from Frontier Developments. We've stripped away the magical marketing language and discovered a bunch of new gameplay details, including some rather appealing multiplayer info.
You'll be able to upload your zoo to the cloud, share it with friends and work on it alongside up to three other players, Neumann revealed.
"Collaboration is a key part of this new Zoo Tycoon and we believe it will open up the experience on a truly global scale." You can also communicate with other Tycoons directly via Skype, loan and trade animals and "engage in large scale community-wide conservation efforts".
As you'd expect from a game by Frontier, creator of Kinectimals, the game also supports Kinect - animals will recognise you and respond to voice commands and gestures, such as screams of "DANCE MONKEY BOY, DANCE" accompanied by vigorous fist-shaking. Care of "charming enrichment interactions" you can "access menus and infographics in the most intuitive way possible". It is impossible to be cynical about any of this.
You'll be able to explore the zoo on foot, too, interacting with guests (who will signal their needs and feelings via animations) and performing mini-games such as litter-picking, cleaning out the animal exhibits and delivering food stock. If walking's too much trouble, there's a buggy which "handles really well" and is a "fun addition to the game". You can even view the zoo through animal eyes and experience the thrill of imprisonment for yourself.
Besides letting people confuse and upset virtual animals, Microsoft wants to help non-virtual ones by raising awareness of endangered species. "There will be a great deal of focus on captive breeding and saving/rehabilitating and releasing animals back into the wild once they're ready," observed Neumann. "Once released into the wild, the player can keep tabs on each animal to see how they're progressing and adapting to their new home."
The developer will also update the game "based on real world events", having partnered with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to this end, and Microsoft says it'll donate resources to animal charities when certain community objectives are reached.
"We feel a great sense of responsibility to the fans and are incorporating the excellent feedback and suggestions we've received from them over the years," Neumann observed. "By bringing the franchise to the Xbox consoles, we are able to add awesome new gameplay experiences and groundbreaking social dimensions that will make this the best "Zoo Tycoon" experience ever."
