Dev Diary: March 2022
Welcome to the March Update!
In this month’s post we’ll be sharing some new features that will be introduced before Early Access launch, and briefly discussing some technical challenges we’ve had to overcome before the next update is released.
State of Development
Due to unfortunately-timed technical issues over the last few weeks, we had to delay the long-awaited poop update.
Most of the content for the patch is now finished and currently being tested. We've merged the next two main updates together, but some final implementations will still need to be completed before the patch and new features are ready to go live. Closed Beta players can expect this update shortly, before Early Access is released in April.
If you weren’t already aware, a public roadmap highlighting some of our upcoming plans can be found over on Trello and has been updated to align with our current plan for Closed Beta and Early Access launch.
The Beta 0.4 Update
Let’s take a look into some of the headlining features coming in the Closed Beta 0.4 update. Like all patches, the full changelog will be available on Steam upon its release.
Animals
Coming to Closed Beta is Brachiosaurus! This colossal creature will certainly draw plenty of guests to your park to witness its towering scale.
Big thumbs up for Iguanodon! Even with its unconventional looks, we think this classic duck-billed herbivore will become a fan favourite in every park.
A number of new additive animations have also been included for all the animals in Beta. These play while wandering around and add a bit more life to the creatures.
Animal Welfare & Poop
In 0.4, the first wave of animal welfare will make its way into your parks. Players will need to tend to the unique habitat requirements of each species and ensure they have access to food sources.
With food there must also come poop, a detractor in habitat cleanliness and score. You can read more about poop mechanics in our previous blog post.
Failing to care for welfare will lower a paddock’s exhibit score and the park rating, making it harder to make money and science points.
In the future, poor animal welfare will lead to illness and eventually death.
Science Points & Exhibit Score
By clicking on a habitat's perimeter fence, players can view its Exhibit Score and Habitat statistics. It’s here that you’ll find information on how well designed a paddock is, how large it is, and more.
At the beginning of each month, players will be rewarded the total worth of Exhibit Score in the park via Science Points. This resource can be spent unlocking animals or skins in the Excavations menu.
Temperate Map & Additional Foliage
Bring prehistory back to the United Kingdom with the all new Temperate map. 9 new foliage variants have also been included to expand the visual diversity of our Temperate line up.
Temporary foliage cover.
You can also see our recently added State Icons in the image above, communicating facilities or paddocks in need of attention.
Sandbox Mode
Beginning in Beta 0.4, players will be able to start a Challenge or Sandbox game from the updated New Game menu. Customizable settings available in the patch include:
Starting Cash (includes infinite toggle)
Starting Science Points (includes infinite toggle)
Infinite Power
Animal Habitat Welfare
Unlock All Animals
More options will be added to Sandbox as new mechanics are introduced. All previous saves will be converted to Sandbox mode upon the arrival of Beta 0.4 for compatibility reasons.
Upcoming Developments
Tropical Map
Set in the sunny paradise of Costa Rica, the upcoming Tropical map provides stunning scenery and deep, humid forests perfect for your prehistoric menagerie. This locale will be available at the launch of Early Access.
Psittacosaurus
Like we teased last month, Psittacosaurus will be coming to Early Access with three distinct species; each donning various facial horns and spikes. Today, we’re revealing the biggest species, P. sibiricus!
Of course, it’d be a missed opportunity to not give you all another look at the smallest parrot lizard, Psittacosaurus sp. The team hopes you’re just as excited as we are to watch these little gremlins wander their habitats.
Tutorial
You asked for help. We listened. An introductory tutorial will be included with the Early Access launch and narrated by the legend himself, Nigel Marven. This tutorial will be a masterclass in Prehistoric Kingdom basics; from Animal Welfare to Turning A Profit - you’ll be an expert Park Manager in no time!
Speaking of Nigel, at launch, he’ll also be providing players with an assortment of facts (over 90 lines!) for all your newly bred species. Occasionally, he may even pop up when revisiting old species to provide more information.
Below you can hear an early preview of meeting our lovely Parasaurolophus for the first time, featuring one of three facts. There’s a bunch of audio processing and effects yet to be done, but we thought we’d showcase a little bit of the dialogue before the game’s release next month.
In time, we’ll be expanding the dialogue to include alerts and pointing out potential problems with the park.
The team’s very interested in creating additional characters for Prehistoric Kingdom and developing playable scenarios beyond the initial tutorial, so we hope you enjoy your first taste at what could be!
New Trailer
Finally, we’re very excited to share that the release date for Early Access will be announced in a new trailer coming out next month! We want to thank everyone for their patience and assure you all that Early Access is still scheduled to be released in late April 2022, so keep an eye on our socials for the new trailer premiere!
Created by Mrs TeaRex.
Created by Warpath.
Created by Mr.Mugman.
Thank you for reading March’s dev diary!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this month's development update. Our team has been working incredibly hard in the lead up to Early Access as we eagerly await the next chapter to Prehistoric Kingdom that can be shared with everyone worldwide!
Until next time,
- The PK Team
