Prairie based park

[severe sable]

I think the lower 48 don't need any more full sized maps, but there is one type of very unique habitat that I'd completely miss that would make for a great park. Some animals that could be featured on such a map are

Big game
-plains bison 🦬
-pronghorn

Small game
-coyote
-american badger*
-swift fox*
-black tailed prairie dog *

Upland game birds
-hungarian partridge*
-lesser prairie chicken*
-greater prairie chicken*
-sharp tailed grouse*
-greater sage grouse*

Waterfowl
-sandhill crane*

-blue winged teal*
-shoveler*
-bufflehead*
-snow goose

I would really want to hear y'all's opinions on this tho

[solar rivet]

how would the story be?

[severe sable]

I mean it's a park so nothing to crazy, may be something about cattle ranching

[solar rivet]

would it be possible for more class 3-6 animals in here? i think they'd fit

[severe sable]

I mean yeah, I think that with a park 5 really is the max for such big game so that it's not crowded with large game. Any ideas?

[solar rivet]

some type of deer maybe i dont know what country this is in

also this map seems very open so i'd like more animal render distance

i would like rio de grande turkeys on the map i think they are in the great plains i like shooting turkeys that flee with my shotgun

[fallen lily]

Only one biome?

[severe sable]

This is hill country so I don't think you could see that far at least that's what I'd do if I was EW to balance it out, there would also need to be sage brush and marshland area, Rio grande turkey is a great idea

[solar rivet]

i feel like its a bit of a mix between srp and rancho

[severe sable]

Somewhat but.it has its own flair definitely

[solar rivet]

i think bison would go well with a remodel for this too

[severe sable]

There would be multiple biomes such as
-marshland
-tall grass prairie
-short grass prairie
-sagebrush step
-sandhills
may be even badlands

The whole area would be based of south Dakota and Nebraska probably

These are the badlands, a small area in south Dakota's prairie, this biome could even hold bighorn sheep with a much needed rework

[errant wolf]

In my opinion, The Dakotas need a full size map to do it any justice at all.

[severe sable]

I don't really thinks so honestly but I respect your opinion

[errant wolf]

a Dakota map without the vastness would feel awkward and half-baked. If you are looking for a small map for america I’d turn my eyes to the south rather than The Dakotas.

[queen widget]

This is my aim with Frontier Park with 20 to 21 species with 4 biomes. If the cap was raised to 30 I would've added more species.

[queen widget]

Imho the US would be set with Wyoming, Dakotas, Texas, & Florida. •Wyoming: US Western Game: (Upland Birds, Furbearers, Varmints, an returning Med & Lg Game with model reworks with some reclasses. (G1 Elk). •Dakotas: upland birds, waterfowl, & a few Med an Lg Game species (G1 Bighorn Sheep). •Florida: Waterfowl, Invasive species, & some Med Game (G1 waterfowl or Iguana). •Texas: Gated game reserve like PF with imported Game & tons of hogs (G1 Hog "Hogzilla").

All of them are pretty Solid imo.

@errant wolf - Dakotas
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1271927456323993610

@queen widget - Wyoming
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1342242999526232196

@maiden phoenix - Florida
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1139668296376008745

@cedar brook - Texas
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1268107598830370948

[severe sable]

I don't think we need that much lower 48... I'd rather have some more Africa Asia and may be even oceania

[copper raptor]

Agreed! Dakotas scream big map. With a possible Mule Deer and Pronghorn great one they would need some room so it's not too easy for people to grind them.

This is a no for me being a small park map with this animal list. If it's a big map it's a yes from me.

[queen widget]

I never implied just these 4. I'm going to guess we have 3-5yrs max of releases left which would be 6-10 reserves at the 2 a year if they stick with it. Then again, I wouldn't be opposed to alot of the 20+ species reserves being released in a 3rd franchise title on new gen since it expands applications over old gens.

[queen widget]

For me Personally (In Order):

• Canada -> Arctic (all snow)
• Japan -> w/snow
• Wyoming -> Western Frontier w/4 Biomes
• South America -> Amazon "Brazil"
• Africa -> 2.0 w/Plains game & Hyenas
• Dakotas -> Upland bird focused w/ waterfowl
• Florida -> w/ Invasive species
• Texas -> Imported Game reserve w/ alot of boar

I dont have a preference for the last 2 at this time.

[vale shard]

Tbh, a Great Plains inspired map sounds like a cool idea,
EW can include elements on Indigenous cultures, settlement history, or bison conservation. Maybe in the story or something.
But the vibe is what makes this shine. The Great Plains aren’t just about hunting YK they’re about that vast lonely expanse and that vibe is so cool. Also the nightsky could be very cool because of the low light pollution. With thoughtful design and what i would like is maybe seasonal bird migrations or bison stampedes this could easily become my favorite map.

[cinder meteor]

I want this map but I find (my opinion) that there isn’t enough large animals

[summer halo]

Rio grand wouldn’t make sense with the states you’ve listed as inspiration sadly they’re farther south could introduce the hybrid wild turkey if you don’t want a rehash of the Merriam’s or Eastern species

[errant wolf]

There’s quite a bit they could’ve added. Particularly if it was a full size reserve.

[severe sable]

Made a map -:)

Prairie potholes region

The mixed grass prairies

Sagebrush prairie!

The range of the greater sage grouse

Greater prairie chicken

Lesser prairie chicken

Sharp tailed grouse, especially plentiful in the marshes

Hungarian patridge! (If I really had to delete one game bird from this map it would be the hun tho)

Pronghorn, bison and prairie dogs

[queen widget]

I'd love nothing more than to get a true prairie reserve. However as mentioned in my Wyoming reserve post, we would defn. need "Horses" added along with a "Western Weapon Pack" to make it perfect. I'll admit if EW was to release a true well done US Western Prairie Reserve w/ horses & a Western Pack it would easily be my Fav. Reserve. Although I must request a rework for Elk, Grizzly, & Coyotes along with Badgers, Sandhill Crane, Swift Fox, Grouse, & Prairie Dogs to be added. It would also be a bonus if the "Burrow Update" was applied here that would further add new game/hunting mechanics. It would add more life-like additions to the animals both new & existing for sure esp. taking into account we have existing Rabbit Burrows that was big in my book. A step further would be to add hunting behaviors where predators actually forage (dig) at these locations to either burrow or spook out game.

[queen widget]

I love the concept although I'd request a 4th biome with forest & mountains to include Elk, Wolves, Grizzly &/or additional Western Grouse &/or quail that would also include chukars. However, given your game list this checks out as the playable space if the mountains are viewed at the edge of the map. But if it were me, I'd keep Sandhill Cranes and ditch the other waterfowl for other Western species given the upland bird & small game focus. Ofc this would include some Medium & Large game that are a must in the prairie & "Not" be a repeat of Salz Park. Dont get me wrong SP is a great reserve however to me it feels too artificial without C: 3-5 Game being present. From an ecology standpoint all the existing reserves have natural balance & diversity, which is why SP feels artificial to me bc it lacks a natural ecology. Just simply adding Roe & Feral pigs to SP would give more life to it & feel more natural not too mention another missed oppurtunity to add badgers.

[queen widget]

Its just my opinion, but either way even if its Western: Upland Bird & Furbearer focused with added Med-Lrg Game or a Western: Diverse Ecology Focus Concept. It's still an ideal win-win introducing new & missing species while having a Prairie Map Layout. But I'll admit at the very least Coyote, Elk n Grizzly should get TLC here.

[severe sable]

As you guessed the reason I did not have elk and so on is because it would lacks space and need another large map. This is mostly upland and furbearer focused.
Bison and pronghorn are mostly present to make it feel natural.
As to the waterfowl point I see your point but I also like a balance with something to hunt for everyone and america has a serious lack of waterfowl species rn

[queen widget]

I figured that was your aim here. As for the waterfowl I do agree with you there, but I feel that a more dedicated US reserve location would be better suited or rather more appropriate to add them since there's quite a few species that should be considered. Which brings me back to my statement to ditch them here to further include other exclusive Prairie Species. My fear is if EW does release a true US Western reserve that is heavily focused on the Frontier, they're only going to do it once & I'd hate for them to not do it justice. Dont get me wrong I like the SP size concept but the Frontier Location to me is a big one I've been waiting for similarly to folks wanting Africa 2.0, Arctic, & Amazon reserves.

[severe sable]

Eh honestly I don't think SP feels fake irl in the area you don't see much large wildlife either

[queen widget]

As for the Map Concept its similar to what I had in mind. NW had the Forest/Mtns, NE had the Grasslands, Central had the Prairie that turn to Marshes with the rain, & the S had the Desert Arid biomes.

[oblique gulch]

I really like the idea of a prairie reserve, though I think the real charm of such a map lies in how vast and expansive it should be. A small, compact map, something the size of Salzwiesen, just wouldn’t do those landscapes justice in my opinion. Also from a gameplay perspective, a prairie environment would also be quite flat (both literally and figuratively). Animals would be far too easy to spot across large distances and I feel it would play too much like a shooting gallery, which CotW is already quite guilty of. It might be an unpopular opinion given how many North American reserves we already have, but I wouldn’t mind another full-sized map if it truly captured the expanse of the Great Plains

[queen widget]

Its a good reserve but still lacks. If memory serves its Germany & I expected some hogs and roe at the very least even if it had a small population

[queen widget]

Thats why I suggested the biome diversity. And to be fair Savanna is pretty open as well however with biome diversity like other reserves have introduced would allow the Frontier to thrive imho. Wyoming is what comes to mind between the 4 biomes. Now as for the open issue take into account the sage brush sea and the upland & furbearers. There would be alot of places to hide. Now prairie dog mounds would also feel field authentic being able to crack at them at render distance.

Furthermore, we can't have a Western Frontier reserve w/o horses & a late 1800's weapon pack. The Frontier is also a major historical location in US History & that should be heavily honored & considered in its development if we were to get it. Plus lets be honest. . .gods forbid we dont tribute to our cowboys & cattleman 🤠

[queen widget]

However, 1 thing I will agree with full heartedly is an SP sized reserve dedicated to Upland Birds would make up for SP's launch being a Waterfowl dedicated while also releasing the Pointer the same day when they already had Revontuli that is heavily focused on waterfowl. Truthfully Montana wouldn't be bad either for Upland Birds & Furbears.