In case you weren't aware, Megaquarium is getting a new expansion: Deep Freeze. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2574770/Megaquarium_Deep_Freeze__Deluxe_Expansion/ This time we are focusing on the polar dome, a brand new tank with a whole lot going on.

Keep a lid on it

Polar domes are the first tanks in Megaquarium to have roofs (strictly speaking the abyssal tanks from last week's post share this honour). This deceptively simple addition opens multiple possibilities.
For starters we can keep seabirds. You might not think of these as aquatic creatures but the Atlantic Puffin spends most of its life at sea and only needs land to breed! From a gameplay perspective, there are two new quantities to track:

• Air Volume - Required for "active flyers" who need plenty of space to swoop.
• Perch Capacity - This works similarly to Land Capacity, giving a place for your flying friends to perch between dips in the water.

The other feature of an enclosed tank is that it can be air conditioned. This is necessary for the polar animals who spend some of their time out of the water and are used to chilly conditions!
Air conditioners can be located remotely from your tanks using compressors. These act like pumps but for air instead of water.

An enriching experience

Polar animals also introduce a brand new type of aquascaping - enrichment! These objects provide mental stimulation so your animals don't get bored.
Enrichment has unique mechanics compared to other aquascaping: the first object of each type is worth more than subsequent objects of the same type. In other words, variety is key when it comes to meeting enrichment needs. Each enrichment object is a different size and shape, so there's never a 'one size fits all solution'. In summary: the tank design puzzle just got even more satisfying!

The return of breeding

I'm sure many of you will be delighted to read that breeding makes a return in Deep Freeze. This time the focus is on polar mammals and birds.
As you might expect, breeding these animals has its own feel compared to the breeding in Freshwater Frenzy. For example, many of these animals lay just one or two eggs; so it's really important to ensure the tank parameters stay on point. On the other hand, predation is easier to avoid because the eggs are out of the water limiting the number of hungry animals that have access to them!

Ice ice baby

Enrichment is not the only aquascaping requirement in Deep Freeze to break with convention. Some of your animals like ice floes to sit on. The only way to create these is to cool the air down to freezing temperatures using extra air conditioning!
But don't worry, there is an unexpected upside! Freezing the floes creates additional land capacity allowing you to create even more stunning polar dome exhibits!

Polar party

One of my constant goals when designing Megaquarium is to give players as much creative freedom as possible, but with plenty of interesting mechanics to shape that creativity. With this in mind, I'm really pleased with how polar domes have come together for Deep Freeze. They are the most flexible tank yet - with scope for land, sea and air animals to all live together. Within that flexibility comes so many interesting decisions:

• Will I freeze the ice to create extra land capacity?
• Will I build the tank big enough so that flyers have adequate air volume?
• But that will increase the air conditioning needs - especially if I'm freezing the ice floes...
• And what mix of aquascaping will I spread across the substrate to fulfil the needs of the various fish, mammals and birds I include in the tank?

While the abyssal animals we learned about last week demand a lot of attention from your aquarists and staff management skills, the polar animals demand it from your design skills! My hope is that, together, they'll combine to create a gameplay experience you will really enjoy! Until next time, Tim Twice Circled

[ 2023-10-04 17:30:47 CET ] [ Original post ]