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New Zoo Game
Topic Started: Jul 2 2016, 03:34 AM (11,918 Views)
Ztlabraptor211
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I don't see why a new game is so crucial. I'm sure this has already been mentioned but we have Zoo Tycoon 2. It works, it has a big fan base, it's the basis of this community, and the constant steady stream of downloads our designers are pushing out are even better than new expansions. Radical Remake has completely redesigned the game aesthetically, and thanks to downloads, it's a very different game than when it was released
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HENDRIX
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-retired-

Ztlabraptor211
Jul 22 2016, 01:47 PM
It works
No. It doesn't work.
It's virtually broken due to zillions of bad downloads and the original limited RAM space it can use.

Many things are so difficult or impossible to fix that I've arrived at the conclusion that it would be better to start from scratch.
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Posted Image Narukota
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blah

The idea of designers getting together to remake ZT2 using Unity or Unreal Engine is pretty cool. I'd love to be a part of it. And there are a lot of tutorials and how-to videos that we can learn from so we can self-teach ourselves. (and don't forget free source codes)

But the main two questions are:


-Do we have the skill/time to?

-Will this be a problem with copyright? I don't fancy Microsoft or anyone suing us if we happen to make a new game.
Edited by Narukota, Jul 22 2016, 03:35 PM.
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tigris115
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Narukota
Jul 22 2016, 03:34 PM


-Do we have the skill/time to?

-Will this be a problem with copyright? I don't fancy Microsoft or anyone suing us if we happen to make a new game.
I think so. I've seen HENDRIX do some crazy voodoo, lord knows what can happen if he learns Unity

I don't think we'll have problem with copyright. We've had a million tycoon games, more than a few involving our furred, feathered, and scaled amigos. As long as we don't do anything that can be considered unique to Zoo Tycoon itself
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HENDRIX
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-retired-

-Skills can be learned; and quite a lot could be achieved with the time otherwise spent on modding

-Unless we'd call it "Zoo Tycoon 3", there's really nothing Microsoft could do. It's not like we'd go all Mesozoica and plagiarize practically everything from other games.

I put together a basic terraforming and flowing water system (yes, dynamic rivers) about a year ago; took me about 2-3 weeks with zero prior knowledge of Unity. I don't think I ever showed that publicly...

The real main work is not creating content; that's easy. Getting a working prototype is tough, and optimizing performance is also a core issue. These two things become pitfalls for about 90% of all indie games. I'm in the rare position of being fairly good at both the visual and the technical aspects of game design (for a self-taught hobbyist, that is), so I don't feel too vulnerable there.

I have some more things I definitely want to finish for ZT2 (AD CC, thylacine, ...) before seriously attempting a prototype. So if you got nothing to do this summer / fall, sit down and learn some Unity, C#, RainAI and then we can work on a prototype in winter.
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Posted Image Narukota
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blah

^If he's in, I'm in.

I'm up for learning Unity and I got time. ;)
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tigris115
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Personally, I think that Prehistoric Kingdom is running a pretty clean ship. And Saurian. I do think that interaction with the fans is the most important factor in making this thing a success but then I think how much we should let them take the wheel. If anyone's ever watched the MLP episode "Suited for Success," you know what I'm talking about.
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HENDRIX
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Yeah, but even in Prehistoric Kingdom they had a bottleneck in game development and just recently had to start all over from scratch. Saurian is really one of the very few examples that do just fine.
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Imperator Furiosa
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Chaos Theory

If you guys are serious I know some people studying game design and programming at my college so they may be interested in contributing or helping out if you'd want it. I've also wanted to learn programming for a while so this is as good an excuse as any to start.
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tigris115
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HENDRIX
Jul 23 2016, 02:29 AM
Yeah, but even in Prehistoric Kingdom they had a bottleneck in game development and just recently had to start all over from scratch. Saurian is really one of the very few examples that do just fine.
At least PK was honest about it
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Meerkatmatt2
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I think what we would want is essential a new game engine probably unreal, unity or cryengine, with the old mods, maybe some new software and gameplay mechanics, and the best mods converted over to the new game, and the challenge mode adoption being like the RZTI. It's a surprise this game has survived this long. chances are though we would have to make it if we wanted it to exist, something few of us can do.
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HENDRIX
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-retired-

I have absolutely nothing against PK; they are good and honest people, but even their approach, which is much more focused on game design than most, did not work out. High plans, too few programmers.

Therefore, if we go and try to make this, we'd implement modules gradually, one after the other. As AI is the hardest, we'd start with that. Just one type of animal, in a fixed cage. It would really be just an AI simulator where you just watch that one species of animal in its cage ( kudos to who can guess my exact plan :P ). Then that AI could be adapted for a keeper, then guests. And if these three all work, then the building system and UI design could begin. And finally, only once all the rest works, other animals and fancy things would be added. And things like a campaign or even multiplayer mode are so far down the line I would not even want to think about that right now.
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tigris115
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So basically, what you're saying is that the mechanics need to be 100% on point before we can focus on things like animals? I agree completely.
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tigris115
Jul 23 2016, 11:24 AM
So basically, what you're saying is that the mechanics need to be 100% on point before we can focus on things like animals? I agree completely.
When you build a skyscraper, you don't start out by picking the window-dressings.

Foundation first.

Good luck to you, HENDRIX (and whoever joins in on this project). It'll be interesting to see where this idea is a year or two from now.
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Denomon3144
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Pick a god and pray!

I'd definitely be willing to help you guys out. I don't know how to program, but I'll definitely spend time attempting to learn it. Even if it doesn't work out well for me, I'd always be willing to skin animals, foliage, and objects.
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