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How do you start building your zoo?
Topic Started: Feb 20 2018, 11:50 AM (244 Views)
Ronald
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I really wanted to know how other people start building their zoo, because I really want to go back building zoos and I don't know where to start :| . And so I wanted to ask some questions.

1. Do you start with the entrance?

2. How do you come up the entrance?

3. How do you choose your foliage?

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?

And if you have any tips for me I would appreciate that. :)
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Zebrasorus
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This looks fun! I'm curious how other people start off their zoos. :) In the meantime, here are my answers:

1. Do you start with the entrance?
I absolutely do! Anyone who has seen my zoos knows how much I love architecture. I find the entrance to be the easiest part, and it's the exhibits I have a hard time with.

2. How do you come up with the entrance?
I often will google buildings to get some inspiration, but when that doesn't work, I honestly try randomly placing things to see if that will inspire me. It's amazing what you can come up with by accident!

3. How do you choose your foliage?
I usually try to base my zoo locations and climates off somewhere I have been in real life so I can more accurately capture the feel of that place. However, I tend to favor more tropical looks because that tends to be what is most available to me in the game. :)

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Oh gosh, lots of places. Aside from what I already mentioned about buildings and foliage, I was always inspired by other zoo-builders. Some of my biggest influences had to be Unicorn, Sophie, Dannelboyz (back when he was building lol), Azrael, Umpa, and probably so many more I'm forgetting (it's been a long time!). And of course, I always gained lots of inspiration from visiting real zoos!

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?
I will usually choose a species list for a specific section of my park, but not the whole zoo. That way I can build with the surrounding exhibits in mind, but am still at liberty to change other things down the road.

Any tips?
My best tip is just to make sure you're having fun! I've seen many different zoo-builders get bogged down by comments about realism in terms of things like construction, exhibit size, or fencing. When you're too busy worrying about those things, it can be less fun to build. At the end of the day, it's better to build what you like, because then it's hard to run out of inspiration.

(Sorry that got a little wordy! And hope I get to see a zoo from you sometime soon!)
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magpiealamode
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No good hero is a one-trick phony.

I won't do mine in a neat numbered list, because I don't really have a neat procedure for building zoos. I show about 5% of what I build, anyway. Most of what I do in-game is not clean or realistic enough to showcase here.

Usually I start zoos by imagining a general atmosphere I want to have. Do I want a bright, sunny coastal zoo? Does the hot, dry look of a desert of semi-desert zoo sound nice? Should I go for the darker, cooler feel of a forest? What should the terrain level look like, hilly or flat? That sort of stuff. I also choose my foliage combo in this stage, though I don't actually work out what exact plants I'll be using till I've started building.

Then I decide what kinds of exhibits I want. With any zoo I might choose to do only terrestrial, only tanks, or both. Some I might do mostly open air, others in buildings or otherwise "closer" settings. Here I'll usually also work out if I'll be going for loose or dense organization, wide or narrow paths, big exhibits or small exhibits... general zoo layout.

Next I select and load a map. Before I've built anything I'll use the terrain level tool to create the general landscape I'm looking for, and if I feel up to it I'll place foliage as well, usually just to guide how I will use plants to decorate when I get to building.

After that I think of the exhibits I'd like to see on my map, things like "I haven't built for a Malayan tapir in awhile" or "I've been meaning to try out Zero's new leopard seal." At all times I have sort of a semi-conscious list of exhibits I mean to build.

Then I get to it! I try not to spend too much time on entrances, sometimes less is more and I often get stuck there if I try too hard. After that I wing it. I never make lists before hand and do very little planning other than what I've outlined above. Unless I'm trying to build something realistic to show, I also don't bother to look at other exhibits (in game and IRL). I like building straight from my head.

As for tips, I fully agree with what Zebrasorus said. Don't worry too much (unless worrying is part of the fun for you) and just build what you like! If you are looking to make your zoo realistic as possible, listen to people's advice, but also look stuff up on your own and choose what and what not to include. Every zoo does things differently. Other than in the area of animal care, there is not really a golden standard that we should all aspire to.
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Ignacio
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Ex Corrupt Staff

zootygoonerRon
Feb 20 2018, 11:50 AM
I really wanted to know how other people start building their zoo, because I really want to go back building zoos and I don't know where to start :| . And so I wanted to ask some questions.

1. Do you start with the entrance?

2. How do you come up the entrance?

3. How do you choose your foliage?

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?

And if you have any tips for me I would appreciate that. :)
1. No. I rarely do that, mostly because i usually start building exhibits i feel inspired to build and then build the zoo (or map) around it, so the entrance comes later, when i already have a style layed out for the whole zoo and i build the entrance based on that.

2. I try to look for inspiration online but there aren't as many references as i like so i usually just try to build something that matches the building style of the exhibits i've already made. I usally make the entrance in a different map and build some more exhibits or sections around it.

3. Depends on the geographic region i'm building my zoo in, although i'm not a sucker for realism when it comes to that. I mostly use similar foliage i've used in my exhibits or around them. Foliage will vary between sections and exhibits but only slightly so there is a visual conections of sorts between sections. Foliage in the exhibits will usually try to emulate the animal's natural habitat but i also try to stay consistent and choose foliage that also matches the style of the zoo.

4. Internet and other's peoples zoo.

5. I plan the species list for every map/section of the zoo, and sometimes for the whole zoo but once i've decided what sections i'm going to build.
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Orca Freak
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Killer Whales rule the World

1. Do you start with the entrance?
Not always. My computer is not very good at handling ZT2, so I can only build 2 or 3 exhibits on a map before my game starts crashing. Although it is annoying, it also gives me a certain liberty. I don't have a space limit this way, and I can build different park sections at the same time, depending about what it is I feel like working on.

2. How do you come up the entrance?
It all depends on the park I'm building, the animals that are going to be in the zoo, etc. Then it is just a matter of finding a style that fits with all that.

3. How do you choose your foliage?
Depends on the theme I'm going for, but usually I go for a more tropical look without it being a jungle-scene.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Real-life zoos, internet, and of course other ZT2 builders. Sometime I even take the time to go through some very old S&T's just looking for ideas.

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?
Yes, but it is very flexible. I usually have this gigantic list with animals I want in my zoo, but then while building I sometimes realize a certain animal doesn't really fit and leave it out, or sometimes I have some space left, where an animal that's not on my list fits perfectly.

Just have fun with it, and do what feels right for you :P
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Lucoshi
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1. Do you start with the entrance?
Usually I do, yeah. It really sets a building style for the rest of the zoo, and I think that's a great thing to do early on. I also like to start with a layout before I build, and since everything usually starts at the entrance, it becomes a logical place to start.

2. How do you come up the entrance?
Real life examples and honestly; just beginning. Lay out your first building and the rest will come naturally most of the times. Think about what you will be building, and what it'd need. Do you need more than one booth? Does your zoo need a big entrance? Will you be expecting lots of guest? Do you need to cover the queues for if it might be raining?

3. How do you choose your foliage?
I have a set foliage combination I use in every single zoo, simply because I think they're the most realistic looking. That's generally what I focus on with my foliage; I don't care about if the foliage would be logical in an exhibit or climate, I care about whether it looks good or not. Do the colours match? If there's one plant which really stands out from the rest in terms of colour I generally don't use it. Especially in background foliage as this becomes very distracting. I do use a contrast between dark and light foliage in order to make big chunks of foliage (which you often see in the background) not seem boring and stale, but make them more lifelike.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Real life, and other people over here. Taking a look at a real life exhibit and really focussing on details is a great way to get inspiration. Take a look at elevation, foliage choice, foliage placement, sightlines, all that kinds of stuff.

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?
Yes, I generally do. I like starting with a layout, and that comes with a species list. It can be very liberating to just start building at times though, but it's not something I like doing.

Tip:
Really think about your builds. What would your animals need in real life? But don't stop there; this is a zoo, think about what your guests would want. Your guests would want to see the animals in a beautiful way. Most of the times and exhibit will look really good from the air, but on ground level it'll look disappointing (I know mine always do). This is why you need to focus on sightlines. Every once in a while take a look from the ground and look at what the best angle to watch your exhibit at is; ideally this is where your guests will get to see the exhibit as well.
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Synthetase
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1. Do you start with the entrance?
Most of the time if it's random inspiration, I think of a cool exhibit I want to build and go from the exhibit rather than the entrance. If however it is a zoo I was planning on building, then I go from the entrance.

2. How do you come up the entrance?
I base the size of the entrance on how many guests the zoo could support. I focus more on the area around the entrance than the entrance itself. I also often put statues near the entrance. At least once I put lamps lining the path to/from the entrance and it was pretty.

3. How do you choose your foliage?
Two things: I think of the temperature of my zoo's setting and what looks pretty in a certain spot. I think of the temperature/climate in broad terms and will use alpine plants in a temperate zoo for example. I often choose foliage that I think is nice looking but I also try to replicate the animal's natural habitat but still within the confines of broad climate.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Real life zoos and what I think is cool. I try to build "immersive" exhibits but also try to keep it somewhat realistic. Unless it is a worldclass zoo I am building I try to build with limited resources in mind. This step is hard since I almost always play in unlimited mode.

5. Do you choose a species list before building or do you just start building?
Unless it is common/charismatic species (e.g. lion or giraffe) or one of my personal favorites I don't think of the species I am choosing until I am done with the exhibit. That said, I often group species geographically rather than taxonomically.

And if you have any tips for me I would appreciate that.
1. This could help me as well, is to have a goal in mind whether that goal is what species to exhibit or what kind of atmosphere you want your zoo to have.
2. This second point contains ideas more than tips. One idea I have is to build a zoo based on one of your favorite categories of animals. Once I built a zoo that had foxes, jackals, dholes etc... You could also build a sanctuary for wildlife native to your zoos location. You could also come up with exhibits other than animals kind of like a museum with a zoo. That last one would be a little hard.
3. Use more than one map. I like to because it seems like a more realistic size.
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