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Is the Zoo Tycoon 2 Community Dead?
Topic Started: Jun 2 2018, 02:42 PM (2,822 Views)
Burns
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King of Lemurs

I think we can all agree that the community is dying, it's an unavoidable rule as stated by the third law of thermodynamics but there is a way we can try to reverse this, at least temporarily.

-Firstly it's the summer, which most of the time shows a spike in membership and regular activity as school is out. During this time, post zoo, art, and project updates to give people a reason to come back to or join our community. If you don't do one of these things, try to learn a skill and make the zt2 community beneficial to you. ;)

-Secondly be supportive of each other. I've been guilty of this before but one way to try to reverse the death of the zt2 community is to not only like but comment on people's zoos, art, and projects.(Does this sound conspicuous with me posting my new zoo today, yes, do I care?, no.) It's the responsibility of our community to be supportive of each other and praise or give criticisms to each other's work. Give each other reasons to keep working in the game, no matter how embarrassing it is.

-Lastly the only way to really ensure a longer future for zt2 is to bring in some "new blood." A lot of people remain as guests or just get an account for the downloads then leave. We need to give them reasons to stay, whatever that reason is. We need to get activities going, contests running and basically just make the site look like it's running again, no matter how many people are left. I don't want this to become a staff vs members argument but it's the staff that can do most of this and if you're too busy with life (which is understandable considering our growing age demographic), then step down and let some new people in and see how they shake things up. Regardless of this, members can still make contests and games to play for the enjoyment of all members of the community.

So that's my idk, speech?, rant?, advice? idk but that's how I think we can fix it.
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Jntg4
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It's dead.

Hendrix retired and AD barely comes out with updates nowadays. When they do, you get three pages of excited replies. Its brand recognition.

Other high quality designers are out there, but they don't have the same kind of "OMG they have something" craze following them (at no fault of their own).

People come to get excited when RR has an update... and then never actually play the game anyway after they've downloaded it.

Other than those instances, there's nothing going on.
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Makaio
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Eh, I personally think that these obituaries written for the community are a bit premature, and I think that some folks on here are overlooking the fandom's resiliency over the years.

I began playing ZT2 shortly after it first came out, in 2004. I first learned of the online community for the game in around 2006, and began posting on sites around 2008. Nearly five years ago from now, in 2013, people everywhere were saying pretty much the exact same things then as they have been in this topic: "The game's dead." "Everyone's moved on." "The community won't last much longer."

Yet, here we are, still. Even more remarkable, here I am, still! Any community that can keep me around nearly fourteen years later, that is built around a children's computer game, that has survived waves of hackings, download loss and site destructions, is quite resilient, and nearly impossible to destroy completely.

Is the community smaller and weaker than it was ten years ago? Certainly. That's objectively undeniable, based on the active user base. Will it completely die out? If it does, I'm thinking it will take another 5-10 years AT LEAST, but I have an aching suspicion that it won't ever die out completely, even decades down the line.

The goal now for anyone interested should be preservation of user content. I hate the fact that things become lost in the shuffle over the years, lost for good, never to be recovered, and forgotten. That's why I'm going to take a moment and shamelessly promote the Download Preservation Initiative I'm running on my personal site, DreamZoo2.
Edited by Makaio, Jun 19 2018, 03:32 AM.
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Dwarfbomb
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What is wrong with you people??? Zt2 can never die because it isn't an online game! it's preserved on discs and files on people's computer, so no server can ever tear it down. A forum can die but another one will pop up!!!

You guys pointed out most of the people who play this game are nostalgic college students... i am one. And I am never bored or tired when playing this game, there is so much it offers!!!

And we can pass this game down to future generations. And the only thing that limits us in this game is our imagination!!!!

And I do agree about the PU thing, i wish we would all just share our work and more would share their tips and tricks for coding. I also wish this forum would stop picking on noobs by giving them such harsh warnings for opening dead topics or double posting, I do not think that is the proper spirit of this game.

We must keep upgrading the game with every breath, and invite friends and family to join us!!! We have so many downloads that were previously considered impossible, elevators, pointed roofs, shark tunnels, boat rides, dynamic signs!!!! So many new ways to use the available objects (campfires, waterparks) and so many amazing zoos each day, especially Mesosoica Amazonas! Don't quit on this game. And I think the shear number of commenters on this discussion proves that we are still alive. Now get kicking.


(I would also like to point out that even when a game "dies out completely" it can come back. Pirates Online is an example. It closed in 2013 but independent gamers built the game from scratch and released it for free to the public i think last year, out of their own pockets. They didn't give up. You shouldn't either)
Edited by Dwarfbomb, Jun 3 2018, 10:22 AM.
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wmnzoos
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I wouldn't say it's dead, but obviously it's much emptier than it has been in the past. I joined in 2009, I've been on every site since Environ, each site dies and another comes along and thrives. Maybe that's what's happening to this one, maybe it's happening to the community overall. Who knows!
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Huck Perry
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Guilmon
Jun 2 2018, 04:35 PM
I'm sad to see it go. There better be a damn good spiritual successor, though.
Well, from what I heard, there may be a game called Zoo Manager coming in Steam.
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Posted Image Wes
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Aurora Designs Member

Just here to say that people should stop making useless topics like this xD
The community is dead when it's dead, and as long as there are people playing the game and talking about it, on the forum or in private chats, there's no need to discuss these things
Don't be so negative
and please stop talking about AD being dead, as we're defenitely not

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Similis
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Feels a bit like beating a dead horse, but it is worth noting this community's been in a stable state of slow decline and deterioration ever since good old Northern Skies, slow enough for it to not be very noticeable, but also frequently brought up and discussed. I do not know why such topics are considered useless, if they serve to inquire on people's opinions without forcing them to share these and help to clarify things for the author, could you please elaborate on your statement and enlighten me a little, Wes? Or was this more of a "shut up"? I'm confused.

While community certainly is alive, its current state is definitely not what I remember from two-three years back and alarmingly different to what it was before the Northern Skies vibe entirely took over and consumed the true nomadic nature of people who played this game in post-NS era that led to erection of TRT. Hopefully ZT2 'comunity' (I'd generally not want to lump everyone together like that, but there's not a better term) manages to somehow bounce back and reinvigorate its own interest in development instead of preservation - when it progresses, it does it with style. People around other games have done it, so there's still some potential :)
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Posted Image Wes
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Aurora Designs Member

Completely understand your confusion, but I don't want to get into this too much, that's why I kept it short d:
I'm just tired (and I think a lot more people) of hearing that the community is dead/dying and that some people are blaming designers going inactive or PU content for the declining activity
So yeah, basically what I'm trying to say is 'let's stop making topics like this and just talk about the game or about zoos or wildlife' cause I feel like that's why we're all here in the first place :)

Edited by Wes, Jun 4 2018, 04:59 PM.
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NitroTechZT2
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Machinimator

The main section of the community, isn't dead exactly. Though one section of the community is practically dead though a few such as myself are trying to keep it alive for the future generations. The ZT2 Machinima community which has made amazing content ever since 2008, though it has died in recent years but myself and a few others are trying to keep it alive. I think we're doing an okay job.
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Megraptor
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There's only so much that can be done with such an old game. It will continue to bleed out modders and not gain any new ones if some core issues with the game aren't fixed. The problem is, those issues aren't really fixable due to the software's age.

Larger maps with more content would be nice, but the engine just can't handle that. But nowadays, games can handle that and more- hardware and software has gotten better.

Really, the zoo building community needs a new game. Not only would it get all of us that are still here, it would get fans that have left to come back, and you g people to join.

I just haven't seen any except Zoo Manager. I follow them on Discord, but at the moment they are pretty quiet about development, and it's a tiny team. Also, I noticed that they talk about the lack of demand for a new zoo game...

Perhaps working with and talking to them could revive the zoo building community eventually.
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Cole12345
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future zoologist in the making...

The community isn't really dead in my opinion, it's just that everything is outdated (previously stated). When did ZT2 first come out? 2004? Sometimes when you use something, it can be fixed or it has to be replaced. We don't necessarily need designers to keep the community going. There seems to also not be a lot of activity because we all have lives and have to do things in the outside world. I just don't see zoo manager being better than ZT2. The Xbox One Zoo Tycoon doesn't even beat it. As long as people remember this game it will never be dead.
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cephalopod17
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I don't come here often anymore, but I started playing Zoo Tycoon with my Dad, and then moved to Zoo Tycoon 2 when it came out. I discovered the Zoo Tycoon community in 2010 with Z-Studio's Paranoia, and for a few years was moderately active. I stopped being active as I entered high school, and now that I'm in college and have other priorities I only visit this site maybe once a month. However, after all these years Zoo Tycoon 2 is still one of favorite games, and I still play it. I'm amazed that the community is still around in some capacity. I think in the next few years it will dwindle, because the game is aging and that limits what designers can do, in addition to members getting older and getting busier. What might save it long-term is either another proper Zoo Tycoon game (or the indie scene picks up on zoo building, much like City Skylines) or enough of us show it to the next generation and they continue on. Either way, we should be thankful Zoo Tycoon has lasted this long. It's a testament to the game and the community that cherishes it.
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Mayer
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Hopping in from some distant busy place here... I read this topic all the way through and it still strikes a bone to think about the idea of the whole community disappearing entirely, so that says something.

Personally, I wouldn't call these topics useless as it gets everyone on the same page and collectively might inspire a bit more incentive to get activity going again (I'm posting again after a long time for example!). People coming together to discuss mutual disappointment with the way the community is going is the recipe for at least some change to be made, as much as there can be anyway for such an old game with increasingly older and busier members.

Of course, like Wes was saying, we don't need to nail the coffin shut, bury it, put a cross over it and then cover the grave with flowers, coz that's just a bit depressing haha. As a wise man once said on page 1, all good things come to an end. But nevertheless, it's not over just yet ;)
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Bill
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originally, one_piece

(i am not a good writer and i am filled with emotions right now, so excuse my poorly written letter)

Hey guys, remember me? maybe some of you do, i don't know. Im just dropping in after i read this topic, once in a while i still go to TRT simply to read on a few new updates for the nostalgia of it. I love this game and I love you guys as the community so much more then you know. I was not an old time member of the community as I only discovered it when i was 16, and I'm 22 now. But discovering this game and learning how to make mods for it, truly and honestly, changed my life. It may sounds a little sad but the 3, 4 years of my highschool life revolves around making animals for ZT2, and I freakin loved it! every single one of them, every bit of time and effort i put into making the mods for you guys and for myself to enjoy, i love it so so much. I am now a professional 3D artist, making a living out of what i enjoyed the most. And it all thanks to this game, and you guys as the community that I truly, and this is from the bottom of my heart, love.

Everything comes to an end eventually, there is no where near as much activities and excitement that the community is having right now comparing to what it used to be before i left, 4 years ago. Is it really something to be sad about? not necessarily, the game is still there for anyone to enjoy, and people can still download the mods for it. Time goes on, but we don't need to forget about the glorious past. For 4 years, all of my mods are still available for download in my website. And right now im making a commitment for you guys, the community i love so dearly, for I own every bit of success i have right now and will have in the future, to you and the game. I will never ever let the links of my mods die, you will always be able to access it no matter what. no matter if the community all moved on and literally no one on this planet play it, I will still have my mods up for download, until the end of the internet or a thousand years! which ever comes last.

Once again, i am sorry for my poor writing skills. And sincerely, thank you guys, for everything you've done for me.

Bill out.
Edited by Bill, Jun 15 2018, 12:54 PM.
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