Franchise Mode: Lack of shared research (at least mechanic) doesn't make it feel like a franchise

[MinDeRien]

Title says most of it. While I enjoy having to research things at first, I think that research should carry over from one zoo to another when opening a new zoo within the same franchise. At best mechanic research and vet research, but at least the mechanic research (theme and barrier unlocks, new buildings, etc).

The reason for this is that usually when you start to open franchises, this means that you want to expand and build upon the success of what you have created, and keep building upon this to keep expanding. So when your first zoo is going well, you might want to open another one...
At the moment, because no research is carrying over, we are starting from scratch every time we open a new zoo. And this doesn't make it feel like we are "expanding on our success", it feels like completely starting over. Except that we can send animals to the new zoo we are opening. (But why would we do that, since we initially won't be able to care for them as well as they are cared for in their old zoo?)

I can understand that maybe your staff has to learn about the animals again to know how to prepare the food and things, but why would the information panels be less informative than in the other zoo? Wouldn't they get the same ones as the first zoo?
And the items unlocked by the franchise should still be accessible for the new zoos.

Enrichment items and building items should not have their existence forgotten upon deciding to expand. Maybe we can have them at a higher price and have to research discounts? Like we have to import them at first and then upon researching them it'll be as if we found manufacturers in the area?

TL;DR: The fact that no research carries over from zoo to zoo in franchise mode doesn't make it feel like expanding a franchise, but makes it feel like we are completely starting over every single time.

 

[bamber]

I get what you mean - I put it down to local conditions, Zoo A has a sprinkler enrichment so B should have it. But Area B build it with Different raw materials using different water quality and a different electrical supply so is as (slightly) different design and needs some time to research the modifications. The information panels need to be in planco French or Planco German or Planco Chinese

 

[MinDeRien]

I get what you mean - I put it down to local conditions, Zoo A has a sprinkler enrichment so B should have it. But Area B build it with Different raw materials using different water quality and a different electrical supply so is as (slightly) different design and needs some time to research the modifications. The information panels need to be in planco French or Planco German or Planco Chinese

I agreee. But Zoo B could still at least try using sprinkler from Zoo A while researching modifications. It could be inefficient, costly, whatever, but Zoo B should still remember that sprinklers exist, not forget about them altogether. Especially as we are playing as that guy that comes in and helps launch the franchise zoo. We should remember things.

The information panel bit wasn't clear I agree. I mean that they should still remember things like species status and basic things like this (the information provided to guests should stay the same and reflect what has been learned about the species by the franchise...). Even though the keepers and vets have to adapt their care of the animals to the new environment they put the animals in, some things should still carry over. The franchise should remember that this animal is endangered, for instance.

 

[Sirlacker]

I agree completely.

I think a reasonable middle ground would be to still require research but anything previously researched by a Zoo that's still up and running has its research done twice or three times as fast. Any new research takes as long as it normally would.

 

[cerealfruitcakes]

Agreed! My biggest annoyance about this is you always have to start a new zoo using the same basic theme. It feels like a repetitive grind-fest chore to research everything again just so I can start a zoo with a different theme. I want to start a new zoo with the new world theme for example and I can’t.

 

[TheGaijin87]

Also id like to have different themed parks (like most i guess) but having build one zoo and then having to research all that crap again is just tedious. i mean cmon, the asian theme stuff or african theme stuff could be available, once researched in one zoo.

right now its more like
step 1: make a turtoise habitat, big enough for lots of them
step 2: employ enough vets and mechanics as you can
step 3: research every goddamn thing
step 4: speed up time as fast as you can and waste a century
step 5: actually start playing the game.

it doesnt feel like a franchise at all. not a single bit.

 

[B4DD4WG]

Agreed! My biggest annoyance about this is you always have to start a new zoo using the same basic theme. It feels like a repetitive grind-fest chore to research everything again just so I can start a zoo with a different theme. I want to start a new zoo with the new world theme for example and I can’t.

This is one that gets me too.
You spend the time to research all that crap from your first zoo, just to have to do it again with the second. Franchises share their info, you'd think..lol As it is right now, I dont see a reason to even make a second zoo at all.

 

[Whats0There]

I think a reasonable middle ground would be to still require research but anything previously researched by a Zoo that's still up and running has its research done twice or three times as fast. Any new research takes as long as it normally would.

Big fan of this idea. It's also realistic that some time still needs to be spent on that research; the new zoo can make use of research the franchise has already done, but still needs to localize that knowledge and find out how to apply it to the particular circumstances of the new zoo.

 

[B4DD4WG]

Another thing that could work, is letting you select a "few" previously researched items, as researched in your new zoo.
If you have all the mechanical research done in your first zoo, for example. You could select 2-3 of those to be already researched for the new zoo.
Same would be for the animals.

 

[Aiste]

The very idea of a franchise involves the sharing of all available practices and know-how.

 

[Agathorn]

I like Franchise mode but it isn't a "franchise" mode for sure. Basically I just make the one zoo.

The fact that every zoo you make starts off with the same cash and the same zero research means that effectively every zoo is going to have the same starting influences and will tend to grow the same.

I'd really love to be able to save off say 5% of the earnings from my franchise zoos into a pool that I could use to start a new zoo with extra money on hand so I can do things different. Some people just say "well go play sandbox then" but that misses the point. I want the challenge of having to manage finances and research and all of that, but I don't want to start over for each new zoo I open in the same franchise.

 

[Amancham]

Yeah, I was thinking that, too. It's weird that it is supposedly a 'franchise' but it's all entirely seperate zoos. Really a shame and a wasted opportunity. What you CAN do, is move animals between franchises, though. So you could move a bengal tiger from your first zoo to the second zoo instead of having to buy one.

 

[Agathorn]

Yeah, I was thinking that, too. It's weird that it is supposedly a 'franchise' but it's all entirely seperate zoos. Really a shame and a wasted opportunity. What you CAN do, is move animals between franchises, though. So you could move a bengal tiger from your first zoo to the second zoo instead of having to buy one.

Except that the one main thing you can do is the one thing that really doesn't matter because your CC carries over anyway so buying animals isn't a problem. And as was stated, moving animals seems silly when they can be cared for better in the Zoos that have already done the research.

With starting from 30k every time, and starting with the same theme unlocks everytime, every zoo I make tends to feel the same. It has to be small and self sufficient until later when it has researched things and raised capital, then it has to go through and demolish everything and rebuild it as something new. Every time. It just defeats the purpose in my mind.

Honestly, and I'm not necessarily proposing this just saying, if I had a choice I would rather carry over research and CASH and NOT the CC between my zoos.

 

[JPrin]

I agree 100%, I brought this up the other day. Research should carry over from the other zoos. Especially animal research, that information is shared among real life zoos all the time. Zoos share information about their animals and work together to better the care of all of them. If you look at the animals they have issues breeding/keeping/etc you will find lots of failures until one zoo gets it right then all zoos have success. This information is very much shared. Ever hear of stud books and species survival plans? Zoos work together from deciding how the future of a whole species is planned as well as what animals have what genetics and who should be bred to who to keep that species genetics from going down the toilet.

As far as franchise goes, again, this doesn't feel like a franchise. Its really just starting over. For a real franchise all resources should be pooled. CC, Cash, Research, Animals, everything. Zoos even loan animals to other zoos and retain ownership. Zoos share everything except funds but if they are owned by the same group they even share funds. San Diego Wildlife Park was built by the money earned by the San Diego zoo. They are separate zoos in separate parts of town and you buy tickets to one or the other, but the money to build the second was earned by the first and the animals in the second was obtained/bred/bought by the first. This is a franchise! All resources across all zoos should be shared in order to make all better.

Right now when I create a new zoo I'm basically starting with a farm with no decor/layout/effort in order to get enough people in to start turning a profit and build up funds and research to just tear it all down and build what I want to. It should not be this way. I shouldn't have to start from scratch every time when I'm building my franchise.