Unlike Keepers, Mechanics cant not navigate habitats. When utlitiies like for Wind Turbines are placed inside an enclosure, ie a tall enclosure above ground level that is not covered by ground based generators there is no way for a Mechanic to reach it as you can not path through a Habitat. Maybe you could have to research Enclosure friendly utitlities that are more expensive due to their animal friendly design.
Allow Mechanics to Navigate Habitats
- Thread starter londonx
- Start date
That's an interesting problem 
I would also love to have mechanics navigate habitats. But I have found a workaround (but there might not be enough space in the habitat in the screenshot for the workaround to fit).
You can place paths through habitats! Just not through the habitat door. Make a part of the wall out of null fence, place a staff path through there, continue the path inside of the habitat (the path can enter and exit the habitat as often as you want) to the generator. But now the animals can escape through the null fence where the path enters or exits. To fix that, use rocks, walls (architecture pieces), decorations, etc. For something kinda realistic you could use a curtain of ropes or a wall with decorative doors on both sides. For larger animals a wall with a door could even work. These things have hitboxes so they prevent animals from walking through them, but these hitboxes get ignored by staff (and visitors) while they walk on paths. Use the navigable terrain heatmap to check.
Notes:
You still need a habitat door for the zookeeper. The habitat door is the only way for a zookeeper to leave a path or walk back onto a path. Even if the zookeeper is on a path inside the habitat, they will walk on the path to the door to enter the habitat again to care for the animals. And when the zookeeper is walking off the path inside the habitat, the hitboxes of architecture pieces, rocks, etc. apply to the zookeeper. So the zookeeper can't use this path to exit and re-enter the habitat (unless the animals in the habitat are so big that you can place vertical bars with enough space between them for the zookeeper but then the baby animals could fit through them). But the zookeeper can just walk over the path that's inside the habitat, but they can't properly enter the path without going through the habitat door.
I've also tested that mechanics, etc (including protestors) just walk though a lion habitat, so the "guests can enter habitat" info in the zoopedia really only applies to guests.
Staff will also walk through a habitat with such a path to get to another habitat, or anything else outside of the habitat. All three generators in the screenshot were accessible to mechanics.
I hope you understand what I mean.
I would also love to have mechanics navigate habitats. But I have found a workaround (but there might not be enough space in the habitat in the screenshot for the workaround to fit).
You can place paths through habitats! Just not through the habitat door. Make a part of the wall out of null fence, place a staff path through there, continue the path inside of the habitat (the path can enter and exit the habitat as often as you want) to the generator. But now the animals can escape through the null fence where the path enters or exits. To fix that, use rocks, walls (architecture pieces), decorations, etc. For something kinda realistic you could use a curtain of ropes or a wall with decorative doors on both sides. For larger animals a wall with a door could even work. These things have hitboxes so they prevent animals from walking through them, but these hitboxes get ignored by staff (and visitors) while they walk on paths. Use the navigable terrain heatmap to check.
Notes:
You still need a habitat door for the zookeeper. The habitat door is the only way for a zookeeper to leave a path or walk back onto a path. Even if the zookeeper is on a path inside the habitat, they will walk on the path to the door to enter the habitat again to care for the animals. And when the zookeeper is walking off the path inside the habitat, the hitboxes of architecture pieces, rocks, etc. apply to the zookeeper. So the zookeeper can't use this path to exit and re-enter the habitat (unless the animals in the habitat are so big that you can place vertical bars with enough space between them for the zookeeper but then the baby animals could fit through them). But the zookeeper can just walk over the path that's inside the habitat, but they can't properly enter the path without going through the habitat door.
I've also tested that mechanics, etc (including protestors) just walk though a lion habitat, so the "guests can enter habitat" info in the zoopedia really only applies to guests.
Staff will also walk through a habitat with such a path to get to another habitat, or anything else outside of the habitat. All three generators in the screenshot were accessible to mechanics.
I hope you understand what I mean.
yeah thats interesting workaround. So my habitat is tall vertically and it means some things like lights (although coolers work) are too high above the sphere of influence for Electricity generators on the ground. So yeah for my specific purpose external ladders or just allow Mechanics to follow Keepers through habitats.
Maybe a spiral staircase would fit inside the mountain? Then you could even have the generator invisble in the ground. If the path stays inside the habitat for the entire way and isn't blocked by anything, I think the zookeeper can also enter the habitat through the door and then walk back onto the path and use it to go up the mountain. Also, I would love to see more pictures of this habitat
Ha sure, it was more a proof of concept but I put some up here, https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/tower-of-balls.531458/