You need to be adding pieces to the same group and on the same grid as the building, then everything sticks and aligns perfectly. This video by Geekism helped me a lot:
Anyone struggling?
- Thread starter markun
- Start date
You need to be adding pieces to the same group and on the same grid as the building, then everything sticks and aligns perfectly. This video by Geekism helped me a lot:
He made another great short one with more information about paths that really helped me:
I'd avoid the speed build type videos until you get a grasp on the basic tools, these videos just aren't helpful without them. I spent a couple of days just watching these short specific tutorial videos and playing in Sandbox mode without actually making anything to keep, just testing what I learned in the videos, trying to understand the keyboard shortcuts and groups and grids. It's not that hard if you are just focussing on one thing at a time. I had fun with it because mistakes didn't matter, I saw no need to rush into setting up habitats and getting animals. Now I'm able to make cool plazas and fancy up the existing facility and staff buildings - that is what the ones with the bare walls are for. But don't even bother until you understand the basics, it's just frustrating. I have over 60 hours in now and I have 2 habitats (Flamingos and Komodos) and 6 exhibits (small animals). I'm sure I could have done it faster but I like to take my time and really polish something before I move on to the next thing so that I understand it fully. The little tricks I learn that make the next task easier.
I did spent a lot of time over the weekend just working on some enclosures with the necessary logistic support and management elements nearby. I can figure out how to hide them later. Not worrying about off show areas and realistic housing, just using the shelters provided and meeting the species’ needs. The first ones I got were red pandas and it was really encouraging to see them use the space, climb up and about and actually occasionally interact with each other. So that helped.
Formosan black bear
Red panda
Formosan black bear
Red panda
Building is not cluncky tbh. You just need to understand and learn to play with the metre's and grid sizes. Also because you can do so much, building something nice isnt actually done in 5 mins. I spend more time pausing the game when building then actually playing if you want nice detail. The pathing is bloody horrible though. After playing 2 years planet tycoon, I still have AAAARG moments, and sadly planet zoo made little improvement on pathing. I usually build with grid pathing and just make landscaping around it. Gives a less natural feel to though.
However atm there are bugs with the grid though. Copy pasting give building pieces another height on the grid making building frustrating at times. Especially the multi selecting tool on the right on the screen gives very wierd grid bugs.
However atm there are bugs with the grid though. Copy pasting give building pieces another height on the grid making building frustrating at times. Especially the multi selecting tool on the right on the screen gives very wierd grid bugs.
Those enclosures are quite nice! I like that they aren't square. They look very natural.
Hey @markun! I just wanted to say it's so good to see you here, trying to get used to the game and its new and, frankly speaking, quite overwhelming features compared to ZT2. I always fancied your creations over at the forums; they were appealing and ever so realistic!
I think you need to give it time. Rome wasn't built in a day and the same goes for the old but familiar game that is ZT2. I took many of us years to create good looking and realistic building and enclosures.
That being said, I must say you already are making good progress if you ask me. The pictures of the Okapi en Bear enclosures look very promising and are in fact proof of your talent and desire to master the skills you feel are required to match your standards in a zoo building game.
Keep it up my friend. I'll be looking forward to your work!
An old ZT-fanatic
I think you need to give it time. Rome wasn't built in a day and the same goes for the old but familiar game that is ZT2. I took many of us years to create good looking and realistic building and enclosures.
That being said, I must say you already are making good progress if you ask me. The pictures of the Okapi en Bear enclosures look very promising and are in fact proof of your talent and desire to master the skills you feel are required to match your standards in a zoo building game.
Keep it up my friend. I'll be looking forward to your work!
An old ZT-fanatic
I honestly wouldn't worry about having something to show off. I'm new to this game too and I didn't play Coaster either, it is obvious to me at this point that it will take a while before I am happy enough with my work before I want to show anything to anyone - but - I'm having great fun learning the system and whenever I realize I've done something that could have been done better I either tear it down and build it again with my new knowledge or just start a whole new zoo. That can be fun too! I have often said that sometimes the only difference between good and great is the willingness to start over. There is no destination to this journey so we might as well enjoy the ride
So many people must be experiencing this right now. I went through it myself with Planet Coaster, so I know the tools involved well, but even still I've hit multiple issues that utterly threw my for a loop. How to build a habitat where animals could pass over a tunnel? Three days, off and on. How to put a freaking picnic table in one particular spot where I wanted it? Most of one day (don't ask). How to connect the interiors of buildings to the paths outside them? Still working on the details of that.
Frontier's building system really is a culture shock from anyone not familiar with this developer. It can do ANYTHING you want it to do, literally anything, but you have to know precisely how to ask it. Any specific problem you're having, more than likely there's one setting or one tool deep in the UI that exists to address that problem, but you have to find it and learn how and when to use it (and when you do finally solve your problem, you will feel like a god).
Finally, if you absolutely just can't work it out, come to places like this. The community knows how hard it is to learn all this for the first time. The community wants to help you.
Hope this helps you or others who read this in the future.
Just coming in here to say that, while the building bits are a bit "clunky" with a decent amount of practice (and tutorials--the helpfulness of those can't be understated) you can get there. But it takes time. And lots of trial/error. It's not perfect, and there are some wonky bits that would help things along if they were fixed (for example--if something is "obstructed," it would be good to be able to know what is obstructing it) but it's possible.
This is going to sound a little overstated, I'm sure, but think of it like any sort of art form. It takes practice.
And hey, if you're still struggling to get something done? No harm in taking a screen shot and posting to these forums to ask if people have any ideas that might help you get done what you want to get done.
This is going to sound a little overstated, I'm sure, but think of it like any sort of art form. It takes practice.
And hey, if you're still struggling to get something done? No harm in taking a screen shot and posting to these forums to ask if people have any ideas that might help you get done what you want to get done.
For the first few days I got REALLY frustrated and cross with the game. I didn't understand how the controls worked at ALL. I felt I was being expected to use quite technically difficutl architecture software in order to play a jolly zoo game with animals in. I genuinely got annoyed with it.
But, I agree with several of your respondents above, stick with it, maybe watch a couple of Youtube tutorials. I recommend Geekism, Paulsley and Twinkly Tania Plays, all give very basic straightforward FRIENDLY building guides - and you'll be off in no time!
I also recommend doing the Career scenarios. They guide you through the things you need to know very gradually, and point you to parts of the game you might not know about. I found them entertaining and useful.
It's worth it too! I'm having great fun with the game now (358hrs of fun? blushes) and I was a big Zoo Tycoon fan!
I hope you have found some useful advice and encouragement in your thread. Don't give up just yet, and definitely post some pics when you get going - I for one would love to see them.
Good luck!!
Edit: Just realised I've commited a forum cardinal sin in not reading the date of the OP! You're probably making Taj Mahals out of the construction bits and bobs now!
AND apparently you are a sort of building whizz anyway. I'm so embarrassed. xD
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Do like me, efficiency above beauty. I have seen it on youtube, while the youtuber is nitpicking to get a single piece of wood at the perfect angle in a very precise corner, his animals are suffering socially, mentally and physically. They just let them die because they need to build the perfect road for their audience. They are good at building, but animal care is neglected.
Don't you worry about building stuff.
Don't you worry about building stuff.
For me the game is about building zoos. So that doesn’t really work. I’m actually going to take some time out. Every time I start playing I just get frustrated and angry. My mental health isn’t great at the moment and Planet Zoo is making it worse. So I’ll walk away for a while and hopefully come back feeling a bit refreshed.
Smart move. Single-play games are supposed to be relaxed. ;-)
I am learning to love the building tools in Planet Zoo. They are complicated but I'd prefer a learning curve over something oversimplified that I'm going to get bored with quickly. It occurs to me that there are many, many ways to play and enjoy this game. If you aren't up for learning the building tools you really don't have to, Steam Workshop has so much amazing stuff now that anyone can have a beautiful zoo. All you really need to learn is the pathing system. I struggled with it at first but I'm getting the hang of it now and can pretty much get it to do anything I want. Building is just one aspect of this game and not something anyone is going to master in a short time. The game has only been out a month - that is a short time.
If you're comparing your skills to the YouTubers who had experience with this system from Planet Coaster and many of whom are at this all day long and trying to make a living off it - well, that's not a good comparison. As I learn more about the game and watch more and more videos, it occurs to me that many of the amazing zoos we see on YouTube wouldn't make very practical zoos. I've noticed that in the videos if the zoo isn't paused it's closed with no guests. I suspect that's because it's a zoo designed for looks only and the lag from some of their extreme builds would be very noticeable with guests.
If you're comparing your skills to the YouTubers who had experience with this system from Planet Coaster and many of whom are at this all day long and trying to make a living off it - well, that's not a good comparison. As I learn more about the game and watch more and more videos, it occurs to me that many of the amazing zoos we see on YouTube wouldn't make very practical zoos. I've noticed that in the videos if the zoo isn't paused it's closed with no guests. I suspect that's because it's a zoo designed for looks only and the lag from some of their extreme builds would be very noticeable with guests.
I managed to do my first multi-grid building so I'm pretty pleased with my progress. It's only three shops with the third at an angle in the middle of the other two, but I was able to attach all the pieces nicely and make it look really seamless.
The habitats, IMO, are easy, especially with the null barrier. Oddly enough, the only legitimate escapees I've had were baby ostriches, because they were able to traverse more terrain than their parents and hopped over the rock-wall I'd built. Lemurs escape, too, but that's because I put their indoor climbing equipment up against the walls of their shelter and the game doesn't like it.
The habitats, IMO, are easy, especially with the null barrier. Oddly enough, the only legitimate escapees I've had were baby ostriches, because they were able to traverse more terrain than their parents and hopped over the rock-wall I'd built. Lemurs escape, too, but that's because I put their indoor climbing equipment up against the walls of their shelter and the game doesn't like it.
After reading the posts in this thread, maybe we can agree on that building is somewhat unintuitve and somewhat finicky. Those masterful builders seen on YT use plenty of workarounds, helper objects and know very well how to circumvent the issues encountered when buidling. The tools available are rich and complex, plus the unconditional clipping allows for highly customizable designs. But basics, especially snapping, margins and symetry can be frustrating.
Personally, designing the habitat is bliss. The tools and clipping allows for natural, organic designs. However I prefer anything framing these organic designs to be well structured, neat and tidy as it emphasizes the natural design it encloses. It's this aspect that imo still needs improvement.
Personally, designing the habitat is bliss. The tools and clipping allows for natural, organic designs. However I prefer anything framing these organic designs to be well structured, neat and tidy as it emphasizes the natural design it encloses. It's this aspect that imo still needs improvement.
I agree with the unintuitive/finicky part, especially when you're new to this mechanic.
Snapping/margins/symmetry does require a lot more effort than expected, (and yes also frustrating)..
Especially when you want to quickly create a new building and don't want to spend that much time on every building.
Habitats seem to work much better for me... The newer habitats are beginning to look more natural
I spend a lot of time on building and take things very slow. My experience is that once you've got one part of the build 'perfect' the next step will fail to cooperate. It's not understanding why these issues arise and the resulting deconstruction of prior objects that break the game for me. Going back, changing a part of the build to make the next step work, often to have to revert that workaround because a subsequent step will not accept it. Presently I can't get things to work, as there is always something, somewhere that breaks.