Feature Focus: Challenge and Sandbox Mode

[Nioell]

After reading this I really really hope we also get the option to play with expeditions + fossil extraction and research on in sandbox as well because a challenge mode with a limit on how many species I can have in my park really doesn't sound appealing to me more like a one time have to play to get those skins thing and that's it.

JWE challenge was pretty much perfect for the way I love to play these games (though the contracts are annoying and the rating system feels rather unbalanced) with a sense of progression while you build up your park from scratch. So it would be really amazing if we could decide whether or not we want to dig up and extract fossils and do research in our sandbox parks as well, so we can have that progression there as well but without all the limiting restrictions challenge seems to put on the players. Sandbox is supposed to be the mode we can tailor to our prefered playstyle after all and being able to do research and get DNA from fossils before you can breed dinosaurs is a huge, integral part of the game that not everyone wants to have fully completed right from the get go, especially when you're not just a builder but want to play with the management side of the game on as well.

 

[dinowolf]

Hello Park Managers,

We are very excited to bring you another Jurassic World Evolution 2 Feature Focus! In our last Feature Focus, we talked about how you can put a unique touch on your guest buildings, parks and dinosaurs through the game's enhanced customisation options. This week we're taking a look at the non-narrative game modes you can find in Jurassic World Evolution 2, and showing you what you can expect in Challenge Mode and Sandbox Mode.

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Much like the original Jurassic World Evolution game, you'll be able to put yourself to the test in Jurassic World Evolution 2 with Challenge Mode, although this time around we'll be taking it up a notch with some exciting new additions - don't worry, we're sure you're up to the challenge!

All missions in Challenge Mode will offer 4 difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, Jurassic) with their own par times, which will be unlocked by progression - so you'll need to unlock a certain number of stars on any given difficulty before you can proceed to the next level!

We'll also be introducing a new feature in Challenge Mode: Conditions! These will place constraints on your game to make each playthrough slightly more challenging, and will differ depending on which difficulty you're playing - for instance, if you're playing an easy level on Challenge Mode, you may be limited to 25 species in your park, whereas if you're playing a medium level you may have a limit of 15 species.

Each level is a bespoke challenge with different tasks you'll need to complete. The conditions, maps and what you have available to achieve is different for each level, and it's up to you to decide how to achieve a five star rating.

These Challenge Mode missions will have both a global location and a context that will make them really fun to play. They're not tied into the game's main narrative, so each can be played in isolation; plus, you'll earn unique species cosmetic unlocks for earning 5 stars across the different difficulties, so there's lots of reasons to take up the challenge!

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Sandbox Mode

This wouldn't be Jurassic World Evolution 2 if we didn't bring back another exciting mode from the first game: let us reintroduce you to Sandbox Mode! This game mode features an open-ended gameplay experience, where you'll be able to create your perfect park, making the most of a variety of options to tailor the mode to you.

Sandbox Mode will offer up a range of options that will allow you to alter the gameplay for your park, allowing you to customise various aspects of how you play the game. Some of these options include granting your park infinite money, allowing you to forgo profitability concerns, adjusting weather options and the time of day, and even altering dinosaur and reptile behaviour and lifespan, so you can play at entirely your own pace!

By using the new territory system to its full potential, you could even build a nature reserve style park, but you'll need fences to keep your visitors safe.

Maps from Chaos Theory and Challenge Mode will be playable in Sandbox Mode, offering up lots of variety to your park building experience. Just remember: Sandbox Mode content needs to be unlocked by researching it in other modes, so your Sandbox parks will be constantly evolving with your gameplay! We start you off with some basic stuff, but the rest will need to be unlocked for you to access.

We hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into these two exciting modes you'll be able to play in Jurassic World Evolution 2! Which are you most excited to try first, Challenge Mode or Sandbox Mode? Let us know in the comments below! Until our next Feature Focus you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and join the discussions about the game on our forums!

Hey, Jens!

This is great information and the only question I have is about Sandbox weather. In Jurassic World Evolution 1, you have a weather option. You can have No Weather, Light Storms or Heavy Storms. You can only have one weather mode. There is no cycle, random or otherwise and its only one or the other. Being locked into that format really made Sandbox feel artificial.

With Evolution 2's Sandbox mode, will we have the option (again optional with a toggle) to activate a proper weather cycle that fits the biome we are in? Will it go through random weather events, including disasters, for the biome/map in question?

Otherwise, really excited by what I've read!

 

[Dark_Ansem]

Hey, Jens!

This is great information and the only question I have is about Sandbox weather. In Jurassic World Evolution 1, you have a weather option. You can have No Weather, Light Storms or Heavy Storms. You can only have one weather mode. There is no cycle, random or otherwise and its only one or the other. Being locked into that format really made Sandbox feel artificial.

With Evolution 2's Sandbox mode, will we have the option (again optional with a toggle) to activate a proper weather cycle that fits the biome we are in? Will it go through random weather events, including disasters, for the biome/map in question?

Otherwise, really excited by what I've read!

We also had day night cycle options

 

[Dino_SPY]

Let players play Sandbox without forcing them to play subpar game modes just to unlock everything.

Locking everything behind subpar game modes and forcing players to play through them just to be able to play Sandbox as it's supposed to be played is poor game design.
Players shouldn't have to suffer through game modes with poorly implemented game mechanics; it's tedious and boring. It feels like a chore and makes it seem like Frontier is desperate to have players play these other game modes because they know a lot of people wouldn't even bother otherwise, so they have to force them to slog it out if they want to fully enjoy the game.

A lot of players just want to play Sandbox and don't want to go through the hassle of playing the other game modes just to play the game how they want to. Don't make them. It's terrible game design. It's like forcing players to sit through long, terrible, unskippable cut-scenes over and over again every time they die.

 

[Dark_Ansem]

Let players play Sandbox without forcing them to play subpar game modes just to unlock everything.

Locking everything behind subpar game modes and forcing players to play through them just to be able to play Sandbox as it's supposed to be played is poor game design.
Players shouldn't have to suffer through game modes with poorly implemented game mechanics; it's tedious and boring. It feels like a chore and makes it seem like Frontier is desperate to have players play these other game modes because they know a lot of people wouldn't even bother otherwise, so they have to force them to slog it out if they want to fully enjoy the game.

A lot of players just want to play Sandbox and don't want to go through the hassle of playing the other game modes just to play the game how they want to. Don't make them. It's terrible game design. It's like forcing players to sit through long, terrible, unskippable cut-scenes over and over again every time they die.

Except that playing sandbox without these unlocks will lead to spoilers.

 

[Nioell]

Except that playing sandbox without these unlocks will lead to spoilers.

Ahm, pretty sure that those who don't wanna play through campaign modes also don't care about "spoilers" and this is still a dino park game not the actual JW movies, so I have a hard time counting that as a reason for locking stuff behind other modes...And those who really care can simply play campaign first and move to SB after they completed it.

That being said I don't really mind it (though I'm also not a fan of the having to go through all challange islands FOUR times to get everything unlocked, seems way over the top) but I can definitely see where others are coming from in this case since it's probably not just some extra stuff, but buildings and dinosaurs as well again...

 

[paul78]

That’s a huge game changer and not in a good way. That was my personal biggest gripe about the first game. I love the system in planet zoo if you only want to play from a creative standpoint. The game was looking great but now that’s a huge blow.

 

[Dezessete]

Just remember: Sandbox Mode content needs to be unlocked by researching it in other modes, so your Sandbox parks will be constantly evolving with your gameplay! We start you off with some basic stuff, but the rest will need to be unlocked for you to access.

And with that, my interest is gone. Sad, as everything else sounded so promising.

 

[Psarurs]

Will Indominus Rex and Indoraptor still be available????????

 

[Victor_Ventura]

So I will wait for the mods to unlock everything

 

[paul78]

@Victor_Ventura I agree lol. I was a harsh critic of the game at first. Then started to like the game for the advance in dinosaur behavior and animations. Despite the building system which even that is ok the game seemed to have a ton of potential. Even tho the first game was a good game this was looking like the game jwe 1 should have been. That being said like I said above a huge disappointment and it seems the community still gets ignored to certain point when it comes to this series in requests and suggestions. Honestly this is why I prefer a planet series prehistoric game over the current format. Oh well I’ll keep enjoying PZ and await the release of PK.

 

[Gondrasia]

Will Indominus Rex and Indoraptor still be available????????

Indominus rex and Indoraptor are guaranteed to be in the base game thanks to the Chaos Theory game mode, which has levels set across eras and locations from all five films. If we’re revisiting these films in a “what if” scenario, then the two hybrids are all but officially confirmed.

Regarding the information about Sandbox and Challenge modes, whilst it's disappointing for a significant number of people about having to play other game modes in order to unlock content for Sandbox, it’s somewhat understandable as to encourage players to explore the other modes beyond Sandbox.

I'm hoping that we get to see a couple of the maps from Challenge and Chaos Theory mode at some point!

 

[Dino_SPY]

Regarding the information about Sandbox and Challenge modes, whilst it's disappointing for a significant number of people about having to play other game modes in order to unlock content for Sandbox, it’s somewhat understandable as to encourage players to explore the other modes beyond Sandbox.

The reward for playing the other modes are the different modes themselves. The modes themselves should feel satisfying and entertaining to play, and not simply a chore to unlock everything in the game. If the only incentive to play the mode is to unlock everything, then what does that say about the game mode itself? Players should have a choice, they shouldn't be forced to play something they don't want to. Let players play the game how they want to play.

What's the reward for Sandbox then? What do I get for spending a lot of time in Sandbox? The satisfaction of getting to create whatever I want? Well too bad, cause you have to go through all the other game modes first to unlock everything. That's like buying a new cable subscription but having to go through and unlock every channel one by one. What's the point of Sandbox mode if you can't use it's full potential until unlocking everything first? It's asinine for what's it's supposed to be.

 

[Midoriki]

All missions in Challenge Mode will offer 4 difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, Jurassic) with their own par times, which will be unlocked by progression - so you'll need to unlock a certain number of stars on any given difficulty before you can proceed to the next level!

Does this mean that we have to beat Easy Medium and Hard on every single Challenge Mode map to unlock Jurassic mode on every single map, or do we only need to prove we can handle Jurassic mode on one of the maps to unlock it globally?

 

[Gondwana]

Maps from Chaos Theory and Challenge Mode will be playable in Sandbox Mode, offering up lots of variety to your park building experience.

Great news. The part with the maps from other modes being available in Sandbox is one of the best imo.
This means the tropical biome will also be playable in Sandbox mode.

I personally like the fact that you have to unlock stuff to be able to use it in Sandbox. It seems to be a good compromise, having the mode available from the beginning with basic stuff and additional, more exclusive content later on.

 

[quaZa]

Great news. The part with the maps from other modes being available in Sandbox is one of the best imo.
This means the tropical biome will also be playable in Sandbox mode.

I personally like the fact that you have to unlock stuff to be able to use it in Sandbox. It seems to be a good compromise, having the mode available from the beginning with basic stuff and additional, more exclusive content later on.

Honestly, i like it aswell. I remember getting to Tacanó and hatching my first ever T-Rex. It was so Satisfying to unlock her and to finally breed her. im excited to feel that feeling again in JWE2!

 

[aj46l]

i hope there's an option to remove guests from sandbox

You could always close the park

 

[IG Lord Ragtag]

For those who are crying about not having everything unlocked in Sandbox from the get go, get over it. Campaign is the main game, not Sandbox. At least this time around it sounds as if Sandbox is available from the get go, which was not the case in JWE.

How hard is it to set the game to easy and complete the campaign? You want the other things that could be available from Chaos Theory, again play it on easy. It took me maybe 20 hrs to do JWE's campaign on easy over a 2 week period. I then spent the next year in Sandbox experementing before I decided to do Challenge Mode.

Skins made available for completing Challenge Mode is a choice you can do or not. If CM works like in JWE, then you only need to play each challenge once on Jurassic difficulty to unlock all the skins from each level.

Playing the Campaign and Chaos modes teaches you the mechanics of the game and how things work so you know what to do in Sandbox.

For those on counsole, you are going to need to do this. You'll also have a greater sense of accomplishmet for it.

Those on PC can do this also or once someone develops the hack to unlock everything, they can cheat.

 

[gabeluna27]

Aside from maps and their respective environments, Chaos Theory mode is another thing I really want to learn more about in due time! One of the few questions I wonder about it is, based on what this says, if it will be somewhat like the RTJP DLC content from the original?

In the original JWE, you must complete the JP campaign FIRST to unlock everything you possibly can from the DLC into Sandbox mode. So, I wonder if it will be the same for JWE2’s sandbox, by what they mean by researching things in Chaos Theory before utilizing in Sandbox?

Or, maybe it’s different from what I said in some way or the other?

 

[Ashaantha]

This was a very nice feature focus, it answered a lot of questions I've seen demanding an answer around. They cannot please everyone and I don't have a problem with things being locked behind other modes, there's nothing wrong with that seeing as it again seems to be skin variations unlocked oinly. These aren't necessary for a fulfilling park
I hate the challenge mode in jwe, I'm doing them anyway but they're so boring. This at least seems to be making them more interesting as well as giving a cosmetic reward at the end
I would not touch them if there wasn't a skin unlock attached so I totally understand their reasoning for adding those rewards for completing other modes.
Though to be absolutely transparent I have the same issue with sandbox mode. I don't touch it because I get nothing from it and no mental stimulation, it is boring not having little goals outside of what's in my head. This is probably because I always do narrative campaign/dlc etc stuff first, and by that point I can 'pretend sandbox' in the campaign mode after completing the story part, side missions and maps etc, demolish everything and recreate the parks on each of the islands in regards to jwe. I have no reason to touch sandbox other then unlimited money by that point. Had to do the dlc's and challenge modes to unlock the things for campaign, no difference here so I'm good with it.

I have two challenge mode islands left to complete on jurassic difficulty. the two JP era islands. Really not a fan of this. Looking forward to a more interesting challenge mode