Has any one done a Free Zoo?
- Thread starter Frowerssx
- Start date
Can’t say I’ve ever tried? But I think if you do donation boxes, merch, food, drinks, and play on easy mode it might be possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes awhile though, or if you need to try over and over again to get it right.
hmm, maybe it might be a little difficult as I'm more of a sandbox player but I thought it might be a cool little challenge to do to make franchise a little bit more challenging and interesting
I've not tried it myself. But as was said, with the right money makers around in the right places it may be feasible.
Animals with long baby cycles to keep the guests cooing and putting in donations
Information Centres for adoption packs
Walthrough exhibits for auto sales money and if done right, good scenery as the guests walk through the zoo
And scattering around of food and drink vending machines and merch stalls at key locations
Animals with long baby cycles to keep the guests cooing and putting in donations
Information Centres for adoption packs
Walthrough exhibits for auto sales money and if done right, good scenery as the guests walk through the zoo
And scattering around of food and drink vending machines and merch stalls at key locations
Well, now I feel like I want to try it 
Those are some fantastic tips thank you
I know butterflies are great money-makers so I will be adding them. and maybe I'll make a zoo in a hot climate so the guests buy a lot of drink
I've always wanted to try but have been too nervous as I don't play franchise mode but I've been playing a lot of skyrim lately and it has inspired me to think abut doing a free fantasy cross realistic zooWell, now I feel like I want to try it
I don't see why they would mind higher prices for the shops but it will definitely be something to experiment with
Hmm, interesting idea! I've played a lot of frachise and dare I say, I've mastered the financial side of it. I can fast track myself to millionaire very quickly now. But I haven't tried a zero entry fee.
If its possible, it would require a very cautious start with no loans, very small and willing to grow frustratingly slowly. Start with fast-reproducing exhibits only: beetles and butterflies, and as few staff and facilities as possible.
Your first habitat animals, when (if) you are making profit, should be kiwis and quokkas. These are the highest appeal-to-cost-of-upkeep ratio species and can be in a single walkthrough habitat. Guests get a kick out of mixed species habitats and out of walkthroughs, so donations should be good. You can later add roos, wallabies etc to the same habitat to increase donations while keeping costs as low as possible. You'll get another boost from donations and guest numbers when the habitat animals have babies.
After this, you'll want to continue to slowly add habitats that offer the greatest appeal for the lowest cost: i.e., mixed species walkthroughs. The barnyard pack will come in handy here. Keep adding exhibits as well.
Honestly it may take a while and you'll want to use the fast forward button when you're in the green to have any money to get to the next stage, but if its possible, this would be the route to take. Avoid loans, carnivores (which cost more to feed) and land taxes/utility bills from too big a footprint. Let us know if it works!
If its possible, it would require a very cautious start with no loans, very small and willing to grow frustratingly slowly. Start with fast-reproducing exhibits only: beetles and butterflies, and as few staff and facilities as possible.
Your first habitat animals, when (if) you are making profit, should be kiwis and quokkas. These are the highest appeal-to-cost-of-upkeep ratio species and can be in a single walkthrough habitat. Guests get a kick out of mixed species habitats and out of walkthroughs, so donations should be good. You can later add roos, wallabies etc to the same habitat to increase donations while keeping costs as low as possible. You'll get another boost from donations and guest numbers when the habitat animals have babies.
After this, you'll want to continue to slowly add habitats that offer the greatest appeal for the lowest cost: i.e., mixed species walkthroughs. The barnyard pack will come in handy here. Keep adding exhibits as well.
Honestly it may take a while and you'll want to use the fast forward button when you're in the green to have any money to get to the next stage, but if its possible, this would be the route to take. Avoid loans, carnivores (which cost more to feed) and land taxes/utility bills from too big a footprint. Let us know if it works!
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Thank you so much for the advice, I will definitely try all of them
It probably won't be any time soon but I will certainly keep you guys informed. Maybe I can make a new thread on your creations tab once I figure out what to cal the zoo and make it successful.If anyone else opens a zoo with free entry please let me know how you get on
It's working for me so far (franchise, medium difficulty)
Year 5, the zoo has $50 000, the entry is free from the start, no loans, 1 habitat animal (quokka) and 3 exhibits (snake, lizard and giant cockroach)
1 of each shop (1 food, 1 drink, info center, gifts, toilet) lots of donation boxes, 1 ATM
Cheap marketing: habitat camera + online ads
People donate a lot for those quokkas. They also love the snake (death adder).
I'll keep you updated as the zoo grows bigger. I don't even have the butterflies yet and they are usually the best money makers
(franchise, medium difficulty)Year 5, the zoo has $50 000, the entry is free from the start, no loans, 1 habitat animal (quokka) and 3 exhibits (snake, lizard and giant cockroach)
1 of each shop (1 food, 1 drink, info center, gifts, toilet) lots of donation boxes, 1 ATM
Cheap marketing: habitat camera + online ads
People donate a lot for those quokkas. They also love the snake (death adder).
I'll keep you updated as the zoo grows bigger. I don't even have the butterflies yet and they are usually the best money makers
That's great news, I'm glad it's working out for youIt's working for me so far
Year 5, the zoo has $50 000, the entry is free from the start, no loans, 1 habitat animal (quokka) and 3 exhibits (snake, lizard and giant cockroach)
1 of each shop (1 food, 1 drink, info center, gifts, toilet) lots of donation boxes, 1 ATM
Cheap marketing: habitat camera + online ads
People donate a lot for those quokkas. They also love the snake (death adder).
I'll keep you updated as the zoo grows bigger. I don't even have the butterflies yet and they are usually the best money makers
definitely keep us informed on how it goes. I'm going to open my free entry zoo either today or tomorrowI will say, making a small free city zoo does sound appealing!
I've named my zoo Arkholme Zoo and it is on franchise, medium difficulty, and so far I have created a very messy large walkthrough habait with wallabies, red kangaroos and quokkas. I've got all the butterflies in one walkthrough exhibit, death adders, Hermann's Tortoise, titian beetle and cockroach. It is currently year 4 and the zoo has £23,500. I am going to all the mechanic research on the first level and complete as much of the animal ones as I can while saving more money so I can actually make the zoo pretty
I started a free zoo in franchise, flat grassland, easy, no loans, and so far no animals from my other franchise zoos. I have only four exhibits. The Axolotl exhibit has only one animal because I did not get enough cash to buy the second axolotl before the game stopped selling those to me. It may be tomorrow RL before any axolotls are for sale again to me, if past experience is anything to go by. I have one drink stand, one food stand, an info stand, and a Loony Bloons. One double toilet. Two cash machines. Three benches and six trash cans. Eight employees. It has been cash positive from the start. Up until this point anyone could have done this, but bringing in livestock from my other zoos is something not available to everyone.
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Stage 2 of my Free Zoo has a Walkabout containing Quokka, Koala, and Platypus. There is a little too much rock for the Quokka and barely enough for the Platypus, but overall they are happy. I obviously had to hire a few more staff, and put in another drink and food stand pair. Cash is still positive. My suspicion is that I could turn off the gate fee on my other franchise zoos and they would proceed along just fine. If that is the case then this zoo just bridges the gap between zero and a full zoo with zero gate fee. I always borrowed heavily at the onset and paid it all off as quickly as possible, but I apparently do not even have to do that.
Free Zoo has about reached its limit for growth. Further growth would require relocating buildings and expanding the electrical coverage. Free Zoo has been running on the power supplied by the gate, as you can tell by the perimeter fence of the Walkabout. I'm going into one of my more bare bones regular franchise zoos now to see if I can turn off the gate fee. I must add that the speed of this progress would not have been possible without livestock contributed by my other franchise zoos, all of which are breeding zoos as well as displaying animals for guests. I could still have made Walkabout, but it would have taken more years to buy those animals.
Free Zoo has about reached its limit for growth. Further growth would require relocating buildings and expanding the electrical coverage. Free Zoo has been running on the power supplied by the gate, as you can tell by the perimeter fence of the Walkabout. I'm going into one of my more bare bones regular franchise zoos now to see if I can turn off the gate fee. I must add that the speed of this progress would not have been possible without livestock contributed by my other franchise zoos, all of which are breeding zoos as well as displaying animals for guests. I could still have made Walkabout, but it would have taken more years to buy those animals.
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So I turned off the gate fee for DeNA, my model for the initial layout that has 5 butterfly, 2 bat, and 1 sloth walkthroughs, plus 32 exhibits. It also has one nine-banded armadillo pen and my Hamadryas baboon colony. I could not see any obvious effect on my cash flow. I looked at the profit and loss sheet, and laughed. My gate income was just a blip on my budget.
Turning off the gate fee might add a little spice to the effort of starting up a new zoo, but it does not appear to strongly affect a mature zoo or even a new zoo supported by a set of mature franchise zoos.
Turning off the gate fee might add a little spice to the effort of starting up a new zoo, but it does not appear to strongly affect a mature zoo or even a new zoo supported by a set of mature franchise zoos.
