How will you plan out your zoo map?

[Swjosdotschka]

Hey all!
So, riding the hype train here I aready think about what kind of Zoos I'd like to make. I like the realism-factor that guest don't like to see staff building and that there are stuff parks and such. But, honestly, my skills in planning a good map where everything fits and is logical aren't the best. I figure I have more time than I would love until beta though, so it's time to practice. But how? Anyone here that plans his /her zoo beforehand? Do you just draw on paper or do you use special programs? How do you start?

Hopeing to get some tips here and there. And please excuse my bad english. I rarely have the chance to use it with native speakers and am not from nor living in an english speaking country.

 

[Rottenberry]

For my zoo i'm not going to be following any set plan. Often if you look at any real zoo it's spread out with different big ticket exhibits spread out as so the customer can't enter the zoo, see all the main attractions within 15 minutes then wonder around.

I plan on splitting my zoo into themes for emersion as we've already seen a british style and savanah style zoo. I'd like to theme areas to the specific animals and group them together based on their geo location. Rather than their species.

 

[BernyMoon]

I don't know what to do. I want to make like continent areas but at the same time I think it would be amazing to make a big cat house, a primate house, reptile house, etc...

 

[xTo]

Back during Zoo Tycoon 2 when I went for a themed park I used to plan it out a lot. I had a few steps to do so.

Landscaping
First of all I would use the landscaping tool to created elevated / lowered areas. I use this to divide the park into predetermined sections i.e. food, animals, staff.
This proces continues untill I find the layout visually pleasing.

Drawing
Next I take a piece of paper and draw the heightmap onto it. I do this from a topdown perspective.
With this map I decide how to connect each area with paths, where and how many habitats I want and which buildings go where.

Implementation
When I'm happy with the layout of the map I start implementing the design into the game; creating the proper biomes, filling the habitats with desired animals and placing the buildings. Usually this involves tweaking the design a bit because of the path limitations in Zoo Tycoon 2 but I foresee this won't be an issue in Planet Zoo.

Detailing
When all core objects have been placed and tweaked I start placing down detail items to fill up the empty spaces, giving the park a lively feel. This usually involves placing down foliage, fountains, benches etc.

After these steps my zoo will be finished and I'll walk around it using the visitor mode.
I expect this proces to be viable in Planet Zoo although it might be expanded due to the many new features.

I hope this helped you

 

[Swjosdotschka]

That helped a lot actually. I was planing, like most of us, to work with continents and sections, but that wasn't exactly my problem. You got my question right and your detailed explanation helped me visualize a lot better.

I have one question though: Do you keep the height differences after planing out the sextions or do you even it out again? I really have a hard time Landscaping, but I could practice that with planco, I guess.

 

[xTo]

I keep the height difference.
In my opinion the contrast in elevation is a nice way to have certain areas pop out more. It gives the park a more dynamic and 'busy' look while also providing a clean overview

 

[Cosmo]

I wonder how big is the map. It should be larger than Jurassic World Evolution.

 

[wowman]

i initially plan on trying to recreate a few zoos

 

[Joël]

For my zoo i'm not going to be following any set plan. Often if you look at any real zoo it's spread out with different big ticket exhibits spread out as so the customer can't enter the zoo, see all the main attractions within 15 minutes then wonder around.

I plan on splitting my zoo into themes for emersion as we've already seen a british style and savanah style zoo. I'd like to theme areas to the specific animals and group them together based on their geo location. Rather than their species.

That's exactly what I'm going to do as well; group different animals together based on their geo location.

 

[Knighterrant]

I’ve been plotting things out (including the feel of the buildings & themes I’m going for!) in Planet Coaster currently, I usually start my marking down the general idea of where I want things to go with the terrain paint tool; such as marking out pathways, large landmarks, areas for buildings and staff areas, and exhibits.
From there I place down paths and build the landmarks I have in mind such as any large buildings that will stand out, or any bodies of water, or even mountains if I’m feeling adventurous haha!
Then I go on to do smaller buildings, create the exhibits, place foliage, etc. I usually tweak the paths constantly while building just because Planet Coaster has such a weird pathing system, and sometimes the shape of my paths and plazas change dynamically as my buildings are placed down!

 

[sotik]

I will most likely do what I did in Planet Coaster. I had a pirate themed area, a fantasy themed, area, and so on. Except with this, it will be more like an Africa themed area, a polar themed area, and etc. Each section will have their own main attractions, and then filled out with smaller attractions, restaurants matching the motif, and so on.