JWE2: More Complex Guest Mechanics a Must

[BlindWatcher]

As great a game that JWE1, the flaws regarding the guests were quite glaring. I could mildly understand why each individual guest was not simulated in full; but the game itself was about supply and demand. Dinosaurs were the supply, guests were the demand - and really the guests didn't demand anything other than diversity in dinos and the big predators.

My suggestion for the sequel is twofold:
1. Build on idea of competing ideologies, but from the guest's perspective. So you basically have three types of guests:

• Naturalists, who want to see dinosaurs healthy and happy with fellow dinosaurs from their era; and viewed from special viewing platforms (camouflaged blinds, basically) that limit the dinosaur's exposure to the crowds of tourists. In addition, some of the smarter dinosaurs should be provided with enrichment - and more than just live meat to hunt. Their ideal park is more like a nature reserve.
• Causals, who only view the park as a vacation and the dinosaurs as no different than a lion at the zoo. They care the most about shopping and eating, and are only interested in seeing dinosaurs they known from popular culture (the T-Rex's and the Triceratops's, not the Ceratasaurs and Kentrosaurus). They are also interested in up close and personal encounters, as after all that's what they paid for; but care the absolute most for their personal safety. Theirs is a traditional Jurassic Park, the one that John Hammond envisioned.
• Thrill Seekers, who want to see predators and dinosaurs fighting; pure and simple. And paradoxically, they also want to see a rampage or two. The park should be secure, of course, but danger is what these guests paid for and an uneventful vacation is not their idea of a vacation at all. Their ideal park is something similar to what Ingen's rivals might have envisioned. A game hunter's park.

As you may guess, this is a mirror of the Science, Entertainment, and Security Divisions; but are a pressure from without rather than within. Guests don't offer missions, they come with the expectation their tastes will be catered to; and you should be pushed into specializing your park far more permanently towards one guest ideology more than the others. There is some overlap as well - one could have a park that is extremely naturalistic while also having the occasional dinosaur-on-dinosaur hunting event - which would suit both the naturalists and thrillseekers to a certain degree. These are not ideologies opposed to one another or sabotaging each other, like the Divisions should be; just guests with different needs and not everyone will walk away entirely satisfied.

2. The concept of "the Park's Big Five". This is sort of from an old game called Sim Safari, which had guests to that game's park want to see "Africa's Big Five" - Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, and Buffalo - the inclusion of which was a major capstone to earing top marks on your park in that game. Obviously even in JWE1 you had more than five top tier dinosaurs; so the idea here is that YOUR park's top five is somewhat customizable. You decide which five dinosaur species your park is most proud of, and more or less are putting them in all the park's advertising off screen. But, as a consequence, guests will care more about the health and well being of those five species more than all your others. So in other words, if your Big Five'd T-Rex is running amok or stressed out from visitors, guests will care far more than if it's "just" your Dilophosaurus; because the former is put out in front way more than the latter. And of course contrary wise, if your Big Five'd T-Rex is as healthy and happy as possible, guests will be all the more willing to come to the park in droves. But perhaps there should be a greater expectation of care as well.

My overall point is what I said in the first paragraph.
A good zoo builder game needs two things: supply and demand. We have the supply nailed down if JWE1 is anything to go by. But the demand? Not so much. We need more demand from guests; without going crazy and simulating each person's favorite dinosaur.

 

[Thylaco]

Yeah, more complex guests is the hope. The statement so far is "deeper management tools".

Species specific advertising is a good idea, I hope it's on the cards.

 

[Dantas]

I would like to see random events related to guests. For example, the player has to accompany scientists who want to study the behavior of a specific dinosaur, perhaps, if the park is in need of money, a millionaire shows up proposing to pay a large sum to hunt a dinosaur. Or if the satisfaction of the dinosaurs in the park is low, a group of people appear trying to rescue the animals in your park, sabotaging the player. Visitors can sue the player for incidents. And the player can build hospitals and rescue teams that can reduce incidents or lower the value of lawsuits.

 

[Pixelated Sparkster]

If I could add to this, I would love if guests also had more props!

With 3D park sim games, the player could see what their guests are doing from above without needing to read their thoughts based on their looks. It could greatly benefit this game if guest had props to use, similar to how they could bring in a smartphone for photographs.

• Guest could bring out umbrellas when it starts to rain, they should not be walking all drenched like sad puppies.
• Guests could walk out of clothes shops with unique clothing that reflects what the store has, be it dino hats, dino shirts, or even the dino onesie! Bonus points if those items reflect the visible dinosaurs in your park.
• Guests could walk out of the gift shops with a shopping bag, balloon, souvenirs, or wearing the night vision goggles, something to show you supply guests with things to buy.
• If the park provides a lot of drink and food needs, guests could bring out a water bottle or snack bar from time to time, showing you are supplying to your guests.
• Guests would smile more if the park has a high fun rating, and frown more if the park does not satisfy their fun needs.
• Scientists could bring out their ipad/notebook from time to time to document the park.
• Security Personnel could bring out their walkie talkies from time to time to update the security of the park.

Stuff like this would add to the experience of the guests by simply looking down and see their needs have been met by your park. Props that are a response to your shops and environment.

 

[DragonNTiger]

Oh goodness yes... on the list of things JPOG did better than JWE, guests are definitely one of the biggest. The way JPOG handled guests was part-near perfect... not just because it depicted them in the same way just about every theme park sim depicts them, with individual statistics, but because it also gave them unique traits; Mainstream Visitor, Fun Lover, Thrill Seeker and Dino Nerd, each with unique likes, dislikes and demands that needed to be fulfilled.

Then there was JWE guests... which were more like wandering props. I'm not even sure they contributed anything to game beyond filling your park paths with people, since there was no logic to buildings and services beyond "those that generate needs" and "those that fulfill needs" and just keeping them close enough seemed to fill the various quotas.

 

[3ishop]

Maybe having different classes of guest could have their own unlock paths?

Thrill seekers unlock more extreme entertainment and interactions with the dinos for example.

 

[Gondrasia]

One improvement I would like to see in particular for JWE2's visitors, is to have the park guests (greatly) outnumber the staff. This is a problem that could be seen in both eras in the previous game, whether they’re walking about in the park or sitting within the various ride vehicles; the scientists (JW) or veterinarians (JP) and security workers outnumber the guests 2:1.

It's both unimpressive and unimmersive to more see the park scientists and security workers pointing at the dinosaurs in excitement from whatever ride they're on, but not the guests.