Matanceros in Challenge Mode: Jurassic

[JM3715]

So, I've lately been doing the challenges for the main campaign islands on Jurassic difficulty. I've beaten Sorna, Pena, Tacano and Muerta all on Jurassic difficulty, but for some reason, Matanceros is uniquely difficult to progress on, even in comparison to Pena (with it's scarce, buildable real estate) and Muerta (with the dramatic hillscape challenges).

For whatever reason, my tourists are very stingy when shopping and the it's incredibly more frustrating with the very slow profit growth and the frequency of the storms and damage that they cause, leaving me unable to afford any upgrades, placing any new buildings, growing new dinosaurs or even sending out expeditions to get more fossils and other items to sell. I've even restarted the challenge a few times, but each time it's the same problems...

Has anyone else faced such unique difficulties with Matanceros on Jurassic Difficulty?

 

[Super King Ghidorah]

Yes I just beat matanceros on Jurassic difficulty this morning despite starting it some time ago. But you are correct as my guests only frequented certain areas of my park and the profit gain was slow. So much so that I spammed dinosaurs to keep me above the Hammond foundation fee. If this was the case then I secretly just finished my 1st and hardest island

 

[jsi7iv]

I do remember that Matanceros was challenging. There are almost no guests that come to your island at all. Because of that, there is even less profit from sales. It does have the added benefit of not needing as many buildings; however, I think I only needed one hotel and three shops for my attempt.

I'd highly recommend that you manage the dinosaurs you incubate carefully. Don't go breeding dinosaurs with very poor comfort requirements like large carnivores and most small carnivores. In fact, it's best to not do carnivores at all if you can (though ceratasaurus is always good). They are simply too expensive for very little rating in most cases.

Another trick that I've learned is place some random fences on the opposite side of the island from where you start. Twisters, for whatever reason, seem to target fences and don't care if there are any dino's in them. I also tend to reload the storm if the twister doesn't hit my decoy fences. This has saved my bacon a few times.

Finally, cut back on buildings. I used a single viewing platform, resteraunt, clothes shop, hotel, arcade, and I think only one medium power station, but I don't fully remember.

Hang in there, it's possible.

 

[JM3715]

I do remember that Matanceros was challenging. There are almost no guests that come to your island at all. Because of that, there is even less profit from sales. It does have the added benefit of not needing as many buildings; however, I think I only needed one hotel and three shops for my attempt.

I'd highly recommend that you manage the dinosaurs you incubate carefully. Don't go breeding dinosaurs with very poor comfort requirements like large carnivores and most small carnivores. In fact, it's best to not do carnivores at all if you can (though ceratasaurus is always good). They are simply too expensive for very little rating in most cases.

Another trick that I've learned is place some random fences on the opposite side of the island from where you start. Twisters, for whatever reason, seem to target fences and don't care if there are any dino's in them. I also tend to reload the storm if the twister doesn't hit my decoy fences. This has saved my bacon a few times.

Finally, cut back on buildings. I used a single viewing platform, resteraunt, clothes shop, hotel, arcade, and I think only one medium power station, but I don't fully remember.

Hang in there, it's possible.

Thanks for the tips.

I set up some decoy fences on the far side of the map from my park, and reloaded several times, again and again, when tornadoes touched down either in or way too close to my park.
I populated my park with an assortment of hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, stegosaurs and at least 1 of each sauropod, or 3 in the case of Brachiosaurus. The only carnivores I had on display in my park were 3 Ceratosaurus, 2 Albertosaurus, and 1 T. rex. I also adjusted the social requirements for particular species so they could be happy with 1 or 2 members in an enclosure, so I just had 2 Stegos, 2 Paras, and solitary Torosaurs, Styracosaurs and Dracos and Stygis happy in their paddocks, until I could afford to add more company for them.

And I finally hit 5 stars after releasing that 3rd Brachiosaurus at the very end!

Still contemplating whether to do the challenge modes for Dr Wu and Sanctuary DLC's, because I was really after the particular skins for the main campaign that could only be unlocked on Jurassic difficulty.

 

[Super King Ghidorah]

I do remember that Matanceros was challenging. There are almost no guests that come to your island at all. Because of that, there is even less profit from sales. It does have the added benefit of not needing as many buildings; however, I think I only needed one hotel and three shops for my attempt.

I'd highly recommend that you manage the dinosaurs you incubate carefully. Don't go breeding dinosaurs with very poor comfort requirements like large carnivores and most small carnivores. In fact, it's best to not do carnivores at all if you can (though ceratasaurus is always good). They are simply too expensive for very little rating in most cases.

Another trick that I've learned is place some random fences on the opposite side of the island from where you start. Twisters, for whatever reason, seem to target fences and don't care if there are any dino's in them. I also tend to reload the storm if the twister doesn't hit my decoy fences. This has saved my bacon a few times.

Finally, cut back on buildings. I used a single viewing platform, resteraunt, clothes shop, hotel, arcade, and I think only one medium power station, but I don't fully remember.

Hang in there, it's possible.

One hotel dude you're good at this I had three or four. But yeah it was hard to get started with on that island. Do you have any tips for Pena?

 

[jsi7iv]

Thanks for the tips.

I set up some decoy fences on the far side of the map from my park, and reloaded several times, again and again, when tornadoes touched down either in or way too close to my park.
I populated my park with an assortment of hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, stegosaurs and at least 1 of each sauropod, or 3 in the case of Brachiosaurus. The only carnivores I had on display in my park were 3 Ceratosaurus, 2 Albertosaurus, and 1 T. rex. I also adjusted the social requirements for particular species so they could be happy with 1 or 2 members in an enclosure, so I just had 2 Stegos, 2 Paras, and solitary Torosaurs, Styracosaurs and Dracos and Stygis happy in their paddocks, until I could afford to add more company for them.

And I finally hit 5 stars after releasing that 3rd Brachiosaurus at the very end!

Still contemplating whether to do the challenge modes for Dr Wu and Sanctuary DLC's, because I was really after the particular skins for the main campaign that could only be unlocked on Jurassic difficulty.

Congrats!

I always love to hear all the different ways people play Jurassic difficulty. I noticed you had some difficult dinos on your roaster, so a double congrats.

I usually play it safe and go for the speedy sauropod petting zoo as soon as they are available. I've found that loading those lovable, plodding, behemoths into pens rockets ratings, is highly disaster resistant (they are to slow to stray through any open gates or downed fences), surprising cost effective compared to any form of genetic engineering, and an incredibly fast way to complete Jurassic challenge mode. Still, love to hear that you had success with a unique and fun build.

 

[jsi7iv]

One hotel dude you're good at this I had three or four. But yeah it was hard to get started with on that island. Do you have any tips for Pena?

I don't remember what I did on Pena. I'll see if I still have that save. If I do, I will try an upload a screenshot of my final park. Most likely it followed my standard build with one viewing gallery with the accompanying shops and single hotel on the main part of the island. The other part that was further out I loaded with fences as a decoy. Later, I filled that whole area up with Sauropods. I wouldn't bother to connecting the two. It's possible to leave all your visitors in a relatively small part of the island.

Now that I think of it... it might be possible to never have to build a tram station on that island. I wonder if the shops, hotel, and single viewing gallery can all fit at the park entrance? That would be ideal for cutting corners.

 

[Super King Ghidorah]

I don't remember what I did on Pena. I'll see if I still have that save. If I do, I will try an upload a screenshot of my final park. Most likely it followed my standard build with one viewing gallery with the accompanying shops and single hotel on the main part of the island. The other part that was further out I loaded with fences as a decoy. Later, I filled that whole area up with Sauropods. I wouldn't bother to connecting the two. It's possible to leave all your visitors in a relatively small part of the island.

Now that I think of it... it might be possible to never have to build a tram station on that island. I wonder if the shops, hotel, and single viewing gallery can all fit at the park entrance? That would be ideal for cutting corners.

What do you mean decoy fences?

 

[jsi7iv]

What do you mean decoy fences?

I mean build a small pen on the other side of the island. Tornados seem to go for fences even if there are no dinosaurs inside them. I learned this with through Claire's DLC when a tornado hit some empty faces on Nublar, and then proceeded to hit other empty fences.

 

[jsi7iv]

Here's my Isla Pena. One screenshot shows a 4.5 star. I think I had just delivered a dinosaur and that resulted in my poor rating.