I understand that every once and a while zoos will give out refunds but let's be honest. Just because you didn't see the animal you want doesn't mean you get a refund. If I want to a zoo and complained about there not being a bengal tiger and asked for a refund they would laugh at my face. Also guests are wanting refunds just because of staff facilities making noise through cement buildings? That makes zero sense for them to even be able to hear it. Also guests complain about food and water but actual zoos don't have a drink building every 20 ft. . Plus why would add the refunding so high when mechanics don't fix vandalism and caretakers barely do their job at all even at 5* training. The occurrence of vandalism is unrealistically high as well. I don't know why I waste my time hiring security who do nothing to slow it down. All of these issues cause refunds and most zoo in the US at least won't give you a refund unless you are seriously injured there or an animal escapes. Other than that they won't do anything at all or will maybe give a free voucher for your next visit at best.
Refunds are unrealistic!
- Thread starter ThunderXSniper
- Start date
I get refunds for things like animal escapes, but I do agree guests shouldn't get a refund just because they didn't have an amazing time.
I completely agree, in suggestions thread I suggested it should be a gameplay option that we can toggle, so like I would have them all on except for unhappy guests, because I do belive happiness is bugged in my zoos since the .03 patch. I reported in the tracker, https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/11269 but at least if we could turn the refunds off while they fix the game
What ThunderXSniper said: When I go to a zoo and have a bad time, well, unless I can prove it's the zoo's fault I won't get a refund. The whole refund mechanic as it is is kinda stupid if you ask me. There's also the point of having a ridiculous amount of drink and food stalls (and still have guests be thirsty/hungry). Why aren't there buildings that can be run by two people in a rotating shift? Or at the same time?And how can people vandalize stuff right under a security camera? One the hand there's this idea that the game should be realistic (for the animals), but a little bit more realism in the finances tab would go a long way.
My 3 franchise zoos with over 80% guest happiness are suddenly losing huge amounts due to insane amounts of refunds , This has only recently started but from having zoos that were constantly in profit all 3 are now losing huge amounts constantly and one in particular has gone from 3 million profit into the red .
Exactly. Frontier still seems to struggle with the fundamental concept of a management simulator, which at its core is what Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo are. In a manager game, the player, should get to choose key management decisions like whether players get refunds. The fun and challenge of a management game is that are consequences, good or bad, to every decision. For example, if the player chooses not to give refunds they obviously keep more money, but guests who believe they deserve a refund will leave unhappy, which will negatively impact the zoos reputation and incrementally decrease future guest numbers. If the zoo is suffering from many unhappy guests or is suffering from low visitor numbers, a player may choose to start giving refunds, which in this hypothetical situation may ultimately have a positive economic effect for the zoo. But the point is it should be the players decision, just like whether to spend money on advertising. It is absolutely ridiculous that Frontier would make this a default setting that the player has no control over.
I do find it quite amusing that people only seem to moan about 'realism' when it is something negative (you dont see many posts about how unrealistic staff wages are, or elephants being carried in boxes, or that you can do the earthworks for a giant mountain for $1,000). Refund are a mechanic which punishes poor guest happiness simple as that, you dont keep your guests happy then you lose their ticket revenue. Not saying it is that well implemented but that is why it is there. If you have issues with high levels of refunds, then it is caused by issues in your zoo. Personally I think happiness reduces too quickly, particularly for certain things (such as leaving within 15 mins because of not seeing and listed animals). Personally I dont think it is 'bugged' at all, and I have spent probably about 10 hours reviewing my 9,000 guests to understand what it happening. Just that it needs relaxing.......
yes but when you have over 80% average guest happiness and then see that over £50.000 given out in refunds for the period then there is something wrong
True but working out whether it is an actual 'bug' as opposed to balancing is very important. I have just had a spike in refunds in my zoo (I still think there is something that triggers it). Whilst my zoo was still green for happiness, my heatmap was showing a large number of red guests. Very few yellow, even at 80% happiness you have 20% left who can go looking for refunds. When I reviewed all of the guest groups, it was almost all due to not seeing the animals they wanted to see. I have already gone into the reasons why guest can struggle (large zoo, path finding, targeting selection etc). I am not sure if there is a set time (every 15mins) where they need to have seen a new animal from their list but if they dont they seem to take a big happiness hit, different groups were leaving in 15 minute intervals (15, 30, 45).
One thing I would say, is that I am not sure this was happening pre 1.10 patch, and updates were made to the refunds system. I dont think it is bug, I think it is a gameplay mechanic. One that needs adjusting.
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