Research Should Be Franchise-Wide

[Sirithiliel]

I don't understand the point of Franchise mode, if you can't transfer what you've learned from one to another. Why do I need to re-research every single animal and disease for a new location, when my other location has so much done already? Why can't that information be transferred over?

I just don't get it, really. It makes no sense that I cannot move what i've learned from my established first Franchise to a second Franchise. It's a Franchise, right? that usually indicates a chain of businesses, and one that would share knowledge. Maybe not money, but at least the research...

 

[Silmarwen]

It's definitely not realistic in the slightest, which is what the devs seem to be trying to strive for. However, if you make research franchise-wide, you also run into the issue about researching everything at one zoo pretty quickly and then the research feature essentially being nullified and useless for the rest of your franchise play. I personally don't agree with making a feature or mechanic useless for play.
If they did make research franchise-wide, they would also have to add in another incentive to continue conducting research. It's a little annoying, but the game is in very early release and I'm fine with how it is.

 

[Agathorn]

You max out research pretty quickly anyway. The advantage to continuing to research is the education bonus.

However if you are playing a franchise, you expect to be able to build upon each zoo's foundations. If you do one zoo, then another, chances are you plan to use DIFFERENT animals in that second zoo so you will be doing new research anyway. But the mechanics research for things likes themes, you would want to carry over otherwise every zoo starts out the same anyway and then what's the point of franchise?

 

[Silmarwen]

You max out research pretty quickly anyway. The advantage to continuing to research is the education bonus.

However if you are playing a franchise, you expect to be able to build upon each zoo's foundations. If you do one zoo, then another, chances are you plan to use DIFFERENT animals in that second zoo so you will be doing new research anyway. But the mechanics research for things likes themes, you would want to carry over otherwise every zoo starts out the same anyway and then what's the point of franchise?

The education bonus is not a big enough incentive to carry the mechanism. I could see maybe research in other franchise zoos contributing a very small fraction to research in another zoo, such as one tick or even less, but it's just not a good idea to implement without thoroughly thinking through other solutions and the possible consequences.

 

[TheGaijin87]

to me it seems that this game has become a quick money grab. they dont answer to important issues and it doesnt seem like they want to change / fix anything. theres no comment on why the franchise mode is not a franchise mode, no comment on why the pack behaviour is so totally wrong, no comment on why the game speed is absolutely ridiculous. im getting really disappointed here

 

[Sirithiliel]

But the mechanics research for things likes themes, you would want to carry over otherwise every zoo starts out the same anyway and then what's the point of franchise?

that's actually why i want research to carry over. i want to be able to incorporate train rides and other such nice themes into my zoo without having to rebuild it section by section with teh limited animal storage meaning i can only do small portions at one time

 

[LaTokk]

At the very least you should get all staff facilities and all barriers that have been researched, plus the theme for the region your new franchise is in. I'm less bothered about animal research and food/drinks carrying over as for the animals the knowledge relates more to the vets and keepers, plus you could be using new species in the new franchise, and food and drink has local variation - maybe randomise which ones you start with.

 

[Jan-Bas]

i agree with this

 

[Holyvision]

I kinda disagree respectfully.

As of now you pass your advanced research bonuses to other zoos in franchise mode but don't pass all the completed research. I find this to be much more realistic than passing everything along. Zoos in this game take place over many regions and biomes and what worked for a zoo in Florida is likely not going to work the same for a Zoo in Siberia or etc. It makes sense that these zoos would have to research the animals and what not that they have in relation to unique needs and requirements for their geographical location. Also the diseases and ailments you encounter will vary by geographical location as well.

"We have wolves here in Florida and help them adapt to the humidity and heat with _, but since you're somewhere that's a different biome that probably won't work for you. So here's what we DO know about the wolves to help you figure out what works best for your location."

By passing along your advanced research bonus(es), your existing zoos are more than happy to help your new zoos come online with more advanced research more quickly than zoos starting with no support whatsoever. You are not starting at a total square one.

If they add pure shared research between zoos, then it should be in Challenge mode and not Franchise mode, in my opinion.

The game has only been out for just over a single week now however, and just like with Planet Coaster it will need time and updates to really shine as a great game. Those who think this game is a "cash grab" or whatever need to go play something else for a month or two and let them get the game up to snuff. Planet Coaster was exactly the same way at release.

Give it some time and it'll only improve.

 

[TETK]

Strongly agree with this!

 

[Sirithiliel]

I kinda disagree respectfully.

As of now you pass your advanced research bonuses to other zoos in franchise mode but don't pass all the completed research. I find this to be much more realistic than passing everything along. Zoos in this game take place over many regions and biomes and what worked for a zoo in Florida is likely not going to work the same for a Zoo in Siberia or etc. It makes sense that these zoos would have to research the animals and what not that they have in relation to unique needs and requirements for their geographical location. Also the diseases and ailments you encounter will vary by geographical location as well.

"We have wolves here in Florida and help them adapt to the humidity and heat with _, but since you're somewhere that's a different biome that probably won't work for you. So here's what we DO know about the wolves to help you figure out what works best for your location."

By passing along your advanced research bonus(es), your existing zoos are more than happy to help your new zoos come online with more advanced research more quickly than zoos starting with no support whatsoever. You are not starting at a total square one.

If they add pure shared research between zoos, then it should be in Challenge mode and not Franchise mode, in my opinion.

The game has only been out for just over a single week now however, and just like with Planet Coaster it will need time and updates to really shine as a great game. Those who think this game is a "cash grab" or whatever need to go play something else for a month or two and let them get the game up to snuff. Planet Coaster was exactly the same way at release.

Give it some time and it'll only improve.

what about trains? why can i not build a train in my new franchise zoo, despite learning how to build one in previous zoo. Or what about one-way glass barriers?

I'm not saying ALL research should pass, but why not things htat let you build a better zoo? Things that you have to remake an entire existing zoo in order to add, like transport rides

with only 30 animal storage, you know how difficult it is to redo a zoo in order to put a train in near the beginning after you research it? It's a huge pain.

why not let us get our mechanic research then. Surely that isn't game breaking. Rides, themes, staff buildings, and barriers.

 

[Skylalaa]

IMO I don't think the game should give you all the research after making another zoo, because that would nullify an entire mechanic of the game which would be disappointing and make Franchise mode that bit less entertaining. However, I agree there should be a bonus in research to help boost your next zoo along.

My suggestion would be, when you open a new Franchise you can choose one animal research and one mechanic research to gold and available to you instantly, but the rest you have to re-learn. The ones you choose must have already been researched to gold in the last zoo.
If you really want transport to be a focus in the zoo, you can choose that one area to have carried over, and maybe you want to focus on tigers so you can have only them researched to gold already.
Alternatively, if in your previous zoo you researched everything possible to gold, in your new zoo you could have everything boosted one for you already, so not started from scratch but still plenty more to learn.
Perhaps a combination of both.

 

[7thDeath]

Not so much the animal research, but rather the scenery , barriers and themes.
I want to start a new zoo with a specific theme right from the beginning, otherwise they all look the same the first few ingame years. :T

 

[[VR] Deggial]

I wrote this in another thread already, but want to repeat it here:
In my opinion, especially the theme research is highly realistic!
And this is my reasoning:

What is "theme research" after all?
Is it really the study of an architectural style? I find this unlikely. General zoo design principles and different ethnic styles are most likely part of the basic education for a future zoo designer/architect/engineer.
When they apply to a new job, the future people in charge know about this already; it's in the job description!

What is unknown though, is how to implement all that knowledge at a new zoo location.
In reality, you don't just go and buy the shingles for an Asian roof at the next corner store. Especially, if you opened the zoo in South America.
You will have to find vendors who are able to deliver the needed items, do so reliably, in the quality needed and -most important- for an affordable price. Offers have to be compared, samples evaluated, manufacturers visited.

And finally, if you have spend lots of money and time, you might have found the company to work with.
The company that is willing and able to deliver you exactly what you need.
Congratulations, research successfully finished!

Unfortunately, if you open a zoo at a different location, all of this will have to start from scratch.
(And no, you will not want to just keep the provider you have found on a different continent. Zoo equipment is not delivered by Amazon for free if you ordered for over 30.- bucks.
Transportation costs are a real thing you want to minimize. Or at least compare the old, trusted provider with the local offerings ... which again needs research ...)

As Holyvision wrote: What worked for one zoo, doesn't for another. Simple as that.

 

[Sirithiliel]

I wrote this in another thread already, but want to repeat it here:
In my opinion, especially the theme research is highly realistic!
And this is my reasoning:

What is "theme research" after all?
Is it really the study of an architectural style? I find this unlikely. General zoo design principles and different ethnic styles are most likely part of the basic education for a future zoo designer/architect/engineer.
When they apply to a new job, the future people in charge know about this already; it's in the job description!

What is unknown though, is how to implement all that knowledge at a new zoo location.
In reality, you don't just go and buy the shingles for an Asian roof at the next corner store. Especially, if you opened the zoo in South America.
You will have to find vendors who are able to deliver the needed items, do so reliably, in the quality needed and -most important- for an affordable price. Offers have to be compared, samples evaluated, manufacturers visited.

And finally, if you have spend lots of money and time, you might have found the company to work with.
The company that is willing and able to deliver you exactly what you need.
Congratulations, research successfully finished!

Unfortunately, if you open a zoo at a different location, all of this will have to start from scratch.
(And no, you will not want to just keep the provider you have found on a different continent. Zoo equipment is not delivered by Amazon for free if you ordered for over 30.- bucks.
Transportation costs are a real thing you want to minimize. Or at least compare the old, trusted provider with the local offerings ... which again needs research ...)

As Holyvision wrote: What worked for one zoo, doesn't for another. Simple as that.

i don't see that, sorry. If i learn how to build a train in one zoo, i'd still know how to build a train. It is likely i can still get all the parts i need for a train in a new location. If i build in asia, i can buy train parts from a asian factory. If i build in Europe, i can buy parts from a European one. I do not see why moving to a different continent means i do not know how to build a train anymore

what about if i want more fast food options for my zoo at the start, instead of having 5 Chief Beef all over because i focus my research on other things i also can't get, like barriers? SUrely i would still know how to build a hot dog stand on a new continent without having to research it yet again

sorry, i don't get your argument's reasoning. From a game stand point or a real life one. i can get what i need to build a train, or build a hot dog stand, if i learn how to build it once. sure, the materials might come from a different source, but that doesn't change the fact i know how to build one and then suddenly forget if i move to a new zoo

animal research i understand, but i do not understand why mechanic research is wiped. it really defeats hte point of starting a new franchise zoo to me, becuase what is the point? I can't start a africa zoo with africa theme and include a boat ride at the beginning. No, if i want to do that, i have to rebuld my entire zoo one section at a time, holding only 30 animals in my storage while i rebuild their habitats for those areas

why bother call it franchise when it's anything but

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Maybe a reference to a more professional source than my mere opinion might help to convice you. (An opinion that I have formed by reading the linked dissertation, by the way.)

The relevance of local providers is described there, but I couldn't find the related paragraph on my fast cross-reading, sorry for that. I am afraid you'll have to read the disertion by yourself. It's worthwhile, though.

However, what I've found are even more local factors that have to be considered - and therefore "researched" in the game context in every newly opened zoo:

Local climates: Zoos in different climat zones face different challenges:
"The limited literature on the subject of tropical zoos also refers to the alleged advantages but focuses on the problems.
Thus explains Trebbau: When I visited zoos years ago for constructing new zoos, they said, “You are so well off, you have all the hot weather you want and you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to build anything. You can just have the animals.” We have seen here . . . this is really not true. You have lots of problems. You have the rain, you have the sun, you have humidity. [3]
Djakoure lists the multiple climatic effects on tropical zoos as: invasive vegetation; soil erosion; mosses and moulds; oxidation of metals; termites and other insects [4]. Toovey emphasises low technology buildings and mechanical systems (doors, etc.) as being more appropriate to hot climates [5]." (here)

Local legal considerations; different countries have different laws:
"Singapore Zoo has used a variety of low impact safety features, many of which would not be possible in countries like the USA for example. They would be considered to hazardous or too much at risk of deliberate transgression." (here)

---

If i learn how to build a train in one zoo, i'd still know how to build a train. It is likely i can still get all the parts i need for a train in a new location. If i build in asia, i can buy train parts from a asian factory. If i build in Europe, i can buy parts from a European one. I do not see why moving to a different continent means i do not know how to build a train anymore

Yes, you know, how to build a train. (Who is "you", by the way, in a realistic non-game context?). That's what I wrote; the technical outlines, the design principles are clear and known. They don't even need to be "researched" in the first place! You have hired professionals which already know their métier!

You write it so easy: "If i build in asia, i can buy train parts from a asian factory."
But which factory?
From where did you get your knowledge about the regional factories? You were not born with it neither did you learn about the dirty blue-collar details during your theoretical studies at university.
If you found multiple providers, how do you know about their portfolio, about their prices, about their quality? Again, you have to invest time and work.

Exactly: You will have to "research" all of this!

 

[Sirithiliel]

you seem to be going way too in depth for what is supposed to be a zoo management game.

franchises can communicate IRL. A mcdonalds in america is still serving similar things to a mcdonalds in Europe. They're a Franchise. they can share information between each other. The mcdonalds company itself is what makes it a franchise, and are in charge and can dictate menus

why call franchise mode franchise mode if you can literally share nothing but stored animals and CC? Why can we even send animals born in Asia to zoos in a different biome at all, if we can't even transfer knowledge on how to build a straw african themed house? If i can't figure out how to build a straw house in a different biome, that's pretty sad. And yet we can move animals born in the desert zoo to a arctic zoo?

All i want is to be able to incorporate an african theme into my zoo from the very start. Or build a train at the start of my zoo so that i can wind it throughout my whole zoo without having to rebuild it one tiny section at a time due to limited animal storage. It is INCREDIBLY annoying having to delete everything and rebuild it african themed once i research it all. It is also INCREDIBLY annoying having to try and remodel an entire zoo 30 animals at a time to get a train ride in there after so many years researching it

what is the piont researching any of that if i can't use it in a new franchise zoo from the start? i might as well ignore that research and just go play sandbox for a pretty zoo, because they're making it super annoying to use any cosmetic / transport research in an established zoo

I didn't think it was that impossible of a request lol

 

[[VR] Deggial]

All I try, is to explain the chosen game mechanic with the real-life background.

In the game, the necessity for from-scratch-research is simple: If you (as a game developer) design a game mechanic, you want it to be meaningful for way longer than just the first game played. You want to keep the requirement to balance zoo income vs. research expense. You want the players to continue building research centers. How sucessfully achieved those goals actually are, doesn't matter. It's the underlying design idea that counts. Everything else are tweaks that may or may not come.

In real life, researching all those factors is a reality, too. I think, I have layed out my arguments quite conclusive. (You might just call it "making inquiries" instead of the very big word "research", if you prefer it this way.)

So, I believe both is sound: research as a game mechanic and the game mechanic based on reality.

Which leaves only one thing to discuss: Your personal desires.
If you simply don't like the research aspect of Planet Zoo, you (a very general "you" that includes all players with the same preference) are absolutely entiteled to your own opinion! All is fine! Everybody likes different things and this is the place to verbalize them.
But be upright to this and don't try to justify your dislike with references to real life logic and how the game should reflect this.

(Oh, and of course I am just stating my opinions and desires as well - which is: "Please keep research as it is". I hope, my continuous argumentation is not held against me! )

 

[Sirlacker]

Whilst I completely agree with the original post, and whilst it would be the easiest solution to implement, I have my own take on the whole shared research I'd like to share.

In simple terms, any zoo in your franchise that has already researched X item/animal then provides a research speed bonus to a fresh or different zoo for that same researched object. Anything previously unresearched within said franchise stays at the normal rate.

The reasoning behind this, and I know its just a game, is that it adds a little touch of realism in a sense. You spend the normal amount of time researching a fresh subject in a particular zoo and then when you want to research that on an alternate zoo, because you already researched it within the franchise, the groundwork has already been complete but you'd still need to instruct or teach the research to the staff.

In a little more complicated layout it'd look like this:

Zoo A researches Tortoises and New World items from fresh

Zoo B researches Asian items and Tigers from fresh

Zoo C can now research Asian items, New World items, tigers and tortoises at 3 times the speed. Up until the point that the highest tier of research the other zoo has done. At which point it returns to normal speed.


Zoo A with full tortoise research gets deleted.

Zoo B with full tiger research gets deleted.

Zoo C didn't complete all the tiger and tortoise research at 3x speed before the deletion. Now Zoo C will finish the tier of research its currently on at 3x speed (if any) and then resume at normal speed as that knowledge is now no longer around.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Tapirus]

I think the franchise mode is more based on the CC you earned to get the expansive animals at the starting point for new zoos and earn community events rewards.
if you train your vet/mechanic in the new zoo, the research time is nothing.

2 stars mechanics might take some time depending on the project but just a 2 stars vet makes it so much faster.
It's like just because Gordon Ramsay opens a new restaurant doesn't automatically make every chef as good as him.