Small maps to make a management park

[PCMR4Life]

Gee, thanks, I didn't notice one could have a not-full-roaster Park... FYI, I don't give a damn anyway about half the available species, but there are people who do like to have more than 15, you know.

Anyway, map size is ridiculous also for buildings and landscaping tools, not to mention there are less than half a dozen options available (one, if you only enjoy Sandbox, which is also and precisely the opposite to the definition of Sandbox).

Let's say you want to build a Sandbox map beach-based, yeah we have sand now on Nublar, so what? What sense does it make to place sand and water everywhere on a map which by all means is actually an inland valley? Or what if one would like to make a hill/cliff wide area? Nublar is already uneaven enough, but place a few bumps and hills and you'll be lucky to place more than two hotels.

Jokes aside, map size in JWE is the greatest disappointment of all and should be fixed. Console limitations shouldn't affect PC players either; the whole islands could have been made buildable, map bounds placed based on processing capacity.

Well it won't be fixed. It can't be fixed. The only way it will be fixed is in the sequel which will be on newer better hardware console wise. Even then I doubt it will be a huge improvement cause consoles are always behind the PC in terms of capabilities for gaming.

While I agree that PC players shouldn't be effected by console limitations but the reality of the situation is that we are. That isn't going to change until the PC becomes the market leader. No developers will give the PC something consoles can't handle. If they gave the PC a larger map all the console peasants would start crying for the map and raging at Frontier. These people believe their peasant boxes are equal to a gaming PC. It's never going to happen.

 

[Flint2025]

Bigger maps are needed. But the other posts about the game needing more options are more important.

Why do we have 1 restaurant and 1 bar design... I could list all of the buildings to be dramatic but we only have ONE design for every building. Why??? We should have THEMED variants of each building. Kiosks and other small stands like others have said.

We need FAR more decorations. We need more terrain tools and all the terrain tools on each island.

Most importantly of all the dinosaurs need more animations and behaviors. The reason jpog had so much longevity was because people enjoyed watching the dinosaurs interact with one another and the enviornment. Here's a list of things jpog dinos did that we dont have:

Variant endings to fights
Co existed for long periods of time
Pooped
Had better socializing behaviors
Climbed fences
Pack hunted
Seemingly had unique personalities- sometimes 1 creation would be very skiddish and not fight another time the same species would be a wrecking machine
Could attack and destroy tour vehicles


Other things jpog had that we lack now:

Lure mechanisims
Cows
Viewing dome
Tour ballon
Sec cameras
Sentry turrets
Sec guards with lethal measures
Lethal measures
Cleaning staff
Bathrooms, rest areas, benches, trash cans
Diverse guests to cater to
You decide park entrance points
Guest rescues
Helicopter herding
Electric fences that sparked
Heatwaves


This game lacks a lot. There is a lot to improve upon. There's no use having large maps when the dinos dont do anything surprising or interesting. Or when you dont have lots of options to make your parks look different.

 

[Kikke]

Bigger maps are needed. But the other posts about the game needing more options are more important.

Why do we have 1 restaurant and 1 bar design... I could list all of the buildings to be dramatic but we only have ONE design for every building. Why??? We should have THEMED variants of each building. Kiosks and other small stands like others have said.

We need FAR more decorations. We need more terrain tools and all the terrain tools on each island.

Most importantly of all the dinosaurs need more animations and behaviors. The reason jpog had so much longevity was because people enjoyed watching the dinosaurs interact with one another and the enviornment. Here's a list of things jpog dinos did that we dont have:

Variant endings to fights
Co existed for long periods of time
Pooped
Had better socializing behaviors
Climbed fences
Pack hunted
Seemingly had unique personalities- sometimes 1 creation would be very skiddish and not fight another time the same species would be a wrecking machine
Could attack and destroy tour vehicles


Other things jpog had that we lack now:

Lure mechanisims
Cows
Viewing dome
Tour ballon
Sec cameras
Sentry turrets
Sec guards with lethal measures
Lethal measures
Cleaning staff
Bathrooms, rest areas, benches, trash cans
Diverse guests to cater to
You decide park entrance points
Guest rescues
Helicopter herding
Electric fences that sparked
Heatwaves


This game lacks a lot. There is a lot to improve upon. There's no use having large maps when the dinos dont do anything surprising or interesting. Or when you dont have lots of options to make your parks look different.

If it is already clear that they cannot make a decent map, it takes a long time for their new updates. Do you think they will make other options (like your ideas) that are also important?

 

[gabeluna27]

Bigger maps are needed. But the other posts about the game needing more options are more important.

Why do we have 1 restaurant and 1 bar design... I could list all of the buildings to be dramatic but we only have ONE design for every building. Why??? We should have THEMED variants of each building. Kiosks and other small stands like others have said.

We need FAR more decorations. We need more terrain tools and all the terrain tools on each island.

Most importantly of all the dinosaurs need more animations and behaviors. The reason jpog had so much longevity was because people enjoyed watching the dinosaurs interact with one another and the enviornment. Here's a list of things jpog dinos did that we dont have:

Variant endings to fights
Co existed for long periods of time
Pooped
Had better socializing behaviors
Climbed fences
Pack hunted
Seemingly had unique personalities- sometimes 1 creation would be very skiddish and not fight another time the same species would be a wrecking machine
Could attack and destroy tour vehicles


Other things jpog had that we lack now:

Lure mechanisims
Cows
Viewing dome
Tour ballon
Sec cameras
Sentry turrets
Sec guards with lethal measures
Lethal measures
Cleaning staff
Bathrooms, rest areas, benches, trash cans
Diverse guests to cater to
You decide park entrance points
Guest rescues
Helicopter herding
Electric fences that sparked
Heatwaves


This game lacks a lot. There is a lot to improve upon. There's no use having large maps when the dinos dont do anything surprising or interesting. Or when you dont have lots of options to make your parks look different.

Jurassic World Evolution is its very own game (for the general public), Paul_Crowther confirmed directly to me months ago, not something intended to satisfy specific cults. Don’t expect everything in a related game to have everything in a previous related game.

If you want something you would like to see, feel free to give out constructive feedback and ideas. When I make my idea threads, I like to dig deep on how and why these idea and feedback threads could work in-game rather than having them just thrown in there without second thought besides to look or sound cool. Something like: how and why x could work in-game and why b can’t.

Every species you can have in-game is really just subjective (minus the mission required dinosaurs) at the end of the day. You don’t need all of them, but you can want all of them in your game if you wish, and there are ways to have dozens in one map.

Is there anything in a video game you really need or just want for your lives?

 

[Player 99234567]

If it is already clear that they cannot make a decent map, it takes a long time for their new updates. Do you think they will make other options (like your ideas) that are also important?

Jurassic World Evolution is its very own game (for the general public), Paul_Crowther confirmed directly to me months ago, not something intended to satisfy specific cults. Don’t expect everything in a related game to have everything in a previous related game.

If you want something you would like to see, feel free to give out constructive feedback and ideas. When I make my idea threads, I like to dig deep on how and why these idea and feedback threads could work in-game rather than having them just thrown in there without second thought besides to look or sound cool. Something like: how and why x could work in-game and why b can’t.

Every species you can have in-game is really just subjective (minus the mission required dinosaurs) at the end of the day. You don’t need all of them, but you can want all of them in your game if you wish, and there are ways to have dozens in one map.

Is there anything in a video game you really need or just want for your lives?

It doesnt help that the same exact company that has barely squeezed any content out over a year for JWE is also making PlanetZoo which will have all if not most of the things people have been asking for right at launch. Limited map sizes is one thing but there just isnt any excuse why they couldnt have had basic things like decorations, bathrooms or even staff when the game came when out when it is clear they are more than capable of making all of that at the same time they are making this game. As time goes by and they do add these things in they cant really fall back on excuses like "console limitations" and then go ahead do it anyways.

 

[Aramus418]

It doesnt help that the same exact company that has barely squeezed any content out over a year for JWE is also making PlanetZoo which will have all if not most of the things people have been asking for right at launch. Limited map sizes is one thing but there just isnt any excuse why they couldnt have had basic things like decorations, bathrooms or even staff when the game came when out when it is clear they are more than capable of making all of that at the same time they are making this game. As time goes by and they do add these things in they cant really fall back on excuses like "console limitations" and then go ahead do it anyways.

My understanding is they started Planet Zoo in the design process roughly the same time as JWE, but with Universal's support came a hard deadline to release along side JW: Fallen Kingdom. There are always going to be cut features; when you lose a year of development, you cut alot.

Also, and this goes to everybody, it's easy to tally up what JPOG had that JWE doesn't, but isn't it funny how the JPOG cult never tally up what JWE has that JPOG doesn't? And I wonder how much of the alleged subtleties of JPOG AI about unique personalities was in ya'll's 7-year-old heads when it was just a function of the random behavior, and you can't see it in JWE because you're 20-something and mad that you can't kill the dinos with sentry guns this time. JPOG was great, but there are a lot of features in JWE that JPOG doesn't have. When you go back and play JPOG, does it frustrate you that there's no jeep? Should it have had a jeep from the start? Does it "need" a jeep? No? Well, now you see how bothered I am by the lack of defecating dinos in JWE.

 

[Alan_Grady]

My understanding is they started Planet Zoo in the design process roughly the same time as JWE, but with Universal's support came a hard deadline to release along side JW: Fallen Kingdom. There are always going to be cut features; when you lose a year of development, you cut alot.

Also, and this goes to everybody, it's easy to tally up what JPOG had that JWE doesn't, but isn't it funny how the JPOG cult never tally up what JWE has that JPOG doesn't? And I wonder how much of the alleged subtleties of JPOG AI about unique personalities was in ya'll's 7-year-old heads when it was just a function of the random behavior, and you can't see it in JWE because you're 20-something and mad that you can't kill the dinos with sentry guns this time. JPOG was great, but there are a lot of features in JWE that JPOG doesn't have. When you go back and play JPOG, does it frustrate you that there's no jeep? Should it have had a jeep from the start? Does it "need" a jeep? No? Well, now you see how bothered I am by the lack of defecating dinos in JWE.

That's easy to understand when you realize that pretty much nothing JWE had at launch was even fun gameplay wise. There was literally no AI, and the scarce new, particular features of JWE still feel extremely half-baked and pointless.

Really, what did JWE add that is better than what JPOG? Gene splicing? Do you think this is such a game changer at all? What else? Nice graphics? Contract/rep system? The feeders endlessly in need of refilling?

Maybe JPOG was far from a huge game but it was awesome at the time. I still play it's missions, those were far more fun than JWE's campaign. And it did had dino AI and park management, among other features still to implement in JWE. So, why would it be the opposite toll? JWE still does not live up to JPOG

 

[Aramus418]

That's easy to understand when you realize that pretty much nothing JWE had at launch was even fun gameplay wise. There was literally no AI, and the scarce new, particular features of JWE still feel extremely half-baked and pointless.

Really, what did JWE add that is better than what JPOG? Gene splicing? Do you think this is such a game changer at all? What else? Nice graphics? Contract/rep system? The feeders endlessly in need of refilling?

Maybe JPOG was far from a huge game but it was awesome at the time. I still play it's missions, those were far more fun than JWE's campaign. And it did had dino AI and park management, among other features still to implement in JWE. So, why would it be the opposite toll? JWE still does not live up to JPOG

I love how I didn’t have to list a single thing; you already knew what they are and rush to attack them. Even the features that needed more work like Contracts stand as an improvement over their complete absence. I especially love how you mock the idea of “nice graphics” when that was exactly what people said about JPOG in 2002: “nice graphics but lacks depth for the genre”. You’re proving my point.

 

[Player 99234567]

That's easy to understand when you realize that pretty much nothing JWE had at launch was even fun gameplay wise. There was literally no AI, and the scarce new, particular features of JWE still feel extremely half-baked and pointless.

Really, what did JWE add that is better than what JPOG? Gene splicing? Do you think this is such a game changer at all? What else? Nice graphics? Contract/rep system? The feeders endlessly in need of refilling?

Maybe JPOG was far from a huge game but it was awesome at the time. I still play it's missions, those were far more fun than JWE's campaign. And it did had dino AI and park management, among other features still to implement in JWE. So, why would it be the opposite toll? JWE still does not live up to JPOG

I love how I didn’t have to list a single thing; you already knew what they are and rush to attack them. Even the features that needed more work like Contracts stand as an improvement over their complete absence. I especially love how you mock the idea of “nice graphics” when that was exactly what people said about JPOG in 2002: “nice graphics but lacks depth for the genre”. You’re proving my point.

I never played JPOG or had heard of it till this game was announced. It definitely was the better game at launch and is still a good game but JWE has improved. My issue is that it hurts know what JWE COULD considering the development of PlanetZoo happen right before our eyes. I really do like JWE, it would just be nice if it they could add in the basics (like the decor we got) sooner rather than later.

 

[Flint2025]

If it is already clear that they cannot make a decent map, it takes a long time for their new updates. Do you think they will make other options (like your ideas) that are also important?

Yes

 

[Flint2025]

My understanding is they started Planet Zoo in the design process roughly the same time as JWE, but with Universal's support came a hard deadline to release along side JW: Fallen Kingdom. There are always going to be cut features; when you lose a year of development, you cut alot.

Also, and this goes to everybody, it's easy to tally up what JPOG had that JWE doesn't, but isn't it funny how the JPOG cult never tally up what JWE has that JPOG doesn't? And I wonder how much of the alleged subtleties of JPOG AI about unique personalities was in ya'll's 7-year-old heads when it was just a function of the random behavior, and you can't see it in JWE because you're 20-something and mad that you can't kill the dinos with sentry guns this time. JPOG was great, but there are a lot of features in JWE that JPOG doesn't have. When you go back and play JPOG, does it frustrate you that there's no jeep? Should it have had a jeep from the start? Does it "need" a jeep? No? Well, now you see how bothered I am by the lack of defecating dinos in JWE.

First off in 2002 i was 15, not 7. So my mind wasnt tricked. The dino ai was actually just better. You can bash jpog all you want and try to make this a jpog vs jwe thing. I like both games. But any way you slice it a 17 year old game has more dino AI and behaviors then a game from 2018. That right from the get go puts jwe to shame. Jwe gives us tons of species all tied to the same character rigs giving us the exact same small behaviors. There is no randomization in jwe. If something unsuspected happens in jwe its a glitch. Jwe once they give us the 93 dlc will have a vastly superior base game compared to jpog. But unless they put effort into the dinosaurs and give them more animations it wont matter. The game doesnt have replayability at this point. The most joy I've had in jwe revolved around recreating my own jurassic park and jurassic world to resemble the movies. So it's a building game. The most joy i had in JPOG revolved around watching the dinosaurs and seeing what they did. See the difference?

A dinosaur game is supposed to be about the dinosaurs and they are the most neglected thing in jwe.

 

[Aramus418]

First off in 2002 i was 15, not 7. So my mind wasnt tricked. The dino ai was actually just better. You can bash jpog all you want and try to make this a jpog vs jwe thing. I like both games. But any way you slice it a 17 year old game has more dino AI and behaviors then a game from 2018. That right from the get go puts jwe to shame. Jwe gives us tons of species all tied to the same character rigs giving us the exact same small behaviors. There is no randomization in jwe. If something unsuspected happens in jwe its a glitch. Jwe once they give us the 93 dlc will have a vastly superior base game compared to jpog. But unless they put effort into the dinosaurs and give them more animations it wont matter. The game doesnt have replayability at this point. The most joy I've had in jwe revolved around recreating my own jurassic park and jurassic world to resemble the movies. So it's a building game. The most joy i had in JPOG revolved around watching the dinosaurs and seeing what they did. See the difference?

A dinosaur game is supposed to be about the dinosaurs and they are the most neglected thing in jwe.

First of all I wasn’t bashing JPOG. I consider them more or less equivalent for their era all things in balance. I thoroughly enjoy both. I just don’t understand the hype over JPOG as a tool to bash JWE. The AI in both games is adequate, yes, even your precious conception of JPOG: just adequate. JWE animations are dramatically superior and movement is far more natural (JPOG never even heard of uncanny valley): they put their work into the whole life of 42+ animals rather than 3 different 30fps kill animations for... what? 20? But you only care about the number of kills and take no notice of all the other movement work that went in to giving these dinos life.

And what I find particularly telling is how often you insist JWE is so “shameful” and has “no replayability” and all the other hate you regularly spew and yet here you are -still here a whole year later. It was a fair difference of opinion 12 months ago but now it’s time to put the broken record away, dude. If this game is so why are you still here?

 

[Flint2025]

First of all I wasn’t bashing JPOG. I consider them more or less equivalent for their era all things in balance. I thoroughly enjoy both. I just don’t understand the hype over JPOG as a tool to bash JWE. The AI in both games is adequate, yes, even your precious conception of JPOG: just adequate. JWE animations are dramatically superior and movement is far more natural (JPOG never even heard of uncanny valley): they put their work into the whole life of 42+ animals rather than 3 different 30fps kill animations for... what? 20? But you only care about the number of kills and take no notice of all the other movement work that went in to giving these dinos life.

And what I find particularly telling is how often you insist JWE is so “shameful” and has “no replayability” and all the other hate you regularly spew and yet here you are -still here a whole year later. It was a fair difference of opinion 12 months ago but now it’s time to put the broken record away, dude. If this game is so poopoo why are you still here?

To get them to continue to improve the game. Which asking for improvements has done. The game is better a year later than it was a year ago. I was still buying copies of jpog for different platforms in 2015 to play it on pc. 13 years later and i was still playing it. If jwe doesnt give their dinos more animations and behaviors i wont still be playing the game 12 years from now. It should be everyones goal to make their game the best in It's genre no matter what it is. If they're going to keep improving this game they need feedback from people who play it on what should be improved.

Some of jwe weaknesses are no brainers for fans of the franchise. What are raptors known for? Pack hunting... Not included. What else are raptors remembered for? Their movie skins... Not included. What is the spino remembered for? Breaking the Rex's neck... Not included. These ideas arent hard to come up with if you are making a jw game. That's why people still complain about it, especially since it was in a game on consoles over 10 years ago. It's like having a star wars jedi knight game without lightsabers. It's stuff that should have been planned to be included. And maybe it will be. Im hopeful. Frontier has continued to put out new content and updates. So i dont hate the game and im hopeful it will still surpass jpog someday.

 

[Alan_Grady]

I love how I didn’t have to list a single thing; you already knew what they are and rush to attack them. Even the features that needed more work like Contracts stand as an improvement over their complete absence. I especially love how you mock the idea of “nice graphics” when that was exactly what people said about JPOG in 2002: “nice graphics but lacks depth for the genre”. You’re proving my point.

Obviously, anyone with eyes to see and a bit of memory can see the glaring differences, so I don't think there is a need for listings. I just happen to still play JPOG at times. But I'll work on a comparison chart, if you want.

I can't but lol about "features that needed more work". Really? JPOG also needed work, modders proved that and managed to make an almost perfect game. BUT, the fact is that JPOG's features at least played to gameplay. JWE's are just pointless and boring. You talk about Contracts. Ok, tell me, how are that fun compared to JPOG's missions? Because maybe there weren't a lot of them, but at least were completely different scenarios than "build X" or "breed X" and sit to wait a bar to fill (I recently played the scenario in which you have to guide a herd through a fenced path, for instance). Or, worst, just sit for a timer to end. Or were you talking about the so-called Campaign? Right: the Tacaño map was the only one I personally enjoyed, and it was just an economic simulation, every other map is just the same as the previous one with just an extra of terrain constraints annoyances.

I don't think the "complete absence" of certain features is an issue if they are not adding anything fun to the game. Why would anyone want gene-splicing, specially one designed for pokemon battles, if it doesn't affect the final dinosaurs in an observable way? JWE had NO dinosaur AI at launch. None. Zero. They just roamed around endlessly and did nothing else. So, what's the point of adding half a dozen genes for a gene splicing system that supposedly increases attack stat when all animals behave in the very same berserk and illogical way? When all carnivores just kill everything they find and herbivores got tantrums whenever they roam too far away from their own? What is the point of adding it in the first place when you are supposedly building a zoo (not even a Park) and so theoretically keeping your animals safe and keep them from fighting each other?

Anyway, are you sure you were reading JPOG's reviews and not JW's Here, have a couple:

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis Review

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis is an enjoyable game that should appeal to dinosaur buffs and park simulation fans alike, thanks to its attractive graphics engine, unique features, and surprising gameplay depth.

www.gamespot.com

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis is an enjoyable game that should appeal to dinosaur buffs and park simulation fans alike, thanks to its attractive graphics engine, unique features, and surprising gameplay depth.

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis Review - IGN

You will learn to love the Jurassic Park theme music or you will go mad while playing this game. It's well orchestrated thanks to the developer's association with the Melbourne Symphony, but it comes up often enough that you will grow weary of listening to it.

www.ign.com

The look of JP at glance isn't that impressive even though there are a handful of graphical details here and there that you will definitely appreciate. Overall, you're getting fairly bland textures and environments that do a good job suggesting trees, mountains and lush tropical locales, but there's absolutely nothing that will knock your socks off.

However, I have to say that the only reviews that really matter are those of the playerbase, and there are people still playing JPOG today. Will JWE have the same honor when titles such as PK come out?

I will agree with you that JPOG graphics, dino AI and such were adequate. Just adequate. But it's been more than 15 years. JWE is less than 2 years old. This should be enough to understand why it is NOT adequate today, and certainly that makes them both NOT equivalent at all, sorry.

And what I find particularly telling is how often you insist JWE is so “shameful” and has “no replayability” and all the other hate you regularly spew and yet here you are -still here a whole year later. It was a fair difference of opinion 12 months ago but now it’s time to put the broken record away, dude. If this game is so poopoo why are you still here?

I'm still around because A) there is no other similar, modern option yet (although PK is closer by the day, precisely this month's newsletter arrived yesterday night) and B) I've been told FD listens to fandom and keeps improving their games. I've preordered this and was disappointed so, should there be any chance for it to be fixed and eventually worth the 60 bucks, I'm all in for providing feedback.

 

[Aramus418]

"JWE had NO dinosaur AI at launch. None. Zero" I get enough Trump watching the news. Can we dial down the absurd hyberbole?

Anyway, the bottom line from the IGN article you posted: "Jurassic Park could be a real hoot for serious dinosaur enthusiasts but not necessarily for fans of the movies or "tycoon" game fans. ...I wouldn't ask for more action because that's not what the game is about, but as it is, it doesn't do the genre well enough to be considered a must-have on Xbox." Not only do I remember the temperature when JPOG came out- because I lived it- but if you dig a little deeper than the top 2 items when you google "Jurassic Park Operation Genesis Review" you can find metacritic a little further down which is a great resource that saved a good snapshot from sites that don't exist anymore and magazines articles that never had an online presence.

"Visually stunning, and has somewhat interesting if uninspired gameplay, but doesn't have enough interest to hold die hard niche fans." -Gamezilla!

"simplicity is really the only thing that holds Operation Genesis back: it comes across as more of a children's game than a fully-fledged management title and doesn't have the challenges to really snare the proper calculator junkies"- PC Format.
(It didn't bother me that much, but I did tilt my head sideways the first time I saw the cartoonish "ZZZ" over a sleeping dino.)

"This game captured my attention... for about a day and a half."-ActionTrip

"Genesis' gameplay would really benefit from more depth: once you get the basic structures in place and the cash starts to roll in, there's little challenge left."-PC Gamer

"Those who play the most detailed and complex theme park sims won't get anything new from Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis."-Adrenaline Vault
(Planet Coaster gets brought up a lot by people disappointed in JWE, as if JPOG could hold its own against Roller Coaster Tycoon.)

"Despite the amount of stuff to do, JPOG isn't particularly deep."-Computer Gaming World
("But I personally don't like that stuff, therefore it couldn't possibly add any value for anyone"-You)

"The Jurassic Park license alone can only take it so far before it becomes formulaic."-Game Over Online

"Theme park simming light, and best left to those who can't get enough of dinosaurs."-Gamers' Temple

"Considering the thin gameplay and locked content, it shouldn't be any surprise that Operation Genesis is a console port."-Computer Gaming Magazine

"Just too much fluff and not enough fun."-Yahoo

I think G4 TV's review captures a quality I think both games posess and is part of why I like both.
"For the money, there's plenty to do, and best of all lets you focus on what you find fun."- G4
I didn't follow the development process of this game all that closely. I just remember thinking, "ok, JWE will look good and has the JP ip, and Mesozoica will be the scientifically accurate look with deeper features." Then JWE hit, I loved it, and no one talks about Mesozoica anymore; instead PK started getting talked up in a way increasingly similar to how a friend from work years ago talked about Star Citizen. I hope all the best for PK, and when it comes out I plan to buy it, but "a bird in the hand" my friends. Also, concerning money: while I got JPOG in the bargan bin a year later, I'm pretty sure it launched at $60. In '93, Dino Park Tycoon launched at $60. Games cost $60 (usually). And adjusted for inflation JWE at $55 for the deluxe edition is a better value (compared to the other titles I mentioned,and again I consider JPOG and JWE roughly equivanlent for their eras.

And lastly, a word on mods. I mostly didn't play JPOG with mods, becasue the mods that existed in 2003-05 either caused random, frequent crash-to-desktop or added a dinosaur which -wait for it- used the animation frame of an existing dino but the user made skin looked like I'd done it myself (and to be clear, my talents do not lay in graphic design). JPOG didn't have official mod support tools either. But most important of all: unmodded vs. unmodded happens to be the fair comparison to make.

 

[Flint2025]

It doesn't matter which one you think is better. The question is did jpog have cool things in it that would make jwe better if they were added? The answer is yes. Adding content from a similar game that people liked would make jwe better. There's nothing to argue about.

 

[PCMR4Life]

It doesnt help that the same exact company that has barely squeezed any content out over a year for JWE is also making PlanetZoo which will have all if not most of the things people have been asking for right at launch. Limited map sizes is one thing but there just isnt any excuse why they couldnt have had basic things like decorations, bathrooms or even staff when the game came when out when it is clear they are more than capable of making all of that at the same time they are making this game. As time goes by and they do add these things in they cant really fall back on excuses like "console limitations" and then go ahead do it anyways.

Planet Zoo is a PC exclusive. Things that work on the PC won't work as well on consoles. Not all the limitations are caused by consoles. Frontier had less than a year to make JWE and they had to make a game for the PC and consoles. They obviously had more time to work on PZ than JWE. PZ was probably being worked on long before JWE.

 

[PCMR4Life]

"JWE had NO dinosaur AI at launch. None. Zero" I get enough Trump watching the news. Can we dial down the absurd hyberbole?

Anyway, the bottom line from the IGN article you posted: "Jurassic Park could be a real hoot for serious dinosaur enthusiasts but not necessarily for fans of the movies or "tycoon" game fans. ...I wouldn't ask for more action because that's not what the game is about, but as it is, it doesn't do the genre well enough to be considered a must-have on Xbox." Not only do I remember the temperature when JPOG came out- because I lived it- but if you dig a little deeper than the top 2 items when you google "Jurassic Park Operation Genesis Review" you can find metacritic a little further down which is a great resource that saved a good snapshot from sites that don't exist anymore and magazines articles that never had an online presence.

"Visually stunning, and has somewhat interesting if uninspired gameplay, but doesn't have enough interest to hold die hard niche fans." -Gamezilla!

"simplicity is really the only thing that holds Operation Genesis back: it comes across as more of a children's game than a fully-fledged management title and doesn't have the challenges to really snare the proper calculator junkies"- PC Format.
(It didn't bother me that much, but I did tilt my head sideways the first time I saw the cartoonish "ZZZ" over a sleeping dino.)

"This game captured my attention... for about a day and a half."-ActionTrip

"Genesis' gameplay would really benefit from more depth: once you get the basic structures in place and the cash starts to roll in, there's little challenge left."-PC Gamer

"Those who play the most detailed and complex theme park sims won't get anything new from Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis."-Adrenaline Vault
(Planet Coaster gets brought up a lot by people disappointed in JWE, as if JPOG could hold its own against Roller Coaster Tycoon.)

"Despite the amount of stuff to do, JPOG isn't particularly deep."-Computer Gaming World
("But I personally don't like that stuff, therefore it couldn't possibly add any value for anyone"-You)

"The Jurassic Park license alone can only take it so far before it becomes formulaic."-Game Over Online

"Theme park simming light, and best left to those who can't get enough of dinosaurs."-Gamers' Temple

"Considering the thin gameplay and locked content, it shouldn't be any surprise that Operation Genesis is a console port."-Computer Gaming Magazine

"Just too much fluff and not enough fun."-Yahoo

I think G4 TV's review captures a quality I think both games posess and is part of why I like both.
"For the money, there's plenty to do, and best of all lets you focus on what you find fun."- G4
I didn't follow the development process of this game all that closely. I just remember thinking, "ok, JWE will look good and has the JP ip, and Mesozoica will be the scientifically accurate look with deeper features." Then JWE hit, I loved it, and no one talks about Mesozoica anymore; instead PK started getting talked up in a way increasingly similar to how a friend from work years ago talked about Star Citizen. I hope all the best for PK, and when it comes out I plan to buy it, but "a bird in the hand" my friends. Also, concerning money: while I got JPOG in the bargan bin a year later, I'm pretty sure it launched at $60. In '93, Dino Park Tycoon launched at $60. Games cost $60 (usually). And adjusted for inflation JWE at $55 for the deluxe edition is a better value (compared to the other titles I mentioned,and again I consider JPOG and JWE roughly equivanlent for their eras.

And lastly, a word on mods. I mostly didn't play JPOG with mods, becasue the mods that existed in 2003-05 either caused random, frequent crash-to-desktop or added a dinosaur which -wait for it- used the animation frame of an existing dino but the user made skin looked like I'd done it myself (and to be clear, my talents do not lay in graphic design). JPOG didn't have official mod support tools either. But most important of all: unmodded vs. unmodded happens to be the fair comparison to make.

Even today most of the mods for JPOG are garbage. The best JPOG mods were the ones that you could make to the .ini file which were simple. JWE is the superior game. The JPOG cultists are being ridiculous when they say JPOG is better. No it isn't. It was a bad game in 2003 and it's a bad game now. The only reason it's got any form of popularity was because of the JP license. It was the only fully 3D JP park sim/tycoon game on the market. But JWE completely surpasses it.

 

[PCMR4Life]

First of all I wasn’t bashing JPOG. I consider them more or less equivalent for their era all things in balance. I thoroughly enjoy both. I just don’t understand the hype over JPOG as a tool to bash JWE. The AI in both games is adequate, yes, even your precious conception of JPOG: just adequate. JWE animations are dramatically superior and movement is far more natural (JPOG never even heard of uncanny valley): they put their work into the whole life of 42+ animals rather than 3 different 30fps kill animations for... what? 20? But you only care about the number of kills and take no notice of all the other movement work that went in to giving these dinos life.

And what I find particularly telling is how often you insist JWE is so “shameful” and has “no replayability” and all the other hate you regularly spew and yet here you are -still here a whole year later. It was a fair difference of opinion 12 months ago but now it’s time to put the broken record away, dude. If this game is so poopoo why are you still here?

I have to agree. It's time for the JWE haters to either knock it off or walk. If the game is that bad then just stop playing and go find one that you do play and get involved with that games community.

But sitting around comparing this game to JPOG is absurd. This game is far superior, as you pointed out. The Dinosaurs have much better movement. The AI in this game is fine for what it is. The AI in JPOG was really bad. I played JPOG for a few months and the novelty wore off quick. I put 400 hours into JWE so far.

 

[Kikke]

I have to agree. It's time for the JWE haters to either knock it off or walk. If the game is that bad then just stop playing and go find one that you do play and get involved with that games community.

But sitting around comparing this game to JPOG is absurd. This game is far superior, as you pointed out. The Dinosaurs have much better movement. The AI in this game is fine for what it is. The AI in JPOG was really bad. I played JPOG for a few months and the novelty wore off quick. I put 400 hours into JWE so far.

It's absurd to compare them, yes, but it's more absurd to say that Jpog had a bad AI
1: when the carnivores hunt is more dynamic, it is random that the dinosaur will kill, in jwe the herbivore does not even run, it already has a dynamic of only one animation that always happens with everyone, "the AI just stays still until the carnivore comes and the fixed animation is activated and without any change "wow what a good animation for a game of 2018, see yourself
2: at least the raptors and the dilos had their hunting mode, at least in jpog they hunted in packs. Why didn't they put that mode in jwe? if it's supposed to be a more advanced game
3: jwe's dinos, they look so robotic to be 2018, so if they would have gotten more animations, almost everyone has the same.
4: to have 25 dinos in jpog at least they had a decent map where everyone fit in one
5: The AI of the visitors was more dynamic than jwe's clay, until you could see their thoughts, their economy, their satisfaction, everything, what we have in jwe?
6: to be 2003, it had nice little details, banks, trash cans, cleaners, park security (cameras, turrets, scarecrowrs), you have more interaction with the helicopter, remove dinos, increase herbivores such as carnivores, save tourists, and what does jwe have? just sleep to the dinos?
. You notice that you have played jpog now I wait for your answer