Yeah i really need to practice more on my building skills. Is exactly that. I need things to look good and how i picture them right away other wise i get frustrated but i have to work on that
What is your specialty?
- Thread starter Mr-Hyrax 2
- Start date
Ay, if it ain't broken, don't fix itI was going to say that my speciality is building zoo entrances, but I just realised they are basically all the same
it's better than my entrances.
They look great! And I wouldn't say they are all the same, especially the Ovonia looks very originalI was going to say that my speciality is building zoo entrances, but I just realised they are basically all the same
For me, the biggest struggles are indoor habitats and indoors of any building, actually. Another big struggle is off-grid buildings and anything that requires a custom roof. Also, building climbable structures can be a pain. And building rides of any kind (maybe except the boats) is not my cup of tea.
Shelters I guess are ok, sometimes I find them too boring to build and use the blueprints from the game or Steam workshop. Building entrances and restaurants for example can be quite boring too but other times it's fun. Depends on the mood.
I like planning a new zoo (on paper), building outdoor habitats, adding plants and stones, decorating, and gardening around the paths and plazas. Building waterfalls
And I guess I'm reasonably good at it.
Shelters I guess are ok, sometimes I find them too boring to build and use the blueprints from the game or Steam workshop. Building entrances and restaurants for example can be quite boring too but other times it's fun. Depends on the mood.
I like planning a new zoo (on paper), building outdoor habitats, adding plants and stones, decorating, and gardening around the paths and plazas. Building waterfalls
And I guess I'm reasonably good at it.Oh another both strenght and flaw, im way to stuborn as to use anything from the workshop.
I want everything in the zoo to be made by me and not say "this is my zoo besides all those things i stole from the workshop"
Especally with somethings like funiture or backstage packs i could drasticly improve my builds but i just kinda dont wanna but in the positive i actually try to build that stuff myself and learn more, with for example some basic kitchen furniture or a more complex stable fence set that im rather proud of
I want everything in the zoo to be made by me and not say "this is my zoo besides all those things i stole from the workshop"
Especally with somethings like funiture or backstage packs i could drasticly improve my builds but i just kinda dont wanna but in the positive i actually try to build that stuff myself and learn more, with for example some basic kitchen furniture or a more complex stable fence set that im rather proud of
That's quite perfectionistic of you
But it pays off because your zoo looks very consistent in style and has your personal touch. And looks VERY good!I guess I'm trying to take it easy and don't think about using workshop items as "stealing". Otherwise, it would kill the fun for me. After all, someone put them out there to use and enjoy
Thank you, love to hear that the work pays of!That's quite perfectionistic of you
I guess I'm trying to take it easy and don't think about using workshop items as "stealing". Otherwise, it would kill the fun for me. After all, someone put them out there to use and enjoy
And ofcourse stealing was maybe a bit coded to negative but i just want to say i did this and i did all of this, without exceptions.
I might even start uploading some of my stuff to the workshop at some point, allready did that with my gorilla climbing frame after it was requested eventhough the workshop page doesnt look that flattering sadly, gotta look into that at some point.
Another one i considerd to potentially upload was my koala house, but for that i would want to finish the interior first.
But houses like that often feel much harder to put out cause it wont actually help a less experienced builder that much due to how its woven into the terrain and paths so gotta look into that
The buildings that require complex paths and such are not really a good way to help others despite if they are requested enough. I've tried it with a couple reptile houses and multi level buildings that I struggled with getting the paths and landscaping right, the average steam workshop user to my understanding is bad at building paths so it never seems to be popular. Either people will be frustrated the paths won't connect, it looks bad on their end or they just unsubscribe and never touch it again.
Yeah i figured something like that, making things like my koala house with its elevated path, South America house with that s from hell and my gorilla house with wonky and precise pathing thanks to a mix of different path types and rather precise planter placement all rather unsuitable eventhough they look great and im proud of them.
Allmost ironic, the reasons that make them so unique and special are the same ones why they wouldnt work out that well as blueprints
Making species plans. I’ve got spreadsheets, PowerPoints, Pinterest boards and screenshot folders and notes on my phone. I also have a planning save full of blueprints and templates. My husband bought me a whiteboard for design sketches.
I have a spreadsheet that maps out my geographical sections, then breaks those into biomes, then into my individual habitats. That links to another sheet with a breakdown of species in the habitat. They’re all colour coded to see which animals I will have breeding, on contraception or rotated to share a habitat to breed. Other colours show which animals have keeper talks, and which ones need multiple yards for realism. I have PowerPoints with the same info, but using the animal icons so that I can see how the animal combinations look together and how they look as a section.
I build templates with 100m squares and label them (e.g. Lions 1:3:12) to know that the space is designed for a male, 3 females and up to 12 cubs. I built back of house facilities to fit extra small, small, medium and large animals, of different types (carnivores, climbing, hoofstock, aquatic, ground) so that I can attach those to my habitats as shelter and realism.
It’s a bit insane, but it’s so satisfying. I love having a plan to work to.
I have a spreadsheet that maps out my geographical sections, then breaks those into biomes, then into my individual habitats. That links to another sheet with a breakdown of species in the habitat. They’re all colour coded to see which animals I will have breeding, on contraception or rotated to share a habitat to breed. Other colours show which animals have keeper talks, and which ones need multiple yards for realism. I have PowerPoints with the same info, but using the animal icons so that I can see how the animal combinations look together and how they look as a section.
I build templates with 100m squares and label them (e.g. Lions 1:3:12) to know that the space is designed for a male, 3 females and up to 12 cubs. I built back of house facilities to fit extra small, small, medium and large animals, of different types (carnivores, climbing, hoofstock, aquatic, ground) so that I can attach those to my habitats as shelter and realism.
It’s a bit insane, but it’s so satisfying. I love having a plan to work to.
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Oh boy, I can make you guys a list.
My pros:
My pros:
- I love designing nature, and honestly I’m getting good at designing habitats.
- I can easily plan out a zoo.
- I’m starting to get better at designing the outside of buildings, not terrific, but I am getting there.
- Due to me being stubborn I don’t use any workshop stuff. I have to make it my own.
- I am terrible at building anything indoors, the space is tight and making something indoors look good is so hard.
- I am terrible at building backstage spaces, whether it is for keepers or for the animals.
- I cannot wrap my head around planning entrances, this will tie into another one of my issues.
- I get so bored building things not for animals. Entrances, restaurants, parking lots. I have tried but I get so bored!
- If I lack a certain animal I won’t build a zoo. I have desperately wanted to build a zoo based on a science center I have been to. I have a half- decent amount of animals available to me in game that are local to where I live. I will not do this zoo because I don’t have any birds though. Since no birds are native to where I live in game, I cannot build this dream zoo of mine. Maybe one day.
- I get so frustrated with building and pathing I will just put the game down. Like I’m making an indoor jungle for my tapir and gibbons. Trying to replicate the Indonesian temple theme I have found to be so difficult I have put the game down and maybe not played in a couple weeks. (Also since I’m waiting to hear the next dlc it makes me not play as a much)
- If I don’t get at least over an hour to play, I won’t play Planet Zoo. This game needs time! I cannot just jump in or out.
- Likewise if I’m tired, I won’t play PZ. It takes too much of my mental capabilities, if I’m tired I’m gonna play another game.
It's interesting to see a few people refuse to use the workshop, I always thought everyone used some blueprints in one way or another.
It’s due to a stubborn desire to want to have my own self improvement. Like I love your A/C prop set. But I want to get good enough I can make it on my own.
Or at least be a competent enough builder I use the workshop not as a crutch, but as a way to save time.
Also, my gaming laptop gets laggy. So if I use workshop props my piece count might skyrocket which can lag down my game.
As a tip, if you feel like playing just play.
The beauty of an below one our session is that its not enough time to do something big but more then enough time to do something usefull and especally not enough time to grow bored of it.
In just half am hour you could fill in some empty space with nature and decoration, fiddle with the past layout, put some finishing touches and details somewhere and just overall round out your zoo to a nice degree
That's where I'm at currently, I know I can build most items but I'll often browse the workshop for good quality items that I'm requiring that saves me time like for example I used about 10 blueprints of gift shop items including 5 blueprints of custom made plushies (which is something I really struggle with) to fill up the gift shop in my Houston zoo project. The downside of blueprints like these is the insanely high piece count when you place dozens of each item.
Yeah I know, practice makes perfect!
It also ties in another one of my issues with the game I personally have. I can’t turn off my brain while playing it, so if I’m tired after a long day of school my brain is so overloaded it’s hard for me to focus on PZ.
Some of that ties into how I can be my own worst critic and a perfectionist.
I'm good at theming and comming up with unique stories and sections in my zoo.
I am not good with realism and realistic buildings.
I am not good with realism and realistic buildings.