The latest patch for Planet Zoo has brought a brand new challenge to all players, the timed scenario. For those who purchase the Planet Zoo: Australia DLC there’s also an extra timed scenario. Both follow the same premise but the Australia pack one contains a partially built zoo, while the base game version is a blank slate.
You’ll have a set of scenario-specific goals to meet and once these are completed the timer will stop. The eventual time taken will determine your rank and the clock is connected to real-time, rather than the in-game clock.
If you want to give these new challenges a go here are some tips to help you meet those goals and get that gold.
10 Check Your Game Settings
Time is of the essence here and the challenges are based on real-time, rather than in-game time. This means that tweaking your game settings can make a huge difference. If you have an older or lower spec computer you may need to set your graphics details or guest numbers a little lower while you build to avoid lag slowing you down. Then simply ramp them up to get that loan paid off.
The speed of your game will also make a difference. Full speed can help money generate faster to meet financial goals but this can lead to management issues. Balancing the settings will be the key to success.
9 Make A Plan
Knowing what your goals are is essential to success. You don’t want to waste time on aspects of the game that aren’t required. Having the goals always visible can be helpful for keeping your focus.
It’s also good to make a plan. Work out which parts of management and building are most essential or take the longest to achieve and get these in place first. Do you need to earn money? Build your park rating? Improve animal welfare? Once you have goals prioritized it’s easier to know where to put your resources and in what order.
8 Don’t Be Afraid To Restart
The Australia scenario in particular requires a specific number of animals and exhibits. Due to the way the Animal Trading Market works you may find it is more beneficial to restart your scenario in order to get a better combination of animals.
Mistakes early on can also lead to bigger errors later and starting again after half an hour can be more beneficial than limping on for another hour before failing.
7 Use Prebuilt Facilities To Save Time
Since speed is essential, the prebuilt guest and staff facilities will save you a huge amount of time. Building can be both fiddly and time-consuming so placing pre-built solutions will be beneficial.
The themed pre-builds will give you a good approval rating quickly and you can even sell odd pieces back later to raise money if required, especially on the final push.
6 Mix Species When Possible
Speed may be essential but space, especially in the regular timed scenario, can be limited. Combining species can save both time and space since you’ll only need to make one exhibit but gain the appeal, welfare, and space benefits of having two.
Just make sure you know which species will live together well. Finding out you made a mistake in regards to this after you combined the animals won’t end well for anyone.
5 Use Vending Machines And Shops
Guests require their needs fulfilling to stay happy and using a mix of shops and the new vending machines helps with this. Placing vending machines on the odd paths in areas where shops won’t fit can help boost needs more easily.
Just remember that you’ll also need toilets to keep your guests happy so prioritize these when space is sparse.
4 Take Out Loans To Ramp Up Fast
If you have long term goals that require maintaining ratings or profits over time it can be beneficial to take out a loan to get your infrastructure in place quicker. Prioritize essentials we well as animals that will draw in guests.
You need to double-check your goals and build to your priorities. If you’ve got them right the zoo should be making a profit that can be used to ditch the loan while also making a growing income over time, thus hitting two types of financial goals at once.
3 Don’t Neglect Welfare
You’ll need to make sure you keep an eye on both animal and staff welfare. Overcrowding of animals due to breeding will not only make them unhappy but it also reduces income as these extra animals can be sold for money or released for conservation points.
Staff also need to be kept happy as if they quit and you miss the notification you’ll end up with all kinds of issues that affect your park rating and other factors relating to your goals.
2 Use Your Work Zones
Work zones do take a little time to set up but using them efficiently will make sure your zoo can run more efficiently at a fast speed, saving time overall. As long as everything is covered and your staff levels are correct this will be your biggest boost to efficient running.
Having a well-run zoo in place as you build will help you focus on the specific goals, rather than worrying about little problems constantly cropping up.
1 Remember The Extras
The extras are what will make your zoo. Here we’re talking about bins to keep litter under control, donation tubs for increased profits, and education boards for guests to enjoy. It’s also beneficial to ensure viewing platforms are optimal for both guests and animals.
It’s also easy to miss benches, lighting, decor and other similar tiny touches but especially if you have appeal based goals then these will be important.
If you want more help with your zoo planning make sure to check out our other Planet Zoo articles.
