Microsoft ZOO TYCOON 2 JOURNAL

Download

Page 1

HOT KEYS

ESC

CTRL+Z

DELETE

F5 F6

CTRL+P

CTRL+F CTRL+G

TAB

CTRL+LEFT ARROW

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW

PLUS SIGN (+)

MINUS SIGN (-)

UP ARROW

DOWN ARROW

LEFT ARROW

RIGHT ARROW

> <

CTRL+C

CTRL+M

CTRL+T CTRL+H

Pause/resume game

Clear object from cursor/Close panel

Undo last action

Clear

Save a game

Load a saved game

Open Zoopedia

Open photo album

Show zoo finances

Show scenario goals

Turn overview map on or off

Toggle overhead and zoo guest views

Toggle zoo guest and photo safari views

Rotate view counter-clockwise

Rotate view clockwise

Zoom in

Zoom out

Move forward

Move back

Move left

Move right

Rotate the selected object clockwise

Rotate the selected object counter-clockwise

Open/close Construction panel

Open/close Animals panel

Open/close Terrain panel

Open/close Staff panel

0405 Part No. X11-27972

Get the strategy

guide from Sybex!

Page 2

SAFETY WARNING

Welcome to

Zoo Tycoon 2

What’s new at the zoo 3

Getting started

A brief word about biomes 5

Main game buttons

Main game panels 7

Basics of zoo layout

Building great exhibits 10

Using the zoo tools

Landscaping shortcuts 14

Caring for animals

Attracting zoo guests 18

Managing your zoo

Zoo income—how to make money 20

Zoo expenses—where the dough goes 22

Keeping track of how you’re doing 24

Zoo fame

Animal checklist 26

Emoticon legend

Technical support 29

About Photosensitive Seizures

A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.

These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.

The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions:

Play in a well-lit room.

Do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued.

If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places, and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

Microsoft, the Microsoft Game Studios logo, Windows, the Windows logo, and Zoo Tycoon are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/ or other countries.

Developed by Blue Fang Games™ for Microsoft Corporation. Blue Fang Games and the Blue Fang logo are trademarks of Blue Fang Games, LLC.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 3

Welcome to

Zoo Tycoon 2

What’s new at the zoo

The animals are counting on you

You’ll find success and attain true tycoon status when you focus on the following in

Building great exhibits.

Making animals and guests happy.

Encouraging reproduction among your animals.

Managing funds effectively.

Hiring hardworking staff members.

Researching specific animals and other zoo objects.

Making your zoo beautiful.

To install

Insert the then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

Note

If Setup does not begin automatically, see the Readme file

located on the

Zoo Tycoon® 2

Zoo Tycoon 2

disc into your CD-ROM drive, and

disc.

Zoo guest mode

In zoo guest mode, the eye-opening new first-person view in

Zoo Tycoon 2

into your guests’, your staff’s, and even your animals’ perspectives.

In zoo guest mode, you can make like a zookeeper as you feed, water, and groom your animals, and even sweep up piles of poop.

, you can climb down from your zoo-creator perch and

Photo safari mode

In photo safari mode, you can capture your zoo’s spectacular (and some not so spectacular) sights with a single press of the SPACEBAR.

Whether it’s a lion pride playing in a savannah exhibit or a barrelful of monkeys swingin’ from the trees in a tropical rainforest exhibit, you’ll be there to capture all the action.

Organize your favorites into photo albums you can export to HTML and share via the Web with your friends, family, and fellow

Zoo Tycoon 2

fans.

Biome brush and habitat editor tools

Quickly populate an exhibit with the appropriate plants, trees, rocks, and ground cover using the biome brush, the ultimate landscaping shortcut.

The new habitat editor tools let you painlessly create hills, valleys, mountains, moats, plateaus and plains, building exciting exhibits that use natural boundaries instead of fences to contain animals. For more details, see pages 14 and 15.

The coolest zoo in the world!!!

Get up close in Zoo Guest mode

Page 4

Getting started

When you first start playing the tutorial campaigns that introduce you to the basics of building a zoo. You’ll start with simple challenges, like creating a small zoo, and then move on to bigger, more complex projects. To start one of the tutorials, select it on the Select Campaign screen.

Main menu

When you start available gameplay modes: Campaign, Challenge, or Freeform.

Zoo Tycoon 2

, you can choose from one of three

, it’s a good idea to complete

Downloads

If you have an Internet connection, click the Downloads button on the main menu to check for game updates and new downloadable game content, including new animals, buildings, and scenery, from Microsoft via the Internet. New content is added all the time, so be sure to check back often.

Game Options

On the Game Options screen, you can adjust a range of video and audio settings, including video modes (full-screen vs. windowed), performance settings (high, medium, and low), video resolution, and sound and music volume.

Campaign

Campaign games are designed to step you through the basics of running a successful zoo. You’ll learn about building a great zoo, caring for your animals and guests, and meeting your economic goals.

Each campaign consists of several scenarios, each with specific goals to complete. For example, you may be challenged to repair a dilapidated zoo or two, or to care for rescued animals. When you complete a campaign, you unlock reward objects.

Challenge

In challenge games, you begin with a very limited budget and an equally limited set of available animals, foliage, structures, and path types. As you increase your zoo fame score, more choices will become available. New choices also become available as you fund research on specific objects.

When you complete several game and photo safari challenges, you unlock reward—themed objects you can use to beautify your zoo.

Freeform

In freeform games, you can build the zoo of your dreams, with an unlimited budget and all the animals, buildings, and scenery available from the very beginning. It’s the perfect place to try out all of your wild zoo ideas without burning a hole in your budget.

Load Saved Game

The Load Saved Game button lets you jump quickly right back into a game that you have previously saved.

A brief word about biomes

The world of references to biomes as you play the game.

So what in the heck is a biome?

Biome is a term used to describe a complex community of plants and animals that live in a specific climate or weather condition. Biomes you’ve probably heard of include desert, tundra, tropical rainforest, and savannah.

For example, the savannah biome is comprised of savannah plants, including acacia and baobab trees, blackthorn bushes, and elephant grass, and savannah animals like the elephant, giraffe, and lion. Savannahs are common in dry, hot climates like central Africa.

Zoo Tycoon 2

In including the animals, plants, trees, foliage, rocks, and ground cover, is associated with a specific biome.

You can use your knowledge of biomes to create a wide range of natural habitats where your animals will thrive and, hopefully, start building families.

Zoo Tycoon 2

, almost every object used to create an exhibit,

is biome-based, and you’ll see many

Page 5

Main game buttons

Main game panels

VIEW FILTERS PANEL

SHOW/HIDE GUESTS

SHOW/HIDE BUILDINGS

SHOW/HIDE FENCES

SHOW/HIDE FOLIAGE

OVERVIEW MAP

OVERHEAD VIEW

ZOO GUEST MODE

PHOTO SAFARI MODE

ROTATE VIEW

CLOCKWISE

CONSTRUCTION

ZOOM OUT

ZOOM IN

BUTTON

Secondary game buttons

VIEW ZOO QUICK

STATS

VIEW ZOO

FINANCES

UNDO LAST

ACTION

ANIMALS

BUTTON

LANDSCAPING

BUTTON

ROTATE VIEW

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

RECYCLE

OBJECTS

STAFF

BUTTON

FENCES

AND STAFF

GATE

BIOME BRUSH

TOOLS

EDITOR TOOLS

BUILDINGS

PATHS

Construction Panel

TREES

HABITAT

DONATION BOXES, BENCHES

AND SCENERY OBJECTS

ADOPT

ANIMALS

PLANTS AND

FLOWERS

ROCKS

ANIMAL

FOOD

TOYS AND

ENRICHMENT OBJECTS

Animal Panel

ANIMAL

SHELTERS

DISPLAY

GOALS AND

CHALLENGES

DISPLAY ZOO

FAME

SAVE, LOAD, EXIT

RETURN TO MAIN

VIEW PHOTO

SAFARI ALBUM

Landscaping Panel

Page 6

Basics of zoo layout

The best zoo layouts are usually the result of advanced planning. The smartest thing you can do when starting out is plan for the future growth and expansion of your zoo.

By taking a moment to stop and strategize before throwing cash, fencing, and path tiles willy-nilly, you can save money in the short term while also creating a more hospitable environment for both your resident animals and their guests.

Top 10 zoo layout tips

Wide open spaces are a good thing. Spread things out to leave

room for future expansion, and don’t bunch your zoo’s biggest attractions all in one place.

A standard grid layout, with paths around large exhibits or

groups of smaller exhibits, can be a solid way to start. Just make sure that the animals have enough room in any smaller exhibits.

A fork layout, in which your zoo’s main paths are divided by a

space 2–5 tiles wide, is another good option for zoos designed to accommodate large numbers of guests. Populate the open spaces with guest amenities and scenery objects, or create additional paths to ease traffic flow.

In general, bigger is better when it comes to building exhibits.

The more animals an exhibit contains, the more attractive the exhibit and the more money people will put into your donation boxes. Zoo guests also receive more educational value from exhibits with multiple animals.

Place gift shops and ATMs near the entrance to your zoo to

encourage guests to make purchases before they exit.

To encourage traffic flow, place the exhibits for the most

popular animals in the farthest reaches of your zoo. This will encourage your guests to dine, shop, stroll, and spend more time in your zoo.

Build observation areas between a path and an exhibit. Simply

lay down a short stretch of pathway alongside the exhibit.

Whenever possible, include the zoo perimeter wall as part of an

exhibit's fencing. This saves money on fences, and also encourages building exhibits on the outer edges of your zoo.

Beauty may be only skin deep, but your zoo's visual aesthetics

make a big impact on the happiness levels of your guests. Don't be afraid to invest in flowerbeds, fountains, and other scenery objects with visual (even if not practical) appeal. Guests enjoy looking at neat objects like themed trash cans and food stands.

� Place staff gates to keep guests out of areas you don’t want

them to visit. Only staff members may pass through staff gates.

Another spacious layout

Plenty of space for the whole crowd

Page 7

Building great exhibits

Once you’ve determined a general layout for your zoo, the next step is to start building exhibits to house those most precious of zoo commodities—the animals, the stars of the show.

Click the Zookeeper Recommendations button on the Animal

Information panel to view the recommended food, toys, shelter, fences, rocks, and plants for a specific animal.

Jump into zoo guest mode before laying down paths and exhibit

areas to see what it’s like as a guest walking through your zoo.

Exhibit building - the nuts and bolts

When calculating exhibit size, build exhibits large enough to

accommodate a family (or variety) of animals, even if you're only starting out with one.

Use the biome brush and the habitat editor tools to quickly

create biome-appropriate environments for your animals. See pages 14 and 15 for details.

When used by themselves, low fences translate into awesome

views, but they do a dismal job of keeping your animals in their exhibits. When used in combination with a moat or elevation change, however, they can be used as protective barriers.

Although zoo guests like to see the animals up close, respect

your animals’ need for privacy. Building exhibits with a combination of solid and clear walls is a good way to take care of both your animals’ and your zoo guests’ needs.

Experiment with creating

large multi-species exhibits that house more than one kind of animal. For example, a mixed-use savannah exhibit can potentially accommodate black rhinos, common zebras, reticulated giraffes, elephants, and Thomson’s gazelles. Guests love to see multiple kinds of animals coexisting in an exhibit and, as a result, will put more money in your donation boxes.

Paths that are

too steep for guests

to climb are high-

lighted in yellow.

A large, roomy savannah exhibit

Multi-species exhibit-the more the merrier!

Page 8

Using the zoo tools

Building fences

Fences have many uses in the sturdy yet see-through barrier between guest and beast to prettying up public areas and directing the flow of traffic.

Choosing the best fencing for your specific needs is crucial to your zoo’s success. You need to find the right balance between protecting your guests and giving them unbridled visual access to your animal inhabitants.

Zoo Tycoon 2

offers three different methods for placing fences.

Zoo Tycoon 2

world, from forming a

Octagonal fence placement

Octagonal fence placement mode is perfect for creating more rounded fence enclosures. It works the same way as rectangular fence placement mode.

Creating paths for your guests

When placing paths, it’s a good idea to focus on ensuring the smooth flow of guest traffic through your zoo by placing paths that are wide enough (i.e., three tiles wide) to accommodate large numbers of guests. You want to avoid bottlenecks in food service areas and also make sure your guests are encouraged to explore every nook and cranny of the amazing zoo environment you’ve created.

Rubber-band fence placement

Rubber-band placement mode is most useful when you want to build a custom-shaped fence. Click to plant the first fence post, and then click to place additional fence sections in any shape you like. You can also stretch the fence like a rubber band (thus the name). When finished, right-click to release the fence from the cursor.

Rectangular fence placement

Rectangular fence placement mode works best when you want a square- or rectangular-shaped enclosure. Click and hold to start placing the fence, and then drag the mouse to adjust the size of the fenced area. Click again to create the enclosure. After you create the enclosure, you will be prompted to place a staff gate in the fence and a donation box nearby.

OCTAGONAL

RUBBER BAND

FENCE MODE

RECTANGULAR

FENCE MODE

Fence Placement

Placing buildings and scenery objects

The wide range of buildings and other structures available in

Zoo Tycoon 2

fountains, playground equipment, compost buildings, and more.

Most buildings are designed to generate income by meeting the needs of your human guests, who are usually focused on food and drink, a clean bathroom, a place to rest, and pretty scenery, along with souvenir shopping opportunities.

runs the gamut from restrooms and snack carts to

Rotating objects

To rotate the position of a building or other object before you place it in your zoo (once it’s placed, you won’t be able to rotate it), you have three options:

Use the < and > keys to rotate the object in either direction

before you place it.

Rotate an object in place immediately before placing it by

pressing and holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse. Release the left mouse button to place it.

Use the arrows in the Object Information panel to rotate

the position of the selected object before placing it onto your zoo grid.

Page 9

Landscaping shortcuts

With the biome brush and habitat editor tools in can forget about blisters, backaches, and even botany when building great exhibits.

The biome brush

Take the guesswork out of plant selection and unlock the mysteries of exhibit foliage placement when you use the biome brush tool to quickly create lushly landscaped environments. A sweep of the biome brush fills your exhibit with terrain and vegetation appropriate to the biome type you’ve selected.

Whether you’re creating an exhibit based on an African savannah, Arctic tundra, a tropical rainforest, wetlands, or a desert biome, the biome brush offers a shortcut to finding and placing the best types of plants, trees, shrubs, grasses, rocks, and water types for that specific environment, all at a reasonable cost.

With the biome brush, you can choose from a range of different terrain and deep and shallow water tools that are associated with each biome type.

Zoo Tycoon 2

, you

The habitat editor

With a single click of the mouse, you can wield the power of backhoes, bulldozers, and other earth-moving equipment to quickly create mountains, valleys, and more as you build the ultimate animal exhibits using the habitat editor tools.

With these tools, you can manipulate terrain to create waterfalls, elevated walkways, and natural boundaries for the zoo of your dreams.

This morning, I unlocked

the secret to making a mountain out of a

molehill: click and hold

the left mouse button

to make the ground rise

higher. The same holds true

for digging ditches. My back

feels better already.

To build a waterfall, use

the habitat editor to

create a cliff. Then use the

biome brush to create ponds

at the top and bottom of

the cliff. Finally, paint

more water to connect

the two ponds.

CREATE A

VALLEY

CREATE

A CLIFF

CREATE A

CREATE

A HILL

CREATE A PLATEAU (FLATTEN TERRAIN)

Habitat Editor

SMOOTH ROUGH TERRAIN

DITCH

Page 10

Zoos Experiment with

Antidotes for Pacing

Polar Bears

Caring for animals

Adopting animals

Zoo Tycoon 2

expensive animals that have the potential to make or break your zoo fame score.

When you play a freeform game, all the animals are available from the start. In challenge games, you start out with three available animals, and additional animal slots are unlocked as you increase your zoo fame score.

Keeping them happy and healthy

Once you’ve adopted an animal and placed it in your zoo, it’s time to focus on meeting its basic and advanced needs.

You can view the Animal Information panel by clicking on any animal in your zoo. It provides a summary of each animal’s current basic and advanced needs, as well as identifying its preferred biome. From here, you can access the Zookeeper Recommendations panel, which lists the animal’s preferred foods and environmental objects.

offers a wide variety of animals to adopt, including rare,

Encouraging reproduction

Animals reproducing in your zoo is one of your ultimate signs of success—it means you have satisfied the basic and advanced needs of the fledgling’s parents, making them so happy and comfortable that they’ve had time to turn their attention to each other.

You also get economic benefits from the birth of an animal. Zoo guests find baby animals more interesting than adult animals—this means they spend more time watching them and may even be inspired to donate more money to your zoo.

Releasing animals into the wild

Releasing animals into the wild is another ultimate sign of success

Zoo Tycoon 2

in receive an award or cash grant.

You can also put animals up for adoption, which makes them available to other zoos.

. It increases your zoo fame score, and you may also

ENVIRONMENT

WATER

FOOD

SLEEP

EXERCISE

VIEW ZOOKEEPER

RECOMMENDATIONS

Stimulating animals in captivity

There are three primary ways to stimulate your animal inhabitants and fulfill their basic and advanced needs.

Visits from the zookeeper Animals always respond positively to

individual attention from a zookeeper. In zoo guest mode, you can take on all of a zookeeper’s tasks yourself.

The companionship of other animals Even the most solitary of

animals in your zoo would probably be happier sharing their exhibit with a potential mate.

Appropriate biome objects Animals will be more lively and

entertaining when the foliage, water, and rocks in their exhibits reflect their natural biomes.

PUT ANIMAL UP

FOR ADOPTION

RELEASE ANIMAL

INTO WILD

PRIVACY

HYGIENE

SOCIAL

STIMULATION

LOCAL NEWS

Page 11

Attracting zoo guests

The guests who flock through your gates may sometimes look like a herd, but each one of them is a true individual.

All of your guests arrive with favorite animals, foods, and attractions, not to mention different levels of thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Check out the tips below to keep ‘em comin’ back for more.

Managing your zoo

Hiring staff

You can hire three different kinds of staff people to help take care of managing your zoo: zookeepers, maintenance workers, and animal educators.

Each type of employee focuses on a different aspect of your zoo.

Top 10 tips for attracting guests to your zoo

Give 'em room. Build paths that leave plenty of elbow room for

the crowds. Large viewing areas near popular exhibits also keep crowds happy.

Keep it clean. Placing recycling bins and trash cans around

your zoo can help keep things spotless.

Showcase popular animals, and include as many different

species as possible (this will have a huge effect on your zoo fame score!).

Provide facilities where guests can be fed, watered, and rested,

and they'll be happy. They're not so different from your animal inhabitants, in fact.

Encourage reproduction among your animals. Zoo guests love

baby animals.

Experiment with changing the price of zoo admission and zoo

concessions until you find the perfect balance between keeping guests happy (and spending!) and maximizing your profit potential.

Guests like to be amused while in the zoo. In addition to viewing

animals, they like to admire interesting statues, fountains, and themed areas. Kids love to play on playground equipment.

Pay attention to your zoo's aesthetics. Flowers and fountains

can make a real difference in your guests' happiness levels.

Guests are happiest when viewing happy, healthy animals in

well-designed exhibits.

Guests also want to be educated. Seeing animals in exhibits

that represent their natural biomes may prompt guests to donate more money to your zoo.

Zookeepers

When you have an unlimited budget, the smartest thing you can do with a new zoo is hire a zookeeper to feed, heal, and clean up after your animals. It’s also a good idea to assign a zookeeper specifically to care for your “star” animals.

Zookeepers draw the highest salaries of all zoo employees, but you can save money by performing the zookeeper duties yourself in zoo guest mode.

Maintenance workers

Maintenance workers are the unsung heroes of a successful zoo. They keep guests happy by picking up trash and emptying trash cans.

If your trash cans are overflowing, most guests will notice and start heading for the exit, so hiring a maintenance worker to keep things clean can be an economically smart move.

Animal educators

Animal educators enrich your guests’ zoo visits by giving informative lectures about your zoo’s animal inhabitants.

When you hire an animal educator, you must also place an educator podium (found on the Buildings tab on the Construction panel) adjacent to an exhibit before the educator will start lecturing.

Educators who can’t find a podium from which to speak will wander your zoo aimlessly, full of knowledge but unable to share it.

Some guests may become so inspired by the informational talks that they donate more money to your zoo (make sure you encourage them by placing donation boxes in convenient locations).

Page 12

Zoo income—how to

make money

Income from donations

Donations are your primary source of income when you’re running a zoo.

Zoo guests who enjoyed their visit to your zoo have the potential to make donations. Guests who have seen interesting animals do interesting things may place money in the zoo donation boxes you place outside of your zoo exhibits.

Guests are also often inspired to make education donations when they see animals in exhibits that represent their natural biomes.

You can also earn cash grants by completing challenges in challenge games.

Admission income

When you first start out, admission fees are an important source of income for your zoo. With lower admission prices, your guests have more money to spend on food, drinks, and souvenirs without having to visit an ATM.

Guests won’t give money

if they can’t find a

donation box. Note

to self: place at least

one or two donation boxes adjacent to the viewing areas for all

major exhibits.

A satisfied customer

Income from food and drink concessions

Every food and drink concession, from the lowliest dessert cart to the fanciest restaurant, has upkeep costs associated with it. The key to your success will be to find concessions that turn a profit after the upkeep costs have been paid.

Restaurants are expensive to build and maintain, but they are also more convenient than investing in multiple smaller food stands. Restaurants offer seating areas, wait staff, and trash disposal.

The key to food

and beverage profits

is just like real

estate—

Location, location,

Income from gift carts

location.

and gift shops

Few things in life make guests happier than purchasing a souvenir of their visit.

Both the gift carts and the gift shops in associated with specific animals. When guests enjoy looking at a certain animal in your zoo, they’re usually thrilled to buy a gift that represents that animal.

Gift carts have a low upkeep cost, but they also stock low-priced gifts that represent the basic animals in your zoo.

With a larger inventory of souvenirs, the gift shop has the potential to be a big moneymaker. Gift shops have higher upkeep costs, but they also stock higher-priced gifts.

A gift shop’s location in your zoo will have a major impact on its revenues. Be sure to place gift shops in high-traffic areas and close to your entrance gates.

Zoo Tycoon 2

sell gifts

Income from recycling

When you remove a building or scenery object, you receive a recycling fee that helps recoup the object’s original cost.

You can also turn poop into profits by building a compost building in a discreet location away from food service areas and your zoo guests. The compost building has no upkeep costs, and once it’s built, you’ll collect a monthly fee for poop recycling.

Page 13

Zoo expenses—where the

LOCAL NEWS

Chimp Climbs Tree to Make Escape

dough goes

Animal upkeep costs

Animal upkeep costs include animal food and medical care. You can save money by healing your animals yourself in zoo guest mode, but animal food costs are the same regardless of who dispenses it.

Animal adoption costs

The prices of the animals available for adoption vary widely. Relatively inexpensive animals include the camel, Thomson’s gazelle, and moose, while zoo favorites like the polar bear, lion, and mountain gorilla fetch higher prices.

The most highly priced animals—especially the giant panda—cost more, but bring many economic benefits to your zoo. These true “stars” of your zoo attract more guests and often inspire them to donate more money. And, if you are skillful enough to coax a giant panda to reproduce, you are well on your way to becoming a true zoo tycoon.

Construction costs

While an animal like the grizzly bear may seem to be a reasonably priced acquisition for your zoo, it’s also important to consider the cost of building an exhibit to accommodate this hard-to-please resident.

Some animals are very low maintenance in terms of their environmental needs, while others may threaten to burn a hole in your budget. To get an idea of the costs associated with building an exhibit for a specific animal, check out the Zookeeper Recommendations for that animal.

Zoo upkeep costs

After animal purchases and construction costs, zoo upkeep costs claim the most of your monthly budget.

Zoo upkeep costs consist of all upkeep costs associated with your concessions and attractions and do not include employee wages.

Employee wages

Every staff member you hire draws a monthly salary that is paid at the end of the month.

Zookeepers draw the highest salaries, but they are often good investments, since the work they do makes a positive contribution to your bottom line.

Maintenance workers draw a fairly humble salary.

You can also reduce these costs by completing zookeeper and maintenance worker tasks yourself in zoo guest mode.

Research costs

Researching objects takes time and can burn a big hole in your budget, but the benefits usually outweigh the costs. Most objects unlocked through research can make a positive contribution to your zoo’s budget.

Note to self: Invest in tall, strong fencing.

It’s worth it.

Page 14

Keeping track of how you’re doing

There are several ways to keep track of both your bankbook and the breathing bodies in your zoo.

ZOO

INFORMATION

ZOO STATUS

BUTTON

ZOO GRAPHS

INCOME AND

EXPENSES

Zoo Status panel

ZOO

AWARDS

ZOO BUILDINGS

ZOO

DONATIONS

ZOO FAME

Zoo fame

Every zoo is assigned a zoo fame score on a scale of between 1 and 5 stars, which is shown in the upper-left corner of the game window.

Your zoo fame score is determined by a combination of factors.

Number of animals The more animals you have in your zoo, the

higher your zoo fame score.

Number of species Having multiple species will increase your zoo

fame score.

Happy animals If your animals aren’t happy, your zoo fame score

will suffer, too.

Exhibits that educate Your zoo is more educational (and more

famous) when each animal is in a biome-appropriate exhibit.

Animals that entertain Guests like having a close-up view of

healthy, happy, and active animals, especially rare or exotic ones.

Happy guests Your zoo fame score is affected by unhappy guests.

Completing challenges You can’t lose fame you gain by completing

challenges and earning rewards.

Releasing animals You can’t lose fame you gain by releasing

animals into the wild.

ANIMAL LIST

FILTER OPTIONS

VIEW ANIMAL

LIST

VIEW GUEST

LIST

VIEW STAFF

LIST

Quick Stats

VIEW QUICK

STATS BUTTON

A 5-star zoo!

Page 15

Animal checklist

Emoticon legend

ANIMAL ADOPTED? SUCCESSFULLY BRED? RELEASED INTO WILD?

AFRICAN ELEPHANT AMERICAN BEAVER BENGAL TIGER BLACK RHINOCEROS CHEETAH CHIMPANZEE COMMON PEAFOWL COMMON ZEBRA DROMEDARY CAMEL EMPEROR PENGUIN GEMSBOK GIANT PANDA GREATER FLAMINGO GRIZZLY BEAR HIPPOPOTAMUS JAGUAR LION MOOSE MOUNTAIN GORILLA NILE CROCODILE OKAPI OSTRICH POLAR BEAR RED KANGAROO RED PANDA RETICULATED GIRAFFE RING-TAILED LEMUR SNOW LEOPARD THOMSON’S GAZELLE

ICON DESCRIPTION ICON DESCRIPTION

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND.” “I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM.”

“I’VE BEEN EDUCATED.” “I’M LONELY.”

“I’M MAD.” “I NEED TO REST.”

“I’M INTERESTED.” “I WANT TO HAVE A BABY.”

ENTERTAINED: “THAT’S AWESOME!”

“I’M AMUSED.” “I WANT DESSERT.”

“I’M TOO CRAMPED.” “I’M STIMULATED.”

“THIS EXHIBIT ISN’T RIGHT.” PRIVACY LEVEL

ENVIRONMENT SATISFACTION HUNGER LEVEL

“I NEED AN ATM.” THIRST LEVEL

“I’M PREGNANT.” EXERCISE NEED

“I’M SICK.” HYGIENE LEVEL

“I CAN’T SEE.” “I’M SLEEPY.”

“I NEED A TRASH CAN.”

Page 16

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