Q about building Zoo's...

[Ryan Harvey]

Hey!
 I have been looking at pics of everyones zoo's and think they are great! I am wondering if all this is possible to build without cheats? How much money does everyone start out with? Do you start with a small, medium, or large area?
 Thanks advance,
     Ryan

[zoosrgreatmati]

well what i do is i usually build with a medium or large zoo and i usually use about half a million to a million dollars. then i just make 1 exhibit and then build paths and restrooms and restaurants and all that stuff then i move to building three or four more exhibits before i do anymore building buildings.so thats what i do with my zoos.:welcomean

[mo15]

Moving to strategies...  :supersmil

First off, howdy Ryan, and welcome to ZA!  Why don't you stop by the Intro thread and say hello?


And to answer your question... when I'm playing freeform I usually use the Shift + 4 ($) cheat before I start playing to gain a lot of cash... I'm don't usually worry too much about profits and all that unless I have to. (I just like building! :laughing: )

As for maps, I usually just use a small or medium.  They seem easier to build on to me and if I get too much going my game sometimes starts to slow down.

[pickagun]

I've been looking for a similar answer also. How do you guys plan out your exhibits and such? Recently, I've been aiming for a single path all the way down, which goes from the entrance, right all the way, up all the way, left all the way, down all the way, and back so it winds down like a spiral.

[Rosinas Cat]

Well, as far as money is concerned, I must admit that I cheat, cheat, cheat!! One of the things I prefer about ZT2 is that you can have unlimited funds if you want. I have never played this game strategically!:laughing:

As for planning - I don't! Because the ZT1 maps are so much bigger (proportionally) than ZT2, I don't find it necessary. There is so much space on a large grassland map (which I always use now) that you can do a good sized area for pretty much each biome, and still have plenty of room for guest areas.

As for paths, I always use double width throughout.

I really should start ZT1-ing again over the holidays....:reindeer:

[Firehawke]

When I'm using a freeform map, I usually start off with the $500,000 max you can have.  Also, I generally don't start building until the beginning of year two (it takes ~1hr13min for the first year to run though; I usually let it run and then I save it so I can use the same map over and over again).  Then, I usually place a restaurant and a gift shop near the front.  Then, I build like crazy!  Sometimes I have it planned out what I want the zoo to look like.  Other times, it's just what feels right to me as I go along.
Hope this helps and Happy Building!