Ideas for designing zoos?

[yamicat_mage]

I'm not good at creating good zoo layouts. I wanna be more creative but all I can come up with is a flat grassland zoo with square exibits. Its so hard juggling resturant areas and habitats. Any tips for designing a fancier zoo?:bounce:

[Giraffe]

Square or rectangular shouldn't be boring or dull. In fact, there's nothing wrong about it.

Actually I haven't seen many non-angular exhibits in zoos. And I've seen a couple of zoos... Being an aquarium keeper, I am very much against round bowls. It's no good for the animals.

How do you create your zoos? Do you place a fence and then put some grass in it? Then things get dull.
Refrain from doing that. Dare to be creative. The sky is the limit.

Create a landscape first. Add features to your landscape like some hills and water. The corners can be a good starting point to draw your landscape. Make some hills there and surround it by a lake. Make a waterfall. Add trees, rocks etc. You'll see it will look nice. Place some flamingoes in it or other animals who need water. You can that waterfall be the source of a river. Let the river flow through your zoo. Not in a straight line but in a natural way.

A lake might be a nice spot to build a restaurant.

For smaller animals you can use triangular exhibits. Round exhibits should be large so that the animals won't get dizzy turning round the perimeter.

Have fun!:wink:

[Bengal]

Very detailed advice, Giraffe!

Yamicat, may I suggest looking in our awesome ZT2 Show & Tell section? All of our members here at ZA have different and very creative imaginations- no zoo is alike! I'm sure you could get some awesome ideas from the many pictures they've posted. :wink:

[MarineManiac]

I would suggest you try and build animals houses, that everyone is so obsessed with doing.  You can check out the Show and Tell section and I know a few of them have animal house ideas.

[Ixion]

Well, i always make all my sections of zoo themed.

1. Make a big path patch in the front. this will be ur main foundation.
2. decide on what biome of animals u r goin 2 use (tropical, desert, savannah (safari), endangered, or plainy Mc plain for the ones who just dont quite fit in any theme)
remember: the zoos aren't big enough for every animal+paths+amenities. Choose the ones that r most important 2 u
3. surround the path patch with one of every themed arch
use themed path to lead away from each one
4. start making themed exhibits (i.e.: fence, path, canopies, etc.)
note A: it's better to make a multi-species herbivore exhibit, and then make another multi exhibit consisting of only carnivores, to keep ur animals from getting massacred if u get careless about their food.
note B: only take up as little space as possible without crowding ur animals; each themed area should look like a pie wedge from the overview map.
5. put one restaraunt at the far end of the themed area; ur guest should be hungry by then.
6. put DBs, benches, appropriately themed entertainment, gift stands, and potties where needed.
note: make sure to put down theme-connecting paths, so ur guests dont hav 2 go all the way back to the zoo entrance to go on to the nxt themed area
7. Repeat steps 4-7 until all of your chosn themes r completed, and u r a zt mastah!

[zookeeper601]

Lakes are a good idea, especially with a wooden elevated path eating area. Make sure you put wetlands grass (i.e. Gamba Grass) around the edges of the lake, lilies on the surface, kelp underneath and arctic cod & koi to swim in it (if you have MM).

Here's a lake pic

[dootdoot]

I'm not terribly good at making zoos (better with exhibit) so here's some exhibit tips

~I like to make a square exhibit, then make a large curved in viewing area, near the path side. Only the fences near the paths are glass/low/ though
~Make large exhibits. Don't worry to much about space - one of my best zoos only had three exhibits (savvanah rainforest and scrub if your wondering), but around 15 species of animals! SO yea, large exhibits = much goodness
~Water features. Like waterfalls. But don't put a waterfall in smaller exhibits, or it'll look crunched.
~For large wetlands exhibits, I like to make a river, and then a pond/lake surrounded by mangrove trees (except for where the river comes in). For smaller wetlands exhibits, you can still do it with no river.
~Mix animals! Don't be afraid to mix predator and prey. With the exception of reptiles - ALL of my reptiles constantly kill other animals and eachother ALL the time. If you want to, you can put in prey, wait till they reproduce and stuff, then put in predators, and the predators have to live off of eating prey, but only if you don't care what guests think. Guests get mad when they see animals being killed.
~When making waterfalls, don't just smooth the land around the waterfall, because it tends to make it look like a mound of dirt with water coming off the top. Make mesas(small platues) to give it a gently sloping, more natural feel.
~With wolves (but you can really do this with any animal) I like to make a 'feeding pit'. I make a small pit, and smooth the edges on one side, but not on the other, so there is one way out one way in. Then I put the food in there.
~If you have MM, make beaches! WIth otters, green turtles etc. I make flat land, then I make water. Then I make the water deeper, but so it's sloping gently. Viola, a beach.
~For wetlands, I like to make small pits and ditches and fill them with water, the slope the edges. It makes it look more below-sealevel like many swamps are. I make a lot of pits and many small pools
~With alpine, I like to make a mountain range. I make lots of steep cliffs, bluffs, peaks, summits, ledges, etc. But a cool thing about alpine is that it works well with other biomes. Around the mountains you could make small foothills, but I cover them and other low lands with grassland. The summits I cover with tundra snow. This design takes a lot of practice though.

Hope I could help some!

[zookeeper601]

Another idea: STACK UP PATHS!!! Make elevated paths over normal paths then more over those etc. You can put buildings etc on the sides as well.

An elevated paths pic

Tunnels are good as well, especially below the natural ground level or joined to tanks.

Tunnels

[dootdoot]

that's a cool idea, zookeeper! I know it was so yamicat could get tips, but I'm gonna use it too!

[zookeeper601]

Here's another: Bring guests into the exhibits, don't just make plain old exhibits, make a small path going into the centre of the exhibit, bringing the guests closer at all times, maybe even make a path right in the centre of an exhibit then join it up using an elevated path.

A pic: A great idea, bring guests into your exhibits

Of course, the obvious, make ditches next to water in exhibits so that guests can see land/marine animals swimming as well as seeing them normally on land.

Pic: Water ditch

Another idea, similar to the fourth idea, is to make a path almost through a tank so that guests can get an almost 360 degree view of the exhibit.

Marine tank slice

Yet another idea, use a jeep tour road to split a land/marine animal's exhibit, on one side put water and on the other, land.

Pic: Split tour exhibit

[Ixion]

i know this is a little off-topic, but.. er...um... BEAVER DAM! How do make such nicely sloping paths? How did u make the water gradual? Whenever i place water, its always shallow, then when i place deep, it's just a cliff! When i try to use the terrain mod tool to  attempt at changing the water, it just turns red! can u plz help me, ZK601 (or someone else, at least)?

[ShenTirag]

Ixion: You cannot edit terrain in tanks, where the water is entirely enclosed by tank walls.  I have a solution to this though

I have a couple of tank ideas for you. Instead of having to build slopes in your paths for your tanks, wouldn't it be nice to have nicely terrained tanks that are levelled with the paths?

Well now now you can!  My technique allows guests to see into deep tanks but also edit terrain. It's very simple.

Step one is to raise using the cliff tool a square (or whatever) shaped area of land where you want to have your tank exhibit.  Once the land is raised, mark out the area of the tank with normal zoo walls, then add some tank wall where you want guests to view the animals.  Image of Step One

Step two is to fill the raised area completely with deep water, effectively making a tank with zoo walls for sides. Image of Step Two

Step three is to make hills, trenches, valleys, whatever and landscape your tank!  Also make sure that the terrain in front of the glass tank wall is flattened so guests can se in!  Image of Step Three

I much prefer these sort of "tanks" to the boring normal ones, and it saves hassle trying to nicely slope paths!

(Edit: Also I realised that this tank is a bit shallower than I normally make them, but you can make them as deep as you want without interrupting the guest areas this way!)

[zookeeper601]

To get a good slope effect in a mixed exhibit:

1. Fill the exhibit with land.


2. Fill a blob with shallow water.


3. Add deep water in the centre of the shallow.


4. Use the smooth terrain tool on the cliff between the shallow and deep water.

There, you have a perfect sloped pool of water for whatever you choose. Use the same method to make smooth big hills if you want, just put layers of cliff the smooth the in betweens.

[Ixion]

HOW DOES UR COMPUTER LET U DO THAT?!?!?!?!? Mine's a jammed up cruddy XP PC. my game won't let me make nice slopage like that. Or have such pretty biomes & water X(
*sobsobsobsobsobsobsob*

[beagleboy21]

...um...
well...make sure your details are on low, as low as possible.

[white tiger]

Some of my idea's! (i got numberous idea's on ZTNL, and now ill post some here ^^)

Let the guests see the exhibit from more sides!
- above the ground where the animals walk
- on the level of the animals

First make a crater,  smooth a part: like This.
(gangetje means: Hall)

make the animals having a good time ^^: like this.
(verblijf means: Echibit)


make a roof with the ES paths, and surround them with the tank walls. then is should come out like this!
i have placed turtles in it, becouse the walk slow, so the don't need a free-to-run exhibit

[white tiger]

New idea: make the show have more visitors at once.

Just simple make it like This!

[white tiger]

Another idea: Indoor Hall's

Just make a crater, and a roof with one of the ES paths. then, make a low fence for the visitors so they can't fall in :original: edit the landscape, and a small river with waterfalls!

then place the (i did a meerkat/aardvark combi) animals in!

it should look like This
(this screenshot is also my best exhibit EVER made)

[modnotice=sheltiefan]Do not triple post. Use the edit button.[/modnotice]

[supremeruler77]

okay, i have teh best one ever:

when building a tank, make a large multispecies exhibit. then do an island in the middle. put about 300 degrees of a circle of tank wall around it. use land for the other part. then sink it down and use a bridge to get to it. use the elevated path to create a roof over it. it will look like you are underwater!

if i ever learn how to, ill post some pictures.

[seaworldgurl1]

if you would like your zoos to look natural, stick with simple and natural lines and shapes. for examples visit my show and tell thread! (click on the link in my signature!)

[Piaceri]

Zookeeper601 those are some great ideas!! I might even try out one or two : :

I love designing exhibits and such, but I'm terrible at giving advice, so if you're a visual learner here are some pictures of designs I've done.

Play around with waterfalls and elevated land. Always looks really nice!

Instead of elevated paths, you can put sidewalks on thin cliffs to divide exhibits.

Another example of the above

Post pictures of what you come up with!

[lilgamefreek]

Sometimes it's intresting to simply go with the flow. Don't make any rigid plan and build as you go along. See what zoo comes out of that shapeless ball of clay by just chipping away random pieces.

AND NEVER be afraid to experiment.

[zookeeper601]

That's a nice idea too Piaceri, I might have to try that.

[horse23]

These ideas are great! I will have to try some.  

One thing I like to do is to, in one corner of the xhibit, just do like two levels of elevation and put in a tree and some plants. It looks really nice.

I'll post pics later.

[dinorhino]

that indoor hall is the best design i've seen so far! All the others are great too though, so i'll try them all out. Thanks! :goodpost: