Zoo Tycoon 2
| Zoo Tycoon 2 | |
|---|---|
| Zoo Tycoon 2 boxart | |
| Developer(s) | Blue Fang Games |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Series | Zoo Tycoon |
| Engine | Gamebryo |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mobile Phone, Macintosh |
| Release | November 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Economic simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Zoo Tycoon 2, (known colloquialy as ZT2) is a simulation computer game in which the player must successfully create and run a zoo, by managing its finances, employees and animal exhibits. The goal is to become a "zoo tycoon".
It is the follow-up of the 2001 game Zoo Tycoon.
Gameplay
There are a number of different modes in the game. Each mode has limitations (with the exception of freeform) and the player can choose which mode depending on the experience and age of him or her.
A freeform game in Zoo Tycoon 2 allows you to create the zoo of your choice, the only restriction being space, animals and objects. The player's money supply is unlimited, and all items are available from the beginning of the game play (except those that can only be unlocked in Scenario and Challenge games). Freeform games begin with an empty zoo, to which the player adds animal exhibits and guest facilities (such as restaurants and bathrooms), hiring employees to staff and maintain them.
Challenge games are the equivalent of previous Zoo Tycoon freeform games. In this type of game, the player's money supply is limited, and not all items are ready for immediate use and stocks of an animal species are limited. Game play is the same as freeform, except that the player must make a profit in order to keep the zoo running, and certain items must be researched before they become available for use.
This mode will occasionally give the player extra challenges. Some of them will involve creating habitats for specific animals. Other photo challenges will involve snapping a picture of a designated animal doing a specific behavior, such as running or hunting.
When a specific number of regular challenges, expansion pack challenges (expansions are required), or photo challenges are completed, a specific theme for buildings are available, allowing versions of the player's restrooms, food stands, scenery, and other items to be constructed altered for that theme.
A campaign is a game form in which the player must complete a goal to win. Each campaign gives the player a certain task to achieve (such as constructing a particular exhibit or gaining a specific award), and when the goal is met, the player moves onto the next.Campaigns can range from simple construction tasks to creating and managing a popular zoo for several years. As the player progresses through the campaign, the scenarios become harder. After the player completes the last scenario, a reward is obtained, usually a new building or item, or allowing the player to take on an entirely new campaign. the campaign mode also includes game tutorials.
Animals
Zoo Tycoon 2 contains 30 animals in total, although expansion packs and downloads add up to 98 animals so far. The animals are sorted into categories by biome (savannah, tropical rainforest, alpine, scrub, grassland, wetlands, tundra, desert, coastal, benthic, pelagic, reef, boreal forest and temperate forest). The animals can be mixed with each other in their exhibits, and the carnivores will only hunt the herbivores if they are hungry, but it's good to take precaution. However, some carnivores (like lions) sometimes kill others of their species for competition over space.
- African Elephant - Savannah
- American Beaver - Wetlands
- Bengal Tiger - Tropical Rainforest
- Black Rhinoceros - Savannah
- Cheetah - Savannah
- Chimpanzee - Tropical Rainforest
- Common Peafowl - Temperate Forest
- Common Zebra - Savannah
- Dromedary Camel - Desert
- Emperor Penguin - Tundra
- Gemsbok - Scrubland
- Giant Panda - Temperate Forest
- Greater Flamingo - Wetlands
- Grizzly Bear - Boreal Forest
- Hippopotamus - Wetlands
- Ibex - Alpine
- Jaguar - Tropical Rainforest
- Lion - Savannah
- Moose - Boreal Forest
- Mountain Gorilla - Tropical Rainforest
- Nile Crocodile - Wetlands
- Okapi - Tropical Rainforest
- Ostrich - Savannah
- Polar Bear - Tundra
- Red Kangaroo - Scrubland
- Red Panda - Temperate Forest
- Reticulated Giraffe - Savannah
- Ring-Tailed Lemur - Tropical Rainforest
- Snow Leopard - Alpine
- Thomson's Gazelle - Savannah
Bonus downloads
The bonus downloads are extra animals, objects and other features that can be downloaded via the in-game menus[1] or the extras section of the Zoo Tycoon website[2].
| Animal | Biome | Star rating | Dowloaded from | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black leopard | Tropical Rainforest | 3 stars | Ingame [1] | Comes with stuffed prey dummy [2] |
| Musk ox | Tundra | 0.5 star | Ingame [3] | Comes with diamond leaf willow plant and tundra-themed objects |
| Asian elephant | Scrub | 3.5 stars | Ingame [4] | |
| Addax | Desert | 2 stars | Zoo Tycoon official website [5] |
Ambient animals
Ambient animals fly over and run around in the zoo. These are non-adoptable and cannot be selected or manipulated by the player.
| Animal | Land/Air | Biome(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Rock dove | Air | Grassland |
| Herring Gull | Air | Grassland |
| Yellow-billed oxpecker | Air | Savannah |
| Blue-and-yellow macaw | Air | Tropical rainforest |
| Mallard duck | Air | Wetlands; Boreal forest; Temperate forest |
| Common loon | Air | Boreal forest; alpine |
| Springhare | Land | Desert |
| Red squirrel | Land | Boreal , temperate forest & Grassland |
| King Vulture | Air | Desert, savannah, scrub |
| Monarch butterfly | Air | Grassland; alpine; boreal & temperate forest |
Expansion packs
Endangered Species
In October 2005, Microsoft released the Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species expansion pack. This expansion pack adds more rare animals, including the komodo dragon, scimitar-horned oryx, and orangutan, as well as a number of new forms of transportation, including sky trams, jeep tours and elevated paths. The expansion also has a feature called "variant skins", which means that when the player adopts an animal, it may look different from normal members of its species (such as a White Bengal tiger and King Cheetah .
With the addition of this expansion pack, the player can create a Jeep Wrangler or Commander tour through the zoo's exhibits, or a sky tram route. Elevated paths allow visitors to walk right above the exhibits, giving a very good view of the animals, and even allow food courts to be built above enclosures.
The new maps included in the expansion all have conservation areas in which non-natural objects are not allowed , with the exception of small enrichment items and food dishes.
African Adventure
Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure, released May 2006, adds various new African animals such as the bongo, secretary bird, Ratel and the meerkat, allows the player to drive through savannah exhibits with African-themed jeep tours to get closer to them. The expansion pack also includes new maps based on well-known African locations, as well as new desert-themed buildings and lizard live food, and a new set of challenges and campaigns. The Jeep vehicle tours originally included in Endangered Species are featured in this expansion, with the addition of the new Jeep Liberty.
One of the biggest features of the expansion is the herding and pack hunting behavior. A lone lion attempting to take on a herd of wildebeest will get attacked if it wanders too close. On the other hand, a pride of lions against a lone wildebeest will work together to hunt it down.
Marine Mania
Released on 17 October 2006, Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania features 20 new aquatic animals, new marine options, marine shows and several other brand new gaming features. The expansion also includes marine plants, the ability to build tanks, animal shows, minigames to teach some of your marine animals behaviours,and 4 new aquatic biomes (reef, coastal, pelagic,and benthic), and new scenarios and challenges. Changes have been made to the original method of biome layout allowing the ability to turn off rocks , flowers and/or trees.
Extinct Animals
Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals, is planned for an October 2007 release. It was announced officially in May, but information on the expansion was found on various websites such as Amazon as early as January. There are 30 animals altogether, more than twelve of which are dinosaurs, that can be brought back to life via a research building. This concludes to be the largest game in the Zoo Tycoon series yet. Two animals from the Dino Danger Pack are confirmed to be included in the expansion; they have both been, at the very least, slightly modified.
Among the confirmed animals include Smilodon, Dodo, Tyrannosaurus, Megatherium, American mastodon, and Stegosaurus
Premium Downloads
The following are not true expansion packs, but are mini-packs available on the official site. They aren't counted as bonus downloads because they're not free. The Dino Danger Pack is the only example of a premium download so far.
Dino Danger Pack
The Dino Danger Pack was released at the end of July 2006. It is only available as a "Premium Download" on the official Zoo Tycoon website. It adds four new animals to the game. They are Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Carnotaurus, and Styracosaurus. There is also a new animal enrichment item, two new food items, the king sago palm, and a new challenge and campaign. It includes a new type of fence suited for dinosaurs as well.
The Dino Danger Pack can be purchased for $4.99 and downloaded at
Zoo Tycoon premium downloads.
Zookeeper Collection
The Zookeeper Collection was released in October 2006. It includes the original game as well as the Endangered Species and African Adventure expansions. It includes some Marine Mania features, such as the new mode of biome layout.
Reception
The release of Zoo Tycoon 2 in 2004 received mixed views. Many parents played the game with their children, which resulted in the numerous awards for the sequel. Although the game is aimed at children and teenagers, the educational side of the game was the rise to popularity.
However, the numerous bugs for the sequel were a major turning point. Reviews on sites like GameSpot and IGN complain of poor peformance of lower-res computers, unimpressive sound system and just acceptable graphics.[3]
Awards
Zoo Tycoon 2 received numerous awards from various points of view. Multiple awards from parent organizations for being a family-friendly game. The sequel also received Dean Takahashi’s "Top 10 Games of 2004". The expansion packs, in particular Marine Mania, also strut over 5 different family friendly gaming awards.
Competition
Since the release of Zoo Tycoon in 2001, many other companies have imitated the gameplay, and the concept of running a zoo. The followers since include Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!, Wildlife Park 2, its expansion pack Crazy Zoo, Zoo Empire and its platinum pack Marine Park Empire. All of these have different gameplay and content, but all have the same basic concept.
However, Zoo Tycoon seems to have become more popular and better known. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 has recently stopped producing expansion packs, and Zoo Empire was a relative failure, while the Zoo Tycoon Franchise has continued to expand since it first came out. The franchise is still expanding, with more expansion packs coming out. The largest competition at the moment is Deep Silver's Wildlife Park 2, originated in Germany.
User-made content
Thanks to certain tutorials and good thinking, a player with certain abilities can create objects of his/her own, such as new animals, packs, objects, buildings, plants and gifts purchased by guests.
Most user made downloads are the same as the entity they were made from with an edited texture, and perhaps other elements changed such as size and diet. But for the more advanced designer, behavior editing, and even mesh editing, which allows one to change the 'model' of the object is possible. Mesh editing was a fairly recent discovery, and at first was full of bugs and glitches, but more accomplished meshers can get round these. It can be done using a program such as Blender, Nifskope, and 3D Studio Max. Numerorus fansites have sprung up, many devoted to user created animals and the so called 'designers' who make them. [4]
At least two user expansion packs are currently in progress, Zoo Tycoon 2: Worldwide Wonders by Worldwide Designers United, and Arabian Nights by Artifex, both of which are due out by the end of 2007. Polar Paradise will be out in 2008, or it is announced so anyway. There is also an entire series of more, that will be made by Jntg4.7 from here, who leads Jntg4Games. They are planning to make Cats and Canines, then Raging raptors, and several others. Production will start whwnwver they figure out the XP format.
See also
References
- ^ "Zoo Tycoon.com - Bonus Downloads". Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ^ "Zoo Tycoon.com - Extras". Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "GameSpot - Zoo Tycoon 2 Review". Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ^ Zoo Tycoon 2 Designing Centre, user object creation
External links
