Zoo Tycoon 2
| Zoo Tycoon 2 | |||
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| Studio |
 Blue Fang Games
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| Publisher |
Microsoft
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
November 25, 2004 | ||
| platform | Microsoft Windows , Mac OS | ||
| genre | simulation | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | CD-ROM | ||
| language | German | ||
| Age rating |
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Zoo Tycoon 2 , the successor to Zoo Tycoon , is an economic simulation by Blue Fang Games that was released by Microsoft in 2004 for the PC.
Gameplay
The aim of the game is to make as much profit as possible with a self-built zoo, whereby the player has to keep visitors and animals in a good mood. In order to build the zoo, it has various components available, for example paths, fences, zoo staff, food stalls and playgrounds.
Depending on how much effort the player puts in building the zoo and the enclosures, animal and visitor satisfaction increases or decreases. If both are cared for to the same extent, the zoo will gain popularity. This is expressed in stars that can be seen in the top left of the screen. A maximum of five stars can be achieved, whereby this rating also determines which animals can be admitted to the zoo.
Unlike its predecessor, Zoo Tycoon 2 uses 3D graphics. The biome selection, for example, is new, with which complete habitats can be created without great effort. In addition, it is now possible to switch to a visitor mode, in which you can see the zoo from the perspective of the visitors or do the tasks of the staff. It is also possible to go on a photo safari.
Game modes
In free play, the player has unlimited resources and free access to all animals, buildings, plants and objects. The card is freely selectable.
In challenge mode you choose your assets at the beginning. You start with a small selection of animals and items of equipment. During the game you are constantly challenged, which gives you new opportunities or rewards if you pass. They range from simple photo safaris to “take in three different species of animals in two months”. The card is freely selectable.
The campaign is the actual game, there are seven different sections with different scenarios.
Expansion packages
There are currently four add-ons and a downloadable premium package available, which is also included in the fourth expansion. The Endangered Species , Extinct Species , and Africa Adventure packs each contain new animals, zoo items, playing cards, and missions. The Dino Danger expansion is about dinosaurs and was available as a paid download from the official website, but has not been offered since the extinct animal species add-on was released. Marine Mania deals with marine animals.
The Ultimate Collection , which contains Zoo Tycoon 2 and all of the expansions that have appeared so far, has been available since September 2008 .
Community extensions
Zoo Tycoon consists of a core program (which has been further developed in terms of game mechanics up to the Ultimate Collection ) and one or more files with content. These are zip archives with the ending ".z2f" with XML files, textures and the like. These files define animals, plants, equipment objects, biomes, animal characteristics, translations and more.
Even if Blue Fang Games has never officially published specifications for these files as far as is known, a community quickly developed which, through analysis of these files, was able to correct errors in the game, generate translations and, at times, also re-texturize existing objects or even bring new objects into the game. Several fan pages were created on which new content and expansion packages were offered free of charge. Some examples were or are:
Artifex
This group of developers, founded in 2006, released two expansion packs, among other things: Arabian Nights with animals and equipment objects in the style of the Arabian Peninsula and Island Excusions with animals from remote islands and marine areas and equipment objects in the paradise theme . There were also a few individual downloads. A German translation is also available for the Arabian Nights expansion package . Around 2008 after the completion of Island Excusions , Artifex declared its liquidation. The finished content can still be downloaded.
Zoo Tycoon ABC
This now closed site with a forum has hosted content from a wide variety of designers for years, from individual "reskins" (ie new texturing of existing animals) to expansion sets of plants, animals, buildings, fences and other equipment. This domain is now being redirected.
Aurora designs
The 3D designer group Aurora Designs creates free content for Zoo Tycoon 2. It is one of the few fan projects of the game that are still active in 2017.
Most fan projects had previously been content with creating more realistic textures for existing animals. Often, animal variants were also created based on 3D models with slightly modified sizes and proportions. The designer group Aurora Designs, on the other hand, has set itself the goal of completely redesigning as many animals as possible from the original game and its expansion packages, giving them a more realistic 3D model and appearance as well as fur and color variants , among other things as part of the Radical Remake project to give. This should replace the angular models and sometimes comic-like textures of the original game. The motto of the designers is summarized on the homepage as follows:
"Aurora Designs is an independent, non-profit design team for the Zoo Tycoon 2 series. The team, comprising of the most elite designers in the community, is dedicated to "creating compelling creations for Zoo Tycoon 2, carry on the Zoo Tycoon franchise by keeping the interest of all players, and finding the natural beauty in everything we create," says Aurora Designs spokesmen, Jonathan Miller. "
As of mid-2017, the remaining 39 animals from the original Zoo Tycoon 2 game have been renewed, with the exception of the lion . Join in
- 9 of the 20 animals in the Endangered Species expansion pack
- 14 of the 20 animals in the African Adventure extension package
- 17 of the 20 animals in the Marine Mania expansion pack
- the dodo and some plants from the Extinct Animals expansion pack
- Remakes of four official bonus downloads: Mendes Antelope (Addax), Asian Elephant, Musk Ox, and African Leopard.
In addition to the animals from the original game series and the bonus downloads, new animals have been offered over the years (e.g. mustang, Indian rhinoceros, black-backed tapir and large shredded fish) as well as smaller themed packages that contain animals and plants from a specific region. Among them are the maned wolf, the saiga antelope, the Siberian tiger and the turkey. In May 2017 these were published again in a revised and bundled form as the "Complete Collection". At this point in time, the package comprised 41 animals, over 50 trees and plants, 2 new themes and some items of equipment. In total, more than 120 photo-realistic animals were officially designed by the team or individual designers.
In 2013, the developers of Aurora Designs announced that they were also completely redesigning the biomes (grasslands, tundra, steppe, etc.). A new information website about the biomes was set up for this purpose. In addition to the biomes, water, clouds and stones, the publication of the downloads even included an optional alternative user interface in predominantly black and white optics. The game mechanics itself has not changed, but the properties of some animals and their affiliation to biomes have been changed or corrected by the expansions.
With all its facets such as animals, plants, biomes and user interface, the design team has managed to "rejuvenate" the game by several years, even if there are now games like Hakuna Matata (Africa) for the PS3, thanks to newer 3D engines allow a much more realistic representation of wild animals and the environment.
In the past few years, members had left Aurora Designs for personal, mostly family reasons , and activity remained low despite new recruits. In spite of this, individual animals could always be added and the "Complete Collection" completed.
successor
In 2013, Microsoft released a new version of the game specifically for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 under the Zoo Tycoon brand . This contains much more detailed animals and equipment and an even more realistically simulated animal behavior, as well as more interactions between the animals and the user. However, it has a significantly different operation due to the control with Kinect or console. While it is possible in Zoo Tycoon 2 to create enclosures and paths in any shape and size, to place fences and objects anywhere along the triangulated grid and to equip the enclosures in almost any way, the user will have a lot of work, but also Freedom in the design of enclosures is reduced by placing finished enclosures (apart from the equipment) on the map.
Web links
- Zoo Tycoon 2 at MobyGames (English)
- Artifex Artifex (English)
- Aurora Designs (English)
- Aurora Designs Forum ( Memento from June 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) at the ZT2 Round Table ( Memento from October 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Who is Artifex? Retrieved June 27, 2015 .
- ↑ ShenTirag: Artifex Forums - Thread "Where Will Artifex Go Next?" November 29, 2009, accessed June 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Zoo Tycoon ABC current, popular, creative. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012 ; accessed in 2012 .
- ^ A b Jonathan Miller: Aurora Designs - Our mission. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 29, 2015 ; accessed on June 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Hendrix: Forum entry in: Aurora Designs Project Updates. May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017 .
- ↑ Otter Lord: Forum Thread: Biomes Reveal Website. June 30, 2013, accessed June 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Radical Remake - Biomes. 2013, accessed June 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Mayer: Forum entry in: Aurora Designs Project Updates. August 10, 2014, accessed June 27, 2015 .