Guest Happiness Issue

[Saobie]

Even before attempting my "Dinosaurs and Fantastic Creatures" zoo, iv always struggled with guest happiness. Iv NEVER had it higher than 90, and it breaches 85 on extremely rare occasion, typically sitting between 75-80

 

Now, with my Dino zoo (now featuring 2 Deinosuchus, 2 Plesios, and 1 Loch Ness) the happiness is at 68. However, iv noticed with the exact same zoo setup, but with lions and tigers instead, i sit at a solid 80

 

Can i use Ape3.2 to help change this? Iv used ape to greatly raise the attractiveness rating of all the dinos and myth creatures i plan to use but that seems to have little result. I otherwise follow all the basic tips for keeping guests happy; lots of high quality exhibits, resturaunts, and a pretty zoo with nice decor. I can send a screenshot of my zoo if itl help, i simply cant seem to get guests to really like my zoo

[(Admin)Savannahjan]

There is a file that I used in my zoos at all times, UNLESS working on a contest zoo.  It's from ZA, but I just discovered it is not in ZA hacks and utilities category, so we will have to get that changed right away.  It is called ' Fil'emup' and it really helps the guests to settle down.  When they eat, or rest, or use the restroom, it automatically fills all their needs values to 100%.  If you are building a zoo strictly for your own enjoyment, this hack really makes it more fun.

 

I will attach this here until we can get it uploaded with author info into the ZA catalog.

Fill'emup.ztd

[(Designer)Z.Z.]

Well thats an interesting hack.

 

I dont use any hacks myself, and my guest happiness is usually around 98.

If you post a screenshot I may be able to give you some tips :)

[Saobie]

Id like to do it hack free (aside from making the animals i find interesting more attractive)

 

also was wondering if anyone knows if i can use ape3.2 to change how much guests like an animal/how often they donate? Lion and tigers and polar bears always get FAT donations but dinosaurs never do, i wanted to change that

 

I have 5 exhibits made as placeholders for later, but for now heres my zoo main plaza and the 2 exhibits made

 

 

[(Admin)Savannahjan]

There was a member of ZooTek several years ago who built a zoo with no amenities at all, no restrooms, no food, no entertainment.  He made the paths very narrow so that guests were always in view of animals, with exhibits no deeper than 10 tiles.  According to him (IcePengwyn) although his guests complained they couldn't find this or that, they still had very high happiness ratings.

[Saobie]

I mean i suppose thats one way to do it, but that seems pretty boring. I sortav understand why my Deinosuchus exhibit isnt so popular because they need so much space and such

 

I followed the whole "wide paths so its not crowded" thing, along with the 2 tile between path and exhibit fence thing. Their happiness is steadily declining so i scrapped the whole zoo. Some guests got angry for food/drinks despite all the stands and such i had and brought my rating down

 

I really want a dino/myth creature only zoo, but the initial rating is always so low

[(Designer)Z.Z.]

I have never made an animal, so I have no idea how to go about altering them, but there are a few animal designers here who would know about that :)

 

For tips on your screenshot:

 

A tile is one square of the map outlined when the terrain tools are selected.

 

Guests are happiest when they can see an animal.

Guests can see 10 tiles in all directions, so if you can insure that there is an animal within 10 tiles of all paths, guest happiness will increase greatly.

I make my exhibits 10 tiles deep, and as long as is needed for maximum animal suitability (EX: Apatosaurus exhibit is usually 10x100 tiles at the back of the zoo).

 

Paths do not increase guest happiness.

Wide paths take up a lot of space which could be better utilized with things that do increase guest happiness, like flowerbeds.

I surround all of my exhibits with flowerbeds which does 3 things:

Increases guest happiness

Makes animals feel less crowded by guests

Stops animals like chimpanzees from climbing over the fence

I very rarely have an animal complain about feeling overcrowded even though I have no solid fences around any exhibit.

So my build goes:

10 tiles of exhibit

Row of flowerbeds

Single path

Row of flowerbeds trees and benches

Row of buildings and decor (fountains, statues)

Row of flowerbeds trees and benches

Single path

Row of flowerbeds

10 tiles of exhibit

This allows guests to see an animal from almost every place in the zoo, with the exception of the short vertical paths connecting each row, and guests do not mind the single path.

 

Mostly you need more nature.

There are 4 trees that increase guest happiness:

Pacific Dogwood

Wild Olive

Cherry Tree

Japanese Maple

I prefer the Dogwood trees myself because they are pretty and go with any decor, and I put them all over the place, usually next to a bench to provide "shade".

 

Using restaurants rather than food stands makes large path areas, trashcans, and clean up crew all to be not needed, which gives you more room for nature, which makes guests happy, while trash makes them unhappy.

 

I hope this helps :)

[Saobie]

Ok so it seems my main issue is the wide paths, as that is something i always do. I just redid my zoo with 2 exhibits 14 tiles deep and pretty long and happiness has not dropped below 85. Ill restart again and try it with narrower paths and more nature

[Saobie]

Alright so this is what iv got so far. im not sure exactly when, but i had 85 guest happiness and it has gradually declined to 75 as iv added in trees, decor, etc. Is there anything in this screenshot i may still be doing wrong?

[Saobie]

Is this more like what you suggested? The gaps between the path would be filled with flowerbeds and trees, as would the gaps between the exhibits and path