What makes a zoo good? What makes a zoo bad? Obviously, when it comes to monster zoos, having some sort of fence-like-structure between zoo visitors and the terrible creatures is a good start, but what about the rest of
In this update1
Full notes
Full The Eldritch Zookeeper update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
0 fixes1 addition3 changes0 removals
Store
Gameplay
Events
changedWhat makes a zoo good? What makes a zoo bad? Obviously, when it comes to monster zoos, having some sort of fence-like-structure between zoo visitors and the terrible creatures is a good start, but what about the rest of the zoo? How important are litter bins, and illumination, and having enough food and drink shops, and bathroom cleanliness, and queue lengths for all these services? Well, they are important! Cutting corners is frowned upon for most zookeepers, and surely even more for cursed ones.
addedGame Design Philosophy Time:Let me explain: there are some games where you build a Thing (a theme park, a hospital, a school, or whatever else) where all you do as a player is to build some things, wait for money to accumulate, maybe research some new things, build those things with the money, and repeat until there's nothing more to build. Don't get me wrong; lots of games with that sort of 'gameplay loop' are entertaining and relaxing, and it's satisfying to build a Thing the way you want to.
changedGame Design Philosophy Time:One nice aspect to the Zoo Satisfaction Rating is the way it looks at everything you do as a zookeeper. An important part of the Management/Tycoon subgenre is just letting the player build their Thing - in this case, a monster zoo - however they want. That sort of freedom and creative expression is something I want to encourage, and not squash by enforcing a certain Build Order, or 'Way You Have To Do Things'. If you want to focus on having lots of different, interesting monsters, the Zoo Satisfaction Rating system will reward you for that. If you want to focus on decorating your zoo nicely and making sure visitors get what they need, the rating system will do the same. Whatever you invest in will be rewarded, and at the same time there are the levers behind the scenes that can be tweaked to help you create a well-rounded zoo. And achieving that well-rounded zoo is, I hope, going to be a fun little puzzle for future players (like you!) to solve.
changedGame Design Philosophy Time:(Oh, and it's worth mentioning: if the player just wants to build for fun, in a relaxing way, without the game simulation seriously challenging the player, I absolutely want to allow the player to do that in a Free Build mode.)
The Eldritch Zookeeper changes
changedWhat makes a zoo good? What makes a zoo bad? Obviously, when it comes to monster zoos, having some sort of fence-like-structure between zoo visitors and the terrible creatures is a good start, but what about the rest of the zoo? How important are litter bins, and illumination, and having enough food and drink shops, and bathroom cleanliness, and queue lengths for all these services? Well, they are important! Cutting corners is frowned upon for most zookeepers, and surely even more for cursed ones.
addedLet me explain: there are some games where you build a Thing (a theme park, a hospital, a school, or whatever else) where all you do as a player is to build some things, wait for money to accumulate, maybe research some new things, build those things with the money, and repeat until there's nothing more to build. Don't get me wrong; lots of games with that sort of 'gameplay loop' are entertaining and relaxing, and it's satisfying to build a Thing the way you want to.
changedOne nice aspect to the Zoo Satisfaction Rating is the way it looks at everything you do as a zookeeper. An important part of the Management/Tycoon subgenre is just letting the player build their Thing - in this case, a monster zoo - however they want. That sort of freedom and creative expression is something I want to encourage, and not squash by enforcing a certain Build Order, or 'Way You Have To Do Things'. If you want to focus on having lots of different, interesting monsters, the Zoo Satisfaction Rating system will reward you for that. If you want to focus on decorating your zoo nicely and making sure visitors get what they need, the rating system will do the same. Whatever you invest in will be rewarded, and at the same time there are the levers behind the scenes that can be tweaked to help you create a well-rounded zoo. And achieving that well-rounded zoo is, I hope, going to be a fun little puzzle for future players (like you!) to solve.
changed(Oh, and it's worth mentioning: if the player just wants to build for fun, in a relaxing way, without the game simulation seriously challenging the player, I absolutely want to allow the player to do that in a Free Build mode.)
What makes a zoo good? What makes a zoo bad? Obviously, when it comes to monster zoos, having some sort of fence-like-structure between zoo visitors and the terrible creatures is a good start, but what about the rest of the zoo? How important are litter bins, and illumination, and having enough food and drink shops, and bathroom cleanliness, and queue lengths for all these services? Well, they are important! Cutting corners is frowned upon for most zookeepers, and surely even more for cursed ones.
I hope you enjoy what is my longest and most in-depth development video yet! I think it gives the start of a good overview of what will make The Eldritch Zookeeper a deep, rich and super-rewarding game to play.
Game Design Philosophy Time:
Here's an opinion I have about certain management/tycoon games: sometimes, they're not really very deep or challenging.
Let me explain: there are some games where you build a Thing (a theme park, a hospital, a school, or whatever else) where all you do as a player is to build some things, wait for money to accumulate, maybe research some new things, build those things with the money, and repeat until there's nothing more to build. Don't get me wrong; lots of games with that sort of 'gameplay loop' are entertaining and relaxing, and it's satisfying to build a Thing the way you want to.
Still, something I want to accomplish in The Eldritch Zookeeper is to have the zoo simulation push back on you in different ways. I want there to be situations where certain aspects of the zoo you're building get stressed, or have more weight put on them, to test whether the zoo can handle them. The Zoo Satisfaction Rating system I talk through in the video is how I'm measuring where a zoo is at, where it's struggling and whether it's improving or floundering.
One nice aspect to the Zoo Satisfaction Rating is the way it looks at everything you do as a zookeeper. An important part of the Management/Tycoon subgenre is just letting the player build their Thing - in this case, a monster zoo - however they want. That sort of freedom and creative expression is something I want to encourage, and not squash by enforcing a certain Build Order, or 'Way You Have To Do Things'. If you want to focus on having lots of different, interesting monsters, the Zoo Satisfaction Rating system will reward you for that. If you want to focus on decorating your zoo nicely and making sure visitors get what they need, the rating system will do the same. Whatever you invest in will be rewarded, and at the same time there are the levers behind the scenes that can be tweaked to help you create a well-rounded zoo. And achieving that well-rounded zoo is, I hope, going to be a fun little puzzle for future players (like you!) to solve.
(Oh, and it's worth mentioning: if the player just wants to build for fun, in a relaxing way, without the game simulation seriously challenging the player, I absolutely want to allow the player to do that in a Free Build mode.)
Thanks for watching the video, I hope it makes you anticipate the game! Don't forget to wishlist the game, and if you want to join The Guild of Cursed Zookeepers simply visit: https://cranktrain.com/guild/ and follow the instructions. It's free! And in return you'll get Kristof, an exclusive playable zookeeper, as a Steam inventory item:
Thanks for watching and reading, I'll see you again soon! - Matt
