I've been working on this project for over two years, starting as an intern straight out of university and was delighted when I earned the Grads In Games Graduate Impact Award last April for my work in the team.
Megan Brown: Hi I'm Megan Brown, and I'm a graduate programmer working on animal behavior in Planet Zoo. We have a pure sandbox mode for creative players, scenarios for players who want more structure, and challenge/franchise modes that combine the best of both. This all needs to be put together with a suite of freeform tools that allow the player to build in their own unique way.
It drives the player to make creative and conservational decisions whilst balancing the many aspects of a zoo, from the animal’s needs, to the staff taking care of them, to the guests that will need to be kept happy and educated to fund their endeavors. Planet Zoo is a game about creating the perfect zoo for animals. We had a chance to ask four of the development team's key members about the development and design of the studio's hit simulation game.
Even with other great sims under its belt like Zoo Tycoon, Planet Coaster, and Jurassic World Evolution, Planet Zoo presented its own special challenges for Frontier. Designing and balancing all the systems therein was no small task.
