Building franchise zoo entrance?

[coffee]

How do you build it to make it look pretty but at the same time so it doesn't take too much cash? Or do you revamp it later when u get enough money?

[Handsome Young Man]

After I make some cash I usually revamp it. Start with real basic stuff.

[Moving Target]

I posted 2 or 3 Franchise zoo entrances on the workshop along with instructions on how to place them to best effect this one is quite elaborate but only costs 4.5k to place so can be used quite early even in Franchise mode
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2059978215

This one is as basic as you can get and needs no research, it costs 2.6k and includes a toilet along with a link for how to place the BP correctly with pathing
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2022736194

Try downloading it then rip it apart to see how it was done lol (Sandbox might be a good place to experiment)
One way to make your own Franchise entrance without wasting money is to create it in Sandbox mode then make it into a BLUEPRINT which you can then place when you are back in your Franchise zoo, that way at least you will know how much it is going to cost before you place it down!

[grampers62]

Creating the buildings can be fairly inexpensive and a couple exhibits can bring in the cash as you build. Lately I just plan the entrance to house those exhibits right off. The real cost comes when we decide to add the guest spawners to a new exhibit. Of course, a savvy builder would just detach and move the original spawner and gate and start the new entrance building of that spawner. Tip! Press c to reset the detached spawner to the world grid.

[Moving Target]

You might be able to move the spawners but you can't delete all of the original entrance building which is why I just hide it behind my own buildings lol

[GunRunner89X]

Originally posted by Moving Target:

You might be able to move the spawners but you can't delete all of the original entrance building which is why I just hide it behind my own buildings lol

You can if you have the Freebuild mod.

Of all the mods that need to be incorporated into the base game...

[grampers62]

Current version of the game will allow complete removal of the starting building and moving of the original spawn points in franchise. Changed as of this last update.

[audiolady]

Definitely create it in Sandbox first! Even tho I spend a lot of money that way, sometimes!
But then it looks like I want it to, before I put it my Franchise Zoo.

[coffee]

Wait I guess I worded myself wrong. I wasn't thinking of entrance building itself, I meant like actual entrance of the zoo. I always want to make a pretty entrance with statues, trees, flowers, shops, etc. etc. but I have no clue how to do that in Franchise since you don't start with much money, and later on it's hard to delete everything when u make too many habitats and stuff.

[Alytheia]

I think there are many different approaches. It very much depends on how large you want to make your entrance or what else you have in mind.

If it's cash you struggle with:
Pausing the game and getting all the loans will give you a good start for a decent sized entrance and first exhibit. You could start with placing the most important amenities first like paths, shops, enclosure, etc and a general outline of the entrance. You then unpause the game to generate cash whilst decorating. (Be carefull not to go broke after you unpause.)

In my latest franchise, I moved the pre build entrance to one of the corners of the map (This should be possible again without mods i believe) I made a quick bare habitat for some chimps (do not pick an animal with high food costs) from the storage, placed two restaurants, toilet, shop, donation boxes, education (just all the necessary amenities), one of each staff etc. This gave me approx 15k to 25k a year whilst i took all the time i needed to make a grand entrance and some habitats before actually letting the guests in. (speed up the game if you run low on cash while building)

If it's ideas/inspiration you struggle with:
Some other tips would be to make sure you leave some space between the exhibits and around the fist entrance. So you can get back to it later on. Making a plan on paper or with references before starting the zoo can help you get a better idea of what you want and how much space you'll need. And like said before, building in sandbox will give you some more freedom and a decent idea of the costs of it.

I hope this gives you some ideas?

[grampers62]

Often players struggle to be creative and build grand areas. It might help you to look up some photos of arboretums and formal gardens. You might also think of finding items in the workshop you like and redo or copy parts for you area. Often I think in terms of components, Little pieces that can be moved around and changed easily while retaining a theme of sorts. I find it also helps to start the zoo with a little back story to help decide what things go in the zoo to fit the story.
Bottom line, you're only limited by your imagination, There is no wrong way to make a grand entrance nor a truly right way. Don't be discouraged if things don't seem right. Many of the things you see posted for Planet Zoo have had many changes or versions to get the players vision in game. Start with a basic concept and adjust as it grows.

[Infinivex]

you have to have one spawner on the map but that means you can remove the ones you start with if you place another somewhere else on the map