WORLD OF ZOO - PENGUIN DEVELOPER DIARY
Design Director, Bart Simon, talks about the Penguin playsets...
One of the elements in World of Zoo that we’re proudest of are the exhibit “playsets”. Playsets are large buildable structures that you unlock over the course of the game. Each playset gives you a novel new way to watch & interact with your animals... It’s thrilling to see what kind of new stuff the playsets allow you and your animals to do!
The image we had in our heads when designing these playsets were toy boxes on shelves. The front of these boxes usually has images of the toy assembled in all its glory – whether it’s a castle, a spaceship, or a fantasy fairy island. The back of the box shows all of the cool pieces that you get in order to create the final playset.
We tried to use a similar idea when designing our playsets, even going so far as documenting them as if they were toys! What are all of the fun pieces you get in the box? What sort of playsets can you build with those pieces? What is the overall concept for the playset, is it a winding maze? A cozy sleeping set? Or is it just a big fun ride for your animals?
This brings us to The Penguins! World of Zoo features a great tool for players to be able to customize their animals’ exhibits, and we really had a great time coming up with the different playsets that can be added to make their gameplay experience lots of fun. Penguins are like little bowling pins – as eager for a fishy snack as they are for some slip-sliding adventure. Most of the playsets we chose for them give them new ways to act ridiculous. For example – one playset is a series of slides.
You can configure them in a number of different ways – and then watch your penguins climb to the top and then inevitably launch themselves down into a spectacular landing. You can use straight slides that deliver them directly into their little swimming hole, or slides with lips at the end that launch them into the air. You can also unlock an ice floe playset that allows you to build little ice floes on top of the swimming area. Penguins can then jump on top of them and then dive off the other side. It’s great fun to remove an ice floe from underneath a penguin. Splash!
The last big playset you can get is a huge snow fort. Penguins can climb up inside the fort and peek out all of the little windows. It’s almost like a hotel... for penguins!
The image we had in our heads when designing these playsets were toy boxes on shelves. The front of these boxes usually has images of the toy assembled in all its glory – whether it’s a castle, a spaceship, or a fantasy fairy island. The back of the box shows all of the cool pieces that you get in order to create the final playset.
We tried to use a similar idea when designing our playsets, even going so far as documenting them as if they were toys! What are all of the fun pieces you get in the box? What sort of playsets can you build with those pieces? What is the overall concept for the playset, is it a winding maze? A cozy sleeping set? Or is it just a big fun ride for your animals?
This brings us to The Penguins! World of Zoo features a great tool for players to be able to customize their animals’ exhibits, and we really had a great time coming up with the different playsets that can be added to make their gameplay experience lots of fun. Penguins are like little bowling pins – as eager for a fishy snack as they are for some slip-sliding adventure. Most of the playsets we chose for them give them new ways to act ridiculous. For example – one playset is a series of slides.
You can configure them in a number of different ways – and then watch your penguins climb to the top and then inevitably launch themselves down into a spectacular landing. You can use straight slides that deliver them directly into their little swimming hole, or slides with lips at the end that launch them into the air. You can also unlock an ice floe playset that allows you to build little ice floes on top of the swimming area. Penguins can then jump on top of them and then dive off the other side. It’s great fun to remove an ice floe from underneath a penguin. Splash!
The last big playset you can get is a huge snow fort. Penguins can climb up inside the fort and peek out all of the little windows. It’s almost like a hotel... for penguins!
