If you're just starting out in Planet Zoo it can feel very overwhelming. The game is enjoyable but also incredibly complex. Great care has been taken to ensure it mimics real-life zoo management and with this comes a large number of settings, notifications, and options.

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Here we take a look at some of the most basic and important things you'll need to pay attention to in your zoo. As you explore you'll notice that these are just the beginning. However, they are some of the most important, with these areas being key to good animal welfare, happy guests, sensible staffing and an efficient zoo.

10 Visiting Players

While it may seem like visitors are just a gimmick, they actually offer a reward. If you click on the name of the player on the UI tab when you see visiting player notification then you'll be prompted to greet them. Doing so will award 20 conservation credits so it is well worth the effort.

Conservation credits can be used to purchase healthier and rarer animals and can be difficult to build up. This little trick will give you a nice boost over time, helping your zoo become more unique.

9 The Radar

The radar button is in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen and this will help you see any issues at a glance. It offers a range of heat maps for temperature, water quality, negative impact, electricity and more.

A frequent flick through these heat maps is the easiest way to spot issues before all the red warnings appear. Notifications tend to only kick in once things are dire. One to monitor early on is the negative effect on guests. Use this to ensure staff buildings are kept far enough from paths to minimize the impact on guest happiness.

8 Barrier Settings

At first glance, the barriers seem like a nightmare. Are they climbable, transparent, strong? It can appear that you have to compromise on something but in actual fact, most barriers are highly customizable.

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If you click through both option tabs on the right side of the screen you'll notice that you can add glass windows and anti-climb barriers to almost any barrier. This is alongside the tools you'd expect to adjust height and length. You can also change the maintenance settings to ensure barriers are repaired more frequently.

7 Habitat Size

One of the easiest ways to build a suitable habitat is to build a basic barrier then put the animal inside and hit pause. Clicking an animal in a habitat will allow you to see exactly how you need to adjust it.

First, check the size, water, and climbing needs. Remember that if you want to breed animals you'll need to keep the size above the base to allow for extras. The first screen will show you the current size and how it compares to the ideals.

6 Animal Needs

Once the basic habitat is in place and suitably sized you can adjust other aspects to meet the animal's needs. As you adjust terrain, temperature, and foliage, these changes effects will show on the animal panel, even in pause.

Make sure you check your animal's preference for area and climate to get the correct foliage and don't forget food, water, and shelter as well as any basic enrichment you have.

5 Pathway Options

In certain zoos especially, paths can be tricky. The pathing tool is powerful but also annoying, especially for beginners. You can minimize issues by fiddling with some of the options.

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Turning off the flatten terrain and tunneling options can help avoid "terrain modification failed" errors. You can also use U and J or hold the left shift button to raise and lower paths to create inclines or stairs. If you've already built an enclosure, the snap alongside barriers option can help keep the path on track.

4 Staff Levels

Staff all play different roles and some perform duties you may not have considered. While mechanics repairing fences and vets treating sick animals is an obvious occurrence, the implications of security guards' roles are less so.

Without security, you may find benches break and education boards or speakers need more frequent repairs. This is because vandalism is the cause of many of these minor breakdowns and is alleviated with security. You won't need security immediately but it's a solid investment once your visitors are steady.

3 Vet Research

Vet research actually plays several roles in your zoo. The first important role is in animal welfare. As a default, you'll begin with only a few enrichment items. Vet research will help you gain more, allowing you to increase animal welfare by adding and rotating these in your exhibits.

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A vets animal research also increases your education rating making education boards and speakers more valuable and prompting more donations. Finally, research into diseases helps keep animals healthy and treat sick animals more efficiently.

2 Mechanic Research

Mechanic research will help with new themes, power sources and staff facilities. All these can really help make your zoo more efficient. Larger staff buildings allow more staff to use them at one time while reducing space and power requirements.

Combine these facilities with staff promotions and new staff when needed to ensure your zoo is in good working order. Just remember that researching staff won't perform other duties at the same time.

1 Guest Happiness

Guests will have different specific needs but there are some basics you need to make sure you fulfill. Food and drink stands should be well spaced to cater for hunger and thirst, you'll also need restrooms for the after-effects. Alongside these benches to combat tiredness and bins to keep litter under control also help with happiness.

To increase revenue from your happy guests place ATMs near vendors or donation boxes and keep an eye on notifications about your zoo's price. Frequent education boards and speakers also help keep guests in a giving mood.

If you want more help with your zoo planning make sure to check out our other Planet Zoo articles.

Next: Planet Zoo - A Complete Guide