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How to build your own dinosaur park in Jurassic World Evolution
Seven things you need to know when making your very own Jurassic World.
Jurassic World Evolution tasks you with building a facility in which you can house the latest and greatest attractions around: real, living dinosaurs. Except, you know, in a game, not real life.
Rollercoasters and log flumes are one thing, but managing a park filled with ancient beasts brought back to life through ethically questionable science – beasts that can break loose and eat your paying customers, no less – makes this a different take on the park management genre.
Thankfully, we’ve had a go with Evolution and have been able to come up with seven main areas to pay attention to, in order to run things successfully, profitably, and with as little loss of human life as possible. No guarantees on that last one, though.
1. Dinosaurs have needs
Pay attention to the dinosaur's needs
© Frontier Developments
You might think it’s a case of building an enclosure big enough, setting up some viewing platforms and just getting on with other stuff. But Jurassic World Evolution doesn’t work like that – the dinosaurs have their own personalities, their own wants and needs, and if you’re not paying attention to what these prehistoric beasties want from you, there could be trouble.
It’s obvious things like food and water that come into play, but the less obvious elements like how much social interaction they have – herd animals need others of their kind to feel safe and secure, while lone hunters won’t want any competition around. There’s space to consider, with crowding being an issue for some animals, and other more specific wants and needs for certain species.
Basically, you really need to have an ear open for what your attractions demand of you. If you don’t, the costs could be incredibly high – and not just in monetary terms.
2. But safety matters too
Your hamster ball could break down in a systems failure
© Frontier Developments
While you’re concentrating on making sure your dinosaurs are happy and content, you’re having to juggle the need for the safety of the people outside the enclosures with their desire to get up close and personal with the results of DNA extraction and cloning vats. All the time safety is key.
You could leave a paddock door open, with ease – the dinosaurs will escape and run riot. You might neglect a dino, meaning it breaks out of its enclosure and, yes, runs riot. You might experience a power outage or systems failure rendering your tourist-carrying hamster balls broken down. Basically, you might encounter situations where people are in trouble, whether through their own doing or not.
You have to pay attention to this, while tending to the needs of your dinosaurs, while juggling a handful of other factors at the same time. Just… make sure your security team is well equipped, yeah?
3. Don’t forget to research
You can upgrade your security in the park
© Frontier Developments
With that in mind, the quality of equipment available to security – as well as the other factions in Jurassic World Evolution, entertainment and science – can be upgraded and improved as you make your way through the game.
It might seem like things are working well enough with a standard fence and limited-response security teams on standby – and it will, for a while – but with upgrades you’re able to produce more efficient teams of staff, improve the facilities on offer to guests at the park, and – of course – improve and upgrade the quality of the dinosaurs you’re producing.
This latter element is handled by tinkering with the DNA of specific creatures, making them faster, more resilient to disease, tougher and more. It costs more to make them this way, but when you have a hardier, happier dinosaur at the end of it, it all works out for the better. Even if ethically it’s all over the place.
4. Watch the skies
This is a tropical island – expect storms
© Frontier Developments
While everything’s going swimmingly and your research projects are making your already futuristic park a thing of the even-further-in-the-future, mother nature sometimes comes to remind you of her sheer power. Early on in the game it’s not much of an issue, but as you progress you are reminded that this is a park on a tropical island, and the weather in this region can kick the hell out of you.
Building storm warning centres means you’ll be able to see incoming weather patterns before they hit, meaning more preparation can be carried out. It’s also a great idea to introduce redundancies in your power network, so if one substation or power station is knocked out, the electricity supply to your electric fences isn’t interrupted. You know, basically the opposite of what happens in the movies.
It’s yet another factor to keep at the forefront of your mind as you’re playing, but the manner in which Evolution introduces everything – piece by piece – means you won’t be overwhelmed… at least not early on.
5. Listen to the voice in your ear
Frontier, developer of Jurassic World Evolution, has made an in-depth game full of layers and systems – all of which could be confusing for newcomers to the genre. So you’re presented with plenty of voiceovers from those working behind the scenes – investor representatives, scientists, security and so on – who will offer help and advice as you work your way through the game. Listen to them, because they might point out something you’ve otherwise missed or didn’t know.
On top of that, you’ll also be able to enjoy the dulcet tones of Jeff Goldblum, reprising his role as Dr Ian Malcolm (just as he is in the movie, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom). Malcolm will offer players a unique take on the goings on at the park, encouraging you to think beyond just profit and scientific advances – but to also consider the ethical ramifications of what it is you’re doing.
6. It’s about making money
You need your customers to spend money in the park as well as look at dinos
© Frontier Developments
All while you’re worrying about safety and security, as well as the wellbeing of your living attractions, it shouldn’t slip your mind that the entire point of running these parks is to make money. You’ll be reminded of this by an InGen lawyer/investor while playing, so it can never be far from your mind, but it will pay – literally – to keep in mind things like merchandising and food shops.
If your guests can come in, see the dinosaurs, grab a bite to eat, ride around in a giant hamster ball, avoid death, then buy a t-shirt on the way out, they’re going to be happy about the whole thing. Plus, they’re going to have spent more money than they otherwise would have. Ah, naked capitalism: bliss.
7. Embrace the chaos
You can just ignore the safety advice for a laugh
© Frontier Developments
Or, if you can’t be bothered with that whole ‘oversight and making sure there’s redundancies in place’ schtick, you can just go feral and create as much chaos as possible. You’re never going to have the most successful park around by letting the dinosaurs loose and having people trampled and eaten, but the option is there if you want to encourage some good ol’ nefarious deeds.
Jurassic World Evolution will be released on PS4, Xbox One and PC on June 12.
