It's a zoo out there, and you're in charge! Go wild with your imagination running the most exotic, fun and exciting zoo ever.

Tend to your animals' health, happiness and nutrition by hiring employees, and adopt new animals as you unlock the numerous features hidden within the game. Attend to visitors by providing facilities for them to eat, drink and buy souvenirs from as they revel in your zoo.

Sporting flexible gameplay, choose from either the sandbox mode where you establish the rules of the game, or accept the challenge of graduating from rookie zookeeper to wildlife whiz in the challenging career mode!

Keep your animals, employees and visitors happy, keep the money rolling in, and path by path, animal by animal, exhibit by exhibit, build your very own Zoo Empire!

Features:

• Adopt animals, landscape and build exhibits, hire and manage employees, and keep visitors happy as the money pours into your virtual zoo!
• 30-scenario branched campaign mode for those wishing to undertake their greatest challenge of their zoo career, or simply indulge yourself in the sandbox mode, where you make your own rules and play as you wish.
• Branched path career mode that allows you to place the emphasis on the business or zoological end of running your very own zoo.
• Choose from three train and boat designs as you set up touring facilities by laying out tracks or digging rivers for spectacular guided tours around your best exhibits.
• Build your own wildlife photo album by taking snapshots of your animals performing dozens of unique lifelike animations, all in full 3D.
• Find out about animals, their habitats and behavior while building their very own sanctuary.

GCM:	Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Please start of by introducing yourself and telling us a bit about the Team behind Zoo Empire.
Andy Grimbal:	Hi there, and thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk a bit about Zoo Empire, Enlight's latest 3D business simulation. The team behind this game are the same core members who have worked together on other Enlight titles, including Hotel Giant and Restaurant Empire. As for myself, I am Andy Grimbal, and my role for the Zoo Empire project was that of Game Designer as well as Interface Design.

GCM:

Looking at your direct and indirect competitors in the genre, what do you feel will set Zoo Empire apart?

Andy Grimbal:

All zoo simulations currently in the market are isometric affairs. You cannot zoom in too much without seeing heavily pixelated graphics, you can only rotate in 90-degree increments, and animations tend to be limited to few frames, which border on choppy. We feel that the 3D engine in Zoo Empire really has a leg up compared to other titles in the genre in this aspect. The amount of visual immersion and graphic improvement that 3D offers is therefore one of the most distinguishing features of Zoo Empire, one that really sets the game apart from its competitors, and has also led to the ability to explore other game design directions, which when combined, make for a compelling product that is immediately and apparently different, both visually and gameplay-wise, from that of other titles in the genre.

GCM:	What animals will the player have access to?
Andy Grimbal:	The player will have access to 42 species and subspecies of animals. Most animals are unlocked, but in the campaign mode, as you continually develop your zookeeping skills, eight new animals, all extremely rare and endangered, will be unlocked for you to include in your ultimate zoo.

GCM:

How much control will the gamers have over their animals, and will they need to worry about animal-to-animal or animal-to-human interactions?

Andy Grimbal:

All animal and visitor behaviors are controlled by the game's AI system. Part of the gameplay resides in the player providing the adequate environments for both animals and visitors so that they behave in a desired manner. For instance, overlooking your zoo's security will inevitably lead to vandalism or theft, while not taking the right steps to care for your animal may lead to illness or even animals escaping from their exhibits. Visitors also hate to see unhappy animals, so keeping your animals and visitors happy and comfortable will lead to the desired behaviors and interactions from both animals and visitors. What you do get to control are your staff. They also have their own set of AI, but you can, as head of the zoo, assign them specific tasks, conduct research, move them where they are most needed, and if their performance doesn't please you, to fire them.

GCM:

As for the human element in Zoo Empire, what will the player have at his/her disposal to keep their guest safe, satiated, and happy?

Andy Grimbal:

Keeping your animals happy is just one part of running a zoo: You also have to keep your visitors happy, for they are the ones paying for the entrance, rides and food that keeps your zoo's finances in check. Visitors are a picky lot, so we've added around 200 items in over 30 categories to keep them smiling. Players can set up gift shops for compulsive buyers, place food and beverage concession stands for visitors to satisfy their hunger and thirst, or add restrooms and benches for visitors to take a break. We've even added touring train and river boat rides for visitors to while their day away as they gape and gaw at the animals.

GCM:

What can you tell us about the gameplay modes Zoo Empire offers?

Andy Grimbal:

Zoo Empire features a 21-scenario branched campaign mode for those wishing to undertake their greatest challenge of their zoo career. For those who prefer to play the game at their own pace, they can simply indulge themselves in the sandbox mode, where players make their own rules and play as they wish. The only rule is to not run out of money! The campaign mode is where players can unlock very rare and endangered animals as well as unlock special terrain maps, which they can use in the sandbox game. These maps include a rainforest, a tropical island (complete with volcano), and even an impact crater for the player to get creative in as they build their ultimate zoo.

GCM:

Please tell us a bit about the camera options that will be available in Zoo Empire.

Andy Grimbal:

Thanks to the game's full 3D engine, players can pan, rotate and zoom in and out freely as you move around your zoo. The game also allows players to follow animals, visitors and staff in third-person mode, or if you really want to get their perspective of your zoo, you can follow them around in first-person (or "first-animal") mode. Zoo Empire also comes with nice photo- and video-capture features for the Ansel Adams and Francis Ford Coppolas in you. While visitors are wowed and entertained by your cuddly creatures, you can build your own wildlife photo album by taking snapshots and videos of your animals performing dozens of unique lifelike animations, all in full 3D, then share online for all your friends to see with the built-in webpage generator.

GCM:

Lastly, please tell us a bit about Zoo Empire’s graphics and how well your engine displays details as the camera zooms in and out on the Zoo.

Andy Grimbal:

We are quite proud of the game's 3D engine and the technical features we have implemented. As mentioned before, the camera is completely flexible, allowing players to move the camera virtually anywhere they want, and at any time. Some other technical features we feel stand out include the robust terrain editor, which gives players complete freedom to design their dream zoo, in virtually any way imaginable, including exhibits naturally closed-off by the surrounding terrain. You can still create fenced exhibits, but the terrain editor really allows players to get wildly creative by building exhibits that truly resemble an animal's natural enviroment. Other nice details that players can immediately appreciate are the true real-time rendered water reflections accurately display every animal, item and staff, along with their animations as well as dynamic real-time shadows that allow players to experience a new degree of graphic realism. Finally, using scattering sky technology, players can experience weather changes and day/night cycles which not only changes the look and feel of your zoo, but will also affect gameplay.

GCM:	Thank you again for your time. Do you have any last thoughts or impressions that you’d like to leave our readers with?
Andy Grimbal:	We had a great time developing Zoo Empire, and hope players will find the addition of 3D graphics and the ability to build organic, natural environments for their beloved animals a welcome change from the limitations of 2D isometric games, and that they have a great time exploring the game as they become accomplished zookeepers.

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