Behind the Scenes: Building Zoos
We're back with a final Behind The Scenes to learn about how our Marketing Environment Artists built the zoos, habitats and Wildlife Reserves that have featured in Planet Zoo 2's marketing.
Hayo Zookeepers!
We're back with a final Behind The Scenes entry before Planet Zoo 2 launches later this month on October 13!
This time we're joined by Marketing Environment Artists, Mel Cox and Josef Griffiths, to learn about how they built the zoos, habitats and Wildlife Reserves that have featured in Planet Zoo 2's marketing over the past few months!
What does the process of creating a zoo or habitat for marketing Planet Zoo 2 look like?
Mel: "We create zoos or habitats for a mix of marketing videos and screenshots which usually try to focus on particular animals or features in the game.
This is all kickstarted with a brief which outlines what we want to show. So, for example, for our announce trailer we wanted to showcase the East Theme and build this in a tropical Asia map."
Josef: "We often start with the announce trailer and show one or two Themes in isolation to give players a taster of what they can expect from the game. We work together as a team to decide which Theme we think will generate the most hype and to ensure that the pieces we need to build with are ready at this early stage.
It's a tricky balance to get right, because you need to get a list across to the Development team of everything you need before you've even started building!
This is why the planning stage is so important before we even start placing any pieces, to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently."
Mel: "We have a large call with all the relevant people involved with the video such as the Video Editor, Motion Graphics Artist, Game Director and Product Marketing Manager. In these calls we share ideas and come to an agreement on what the overall vision is.
Once we understand the direction being taken, its time for the creative work to begin and this always starts with a storyboard. The role of a Zoo Builder is similar to that of a set designer of a movie, so we need to know what we want to show in each shot, the preferred lighting, camera movement, whether any motion graphics will be used and whether we want the game UI to be on screen.
During this phase we will make a checklist of what is needed in the zoo."
Josef: "Communication is is a huge part of our role, and our designs always have to be very flexible and amenable to change.
The level used to build the zoo for Planet Zoo 2's announcement was also being worked on at the same time by the Development teams. We had to remain in very tight conversation as the level we were working with was constantly subject to change."
Mel: "Whilst the storyboard progresses, the Zoo Builder will begin putting together references, compiling an early vision based on the storyboard and making a paper plan of the proposed zoo.
The zoo design plan, along with the drawing of the zoo layout is then shown to the Product Marketing Manager and the game’s Art Director for their consideration."
Josef: "We then get building!"
Mel: "Theming and dressing the zoo is the best part of the process as it starts to truly bring the concept alive. We will lay down all the pieces in a scenery set as well as foliage and rocks, and from here we just start to play around with creating interesting designs or decorative items.
This is where we will spend the most time and usually we like to imagine what it world be like for a guest to walk through the zoo as we build it out.
As the zoo takes shape, it is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the creative vision is being maintained."
Where do you look for inspiration?
Mel: "Tour videos of real life zoos and aquariums are fantastic sources when considering the layout we want to build. We will look at what has been created for the guest experience when walking through the entrance, approaching a habitat or moving through different 'zones'."
Josef: "I live pretty close to Chester Zoo and usually visit a couple times a year, so I grab a bunch of reference photos as it's such a great example of an awesome, diverse zoo. I also look at images of the animals in their natural habitats, which I try to include within my habitat and zoo designs.
With the manatees for instance, I took a lot of reference imagery from the hot springs in Florida and designed my manatee habitat to look like their natural habitat, but in a deliberately artificial and curated way."
Mel: "Google Earth is also incredibly useful for scoping out built-up areas such as cities or areas of natural beauty like national parks."
Josef: "A lot of our Themes also take on cultural influences, so I like to look at colour palettes and patterns that represent the part of the world that we're depicting. For the South theme we took a lot of inspiration from the colours displayed in the regions' flags, the pastel colours and amazing handmade creations in Southern Africa."
Mel: "Build videos created by the Planet Zoo community are another source of inspiration we like to turn to, because it’s a great way to be exposed to ideas we maybe didn’t think about before."
Do you create any 'paper prototypes' before diving into the game?
Mel: "Yes, we do indeed, we call them paper designs. This is something we didn't do when making our zoos for the original Planet Zoo, we would normally just jump straight in and start building.
We grab a birds-eye-view shot of the area we intend to build in and draw out a rough layout of the zoo and habitats. Sometimes we will overlay reference images to give a better idea of how the areas will look and what they are inspired by."
Josef: "For our larger projects like the launch trailer, we will spend a lot of time time making sure that these paper designs tick all the boxes for things like desired features, camera angles, new gameplay etc."
Mel: "We also collaborate with the lead Concept Artist.
We take screenshots of areas we are working on to share with them and in return they will do a paint-over of the image to provide further ideas like recommended scenery or ways to add more detail to a building."
How do you approach building a new zoo or habitat?
Josef: "I start by taking a look at the area that I would like to work within, then placing down the habitat borders. I usually like to include natural barriers where possible, like water, and things that hide physical barriers between the guests and the animals.
I then work with the larger features I have planned for that habitat. For example, with a Hippopotamus habitat, I will create the water volume to get a good sense of the area that I would like to work with and plan how much land to include.
Then I tend to work downwards in scale, starting with larger items like trees, rocks and habitat barriers, before scoping downwards towards more minute details like small rocks, branches etc.
I like to extend the feeling of the habitats into the surrounding guest viewing areas, including very similar foliage and breaking up habitat boundaries where possible to make it look as though guests and animals are sharing the same environment.
I grab lots of reference images of the animals' natural habitats to think about ways to hide these barriers that make sense to the animals' environment. For example, for the manatees I would utilise things like fallen trees or river banks to conceal areas of glass that would otherwise create a very artificial barrier."
Mel: "I either draw a rough layout of the zoo using terrain painting or if I have a very strong vision in mind I dive straight in and let my imagination drive the wheel."
As a general rule, I will always work in layers when approaching a zoo or habitat and so will generally start with the terrain and flatten that all down to one level so it's even.
Then I will go in and create a rough placement of the pathing, mapping out some initial essentials such as the entrance, first habitat, guest area and staff area. I will also use the stamp path option to create rough spaces I want to build in, for example measuring out the floor size of an indoor aquarium building I want to create.
I like to use the entrance area as an opportunity to figure out the style and general art direction of my zoo. For example in the Gameplay trailer zoo set in a grasslands map of Southern Africa, I wanted to explore using using my foliage to reflect the Fynbos, which are a unique type of shrubland biome found only in South Africa.
Then it's on to the guest area. I like to imagine this from the perspective of being a guest down in the zoo, so I'll try to place food and drink stalls near where the guests enter. As the zoo grows I will consider creating more small guest areas to make sure I have a good distribution of amenities or even simply a beautiful area overlooking a vista of the zoo
Just as there will be multiple guest areas around the zoo, there will also be multiple staff areas to help manage the variety of habitats. These areas will usually go hand in hand with creating the habitats themselves, because I will want to make sure a Keeper Hut is nearby to feed the animals.
The cool thing about Staff Facilities in Planet Zoo 2 is that they don't negatively affect the guests and you can also strip down the walls to create open facility buildings. This is a lovely space to play around with cute scenery pieces like clocks, stacks of books and cupboards to decorate. You can create fun elements of storytelling in these facilities that could reflect a staff member's day in the zoo, like a mug next to a stack of books a keeper likes to read along with their morning coffee.
As I begin to think about my habitats, I will usually continue to work on the terrain and pathing network to make sure the zoo layout is progressing as I go.
I want the zoo to flow between the areas and also look for opportunities to add elevation. I might make my entrance and first guest area on one level and then create a path climbing up an incline to reach the first habitat.
This ensures that I have a chance to make a nice vista point overlooking the guest area and entrance."
What are your biggest priorities when tackling a new build?
Mel: "When designing a zoo we often focus on the big picture first.
Determining the general art direction for the zoo is an essential starting point and for this we want to consider factors like what the layout should be, how many animals the zoo has and what the narrative of the zoo is. By this, we mean what do we want guests to feel as if they are walking through a Wildlife Reserve in South Africa? Or perhaps through a tropical forest of Indonesia?
Asking these questions is a great way to explore what your zoo could be and this will influence how you want to lay it out.
When starting to build, it can be incredibly useful to know what the main feature of your zoo is. For instance, a beautiful aquarium could act as a centrepiece, and this would affect your line of sight considerations. As guests move through the zoo they could be met with various vista points that strategically lead the eye to this centrepiece.
When designing habitats we tend to focus more on a micro perspective within the zoo, thanking about the animal's natural environment, their welfare needs, view points for guests etc."
Josef: "One of my biggest priorities is to meet the requirements of whichever animal we are representing.
Conservation and animal welfare is hugely important to us, so we want to show the animals as happy and expressive as they can be!
I want my zoos to feel whimsical and fun, but also educational, and I always want to portray that in the animal habitat and guest areas. Removing solid barriers between guests and animals is a huge priority for me, to show how they share the same world with these amazing animals."
What new or improved tools have made a difference to this process compared to the original Planet Zoo?
Josef: "The improved terrain materials and blended brushes have been an absolute game changer for quickly developing habitats. I absolutely love the new grass brushes and the dynamism that they bring, they are truly awesome!"
Mel: "From a natural dressing perspective, the terrain tools and the nature brush have been incredible additions to the game. The terrain tools are now even more powerful and can be set to a very large size to cover big areas or even a small size for details. This has been very handy when setting up Wildlife Reserves and habitats.
The ability to scale scenery and natural scenery is an all round winner for building out zoos and habitats. I particularly like using this when creating planters and shrinking down the foliage so it fits really nicely."
Josef: "The nature brush has also been incredible for building larger Wildlife Reserves and filling out our zoos very quickly! It allows you to focus time and effort on the most seen areas of your zoo."
Mel: "The nature brush has been a game changer, especially when wanting to fill an area with foliage. You can go in and create your own custom brush with your preferred foliage and as you paint this down, each plant is still a separate piece of scenery that can be selected and moved around.
The new pathing system has also been a dream to work with and creating large plazas or variations in style and colour has never been better. The stamp tool comes in a variety of shapes as well as sizes, and this can be used to place down pathing and cut out interesting shapes in large plazas to make way for gardens for instance."
What is your favourite tool or feature to work with in Planet Zoo 2?
Josef: "The new landscape materials are absolutely beautiful and such a joy to work with, they're my #1!"
Mel: "The flatten to foundation brush is my best friend. I find it a great option when I am working on elevated areas in combination with the stamp tool.
I will often use the cube and pyramid to create a rough shape of a 'mountain' and then use the flatten to foundation brush in long strokes to create ridges down the sides. By lowering the intensity I can then go in and soften some of the hard edges and even make flat plateaus.
The ability to edit the terrain in a body of water while the water is placed down is also great. I use this consistently in my habitats or for decorative rivers and lakes in a zoo. "
How do you review and refine your build throughout this process?
Mel: "Our guiding light during the process is always our storyboard and our zoo plan.
The storyboard is the most important asset we have to guide the process from start to finish because it sets the scene and establishes what we need to build. We will continuously reference the shots outlined in there to make sure we are creating suitable areas for filming and compare the art direction against the zoo plan to make sure we haven't strayed from the creative vision.
We also review the progress of the zoos alongside the Art Director, Concept Artists and Product Marketing Manager so that we ensure we are covering everything we need.
These are great spaces for creative input from a fresh pair of eyes and we will literally do a walk around of the zoo or habitat when reviewing the space."
How do these zoos or habitats then become a marketing video?
Mel: "Let's use the Animal Spotlight videos as an example as these were really fun to create.
We wanted to create a series that focused on different animals in a bit of a documentary style fashion, showcasing unique behaviours, depicting them in interesting locations and featuring a voiceover.
These began with writing the scripts for the voiceover first to set the tone for the series and ultimately guide the creation of the storyboards.
Once the script and storyboard are finalised, this is used to help inform the habitat and/or Wildlife Reserve that was needed for the capture."
Josef: "We tend to create something very simple and quick during the storyboard process to test that the concept works, and then as we move through the stages of feedback on the trailers we adapt and change to tick all the boxes and really nail down what our players would love to see!"
Mel: "A habitat is a smaller, more contained area to capture in and although this makes it quicker to prepare from a building perspective, more care has to be given to the details and overall layout of the design because everything is closer to the camera.
The opening shots of the Animal Spotlight videos were often dressed to very particular camera angles. Because they wanted to be really eye catching, this is better suited to working from one perspective and we will lock the camera in position and add in the scenery with compositional techniques in mind, such as the rule of thirds or leading lines.
When creating the rest of the habitat, this is heavily guided by the storyboard. As builders we not only have to make sure the scene is pretty, but also functional for the animal and its behaviours so this involves testing the things we build to make sure they work for the animal.
Once the habitat or even zoo is finished, it is ready for capture and those shots are then placed into an edit. Throughout this process the builder will support in refining any dressing for shots and sometimes even redesign spaces to better suit the camera. The editor will then piece together the marketing video into the final product."
How does the process of building a zoo or habitat for marketing differ from what a player would typically do?
Josef: "Players receive all of the pieces ready straight out of the box!
As we build during active development, we have to be in constant communication with the development team over the readiness of game assets. Pretty much everything is subject to change whilst we're building our zoos, and we need to always be extremely flexible to change things if needed."
Mel: "We will create what we call 'beautiful corners'. These are smaller spaces that are often dressed to a specific camera angle and when looked at from a different angle can often look quite crazy. "
Josef: "We also have to take into consideration things like which camera angles we'll be using for trailers and multiple uses of the same zoo for different marketing videos.
Compositionally things have to work for multiple different videos so we spend a lot of time establishing angles that work for all our various trailers and screenshots.
It's a lot to manage and requires communication across departments to get right. It's a hugely collaborative process!"
What's it like seeing your creations appear in our marketing?
Mel: "It is one of the best feelings in the world to see something you have put so much time and effort into creating. When they go live, my favourite thing is to read the comments and see what players think and are most excited about seeing.
As an artist who is passionate about Planet Zoo 2, I cant help but feel like a little piece of me exists in everything I create and when I see the reactions to the video, it gives me a big amount of motivation to keep trying to make even cooler things. "
Josef: "It's absolutely awesome. I love seeing our players hyped and excited to play our games.
I pour love into everything I do and I want to do our amazing development team justice by showing our games in the very best way possible! The whole Planet Zoo 2 team is so passionate and cares so much about this game."
Mel: "My top favourite moment was when I saw the screenshots I did for the Sumatran Tiger and Hippopotamus appear in PC Gamer magazine. These are great examples of scenes dressed just for the camera angle.
And finally, seeing the Animal Spotlight videos going out. These were the videos I had always dreamed of doing in the original Planet Zoo and this became a reality when I got to work on them for Planet Zoo 2!
Not only did I have a role in creating the habitats for these, but I also scripted the voiceover for all of the episodes, as well as captured and edited the first three episodes.
Working on something I love and am passionate about never stops bringing a massive amount of joy."
Creating a wilder world
A huge thanks to Mel and Josef for this peek behind the curtain!
The entire Planet Zoo 2 team here at Frontier are incredibly passionate about the game and we've loved sharing these in-depth looks at how we made the game in this Behind The Scenes series.
This won't be the last you'll hear from Mel and Josef! They'll be back gracing the pages of the Planet Zoo 2 website after launch, with some tips for you to use when building your very own zoos.
Planet Zoo 2 is available to pre-order now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Join the conversation and keep in touch by following our social channels, subscribing to our mailing list (for an exclusive in-game reward) and watching closely for updates on the website.
