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Zoo Tycoon 2: The new zoo

Monday, September 1, 2008

Zoo Tycoon 2: The new zoo We took the kids to the zoo this morning. A trip to the zoo is usually a story in and of itself, but there's actually not much to tell today. This year they've built a new section and a new entrance, and it was all very cool. The hippo/rhino building stinks to high heaven, as usual. We forgot the camera. And we were able to get in and out and see everything we wanted to see in about an hour.

(Okay, first, it helps that it wasn't at all crowded, plus the tram makes getting around extremely easy. Plus, as much as we love our zoo, it's not necessary to see everything every time we go.)

But, what's a trip to the zoo without the building urge to play Zoo Tycoon when I get home? So I did, but there were two problems with that. First, I hadn't installed Zoo Tycoon 2 since I rebuilt the computer in June, so I had to dig up the discs and install. Second, it appears my old Bloggersville City Zoo did not make the transition from previous installation of Windows XP to current installation of Windows XP. Damn. So I had to start over.

Much like our visit this morning, there's actually not much to tell about the new zoo. I dropped the "Bloggersville" part because I don't like it anymore, and went with the much more generic and altogether boring Grassland Park Zoo. I spent a fair amount of time trying to reacquaint myself with game, long enough to get frustrated and quit, only to realize I missed an expansion pack. Its installation renewed my interest enough to build what you see here. Like I said, not much yet, but there is a sky tram waiting to be expanded and a couple of bison waiting to be fed. Good ol' Lyle isn't present (at least not at the entrance) but there is a koi pond. Plus I added a playground, which I figures gives the kids something to do while waiting for more animals to magically appear. (I figure that's got to be what happens when I pause the game and add things.)

So for a brief time I enjoyed my sojourn into Zoo Tycoon, but like always, it's a brief time indeed. I can only take so much before said interest peters out. One of these days I'll get back to it. In the meantime, have I mentioned I've been playing RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 again...?