Transportation - Understanding Tours Part I: Sky T, Article by Anyajoy Options

[Anyajoy]

ZT2 ES Transportation - Understanding Tours Part I: Sky Trams
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Sky tram tours are fairly easy to build, even in an established zoo. Understanding sky trams encompasses:

1. Basic construction guidelines
2. Knowing the difference between regular sky tram poles and sky tram t-poles and how they work
3. Knowing the different types of vehicles, their cost and their upkeep
4. Knowing what makes a good tour, gauged by the tour rating

Basic construction is covered in the tutorial. A station must be built, poles placed, and vehicles added. The placement of the station should be in area free of exhibits and food stalls. Avoid path problems (sinkholes) by first covering with pathway an area large enough for the station and its entrances/exits. Make sure there are paths leading to both entrances/exits from the other paths in the zoo. A good choice for placement is near the entrance to the zoo. It may be advisable to place another station in the rear of large zoos, if funding permits, to allow guests to quickly get to this area. There is a small, monthly upkeep charge per station of $25, charged at the end of each month.

Once the stations are built, poles must be placed. Click on the station and click on a pole, then place it in an available location. Continue to work around the zoo, placing poles where possible. The height of the poles may be adjusted to allow for the various heights of trees/building/objects that may be in the way. These obstructions can also be moved of course. Use the game map to plan the path of the cables, being sure to construct the cable path over as many different exhibits as possible. If using two (or more) stations, connect them as you build the cabling, returning at the end to the original station's opposite side. (The same side can be used for the outgoing and incoming cable, but opposite sides work better as far as moving the vehicles is concerned.)
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The single-strand poles are easiest to use and understand. What are the uses for t-poles? Using t-poles allows cabling to and from a point in the zoo without making a complete circuit. When using t-poles the circuit is complete without doubling back to the station. The vehicles round the farthest point and then return to the station, thus one side goes in one direction (outgoing) and the other side goes in the opposite direction (incoming). Why use them instead of the regular, single-cable poles? Sometimes the placement of a station only allows access to one side of the station. If space is tight, a t-pole sky tram can be constructed without the bother of allowing space on both sides of the station to complete the circuit, as is the case with regular poles. A t-pole sky tram can also be nice in small zoos, both because of the size restrictions regarding the station but also for the fact that guests ride the same route twice, once going and once coming, prolonging the ride in smaller zoos. Another possibility is that in very large zoos, two stations with t-pole construction can be built midway between the entrance and the rear of the zoo. The first station covers the front of the park and the other station covers the rear of the zoo. Thus guests can walk the first half of the zoo then ride, seeing all the exhibits in the zoo from midpoint through the rear areas or guests can ride the first half and walk the second half. The cost of both types of poles is the same, $75, and there is no upkeep cost for either type.
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What kind of vehicles can or should be used and how many? There are three types of vehicles available for sky trams though some are plain and some are decorated: 1-seat, 2-seat, and 4-seat vehicles. The costs for each are:

1-seat, $250 to purchase, $25 upkeep cost each month, charged at the end of each month
2-seat, $475 to purchase, $40 upkeep cost each month, charged at the end of each month
4-seat, $850 to purchase, $70 upkeep cost each month, charged at the end of each month

At first glance, if you do the math, the most economical approach seems to be the 4-seat vehicles. This would be the case if they continued to stay full most of the time. However, in most cases, guest use is vigorous when the tour first opens, but then falls off after a time. When this occurs, each 4-seat vehicle's upkeep cost is almost three times as much as for a 1-seat, and considerably more than for a 2-seat, whether they are filled with guests most of the time or not. A better plan is to use 1-seat vehicles, purchasing as many as funding permits, then selling off some when interest wanes. It is far easier to click on an unoccupied 1-seat vehicle and "delete" it than it is to sell off a 2-seat or 4-seat vehicle and replace it with a 1-seater.

How many vehicles are possible? Even when funding isn't a factor, this question cannot be answered definitively. The number of vehicles allowable varies from tour to tour. How many vehicles can be placed on a tour is dependent upon the length of the tour, with fewer vehicles available for shorter tours of course. How many should be purchased? When playing in freeform, why not fill the tour with 1-seat vehicles so no one has to wait? Even when playing a campaign where available funds may be limited, purchase as many vehicles as can be afforded when the tour is new. Guests do not wait in line very long if there is not constant action of vehicles entering the station and being filled. Guests = $ so you want guests to be able to ride the tour. Even when guests have to wait in line, if the tour is good the donations are considerable.

In a test/research zoo, donations on a 1-seat v. (vehicle) sky tram tour (during the same time period with matching conditions concerning animals and available guests) far exceeded donations from either a 2-seat v. tour or a 4-seat v. tour, more than doubling the amount gained on the 4-seat v. tour and more than three times that donated on the 2-seat v. tour. This was with or without tour objects! (More on tour objects in Part III) Can it be that guests see more when they can easily look over both sides of their chair?

A check of how well the tour is doing financially should be made from time to time to make sure that upkeep costs do not exceed donations. Should this occur, consider selling off some vehicles and/or improving the tour.

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Finally, what makes a good sky tram tour? During a test/research zoo, donations and guest satisfaction (as measured by the tour rating) remained high even with no tour objects IF the tour included most, if not all, of the ten biomes with happy, healthy animals and appropriate terrain/foliage/rocks/enrichment items. Guests are in the zoo to see animals first and foremost. Be sure that the exhibits display as many animals as possible without overcrowding them. Remember, guests on the sky tram are moving. The more animals in the exhibits, the better chance guests will see many animals while moving on the tour. With a five-star rated tour, virtually every guest who rides the tour donates money at the end of the tour. Some donations are very high, even $200 per guest, while the average donation on a five-star tour is around $100 per guest.


See also:
Part II: Jeep Tours
Part III: Tour Objects
Part IV: Comparison and Strategy, Sky Trams vs. Jeep Tours

This post has been edited by Anyajoy: May 21 2006, 06:40 PM

[Anyajoy]

Here is the first of four articles to help you with ES tours.