Hobbies And Interests
Buying Land
You begin with a bank loan of $5,000, which is what you use to build and manage your park. The first thing you do with this money is purchase land. There are three types of land to choose from and the type of land you choose will determine the quality of your dinosaurs. These are desert, plains and marsh. The cheaper the land is, the more money you have left to spend on your dinosaurs. However, if your park is too far from the city, fewer people will come. Find an equilibrium between expensive land and worthless land, such that you get the most for what you are paying.
Dinosaurs
After purchasing land, you will need to purchase your main attraction, the dinosaurs, which can be found in Dino-city. There are many types of dinosaurs, but the main two classifications are herbivores and carnivores. The main feature to consider is the amount of food each dinosaur eats, which will tell what kind of dinosaur costs more to maintain. However, you should try to find an equilibrium here as well, since the dinosaurs that are the cheapest to maintain might not attract very many visitors.
Resources
After buying the land that fits your needs the best, you will need to buy resources for your park maintenance. You will need food for the dinosaurs you will purchase, as well as fences to keep the dinosaurs from running away. You can also purchase other facilities, such as bathrooms, gift shops and parking lots. To keep your park running and people coming, you might also need to invest in advertising.
Employees
To keep your park running smoothly, you will also need to hire employees to help you do the different tasks throughout the park, such as cleaning the facilities, planting plants and feeding the dinosaurs. Keeping staff paid and dinosaurs fed is an important task for the player. In order to do this effectively, you must analyze graphs and charts of information that keep track of your expenses, income, and visitor statistics. Once the park is successful, the player can pay off the loan and decide to sell the park. When you reach this step, you have successfully ended the game, and you will receive an award if your park has done very well.
Release Versions
Dino Park Tycoon has been released in both a consumer retail version and an educational version, which comes with supplementary materials for teachers.
The game was released for DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 and Macintosh System 7, and is also available for free download on the Internet.