FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 anagement sims form a big part of Frontier’s DNA. part Frontier’s a big form of sims anagement M and Dangerous Elite BAFTA-nominated the Through for a reputation built has Frontier games, Coaster Planet and gameplay, detail, ambitious to attention incredible Planet Its title, environments. newest sandbox immersive exception. no is Zoo, management its sim taken has Frontier Zoo, With Planet highly that’s expertise a game in next the to level and realism Its rich detailed. incredibly and technical near with players online provide capabilities technical insightsreal-time and a fully-developed trading online authentic an created has put, Frontier Simply economy. sim every zoo other leaves that world simulation its dust. in 3D coughing Piers Jackson is the Game Director Director Game the is Jackson Piers also He’s Developments. at Frontier a trained with biochemist. Together Pettitt, Ian Server Developer, Principle as a full experience years’ 15 has who to helped has Piers stack developer, that game management a sim create themselves immerse users fully to allows ownership. zoo of world the in FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 The second pillar is the zoo staff—this zoo the is is pillar The second depth adds that pillar management our a sim just than more game the makes and of because runs The zoo animals. about up, to setthem have players and staff, the happy. them keep and them control needed guests. the is We pillar The third would that AI technology advanced the guests to the respond dictate how build. players the habitats Piers: management “Our depth” adds pillar Piers: “The doesn’t chimpanzee to get wet”want 2D. been have would past, the In sims available that’s technology With the fully a 3D, build to able been we’ve today, immersive experience where the animals things do and behaviors plausible exhibit chimp that If do. would animals real that go to get wet, to it’s want doesn’t going would behavior That shelter. find and past. the in create to difficult been have

Piers: “The are the stars’” animals created threeWe core developmental theis The first game. pillar the for pillars stars,the are They animals. so everything aspect Every them. is around revolve to has detailed, realistic, and based on extensive looks animal each from what research, to order in need they exactly what to like, list, which animal a big wanted We thrive. had team our meant it as a challenge was characters. awful of They an lot make to they elephant, one make just couldn’t had male to and make female elephants, between. every in and age juveniles, plus anything done ever we’ve think I don’t It was Zoo. Planet as animation-heavy as to had undertaking, we and a massive tools throughoutdevelop the course of the to the give development animatorsgame’s to which in environments best possible the today. game the see in you what create

amazing. from a small zoo to something utterly something to zoo from a small game where people could build anything anything build could people where game that would really push the boundaries—a the push really would that games, so we wanted to create something something create to wanted so we games, since we developed the Zoo Tycoon the Tycoon Zoo developed we since Technology has come such a long way way a long such come has Technology make Planetmake Zoo. released, you can see why we needed to to needed we see why can you released, long time since a good zoo sim game was was game sim zoo a good since time long alongside the fact that it’s been a really fact it’s a really the been that alongside combine this passion this combine for sims and gaming, that let us test our limits. When you you When limits. test us our let that building a world-class management sim sim a world-class management building to expand on the Planet franchise by by franchise Planet the on expand to DNA and we cherish them. We wanted wanted We them. cherish DNA we and ones—these are part of our company’s ones—these part company’s are our of management sims, especially the scientific scientific the especially sims, management We’ve always been involved in in involved been always We’ve this game” Piers: “We needed to make Piers: “We needed to make FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 PRO GAMEPRO TIP... their of Beta some lost reviewers exactly realized before they animals animals raise to is it complex how rewarded are Players zoo. a in habitat, food, the researching for keep will that lifestyle, foliage and and healthy. happy animal each Piers: with “The cope can animals throw at them” players whatever our system perhaps is The navigation most impressive feature. technology can players terrain 3D this built We’ve form, or shape any into manipulate to able be to have still animals the but cutting- is it. This can! And they navigate swim, the can get of out Animals edge. navigate trees, and climb land, onto water in put have players things other the all system update can navigation Our play. with cope can animals so the dynamically, It took them. at throw players whatever sweat, and blood, prototyping, of a lot tears. But it’s there. Piers: to care players “We want about the animals” game the was this agreed we’d Once our tested we make, to going were we numbers, and the and sims the ran ideas, The somedeveloped of the technology. artists our to allowed has technology fur animals—fur the that on fur realistic put The eyes movement. and rain to responds to attention the and realistic incredibly are a lot spent We away. me blows still detail feathers, the eyes, the on working time of skin. the and fur, the want we animals, the at look people When say: to breathing “Thatthem a living, is about.” I care that animal FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 Now we have Career Mode—a have we Now narrative zoos multiple across runs that campaign Mode— Sandbox Classic challenges; and they whatever build people creative where online the with ideas their share and want community; Franchise Mode—online gameplay that allows players to build players other with trade and zoos multiple and theonline; new Classic Sandbox Mode—where in participate can players everything where but purely is challenges, economy. fuller a within offline

that make up the running of a zoo. We’ve We’ve a zoo. of running the up make that lists every that a Zoopedia built even its husbandry—the and is depth animal to from animal varies it and staggering, of management the of So a lot animal. requirements actual on based is game the captivity. in animals these for Piers: “Thanks community, to our a fourth in added we mode” game Beta. from our so much learned We constructive positive, of a lot had We a fourth in adding us to led that feedback Mode. mode—angame Challenge offline

Piers: with “We engaged people zoos” in work who game the ensure to was goal Our way. every in possible zoo a real emulated certain includes game the though Even speeds, time as advanced such mechanics, zoo. living a of rules the upheld we’ve to need You very are These specific. rules about people educate license, get a zoo are that habitats create biodiversity, animal high ensure animals, for suitable captive manage escapes, and care, avoid animal breeding to release animals into the wild, other among many factors. us for key been has Authenticity of Planetthroughout the development engaged research, the all done We’ve Zoo. and zoos, in work who people the with elements the all onboard take to tried

in this world. world. this in they’re there, making a difference, living living a difference, making there, they’re the realism. We want players to believe believe to players want We realism. the lot of reactive graphics involved in selling selling in involved graphics reactive of lot like being cold or wet or hot. or a wet There are or cold being like animals get up and move if they don’t feel feel don’t they if move and get up animals wet their fur flattens and gets darker. The flattens fur gets and darker. their wet appear in the rain; and as the animals get animals the as and rain; the in appear realistically. Snow settles; pools of water settles; water of pools Snow realistically. engage with the environments incredibly incredibly environments the with engage rain and wind, and sunshine—all and these wind, and rain systems that send down snow, and and snow, down send systems that undertaking. created weather viable We foliage on our planet, so it was a huge planet, a huge so was our it on foliage biomes for their animals. There’s a lot of of a lot There’s animals. their for biomes to ensure players could build the right right the build could players ensure to We invested a lot of time into our foliage foliage our into time of a lot invested We Earth” Piers: “There’s on a lot of foliage FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 is the the is to ensure to because player because player , make sure the game is is game the sure , make responsive to players at any time of the the of time any at players to responsive day. or night Aurora Amazon picked We and of responsiveness terms in fit right varietyplayer the different of handling in statistics be aggregated. to need that more manageable. We’ve implemented implemented We’ve manageable. more and S3 AmazonAmazon Athena system the and, overloading not we’re with Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) we and world, the over all differ numbers times.different at demands different have in scale a system could needed that We disappointed. never are so players out and Amazon also found We’ve Athena to cope cope to to take on on take to to reduce reduce to to crunch the the crunch to to keep track track keep to also analyzes the performance performance the also analyzes AWS Elastic Beanstalk Elastic and AWS

Using the AWS cloud, we can scale scale can we cloud, AWS the Using capacity enough have we ensure to players; of influx an of minutes within increasewe capacity through Amazon Aurora Ian: “We have enough capacity enough “WeIan: have withto cope influx a sudden of players” Amazon Aurora Amazon in storage users, the the zoos, animals, the the of state trading. the of and franchises, community also introduced We’ve in-game different of consisting challenges online all encourage we where events for exchange in participate to players provide to have we means rewards. This near statistics real-time for players and use AWS We a whole. as community the Lambda and Amazon Athena game, the telemetry in data from events use AWS we then and Glue stats and that percentiles for numbers API, players. return, via the then to we AWS Glue individual the and community the of players the of rewards and contributions challenges Because the game. the in developed every differ week,we’ve with cope can that system a flexible useWe rewards.and events different reward and track stack to technology the Storage Simple people, and Amazon for storage. S3) Service (Amazon with variable player numbers. We use numbers. We player variable with autoscaler in Aurora Amazon on dependent instances, of number the costs make to day, of time and players

these animals. It involves a lot of data of a lot It involves animals. these life events, and allow for players to trade trade to players for allow events, and life all the animals from birth, through all all from birth, through animals the all In the online franchise mode, we track track we mode, franchise online the In events” of people’s creations! system with that cope can different live in. There are already so many videos videos so many already There are in. live a flexible developed “We’ve Ian: and put it into a habitat for the animals to to animals the for a habitat into it put and Someone built aSomeone huge dragon built skeleton and hidden staff and management areas. staffmanagement and hidden and that have these complex internal terrains terrains internal complex these have that our Beta. Habitats inside glass buildings Beta. glass buildings our Habitats inside We saw some incredible player builds in in builds player incredible some saw We something completely different. completely something skeleton” game, but the joy is in watching people do do people watching in is joy the but game, dragon a huge “SomeoneIan: built look like and how you should play the the play should you how and like look can have ideas about what a zoo should should a zoo what about ideas have can environment and the simulation, and we people do with it. We can create the the create can it. with do We people love most about this game is seeing what what seeing is game this about most love something remarkable. But the thing I thing But the remarkable. something render specialists pulled have together Our character artists and and animal can. That’s been the biggest challenge. challenge. biggest can. That’s the been and we’ve had to fulfill these as best we bestas these fulfill to had we’ve and they’re going to see and do in Planet Zoo, Zoo, Planet in do see and to going they’re Players have expectations about what expectations what about have Players has been the biggest challenge” Piers: “Meeting fans’ expectations FLAREGAMES MILESTONE FRONTIER GAME TECH Issue 02 TEAM STATS & FACTS Lead designer: James Taylor Artist: Cox Marc Composer: J.J. Ipsen Director: Piers Jackson Producer: Steve Wilkins serverPrincipal developer: PettittIan Lead programmer: Andrew Chappell the Pygmy GAME — STATS & FACTS Hippo, Thomson’s Gazelle Hippo, Thomson’s Gazelle Dragon.and Komodo Fast fact: The Deluxe version of the extra an three includes game unique animals Genre: Simulation Management Game Platforms: PC Launch date: 5 November 2019 Metacritic score: 81 and AWS STUDIO STATS & FACTS Amazon Athena Amazon

eam Size: T 500 AWS ServicesAWS include: Aurora,Amazon Lambda, Glue AWS Biggest hit game: Jurassic Evolution, World 2m+ awards: Key UK of game one Named industry’s Best Places the in Work to Gameindustry.biz awards. Follow: @frontierdev Founded: 1994

business—how differentiate? you do good way to look at any challenge in any any in challenge any at look to way good that looks and feels different. looks and that a That’s the goal should always be to make a game a game make to be always should goal the are a lot of ‘me too’ games out there, but but there, out games too’ ‘me of a lot are stands apart from everyone else. There right now is how to make something that that something make to how is now right The biggest challenge facing the sector the facing challenge The biggest different” out, this may not be your firstthought. your be not may out, this Piers: that’s a game “Make obvious, but when you’re first starting you’re when but obvious, center of what you’re doing. It may sound sound It may doing. you’re what of center who will engage with the games at the the at games the with engage will who own requirements and to put the players players the put to and requirements own myself. The key is to look beyond your your beyond look to is The key myself. make games for other people and not for for not and people other for games make perhaps my biggest lesson has been to to been has lesson biggest my perhaps We all grow and learn in this industry and this in learn and grow all We games for other people” Piers: “It’s important to make