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How to Play Zoo Simulator
Zoo Simulator is the one my daughter plays with me. It's a management sim — build habitats, acquire animals, hire staff, keep the animals healthy, grow the zoo, expand into new zones. Underneath that is a real simulation: animals age, get sick, breed, train, need enrichment. If you neglect them, they get sad. If you really neglect them, they die. I'm not kidding.
There are two currencies. Zoo Bucks come from ticket sales and normal gameplay. Golden Tickets are the premium currency — they unlock mythical animals (Dragon, Phoenix, Unicorn) and fantasy-themed zones. You never have to spend real money to have a good zoo, but the Golden Ticket stuff is a fun stretch goal.
Getting Started
On Alexa
Say: "Alexa, open zoo simulator"
Alexa will prompt you to name your zoo and walk you through the tutorial. Natural speech works fine — say "I want to build a habitat" or just "build habitat."
On the Web
Visit games.llitd.com and type commands in the input box. The web version shows the zoo map grid, your animal list, staff panel, and financial report. Much easier for planning zone layouts than voice-only.
Key Differences
| Feature | Alexa | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Voice commands | Text commands |
| Game state | Described verbally | Visual panels |
| History | Limited | Full scrollback |
| Chat/Social | Full support | Full support |
Same save data, same world — switch freely between platforms.
Before You Launch on Alexa
Heads up: Alexa routes your voice command to whichever enabled skill best matches what you said. If you've got an unrelated skill with a name close to "zoo simulator," she may send you there instead. Two minutes of setup now saves that headache.
Enable the Right Skill
The official Zoo Simulator skill is by Lincoln Cole. To enable it:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone.
- Tap More → Skills & Games.
- Search "Zoo Simulator".
- Open the one by Lincoln Cole and tap Enable.
Disable Conflicting Skills
If the wrong skill launches when you say the invocation, that means another enabled skill has a similar-sounding name and Alexa routed there instead. Go to More → Skills & Games → Your Skills, find the unrelated skill, and tap Disable. You only need the Lincoln Cole version enabled.
Verify It's Working
Say "Alexa, open zoo simulator." If the first words you hear welcome you to Zoo Simulator, you're in the right place. If Alexa hesitates or opens the wrong thing, run through the enable/disable steps above.
Basic Commands
These work everywhere, regardless of which game you're in:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| help | Shows available commands for your current situation |
| continue | Resume where you left off |
| repeat | Hears the last message again (essential on Alexa when audio cuts off) |
| exit / quit | Save and exit |
| main menu | Return to the main menu |
| report bug | Submit a bug report directly from inside the game |
| submit feedback | Send feedback to the dev (that's me) |
The Daily Simulation
Each time you say "advance day", the zoo runs through a 7-phase simulation:
- Events — Random events trigger (sick animal, staff request, visitor surge).
- Health — Animals age one month. Sickness checks run. Vets auto-treat up to 5 sick animals per vet. Elderly animals decline by 2 HP per day.
- Breeding, training, enrichment — Breeding pairs advance, training progresses, enrichment durability ticks down.
- Visitors — New visitors arrive based on your zoo's quality and morale.
- Revenue — Ticket sales come in (subscribers earn +25%).
- Expenses — Staff wages, habitat upkeep, and event costs are paid.
- Cleanup — Expired promotions close, scoring updates.
One game day equals one month of animal age. Animals live around 180 months (~15 real years of in-game time) before they die of old age.
Building Your Zoo
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| tutorial | Walk through the starter workflow (new players should run this first) |
| name zoo [name] | Name or rename your zoo |
| commands | Quick command reference |
| status | Zoo overview and key stats |
| look | Describe your current grid position and what's around you |
| map | ASCII map of the current zone grid |
| navigate north / south / east / west | Walk the zoo grid |
Zones, Habitats, Attractions
Zones are themed districts. Habitats go inside zones. Attractions draw visitors.
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| build zone | Create a new themed zone (10 themes available) |
| enter zone | Walk into a zone to build inside it |
| build habitat | Create a habitat for animals |
| place habitat | Position a habitat on the current grid square |
| build attraction | Add a visitor attraction |
| place attraction | Place the attraction on the grid |
| build path | Lay a path between zone features |
| expand zone | Grow a zone to the next size tier |
| upgrade habitat | Increase habitat capacity and quality |
| upgrade attraction | Boost an attraction's capacity and revenue |
| demolish | Remove the structure on your current square |
| view zones / view habitats / view attractions | List what you've built |
Animals
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| add animal [species] | Purchase a new animal |
| view animals | List every animal in your zoo |
| move animal | Transfer an animal between habitats |
| feed animal | Manually feed an animal |
| train animal | Start training a behavior |
| view training | Check training progress |
| add enrichment | Install enrichment in a habitat |
| view enrichment | Inspect enrichment status |
| view sick animals | See which animals need a vet |
Breeding
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| view breeding pairs | List eligible breeding pairs |
| start breeding | Begin breeding the best eligible pair |
| view babies | See gestating and newborn animals |
| view genetics [animal] | Inspect an animal's genetic traits |
Staff and Finances
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| hire staff | Hire a vet or maintenance worker |
| fire staff | Fire a staff member |
| view staff | List current staff and daily costs |
| set ticket price [amount] | Adjust admission price |
| create promotion | Activate a promotion |
| view promotions | List active promotions |
| finances | View the financial report |
| view expenses | Daily expense breakdown |
| view score | Detailed zoo scoring |
Premium
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| view premium shop | Browse Golden Ticket items |
| buy premium animal | Purchase a mythical creature |
| build premium zone | Construct a fantasy-themed zone |
Tips and Tricks
1. Run the tutorial first. Say "tutorial" when you start. It walks you through your first habitat and first animal and saves you ten minutes of fumbling.
2. Cheap animals before expensive ones. A Parrot costs 1,000 Zoo Bucks. A Panda is 5,000. Build up income with small animals before chasing the rare species.
3. Keep vets ahead of sickness. One vet treats five sick animals per day. If you've got 15 animals, plan for two vets by the time you're past the early game.
4. Enrichment matters. Without enrichment, happiness drops, appeal drops, and visitors stop coming. Check enrichment on every habitat visit.
5. Breeding is free animals. Pair up eligible adults and you get babies that grow into full animals. This is the cheapest way to scale your zoo.
6. Watch your elderly animals. Once an animal hits ~126 months, its health drops 2/day. Plan for replacements — or a beloved exhibit goes empty.
7. Events are optional but lucrative. Respond to events promptly. Ignoring them is rarely better than engaging, even if the choice costs something up front.
8. Premium isn't required. You can build a top-tier zoo without ever spending Golden Tickets. Premium content is there if you want the stretch goal of a Phoenix habitat — not as a paywall.
Zoo Simulator is a free voice and web management sim by Lincoln Cole. Play on Alexa by saying "Alexa, open zoo simulator" or at games.llitd.com/games/zoo/.
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