I upgraded to a new PC last year—a much-needed change—which meant reloading Planet Zoo and redoing all the career scenarios from scratch. If I’m being honest, I’ve never been the biggest fan of these scenarios. They don’t give me the free rein to change everything I want, and my inner perfectionist gets incredibly frustrated. When frustration sets in, I tend to rush just to get it over with. As any simulation player knows, rushing is absolutely not conducive to building a gorgeous zoo!

Thankfully, the Bernie Goodwin Memorial Zoo scenario is a bit less frustrating than the others. You get to build entirely from scratch, and best of all, it doesn't involve Dominic Myers—the unscrupulous asshat who previously employed our zoo manager. However, it still throws a few major curveballs at you right out of the gate:

• Severe Space Limits: The map is very small, yet you need to house seven different habitat animals just to pass the first stage.
• Tight Budget: You only start with 20K, which leaves almost nothing left over once the essential staff infrastructure is built.

Knowing my own habits, my very first decision was a strict rule: do not rush. With such a cramped area, speeding through would only create a chaotic mess.

Instead of tearing everything down, I leaned into the aesthetic of the abandoned timber camp. I kept the ramshackle camp buildings and tucked my staff facilities right inside one of them. It instantly made the staff area look rustic and attractive without forcing me to spend a single penny of my precious cash on decoration.

With the basics sorted, I checked the animal market and ran into another headache. Most of the available animals were either too expensive or required massive habitats. On top of that, many of them were shy, meaning I couldn't comfortably house them until my mechanics researched one-way glass.

I ultimately decided to start with timber wolves. They do require a large habitat, but they aren’t shy, and I absolutely adore wolves. I built them a simple home using standard barriers, added a basic shelter, and painted the terrain to match their exact needs. To keep the cash flowing, I placed two education boards and a few donation boxes. I also rushed a research centre so my vet could unlock enrichment items for the pack as quickly as possible. Then, I sat back and waited for my finances to recover.

By the spring of year four—which took about 30 minutes of real time with the game speed cranked up—I was nearly back up to my starting $20,000. I added a workshop, hired a second mechanic to start researching advanced barriers, and maxed out my wolves' enrichment happiness. Best of all, the pack welcomed a beautiful little pup named Mya, who is just the cutest thing.

I am honestly enjoying this scenario so much more than I expected. Taking it slow and working with the limitations instead of fighting them is definitely the way to go!

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How do you all approach the career scenarios in Planet Zoo? Do you love the structured challenge, or do you just find them annoying? Let me know in the comments below!