(Note: Under game settings there is the option to disable the Animal Navigation Terrain Restraints.
This allows the player to modify the terrain through enrichment items. Doing this can affect
the animals' animations (the game warns you about it). Even if you disable it the terrain will still flatten when you place the enrichment item and then you have to redo the terrain work and be sure it is animal and staff transversable.)

The below method is quick, easy and does not require redoing your terrain work and will not affect the transversable or animations of the animal or staff.

The steps:

1. Do your terrain work
2. Check for transversable by animal and staff
3. Employ the power of water

Water has a very strong lock; the game will not let terrain change when under the influence of water.

Animal and staff transversable hill. Large roller feeder flattens hills.

Glass barrier with water. Add enrichment item. Delete water and barrier.


The feeder is now in place on tranversable terrain so it will be used by the animals and staff.
A habitat blueprint will save it just as any other habitat blueprint. If you have various enrichment items ( or items that change the terrain) you could temporarily make your habitat barrier glass, add water, and add all the items.
( Note: Workshop habitats may vary based on creation but that is currently the case for any Workshop habitats.)

You can make a circular path by setting the angle. If you try to add one, it will intersect.
Habitat barriers will allow path to snap to either side. The inner space can be used for pie shaped habitats (with staff facilities in the middle) or whatever else you want to do.

This Skeleton Key has been around since Planet Coaster. I added this as some new players may not be aware of it.
Making a staff or guest path from a que path. Place a que path, click on the entrance pillar and delete, switch to a regular path and use that to fill the gap, continue until done. A piece of staff path at the entrance prevents guests from travelling in staff areas. Various applications for this include narrow paths between habitats and restricting keepers to back access of exhibit arrays when not connected to guest paths.





Here is a great example by grampers62 who has a video on the workshop showing a very good
use of this skeleton key. This concept can be employed for various buildings and other constructions within your zoos.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2853433146

Floating donation bins. (To save use a null barrier as donation bins do not regular blueprint.)
Raise a piece of path in the air so the bin will be inside your item (for example, the gorilla's body) and then delete the path. The basket was added so it looks like the guests throw their money into that. The deer has two baskets to cover the bin. Bins just need path for initial placement.

Just for fun:





Maybe something more useful:

Underground donation bins for a fountain,pond, etc. which obviates ground level donation bins.
Fountain or pond- make hole, add path and bins, delete path, add water. I use artificial rocks below the water so bins are not visible but you can set up however you want.

Using workshop habitat (created by Qui¬º-°)¬ - really nice building :)) as sample and then painting snow on rocks and building roof. Useful when placing habitat in non snow biome and you want touches of snow instead of blocks of snow rocks since there will not be snow on the trees and shrubs, Use the terrain stamp tool pyramid to add some terrain to roof and rocks, then, "trowel" a thin layer and paint with snow/soil. For the rocks you can just pull up a thin layer.

This is another one that has been around awhile. Just gives a different look and, when making the barrier non-perimeter, it will not deteriorate. Just remember non-perimeter barriers will not save in a habitat blueprint.

This shows various skeleton keys including flying boats.

A non detailed Lemur/Asian otter habitat just to show a screenshot with samples of quick blueprint silk screening, inserted large forage without flattening terrain, start of 2 meter one way guest path to cut down on animal stress from crowds, and, blueprinted flying boats. A rock aqueduct could cover the rails and wheels. Riverboats can be used to make canals, etc. In this case, one was used to make the figure eight water with two islands. While Riverboat tracks can not be raised or lowered, you can place the station on higher terrain to obtain flying boats. This allows normal river voyage on higher terrain and then crossing a valley habitat (past a waterfall) via an aqueduct until you pass another waterfall and resume on a normal river voyage on another higher terrain. Or, whatever set up you want.





Thank you for reading this guide. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

With the coming of the Walk in Exhibit, the opportunity for player visuals within a habitat
have expanded. This may or may not be intended by Frontier.

When the WE is placed within a habitat and all areas are "none", it becomes transversable by
the animals within that habit. At least, the tests with raccoons and beavers show this.

The We can be placed over water to become a bridge and the beavers and raccoons will
swim under it. Climbables can be placed within the WE and they will be used by raccoons.
(Note: If the climbable is taller than the ceiling of the WE, and the animal climbs higher than
the WE ceiling, the game will register the animal as escaped.

Guests did not seem to register the bats when the guest was outside of the WE.




Update:
Combination Lemur, Asian Otter, Bat WE habitat being built for later placement in Franchise.
So far, no escaped animal notifications as long as Lemurs unable to climb higher than
the Bat WE's ceiling.


Further update: Tested with crowd of guests. The viewing mechanics seem to be the same as current zoo viewing - guests are not aware of animals outside of the habitat the guests are currently in; same as how the animals do not register adjacent habitats. Guests will use the WE if it is placed in a habitat but they only register the bats. From what I have seen this means it is a visual for the player but the WE also functions as a "hiding" place for the animals. Lemurs register no stress when in WE even with crowds of guests in the WE. Placing a vista point in the WE aimed at the lemur habitat showed not valid. Placing a WE within a habitat would seem to be more for the visual enjoyment of the player.

I will preface by saying this section will not cover the numerous aspects of water and the various uses for it. That would be a guide in itself. Rather, this section will address how you can fix the "bad water" maps to make your zoo experience easier.

I use the term "bad water" maps to define those maps which do not allow water placement close to the surface of the terrain as opposed to those maps which do. An example of a "bad water" map is the Asia/Tropical/Flat (A/T/F)while an example of a "good water" map is the Africa/Desert/Flat (A/D/F). "Bad water" maps can be frustrating when one is trying to make either lakes, shallow pools, or rivers. There is a quick and easy way to fix these maps and without using any mods.

Using the A/T/F map, here is an example of results on a "bad water" map. The first screen shot shows trying to place water for a shallow pool using the Shallow Pool Offset under Flatten to Terrain and the second screen shot shows trying to place water in a lake made by the terrain stamp tool. As you can see, the game does not allow water to be placed close to the terrain surface. (Click on screen shots to see enlarged version.)

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3057161710
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3057161615

Here are two screen shots from a park swskydancer and I are building on an A/T/F
"bad water" map. The surrounding terrain was not flattened to make the water level
close to the surface terrain. (The Oasis Bistro is a modified version of Laborsomething's
Compact Complex: Zoo Bistro which is on the workshop.)

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3057227334
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3057227704

The following is how to fix the " bad water" maps and includes screen shots. I recommend looking at the screen shots. For a workshop blueprint already set up for good water you can go to
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3350807522

1. Go to a "good water" map and make a habitat blueprint. Using a null barrier will cost only $100.
You can make your blueprint smaller but always be sure to use terrain stamp tool (the example
was using an 8x8 size) and add water as this will set the 'water table". Habitat blueprints that
are not saved with water will default to the new map's "water table".

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3058069952

2. Place the blueprint on the "bad water" map, delete the barrier and water, and use flatten terrain
to fill in the hole. The "water table" is now set and you can do what you wish within the confines
of that placement. You can use the terrain stamp tool to make even deeper holes than what you
had, you can do lakes, shallow ponds, and rivers. If you go outside of new placement, all the
connecting areas will revert to the "bad water" condition. If you want to make a long river, just
use your blueprint to place more area. Tip for those using workshop habitat blueprints:
sometimes the water is not brought forward with the blueprint which means your habitat then
defaults to the "bad water" on "bad water" maps. If that happens, just place the "good water"
blueprint and then the workshop blueprint.

Placed with barrier and initial water hole deleted:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3058091054
Showing can do deeper holes:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3058102498
Lakes and shallow pond:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3058102975
Problem if go outside area of placement:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3058103122
Expansion for a river:

New guide for underwater tunnels without trench.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3353714493