Jurassic World Evolution

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Kaiodenic

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Kaiodenic

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About this mod

The Ultimate Mixed Eras mod for Sandbox & Challenge --- All dinos, genes, and buildings --- Turns JP Era into a fully featured game mode on par with JW era

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Changelogs
Trello for tracking mod progressKaiodenic's JWE Modding Trello

The Definitive Jurassic Park Gamemode


-- Core Features --


Ultimate Mixed Eras
JP Era Overhaul contains ALL the changes added in Ultimate Mixed Eras

  • All buildings
  • All dinosaurs and genes
  • Jeep Track Crossings for Guest Paths (Video Guide link)
  • Monorail Stops

Base Mixed Eras Features
Basic JP-appropriate features slightly adjusted from Ultimate Mixed Eras

  • All dinosaurs added to JP.
  • The Dinosaur Roster order is slightly adjusted for the JP timeline. Some animals require reputation to unlock.
  • All Global Operations added to JP.
  • All Dr. Wu genes added to JP.
  • All the hybrids added to JP.
  • JP Tour Gates and Arrival Gates added to the Scenery menu.
  • JW narrow paths (wide paths would include JW flags).
  • JW fences have had their strengths adjusted so they're not a replacement for JP fences.

Fence Strength Order:
Spoiler:  
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Original Strength
JW:
  • Light Steel = 50
  • E. Light Steel = 100
  • Heavy Steel = 110
  • E. Heavy Steel = 220
  • Concrete = 250
  • E. Concrete = 500

JP:
  • Light cable = 50
  • Electrified Cable = 220
  • Heavy Cable = 250

New Strength
  • Light Steel = 50
  • Light Cable = 80
  • E. Light Steel = 100
  • Heavy Steel = 150
  • Electrified Cable = 260
  • E. Heavy Steel = 300
  • Heavy Cable = 325
  • Concrete = 350
  • E. Concrete = 700
(crossed out = not available in JP Challenge Mode)


Advanced Mixed Eras Features
JW features unlocked in JP through reputation or star rating

  • JW Fences and Walls (early to late game)
  • Viewing Galleries (mid-game)
  • Viewing Towers (mid-game)
  • The ACU (late game)
  • Palaeobotany (mid game)
  • Hybrids (end-game)

All of the above are unlocked using the new expanded Jurassic Park Faction reputation system
Unlock Order:
Spoiler:  
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  • JW Light Steel Fence: 20% Sattler reputation
  • JW Heavy Steel Fence: 2 stars
  • JW Concrete Wall: 60% Hammond reputation
  • Viewing Galleries: 30% Hammond reputation
  • Viewing Towers: 40% Hammond reputation
  • Palaeobotany: 60% Sattler reputation
  • ACU: 80% Hammond reputation
  • Dr. Wu hybrids: 70% Hammond reputation
  • Indominus Rex: 90% Hammond Reputation
  • Indoraptor: 100% Hammond reputation


Expanded Gameplay Features
Some extra features added to keep the late/end-game interesting

  • Cross Species Adaptation 2.0 (late-game)
  • Cross Species/Group Adaptation 3.0 (end-game)
  • Ranger Scheduling 2.0 (late-game)
  • Second Greenhouse (end-game)

Unlock Order:
Spoiler:  
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  • Cross Species 2.0: 70% Grant reputation
  • Cross Species/Group 3.0: 100% Grant reputation
  • Ranger Scheduling 2.0: 80% Sattler reputation
  • Second Greenhouse: 100% Sattler reputation


Quality-of-Life Features
Minor additions to help with gameplay


Theming
Pure Jurassic Park theme early-game, expandable Jurassic World features later on

Keeping the early-game feeling purely Jurassic Park is a core tenet of the mod. All Jurassic World features unlock later on and require some extra work.

Adjusted Dinosaur Unlock Order
  • All JW dinosaurs are available in JP
  • Unlocked in a different order based on:
  • - Threat
  • - Pop-culture status
  • - Appearance in JP Franchise
  • - "Cool" factor
  • More info under: Adjusted Dinosaur Roster Order further down this page.

Contracts
  • Contracts were rebalanced to be more rewarding, more often.
  • Each faction leader was given character traits and goals in Jurassic Park that affect their rewards.
  • Rather than being "rewards," contract unlockables are things you and the faction leader both work towards discovering.
  • JW features are unlocked using contracts. This way, JP era is purely JP themed without contract work.
  • JW features unlock after JP features.
  • Grant: Fossil Digging, Carnivores, Palaeobiology (Dinosaur Socialisation)
  • Sattler: Dinosaur Care/Safety, Herbivores, Palaeobotany
  • Hammond:  Entertainment, Security, Groundbreaking Research
  • More info under: More Rewarding and Thematic Reputation Rewards.


Current dinosaur unlock order: Roster v3.0
Current reputation trees: Reputation Trees v4.0


Results of the old polls (I left them up after updates):
Strawpoll 1
Strawpoll 2
JPEO 1.6 Opinion Poll


-- Add Ons --
Optional JPEO Addons to make the JP Era Experience even better

There are a few features that may not be to everyone's tastes, so they're being released as separate addons.
These are treated like DLC and don't replace any files.
The addons will be released over the next few days.

01: Jurassic Dinosaurs
What is it
Rebalances dinosaur stats so they reflect the new unlock order.
Uses similar values to Expedition Charter.

Easy: Same general stats range as vanilla JWE.
Hard: Lowered stats (because JP era requires a lower dinosaur rating to advance).

Where can I get it
In the Optional Files section of this mod's Files tab!

02: JPower
What is it
Adds a whole host of unique power mechanics to Jurassic Park era.
  • Geothermal power stations now generate an excess of energy at a high price
  • The cost and power output can be reduced with Power Resistance upgrades, however they introduce a slight outage risk.
  • Over the course of the game, you can release your hold over this power as you get a higher income and more outage-reducing upgrades.
  • Outage risks in general are made very small to encourage pushing your power stations past their limits - it's almost 100% safe... Until it isn't.
  • New Jurassic Park era Nuclear Power Plants that can be used in conjuction with Geothermal Power Stations, for a different approach to power generation with a different set of mechanics.

Where can I get it
On a separate mod page. Coming soon!

03: Unique Faction Buildings
What is it
Adds unique effects to JW faction buildings.
For now: Power, Shelter, WeatherProtection.
Once more scripts are editable: Visibility + Guest Satisfaction, Power + Shelter, Storm Protection + Science Building Buffs.

Where can I get it
This is out already: Unique Faction Buildings

04: Expedition Charter
What is it
This is a standalone mod intended to be used with JPEO.
It changes fossil unlocking to per-digsite rather than per-species, then runs as far as it can with that idea.
The mod also works to reduce vanilla JWE grind in exchange for more fun, freeform and deeper mechanics.
NOTE: Expedition Charter is currently incompatible with JPEO 1.6. An update to make them compatible again will come out soon.

Where can I get it
On the Expedition Charter mod page: Expedition Charter

05: Evolution Genesis
A submod that converts JP era into as near a replica of JPOG as possible. More info on this soon...

06: JTunnels
A tunnel system for JP Era. The Jurassic Park equivalent of Monorails. More info on this soon...




-- Deep Dive --
And now, for the info dumps - feel free to skip this, it's spoilery and only important if you're super interested

Adjusted Dinosaur Roster Order
Spoiler:  
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The dinosaurs in JWE unlock in a very odd and, honestly, pretty unsatisfying order. You get the JP3 Cerato early on along with the famous/popular Triceratops, making all the other ceratopsians unlock later is an odd choice. You get the least-interesting carnivores (like the carcha and majunga) after all the more interesting ones. Adding JW dinos to JP messes with it even more.

I have decided to slightly rebalance and fix this. The general types of unlocks are similar, but unlock in a more satisfying order that more closely follows and builds up to the canon. This proved to be a...large undertaking. I ended up diving the roster into groups and subgroups:
Small Herbivores (Divided into Pachycephalosaurids, Ornithomimids, and "Others")
Medium Herbivores (Divided into Hadrosaurs, Iguanodonts, Nodosaurids, Ankylosaurids, Ceratopsians, Stegosaurids, and Others")
Large Herbivores
Tiny Carnivores
Small Carnivores
Medium Carnivores
Large Carnivores
Hybrids

The groups, subgroups and dinosaurs within the subgroups were then ranked according to these ratings:
The "cool factor"/popularity of the dinosaur or group in pop fiction
More famous/"cool" dinosaurs are steadily trickled in, but only start appearing partway into the game.
How scary the dinosaurs or groups are.
You should only start with some very safe dinosaurs and get increasingly dangerous animals as you rank up.
The order in which the dinosaurs or groups appear in the movies and novels.
I.e., the Metri should appear before the Cerato, the Bracio before the Apato.
The significance of the dinosaur to the franchise.
Very famous/significant JP dinosaurs should appear later and the game should "build up" to them.
The creation of a better "building up" effect.
You get the first free medium carnivore at 1 star, but you can unlock one at 0 stars through research and reputation.
You get the first free Stegosaurid at 2 stars, but you can unlock one at 1 star through research.
You get the first free large carnivore at 3 stars (Acrocanthosaurus), but you can research a less interesting one (Carcharodontosaurus) at 2 stars.
You get a Triceratops at 2 stars, but you get a less popular version (Torosaurus) at 0 stars, and can unlock a mid-popularity one (Styraco) at 1 star.
In short:
1. More popular, scary, interesting and franchise-significant animals are built up to, BUT
2. You can skip ahead in the tree slightly with enough research and reputation.
To help with this, reputation-locked dinosaurs match the (star rating - 1) with their reputation requirements.
i.e.: 0 stars = 10%/20%, 1 star = 30%/40%, 2 stars = 50%/60%, 3 stars = 70%/80%, 4 stars = 90%/100%.
So whereas medium carnivores unlock at 1 star, the Metriacanthosaurus can be unlocked at 20% (0 stars).

Some simpler research dinosaurs were changed so they unlock without research (like the Dryosaurus and Archaeornithomimus).
The final outcome of all this, is:
 Roster v1.0 Roster v2.0 Roster v3.0


More Rewarding and Thematic Reputation Rewards
Spoiler:  
Show

I found that reputation rewards were a bit of a missed opportunity. Instead of being rewarding, I felt they were just a way to gate off and very slowly unlock features. I decided to rework them with a slightly different philosophy. I had the following goals in mind:
1. Reduce the grindy feel of the mechanic; add more rewards that unlock more often.
2. Make the rewards appropriate for the time you might unlock them (i.e., make them more "worth it" at the time you'd probably reach them).
3. Make the faction rewards more thematic and feel more like a story progression of the faction leader.

1. More rewards, more often (reduce grindy feeling).
To do this, I simply changed the threshold for new rewards from every 20% to every 10%.

2. More appropriate, rewarding rewards for every part of the game.
This was particularly bad with the Metriacanthosaurus and Baryonyx unlocks (they tend to unlock when you've almost maxed out your reputation - long after they'd actually be useful, unless you grind for them early). To make sure rewards are more satisfying to earn, I split the reward threshold by star rating:
0 stars: 10% and 20% reputation rewards
1 stars: 30% and 40% reputation rewards
2 stars: 50% and 60% reputation rewards
3 stars: 70% and 80% reputation rewards
4 stars: 90% and 100% reputation rewards

I ranked each dinosaur and research unlock by how many stars you should have to receive it, and whether you should unlock it soon after earning that rating, or halfway to the next star rating. I then used this to assign them the appropriate reputation threshold. (for example, Metriacanthosaurus now unlocks at 20%).

3. More Thematic Factions and Rewards
I wanted to give each faction a unique feel and goals in the game, and I wanted to give each faction leader a form of story progression as you go through their reputation tree. The more time you put into their faction, the more you both get out of it. But, I didn't want it to just feel like the leader is "rewarding" you - it's more that, by working together more, you both make more research possible.
To do this, I:
1. Gave each faction leader goals, fields of interest and responsibilities within the park.
2. Treated the reputation meter as:
a. A representation of how much time and money you've spent on the faction leader's department.
More reputation = more time and money that they can dedicate to complex projects that they're interested in.
b. A representation of how much the faction leader trusts you and your judgement.
More reputation = more questionable suggestions that they're willing to make their department work on.

The outcome of this, was:

Dr. Grant: Fossil digging, carnivores, palaeobiology (dinosaur socialisation research).
Responsible for fossil digging and extraction, more reputation = more his teams can do.
Grant v1.0 Grant v2.0

Dr. Sattler: Palaeobotany, herbivores, dinosaur care.
Responsible for plants and interested in bringing more herbivores to JP. Responsible for JP's plantlife, more reputation = more advanced plant feeders and, eventually, the ability to let her put time and money into more advanced palaeobotanic research.
Sattler v1.0 Sattler v2.0

Hammond: Management, entertainment, groundbreaking research.
Responsible for research as well as the overall management and direction of JP. More reputation = more advanced ways of viewing the dinosaurs, as well as (eventually) making sign off on more and more questionable genetic research, including Dr. Wu's genes.
Hammond v1.0 Hammond v2.0

Reputation Trees v4.0

This is still VERY much WIP and is still being balanced. Hammond in particular needs a bunch of stuff taken out of his reputation unlocks. I want the factions to be more thematic and actively rewarding, and I want clearly JW-themed items to not unlock unless you've put enough effort into the appropriate reputation. But, I don't want to lock too many items behind reputation.


Future Changes
A list of things that I've either gathered from your suggestions or come up with while playing. All this stuff is definitely doable and will end up in the mod, but might take some time to balance so hasn't made it in quite yet.
Spoiler:  
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Collate my documents on planned/considered changes, and format and publish them for your review/opinions.
Add support for JP Campaign Mode.
This will take some time; I'll need to rebalance the better roster to also let you complete all campaign missions.
Will be similar to Challenge Mode, and will be updated alongside changes to Challenge.
But will have a much heavier focus on unlocking dinosaurs in the order they appear in the movies/novels.


Suggestions and Bugs
I always appreciate all constructive feedback. If there's a feature you'd like to see in the mod, I'd love to hear about it. The same goes for features that you'd like changed or scrapped. Anyone can leave suggestions in the Posts or Forum section!

Alternatively, feel free to message me directly either here or on Discord - You can find me on the Frontier Modding Club Discord channel, or my Twitch Discord channel.

If you see any bugs at all, please leave a summary of them in the Bugs sections - I'm still working on the mod and haven't had the time to fully test all the features in all the ways they can be used during a regular game.




Guides and Showcases
Tutorials and videos showcasing the mod's features. If you made a video on the mod, let me know and I'll add it here!