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Thread: Strategies for Earning GOLD and XP

  1. #1
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233

    Lightbulb Strategies for Earning GOLD and XP

    PART 1 - Earning Gold from Animals

    ANIMALS earn GOLD in varying amounts, depending on:
    • "base" amount of gold
    • # of animals (base-gold x #-animals = total gold)
    • whether the habitat has been upgraded once or twice (1 upgrade adds about the same gold as one animal)
    • whether it has been toured/photo'd (this adds 20 gold to the total)
    • collection frequency, base or theoretical
    • collection frequency, actual or realistic


    Also, although animal habitats are all the same size, the size is a factor when comparing gold-earning of animals to gold-earning of attractions. Animals are 6x6, using the size of the smallest items as "1" (like a street-lamp, for example). In my posts, when gold or XP values are quoted, they are always "gold/XP per hour per square for ONE animal". Animals always are 36 squares. Again, this is not important when comparing animals with each other but it does matter when comparing animals to attractions. More on this later.

    Let's look at a couple of examples.
    (1) BEARs... they are theoretically the highest gold earning animal in the game: Bears earn 14 gold in 5 minutes, for a value of 14/(5/60)/36=4.67 gold per hour per square. However, you would have to sit right by your game and immediately collect from it every 5 minutes to achieve this. Can you?

    (2) SLOTHs... they are the highest ranked gold earning animal from a realistic viewpoint. Sloths earn 1,052 gold in 7 hours, for a value of 1052/7/36=4.17. To achieve this you only have to collect every 7 hours. However, most people sleep for a little longer than this, or might have to work or go to school all day without playing, so even collecting every 7 hours might be unrealistic.
    What is "realistic" for collection frequency? That's up to you. People playing the game "a lot" can probably collect every hour or two during the day, and ZERO at night while sleeping. So let's take a look at a third example that looks at "average" collection frequency...

    (3) PUMAs... Pumas are the highest earner among animals that you can collect from every hour. They earn 100 gold per 1 hour, for a value of 100/1/36=2.78. But you can't sustain collecting EVERY hour. If you collected every hour during the day for 16 hours and then got 8 hours of sleep, you would collect 1700 total because you collect at hour "zero" and then every hour including at the end of hour 16, for a total of 17 times. This yields a value of 1700/24/36=1.96, somewhat lower than the theoretical of 2.78. If your collection frequency during the day drops to every 2 hours during the day, then you would have 1.04, and if it was every 3 hours during the day it would be 0.69, and so on.

    This is why your actual, average collection frequecy is so important. If you collect every 2 hours during the day and only sleep 8 hours, then you collect 9 times in a day, which on average is every 24/9=2.67 hours.

    If you go back to BEARS and SLOTHS, and assume a realistic collection frequency of 3 hours, now instead of 4.67 and 4.17 respectively, we have 0.13 for bears and 3.25 for sloths. And if you only can collect 3 times day = an average of every 8 hours, now you have 0.05 for bears and 3.65 for sloths. When you include "actual/realistic" collection times into the calculation, sloths remain ranked at the top and bears drop almost to dead last.

    With this in mind, I usually calculate the gold-earning rankings across four average collection frequencies: 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours. Then I average the four rankings to get one overall ranking.

    SO, here is the list ranking all the animals for gold earning (except for a few for which I have no data). The ones costing gems are highlighted in purple. Note, some animals not in purple still cost gems indirectly, in that a parent costs gems or they are unlocked by a task/goal/collection that takes gems.

    1. Sloth
    2. Jack Rabbit
    3. Cobra
    4. Gila Monster
    5. Jackalope
    6. Mountain Goat
    7. Frilled Neck Lizard
    8. Wildebeest
    9. Big Horned Sheep
    10. Giant Anteater
    11. Orangutan
    12. Flying Monkey
    13. Tasmanian Wolf
    14. Panther
    15. Gharial
    16. Manx Sheep
    17. Gray Wolf
    18. Puma
    19. Harpy Eagle
    20. Puffin
    21. Honduran White Bat
    22. Arctic Fox
    23. Albino Python
    24. Owl
    25. Wombat
    26. Persian Chinchilla
    27. Harp Seal
    28. Red Kneed Tarantula
    29. Fennec Fox
    30. Flamingo
    31. Lunar Dragon
    32. Vampire Bat
    33. Capuchin Monkey
    34. Mammoth
    35. Civet
    36. Impala
    37. Toucan
    38. Meerkat
    39. Irish Elk
    40. Rhino
    41. Leprechaun Panda
    42. Buffalo
    43. Horned Toad
    44. Minotaur
    45. African Wild Dog
    46. Hyena
    47. Capybara
    48. Coati
    49. Flying Frog
    50. Clydesdale
    51. Caribou
    52. Ringtail Lemur
    53. Iguana
    54. Mandrill
    55. Liger
    56. Kangaroo
    57. Warthog
    58. Bald Eagle
    59. Dingo
    60. Tree Frog
    61. Scarlet Macaw
    62. Walrus
    63. Irish Bullfrog
    64. Polar Bear
    65. Giraffe
    66. Camel
    67. Golden Lion Tamarin
    68. African Vulture
    69. Zebra
    70. Crowned Crane
    71. Sugar Glider
    72. Llama
    73. Slow Loris
    74. Sea Lion
    75. Ruffed Lemur
    76. Penguin
    77. Porcupine
    78. Rainbow Toucan
    79. Armadillo
    80. Snow Owls (Winter Box)
    81. Unicorn
    82. White-Tailed Deer
    83. Bush Baby
    84. Skunk
    85. Bottlenose Dolphin
    86. Spectacled Bear
    87. Golden Pheasant
    88. Tiger
    89. Moose
    90. Shamrock Gorilla
    91. Red Shanked Duac
    92. Peregrin Falcon
    93. Okapi
    94. Chimpanzee
    95. Tasmanian Devil
    96. Rattlesnake
    97. Leopard Gecko
    98. Flying Fox
    99. Ringtail Mongoose
    100. Silverback Gorilla
    101. Red Fox
    102. Koala
    103. Turtle
    104. Giant Tortoise
    105. Coin Mouse
    106. Hippo
    107. Crocodile
    108. Jaguar
    109. Ostrich
    110. Gryphon
    111. Bear
    112. Coyote
    113. Barn Owl
    114. Ermine
    115. Snow Leopard
    116. Lynx
    117. California Condor
    118. Peacock
    119. Panda
    120. Sea Otter
    121. Scarlet Ibis
    122. Elephant
    123. Lion
    124. Naked Mole Rat
    125. Arabian Horse

    NO DATA
    • Shamrock Turtle.... (locked by goal)
    • Clouded Leopard.... = Jaguar + Snow Leopard; may cost gems?
    • Lucky Bear........... = Shamrock Gorilla + Bear
    • Red Panda........... = Red Fox + Panda
    • Platypus.............. = Sea Otter + Flamingo
    • Tree Kangaroo..... = Kangaroo + Capuchin Monkey
    • Cheetah .............. = Gray Wolf + Snow Leopard
    • Kirin..................... Far East Box
    • Mandarin Duck...... Far East Box
    • Racoon Dog.......... Far East Box
    • Cerberus............... Monster Box
    • Ghost.................... Monster Box
    • Imp...................... Monster Box
    • Werewolf.............. Monster Box
    • Snow Fairies......... Winter Box
    • Snowman............. Winter Box
    • Snowshoe Hare..... Winter Box
    • Yeti...................... Winter Box



    PART 2 - Earning Gold from Attractions

    The variables that effect attractions' gold-earning are:
    • "base" amount of gold
    • whether it has been toured/photo'd (this adds 20 gold to the total)
    • collection frequency
    • size


    The new variable vs. animals is size. Attractions are either 2x2, 2x4, 4x4 or 6x6.

    Size = 4 squares:
    - Cotton Candy Stand
    - Ice Cream Stand
    - Hot Dog Stand
    - Popcorn Stand

    Size = 8 squares:
    - Sandwich Stand

    Size = 16 squares:
    - Gift Shop
    - Botanical Center
    - Pizza Parlor
    - Caf?
    - Nursery
    - First Aid
    - Recycle Center
    - Shamrock Diner (this is a guess)
    - Face Paint Booth

    Size = 36 squares:
    - Dino Ride
    - Octopus Carousel
    - Ferris Wheel
    - Carousel

    You can then calculate the gold per hour per square across various "realistic" collection times and rank them as a group, or compare them to animals. The ranking of attractions is:

    1. Cotton Candy Stand
    2. Ice Cream Stand
    3. Dino Ride
    4. Gift Shop
    5. Sandwich Stand
    6. Hot Dog Stand
    7. Popcorn Stand
    8. Botanical Center
    9. Octopus Carousel
    10. Pizza Parlor
    11. Nursery
    12. Caf?
    13. First Aid
    14. Recycle Center
    15. Shamrock Diner
    16. Ferris Wheel
    17. Face Paint Booth
    18. Carousel

    A lot of people, at first, include extra hot dog or popcorn stands in their zoo, because they theoretically earn the most gold, but you don't have to miss very many collections and very quickly the ice cream stands beat them. Cotton Candy stands are better but cost gems whereas ice cream stands are cheap at only 35 gold each... and you earn this back on your third collection.

    Now, since 9 ice cream stands fit into the same space as 1 animal, we can compare them (or any attraction) vs. the animals to see which we should place into the limited space we have in our zoos. If you collect (on average) every 2 hours, then only sloths and jack rabbits beat ice cream if you have ONE animal. If you collect only twice a day or every 12 hours, then a few more animals (again, ONE animal) beat ice cream: Sloth, Gila Monster, Jack Rabbit, Jackalope, Cobra, Flying Monkey, Gharial, Wildebeest, Big Horned Sheep, Frilled Neck Lizard, Orangutan, Mountain Goat, Manx Sheep, and Honduran White Bat.

    However if you have FOUR animals and a "middle" collection frequency, then you have a longer list of animals that beat the haul from ice cream. So, the comparison ranking between attractions and animals is very dependent on # of animals and collection time.

    With this in mind, here is a list of animals that should "normally" beat ice cream stands, assuming 4 animals for the less expensive or lower breeding time animals, and 2 animals for the more expensive or long breeding time animals. I am including 33 because this is 3 "rows" or "columns" of 11 animals in your zoo.

    • Sloth
    • Jack Rabbit
    • Gila Monster
    • Cobra
    • Flying Monkey
    • Giant Anteater
    • Jackalope
    • Tasmanian Wolf
    • Orangutan
    • Manx Sheep
    • Gray Wolf
    • Arctic Fox
    • Frilled Neck Lizard
    • Mountain Goat
    • Puffin
    • Harpy Eagle
    • Wildebeest
    • Big Horned Sheep
    • Harp Seal
    • Albino Python
    • Fennec Fox
    • Gharial
    • Puma
    • Rhino
    • Capuchin Monkey
    • Leprechaun Panda
    • Hyena
    • Mammoth
    • Horned Toad
    • African Wild Dog
    • Iguana
    • Honduran White Bat
    • Kangaroo

    Using the above information, you could set up your zoo for absolute maximum gold earning... place the 33 animals listed above in a tight grouping on the top or right (so they don't hide anything behind them), and then fill the entire remaining space with literally hundreds of ice cream stands. When you tour high level zoos you will see some of them are set up like this, including mine. We're not crazy we're just trying to get gold faster! Personally I have four columns of animals (44) to make collecting a little easier, to have room for the animals in my nursery or lab, and/or I include some of the next few in the ranking which are:

    • Caribou
    • Scarlet Macaw
    • Bald Eagle
    • Tree Frog
    • Polar Bear
    • Walrus
    • Persian Chinchilla
    • Zebra
    • Crowned Crane
    • Wombat
    • Giraffe

    A zoo like this - - I'll use mine as the example - - will have 23x35+2x12=829 ice cream stands, yielding 13,264 in gold every time it is fully collected. Collecting an average of 4 times a day, to be conservative, yields 53,000 gold. Then from the 44 animals I get about 64,000 a day. So my zoo generates an income of about 120,000 gold per day. I tend to focus my breeding on the high earning animals that breed in the shortest amount of time, unless there's some other task that needs finishing. That way my zoo earns more gold faster so I can then fill in the expensive animals like the sloths, jack rabbits, etc.

    With patience and persistence you will have no shortage of gold. At one time, while I was breeding the sloths that take 7 days each, I had over 1.5 million. I am not trying to brag, I am just trying to encourage you to use these strategies to get more gold because they really do work !!


    PART 3 - Earning XP from Animals

    Fewer variables affect how much XP that animals earn:
    • "base" amount of XP
    • whether it has been toured/photo'd (this adds 1 XP to the total)
    • collection frequency (realistic or average, as usual)
    • # of animals does not affect XP


    Since XP generation is less critical - - does not hold you back as much as the lack of gold - - we don't need as much complexity in generating the list of the best animals for XP. But we still calculate XP per hour per square, and I have used an average collection frequency of about 3 to 4 times a day. Many of the top ranked animals earn 10 XP (the max) as you'd expect, but because of collection frequency, some that earn less end up ranked. Anyway, here is the list:

    • Cobra
    • Giant Anteater
    • Frilled Neck Lizard
    • Mountain Goat
    • Harp Seal
    • Rhino
    • Lunar Dragon
    • Panther
    • Sloth
    • ** Flying Frog
    • Arctic Fox
    • Hyena
    • Leprechaun Panda
    • Persian Chinchilla
    • ** Red Shanked Duac
    • ** Unicorn
    • ** White-Tailed Deer
    • ** Liger
    • Gila Monster
    • Flying Monkey
    • Jackalope
    • Gray Wolf
    • Puffin
    • Albino Python
    • Gharial
    • Horned Toad
    • Iguana
    • Scarlet Macaw
    • Polar Bear
    • ** Zebra
    • ** Bottlenose Dolphin
    • Buffalo
    • Minotaur
    • Clydesdale
    • Owl
    • Flamingo
    • Dingo
    • Jack Rabbit
    • Impala
    • Coati
    • Vampire Bat
    • Toucan
    • Leopard Gecko
    • Mandrill

    Many of these animals are fortunately also high gold earners. This is another reason we don't need as much complexity in the calculations for which animals are the best XP earners. However, I have highlighted above with a double asterisk (**) those animals that are not as highly ranked for gold that do earn the most XP.

    You can use your judgement on whether to place these animals into the limited space of your zoo. In my case, I didn't worry much about leveling up fast, because gold or waiting for the nursery/lab to finish, have pretty much always been my limiting factors. I eventually reached the max level of 30, then they updated to max=35 and added some animals, then they raised the max again to 40 but have added no animals for levels 36-40 (yet??).


    PART 4 - Earning XP from Attractions - - "BONUS XP"

    Attractions and now two of the new St. Patricks Day decorations, award bonus XP when purchased. This provides a way to "convert" gold into XP. You can buy multiple items and then either store them or sell them, and use the bonus XP to more quickly bump you up in levels.

    If you do this you want the lowest "gold per XP" ratio, the values of which are included in the list below. The two new decorations now rank at the top of this list, replacing the former leader, the CAROUSEL:

    • Shamrock Plant....... only 3.5 gold per bonus XP
    • Pot of Gold ............. 6.0
    • Carousel................ 8.1
    • Recycle Center....... 8.8
    • Botanical Center...... 16.0
    • Ice Cream Stand..... 17.5
    • First Aid.................. 18.1
    • Cafe....................... 19.0
    • Gift Shop................ 20.0
    • Hot Dog Stand........ 35.0
    • Popcorn Stand........ 35.0
    • Sandwich Stand...... 55.0
    • Pizza Parlor............. 0.2 gem
    • Cotton Candy Stand. 0.5 gem
    • Shamrock Diner....... 0.9 gem
    • Dino Ride................ 3.3 gem
    • Ferris Wheel............ 3.3 gem
    • Octopus Carousel..... 3.8 gem
    • Nursery................... 7.1 gem


    ==================================================
    With these strategies I hope you gain more enjoyment from your zoo.

    Feel free to add me as a neighbor if you'd like. Every now and then I delete any neighbors with "zero hearts" (zero social rating) so only add me if you plan on touring & gifting to your neighbors. Thanks !
    ==================================================


    ENJOY,
    Storm8 ID = rionkimchi


  2. #2
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233

    Combined Ranking (Gold+XP) of Animals

    It occured to me that since you can convert gold to XP (at a ratio of 3:5 to 1 via buying shamrock plants), that a combined ranking can be devised:

    {XP+Gold} = XP + (Gold)/3.5

    where as always each variable has the units ___ per hour per square, and for the current attractions XP=0.

    Since the prior post I have also expanded the number of different collection frequencies across which the average is calculated: now spanning from an average of every 2 hours (12X per day) to 12 hours (2X per day), and each 1 hour interval in between.

    The "top 50" list below shows, from left to right
    (a) the GOLD ONLY ranking
    (b) the new combined Gold+XP ranking
    (c) the animal
    (d) the combined value, to show the 'magnitude' (e.g. sloth is ~60% better, not just slightly better, than jack rabbit)

    Note the animals that are not ranked in the "gold only" top 50 or so, but then move well up in the ranking when XP is combined. The animal that moved up the most # of slots is the RHINO.

    1. (1) (1) Sloth 6.00
    2. (2) (2) Jack Rabbit 3.74
    3. (4) (3) Cobra 3.12
    4. (3) (4) Gila Monster 2.77
    5. (6) (5) Mountain Goat 2.65
    6. (n/a) (n/a) Cotton Candy Stand 2.48
    7. (29) (6) Rhino 2.17
    8. (7) (7) Frilled Neck Lizard 2.13
    9. (5) (8) Jackalope 2.12
    10. (21) (9) Harp Seal 1.94
    11. (14) (10) Giant Anteater 1.94
    12. (19) (11) Arctic Fox 1.76
    13. (9) (12) Flying Monkey 1.68
    14. (31) (13) Hyena 1.63
    15. (15) (14) Gharial 1.52
    16. (24) (15) Persian Chinchilla 1.43
    17. (8) (16) Wildebeest 1.43
    18. (25) (17) Puffin 1.41
    19. (27) (18) Albino Python 1.39
    20. (12) (19) Puma 1.36
    21. (10) (20) Tasmanian Wolf 1.35
    22. (11) (21) Big Horned Sheep 1.33
    23. (16) (22) Panther 1.31
    24. (13) (23) Orangutan 1.29
    25. (28) (24) Civet 1.27
    26. (23) (25) Owl 1.27
    27. ___ (26) Flying Frog 1.26
    28. (17) (27) Gray Wolf 1.23
    29. (n/a) (n/a) Ice Cream Stand 1.20
    30. (37) (28) Leprechaun Panda 1.20
    31. (32) (29) Red Kneed Tarantula 1.14
    32. (18) (30) Manx Sheep 1.11
    33. (42) (31) Iguana 1.10
    34. (20) (32) Harpy Eagle 1.06
    35. (33) (33) Lunar Dragon 1.06
    36. (38) (34) Buffalo 1.05
    37. (52) (35) Dingo 1.04
    38. ___ (36) Unicorn 1.03
    39. (34) (37) Flamingo 1.01
    40. ___ (38) Polar Bear 0.97
    41. (51) (39) Minotaur 0.92
    42. ___ (40) White-Tailed Deer 0.90
    43. (44) (41) Capuchin Monkey 0.90
    44. (26) (42) Fennec Fox 0.89
    45. (22) (43) Honduran White Bat 0.88
    46. (40) (44) Vampire Bat 0.88
    47. (30) (45) Mammoth 0.88
    48. (43) (46) Impala 0.86
    49. (41) (47) Bald Eagle 0.86
    50. (47) (48) Horned Toad 0.86
    51. (35) (49) Wombat 0.85
    52. (45) (50) Toucan 0.85


    Enjoy,
    Storm8 ID = rionkimchi

  3. #3
    New Resident
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    3
    Thanks for the info!!!

  4. #4
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233

    UPDATE : New Animals and Attractions Ranked

    ...
    With the addition of some new animals and attractions I figured we were due for an update.

    ATTRACTIONS

    Cotton Candy Stand retains the #1 spot.

    The new Pirate Ship costs a whopping 65 gems but is well ranked (#2) for earning gold. I do not know what size it is, so for now I have assumed it is 4x4=16. Some of the other "rides" are bigger meaning 6x6=36, so if 36 turns out to be the right size it will decrease the pirate ship's ranking to about equal to the Dino Ride.

    The other new items, Bunny House, Bunny Coaster, Shamrock Diner and Face Paint Booth are all ranked lower than old faithful, the Ice Cream Stand.

    I am including the data on the average gold per hour per square, so you can see the relative difference between the items. For example, cotton candy earns (on average) 1.58/0.87-100%=80% more than the pirate ship.

    As explained in prior posts, the averages are calculated across various collection frequencies: specifically every 2 hours (12X per day) through every 12 hours (2X per day) inclusive.

    • Cotton Candy Stand 1.58
    • Pirate Ship 0.87
    • Ice Cream Stand 0.76
    • Sandwich Stand 0.50
    • Dino Ride 0.39
    • Hot Dog Stand 0.38
    • Popcorn Stand 0.38
    • Gift Shop 0.36
    • Octopus Carousel 0.35
    • Botanical Center 0.30
    • Bunny House 0.30
    • Caf? 0.24
    • Pizza Parlor 0.23
    • Face Paint Booth 0.22
    • First Aid 0.22
    • Nursery 0.18
    • Recycle Center 0.16
    • Shamrock Diner 0.13
    • Ferris Wheel 0.08
    • Bunny Coaster 0.06
    • Carousel 0.05


    ANIMALS

    { ... Note - - still missing data on some animals, see below... }

    The one new animal worth specifically mentioning, is the BLACK FOX. It is a decent gold-earner, as it should be considering one of them costs 64,000 gold. From the St. Patricks Day update we got the Leprechaun Panda and the Shamrock Turtle that are also fairly well ranked. Except for these 3 animals, you have to dig pretty deep into the rankings to find the others.

    For animals it continues to be difficult to have one "definitive" ranking, because of all the variables, mainly how many you have (and whether the habitat is upgraded) and how often you collect. Especially if you're trying to max out on gold and deciding which animals to put in your zoo vs. ice cream stands.

    As explained before, the amount of gold you earn from ONE animal can be multiplied by the number of them you have. Having upgraded quite a few habitats, I have also noticed that each of the two upgrades adds *about* the same gold as what one animal does. In other words, a habitat upgraded once has a gold earning factor of 5 instead of 4, and upgraded twice (completed) has a factor of 6. This is NOT exact but it is pretty close. If you use the same factor for all animals then, when ranking just the animals, which factor you use doesn't matter. However it does matter if you're trying to compare attractions vs. animals.

    So, assuming you might want to make your own list, with how many animals YOU have, this next list shows the average gold per hour per square of ONE animal. Note this next ranking is only for gold, not for {gold+XP} as in the prior post.

    • Sloth , 3.18
    • Jack Rabbit , 2.03
    • Gila Monster , 1.36
    • Cobra , 1.25
    • Jackalope , 0.94
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked here vs. 1 animal
    • Mountain Goat , 0.70
    • Frilled Neck Lizard , 0.63
    • Wildebeest , 0.59
    • Flying Monkey , 0.59
    • Tasmanian Wolf , 0.56
    • Big Horned Sheep , 0.55
    • Puma , 0.53
    • Orangutan , 0.51
    • Giant Anteater , 0.50
    • Gharial , 0.48
    • Panther , 0.47
    • Gray Wolf , 0.42
    • Manx Sheep , 0.42
    • Arctic Fox , 0.40
    • Harpy Eagle , 0.38
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked here vs. 2 animals
    • Harp Seal , 0.34
    • Honduran White Bat , 0.33
    • Owl , 0.32
    • Persian Chinchilla , 0.32
    • Puffin , 0.30
    • Fennec Fox , 0.30
    • Albino Python , 0.28
    • Civet , 0.28
    • Rhino , 0.27
    • Mammoth , 0.26
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked here vs. 3 animals
    • Hyena , 0.25
    • Red Kneed Tarantula , 0.25
    • Lunar Dragon , 0.24
    • Flamingo , 0.23
    • Wombat , 0.23
    • Kangaroo , 0.23
    • Leprechaun Panda , 0.23
    • Black Fox , 0.22 <------ NEW
    • Buffalo , 0.22
    • Shamrock Turtle , 0.22
    • Vampire Bat , 0.22
    • Bald Eagle , 0.21
    • Iguana , 0.21
    • Impala , 0.20
    • Capuchin Monkey , 0.20
    • Toucan , 0.20
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked here vs. 4 animals
    • Meerkat , 0.19
    • Horned Toad , 0.18
    • African Wild Dog , 0.18
    • Warthog , 0.18
    • Irish Elk , 0.18
    • Minotaur , 0.18
    • Dingo , 0.18
    • Clydesdale , 0.17
    • Coati , 0.17
    • Capybara , 0.17
    • Polar Bear , 0.17
    • Flying Frog , 0.17
    • Ringtail Lemur , 0.16
    • Caribou , 0.16
    • Liger , 0.16
    • Mandrill , 0.16
    • Scarlet Macaw , 0.16
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked about here vs. a habitat upgraded once
    • Irish Bullfrog , 0.15
    • Camel , 0.15
    • African Vulture , 0.15
    • Golden Lion Tamarin , 0.15
    • Tree Frog , 0.15
    • Walrus , 0.14
    • Porcupine , 0.14
    • Snow Owls , 0.13
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked about here vs. a completed habitat
    • Bottlenose Dolphin , 0.13
    • Sugar Glider , 0.13
    • Zebra , 0.13
    • Crowned Crane , 0.13
    • Giraffe , 0.12
    • Slow Loris , 0.12
    • Okapi , 0.12
    • Unicorn , 0.12
    • Penguin , 0.12
    • Llama , 0.12
    • Spectacled Bear , 0.12
    • Sea Lion , 0.11
    • Ruffed Lemur , 0.11
    • Rainbow Toucan , 0.11
    • Peregrin Falcon , 0.11
    • Red Shanked Duac , 0.11
    • Armadillo , 0.11
    • White-Tailed Deer , 0.10
    • Skunk , 0.10
    • Bush Baby , 0.10
    • Golden Pheasant , 0.10
    • Moose , 0.09
    • Yak , 0.09
    • Spring Bunny , 0.09
    • Tiger , 0.09
    • Shamrock Gorilla , 0.09
    • Fossa , 0.09
    • Turtle , 0.08
    • Koala , 0.08
    • Leopard Gecko , 0.08
    • Rattlesnake , 0.08
    • Silverback Gorilla , 0.08
    • Chimpanzee , 0.08
    • White-tailed Rabbit , 0.08
    • Bullfrog , 0.08
    • Tasmanian Devil , 0.08
    • Flying Dragon , 0.08
    • Jaguar , 0.08
    • Hippo , 0.08
    • Crocodile , 0.08
    • Red Fox , 0.08
    • Ringtail Mongoose , 0.08
    • Flying Fox , 0.08
    • Coin Mouse , 0.08
    • Giant Tortoise , 0.07
    • Coyote , 0.07
    • Bear , 0.07
    • Barn Owl , 0.07
    • Axolotl , 0.07
    • Gryphon , 0.07
    • Ostrich , 0.07
    • Snow Leopard , 0.06
    • Howler Monkey , 0.06
    • Lynx , 0.05
    • Peacock , 0.05
    • Panda , 0.05
    • Sea Otter , 0.05
    • Ermine , 0.05
    • California Condor , 0.05
    • Scarlet Ibis , 0.04
    • Clouded Leopard , 0.04
    • Lion , 0.04
    • Elephant , 0.04
    • Naked Mole Rat , 0.03
    • Arabian Horse , 0.03


    Remember this is the average gold earned from collection frequencies of every 2 hours through every 12 hours (about every 6 to 8 hours, as an overall average). If you collect more often it will cause the animals and attractions with shorter collection times to rise in the rankings. Here is an example... IF you could collect every hour 24 hours a day, and had all completed habitats, the ranking would become:

    • Sloth
    • Puma
    • Jack Rabbit
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked about here vs. 2 animals
    • Cobra
    • Gila Monster
    • Mountain Goat
    • Hyena
    • Kangaroo
    • Jackalope
    • Tasmanian Wolf
    • Frilled Neck Lizard
    • Camel
    • Golden Lion Tamarin
    • Flying Monkey
    • Wildebeest
    • Rhino
    • Giant Anteater
    • ... the Ice Cream Stand is ranked about here vs. a completed habitat



    NEED DATA
    • Cheetah
    • Tree Kangaroo
    • Platypus
    • Kirin
    • Mandarin Duck
    • Racoon Dog
    • Cerberus
    • Ghost
    • Imp
    • Werewolf
    • Wendigo
    • Snow Fairies
    • Snowman
    • Snowshoe Hare
    • Yeti
    • Lucky Bear
    • Pangolin
    • Red Panda



    In my zoo, I have finally finished breeding and completely upgrading the most expensive animals (sloth, jack rabbit, jackalope), so gold has become a non-issue. With about 1.5 million in the bank, and nothing to do with it, it was tiresome to collect from the hundreds of ice cream stands, so I have been removing them and adding more animals, simply because it's faster to collect and generates XP in case of a future expansion in # of levels. However, with my level maxed at 40, I didn't really need to focus on XP generation either. So in my case it seemed best to focus on the combined {Gold+XP} ranking as outlined in the prior post, where in theory you can "convert" XP at [1XP=3.5G] via the Shamrock Plant. With this in mind, here is the latest ranking of combined {Gold+XP}... assuming every animal habitat has been completed (x6).

    • Sloth
    • Jack Rabbit
    • Gila Monster
    • Cobra
    • Jackalope
    • Mountain Goat
    • Frilled Neck Lizard
    • Wildebeest
    • Flying Monkey
    • Tasmanian Wolf
    • Big Horned Sheep
    • Puma
    • Orangutan
    • Giant Anteater
    • Gharial
    • Panther
    • Gray Wolf
    • Manx Sheep
    • Arctic Fox
    • Harpy Eagle
    • Harp Seal
    • Honduran White Bat
    • Owl
    • Persian Chinchilla
    • Puffin
    • Fennec Fox
    • Albino Python
    • Civet
    • Rhino
    • Cotton Candy Stand
    • Mammoth
    • Hyena
    • Red Kneed Tarantula
    • Lunar Dragon
    • Flamingo
    • Wombat
    • Kangaroo
    • Leprechaun Panda
    • Black Fox
    • Buffalo
    • Shamrock Turtle
    • Vampire Bat
    • Bald Eagle
    • Iguana
    • Impala
    • Capuchin Monkey
    • Toucan
    • Meerkat
    • Horned Toad
    • African Wild Dog
    • Warthog
    • Irish Elk
    • Minotaur
    • Dingo
    • Clydesdale
    • Coati
    • Capybara
    • Polar Bear
    • Flying Frog
    • Ringtail Lemur
    • Caribou
    • Liger
    • Mandrill
    • Scarlet Macaw
    • Irish Bullfrog
    • Camel
    • African Vulture
    • Golden Lion Tamarin
    • Tree Frog
    • Walrus
    • Porcupine
    • Snow Owls
    • Bottlenose Dolphin
    • Ice Cream Stand
    • Sugar Glider
    • Zebra
    • Crowned Crane
    • Giraffe
    • Slow Loris
    • Okapi
    • Unicorn
    • Penguin
    • Llama
    • Spectacled Bear
    • Sea Lion
    • Ruffed Lemur
    • Rainbow Toucan
    • Peregrin Falcon
    • Red Shanked Duac
    • Armadillo
    • White-Tailed Deer
    • Skunk
    • Bush Baby
    • Golden Pheasant
    • Moose
    • Yak
    • Spring Bunny
    • Tiger
    • Shamrock Gorilla
    • Fossa
    • Turtle
    • Koala
    • Leopard Gecko
    • Rattlesnake
    • Silverback Gorilla
    • Chimpanzee
    • White-tailed Rabbit
    • Bullfrog
    • Tasmanian Devil
    • Flying Dragon
    • Jaguar
    • Hippo
    • Crocodile
    • Red Fox
    • Ringtail Mongoose
    • Flying Fox
    • Coin Mouse
    • Giant Tortoise
    • Coyote
    • Bear
    • Barn Owl
    • Axolotl
    • Gryphon
    • Ostrich
    • Snow Leopard
    • Howler Monkey
    • Lynx
    • Peacock
    • Panda
    • Sea Otter
    • Ermine
    • California Condor
    • Scarlet Ibis
    • Clouded Leopard
    • Lion
    • Elephant
    • Naked Mole Rat
    • Arabian Horse




    ENJOY,
    Storm8 ID = rionkimchi

  5. #5
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233

    Payback Time / Return on Investment

    Here is another way to look at the gold-earning of animals... what if you have limited gold, then which ones should you buy first? If you're in this dilemna, then you'll want the animals that earn you back, the gold you spend on them, the fastest. You'll also want them to earn a lot of gold for the space they occupy. In other words, you want a short pay-back time and a high return on investment.

    Here are two examples:
    (1) The ice cream stand costs 35 gold and earns 16 per hour, so on the third collection you will have earned more than what you spent (48). If you collect "on average" every 6 hours, then it takes 12 hours (technically if you just bought it you would collect at the end of hour #1, then #7 and then #13)... or ~0.5 days to pay back your investment. That's pretty fast, and if you were right there at your device you could shorten this to 3 hours (collecting at the end of hour #1, then 2 & 3). Then, remember you can fit 9 of them into the same space as one animal habitat... so as you have read in prior posts their gold-earning rank is pretty high.

    (2) The Jackalope when I bred them cost 287,700 gold (TL is infamous for changing the costs and times in ZS2, so it may be different now). From ONE jackalope you earn 484 gold every 12 hours so you can earn 968 gold each day if you "never miss" a collection. If there was a day you did miss a collection, then your average collected per day would drop. The way I have been calculating overall average collection times, I do factor this in, and the number I calculate is 811 gold per day on average. At that rate it would take 355 days to pay back your initial investment, which is the worst in the game. OUCH! Only get a jackalope if you really want one, not for the gold !!



    OK, so which animals earn a lot of gold for the space they occupy, yet have a low payback time?
    Well, since you asked...

    1) Tasmanian Wolf
    2) Mammoth
    3) Ice Cream Stand

    Only the above two animals have a shorter payback time and earn more gold than the 9 ice cream stands you'd put into the same space. However, if you're going to get a pair of animals then get these next two which on average earn more than 9 ice cream stands:

    4) Gray Wolf (payback ~2 days)
    5) Harpy Eagle (payback ~10 days)

    If you can breed babies to get four of them, then these next animals have relatively short payback times and will earn you more than 9 ice cream stands:

    6) Persian Chinchilla
    7) Puffin
    8) Fennec Fox
    9) Civet
    10) Rhino
    11) Hyena
    12) Kangaroo
    13) Leprechaun Panda
    14) Buffalo
    15) Shamrock Turtle
    16) Bald Eagle
    17) Iguana
    18) Capuchin Monkey

    Next, here is a list of the shortest payback times, all less than 10 days, whether or not they earn more than ice cream stands. The approximate payback time in days, is also listed:

    • Tasmanian Wolf , 0.2
    • Mammoth , 0.3
    • Ice Cream Stand , 0.5
    • Crocodile , 0.8
    • Fennec Fox , 1.2
    • Kangaroo , 1.8
    • Bear , 1.9
    • Gray Wolf , 2.1
    • Elephant , 2.2
    • Rhino , 2.2
    • Puffin , 2.3
    • African Vulture , 2.3
    • Persian Chinchilla , 2.5
    • Polar Bear , 2.7
    • Koala , 2.7
    • Lion , 2.8
    • Tree Frog , 3.0
    • Leprechaun Panda , 3.1
    • Buffalo , 3.1
    • Hippo , 3.2
    • Porcupine , 3.4
    • Okapi , 4.3
    • Ringtail Lemur , 5.1
    • Ostrich , 5.3
    • Bush Baby , 5.3
    • Zebra , 5.5
    • Spectacled Bear , 6.0
    • Irish Bullfrog , 6.1
    • Walrus , 6.3
    • Skunk , 7.1
    • Shamrock Turtle , 7.4
    • Bald Eagle , 8.2
    • Turtle , 8.2
    • Giraffe , 8.4
    • Capuchin Monkey , 8.6
    • Red Fox , 8.8
    • Sea Lion , 9.2
    • Shamrock Gorilla , 9.9


    Lastly, which animals are the worst, taking the longest to payback your investment? On the list of payback times >60 days, we unfortunately have many of our highest gold-earners. Once you finally pay back the investment, then they are the best to have in your zoo because they generate the most gold. {Not all of them on this list... for example the yak has a pretty low ranking for earning gold and a high payback time. Makes one want to "yak", no? } Anyway, these next animals should be acquired only after you've spammed ice cream stands for a while and gold is less of an issue.

    • Jackalope , 354.6
    • Black Fox , 334.3
    • Jack Rabbit , 225.4
    • Orangutan , 212.2
    • Honduran White Bat , 170.4
    • Manx Sheep , 164.3
    • Sloth , 132.6
    • Wildebeest , 120.6
    • Impala , 117.8
    • Mountain Goat , 111.1
    • Gharial , 108.0
    • Fossa , 91.2
    • Albino Python , 86.7
    • Yak , 78.5
    • Frilled Neck Lizard , 77.6
    • Flying Frog , 75.2
    • Big Horned Sheep , 73.1
    • Gila Monster , 72.1
    • Minotaur , 64.8
    • Ermine , 61.8



    ENJOY,
    Storm8 ID = rionkimchi

  6. #6
    Farm Supplier
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    U.S.A.
    Posts
    61
    rionkimchi,

    Thank you for all of your hard work in gathering all of this data and also putting it to good use! I sent you a PM a week or so ago. I saw that you said you would e-mail your spreadsheet to people if asked. Would you mind sending it to me? I'm sending you my address via PM. Thanks again!

  7. #7
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233
    Quote Originally Posted by dlp44 View Post
    i saw that you said you would e-mail your spreadsheet to people if asked. Would you mind sending it to me? I'm sending you my address via pm. Thanks again!
    sent !

  8. #8
    Executive Chef
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    3,089
    Wow you worked really hard on this

  9. #9
    Rhino Keeper
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    233

    UPDATE of ANIMALS' GOLD EARNING

    With the updates and some missing data having been provided by helpful forum members, it's time for an updated ranking.

    Following the methods I have explained previously, here is an updated ranking of GOLD earning. This is not the combined {Gold+XP} ranking, just gold.

    1. Sloth
    2. Kirin
    3. Jack Rabbit
    4. Gila Monster
    5. Cobra
    6. Jackalope
    7. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. 1 animal
    8. Mountain Goat
    9. Werewolf
    10. Frilled Neck Lizard
    11. Wildebeest
    12. Flying Monkey
    13. Tasmanian Wolf
    14. Big Horned Sheep
    15. Puma
    16. Orangutan
    17. Giant Anteater
    18. Gharial
    19. Panther
    20. Gray Wolf
    21. Manx Sheep
    22. Beaver
    23. Arctic Fox
    24. Harpy Eagle
    25. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. 2 animals
    26. Harp Seal
    27. Honduran White Bat
    28. Owl
    29. Persian Chinchilla
    30. Puffin
    31. Fennec Fox
    32. Albino Python
    33. Civet
    34. Rhino
    35. Mammoth
    36. Cassowary
    37. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. 3 animals
    38. Hyena
    39. Red Kneed Tarantula
    40. Platypus
    41. Poison Dart Frog
    42. Lunar Dragon
    43. Flamingo
    44. Wombat
    45. Kangaroo
    46. Leprechaun Panda
    47. Black Fox
    48. Buffalo
    49. Shamrock Turtle
    50. Vampire Bat
    51. Bald Eagle
    52. Iguana
    53. Impala
    54. Capuchin Monkey
    55. Toucan
    56. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. 4 animals
    57. Meerkat
    58. Horned Toad
    59. African Wild Dog
    60. Warthog
    61. Irish Elk
    62. Minotaur
    63. Dingo
    64. Clydesdale
    65. Coati
    66. Ghost
    67. Capybara
    68. Polar Bear
    69. Flying Frog
    70. Ringtail Lemur
    71. Tundra Reindeer
    72. Caribou
    73. Hoopoe
    74. Liger
    75. Mandrill
    76. Scarlet Macaw
    77. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. Habitat Upgraded ONCE
    78. Irish Bullfrog
    79. Camel
    80. African Vulture
    81. Golden Lion Tamarin
    82. Tree Frog
    83. Walrus
    84. Porcupine
    85. Snow Owls
    86. 9 Ice Cream Stands vs. Completed Habitat, Upgraded TWICE
    87. Yeti
    88. Bottlenose Dolphin
    89. Sugar Glider
    90. Zebra
    91. Crowned Crane
    92. Giraffe
    93. Racoon Dog
    94. Slow Loris
    95. Okapi
    96. Alpaca
    97. Unicorn
    98. Penguin
    99. Kakapo
    100. Llama
    101. Spectacled Bear
    102. Sea Lion
    103. Mandarin Duck
    104. Ruffed Lemur
    105. Rainbow Toucan
    106. Pangolin
    107. Cheetah
    108. Peregrin Falcon
    109. Red Shanked Duac
    110. Armadillo
    111. White-Tailed Deer
    112. Bush Baby
    113. Skunk
    114. Golden Pheasant
    115. River Otter
    116. Moose
    117. Yak
    118. Spring Bunny
    119. Tiger
    120. Shamrock Gorilla
    121. Fossa
    122. Turtle
    123. Koala
    124. Leopard Gecko
    125. Rattlesnake
    126. Silverback Gorilla
    127. Chimpanzee
    128. White-tailed Rabbit
    129. Bullfrog
    130. Tasmanian Devil
    131. Aardvark
    132. Flying Dragon
    133. Jaguar
    134. Crocodile
    135. Hippo
    136. Red Fox
    137. Ringtail Mongoose
    138. Flying Fox
    139. Coin Mouse
    140. Giant Tortoise
    141. Coyote
    142. Bear
    143. Red Panda
    144. Barn Owl
    145. Axolotl
    146. Gryphon
    147. Ostrich
    148. Coconut Crab
    149. Snow Leopard
    150. Howler Monkey
    151. Lynx
    152. Imp
    153. Peacock
    154. Panda
    155. Sea Otter
    156. Ermine
    157. California Condor
    158. Scarlet Ibis
    159. Clouded Leopard
    160. Elephant
    161. Lion
    162. Naked Mole Rat
    163. Arabian Horse



    As also explained in prior posts, if you assume you will convert gold to XP, then the combined {Gold+XP} ranking is:

    1. Sloth
    2. Kirin
    3. Jack Rabbit
    4. Cobra
    5. Gila Monster
    6. Mountain Goat
    7. Rhino
    8. Frilled Neck Lizard
    9. Jackalope
    10. Harp Seal
    11. Giant Anteater
    12. Beaver
    13. Werewolf
    14. Arctic Fox
    15. Flying Monkey
    16. Hyena
    17. Gharial
    18. Persian Chinchilla
    19. Wildebeest
    20. Puffin
    21. Albino Python
    22. Puma
    23. Tasmanian Wolf
    24. Big Horned Sheep
    25. Panther
    26. Civet
    27. Orangutan
    28. Flying Frog
    29. Owl
    30. Gray Wolf
    31. Leprechaun Panda
    32. Red Kneed Tarantula
    33. Manx Sheep
    34. Iguana
    35. Poison Dart Frog
    36. Lunar Dragon
    37. Harpy Eagle
    38. Buffalo
    39. Dingo
    40. Unicorn
    41. Flamingo
    42. Polar Bear
    43. Cassowary
    44. Minotaur
    45. White-Tailed Deer
    46. Capuchin Monkey
    47. Fennec Fox
    48. Vampire Bat
    49. Honduran White Bat
    50. Mammoth
    51. Impala
    52. Horned Toad
    53. Bald Eagle
    54. Wombat
    55. Toucan
    56. Liger
    57. Black Fox
    58. Tundra Reindeer
    59. Scarlet Macaw
    60. Coati
    61. Meerkat
    62. Okapi
    63. Zebra
    64. Platypus
    65. Shamrock Turtle
    66. Camel
    67. African Vulture
    68. Mandrill
    69. Hoopoe
    70. Bottlenose Dolphin
    71. Cheetah
    72. Kangaroo
    73. Peregrin Falcon
    74. Capybara
    75. Leopard Gecko
    76. Porcupine
    77. Irish Bullfrog
    78. Coyote
    79. Moose
    80. Rainbow Toucan
    81. Ringtail Lemur
    82. Slow Loris
    83. Giant Tortoise
    84. Kakapo
    85. Snow Owls
    86. Sea Lion
    87. African Wild Dog
    88. Irish Elk
    89. Gryphon
    90. Caribou
    91. Clydesdale
    92. Armadillo
    93. Chimpanzee
    94. Spectacled Bear
    95. Jaguar
    96. Silverback Gorilla
    97. Golden Pheasant
    98. Spring Bunny
    99. Shamrock Gorilla
    100. Rattlesnake
    101. Penguin
    102. Giraffe
    103. Sugar Glider
    104. Bullfrog
    105. Tiger
    106. Peacock
    107. Panda
    108. Sea Otter
    109. Walrus
    110. Fossa
    111. Crowned Crane
    112. River Otter
    113. Red Panda
    114. Yak
    115. Ringtail Mongoose
    116. Golden Lion Tamarin
    117. White-tailed Rabbit
    118. Aardvark
    119. Flying Dragon
    120. Coin Mouse
    121. Barn Owl
    122. Tasmanian Devil
    123. Bush Baby
    124. Skunk
    125. Llama
    126. Red Shanked Duac
    127. Tree Frog
    128. Axolotl
    129. Ostrich
    130. Howler Monkey
    131. Flying Fox
    132. Turtle
    133. Koala
    134. Crocodile
    135. Hippo
    136. Snow Leopard
    137. Bear
    138. Coconut Crab
    139. Lynx
    140. Ruffed Lemur
    141. Scarlet Ibis
    142. Ermine
    143. Elephant
    144. Lion
    145. Arabian Horse
    146. Red Fox
    147. California Condor
    148. Naked Mole Rat
    149. Clouded Leopard



    Keep in mind we are missing data on the following animals:

    Animal, Cost (1 adult), Collect Time, XP, Gold (1 animal)
    • Warthog , ____ , 600 , __ , 78
    • Ghost , 24 gem , 720 , __ , 89
    • Yeti , 24 gem , 360 , __ , 37
    • Racoon Dog , 24 gem , 45 , __ , 23
    • Alpaca , 26,000 , 1,200 , __ , 95
    • Mandarin Duck , 24 gem , 360 , __ , 33
    • Pangolin , 22 gem , 360 , __ , 31
    • Imp , 24 gem , 600 , __ , 23
    • Kiwi , 4,860 , ____ , __ , __
    • Leopard Seal , 14,000 , 540 , __ , __
    • Lucky Bear , 22 gem , 1,320 , __ , __
    • Sitatunga , 26,000 , 720 , __ , __
    • Tree Kangaroo , 42 gem , 720 , __ , __
    • Cerberus , 24 gem , ____ , __ , __
    • Wendigo , 24 gem , ____ , __ , __
    • Snow Fairies , 24 gem , ____ , __ , __
    • Snowman , 24 gem , ____ , __ , __
    • Snowshoe Hare , 24 gem , ____ , __ , __

    P.S. mystery box animals are listed as 24 gems but usually the second adult and baby cost a different amount.


    ENJOY,
    Storm8 ID = rionkimchi

  10. #10
    Host(ess)
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    49
    Cool thanks for the list.

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