Planet Zoo: Underwater Tunnel – No Trench, Water Obstruction, or Mods; All Modes

There are a number of benefits including but not limited to:

• Animals do not register any stress no matter the number of guests.
• Guests do not register fear, they experience happiness and will donate
  to underwater donation bins.
• Player creative opportunities and visual experience.
• They add variety to your zoo.

Note: The titles are just my way of defining. The following is neither a negative nor an endorsement (except for number 3. 🙂 ; just a description.

1. The Trench: This is the most commonly shown type which involves digging down below the water obstruction notice which then results in having your path further below ground and away from the animals. The guests are still, at least partially, in the water unless you dig a very deep trench.

2. The Excavator: This is where terrain is removed via a path with tunneling on. Viable in certain
situations.

3. No Trench Method: This is the method I developed for myself as I like underwater tunnels.

No trench

Allows closer guest/animal distance:

Opportunities for whatever you want to create (screenshot just to show mechanics):

1. All maps are either “Good Water” or “Bad Water” maps. Note: The former is where you can place the water so it comes almost level to your flat terrain; the latter is where there is a significant drop in the water.
Your map needs to either be a “Good Water” map or the “Bad Water” map area for your lake needs to be converted to a “Good Water” area. See my guide “Skeleton Keys” for how to fix the “Bad Water” maps. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840051719

“Good Water” Map

“Bad Water” Map

Workshop Item to fix area of “Bad Water” map. Note: You can place the “Good Water” fix in a part of your zoo and then just make smaller blueprints (with the water in them) for placement in
other areas of your zoo. This works well for built up zoos.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3350807522

2. THE TERRAIN STAMP TOOL MUST BE SET TO AN EVEN NUMBER. (At least 16 meters for an 8 meters depth hole for the animals to do well.)

Now that you have a “Good Water” map area and set your terrain stamp tool to an even number 16 meters or more, here is the easy part.

Use terrain stamp tool/cube/subtract terrain/even height (16 m or more)/width 20 m to make your hole, use flatten to foundation tool to shape lake and make cul-de-sacs so they are the same level as the lake bottom, use terrain stamp tool to seal off the cul-de-sacs. Add entry for animals (I like shallow offset as it allows entry and the non-swimming juveniles can play in it.) NOTE: YOU CAN DO ANY TERRAIN WORK EXCEPT DO NOT MAKE A DEPRESSION IN THE LAKE BOTTOM. SOMETIMES THE GAME REMEMBERS THIS AND IT WILL MESS UP YOUR TUNNELING.




Optional addition of terrain (rec add water and then remove for terrain work- to be sure cul-de-sacs stay dry)

Add water to confirm cul-de-sacs remain dry. I recommend you also do a temporary habitat just to confirm animal can enter the lake. Note: If you want the level coastline shown in screen shot, have the terrain stamp tool for sealing set at one meter higher than what used to make the hole (see above screen shot showing 17 meters height since 16 meters was used to make the 8 meters depth hole). Then, before you add water, use flatten to foundation tool set at size 2 to level the excess height.

After making any adjustments for animal entry, remove temporary habitat barriers; WITH WATER IN THE LAKE and tunneling on place a piece of path one meter wider than what you want as final path width. Set path elevation to 1m and, using mouse, pull down to get the small step. Then, do your tunneling to the other cul-de-sac.


Delete the path under the water and reduce path width one lower. The example was done with a 5 meter width as I wanted the final path width to be 4 meter. The smaller path width takes care of any terrain bumps in the path curbs. If you get spots of bumps, delete that path spot and reconnect.

Removing the tunneling holes in the cul-de-sacs: Delete path in cul-de-sac and some in the underwater; set flatten to foundation tool to size 2 and, from the inside of the lake move the flatten to foundation tool toward cul-de-sac removing the tunneling holes. After you do any cul-de-sac terrain adjustments, with tunneling off redraw path from underwater path to inside cul-de-sac.

Those are the steps for doing an underwater tunnel without a trench. If you want to add tunnel covers, set water type/transparency to whatever, etc., the steps do not affect that. It is your game; play it however you like. 🙂

Thank you for reading this guide. I have added a section with a few tips but will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

• General Information

A temporary habitat test with animal is important not just to determine lake access. It lets you see the land and water areas; important when deciding which and how many animals.
Once you do your tunneling you can not delete the water and then add it back unless you use the limited undo (control+z) function.
Animals can not swim between water and air interface so no guest gate or construction barriers are needed.
Since water freezes terrain, add any terrain affecting items (these are mostly enrichment items) after you add the water.

• Blueprints

A friend told me he does not do many underwater tunnel habitats as it seems a lot work for a one shot. That is, since paths do not blueprint, he can not save his underwater tunnel habitats for use in other zoos. Well, you can blueprint them and save them. You just have to do it prior to doing your underwater tunneling.
Screen shot showing habit with water made on “Good Water” map in Sandbox and then using null barrier to blueprint.

Screen shot showing the habitat blueprint placed in Challenge zoo and then tunneling done.

Note: If placing your blueprint on a “Bad Water” map, first fix that area to “Good Water”.

• Lower water level for animal containment

The terrain stamp tool has to be an even number but the water level can be set to any level.
This means you can have an 10 meter hole depth but set water level to 9 meters. It makes a way of keeping the animals in the area you want them.
10 meter hole with 9 meter water level

Lower water level sample