TLDR: (1) aesthetics (2) border between zones if you don't have currency for anything with higher Multiplier
Like the title says, Paths are somewhat useless in game. As I see it, they only serve 2 real purpose. One is to act as a buffer between zones but till give a very small multiplier benefit. And the other purpose is to show you when someone has visited you. You can also see who has visited you by going to the Friends Screen. When you are browsing your Friends List, you will see the "Recently Visited" tag below their Zoo.
Unlike zone spaces which you buy, the paths doesn't have an additive property as you place long paths in your zoo. Only the paths actually touching the circumference of the animal will directly give it a multiplier effect. So, in that effect, paths are not desirable as a multiplier filler. The maximum as of December 2011 is 2%. Whereas you can get a much higher multiplier from decorations like the ice-cream parlor or whatnot.
You may think that paths are essential for bringing people to your Zoo, but there are no benefits from having people (other than community neighbors) visit your Zoo. You don't even have to have your path connect to the Dock (Harbor) for people to come and visit (picture below)
I tried once putting a solo path in the middle of nothing, and a random NPC showed up. (picture below)
I call the little people who just walk around NPCs (Non-Playing Characters) which is on the left of the picture. The other type as Visitor (Quest NPC), which is on the right of the picture below
So you don't have to circle your zoo with paths, in fact, try to use as little path as possible, especially in corners. Because of paths take 1 unit square, making a pathway to cover a corner takes 3 squares. This is inadvisable because of the lack of expandable space we currently have at this update of the game.
Of course you can always buy Paths if you want your zoo to look pretty. But since actual space is at a premium, you might want to keep your paths to a moderate amount.
I've noticed a cool benefit of paths. I've been exploring stacking multipliers (items that increase animal layout rates) . I've discovered that a contiguous set of land multipliers will benefit all animals touching my stack! So I build a line of multipliers and connect each animal to the line. Then any path that touches my multipliers will benefit the entire set of animals! So the single path now multiplies its benefit and quickly pays for itself. Also Decor items can use the stack to multiply all animals touching the stack! I can write more on this later.
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ReplyDeleteHello again. Yes, land multipliers stack as long as it's touching, and contigous. However, at higher levels, you can't make more animals because of the space restrictions. I bought a whole bunch of extra space, but had to sell them for fractions of what I paid for so that I can make space for animals. Write about stacking multipliers! on Dream Zoo Paths, somewhat useless purchase. So if you want to have almost every animal, try to keep your extra 'space' low.
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