Zoo Tycoon 2 - Third-party Creations

Third-party Creations

The game files can be edited and expanded using no more than a file compression software and a simple text editor. This led to the creation of new animals and objects for Zoo Tycoon 2. There have been numerous websites created for this purpose and many "designers" will upload the animals or objects for download. Unlike Zoo Tycoon, where an official program designed to help users create animals, Zoo Tycoon 2 has no such program. Object and animal "skins" can be made with a DDS converter and a paint program, whilst object and animal models can be changed with Blender or other NIF program. The animal model files in Dino Danger Pack, Marine Mania, and Extinct Animals have been compressed into protected, uneditable files, precluding any model editing for marine and extinct animals. Certain groups have editable versions of Marine Mania models as the original beta version of the game use nif files.

Shortly before the release of Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals, a method for editing Dino Danger Pack files was found. This Zoo Tycoon 2 "designing" allowed a larger variety of animals to be made. It is now possible for a player to create complete unofficial expansion packs, known as User Made Expansions.

Some third party groups will release a large pack of user created content, these are commonly called UXP's, or User Expansion Packs.