The latest trailer for Jurassic World Evolution 2 shows off a new feature that I think could be both disastrous and incredibly useful. It’s about the scientists you employ. In the first game, I believe that you simply hired new scientists and that was it. They worked away in the background digging up bones and working on genetic stuff. You were required to have them, but they didn’t have many gameplay implications. In the sequel, scientists are much more important, and they need to be managed if you want to keep your park running like the well-oiled machine it should be.
So you will be hiring scientists with various specialised skills from around the world. You’ll still be assigning them to very specific parts of your park, but now they have stress levels. You can tell them where to focus their efforts, and that will cause them to be more or less stressed accordingly. You can also take them off the rota and give them a break if they’re getting too stressed. In a world where mental health is one of the most common causes of issues in our bodies, I think it’s nice that the game has a big focus on stress and the issues that it can cause.
If a scientist gets too stressed, then they’re going to get sloppy at work and maybe even forget to do things. This can lead to issues with your power, your enclosures, and all sorts of stuff. Imagine thinking you’re on top of everything and coming back to your park to find the T-rex is out and eating everyone. You’d never financially recover. That’s why it’s important to be on top of your scientist management. Keeping the scientists sweet will ensure that you have a great park on your hands, instead of a ticking time bomb.
Of course, you’re also going to have to manage your resources with this. You’re paying for scientists who aren’t working, and that’s a big cost. You’ll need enough scientists so that you can cover all those who need a break from the stress, as well as enough generally to keep the park running. I can’t wait to see how much stress this causes me as a player.