Waterpark Simulator Research Tree Guide

Research is the spine of Waterpark Simulator’s progression. Nearly everything that matters—new staff tiers, better tools, new attractions—is gated behind the Research Table in your office. This page explains the research tree structure, what each category unlocks, and the community-consensus spending order so you stop wasting points on vanity while your park falls apart.

Watch the embedded video for a walkthrough of the research system, then use the priority table below as your decision layer whenever the Research Table feels overwhelming.

How research points work

Research points are the game’s second currency after money. You earn them from:

Source	Notes
Floating science icons	Spawn around your park—collect them as you move through the day
Ticket sales	Grants points passively as guests buy correct passes
Daily actions	Cleaning, repairs, and completing tasks all drip points

Spending: open the Research Table inside your office. The tree is organized into three main categories—Attractions, Park, and Maintenance—which are the reliable branches across 1.0 and later patches.

Waterpark Simulator Research Points and Unlock Order Guide

The three research branches

Attractions Tree — New Rides and Buildings

This branch unlocks new slides, pool types, larger build options, and food stall varieties:

• New slide and pool types and larger build footprints
• Lazy river, splash zones, and eventually the wave pool unlock path
• Food stall unlocks (lemonade stand is the high-margin profit machine)
• Vending machines as backup coverage for remote Beach corners

Unlock attractions only after your park can keep existing attractions clean and staffed. More rides without more cleaners creates a complaint spiral that stalls every objective.

Park Tree — Guest Comfort and Facilities

This branch covers hygiene, trash systems, safety equipment, and building tools:

• Showers and hygiene basics (guest happiness floor)
• Trash bins and trash-related quality-of-life upgrades
• Life ring stands and safety items
• Benches—upgraded benches let guests sit and recover energy
• Floor Tool—a major time-saver for laying paths and floors early

The Floor Tool is the single highest-impact unlock in the Park tree. It changes how you build, letting you place pads and paths without fighting awkward snap angles.

Maintenance Tree — Tools and Staff

This branch controls your operational capacity:

• Hiring Level 1 — unlocks the Ticket Agent (automates the gate, the number one time-saver)
• Hiring Level 2 — unlocks janitor and vendor roles
• Hiring Level 3+ — handyman, lifeguard, then security and mascot (1.0)
• Water gun — cleans much faster than the mop but earns no research points
• Water pressure gun — available around 4 stars; replaces mop and boxing gloves
• Hammer upgrade — faster repairs at closing time

Community-validated priority order

Exact positions shift between patches, but the pattern is stable:

Priority	Unlock	Branch	Why
1	Hiring Level 1	Maintenance	Ticket Agent—automates gate, the number one time-saver
2	Showers and hygiene	Park	Guest happiness floor; cheap and early
3	Food stalls (lemonade)	Attractions	High-margin profit machine; research-rich action
4	Trash bin upgrades	Park	Faster cleanup loop
5	Water gun	Maintenance	Cleaning speed—after points are flowing from stalls
6	Floor Tool	Park	Path and floor laying time-saver
7	Hiring Level 2	Maintenance	Janitor plus vendor
8	Life ring stands	Park	Auto safety net for pools
9	Hammer upgrade	Maintenance	Faster nightly repairs
10	New attractions (lazy river, splash zone)	Attractions	Only when cleanliness is already under control
11	Hiring Level 3+	Maintenance	Handyman, lifeguard, then security and mascot
12	Water pressure gun	Maintenance	Endgame quality of life, roughly 4 stars

The golden rule: research capacity, not attractions

An extra slide only matters if your park can keep it clean and staffed. If you spend every point on new rides while your janitor situation is dire, you are building problems, not profit. This single rule prevents the most common mid-game spiral.

Two practical corollaries:

1. If you are hand-mopping every puddle while a slide sits broken, buy the hammer upgrade and a cleaner before the next attraction.
2. If food queues are killing your guest satisfaction, buy vendor hiring and a food stall before a new slide tower.

Early-game research tricks

Community testing has confirmed a few behaviors worth knowing:

• Let vandals spray graffiti briefly—cleaning it gives good early research gains. Eject them after, but the research window is real.
• Throw trash bags at objects so they burst—picking up individual pieces yields more research XP than tossing a whole bag.
• Water gun cleaning earns no research points. In the first days, use the mop even though it is slower, then switch to the gun once your unlock tree is healthy.
• Knock-out tricks were patched—do not build a strategy around them.
• Manual cleaning awards more points than staff cleaning for the same work. When you desperately need a specific unlock, do the chore yourself.

Research and star gates

Many research entries require a minimum star or prestige level even if you can afford them. If an upgrade is greyed out, check your current objective list before assuming the game is bugged. Advance the star objective, then return to the table.

This interaction between research and stars is why Stars and Diamond Rating and Research Points should always be read together: points without the required star still cannot buy the upgrade you want.

Co-op research etiquette

In 2–4 player online co-op, one player should control the Research Table. Uncoordinated point spending across four players helps no one. A good split: host or “quest captain” owns the table, while others call out the current bottleneck (“bins,” “pockets,” “cleaner hire”). The player who enjoys operational loops can farm manual points while builders place pads.

When to revisit this list

Check this guide when a new patch reshuffles tree positions, when your park feels stuck despite having points, or when you are unsure whether to buy a new attraction unlock or finish a current operational tree first. The priority pattern survives patch changes even when exact node positions do not.

Return to Research Points for earning mechanics and point penalties, and to Guides for the wider operational context. Research is won by patient spending on capacity—not spectacle.