Atari shows more of RollerCoaster Tycoon World, working with Six Flags

I have to admit, that's the most promising thing I've seen. I think there's a risk in doing spline-based track design though. The "inflexibility" of RCT with predetermined pieces was a constraint that made it stupid easy to build rides, and frankly also forced you to be really creative. It should be interesting to see how that affects the gameplay.

Steam Workshop integration is an interesting announcement too, and makes me wonder if it's worth bringing back the games site. Then again, something very popular like that can also be very noisy, and we have do have one of the best coaster game designers in our community. ;)

I think it looks great. Thusfar Theme Park Studio is unplayable, and not that much fun from what I can tell. There are a few games coming that I can't wait to play.

Curved paths and a more flexible coaster editor are two features I have been wanting since I first played RTC about a decade ago!

The spline editor reminds me of the simple, but unforgiving, editor from Ultra Coaster 3D. While it's more realistic than in previous RCT games, it is still very primitive when compared to No Limits.

What I was expecting from this game is the ability to "visit" other parks without needing to install or download those parks. Then again, my idea for "World of RCT" is based more on MMO games than on RCT games. I am very happy with RCT2 and have no desire to go to a 3D version. I've never cared much for Peep interaction, so in 3D software I can build anything I want without worrying about the stability of the park. With that said, I much prefer what I am seeing from Parkitect than what I am seeing from RCTW, but it does have potential.

I like what I am hearing from them on this game. Now, if they REALLY are listening to people and their concerns about gameplay, maybe this game will be better and go back to more of the challenge of building a profitable park that RCT and RCT2 were, along with good graphics and being able to ride the rides and such. Then again, Atari listened to the user base last time around, too, and we got RCT3, which really was a horrible mashup of wishlists from RCT2 sites around the internet. "OMG, it would be awesome to ride the rides!", "OMG, they need to have this coaster in the game", "OMG, they need to have that type of coaster in the game", "OMG, I want sandbox mode", "OMG, RCT2 is too hard, make it easier".

Maybe I am just being cynical, but I hope I am wrong and I hope they really are listening to the people that are saying the gameplay sucked in RCT3.

Agreed. RCT and RCT2 were much better for gameplay than RCT3. I really think the game peaked before they went 3D. You know the saying "Less is More"... and I believe that applies to these games.

[I feel the same way about the Age of Empires franchise. They really lost some of what made the game great when they went to 3D.]

This game is shaping up to be alot better than what was initially shown some time ago. I really like the Steam Workshop support. I haven't played Theme Park Studio in a while, I know there's been some updates for it. That game looks like it will be good, but it's still in early access. Between this, Parkitect, and Theme Park Studio, there are some good theme park sim games this year.

I, too, loved the simplicity of the first two games and hated the third.

With this new one, I am hoping I can still pick up guests and drop in water and drown them! :)

Ok, a few things:

1. The thing I keep seeing that immediately turns me off is the lack of building blocks." Everything looks to go the route of "Pick a station/shop/building and subselect a theme and drop it." There's no creativity involved in that and it takes away what I think the best aspect of RCT (and Parkitect) is - using the basic pieces (walls, roofs, theme and stuff) to create buildings and such.

If there's just a handful of themes and you overlay them onto a variety of elements (buildings, rides, shops) and drop them, that's no only boring as hell, but all our stuff looks the same real fast. Even with user-generated items - it expands the selection, but there's no creatvity involved beyond dropping pre-made pretty stuff around your coaster.

2.

Kick The Sky said:

Then again, Atari listened to the user base last time around, too, and we got RCT3, which really was a horrible mashup of wishlists from RCT2 sites around the internet. "OMG, it would be awesome to ride the rides!", "OMG, they need to have this coaster in the game", "OMG, they need to have that type of coaster in the game", "OMG, I want sandbox mode", "OMG, RCT2 is too hard, make it easier".

Yes!

The biggest problem with RCT3 was that they listened to fans. So saying you're doing it again is not a selling point. Whatthey ended up last time was a program that adhered to a laundry list of silly requests, but they didn't actually have a balanced, playable fun game. You need sandbox mode for sure, but you need more...a lot more to have a great game. Face it, all you do is drop pieces in these games. The only customization comes from tracked rides...and the building blocks. But if there are no building blocks and everything is pre-made (again, not sure, just going off the video) then gameplay HAS to be there or what are you wasting your time doing? I have no intererst in a tool that only creates pretty, interactive theme park imagery Colorforms™ style.

3. This sure looks pretty (which is easy when you drop pre-made pretty things), but at what cost. I mean, what kind of hardware am I gonna need for the game to look like this video? Remember how we all complained at how demanding RCT3 was when it first came out? This looks to be even worse.

Needless to say, I'm far from sold at this point. No reason that can't change in the future. But as it stands, if you look past the pretty, there's not a lot of substance being offered here yet.

I doubt that the finished game will lack walls and building blocks. It just isn't what they are focusing on in this video. Earlier peeks at the game showed a nicely detailed park that could only be built with walls, fences, squares of flower gardens, ect.

As far as computer hardware needed for the game, technology has caught up. I have a Mac, so that's going to be used for this example. The Mac App Store shows the system requirements for running RCT3 as this:

In order to run the game with satisfactory performance, your Mac must meet these minimum system requirements: 2.0 GHz CPU Speed | 2 GB RAM | 2 GB free disk space | (ATI): Radeon HD 2600; (NVidia): GeForce 8600 | 256 MB VRam

My Mac is six years old, and one of the less expensive models at the time. My Mac surpasses the needed requirements for RCT3. I still haven't got the game though.

I will probably need a new computer before I can play RCTW, but it's about time for a new one anyway. Most new computers sold these days have much higher specks than that.

Don't get my wrong, I am interested in both games for different reasons. It seems like I already played Parkitect though. If I had played RCT3, I may feel the same way.

Fences and flowers aren't 'building blocks' to me, that's just scenery. There's little creativity in dropping those items - and the inclusion of detailed stations and shops renders the building blocks useless. In what world is a stitched together building going to touch anything in this video? I think the expectations is for the community to create pre-made items like the stations in this video. And that's not my kind of thing. In fact, the official website pretty much sells it like that:

• Freeform Object Placement: Control and place every single in-game object anywhere on the map at any angle. For our more casual users we are also providing ‘snap-to’ and ‘brush’ placement functionality to make this enhancement easy to use.
• Curved Paths: Select your unique type of path from a variety of widths, styles, and shapes. You can make them straight or, for the first time in the franchise, curve them at almost any angle!
• Innovative 3D Track Editor: Create the coolest and wildest coasters imaginable with our best track editor ever! For the first time, using our spline based editor, tracks can be fully manipulated in 3D allowing you to create any shape you can dream up.
• Fully Deformable Terrain and Water: Build amazing rides and change your park’s landscape in full 3D with completely deformable terrain and water.
• Expansive Selection of In-Game Objects: Entertain your park guests with many different types of coasters and rides all in eye-popping next generation resolution. Choose from pre-made rides and coasters to scenery and shops.

• UGC Tools: For the first time, you will be able to create your own scenery, peeps and more in any 3D editing program that works with Unity and import it into the game for everyone to use!

• Multiple Maps and Themes: Choose from different environments and theme options to make each map unique.

As far as performance - you're telling me your Mac runs a 10 year old game now? Great! We'll all be easily playing RCTW in 2025. (even if I reduce the snark and givew you the 6 years old thing - you're still 4 years out)

In fact, that's exactly my point. Go back and look at the old threads from 2005 when RCT3 came out - it was people complaining and scrambling to try to find solutions to make the game playable at any level:

Performance Problems in RCT3

How Do I check My FPS While Running RCT3

RCT3 Question

Choppy

Lord Gonchar...HELP!!!

I don't expect it to be any different this time out. You're going to need bleeding edge tech to make the game look and run like these videos do.

And then once you invest in that, you can spend your time dropping the same 20 pieces that everyone else does. But hey! Curved paths. Whoop-de-doo!

With all of that said, I'm more than willing to be wrong. But I've been keeping an eye on RCTW and all they seem to sell us on is the pretty and the user-created items thing. That very well may be the new way of doing it. The most creative users are the ones making the pieces to drop in the game. But that's not something that interests me...and neither does dropping pre-made pieces. If it goes that way, I'm pretty sure it's not for me. I still like the 'model-building' aspect that RCT2 had and Parkitect is going for much better than what I'm seeing in these videos.

Wow. So long as we're talking specs... My Mac Mini is a good 2.5 years old at this point. Back in the early days of the computer revolution, it would be getting close to end of life by now.

With the way things have slowed down as far as how fast things can go, I'm sure I'll have this one for at least another 4-5 years.

Hell, it's got a dual core Intel processor, 16 GB OF RAM, a 240 GB SSD hard drive and a 500 GB second drive that I'll probably never touch, thanks to my 2TB time capsule.

I'm happy with it, though I seem to chill on my MacBook Air more than anything, since it's so easy to lay on the couch with.

Lord Gonchar said:

[entire post]

Do you prefer Negative Nancy, Debbie Downer, or Pessimistic Patty? Cuz that's a whole lotta hate for something that hasn't been released yet. I think it looks a lot better than the Parkitect images you post. I want a 3-d version of RCT, and it sounds like these people are trying to do that. I don't want RCT repeated with crappier textures. Most computers are sold with 8gb ram these days but we're in the transition right now to 12 and 16gb ram becoming standard. Video cards are essential and they increase in power with the times as well. I don't believe the graphics in the video will be impossible to achieve on your own computer. If you can't get them maybe it's time to upgrade. My only concern is that the parks will be limited to tiny plots like EA did with the SimCity 2013 game; simcity's main problem was that it was trying to simulate way too much which necessitated smaller cities.

I was really impressed by the trees in this video. And lots of other stuff.

You're playing into exactly what I was saying - "These videos sure look purty!"

They sure do. But what they don't look like is fun. That's the problem. That was the problem with RCT3 too. RCT3 immediately disqualifies them from the benefit of the doubt.

But hey, if shiny objects hold your attention, then RCTW is probably the game for you...in 5 years when the average person will have the setup to run it at that level.

(this will be a fun Gonchback when the game is released)

EDIT - FWIW, I thought SimCity got a bad rap. I really enjoy it.

I used to play RCT on our original XBOX when my kids were little to relieve stress. A year or two ago my husband get me I think RCT3 for my computer but I just couldn't get into it like before. I liked being able to see the park at night with the lights going but a lot of the buildings looked really stupid.

I am enjoying these responses but can't help but wonder about Coasterbuzz logic:

• Criticize a roller coaster before it opens = Not cool. You're a hater who sucks all the fun out of the hobby. Besides, the general public will love it and the parks don't owe you anything so you have no right to complain.

• Criticize a roller coaster simulation game before it is released = Fair and thoughtful commentary from someone who knows what they are talking about.

It seems opinions are acceptable in some places but not others. I don't understand the difference.

Everyone is a victim.

A coaster is a physical object. It provides a physical experience. Very different from a rendering.

A computer game, as compared to renderings and video only have gameplay left. That's the only part we haven't seen yet.

Jetsetter said:

I don't understand the difference.

It's Lord Gonchar, bitch.