The last 10% is missing

In software, we often talk about "the last 10%" of a project being the most important. That's where you've got the bulk of the work done, but you need to deal with bugs, polish, and testing (plus game play balance in games). RCT3 is entirely missing the last 10%.

Here's what I've found so far after playing through the first scenario all the way through tycoon level:

• Game wouldn't exit gracefully. I mean, I had to hit the reset, it was that serious.
• Can't select text in any text box.
• An information booth can break down?
• Path alignment isn't right. I had a complete queue, with the sign appearing at the end, but peeps got three squares in and turned around until I rebuilt the entire thing. Plus the exit didn't vertically align right yet people could get out.
• I noticed in one control window some of the UI overlapped.
• You can't do separate load and unload stations as you could in the previous games.
• You can't see other workers' zones when you're assigning them.
• Workers don't stay in their zones anyway.
• Staff window doesn't remember the filters you had last time you looked at it. Should've been able to select staff by type, as in the old game.
• It's impossible to make a profit on some rides because no one will ride them unless you undersell them.
• Night mode never fully happens in the first scenario. Not sure if that's on purpose.
• Can't charge for photos.
• Reverse inclined launch on a corkscrew coaster? That's right, it launches the train in reverse up your reverse lift. Stupid.
• The peep UI for navigating the park sucks. They won't go to rides unless the queue is on a main path. Don't believe me? Extend the queue to the main path on the first scenario for the top spin. All of a sudden, peeps ride it like crazy.

The game isn't done. I think the potential for the game is huge, but not until they finish the last 10%. If I had to recommend the game, at this point I'd say wait for a patch or expansion pack.

...and the list goes on.

I think you nailed it.

These problems as well as the ones Gonch has pointed out in his help thread really make me think that they will have to come up with a patch and real soon. These kind of problems aren't things you wait around 6 months for so an expansion pack can fix them.

It just seems like they were rushing themselves too much to get the game out. Their website and forums are down? What a surprise, just think of all the blasting that would be going on over there. Let's just hope they are focusing their efforts on a patch so that they may appease the masses and add into the game what should have been there to begin with.

From my experience with the demo I think there will be a number of patches when the game releases.

Ridiculous, I really thought we were past this type of game development. Every PC game I have played in the last two years has been bug free at launch. I guess they were pressured for the holiday season.

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It just seems like they were rushing themselves too much to get the game out. Their website and forums are down? What a surprise, just think of all the blasting that would be going on over there.

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Ha! I was following the official forums all afternoon. The morons over there were raving about it.

The thing is (and we've discussed this before in the past) depending on your approach to the game, you want different things from it.

The current version is a dumbed down park layout designer aimed at the gamer crowd.

I preferred the fairly well thought out version that appealed to both enthusiastsm, those who actually play games without cheats or the need for sandbox mode and sim fans.

I've said it a ton already and I'll say it a million more times - They listened to the wrong people for input on this one. (and by "wrong" people, I suppose I mean people who don't play the game like me ;) )

But now we can make really pretty parks that don't really do anything (do anything correctly, at least) and explore them to our heart's content.

Well, I guess I won't be buying the game, then.

I was looking forward to a good game when it seems all that RCT3 turned out to be is suckage in a jewel case in a shrink wrapped box.

Nice move, Atari. Shoulda stuck to Pole Position, Frogger, and Pac Man.

You mention that in the Vanilla Hills scenerio that it never went into night-time mode. Well I would hope not, since the park is only open from 10 am until 6:30 pm. Just too early for the lights to go out.

People, I highly recommend the strategy guide as so many questions can be answered. My only beef so far is, Where is the double decker carousel???

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People, I highly recommend the strategy guide as so many questions can be answered.

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Care to elaborate?

Right now, I don't see questions as much as reports of things that are WAY off or WAY wrong.

Will the strategy guide tell me how to rewrite the code?

From the review at IGN:

I've been informed that an update will be available "when the game comes out." I put that in quotes because Atari US's street date is November 2nd, but the game is already out in stores around the Bay Area at least, probably in plenty of places around the country as well, so I'm not entirely sure when that will be, all I know is that it isn't right now.

They already know they released a flawed game!?

I'm not big on games, but how often does a patch/update come out the day the game hits the shelves? Is this common?

I'm all for corporate greed, but this was such a blatant attempt to make the holiday season and fix it later that it's just kind of sad.

I guess the last 10% comes in patch form and it sounds like that was the plan all along. :(

*** Edited 10/28/2004 5:39:52 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

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Game wouldn't exit gracefully. I mean, I had to hit the reset, it was that serious.

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Exit's nice and "gracefully" on my machine.

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Path alignment isn't right. I had a complete queue, with the sign appearing at the end, but peeps got three squares in and turned around until I rebuilt the entire thing. Plus the exit didn't vertically align right yet people could get out. I noticed in one control window some of the UI overlapped.

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Have not ran into the problem yet.

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You can't do separate load and unload stations as you could in the previous games.

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Staff window doesn't remember the filters you had last time you looked at it. Should've been able to select staff by type, as in the old game.

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This is RCT3 not 1 or 2. Nobody has ever said they were going to be the same game. Come on.. what's the point? What were you expecting? Another RCT 2 That is the same as RCT1?

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This is RCT3 not 1 or 2. Nobody has ever said they were going to be the same game. Come on.. what's the point? What were you expecting? Another RCT 2 That is the same as RCT1?

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So you're cool with useful and helpful features being removed just to make the game "different"?

I'd rather have the features such as seperate load/unload stations to build realistic or efficient coasters and have the tools I need to play the game (many of the park management tools like the staff window and grouped peep thoughts) that made the game fun rather than frustrating and have it feel "the same" - change just for the sake of change is not a good thing.

Fortunately, I'm just having a blast building coasters and rides right now. I haven't even gotten to any senarios yet(my least favorite part anyway). The game certainly does have some things I love and some others that are just not quite right.

It does seem weird that the game would be released unfinished, I just hope there is a patch by the time I do get deeper into the game. *** Edited 10/28/2004 6:02:45 AM UTC by DWeaver***

cwsr: If you're just going to stomp around here being a fan boy that can't possibly imagine others are dissatisfied with the game, you should stop posting now.

A couple more issues:

• Raise an inverter station off the ground and it has no floor.
• Floorless has weird artificial limit of five cars.
• Block brakes stop trains, which isn't real life.
• I'm suspicious that frame rates suck on an Athlon 3200+ with a 6800GT video card. If someone figures out they crippled it for non-ATI cards I'm going to be super pissed.
• Did I mention I can't exit the game without rebooting?

Overall, I'm sorely disappointed. The game shipped incomplete.

Splash boat problems:

1. The water doesn't slow the boat. It's momentum/physics seem the same as a coaster's.

2. If you don't put at least one flat run at the top of the lift, the boat rolls back. Build lift, 1 flat piece, drop and you get a rollback everytime - you need at least 2 flat pieces after the last angles up piece.

Anyone ever figure out what's up with the 5 car limit I mentioned in the other thread?

*** Edited 10/28/2004 6:34:06 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

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• Reverse inclined launch on a corkscrew coaster? That's right, it launches the train in reverse up your reverse lift. Stupid.

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The Bullet at Flamingoland does this...

What annoys me most is that many of these bugs were posted up on the official forums since the release of the initial demo, and these issues have obviously not be addressed, instead they wasted their development time on adding crappy features like bloom, guest tickling, guests following the mouse, and making guests swim around aimlessly in the water.

Well, I suppose something good came of the late release in the UK afterall, it allowed me time to see the game is a buggy POS and as a result - I cancelled my pre-order, and I'll wait until the game is either "fixed" or in the bargain basement before I even consider getting my wallet out again. It's obvious that the official forums are down to try and deter other people doing the same. *** Edited 10/28/2004 12:05:57 PM UTC by Grant***

Couple other things

the spashdown coaster water doesnt slow dow either.

They need to give us more land in sandbox mode. I cannot build a faithfull representation of sixflags Great Adventure with this game. I THink its geared towards cedar point.

The Nitro type coaster max out at millenium force stats (cant go any higher than 300 ft tall

Strata coasters only go up to 123 mph. You cant build a true Kingda Ka coaster in this game because it wont have enough speed to get over the top (tried it already)

The water based rides are just a mess.

The lack of sound on some rides, and use of incorrect sounds on others is really annoying.

I have not experienced any of the crashing problems that Jeff is talking about, but I do have an ATI card. (Radeon 9600 with Athlon XP 3000 CPU)

Yes, it's buggy. Yes, it has some very serious flaws. But, I am still really enjoying playing the game and would have bought it even knowing it's flaws.

Does anyone here know how to stop the trees from swaying ? It's driving me nuts !

Sounds like their game testers basicly checked to see if the game would work not play properly. I just wonder how much better the game would have been if they didn't rush, and go for the infamous Christmas release, and went with more of a beginning of the park season release in May 05?

Most patches come out within a month of a games release. With some games they may come out with several patches before fixing most of the problems. Let's just hope all these bad reviews get back to Atari and they work to correct the problem/s

Wow, I'll definitely be waiting for at least RCT3 SP1 at this rate...