robbalvey Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Ok everyone.... Here's the deal. I bought RCT3 right when it came out, but I haven't even had the chance to open it yet! There it is, on my shelf, still sealed in it's package. I didn't get a chance to play it mainly because I was busy with the game we were developing at work, then we went to Florida for two weeks, then we released the new DVDs, then we did these forums, and NOW I finally have some time to play it! My question is - what do you all think? And as a newbie starting out, what features should I try to focus on? I remember hearing some pretty mixed reviews about it when it came out, but I've seen some screenshots of parks that people have made that look REALLY cool. Is it as cool as it looks? As good as the previous two? Please post your thoughts as we'll probably be playing for our first time over the weekend! --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Its a good game, but is not as stable as the previous versions, and as your park gets bigger it is a huge resource hog, bogging down even the most powerful systems. but It is a great game, and it is great fun to ride the coasters you create, I went back and rode the coasters I created in the first two games. It has problems, but overall for a coaster fan it is a great game, just make sure your system cal handle it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 First off, Sandbox is the best place to start...no limits (to a degree) and no money. Most off, I'd update your RCT3 by going to it's updater somewhere in the start menu. Lastly, but not least, create a "Cheat" family and you will never have to rename your peeps again as long as they stay in your park. I assume you probably have seen the renaming cheats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 ^ Nope. I haven't seen. Explain please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myriad Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I was a huge fan of the first two RCT games. I thought they were awesome and just a bunch of fun to play. With the expansion packs on RCT2 though, I saw the series depart from its realistic roots that were essential to the series' success. Now that they have left realism behind in exchange for gimmicky and rediculous-looking themed rides, I feel like the series has lost the flavor that made it one of my favorites to begin with. Note that this is not an assault on the game as a whole. I for one loved RCT 2 and the Asian theme from Wacky Worlds rocked my world, I just am not a huge fan of the ferris wheel with a friggin 50 foot wide spider on it. Of the new game, I don't really know what to think. I played through the first several scenarios and realised that they simply don't have the magic that Diamond Heights or Trinity Islands had in the original game. Although they added some nice new features, such as the ability to zoom in on your park guests or ride your rides, or even the sub-par Fireworks Mixmaster, I just don't care for the move to 3d. The ability to have lights on your coasters when it gets dark is even done rather hastily, seeing as only the train and the catwalks on the lift are illuminated. Needless to say, I was less than impressed with the third volume in the RCT saga. If you're a newbie starting out, I say this: good luck and don't take this game as an indication of the quality of the series as a whole. If you are dead set on mastering RCT3, though, I stand with Gumball here. Update and start in the sandbox mode. Personally, I got really bored in Sandbox mode because it feels pointless to operate a park and not see any profit, but that's just me. After you tire of Sandbox mode, take on the first few scenarios. Be forwarned though that this thing is a real powerhouse program. I was getting some pretty low framerates on the average graphic settings even with my reasonably high end CPU and video card, so it won't run at all as well as its predecessors. My advice: DL the demo from the official website to see if you like it before opening it up. If you are less than thrilled with RCT3, you should be able to find RCT2 Gold (RCT2, Wacky Worlds, and Time Twisters) for around $20. In my opinion, RCT2 Gold is the best option for a newb, but ultimately it is up to you. Do you want the realism of the original two or the cartoonish and highly stylized rides of RCT3 and the world-renowned SimCoaster? Regardless of which you go with, you can be sure that you are getting a great game that will occupy you for days on end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 ^ Nope. I haven't seen. Explain please! Here are the easter egg cheats: Make Me Sick: Puke epidemic for a few seconds Atari: Laughing peeps Mouse: All guests stand around looking down at the ground as though they saw a mouse running around Frontier: All rides and coasters never break down Atomic: Big Explosion - makes a huge explosion on a coaster crash Andrew Thomas: Decreases track friction, which can help when importing some RCT1 or 2 coasters into RCT3. Only works after Update #1 . ATITech: Every Person (both guests & staff) move super fast, Guido Fawkes: Gives access to the advanced Fireworks editor John D Rockefeller: Gives you $10,000 Chris Sawyer: Guests Jump for joy D Lean: Open the "Flying Camera" routes editor Jonny Watts: PeepCam (You cant control your peeps Sam Denney: Peeps ride all coasters Jon Roach: Peeps ride all non-coaster rides John Wardley: Removes height restrictions when building coasters David Braben: Unlimited launch and chain lift speeds James Hunt: Drive a buggy in your park...really fun to run peeps off paths Have fun w/ the cheats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Rct3 is looking promising. But until they find a way to make it work on my pc it's staying unused. Soaked should give some excellent new rides, but seeing those waterfalls makes my pc tremble with the thought of crap fps! In short i'm not a fan. True you can make some breathtaking parks in it. But at the moment it just isn't useable when you get about 3 frames a second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I love the game... It has some serious performance issues at times but it is a blast to be able to build real mountains and such to run your rides around is just so much fun. I created a 300ft tall B&M dive machine with insane curves around a massive mountain. The thing that is really fun IMHO is you can create little coaster videos with this and distribute them. I've seen some absolutely amazing jobs of themeing. I think honestly this is as close as most of us will ever get to our own amusement parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 speaking of videos, you are better off NOT using the game's recording feature because it will slow the game down to 1/4 of a crawl...consider a standalone program, such as FRAPS and deal with minor choppyness rather than 1 frame/2 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Angry Gumball it is using software rendering to create the movies. That creates the best quality but it does slow it down a lot. I personally don't mind it really. I've never used that FRAPS program you talk about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asimowalk Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 The unlimited speed cheat is cool but it wears off the next time you play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 You got the speed cheat to work? I can't get mine to work and I have update 2. Anyway, using FRAPS will not lag the game up as much and you will get a nice hi-quality movie outta it. Just be sure to use Windows Movie Maker or whatever to cut the size down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 How much will FRAPS record without being registered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Well, I'm using an older version of FRAPS (1.9D) which will do unlimited recording lengths. I've downloaded their newer versions but stuck with their older one so I have unlimited recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Volcano Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Robb do you have RCT1 and RCT2? If so how advanced are you in those games and how much knowledge of the game do you have... I think the good reviews are from people who have seemed to play RCT1 and 2 on and off and didn't really get much into it, and when it came out it gave them something new to play around with from getting bored of the old ones... but on the other hand I think the people that profession the 1st and 2nd game gave bad reviews because alot of the freedoms have been taken away on the 3rd game. The thing is parkmaking is alot different, the game offers alot of options but you cant build parks the same as you use to (which in some ways is bad because if you were use to 1 and 2 the quality of park-making has decreased giving lower ratings from people who liked to play these games). The scenarios on the 3rd game start of semi-easy, but it takes some practicing before you mess around with this stuff, the game offered more in a "video game" type RCT this time. For instance... you have to beat scenarios to unlock various new coaster designs, rides, and etc... The other thing is the land tool, its alot different. If you were so easily addicted to knowing how to build landscapes on the old one, the 3rd game will come to a challenge because there is WAY more options than the old ones, and you have to really know how to use it, and it takes alot of practice. Another thing is peeps, they act alot differently in the 1st and 2nd games, and you have to know how to treat the peeps to a park that they would most likely want (food they want, rides they want, etc... etc..) the choices all come by what you have to offer them, like the food and drinks stand, you can choose how much ice to put in the drinks, lemons, sugar, and on the food you choose the amount of ketchup, sauce, and all that good stuff. It just seemed to be alot less "free" to me than the first and 2nd games, but I like the originality of bringing back beating scenarios to unlock new stuff, its kindof a challenge. But if you want my opinion this is why im sticking to RCT2.... 1). The graphics weren't as good as I hoped they were to be, allitle bit rough but they were 'ok' It seems like they were so eager to make the game 3D they didn't really concentrate on the stuff that NEEDED to be concentrated on. 2). The rides function VERY fast, I dont know why. It seems like when you test a flat ride out that it spins incredibly fast and just goes crazy. 3). The park-making seemed alot more difficult to me, I didn't like how you couldn't place fences on the sides of paths or coasters, but you could put them THROUGH coaster tracks and have trains go THROUGH the wall/fence? WTF? It had alot of up-points that I liked about the game though.... 1). I really liked the coaster-cam, I liked riding my flat rides and getting a people-perspective of the park and stuff, although your coasters are still designed like the first ones (rough) it was still neat. 2). I loved being able to rotate freely in any direction around the park and view it any way I want, taking screenshots and stuff was unique because you could always show different angles. 3). Firework mix - This thing is the BEST!!! I had alot of fun making my own firework shows and playing around with so many different things, it seemed like it had alot of options and different styles. 4). I really do think the game had alot of awesome new features and had alot to choose from, this was a good thing in some ways, and especially in the coaster editor it allowed you to build any tracked ride you want. ]So theres my review... allitle long, but you get the message -Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I think Soaked will be a whole lot better. Mayb they'll fix some of the problems. Has anybody noticed that the peeps always sit in the front of the train? :?I sorta like the variety how they scatter throughout the whole train or vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I think Soaked will be a whole lot better. Mayb they'll fix some of the problems. Has anybody noticed that the peeps always sit in the front of the train? :?I sorta like the variety how they scatter throughout the whole train or vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloCoastin Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Well I got it for Christmas, but my computer is so crappy that I don't have a compatible graphics card, so I have yet to play the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Mr. Volcano it seems your comments on the Flat Rides seem like they might be based on when they break down. You see when a ride breaks down it runs incredibly fast (well at least when it has a control failure). You may have seen this an misinterpreted it. BTW those of you that are really tinkerers will enjoy the advanced firework editor. It's a blast to play with. Just look online for the guest name and you can open up and play with all the firework creation tools. You can create fogs fire and all sorts of things from firework generators. It is actually pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 22, 2005 Author Share Posted February 22, 2005 Ok so I finally installed RCT3 last night, and I have to say I think it's better than I thought it was going to be. I'll post more comments after I've played it more, but I do have one question. It does seem there will be times where I will build a ride or coaster, which seems to have a good rating, but nobody goes into, even if I lower the price to free. I don't get a lot of feedback as to why people are going into a ride, they just don't. I don't get anything like "I want to go on something more thrilling than...." or "I'm not paying that much for...." For example I built a Bumper Car and only like 6 peeps went into it. I built a Corkscrew and for like the 1st 5 minutes everyone flocked to it, then no one went on. What's the deal? I know Justin said something about peeps acting very differently from RCT1/2 but this is VERY different. I would say I'm on an 'expert' level on RCT1/2 at least as far as park management and building coasters go - I never really got into the theming part of it. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 not to be dramatic, but this is *****SUPER SUPER IMPORTANT ***** Install the lastest patches for the game, it came with some pretty big bus, so that should clear up most of the huge errors you will se in the game, including no one getting on rides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeForce Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 So if the minimum requirements on the box don't let the game function well, what should you have on your computer as a minimum? I'm getting a new PC in the next month or so and I want to make sure that I can run this (and other games) decently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingScooter Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Realism: I am happy w/the graphics and delighted to watch the peeps interact. One thing that doesn't make sense to me is this: On a bobsled coaster, they should have the ability to fly off the track, as they did in rct and rct2. This is not the case w/3. not sure if that is a bug or just an oversight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goliathdude Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 my game has truble starting up it is very annoying if any one can help me with my problem that would very very very nice and it is an overall great game the secenery could be a little better but i think it is a cool game help me help me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now