RCT3's Graphics - Too Cartoony or Just right?

[robbalvey]

Hey everyone! I'd like to get some people's input on something. Do you all think the art direction for Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is too cartoony or is it perfect?

 

I often look at some parks and see very faithful re-creations of some rides, then I look at others and it looks very "Mario-Like."

 

Do you think the game should have stuck with it's slightly more realistic looking art from RCT 1 & 2 or do you think it looks fine the way it is?

 

Thanks!

 

--Robb

[Coasterlicious]

The problem is that the detail gets to be way too much sometimes... my computers graphic card is not that good so it glitches alot.. and the water is way overdone.. it looks too much like a corny video game IMO.

 

I dont think there will ever be a game like RCT2 .. because its just a classic game that cant be remade.. and then the whole switching of the company issue..

[Sir Clinksalot]

I Love RCT3. I think it looks fantastic and it is very easy to play. After all, it is only a game and it is enjoyable and entertaining. Saying this though, I still enjoy playing RCT2. They are both very good games.

 

I also love the way you can ride your own coaster creation.

 

My graphics card is only a $50 FX5200 and it plays just fine.

 

:orangesmile:

[crispy]

I think there is improvement with the diffrent groups, and size of guest, instead of everyonr looking alike

 

The rides look good, but I don't think they should follow the failed sim theme park, and go ultra cartoony, keep it realistic with some fun thrown in, its a balance.

 

I still like rct2 better, it just has a better simulation of the guest, when you build a new ride people FLOCK to it

[DragonKhan]

Honestly, RCT1 & 2 looked much more "Cartoony" to me then RCT3. It just didn't appear like that because of the isometric view. Now in 3D much more is noticable.

 

IMHO they did a great job of keeping the same style and I don't really think that they could've done better.

But I still prefer RCT1 & 2. Because the typical RCT atmosphere gets lost in 3D IMO.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I feel that RCT3's graphic style suits it perfectly. In my opinion they've captured the cute, cartoony style of RCT1 and 2 while switching the series into full 3D.

 

At the end of the day, if you want realism you'd "play" a simulator like No Limits. Rollercoaster Tycoon is a game, because of that the interface needs to be simple and accessible for all people. Rollercoaster Tycoon has ALWAYS had a fun, jolly, light feel to it and that has always been reflected in the graphics and the little things you could do, like popping balloons and scaring birds.

 

RCT3 does a good job of capturing that atmosphere in my opinion and expands on it with all the peep behaviour, in RCT2 the peeps were pretty much mindless automatons that just wandered to each ride/stall along their path, RCT3 expands on that greatly with group behaviour and being able to see what they are doing.

 

All I seem to read on any boards about RCT3 is how it's rubbish compared to RCT2, how the graphics suck, how it is not as good as No Limits.

 

RCT3 (with! Soaked at least) has all the features that RCT2 did and then some, sure you don't get quite as much scenery but remember most people had both expansions for RCT2 which is a really unfair comparison.

 

RCT3's graphics don't suck, and seriously if your PC doesn't run it well then you REALLY need a new graphics card. My PC is still running a GeForce 4 Ti 4400 which is 2 years old now, and I can run RCT3 in 1024x768 with all effects on with only slightly less than maximum draw distance with a playable frame rate, even with 1500 peeps in the park. Sure it can chug at times and it is a bit of a resource hog but it's handling a heck of a lot of polygons and AI. Most people say it's crap when really what they mean is that they can't run it very well if at all. That doesn't make it crap.

 

As for comparing it to No Limits, they are COMPLETELY different things. If you like No Limits better that's fair enough, but No Limits is a Coaster SIMULATOR that, to be fair, isn't very user friendly, but then it doesn't pretend to be, It's more like a CAD app than anything else (which is great for people that enjoy that kind of thing, I'd love it too personally), RCT3 is a theme park game that has to be easy to use for the majority of the public. Not just enthusiasts.

 

Sorry for the rant but some people just like complaining about something instead of just being happy with what they've got.

 

If you like No Limits, like No Limits, no one is forcing you to like RCT3!

[phazan]

i have noticed on rct3 the loops look really cartoony but everything else looks great. the people are also very cartoony but that i dont really care about that. overall i think rct3 graphics are better and more realistic.

[coasterlover420]

I think the RCT3 coaster designer should be like the NoLimits designer so the track isn't deformed when you are riding a coaster.

[Sir Clinksalot]

The problem is that the detail gets to be way too much sometimes... my computers graphic card is not that good so it glitches alot.. and the water is way overdone.. it looks too much like a corny video game IMO.

 

I dont think there will ever be a game like RCT2 .. because its just a classic game that cant be remade.. and then the whole switching of the company issue..

 

There was no SWITCHING of company, Chris Sawyer made both RCT1 and 2 and was a consultant on RCT3, Frontier developed both RCT2 expansions as well as taking over for RCT3 and it's expansions (Soaked! and the To Be Announced Wild Expansion) and as far as I'm aware Infogrames before they bought the Atari brand and used that has published every RCT game !

[SharkTums]

I think they focused too much on the 'peeps' and scenary then at the last minute realized they had to do the rides. The rides/coasters/waterslides(in soaked) just don't look *quite* right. As if everything was modeled after bad photos and not video or in person.

 

Did anyone here ever play Sim Town? It was cartoony, but the graphics were large, detailed, and laying things down was easy.

 

Nevermind, I don't know where I'm going with this! I want RCT 1 & 2 back...but if I can't have that I'd at least like a change from 3.

 

Elissa "it also needs the boat jumping and other self operated rides added in!" Alvey

[crispy]

I hope they learned alot from this one, and RCT4 is better, but we will have to see, RCT3 show a ton of promise, but some bad programming, and subpar peep ai has hurt it, RCT2 and even RCT1 are more solid, and you can play them on older computer

[J man]

I think everything in RCT3 looks realistic except for the people. They look too cartoony. The other problem I have is that the people walk so %#*^ing SLOW!!! It takes them like three days to get from the back of your park to the front.

[robbalvey]

So if you guys were making RCT4, what would you change, do differently, or improve?

[Sir Clinksalot]

I hope they learned alot from this one, and RCT$ is better, but we will have to see, RCT# show a ton of promise, but some bad programming, and subpar peep ai has hurt it, RCT2 and even RCT1 are more solid, and you can play them on older computer

 

Can you actually demonstrate areas where the peep ai is subpar ? how you can say it's solid in RCT1 and 2 is beyond me considering they literally use a very basic pathfinding algorithm that is really easy to confuse and get them walking in circles unable to find exits EVEN with a map !

 

Here is a good site with examples of how to work around RCT2 Peep AI Problems !!!!

 

The AI is far more advanced in RCT3, it has faults but everything does, some people might not like the groups, but they do at least behave fairly realistically, especially in Soaked! If you'd prefer everyone to be an individual in RCT3 to make the peeps act more like RCT2 get Madmab's 1ofakind Peep Generator from here.

 

RCT3 isn't perfect, not by a long shot, it still has some bugs that annoy even in Soaked! (like the Slide End to Lift Hill piece not working correctly or the Ghost House not climbing up steep hills anymore even though it's a powered ride). But people come up with arbitrary and unfounded criticism without backing it up.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Hopefully in the future (RCT4), we will see more gentle/junior rides and more scenery to go with these smaller rides. At the moment my only problem with RCT3 is when you are placing a gentle/junior ride, there is no appropriate scenery to go with it.

 

Apart from that, I don't really know what else could be done to improve this game, as you can probably tell I really like it!

[phazan]

if i could do anything for rct4 i would...

 

-make boosters avalible for the types of coasters so that you can make a coaster accelerate and not be launched 80mph. all at once.(to make it more realistic)

 

-make more slopes

 

-make different amounts of bank for a turn

 

-i think it would be cool to make vecoma and arrow type coasters cheaper and less fun than b&m type. (again to be more realistic)

 

-make it so that guest dont get lost easy.

 

-make roller coasters the biggest attractions! sometimes i will have a flat ride and it will be the biggest $ maker.

 

and i could probably think of more reasons but these were the first ones that popped in my head.

[pgathriller]

I think there just right. It's fun because it's cartoon like. I think thats what makes the game what it is.

[phazan]

^but rct has been the only realistic themepark game and i like it for that. i still like rct3, but it could have been a little bit better if they would have made it more realistic.

[Sir Clinksalot]

So if you guys were making RCT4, what would you change, do differently, or improve?

 

Well, we have at least one more expansion for RCT3 which is due in November which people seem to think is called Wild!

 

People are assuming that it's going to include Zoo/Safari elements and scenery as well as animal themed rides. But the Wild might not necessarily mean as in Animals

 

As for RCT4, more flatrides would be great, there aren't enough of them.

Proper lighting control so you could make darkrides as well as being able to place buildings and props underground as well as track would be good too.

 

More scenery is always good, I miss the Arctic stuff from RCT2 and more Child friendly rides and scenery would be appreciated...

 

As for gameplay elements, I can't really think of anything except maybe allow tunnels to enter the ground horizontally as well as the vertical we have now.

 

More track pieces and rollercoaster types (assuming there are many missing).

 

But most of these could be added in an Expansion to RCT3 rather than in a whole new game...

[crispy]

Can you actually demonstrate areas where the peep ai is subpar ? how you can say it's solid in RCT1 and 2 is beyond me considering they literally use a very basic pathfinding algorithm that is really easy to confuse and get them walking in circles unable to find exits EVEN with a map !

 

 

well thier walking is not so great, but about half of the peeps in rct3 are usually "waiting for group", that does not happen in real life, also when a new coaster is built, RCT2 peeps run to the ride, and the que fills up, RCT3 peeps are MUCH less entuastic

[Sir Clinksalot]

^but rct has been the only realistic themepark game and i like it for that. i still like rct3, but it could have been a little bit better if they would have made it more realistic.

 

The one major flaw here is that, for RCT to be in 3D and REALISTIC looking, would take either a LOT more polygons or the use of more advanced graphics technologies like Normal Mapping. The problem here is that there are already hundreds of people complaining that the game won't run or run right even though Frontier aimed at relatively middling-spec machines.

 

Frontier are handling A LOT MORE POLYGONS ONSCREEN IN RCT3 NOW than Valve do on Half-Life 2.

 

Imagine if they'd used techniques and technologies that would make RCT look the most amazingly lifelike game on the planet but only those with 3Ghz machines and GeForce 7-series or ATI x800+ cards could run.

 

They'd get far more complaining than they do now and they'd only make a tiny fraction of the sales they've made.

 

They purposely made the game run on average machines, they even upped that spec slightly with Soaked.

 

If they'd aimed lower so all the people with Onboard graphics could play you'd have either EVEN more cartoony peeps or a limit on the number of peeps in the park and no fancy effects like reflections and water refraction. People would complain that the game looks rubbish.

 

If they'd aimed higher, even LESS people would be able to run the game, more people would complain and say that Atari/Frontier are stupid for expecting such high specs. But at least the 5 people that could play would be amazed by the graphics.

 

Look at the debacle over Battlefield 2, you NEED a card from the last 6-12 months to even RUN it properly, they even stopped cards that theoretically (with a bit of tweaking) could run it from playing the game.

 

You can't have your cake and eat it....

[Sir Clinksalot]

Well thier walking is not so great, but about half of the peeps in rct3 are usually "waiting for group", that does not happen in real life, also when a new coaster is built, RCT2 peeps run to the ride, and the que fills up, RCT3 peeps are MUCH less entuastic

 

Walking speed is personal preference, I don't mind it myself but I can see it could annoy.

 

As for "waiting for group", most families I know especially with kids go around parks TOGETHER. Usually that means waiting for some folks to catch up or waiting while little Jimmy runs to the Slide or whatever. To me, although I've only been in a few English parks, this makes sense (usually it's only one person waiting for group while the others finish what they were doing, buying a hat, riding a coaster etc.).

 

I can understand some not liking the group behaviour and it would have been nice if frontier had included a toggle to turn groups off, but you can get rid of groups using custom peeps with madmabs batch file I posted about earlier.

 

As for the peeps rushing to a ride when you plop it down. This is MUCH more realistic in RCT3, how many giant floating hands have you seen drop a new coaster in a park while you've visited ? NONE I imagine. in RCT3 much like in real-life you use advertising to get that effect.

 

People want more realism, they get it and still moan

[coasterdude5]

I think its pretty good. It has its fair share of problems but it's not terrible by any means. I just go back and forth between RCT2 and RCT3. They had to make a few cuts for the game to run decently and that's why it looks a little "cartoonish". They're trying to move at the same pace as average home PC.

 

Changes-

-Go back to RCT2 graphics!

[Coasterlicious]

The water effect is cheesy...and I dont find it realistic at all.. i dont see how all these people are saying the game is life like..

[benzo41190]

the rides arent realistic. I mean common a vertical drop and lift on a spinning wild mouse. Might happen in the future but not with a lap bar. I like how peeps can carry video cameras, but you dont see them video taping on the rides. once I made a Water Splash Boat that zigzaged up back and forth the property 10 times then dropped all the way down, but the droppes zigzaged down also. (stupid error). This was in sandbox mode.