Theme Park Studio (TPS) Discussion Thread

[JonnyRCT3]

Wow, this game looks superb.

 

It's like applying no limits to everything in RCT3, plus more!

[Moose]

There doesn't appear to be any women in the parks. Not a complaint since the peeps don't really matter to me, but I just though it was funny.

 

I'm looking to this much more than NL since theming etc looks much easier.

[Garet]

There doesn't appear to be any women in the parks. Not a complaint since the peeps don't really matter to me, but I just though it was funny.

 

I think when they made that part of the video they said it was just very basic and rushed to shoe guests since so many people were asking to see it before they backed the kickstarter so the final version will probably have a lot of different looking guests of all shape size gender etc

[booink]

^I'm pretty sure you are right, I remember them saying "This is a first look at park guests. In the final game there will be different genders, sizes, colours, etc." so yay, the ones in the video date back from May.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Just an FYI for everyone with a Kickstarter account. I'm not sure how many people they sent this e-mail to, but I received one.

 

On Wednesday night, law enforcement officials contacted Kickstarter and alerted us that hackers had sought and gained unauthorized access to some of our customers' data. Upon learning this, we immediately closed the security breach and began strengthening security measures throughout the Kickstarter system.

 

No credit card data of any kind was accessed by hackers. There is no evidence of unauthorized activity of any kind on your account.

While no credit card data was accessed, some information about our customers was. Accessed information included usernames, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and encrypted passwords. Actual passwords were not revealed, however it is possible for a malicious person with enough computing power to guess and crack an encrypted password, particularly a weak or obvious one.

 

As a precaution, we strongly recommend that you change the password of your Kickstarter account, and other accounts where you use this password.

To change your password, log in to your account at Kickstarter.com and look for the banner at the top of the page to create a new, secure password. We recommend you do the same on other sites where you use this password. For additional help with password security, we recommend tools like 1Password and LastPass.

 

We’re incredibly sorry that this happened. We set a very high bar for how we serve our community, and this incident is frustrating and upsetting. We have since improved our security procedures and systems in numerous ways, and we will continue to do so in the weeks and months to come. We are working closely with law enforcement, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this from happening again.

 

Kickstarter is a vibrant community like no other, and we can’t thank you enough for being a part of it. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. You can reach us at accountsecurity@kickstarter.com.

 

Thank you,

Yancey Strickler

Kickstarter CEO

[cal1br3tto]

^It's okay, Target already revealed all of my info anyway...

 

At least now we should have less than two weeks to wait for Early Edition!

[Jon Sabo]

^best post of the month! lol

Looks like Target is the butt of all jokes

Guess I will have to change my password now on K.S. site

Thanks for the update!

[jray21]

I can't wait to finally try this game out! Everything looks so incredible, and I hope it's relatively easy to pick up.

[Ccron10]

I'm already starting to think up what scenery items and flat rides I can make for this game! I wonder if transportation rides are possible to be made (such as a ski-lift) in it?

[booink]

^I don't know for ski-lifts, but they showed a picture of a C.P. Huntington train in a past update.

[Ccron10]

^I don't know for ski-lifts, but they showed a picture of a C.P. Huntington train in a past update.

I'd say if the train can have multiple stations, then I guess it could be possible to make one, but I guess we'll find out in the next few weeks.

[Garet]

Early Access keys have been handed out to go live at the end of the month, be careful with e-mails, I almost accidentally deleted mine despite all my other TPS stuff going to my main inbox, gmail put this under promotions, I hadn't cleared it out for a while and almost wiped it with some of the other random adverts that i've forgotten to unsubscribe from.

[booink]

^They actually gave out the date too, here's the post from their Facebook page :

Hello Everyone,

 

We just wanted to give you a quick update. Steam keys went out today. The launch date is scheduled for Feb 27th. We greatly appreciate all the support our backers have provided. We would not have been able to expand with new features without the incredible backer support and patience. Additional direct emails will follow with instructions on how submit feature requests and utilize the issue tracking software.

 

If you haven't already done so, check out our new site www.themeparkstudio.com Feel free to join us on the forums to discuss the project.

 

The Theme Park Studio team would like to send out a special thanks to all the backers that made this happen. We look forward to working with you during Early Access.

 

Theme Park Studio Team.

I'm thrilled to try this out ! Just 7 days before release !

[Mrlittle]

Yay, that email made me very excited.

[Gnome]

Looks like it will be very fun from a "build your own theme park experience" but I think my many years of experience with NoLimits will keep me from completely enjoying this one.

[robbalvey]

I think my many years of experience with NoLimits will keep me from completely enjoying this one.

What a shitty attitude to have.

 

I simply don't "get" the hate from the NL2 people over this game. In a genre when there are practically ZERO options, you guys should be happy as hell to have TWO games in development that look like they will be supported from here on out by the developers and the community.

 

Think about it. That's like being a roller coaster fan and there only being ONE roller coaster in the world and then people being pissed off because someone decided to build a second one.

 

The negativity over there actually being another amusement park game besides No Limits is just so incredibly dumb I can't even fully put it into words.

 

Anyone who is a theme park sim fan should be ecstatic over the release of Theme Park Studio, regardless if you're a No LImits fan or not.

Edited February 21, 2014 by robbalvey

[fraroc]

I think my many years of experience with NoLimits will keep me from completely enjoying this one.

What a shitty attitude to have.

 

I simply don't "get" the hate from the NL2 people over this game. In a genre when there are practically ZERO options, you guys should be happy as hell to have TWO games in development that look like they will be supported from here on out by the developers and the community.

 

Think about it. That's like being a roller coaster fan and there only being ONE roller coaster in the world and then people being pissed off because someone decided to build a second one.

 

The negativity over there actually being another amusement park game besides No Limits is just so incredibly dumb I can't even fully put it into words.

 

Anyone who is a theme park sim fan should be ecstatic over the release of Theme Park Studio, regardless if you're a No LImits fan or not.

 

People have been tearing RCT3 a new one for a decade now. Not just No Limits fans, but fans of RCT1 and 2. It didn't stop me from making parks and enjoying playing the game. I, for one never got into No Limits. People have made some amazing coasters using it, but I was never able to take the time out and learn how to model a coaster by myself. It just seems like a chore. TPS seems to finally be the divine medium between realism and fun

[Gnome]

I think my many years of experience with NoLimits will keep me from completely enjoying this one.

What a shitty attitude to have.

 

I simply don't "get" the hate from the NL2 people over this game. In a genre when there are practically ZERO options, you guys should be happy as hell to have TWO games in development that look like they will be supported from here on out by the developers and the community.

 

Think about it. That's like being a roller coaster fan and there only being ONE roller coaster in the world and then people being pissed off because someone decided to build a second one.

 

The negativity over there actually being another amusement park game besides No Limits is just so incredibly dumb I can't even fully put it into words.

 

Anyone who is a theme park sim fan should be ecstatic over the release of Theme Park Studio, regardless if you're a No LImits fan or not.

For me, it's because the NL community has spent so many years trying to nail the realism in "train movement," the precision and everything else associated with it, that honestly anything that isn't 100% accurate is hard to enjoy. Its part of the reason the community has gone through great lengths to develop tools that allow users to create rides through force vector design so they can achieve that look and feel. I think by all counts, Theme Park Studio look great! A HUGE step up from the likes of its predecessors. I was merely expressing my disappointment, more in myself, that I don't think I would be able to allow myself to enjoy it like I would like to for the aforementioned reasons.

 

But like I said, the program looks really solid, and I think it will have more mass appeal then NL. And most importantly, its great that the 2 programs that are available are so distinguished from one another that the consumer has options.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Gnome

[robbalvey]

^ Right. Sorry if it was directed at you, it was more the breaking point of all the negativity. My point, I guess, is... why even write what you said? It adds absolutely NOTHING constructive to the conversation and just fuels this pointless negativity to the game.

 

It's like the No Limits community is taking it personally that another game exists. So what. If anything, another successful title may create some friendly competition and perhaps both titles might gain from that.

 

Case in point, it would be like me being upset, as a Facebook user, that Twitter came along. But instead of bashing it or being negative towards it, I figure out a way for both to be fruitful for what we do, and I play to the strengths of each. And even if I wasn't using Twitter, I wouldn't be going out of my way to bash it. And even that is a bad analogy because there are LOTS of social networks out there, not just two.

 

I'd "get it" if there was a ton of theme park or roller coaster sims and there was a varying degree of quality among all of them, but we've pretty much got TWO options right now (Yes, I know there is RCT, but when was the last official development update?) and I would encourage the community, as much as possible, to embrace BOTH of them.

Edited February 21, 2014 by robbalvey

[BotanicalStig]

For me, it's because the NL community has spent so many years trying to nail the realism in "train movement," the precision and everything else associated with it, that honestly anything that isn't 100% accurate is hard to enjoy. Its part of the reason the community has gone through great lengths to develop tools that allow users to create rides through force vector design so they can achieve that look and feel. I think by all counts, Theme Park Studio look great! A HUGE step up from the likes of its predecessors. I was merely expressing my disappointment, more in myself, that I don't think I would be able to allow myself to enjoy it like I would like to for the aforementioned reasons.

 

But like I said, the program looks really solid, and I think it will have more mass appeal then NL. And most importantly, its great that the 2 programs that are available are so distinguished from one another that the consumer has options.

 

 

Remember that the editor is not finished (hence why it isn't included yet). It is currently a bezier curve system very similar to NL1. However, they've stated that they are looking to other options (spline and vector design included). They are open to improvements, and they're keeping up with the forums trying to gauge what we want... Regardless of the fact that the game will, no matter what, include simple design tools, a lot of folks on the TPS forum complain about the advanced tools available to NL. If those people would take some time to learn the advanced tools, they would see that they aid immensely in the designing of rollercoasters.

 

The more people who express interest in improved building tools the better, IMO. I really haven't seen a whole lot of rude negativity towards TPS. But is cheerleading Pantera on every little thing going to lead to improvements? I put up my money for the game almost a year ago when the kickstarter campaign started, I support Pantera 100%. But I can see where there is room for improvement.

[Cyrbuzz]

I for one am looking forward to this because it does take the best parts of those other Sims and creates a total user friendly package.

[Garet]

For anyone interested in how the phases of early access are planning to be presented

 

PLEASE NOTE: Coaster construction is 60 percent complete and will be released in a future stage (see development roadmap below).

 

Current Status:

 

As described on our Kickstarter update, this first release basically allows our community to get started designing their parks, creating custom assets, and importing/sharing custom scenery.

 

Most modules are 70 percent complete. Each will be released in phases, with additional modules unlocked as we polish and add new features requested by the community.

 

Looking back, the game has branched out way beyond its original design, as we listened to our customer base. We have held focus group meetings with backers, interacted with forum members, and truly set out to build the ultimate theme park sandbox game, shaped by the community.

 

Below is our current development road map:

 

Current Build Includes:

 

Full featured editor with easy to use transform tools and helper functions.

 

Dynamic Custom Scenery Builder. Using our build sets, or your own custom sets, create unlimited custom scenery that give your park a unique style. Objects created can saved with embedded meshes, textures, and thumbnails, then shared with friends. When finished simply drop into your library folder and they instantly become part of the custom libraries.

 

Extensive importing/exporting tools for easy file sharing. We have put extra effort into allowing players to easily share all their amazing designs with simple one click imports! Custom scenery, materials, lights, paths, parks and skies can be easily exported to a single file with an embedded thumbnail. Once again, when finished, simply drop into your library folder and they instantly become part of the custom library for easy inclusion into your projects.

 

Powerful real-time path tools. Please see the videos for a detailed view. This extremely powerful tool allows players to quickly build, layout their park with complex curved paths, walls, bridges, and foundations. You can even attach trees, meshes, or particles effects like torches that will be automatically created, and positioned, for you.

 

Particle Library - A few particle effects are included in this build, with the full particle editor coming in a future update. Particle effects are 80 percent complete.

 

Built in object libraries including shops, cafes, castle, and more... Easy placement makes creation a snap:

 

Full tee library using our proprietary 3d procedural vegetation system with automatic LOD generation.

 

Flat ride library: PLEASE NOTE: Flat rides are static and just for esthetics. The animation module is 60 percent complete and will be unlocked in a future update.

 

Light Library: Place lights easily with fully adjustable properties including color and attenuation;

 

Terra-forming. Our engine will procedurally paint your landscape based on user specified textures and parameters. 12 textures are used to accomplish the final result, so smooth transitioning is done for you. However we realize some may want to paint paths and since this tech already exists in the engine, we are looking at painting in an upcoming update (based on user request). Other than that, the terra-forming is very complete and powerful. Creating complex landscape is very simple, and easy to use.

 

Environmental library with customizable properties

 

Water with customizable properties.

 

Future Phases Include

Phase 1:

Custom flat ride designer and animator, with ultra realistic physics. This module is one of our finest. It includes proprietary tools and technologies that allow players to build custom rides from scratch, with amazing realism, using patented technology. This module is currently 60 percent complete.

 

Phase 2:

Coaster construction. This module quite a lot already finished including on the fly rail type changing, coloring, station linking, rail supports, lifts, cat-walks, and more... However we want to continue to add additional features requested by the community.

 

Phase 3:

Music streaming with new custom DLC sound tracks.

 

Phase 4:

Custom train design. This module is extremely powerful and almost fully complete. Please refer to our videos for a detailed look. Here you can create almost any custom train imaginable, including importing your own custom meshes, built by you or downloaded from the community

 

Phase 5:

Keyframer. This powerful module is 80 percent complete and is for advanced users that want to hand animate objects and physics for that extra detailed touch. Please see video library for a detailed look.

 

Phase 6:

Particle Effects. Particle effects are 80 percent complete.

 

Phase 7:

Guest integration with path-finding AI and behavioral trees.”

[BotanicalStig]

A couple of new screenshots were shared on steam today,

 

 

 

Our first look at rainy weather. Looks awesome

[Garet]

^ Huh those screenshots are by n7 according to steam, considering his really obnoxious attitude earlier in this thread when he claimed to be an ambassador between TPS and TPR despite Robb spending a lot of time talking to the developers directly, i'm actually surprised to see that he really does have a copy to use already and is part of the development.

[BotanicalStig]

^Ha I forgot that was n7. But yes he's part of the team and he's released most of the screenshots since then.