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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Reviewed:
Author: Jcat
I believe I've just installed a game that will remain
on my PC for many moons to come. The world of RCT3
shines with detail, and the amount of features is simply
staggering. You can spend an evening just working on one
coaster, and dressing it up with so many available
options. Park making is going to take on a whole new
level as no longer are we confined like some helicopter
hovering over a restricted isometric view. Now, we get
to explore each others work from any view we please,
starting at the entrance, as we experience someone elses
ride kingdom on a personal level. The building options
are a lot easier this time around, as you are no longer
stuck with four views, so aligning walls, roofs, etc..
is fast and a heck of a lot more accurate. I remember
trying to build walls with the previous versions, only
to find pieces way off in alignment when I decided to
rotate the playing area, not to mention, how tedious
placing stations became when you had them buried inside
the base a monster coaster. Working in a 3D environment
is the way this product was meant to be.
The amount of coaster-types is more then satisfying, and
RCT3 certainly doesn't skimp in this department,
covering just about every type of coaster found in our
real work parks of today.
Building coasters is pretty much the process used in the
first and second versions, and importing your RCT1 and 2
creations is a snap. However, in keeping with the style
to which many RCT enthusiasts have been accustomed to,
results in certain track pieces that do not translate
well to the 3D world.... namely banks turns. The bank
turns are too instant and abrupt, but I guess that's the
one price we had to pay to stay "familiar". I for one,
could care less about loading in my old creations, and
would have preferred a bit more realism in this
department at the sacrifice of old track compatibility.
Still, there is so much that RCT3 has to offer, it's
hard not to forgive.
After all the requests to have more flat rides, we
finally got a large selection of some of the nicest
looking rides ever to grace your monitor, outside of
looking at an actual amusement park movie clip. In fact,
so much care and detail went into "most" of the flat
rides, that some of the major attractions like the
water-based track rides such as the Log Flume and River
Rapids got a bit short changed. While these AAA
attractions contain lovely flowing water, and detailed
structural work, they lack proper sound: All lifts use
the common sound effect used on most of the coasters in
RCT3, and there is no audio for the water splashes.
While the hills are steeper, which is a big plus, it's
pretty odd to be hurling down one, only to hear complete
silence at the bottom.
I'm not going to cover the peeps, because they already
steal the show, with so many reactions to the land
around them; Frontier did a superb job on these
intriguing characters. Unlike the standard army of
clones in RCT 1/2, you can spend all day just watching
these 3D customers in action. Bravo!
The available scenery is one of the great new features,
in fact you won't believe the amount of objects Frontier
has unleashed for a first release in what will have a
series of expansion packs to follow, and the
animatronics are brilliant! Landscapers will have enough
foliage to create the forest of their dreams. I wondered
though, why they decided not to put sound on the
track-triggered Animatronics? Riding by a huge T-rex or
a nearby massive oil rig exploding aren't exactly
effective with no audio. I hope to see a some sound
added for these attractions in the near future.
One of most incredible features in RCT3 is indeed the
landscape editor. Once you dig trenches, raise
mountains, add water, and spray paint your textures, you
may never want to touch the fossil of an editor (though
good for its time) in RCT 1-2 again. It couldn't be
easier to build your foundation, and some of the
advanced options like auto-leveling ground when placing
down objects is simply outstanding.
Ending off this review, I'm going to cover some of the
key problems that seriously beg for an update:
- Block Brakes: They are totally not correct. Block
Brakes are meant to hold trains while the train ahead
clears its own block brake zone. If all is clear, the
block brakes SHOULD NOT, repeat SHOULD NOT stop the
train abruptly then release it. If the zones ahead are
clear, a block brake should not become that agreessive
at all, and the train should pass right over it, or, if
you set the block at lower speed then the train is
traveling, it should slow it down (like a regular
brake would do). If there's a threat of a collision,
THEN the block brake should grab and HOLD the train
until all is safe to release. As it stands now, the lap
bar would be implanted in your chest the way these
trains stop so instantly.
- Launch/Chain choices: Many of these coasters have
restricted ways of leaving the station. For instance,
the 2 Seater impulse inverted coater selection is great,
but try finding one that launches forward out of the
station AND supports banks; you won't. There are other
Impulse coasters to choose from which DO support banks,
but guess what? The program only offers a REVERSE launch
or chain lift for these styles. I want to shoot out of
the station facing forward, and have the ability to have
a banked curve - is that so wrong? Rides like
Volcano at King's Dominion launch out of the station,
and into a series of banks, but a coaster like this can
not be done in RCT3. I feel, Frontier should fix this,
so that all coaters have the extra options available to
them, if of course they make sense. I don't expect a log
flume lim launch, but all steel coasters should have a a
choice of being launch from station, and a wider range
of speed choices on the lift chains...just like the
original demo had. In addition, they should have
offered a speed boost or lim track option that can be
placed anywhere on your coaster just like the brakes.
Many coasters today use all types of available
technology - even mouse coasters will be using
booster/launch-type tracks, if they re not already.
Ending comments:
Overall, RCT3 is exciting, addicting, revolutionary in
most ways, yet, a step backwards in some others. Park
building is going to bring mega-hours of enjoyment, as
there's so much to discover, and customize. I'm
thoroughly enjoying the product, but every time I reach
a new plateau of coaster-gaming bliss, a small monster
called a questionable programming decision jumps in the
way. As it stands now, it's a four star game in my
opinion, with the fifth star looming close behind, with
the name "patch me" taped to its back.
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