Sandbox Improvements

[breezerHOG1]

Can we please disable staff from quitting in Sandbox mode? Its a bit annoying when shops automatically close, I shouldn't have to raise staff wages to $2,000 in hopes of them not quitting, especially when its because a certain shop is a little slow, and then I have to figure out which one it was. And since everything is free anyway, staff should also come pre-trained in Sandbox.

Can we also have the option of disabling ride breakdowns? (only for sandbox, not in career/challenge mode)

I also think ride prestige could be increased for some rides in Sandbox, there's rides that just don't get guests even when the ride is free. I think if a ride is free, maybe it could get a boost to prestige?? Guests should be extra happy to see free rides and not just ignore them. I get that it adds challenge for guests not to judge a ride based on price alone, but it seems kind of strange for a free ride to be completely ignored, doesn't it? (guests ignoring free rides also seems wrong for Challenge mode too)

Having all of these options to set the game for each individuals personal playstyle would be incredible, and I know a lot of people would love to see a complete scenario editor with the ability to set objectives, research, and challenges [yesnod][up]

And maybe reduce the amount of hand waving by passengers in the front seat of a coaster during a PoV ride?

Thanks [cool]

 

[wowman]

these are all great ideas for SB. I really don't like getting bogged down with managing this stuff in that mode

 

[Minnion]

these are all great ideas for SB. I really don't like getting bogged down with managing this stuff in that mode

And of course being able to export our sandbox parks into challenge mode on top of everything else... (Perhaps with the option to set fourth custom challenges and starting cash amount for those who want to play our sandbox park in Challenge mode should we chose to share it on the workshop?)

 

[Phantom5231]

I agree...! [happy]
I honestly think it'd be great if all the management aspects were turned "off" by default in Sandbox Mode, and that we could turn them back on later.

I would love it if we could use sandbox mode as a pure "blank slate" with-out management worries for pure "Free-form" creativity, ride, and park design- as well as custom scenery, scenario, & challenge creation.

A means to turn those features back on and set challenges for our Sandbox Park to export it as a Custom Scenario/Challenge afterwards would be awesome as well.

 

[breezerHOG1]

A means to turn those features back on and set challenges for our Sandbox Park to export it as a Custom Scenario/Challenge afterwards would be awesome as well.

I think that would be better suited for a complete scenario editor, like RCT3 had. I assume the devs will release a scenario editor eventually, but it probably takes a lot of work to get it working just right. At least, I really hope for a scenario editor soon [yesnod][up]

 

[Lurker1]

I think sandbox should have a tick box of which game features you want on/off when you start a new park. Personally i like my park operating as a normal park but with no financial limits (as if I'm some super rich guy and money is no issue, but everything else runs as normal).

I like to make my sandboxes profitable parks that could sustain themselves, without worrying about saving cash for building.

Maybe just me.

(I know right now a challenge park works like a sandbox after its an established park, but it really shouldn't).

 

[breezerHOG1]

I like to make my sandboxes profitable parks that could sustain themselves, without worrying about saving cash for building.

(I know right now a challenge park works like a sandbox after its an established park, but it really shouldn't).

While I agree that hard or harder modes should not run like sandbox, though it would seem as if the easy mode is exactly what your asking for. I don't see why we need so many different modes that are very similar, when we could just have the options to set it the way each individual player wants. Obviously everybody has their own playstyle, so lets accommodate everybody [yesnod][up]

 

[knb517]

I agree about disabling staff quitting feature in Sandbox mode. You get so busy building your rides & scenery to only find that have the shops have closed because you forgot to train & pay the staff enough. Its really kinda of annoying. The others seem to be fine ie, janitors, mechanics, entertainers & security guards, but the shop peeps are just never happy.

 

[Chems]

Sandbox should allow us to tweak every value and option there is. Most restrictions add nothing but frustration anyway. I kinda get why some of them are there for career mode, but in the sandbox mode we should be given total freedom.

 

[PC_OCD]

Playing the devils advocate here; I don't see why any of these recommendations are needed. I can understand Chems point of view but in the larger aspect of Planet Coaster this is a waste of time. This thread is complaining just to complain. Pay the trainee buckets of cash and your problem is fixed. Or don't even open your park if it bothers you that much. its sandbox mode. You don't need peeps or employees. Why do you even care if an employee quits? Just build your park and fine tune shops and salaries when the park is finished. Its not like money is an issue, and you're park will evolve and change as you build it. Shops and rides that may be popular when you have a small park may not be popular in a completed large park. Sandbox is a great tool as it is. I also don't think these recomendations would be just a little tweak.

I think the reason Sandbox has restrictions like this is because the game is hard coded with an economy (albeit small) and gameplay simulation for things like prestige and queue wait times/priority pass options. Its all intertwined. To change and recode that for your convenience is a lot of work and really not necessary. Maybe I'm being harsh but, Its sandbox mode. your cash is unlimited. If you're too lazy to open a window and pay your trainee tons of money than oh well.. too bad, you lose.
Id rather see development working on new features and gameplay. Sandbox doesn't need any tweaks. There is so much freedom in Sandbox already why do you need to take away all restrictions? I see no purpose for that? And what exactly constitutes all restrictions? Restrictions give the game its playability and personality. You remove all restrictions and then what exactly are you left with but, a C++ coder?

 

[breezerHOG1]

Although I can understand your point PC_OCD, there are a lot of things that could improve QoL by reducing the amount of work that is required by the player. Many suggestions have been made to improve the UI, and I could have listed some more here, but I thought IMO these are ones I have seen requested many multiple times and deserved to be brought up again.

Now to answer your question, one reason is that I have seen many Channel5 videos where he just opened a park and is about to do a PoV of the ride, only to find that it has broken down, so he has to wait and then cut his video. The longer or more complex a coaster is, the more frequently it breaks down. This is bad for sandbox mode, where people should have the freedom to build super coasters without constant breakdowns, if they chose to. That is just one example.

Another example is the loss of vendors causing shops to close, if a player chooses to have a shop that is not profitable in sandbox mode, the vendor should not be deciding to close the shop for us (which has been brought up many times)

Like I said, there are other suggestions I could make to improve QoL, but I don't want to get too off-topic and feel these suggestions are fairly simple improvements, specifically for sandbox mode.

Or don't even open your park if it bothers you that much. its sandbox mode. You don't need peeps or employees.

is that even a serious argument? Why would you think that removing guests is the answer to fixing the problem?

I think the reason Sandbox has restrictions like this is because the game is hard coded with an economy (albeit small) and gameplay simulation for things like prestige and queue wait times/priority pass options. Its all intertwined. To change and recode that for your convenience is a lot of work and really not necessary.

This is a valid point that I can understand, but it doesn't mean its the best configuration. I feel like challenge mode is closer to career mode so those can all use the defaults, but sandbox should be more configurable (or at least give us a scenario editor at some point, it would be such a huge and awesome feature [yesnod][up])

If you're too lazy to open a window and pay your trainee tons of money than oh well.. too bad, you lose.

is that how people feel about other games? if your too lazy to play then too bad you lose?? sandbox is supposed to be free of management, that's the purpose of it.

There is so much freedom in Sandbox already why do you need to take away all restrictions? I see no purpose for that? And what exactly constitutes all restrictions? Restrictions give the game its playability and personality. You remove all restrictions and then what exactly are you left with

I just think sandbox is supposed to be void of restrictions, if you want them then you have challenge mode (and trust me I do play challenge mode) but sometimes I want a break from the management. And anyway, maybe its not as difficult as you think. I mean at least preventing shops from closing shouldn't be that big of a deal

what exactly are you left with but, a C++ coder?

Chems will answer this one for me [cool]

 

[Chems]

I understand your sentiment but I disagree. Especially in the long run this would greatly benefit Planet Coaster. If you look at the games such as RCT3, which is 12 years old and still has an active community, people play it because of the creative aspect. So it would only be logical to give us as much freedom, thus being able to remove as many restrictions as possible. For career, sure they add to the gameplay somewhat, but for sandbox mode they only get in the way. And I bet most people would love it by just looking at how people received the no-collision toggles from the new update. It is by far the best addition to the game. Without restrictions we wouldn't be left with a text-editor (although I wouldn't mind being able to import our own scripts and code [big grin]). Instead we would have a game that doesn't put a stop to our creativity with arbitrary rules. I want to be able to bank my mine train coaster beyond 45 degrees dammit.

 

[PC_OCD]

The thing is.. where do you draw the line on restriction removal? I know that no matter where the line is drawn, somebody will complain that it is either too much or too little. "Ok everybody there is no gravity in Sandbox anymore! Figure it out for yourself.. Good luck!" Can you imagine the coding required to allow/disallow all restrictions OMG!!! [shocked]

 

[Chems]

The thing is.. where do you draw the line on restriction removal? I know that no matter where the line is drawn, somebody will complain that it is either too much or too little. "Ok everybody there is no gravity in Sandbox anymore! Figure it out for yourself.. Good luck!" Can you imagine the coding required to allow/disallow all restrictions OMG!!! [shocked]

It's not either or. We want to have the option to disable certain restriction, so we can basically configure the game how we want. Why should you care if someone wants to turn of gravity and make coasters fly? Not that gravity is the kind of restriction we are talking about anyway. What we want is to be able to turn of restrictions that get in the way, like certain management features or coaster track limits, speed limit, etc...

 

[breezerHOG1]

Can you imagine the coding required to allow/disallow all restrictions OMG!!! [shocked]

RCT3 had a very extensive scenario editor, and many people are hoping PC will get one too [up] but until we get one, it might be a good idea for the base game to allow streamers the ability to record in sandbox freely. I believe in Frontier and I know PC is a game we will all play for many years, so I hope it can be a very customizable game. I think the removal of collision detection was a big feature for the game and shows the direction in which the major fan base wants the game to go [yesnod]

 

[PC_OCD]

I think streamers should get what the ride offers. If the ride is a breakdown machine with too many "features" and breakdowns, the viewer should be aware of that. Its good that the streamers rides break down. It adds to the comedy of the stream. Sandbox is a great tool for creativity and design. Why turn sandbox into anything more?

 

[breezerHOG1]

Well that's your opinion but maybe other people have an opinion too, that's why this would be an option so it can be left up to each individual player, just like collision detection can remain enabled. Anyway, no reason to argue about it [praise]

 

[PC_OCD]

And its your opinion it should be an option which will require recourses and development which should be used for other facets of the game.. Development should leave sandbox alone. It works just fine. Not arguing. Just pointing out that you're wrong

 

[Vanessa913]

I think this is a good idea for the future, but I think it is a bad idea until they get out some Tutorial Scenarios. I find myself turning to Sandbox Mode to get achievements, which while is probably not it's purpose, seems to be the easiest way to go about it. The Sandbox mode allows players to learn mechanics of the game without severe punishments, so disabling staff quitting does a disservice to beginners.

 

[breezerHOG1]

disabling staff quitting does a disservice to beginners.

I would think the beginner career scenarios or the easy challenge mode works just fine in that regard. Plus, there are tons of tutorial videos for people to watch (though I think they could add some more in-game but that's another topic).

Like you said, the intention of sandbox is to remove punishment - so that players are free to just create as they please. Not sure if people understand what the word Optional or Toggle means, but just like with the removal of collision detection, these optional toggles would not be enabled by default.

How about if they made a "beginner" challenge mode, with these features and no money? Would that cover everyone?