Alpha 3 coming along awesome but...

Atra Demonica · Aug 24, 2016

Heyho,

i just tested alpha 3 and finally the game begins to come together. More rides, more management, more everything!

But still, everything feels unfinished, a bit empty and overall incomplete. Dont get me wrong, its an alpha and as long as it is that way, you wont hear me complain about it. I am happy.

But i am really worried about releasing this game November 17.

I am sure the devs have a lot of assets and code which they have not included in this build and a lot of it is getting added in the release but it is so much, that i cant see a scenario where frontier gets enough feedback if everything works fine for most of us.

What is missing:

The Career and proper scenarios
A lot of flatrides
Wooden Coaster
Transport lines
A better UI for sorting themes and flatrides
More Themes. A lot more themes if possible. When we want to have RCT3 for some kind of comparison.
A progression system
Maintanance and security
Water attractions and water physics
A working financial overview

Overall, the game outside of the sandbox. Playable kind of like the game it wants to be, maybe with some features missing.
I am sure that i have forgotten some stuff, but what is written here is quite a lot i think.

It will come eventually but why November 17? Isnt this too early for the amount shown to us? There is missing so much where we cant give proper feedback before the release. I would be happy if Frontier isnt rushing this game and give it the time for proper polish and bugfixing. I am a bit afraid of an incomplete, buggy game because the developers want to keep November 17 as a date.

Please devs, i would happily wait longer for the release if the game gets better because of it!

Paul_UK · Aug 24, 2016

You're not wrong on what remains to be added, but you've gotta admit that every single deadline that Frontier have set for the Alpha has been met.

This has been one of the most polished alpha versions of any game I've 'tested' in some form or another in my 20-or-so years gaming.

I have complete confidence in Frontier, that when they say they're releasing November 17th, they'll do it - and do it properly.

The fact of the matter is though, even if bugs are found in version 1.0 (likely, as it is a BIG game after all), then squashing it is as simple as writing a patch and distributing it through Steam, as they did this evening.

Don't sweat it - 14 weeks is plenty of time. This game is going to rock.

Duckzorly · Aug 24, 2016

I wouldn't worry too much about it... I mean compare it to a similar game of the genre at the moment, and chalk and cheese.

I believe you will find there are many aspects that are being held back, as they need to have some WoW pops for the release announcement, ie Wooden Coasters etc.

The financial and management tools will come, and what we have now is a small example of the fidelity and thoughtfulness gone into this game.

As for themes, remember that RCT3 didn't ship with truckloads of themes, but more came later, and I am sure this will be the case with PC as well.

Atra Demonica · Aug 24, 2016

Yes, Frontier has met all the goals which were set beforehand. As i said, as an alpha i am completely happy. And yes, it is an unbelievably polished game for an alpha.

Okay i have to admit i thought there are more management options in this alpha version but that was just my expectation ^^

Still so much missing and only 3 Months time. I dont want them to rush it for rushs sake. Som uch to add so little time. I for myself, could wait a bit longer and get a complete package, with more things, fewer bugs and not completely wasted developers, because of a crunch period that wont let them see their family for weeks etc.

Life Paused · Aug 24, 2016

I am yet to play alpha 3, will be this afternoon. If you can see the progress from alpha 2 to 3 there are lots of new and improved items. I would hate to guess how much stuff they are working on at the moment but I would say a lot. More than likely they have finished a few more themes and more rides but are holding off on them. For example the connive express we have already seen a video on that, so that would already be done. They will not be adding everything that they have done until final release.

MaximusGXL · Aug 24, 2016

I haven't been able to play it much due to so many bugs sadly.

tyczj · Aug 24, 2016

you need to remember, just because you dont see stuff in the current alpha does not mean they are not close to being ready. I am sure they dont have everything in the game currently that they have finished

Megarig · Aug 24, 2016

I just downloaded A3 today, and I was looking it over. I'm glad that a still incomplete park management system is the way it's supposed to be at the moment. I thought I was missing something, LOL! And I'm guessing that ride maintenance is something that's still in the works? I see we have guys to pick up people's messes, but I was hoping to hire a mechanic or two...

And one thing I noticed - WHY did they take the big ride sign holder off of the queue entrance, and make it a separate attachment that's buried in one of the menus? I spent 20 minutes looking through menus to see if I could find something to attach the signs to - and there is was, that now familiar big yellow trellis, now something that has to be placed at a ride entrance. Not sure why they did that... Maybe it's because the entrance now shoots off confetti when you open a ride?

Oh well...what are ya gonna do?

Bitter Jeweler · Aug 24, 2016

A VAST majority of people here hated the yellow ride entrance. They want it as an option, with the option to build their own. It's win/win. [up]

PsychoScooby · Aug 24, 2016

I still think the final release will have a lot more content and surprises many of us aren't expecting. Only because the way Frontier has tactfully gave us information on the game I feel like they are intentionally saving things so that alpha and beta testers will feel like the final game is a major step up. But the game has been heading in a great direction and I haven't been disappointed yet [big grin]

Muffty0804 · Aug 24, 2016

Breaking down the entrances was the only way to keep both sides happy, it's a good compromise.
Think I'll be sad when Alphas over. Never been part of an Alpha that's been run so consistently with how the publishers said it would.
Planet coaster is out on a limb in my mind as one of the most honest productions out there and that's so rare to find.
Really makes you wish some of the biggest publishers took a look how they do things here. They could really learn a thing or two about truth telling and how to respect your community.

Megarig · Aug 27, 2016

Bitter Jeweler said:
A VAST majority of people here hated the yellow ride entrance. They want it as an option, with the option to build their own. It's win/win. [up]

Okay, well...I guess there's not much to be done, right? I didn't have a problem with the entrance the way it was, and I'm just wondering how you're supposed to be able to place a ride sign without it? Unless you're just gonna skip ride signs. As it is, without the yellow thing, a ride sign kind of attaches to the side of the entrance next to the ground - if you want to do that. I tried it, and to me it looks dumb like that. It also looks like it would be in people's way as they enter...But like I said, nothing you can do, right?

Sven311 · Aug 27, 2016

Megarig said:
Okay, well...I guess there's not much to be done, right? I didn't have a problem with the entrance the way it was, and I'm just wondering how you're supposed to be able to place a ride sign without it? Unless you're just gonna skip ride signs. As it is, without the yellow thing, a ride sign kind of attaches to the side of the entrance next to the ground - if you want to do that. I tried it, and to me it looks dumb like that. It also looks like it would be in people's way as they enter...But like I said, nothing you can do, right?

Just build a custom entrance once and make a blueprint.. then you can use it all the tome within seconds

Abletudu · Aug 27, 2016

@Atra Demonica What do you mean by "A progression system"?

ManiaMuse · Aug 27, 2016

Parkmaker said:
@Atra Demonica What do you mean by "A progression system"?

I assume he means a system where you have to complete a scenario or so many objectives before you can advance to the next scenario(s). Or perhaps something where you earn experience/points for making good parks.

I do agree with the OP, alpha 3 is great, there is loads of new stuff but I really hope they aren't rushing things to get it out in time for Christmas...

Abletudu · Aug 27, 2016

I don't think they are rushing because I believe there is a lot of things that are really finished that they just are not showing. I think I read somewhere that they started on this about 2 years ago.

Life Paused · Aug 27, 2016

I am happy with how the build is coming long. I still have not even attempted any fairy tales stuff yet, busy going over all my parks and making blue prints of the stuff I want to keep

Atra Demonica · Aug 28, 2016

With progression system i had objectives and research in mind. Even a winning or lose point.

I do realise that there is some stuff left behind a curtain, but still there might be too much rush going in. When they release so mand features at once, how do they want us to give good feedback. For now almost the whole game part is missing and the creative part is still worked on. Dunno nov 17 seems a bit too close for me tonfeel comfortable for the release

Abletudu · Aug 28, 2016

Not me! [big grin]

Crowdpleaser · Aug 28, 2016

Atra Demonica said:
With progression system i had objectives and research in mind. Even a winning or lose point.

I do realise that there is some stuff left behind a curtain, but still there might be too much rush going in. When they release so mand features at once, how do they want us to give good feedback. For now almost the whole game part is missing and the creative part is still worked on. Dunno nov 17 seems a bit too close for me tonfeel comfortable for the release

Naa... given that we don't really know how much behind the scenes is nearly complete we cannot say one way or the other. But i think they have it under control. Frontier knows what they are doing.