Hello Everyone!
This is an explanation of the my thought. Please go to the third paragraph for the main Discussion idea.
First of all. I have played the alpha version of Planet Coaster, i like the freedom it makes you feel when creating the park, in which can be customize all the scenery of your park and have the most fun and intuitive coaster building simulation in the genre. But after all it makes me think i am playing a Theme Park Simulator, and not a Rollercoaster Tycoon game, and i prefer the second game. Although i can stop playing The alpha version, and continue playing Rollercoaster tycoon 2, or wait for the final version of PlanetCoaster with its fully implemented tycoon elements in the game, but my fear is that the developing the theming aspect of the game continue and set apart the tycoon aspect of the game. Right now i don't feel any true objective, other than building your own park with as much detail as you want, and the only challange being the time it takes to complete the task and look at the simulation of your creation is the achievement i have, ofcourse thats huge since you need your imagination to do it your own way but Tycoon games are more of constructing and setting the situation until the moment you can do that. Personally i like the management part of the tycoon game and creating rollercoaster and theming is the extra mile i like to walk to give it a personal value that make it part of me and completes the experince. Right now this game is the complement of what i like and not the primary thing. When i play tycoon games i like to feel how the problems are solved and accomplish something complicated my own way and that gives me that real feeling of something well done. For example, your park is in debt and you need another attraction, you know that a rollercoaster is what your park needs but you can not spend much money in it, since you need a loan to do it, so you manage to get a thrilling experience with few tracks that makes your visitors jump of joy and in top of all you just buy another life cycle for your park until it is old again and the cycle needs to restart, So that makes your creation something alive which try to survive, then it makes sense that you care about it. For each cycle you need a collection of skills of manage and creative aspect of the game and also get to know other game mechanics. And after all the process, the game gives you a genuine gratification feel.
For me the tycoon games are more of efficiency on the stuff you need to do and how you do it in a creative way. But in this game is more of the second and not really about efficient, ofcourse you get better playing and start doing things faster but the game does not force you to be and thats what i would like in the game, with something that challenge the player and make you feel that something is accomplish in several levels and not just in the contemplative aspect. More substance, more of a game and less of a simulator. Ofcourse i dont want to be as hard challenge that almost prohibits the theming feature because all is too expensive to be built but neither be so cheap that does not represent a real challenge.
PlanetCoaster want us to be creative, no doubts why they release the alpha version as a sandbox, but once the full game be release, i do not want to be changing game modes for different experience. Thats why i post the idea of Construction packs, similar to Blueprints in RollerCoaster but without predesigns, to encourage the creation in a tycoon game in a way that makes sense.
The idea is that when you set a foodstall or a rollercoaster even decoration and facilities in the park, they be purchase in packs that contain the main installment (without any decoration) and a limited number of decoration so you can customize it. So to build a new food stall you have different packs that depending on what you need and can affort would vary in the number of items it have. In that way you would have a very good idea of how much money you need to add that new attraction, scenery, stall or facility.
For example, Lets say a hamburgert stall pack 2 which contains the main stall and 2 signs, 1 trash bin, 1 bench and 5 other decorations of your choice. In that way the game gives you and efficient way to grow and i also invites you to explore the big creative feature it has to offer. So you would have to plan in advance each time you want to expand the park or add new stuff and also would be easier to manage the money but also gives you small goals each time you want to add new stuff giving more of importance to money in the game and reward for the economic aspect of the game opening the door to the creation part which i think marks a rhythm for the game with moments of creation and release that can be enjoy instead of a continue struggle to complete a complete park, that makes it feel the final version of a park an acomplish of a several small parts. So basically the player little by little will set the park with smalls goals each time with moments of simply enjoyment until the money gathers again so the next hit can be build.
Another example will be a rollercoaster Packs that contains track parts, facilities and decoration items in "X" amount but also extra parts packs to upgrade an existing attraction.
I think with a pack system as a mechanic of construction the game will feel more realistic. Couse in real life a construction company would not build rollercoaster track by track but as a complete proyect.
So thats how i think building the park in PlanetCoaster by packs will make the game more realistic and easier to manage and will invite to explore two of the biggest aspects of the genre which are management of resources and creativity.
All this thoughts are for a main mode, (Tycoon, Management, Carrier) of the game and not Sandbox.
I will love to read second opinions on this idea and discussion this part of the game that has not been implemented fully in the current game state.
Regards!
This is an explanation of the my thought. Please go to the third paragraph for the main Discussion idea.
First of all. I have played the alpha version of Planet Coaster, i like the freedom it makes you feel when creating the park, in which can be customize all the scenery of your park and have the most fun and intuitive coaster building simulation in the genre. But after all it makes me think i am playing a Theme Park Simulator, and not a Rollercoaster Tycoon game, and i prefer the second game. Although i can stop playing The alpha version, and continue playing Rollercoaster tycoon 2, or wait for the final version of PlanetCoaster with its fully implemented tycoon elements in the game, but my fear is that the developing the theming aspect of the game continue and set apart the tycoon aspect of the game. Right now i don't feel any true objective, other than building your own park with as much detail as you want, and the only challange being the time it takes to complete the task and look at the simulation of your creation is the achievement i have, ofcourse thats huge since you need your imagination to do it your own way but Tycoon games are more of constructing and setting the situation until the moment you can do that. Personally i like the management part of the tycoon game and creating rollercoaster and theming is the extra mile i like to walk to give it a personal value that make it part of me and completes the experince. Right now this game is the complement of what i like and not the primary thing. When i play tycoon games i like to feel how the problems are solved and accomplish something complicated my own way and that gives me that real feeling of something well done. For example, your park is in debt and you need another attraction, you know that a rollercoaster is what your park needs but you can not spend much money in it, since you need a loan to do it, so you manage to get a thrilling experience with few tracks that makes your visitors jump of joy and in top of all you just buy another life cycle for your park until it is old again and the cycle needs to restart, So that makes your creation something alive which try to survive, then it makes sense that you care about it. For each cycle you need a collection of skills of manage and creative aspect of the game and also get to know other game mechanics. And after all the process, the game gives you a genuine gratification feel.
For me the tycoon games are more of efficiency on the stuff you need to do and how you do it in a creative way. But in this game is more of the second and not really about efficient, ofcourse you get better playing and start doing things faster but the game does not force you to be and thats what i would like in the game, with something that challenge the player and make you feel that something is accomplish in several levels and not just in the contemplative aspect. More substance, more of a game and less of a simulator. Ofcourse i dont want to be as hard challenge that almost prohibits the theming feature because all is too expensive to be built but neither be so cheap that does not represent a real challenge.
PlanetCoaster want us to be creative, no doubts why they release the alpha version as a sandbox, but once the full game be release, i do not want to be changing game modes for different experience. Thats why i post the idea of Construction packs, similar to Blueprints in RollerCoaster but without predesigns, to encourage the creation in a tycoon game in a way that makes sense.
The idea is that when you set a foodstall or a rollercoaster even decoration and facilities in the park, they be purchase in packs that contain the main installment (without any decoration) and a limited number of decoration so you can customize it. So to build a new food stall you have different packs that depending on what you need and can affort would vary in the number of items it have. In that way you would have a very good idea of how much money you need to add that new attraction, scenery, stall or facility.
For example, Lets say a hamburgert stall pack 2 which contains the main stall and 2 signs, 1 trash bin, 1 bench and 5 other decorations of your choice. In that way the game gives you and efficient way to grow and i also invites you to explore the big creative feature it has to offer. So you would have to plan in advance each time you want to expand the park or add new stuff and also would be easier to manage the money but also gives you small goals each time you want to add new stuff giving more of importance to money in the game and reward for the economic aspect of the game opening the door to the creation part which i think marks a rhythm for the game with moments of creation and release that can be enjoy instead of a continue struggle to complete a complete park, that makes it feel the final version of a park an acomplish of a several small parts. So basically the player little by little will set the park with smalls goals each time with moments of simply enjoyment until the money gathers again so the next hit can be build.
Another example will be a rollercoaster Packs that contains track parts, facilities and decoration items in "X" amount but also extra parts packs to upgrade an existing attraction.
I think with a pack system as a mechanic of construction the game will feel more realistic. Couse in real life a construction company would not build rollercoaster track by track but as a complete proyect.
So thats how i think building the park in PlanetCoaster by packs will make the game more realistic and easier to manage and will invite to explore two of the biggest aspects of the genre which are management of resources and creativity.
All this thoughts are for a main mode, (Tycoon, Management, Carrier) of the game and not Sandbox.
I will love to read second opinions on this idea and discussion this part of the game that has not been implemented fully in the current game state.
Regards!
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