Hi Everyone,
We’ve put together this post to give you all the details you need for tomorrow’s Planet Coaster alpha release. If you have any additional questions that need answering, feel free to ask them as a reply to this thread and we’ll try and update the FAQ at the bottom the post.
How do I get access to the Planet Coaster alpha?
You need Planet Coaster Early-bird access. If you don’t already have it you can get it from the Frontier store by either purchasing the Early bird edition if you are a new customer which includes the full game at release and alpha access from tomorrow or by purchasing the Early bird upgrade if you have already pre ordered the game without Early bird access.
What’s included in the alpha and how will it work?
The Planet Coaster alpha is a very important part of the development process. Planet Coaster is the Coaster Park Simulation game we’ve always dreamt of making, and real-world player feedback is a vital part of that. In order to ensure that we get useful feedback on key areas of the game we will be releasing key features over the course of the alpha. These will fall into three phases, they are as follows.
You’ll notice that the Coaster Building is placed in Phase 2. That’s because it is not yet finished to our satisfaction – there are several areas we will improve. However, the hands-on feedback from experienced players who have used it to date has been good, and we do realise you’ll want a coaster builder from the start of your Planet Coaster experience, so we added a cheat code for you to unlock the current state of the coaster building tools in the first alpha build!
For your ‘sneak peek’ at where we are with coaster building, simply follow these instructions:
To access coaster building, open a map and select the ‘Rides’, ‘Scenery’ or ‘Buildings’ tab, then select the ‘Search’ option (a magnifying glass) and enter the code ‘underconstruction’ (all one word in lower case) to enable the coaster construction tab.
In addition to the key features we’ve mentioned above there are also a number of other things that will be included in the first phase of alpha such as some a selection of amusement rides, pre-built parks, shops, two themes (modern Planet Coaster and Pirate), and of course a Kraken!
As we enter the other phases of the alpha we may well add additional changes such as content, an increased (but not final) level of park management simulation and of course bug fixes and optimisations.
It’s really important to remember that this truly is a work-in-progress alpha. Which means that any plans we’ve mentioned could change based on the development process and player feedback. It also means that, whilst we have of course tested the release, you should not be surprised if you find bugs and issues within the game. If you do, please tell us! Your feedback is exactly why we are releasing the alpha builds - it allows us to make the game even better!
In order to access the alpha release you will need to log into the Frontier Store and then visit the "My downloadable products" where you will be able to download the launcher.
How long will the alpha run for, will it end? And will there be a beta?
It’s not possible to give an exact date right now for when each phase will be launched and when the full release will be (although we’re still aiming for Q4 2016). We are super passionate about taking on player feedback and we need to remain flexible to any development time that may require. However, we can confirm that all Early Bird owners will be able to play the most recent iteration of the alpha or beta between now and launch.
We currently expect a relatively short beta period close to launch, and we also expect there to be a couple of periods of down time right before both the start of beta and the launch to get the game and our servers ready. Apart from this, you should be able to play for the whole time, and we’re really looking forward to seeing your creations.
What are the minimum specs required to play the Planet Coaster alpha?
You will need the following minimum spec in order to play the alpha:
It’s important to remember that this is an alpha and during that process there are both optimisations and new feature additions which can change minimum and recommended specs considerably. So these are likely to change over time.
We’ve had great feedback about how Planet Coaster is already looking, even in alpha. It will improve even further – we are developing a true leading edge AAA game, with high poly counts, sophisticated rendering, a deep simulation, many characters and incredible animations. The higher above the minimum spec your PC is, the more the game will be able to reward you with an improved experience.
Can I share my save in Planet Coaster with a friend who also has alpha access?
The community features are currently planned for phase 3 of the alpha process and there will be advanced, integrated ways to share content as part of that. However, for those who simply can’t wait to be sharing their builds there is a more tech savvy way of sharing your saves. Simply follow the steps below.
After following these instructions you’ll be able to load your friend’s park in the same way you’d load a pre-existing park in the game.
What controls do I need to know for the Planet Coaster alpha? Will there be a tutorial?
There won’t be an in game tutorial or tool tips when the update goes live tomorrow. This is because the game will change and grow significantly from the current alpha phase of development. However, we have put together this handy tutorial video which shows you some of the cool features you will want to know about ahead of this first phase alpha build!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c60qDADjX7s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In addition we have an in-game controls help button in the top left corner that players will be able to access. It is displayed as a question mark and will list controls that players will find useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve also had a number of other questions that should be added here to help ensure the most useful information possible. We hope to be adding to this section based on questions we receive on this thread so feel free to ask away.
Q: Will the alpha be available on Steam.
A: The alpha will only be available from the Frontier Store. We aren’t able to confirm any details regarding Steam just yet but one thing is for sure if we launch on Steam we will make sure that everyone that has purchased on our store will have access to a steam code, should they wish to add it to their library.
==
Q: Will I be under NDA in the alpha?
A: The alpha does not require any NDA or similar agreement, and you will be free to talk about it.
==
Q: Can I record my gameplay, upload to social media sites and generally share content publically?
A: Yes, please do! We look forward to seeing your creations in action!
==
Q: Will I be able to save my current park progress
A: Yes, you’ll be able to save your park. In fact if you’re tech savvy you can even share that with friends (see the “sharing saves” section above) right from the start.
==
Q: Where would I submit feedback or a bug report?
A: We’re adding an alpha feedback forum where we’d love to get your ideas, suggestions and game feedback. In addition you can post on our bug forum, for any bugs you’ve found in alpha. To view this forum make sure you are logged in with your store account and have Early Bird available on your account.
We’ve put together this post to give you all the details you need for tomorrow’s Planet Coaster alpha release. If you have any additional questions that need answering, feel free to ask them as a reply to this thread and we’ll try and update the FAQ at the bottom the post.
How do I get access to the Planet Coaster alpha?
You need Planet Coaster Early-bird access. If you don’t already have it you can get it from the Frontier store by either purchasing the Early bird edition if you are a new customer which includes the full game at release and alpha access from tomorrow or by purchasing the Early bird upgrade if you have already pre ordered the game without Early bird access.
What’s included in the alpha and how will it work?
The Planet Coaster alpha is a very important part of the development process. Planet Coaster is the Coaster Park Simulation game we’ve always dreamt of making, and real-world player feedback is a vital part of that. In order to ensure that we get useful feedback on key areas of the game we will be releasing key features over the course of the alpha. These will fall into three phases, they are as follows.
- Phase 1: Modular building and Paths
- Phase 2: Adds Coaster Building and Landscape editing
- Phase 3: Adds Community Functionality and Blueprints
You’ll notice that the Coaster Building is placed in Phase 2. That’s because it is not yet finished to our satisfaction – there are several areas we will improve. However, the hands-on feedback from experienced players who have used it to date has been good, and we do realise you’ll want a coaster builder from the start of your Planet Coaster experience, so we added a cheat code for you to unlock the current state of the coaster building tools in the first alpha build!
For your ‘sneak peek’ at where we are with coaster building, simply follow these instructions:
To access coaster building, open a map and select the ‘Rides’, ‘Scenery’ or ‘Buildings’ tab, then select the ‘Search’ option (a magnifying glass) and enter the code ‘underconstruction’ (all one word in lower case) to enable the coaster construction tab.
In addition to the key features we’ve mentioned above there are also a number of other things that will be included in the first phase of alpha such as some a selection of amusement rides, pre-built parks, shops, two themes (modern Planet Coaster and Pirate), and of course a Kraken!
As we enter the other phases of the alpha we may well add additional changes such as content, an increased (but not final) level of park management simulation and of course bug fixes and optimisations.
It’s really important to remember that this truly is a work-in-progress alpha. Which means that any plans we’ve mentioned could change based on the development process and player feedback. It also means that, whilst we have of course tested the release, you should not be surprised if you find bugs and issues within the game. If you do, please tell us! Your feedback is exactly why we are releasing the alpha builds - it allows us to make the game even better!
In order to access the alpha release you will need to log into the Frontier Store and then visit the "My downloadable products" where you will be able to download the launcher.
How long will the alpha run for, will it end? And will there be a beta?
It’s not possible to give an exact date right now for when each phase will be launched and when the full release will be (although we’re still aiming for Q4 2016). We are super passionate about taking on player feedback and we need to remain flexible to any development time that may require. However, we can confirm that all Early Bird owners will be able to play the most recent iteration of the alpha or beta between now and launch.
We currently expect a relatively short beta period close to launch, and we also expect there to be a couple of periods of down time right before both the start of beta and the launch to get the game and our servers ready. Apart from this, you should be able to play for the whole time, and we’re really looking forward to seeing your creations.
What are the minimum specs required to play the Planet Coaster alpha?
You will need the following minimum spec in order to play the alpha:
- Windows 7 64bit or newer
- Intel Core i5 -2300, AMD FX-4300 or better
- 8GB Ram
- Nvidia GTX 560 / ATI Radeon 7850 Graphics card with 2GB of Graphics Memory or better
It’s important to remember that this is an alpha and during that process there are both optimisations and new feature additions which can change minimum and recommended specs considerably. So these are likely to change over time.
We’ve had great feedback about how Planet Coaster is already looking, even in alpha. It will improve even further – we are developing a true leading edge AAA game, with high poly counts, sophisticated rendering, a deep simulation, many characters and incredible animations. The higher above the minimum spec your PC is, the more the game will be able to reward you with an improved experience.
Can I share my save in Planet Coaster with a friend who also has alpha access?
The community features are currently planned for phase 3 of the alpha process and there will be advanced, integrated ways to share content as part of that. However, for those who simply can’t wait to be sharing their builds there is a more tech savvy way of sharing your saves. Simply follow the steps below.
- Go into this folder where saved games are kept
- C:\Users\*usersname*\Saved Games\Frontier Developments\Planet Coaster
- Zip up the folder to then email on to your friends to share
- Your friend should then place the zipped up folder in the same directory on their machine
- Please note: the whole folder needs to be copied and sent, not just the save file within
After following these instructions you’ll be able to load your friend’s park in the same way you’d load a pre-existing park in the game.
What controls do I need to know for the Planet Coaster alpha? Will there be a tutorial?
There won’t be an in game tutorial or tool tips when the update goes live tomorrow. This is because the game will change and grow significantly from the current alpha phase of development. However, we have put together this handy tutorial video which shows you some of the cool features you will want to know about ahead of this first phase alpha build!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c60qDADjX7s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In addition we have an in-game controls help button in the top left corner that players will be able to access. It is displayed as a question mark and will list controls that players will find useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve also had a number of other questions that should be added here to help ensure the most useful information possible. We hope to be adding to this section based on questions we receive on this thread so feel free to ask away.
Q: Will the alpha be available on Steam.
A: The alpha will only be available from the Frontier Store. We aren’t able to confirm any details regarding Steam just yet but one thing is for sure if we launch on Steam we will make sure that everyone that has purchased on our store will have access to a steam code, should they wish to add it to their library.
==
Q: Will I be under NDA in the alpha?
A: The alpha does not require any NDA or similar agreement, and you will be free to talk about it.
==
Q: Can I record my gameplay, upload to social media sites and generally share content publically?
A: Yes, please do! We look forward to seeing your creations in action!
==
Q: Will I be able to save my current park progress
A: Yes, you’ll be able to save your park. In fact if you’re tech savvy you can even share that with friends (see the “sharing saves” section above) right from the start.
==
Q: Where would I submit feedback or a bug report?
A: We’re adding an alpha feedback forum where we’d love to get your ideas, suggestions and game feedback. In addition you can post on our bug forum, for any bugs you’ve found in alpha. To view this forum make sure you are logged in with your store account and have Early Bird available on your account.
