Opening and Closing time proposal + day cycle management

Lukecompositor

Lukecompositor
Opening and Closing time proposal

At present,the day cycle is very similar to the one RCT3 had.

1 game hour = 2 seconds (slow)
one day = 48 minutes

1 game hour = 1 second (medium)
one day = 24 minutes

1 game hour = 0,5 seconds (high)
one day = 12 minutes

I really hope that Frontier is taking in consideration the idea of the opening/closing times.
In order to do that, I have thought a system which, I think, it could be a compromise to content the ones (like me) that really want this feature in the game. Before starting the simulation, the user choose the length of the day cycle between these:

1:Default (the actual one) real time
1 minute = 2seconds (slow)
one day = 48 minutes

1 minute = 1second (medium)
one day = 24 minutes

1 minute =0,5 seconds (high)
one day = 12 minutes

2: In dept sim
1 hour = 10minutes (slow)
one day = 2 hours

1 hour = 5minutes (medium)
one day = 1 hour

1 hour = 2minutes (high)
one day = 48 minutes

You could say that the “in dept sim” is too long, if played in slow mode,and I agree. In fact this is easily negotiable. Read feather.
With the In dept sim it is also possible to simulate the opening and closing of the park.
I don't know how it works in other parts of the world, but, in Italy, coaster parks usually stay open from 10:00 am to 18:00 pm, and, sometimes,from 10:00 am to 23:00 pm.
If you give the user the possibility to decide the opening and closing time of the park everything would be solved.

Let's make an example:

Let's suppose that the user choose and “In dept sim” and he/she sets the opening at 10:00 am and the closing at 18:00 pm. (8 hours opening time)
The first time the user load the map it starts in freeze mode at 9:00 am, one hour before the opening (10 minutes in real time). In freeze mode the user must at least place a ride in order to be able to start the time. When the park has the minimum services the time may be started.
As already mentioned, the simulation starts one hour before the opening time. In that hour the peeps start to queue at the entrance of the park and the user gets the park ready.
At 10:00 am the gates opens and the peeps enter the park. The simulation goes on normally. Another feature could be implemented: during the opening time there is the impossibility to make big changes to the park, like a new ride or building. (I don't know if this is good for everyone,but it could be an option to be selected)
Two hours before the closing time the entrance gates closes and no one enters the park from that moment on. (Last entrance time could also be set by the user)
At 17:50 pm the rides automatically finish the last ride and all the peeps still inside the park go towards the entrance to leave.
From 18:00 to 19:00 pm there is the closing hour. Peeps continue to leave and the personnel also leaves. When the last peep as gone away the Park closed time begins.

The Park closed time would be, in this example, from 19:00 pm to 09:00 am.
During the night time the user may work at the park to set new spaces, new rides and make major changes.
At 18:00 pm a pop-up message appears telling the user that he/she may skip the Park closed time and jump to 9:00 am and start the new day. So the user can make changes until he/she is satisfied and then, when ready, he/she can clic the skip button and continue the simulation.

Recap:

9:00am – 10:00 am: Opening hour
10:00am – 16:00 pm: Normal simulation
16:00pm – 18:00 pm: Normal simulation (no peep is allowed to enter the park anymore)
18:00pm – 19:00 pm: Closing hour
19:00pm – 9:00 am: Park closed time

If the user plays in slow mode:

9:00am – 10:00 am: 10 minutes
10:00am – 16:00 pm: 60 minutes
16:00pm – 18:00 pm: 20 minutes
18:00pm – 19:00 pm: 10 minutes
19:00pm – 9:00 am: 130 minutes (may be skipped)


The simulation time is 100 minutes + 130 minutes that can be skipped at any moment.

Of course this can be different: it depends on the opening time chosen by the user.


What do you think about this?


I think this could actually work!
 
Last edited:

iamanai

I
This is amazing so far, but it presents a problem: Finances. If every day is 230 minutes max, then it would pose a serious issue for financial management. Months would have to be 10 days or so, and the money scaling would have to be almost life-like (e.g. a big park's finances could shift several million dollars per day). This is why I'd only have this mode for the expert-level campaigns, and (optionally) sandbox mode. There are tons of other issues to work out, but I could see this happening in the future if enough people supported it.
 

Lukecompositor

Lukecompositor
Yes! You are right! I posted this idea to give an input. I hope Frontier has the solution for any issues. [yesnod]
This is only a suggestion, a path to walk. Obviously it must be adapted and considerably adjusted.
Thank you for your reply!
 

TFWestelaken

TFWestelaken
I really like the sound of this. Brings in a whole other layer of depth. Finances would need to be handled completely different though. Although I can also imagine someone working on a park for 2 years and creating something gorgeous!
 

RejHat

RejHat
You could do this using a hidden scaling factor.
In the real world a ride might go 200 times in a day - In PC it might go 20 times in a day
So add a scaling factor of 10 - if the ride costs £2/guest the park takes £20/guest that uses the ride
The scaling factor could be based on difficulty setting or even user adjustable

Just one way to do it
 

MrCow

MrCow
i would just love actual realtime with reallife.. now a ride can take hours instead of minutes, i would love if you could just do it on a real-life cycle.
 

Ling

Ling
The time only exists in service of the day/night cycle. Note that theme park sims without such a cycle do not characteristically have time implemented at all. Having realistic time is fine but does nothing for you, really. You can build a coaster in ten in-game minutes with something like this, which is odd. In reality, this would take weeks or months, which is more similar to the "game-y" nature of the time in the older RCT games. Since the day/night cycle is meaningless in a sandbox mode (since you can change between the two and lock time of day at will) time is also meaningless there. So this opening/closing of the park seems only like a real hassle for scenario play, which is the only context in which it makes sense. If two real-life hours is your in-game day and then you force peeps out, peeps are still riding rides in "real time" (or else the physics would constantly be weird and nothing would look natural) so if they wait in line for 5~10 real minutes, spend 1~2 minutes per ride, they only get on a handful of rides before being forced out (and that's not even giving too much thought to sitting, travelling between rides, getting food/drink, etc.). The less realistic model of time is in fact a much better system for a simulation game because it doesn't break the flow. Unless you are proposing that this "skippable" section where the park is closed then does not force guests out, but then what's the point in having time at all? Morning/afternoon/evening/night + weather (god I hope we get weather) is more than enough detail to tell you what the lighting conditions ought to be like. They shouldn't control anything else.
 

BackSeatJunkie

BackSeatJunkie
It is a fun idea which I feel will bring nothing of value to the actual gameplay. It will cause programming nightmares for the economic element of the game.
 
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