Dear Ken Allen and David Braben,
Last Friday, December 30th, I noticed something on the Atari Forums. For all the wishing and hoping that the members were talking about, there was not a single clear and concise list of the remaining bugs in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. More specifically, things that would be desired and/or feasible in the next Patch. I took it upon myself to start the following list, but in fact only the first few entries are mine. The list was added to by the members of the Atari community that know the game inside and out, I would expect only behind yourselves and the employees at Atari and Frontier. The thread for the list can be found at
http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums...d.php?t=507963 for more information.
What is included below are three major categories of Patch needs: 1) Major bugs that hinder the game and are a near-constant source of distress among the community, 2) Minor bugs that cause annoyances or inconvenience, and 3) Suggested tweaks that range from small features that (in our opinions) should never have been left out, to tiny points such as increasing the launch speed on a particular ride. What is not included in this list is new content. It is acknowledged that new content belongs best in an expansion pack, though there are a few Suggestions that come close, but for good reasons.
I was asked in the course of constructing this list to convey several items to you:
First, that while the longest of the three categories is the Suggestions, the Major and Minor bugs are the reason for this list. I feel confident that if most or all the Major and Minor bugs could be fixed or improved upon, the entire Suggestions list could be ignored and it would still be a hugely successful Patch. Of course, the more Suggestions listened to, the happier the community will be.
Second, that more open communication regarding the future of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 would be beneficial to all parties involved. From working at a county government, I personally know the necessity of public involvement in everything that goes on. Both Atari and Frontier have taken great measures to giving the players of RCT3 what they wanted, but outside of the expansions it seems as though support for the remaining issues is quite lacking. There is at least one post a day since the release of Wild! as to what the next step for RCT3 is and, more often than not, it is mentioned that now that your companies have our money that there is no reason for you to support us. Many of us know (or hope) that this is not the case, but feel that this community, which serves as the base for beta testers, user-based tech support, gameplay help, and as go-betweens with other internet websites, would be better equipped and in better spirits if the "powers-that-be" acknowledged our cries more. We do also realize that you are in no way obligated to divulge information to us, but again, in dealing with the public I know that products and services only get better when the lines of communication are kept open. I hope you all will continue to have a good relationship with us here on the Atari Forums.
That being said, I don't expect a response regarding this list (though it would be sweet and wonderful for all of us), but as long as it is read and considered, I will consider this effort a success. And now, on to the list:
MAJOR (experience-hindering bugs)
Gameplay Related
Fixed! (Wild! Patch #3)- Wild! Patch #1 bug of slowing construction of coasters and scenery.
- Improve on general lag (not attributed to a specific bug)
Windows Related
- Wild! does not create its own entry in Add/Remove Programs
- Securom checking for Original CD too often, causing lag. (Autorun problem?)
- Wild! CD not recognizing that Wild! is installed (related to missing entry in Add/Remove Programs?)
MINOR (occasional annoyances)
Attraction Related
- Wild!- Penguin and Shark Trains missing from Wild!
- Soaked! and Wild!- Waterfalls and Water Surface Rides cannot be placed on the same body of water (bypassable, so should be fixable)
- Wild!- Vertical Coaster Car missing from Extended Coaster
- Wild!- Animal Fences break down too quickly
- Colors cannot be changed on flying carpet
- Changing colors on Chairswing changes lights, actual colors unchangeable.
- Pay attention to the Chairlift. Loading problems, needs single station operation, and needs diagonal track.
- Log Flumes should be able to have more cars than the station allows.
- Log Flume Turntable should act as block brake for itself, not the whole ride. Currently "breaks" the ride.
- Clicking on Insanity only works if clicking on the moving portion.
- Sky Rider displayed in non-inverted coaster menus
- Launched Lift-Hill on Extended Coaster is broken (needs confirmation)
- Stats for the freefall tower rides are still all way too low.
- Check and Fix all flexi-color buttons so that they do the correct thing.
Scenery Related
- Wild!- Peeps not leaving the Ride when the ride is over (seen on some vertical rides and the elevator)
- Wild!- Octopus Fountain water visible through scenery
- Stegosaurus animatronic showing when Prehistoric Theming is not selected
AI Related
- Wild!- Peeps mysteriously getting caught in enclosures
- Fix Peep AI so they ride rides more often (above the improvements already been made)
- Group AI efficiency still needs improving. Deciding what to do takes too long, and Transport Rides still rode for fun too often.
Transport Related
- Water Transport needs more of a "Transport" operation and an optional invisible track to follow.
Mixmaster Related
- Animal Mixmaster shows cannot be saved.
Suggested Fixes (tiny features and significant tweaks that should never have been left out(in our "humble" opinions))
Gameplay / GUI Related
- Keyboard Shortcuts (see RCT1&2 manual for suggestions)
- Multiple Windows in GUI - active one highlighted?
- Error-Catching Code to prevent opening of corrupted game files.
- Inclusion of an Undo Feature
- Install a 'Turn off micro-management' button (or at least allow users to set the level of micro-management they want)
- Make the interface windows and buttons bigger (resizable)
- Load Button for the Scenario Editor in the Main Menu
- Add "Challenge" game mode (basically Sandbox with the finances turned on)
Attraction Related
- At-Grade Railroad Crossings
- Miniature Railroad needs a whistle. Programmed, Assignable, or Both.
- Make individual cars and trains on rides able to have different colors
- Slow down the rotational speed of the Merry-Go-Round for accuracy.
- Loop-O-Plane sequence inaccurate and too slow.
- Need "ghost" car for Multi-Dimensional Coaster, exactly like the Robotic Coaster.
- Add option to assign Speakers as Ride Events.
- Mine Ride speed maximum is way too low. Needs an increase.
- Ability to remove paths under Flatrides. (option in ride settings?)
- Freefall Tower launch speed is too low.
- One of the colors on Mini Golf is locked and unchangeable
- Giant Slide is too tall and too popular, far beyond what is seen in real parks.
- Animals (especially hippos) should be using the water for paying, bathing and drinking (living, too, in the hippo's case).
Scenery Related
- Wild!- Auto Terrain Leveling should be optional (default to OFF)
- Optional turn collision detection off for all scenery items, building blocks and paths
- Need Standard Naming Convention for all official wall sets.
AI Related
- Peep Groups Optional
- Zookeepers ineffective: Either improve cleaning speed or decrease animal pooping.
- Improve usefulness of Security Guards: currently little visible need for them.
- Increase attentiveness to inspecting rides by Mechanics and speed responding to broken rides.
- Optional turning-off of peep thoughts. (Not just display, but thought generation)
Transport Related
- Allow for change of speed on Transport Rides (and other powered tracked rides), to provide a more scenic trip
- Allow for a "no visible track" option for the 4x4 and Elephant Transport Ride
Mixmaster Related
- Make Fish-eye view for Particle Editor optional
- Enable lasers to read simple graphics and letters
- Laser Editor needs an Erase Feature
Please feel free to speak out in the thread linked above or contact myself or anyone regarding specific items on this list for further clarification.
On a personal note, I believe that I speak for the community when I thank you all at Atari and Frontier for your work on Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. I hope that this list will be accepted in the spirit in which it is intended, that being from a group of dedicated fans that are unwilling to see the fun end just yet. Thank you again, and we all look forward to hearing from you in the near future. -LWK
Sincerely,
Keith (LightWarriorK), on behalf of the Atari RCT3 Community
I'm not sure if it's "cool" to be doing this right at the start of these new forums, but I'd like to head off negative needs threads with one of the more productive threads from the Atari Forums. I've pasted the entire letter, originally sent on January 6th, 2006, below, along with the susequent items added after the letter was sent.