I've played almost 150 hours of RCTW so far and about 5-10 messing around in PC, and wanted to share my thoughts.
Look/Feel/Graphics - The general aura of PC is much more defined and that makes it feel like its own little world. It has a personality. RCTW feels lifeless and bland in comparison. PC graphics and attention to detail are also far superior. Overall, PC is much more beautiful to look at and feels more alive.
User Interface - RCTW wins easily so far. In RCTW everything is simple, intuitive, fast, and smooth, and it has a much more connected overall design. It just feels more professional. The UI in PC feels a bit thrown together, buttons and sliders are very small and difficult to work with. It requires more attention and concentration than RCTW.
Camera - Both are pretty good with some minor (and occasionally somewhat major) issues right now, but nothing gamebreaking. Once edge scrolling is in PC, they'll be about the same.
Undo - It's difficult to overstate how huge of a feature this is PC. Even a single undo/redo step in RCTW would be an immense addition.
Global Grid - PC desperately needs a global grid. In RCTW it's easy to place paths/rides/objects in patterns, although the entrances and exits of rides/buildings do not line up with the grid, which can be extremely frustrating. Not to mention the fact that the park entrance and boundary doesn't even line up. But in PC it's essentially impossible to create symmetrical layouts right now and that takes away a huge element of park design.
Terrain - PC wins by several orders of magnitude (based on preview videos). RCTW is much more restrictive. Not being able to build tunnels is a major disadvantage and editing terrain is a slow and tedious process. RCTW is also very glitchy at times, with spikes and unnatural terrain appearing next to objects not built on flat ground.
Park Guests - PC wins by a ridiculous amount, it's not even close. RCTW people just look and act awful and PC guests are incredibly detailed and dynamic.
Park Management - Way too early to tell, but looks like PC will win this one, even if only based on the fact that the guests are so much better, and that makes the player actually care about park management. However, the additional variables in PC regarding custom buildings and such will require the simulation to be more complex, which is much harder to test and debug. It also provides more opportunity for emergent behavior, which is awesome, but I expect the RCTW simulation to be more consistent in the end. The employee system in RCTW isn't very well thought out so far and leaves a lot to be desired. Both games appear to have a lot more coming in this category though.
Flat Rides - PC quality, both graphical and mechanical, is obviously much higher. After seeing the rides in PC I can't find many redeemable qualities of RCTW rides. Too early to judge content and variety though. One of the biggest annoyances in RCTW is not being able to place the entrances and exits. Hopefully both games will include some level of customization in both the design and features of flat rides.
Coaster Builder - RCTW by a lot at this point. Being able to fine tune the yaw and pitch (RCTW only so far) is vital with the node system. So is deleting and rebuilding sections of track (PC only so far). The menu along with the keyboard/mouse wheel controls for adjusting nodes in RCTW are fantastic, and the piece-by-piece option is extremely useful as well. There are some minor things that could be improved upon but overall it is a top notch system. Smoothing is not in RCTW, but it isn't really needed. On the other hand, scalable special track sections will be in PC, which is huge. If PC adds yaw/pitch and piece-by-piece, and cleans up the UI and controls, it will be much better than RCTW because of the scalable track sections and the ability to delete/rebuild sections of track. And vice versa.
Paths - This is a big one. The path systems in both games have some pretty significant downfalls right now. RCTW has some major issues with connecting paths, the restrictions are far too great. Deleting a section of path can force you into a situation where you have to delete and entire section of the park to replace it, which is ridiculous. The system is also very glitchy and laggy so far. However, clicking the start and end point and dragging out paths of any length is a much better method than PC's piece-by-piece system. Path building in PC is incredibly annoying and slow. The path jumps all over the place and connecting buildings and queues is endlessly frustrating. Both games could use some serious improvement in this area. And hopefully both games provide a way to change the path texture without deleting/rebuilding.
Scenery - Too early to judge content, quality is good in both games. The main issue here is placement. In RCTW, the snapping is extremely useful, but the restrictions on scenery placement are very inconsistent and frustrating. In PC you can place stuff pretty much anywhere which is great. Both games need a better way to place lamps/bins/benches though. Since these are essentially non-optional scenery items, there should be a better system in place for lining paths consistently.
Building System - This is less about the actual building system in PC and more about the broader concept, and I'll admit I'm probably in the minority on this subject. In RCTW you're given a limited set of predesigned buildings to work with. In previous RCTs as well as RCTW I love the idea of trying to create the perfect park with a cool looking path system that uses every ride and building. Obviously a "perfect" park is impossible, but because of the limited set of buildings, it seems attainable and you can at least create a park that feels like it's complete.
In PC, the idea that you create all the buildings yourself is a vastly different concept and experience. It makes it more of an art game than a logic game, and art is never finished, only abandoned. For me, it's not what I enjoy about theme park simulation games. To really make it work requires a degree of creativity and patience that I just don't have. Having hard constraints that you have to work with is what makes a lot of games fun (scenarios for example). There's obviously an enormous grey area there (between no constraints and too many), but for me, the level of customizability in PC is almost a different game entirely and takes away from the overall theme park design and simulation aspect.
That being said, it's incredible what Frontier has done with the building system and especially cool for all the people out there who are good at creating things with it. It boggles my mind to think what they could have done if all that dev time was spent on other aspects of the game. The fact that PC is on track to be a better game even *without* the building system is a huge testament to the excellent work they've done.
But I still think it's important to consider the negatives of what is essentially mandatory "start from scratch" customization in PC. In RCTW, you don't have to worry about starting from scratch. Everything looks good from day one and you can get to the meat of the game right away: park design, coaster building, and management. In the third PC live stream they talked a lot about "nested complexity", but the start from scratch system has no simple outer nest. It's immediately complex. This makes it almost impossible for me to enjoy the game because I have to constantly choose between creating and abandoning. I think PC would benefit from predesigned buildings that allow the player to play the game without having to be an architect. In RCTW, I build a bathroom in one click and I'm done, mission accomplished. In PC, I build a bathroom and have to move on feeling like I've failed if I don't spend time decorating it.
Conclusion - In my opinion, PC has a far superior foundation to build on. It feels like a project that had better management and vision from day one. There are some really great things about RCTW that PC lacks so far. The problem is, the things that are NOT great in RCTW are too far past the point of no return. It's too late to redo the terrain system, the peeps, and probably the paths too. Most of RCTW's problems are deeply integrated features of the game, whereas most of PC's problems consist of lacking features and polish. The latter is obviously much easier to improve upon. At this point I'm still not sure if that means I'll enjoy PC more. But if Frontier can get up to RCTW's level with the coaster builder, add a global grid to appease the perfectionists, and provide a way to play the game using only predesigned buildings (making scenery an embellishment as opposed to a mandatory core function), it won't even be a contest. If RCTW can pull off a few minor miracles with the peeps, the graphics, the path system, and if they provide a ton of predesigned content, it will end up being a great product as well.
All in all, both games are on track to be freaking awesome and it's an exciting time for people who spent hundreds of hours of their childhoods playing RCT 1/2/3.
Thanks a million to the devs and artists from a fellow dev and artist.
Look/Feel/Graphics - The general aura of PC is much more defined and that makes it feel like its own little world. It has a personality. RCTW feels lifeless and bland in comparison. PC graphics and attention to detail are also far superior. Overall, PC is much more beautiful to look at and feels more alive.
User Interface - RCTW wins easily so far. In RCTW everything is simple, intuitive, fast, and smooth, and it has a much more connected overall design. It just feels more professional. The UI in PC feels a bit thrown together, buttons and sliders are very small and difficult to work with. It requires more attention and concentration than RCTW.
Camera - Both are pretty good with some minor (and occasionally somewhat major) issues right now, but nothing gamebreaking. Once edge scrolling is in PC, they'll be about the same.
Undo - It's difficult to overstate how huge of a feature this is PC. Even a single undo/redo step in RCTW would be an immense addition.
Global Grid - PC desperately needs a global grid. In RCTW it's easy to place paths/rides/objects in patterns, although the entrances and exits of rides/buildings do not line up with the grid, which can be extremely frustrating. Not to mention the fact that the park entrance and boundary doesn't even line up. But in PC it's essentially impossible to create symmetrical layouts right now and that takes away a huge element of park design.
Terrain - PC wins by several orders of magnitude (based on preview videos). RCTW is much more restrictive. Not being able to build tunnels is a major disadvantage and editing terrain is a slow and tedious process. RCTW is also very glitchy at times, with spikes and unnatural terrain appearing next to objects not built on flat ground.
Park Guests - PC wins by a ridiculous amount, it's not even close. RCTW people just look and act awful and PC guests are incredibly detailed and dynamic.
Park Management - Way too early to tell, but looks like PC will win this one, even if only based on the fact that the guests are so much better, and that makes the player actually care about park management. However, the additional variables in PC regarding custom buildings and such will require the simulation to be more complex, which is much harder to test and debug. It also provides more opportunity for emergent behavior, which is awesome, but I expect the RCTW simulation to be more consistent in the end. The employee system in RCTW isn't very well thought out so far and leaves a lot to be desired. Both games appear to have a lot more coming in this category though.
Flat Rides - PC quality, both graphical and mechanical, is obviously much higher. After seeing the rides in PC I can't find many redeemable qualities of RCTW rides. Too early to judge content and variety though. One of the biggest annoyances in RCTW is not being able to place the entrances and exits. Hopefully both games will include some level of customization in both the design and features of flat rides.
Coaster Builder - RCTW by a lot at this point. Being able to fine tune the yaw and pitch (RCTW only so far) is vital with the node system. So is deleting and rebuilding sections of track (PC only so far). The menu along with the keyboard/mouse wheel controls for adjusting nodes in RCTW are fantastic, and the piece-by-piece option is extremely useful as well. There are some minor things that could be improved upon but overall it is a top notch system. Smoothing is not in RCTW, but it isn't really needed. On the other hand, scalable special track sections will be in PC, which is huge. If PC adds yaw/pitch and piece-by-piece, and cleans up the UI and controls, it will be much better than RCTW because of the scalable track sections and the ability to delete/rebuild sections of track. And vice versa.
Paths - This is a big one. The path systems in both games have some pretty significant downfalls right now. RCTW has some major issues with connecting paths, the restrictions are far too great. Deleting a section of path can force you into a situation where you have to delete and entire section of the park to replace it, which is ridiculous. The system is also very glitchy and laggy so far. However, clicking the start and end point and dragging out paths of any length is a much better method than PC's piece-by-piece system. Path building in PC is incredibly annoying and slow. The path jumps all over the place and connecting buildings and queues is endlessly frustrating. Both games could use some serious improvement in this area. And hopefully both games provide a way to change the path texture without deleting/rebuilding.
Scenery - Too early to judge content, quality is good in both games. The main issue here is placement. In RCTW, the snapping is extremely useful, but the restrictions on scenery placement are very inconsistent and frustrating. In PC you can place stuff pretty much anywhere which is great. Both games need a better way to place lamps/bins/benches though. Since these are essentially non-optional scenery items, there should be a better system in place for lining paths consistently.
Building System - This is less about the actual building system in PC and more about the broader concept, and I'll admit I'm probably in the minority on this subject. In RCTW you're given a limited set of predesigned buildings to work with. In previous RCTs as well as RCTW I love the idea of trying to create the perfect park with a cool looking path system that uses every ride and building. Obviously a "perfect" park is impossible, but because of the limited set of buildings, it seems attainable and you can at least create a park that feels like it's complete.
In PC, the idea that you create all the buildings yourself is a vastly different concept and experience. It makes it more of an art game than a logic game, and art is never finished, only abandoned. For me, it's not what I enjoy about theme park simulation games. To really make it work requires a degree of creativity and patience that I just don't have. Having hard constraints that you have to work with is what makes a lot of games fun (scenarios for example). There's obviously an enormous grey area there (between no constraints and too many), but for me, the level of customizability in PC is almost a different game entirely and takes away from the overall theme park design and simulation aspect.
That being said, it's incredible what Frontier has done with the building system and especially cool for all the people out there who are good at creating things with it. It boggles my mind to think what they could have done if all that dev time was spent on other aspects of the game. The fact that PC is on track to be a better game even *without* the building system is a huge testament to the excellent work they've done.
But I still think it's important to consider the negatives of what is essentially mandatory "start from scratch" customization in PC. In RCTW, you don't have to worry about starting from scratch. Everything looks good from day one and you can get to the meat of the game right away: park design, coaster building, and management. In the third PC live stream they talked a lot about "nested complexity", but the start from scratch system has no simple outer nest. It's immediately complex. This makes it almost impossible for me to enjoy the game because I have to constantly choose between creating and abandoning. I think PC would benefit from predesigned buildings that allow the player to play the game without having to be an architect. In RCTW, I build a bathroom in one click and I'm done, mission accomplished. In PC, I build a bathroom and have to move on feeling like I've failed if I don't spend time decorating it.
Conclusion - In my opinion, PC has a far superior foundation to build on. It feels like a project that had better management and vision from day one. There are some really great things about RCTW that PC lacks so far. The problem is, the things that are NOT great in RCTW are too far past the point of no return. It's too late to redo the terrain system, the peeps, and probably the paths too. Most of RCTW's problems are deeply integrated features of the game, whereas most of PC's problems consist of lacking features and polish. The latter is obviously much easier to improve upon. At this point I'm still not sure if that means I'll enjoy PC more. But if Frontier can get up to RCTW's level with the coaster builder, add a global grid to appease the perfectionists, and provide a way to play the game using only predesigned buildings (making scenery an embellishment as opposed to a mandatory core function), it won't even be a contest. If RCTW can pull off a few minor miracles with the peeps, the graphics, the path system, and if they provide a ton of predesigned content, it will end up being a great product as well.
All in all, both games are on track to be freaking awesome and it's an exciting time for people who spent hundreds of hours of their childhoods playing RCT 1/2/3.
Thanks a million to the devs and artists from a fellow dev and artist.
