So, I've been playing PlanCo for over 2500 hours - so not sure if this is coming from fatigue or if it's something that's always bothered me. And don't get me wrong, I've invested - and enjoyed - the most hours of any game; second only to RCT3 (but on a par year-on-year). What I've noticed most recently though, is how.... flat... the game feels. I'm not talking about lack of management flat, I'm talking about a sense of "what's the point?"
I seem to be noticing more and more that parks seem to have a lack of personality. You look at other creator's parks and it's the same. Yes, you build and it looks lovely and immersive. You manage aspects of the park, you see your guests.. but that's it. There isn't much that's dynamic with the parks you create. It's basically an always open, build-it-and-they-will-come "so what". It loses the excitement quite quickly...
Look at the Geekism / Masked Bandit series Uzuri Gardens at the moment - absolutely stunning park, stunning work and creatively put together - but for what? None of what they are building is functional apart from the few rides they are plopping down - that have been seen in many other parks in the past and will be in the future.
What is it missing? Fluidity. Look at a real park. They open and close. Crowds come and go. They have busy and quiet times. They have operational seasons. They have weather and yearly seasons. This is now what Planco is missing.. Our parks don't breath. They are very rigid, beautiful looking facsimiles of theme parks, which don't feel like real parks any more.
1. If your parks closed for off-season - you could maintain or refurb rides, build new ones that cause a start-of-season rush or excitement, battle to stay financially afloat, open for limited time / operation events, sell annual passes, your October timed fireworks suddenly have a purpose etc
2. If you had quiet and busy days - you could choose operation modes: How many trains on coasters, how long do rides wait, what shops open, how much are fastpasses?
- Both of these points are fairly achievable with a rejig of the in-game time by the way.. Make a week a certain number of days, draw the days out for longer in game and then have your fluctuations based on months and your closed season lasting for whole months of your choosing.
3. If you had weather - your parks attendance may be affected, your rides may not operate or be as popular - or may be more - depending on the weather, certain foods or drinks will be more popular
4. If you have seasons - your parks will look different. They will come to life in the spring, they will have long summer days and long winter nights.
Now, I'm not stupid - these things would require some serious fundamental rework of the core game and mechanics - so we're never going to see any of this.. but ultimately, you can keep adding rides and themes for all eternity but eventually that stagnates. Cities Skylines, for example, keeps coming out with DLCs that fundamentally change the core game - that game isn't the same one that was released 3 years ago... PlanCo pretty much is after 2.
I seem to be noticing more and more that parks seem to have a lack of personality. You look at other creator's parks and it's the same. Yes, you build and it looks lovely and immersive. You manage aspects of the park, you see your guests.. but that's it. There isn't much that's dynamic with the parks you create. It's basically an always open, build-it-and-they-will-come "so what". It loses the excitement quite quickly...
Look at the Geekism / Masked Bandit series Uzuri Gardens at the moment - absolutely stunning park, stunning work and creatively put together - but for what? None of what they are building is functional apart from the few rides they are plopping down - that have been seen in many other parks in the past and will be in the future.
What is it missing? Fluidity. Look at a real park. They open and close. Crowds come and go. They have busy and quiet times. They have operational seasons. They have weather and yearly seasons. This is now what Planco is missing.. Our parks don't breath. They are very rigid, beautiful looking facsimiles of theme parks, which don't feel like real parks any more.
1. If your parks closed for off-season - you could maintain or refurb rides, build new ones that cause a start-of-season rush or excitement, battle to stay financially afloat, open for limited time / operation events, sell annual passes, your October timed fireworks suddenly have a purpose etc
2. If you had quiet and busy days - you could choose operation modes: How many trains on coasters, how long do rides wait, what shops open, how much are fastpasses?
- Both of these points are fairly achievable with a rejig of the in-game time by the way.. Make a week a certain number of days, draw the days out for longer in game and then have your fluctuations based on months and your closed season lasting for whole months of your choosing.
3. If you had weather - your parks attendance may be affected, your rides may not operate or be as popular - or may be more - depending on the weather, certain foods or drinks will be more popular
4. If you have seasons - your parks will look different. They will come to life in the spring, they will have long summer days and long winter nights.
Now, I'm not stupid - these things would require some serious fundamental rework of the core game and mechanics - so we're never going to see any of this.. but ultimately, you can keep adding rides and themes for all eternity but eventually that stagnates. Cities Skylines, for example, keeps coming out with DLCs that fundamentally change the core game - that game isn't the same one that was released 3 years ago... PlanCo pretty much is after 2.
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