First I want to mention (it doesn't matter but may be relevant) that I've been a Controls Engineer at Six Flags, Zamperla Inc, and now Disney World. I love these games and began back with RCT 1!
Something that really bugged me in the first Planet Coaster was the way the ride test feature worked. No matter where you were in the test cycle, if you clicked Close or Open it would instantly snap the ride or trains to a default starting point (or make trains disappear if closed was clicked)... That was a huge realism issue for me. Not only that, it killed the opportunity for "staging" the trains on coasters ahead of opening, an more importantly transit rides.
I hate comparing current games to older ones, but that mechanic really worked well in RCT2. When you start a test and leave it on test, it cycles over and over. If you click Open, it finishes whatever cycle it is on, then begins normal operations. If you click Close during a test cycle, it finishes the test then the ride sits, or the trains stack/stop at the next station. Double clicking Close would cause the abrupt default position/trains vanishing, which was useful if a test was going to cause the coaster to crash.
It made it feel more real to be able to close a ride and see the trains sitting in the station and block brakes. Or knowing a full test cycle would finish before the ride let people on. Staging a train to be at all 3 stations before opening for efficient operations...
This sort of visual/operation mechanic may have me in the minority, but it has to bother others too I would think...
Hopefully this feedback is useful.
Something that really bugged me in the first Planet Coaster was the way the ride test feature worked. No matter where you were in the test cycle, if you clicked Close or Open it would instantly snap the ride or trains to a default starting point (or make trains disappear if closed was clicked)... That was a huge realism issue for me. Not only that, it killed the opportunity for "staging" the trains on coasters ahead of opening, an more importantly transit rides.
I hate comparing current games to older ones, but that mechanic really worked well in RCT2. When you start a test and leave it on test, it cycles over and over. If you click Open, it finishes whatever cycle it is on, then begins normal operations. If you click Close during a test cycle, it finishes the test then the ride sits, or the trains stack/stop at the next station. Double clicking Close would cause the abrupt default position/trains vanishing, which was useful if a test was going to cause the coaster to crash.
It made it feel more real to be able to close a ride and see the trains sitting in the station and block brakes. Or knowing a full test cycle would finish before the ride let people on. Staging a train to be at all 3 stations before opening for efficient operations...
This sort of visual/operation mechanic may have me in the minority, but it has to bother others too I would think...
Hopefully this feedback is useful.