Starting a new sandbox - terrain

[danlightbulb]

Guys,

When you start a new sandbox what do you do with the terrain? Do you try and create a terrain for the whole park up front or work on it section by section?

In general, do you raise the terrain then cut into it or lower it?

I'm having great difficulty in creating a realistic landscape.

Thanks.

 

[wowman]

Not sure if this is the answer you want to hear - but its always a bit of everything you mention here. Depends on the park, the ride, the area, etc. etc. If you are struggling I would recommend starting small and see what works best for you, what you are trying to achieve, and what your skill level is.

One thing I can say, is I rarely create the terrain for the whole park up front. Maybe make some terrain points for reference (like a mountain will go here, or a valley will go here) to the final plan, but most of the time I do it section by section as needed.

It may be easier to begin with building a coaster...and then form the terrain around it. This way you don't have to be as concerned with fitting the coaster around it, or ruining your terrain plan because of the way the coaster cuts through it.

Maybe once you have something more definitive of what you are trying to do, we can help out more specifically.

 

[danlightbulb]

I'm struggling with scale I guess.

So you start with a flat landscape. How high or deep do you go to be realistic?

 

[wowman]

it depends on what look you are trying to achieve. Small hills? rugged mtns? deep ravines? if you want realistic...then they should not be that high or deep...think about mtns built in most parks around the world. You could go higher if you plan on making them more like real terrain that the park is built on.

 

[danlightbulb]

it depends on what look you are trying to achieve. Small hills? rugged mtns? deep ravines? if you want realistic...then they should not be that high or deep...think about mtns built in most parks around the world. You could go higher if you plan on making them more like real terrain that the park is built on.

I don't know if you've been to Alton Towers in the UK?

It has some elevation to it (for example the cable cars are probably 100 feet up in the air at one point in their travel). Yet when you are walking around the place you don't notice it too much. Its that kind of realism I'm looking to create.

 

[RockandGrohl]

I don't know if you've been to Alton Towers in the UK?

It has some elevation to it (for example the cable cars are probably 100 feet up in the air at one point in their travel). Yet when you are walking around the place you don't notice it too much. Its that kind of realism I'm looking to create.

As I'm recreating Forbidden Valley in Planet Coaster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sFuRlzaUHE

I would recommend making plateau's of varying height, then flattening them out, so you have maybe 5-6 sections of the park at different elevations, then work on one section at a time and add loads of trees to give separation and impression of the elevation.

 

[Bullethead]

I don't know if you've been to Alton Towers in the UK?

It has some elevation to it (for example the cable cars are probably 100 feet up in the air at one point in their travel). Yet when you are walking around the place you don't notice it too much. Its that kind of realism I'm looking to create.

Real parks, at least in the US, have to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which means they can't have slopes too steep for wheelchairs. So basically, putting any significant elevation changes down where the peeps travel isn't realistic for a US park. I'm sure the UK has something similar.

However, in PC, nobody's in a wheelchair so you don't have to worry about that. You can make all your rides accessible only via multi-story staircases and nobody will bat an eye. You don't even have to comply with fire safety codes. So essentially, this isn't something you should worry about, unless you force-march peeps more than about 1/2 mile without providing them benches and at least 1 drink shop.