So far, I'm very impressed with the results of the game, even if it's only in Alpha (I have yet to purchase the Early Bird since I'm on a tight budget). I have a few suggestions, mainly for "looking ahead" towards custom content.
One thing that always bugged me with RCT3 was that the menus can become overcrowded rather quickly. From a User Experience perspective, it may be better to add menu options to choose the theme you want to use, then all menus (scenery and buildings) only show items related to that theme (items that fit with more than one theme should appear in all of them and not just one). Also, bring back the scenery "packs" instead of having menus for walls, roofs and attachments. Instead, sort them under a single item which opens a separate window with all the sub-items that belong in that pack. Both of those things would save a lot of space in the menus, especially when having a lot of custom scenery and themes (for example, I had a future idea to create a stylized alphabet to create custom ride names combined with the empty signs already in the game. Having all letters in a single menu would quickly overcrowd it).
Finally, the flat rides could be created and sorted based on their "type", rather than as a unique ride, much like the roller coasters in RCT3. Then, you could select a variation of that ride (different generic or themed versions of the carousel, for example) in a menu before placing it. This way, it would be easier to select a ride based on its type (e.g. carousel, Ferris wheel, enterprise) and then choose a design that fits with the theme you're working with. By basing a ride on a template/type, it would be easier to add more variations of the same ride for new themes, and it would make it easier for modders to add their own variations.
BTW, thanks for the true sequel to RCT3. Can't wait to play it!
One thing that always bugged me with RCT3 was that the menus can become overcrowded rather quickly. From a User Experience perspective, it may be better to add menu options to choose the theme you want to use, then all menus (scenery and buildings) only show items related to that theme (items that fit with more than one theme should appear in all of them and not just one). Also, bring back the scenery "packs" instead of having menus for walls, roofs and attachments. Instead, sort them under a single item which opens a separate window with all the sub-items that belong in that pack. Both of those things would save a lot of space in the menus, especially when having a lot of custom scenery and themes (for example, I had a future idea to create a stylized alphabet to create custom ride names combined with the empty signs already in the game. Having all letters in a single menu would quickly overcrowd it).
Finally, the flat rides could be created and sorted based on their "type", rather than as a unique ride, much like the roller coasters in RCT3. Then, you could select a variation of that ride (different generic or themed versions of the carousel, for example) in a menu before placing it. This way, it would be easier to select a ride based on its type (e.g. carousel, Ferris wheel, enterprise) and then choose a design that fits with the theme you're working with. By basing a ride on a template/type, it would be easier to add more variations of the same ride for new themes, and it would make it easier for modders to add their own variations.
BTW, thanks for the true sequel to RCT3. Can't wait to play it!
