This is my 1st attempt at doing buildings and scenery on a serious scale. I'm neither an artist nor an architect so don't expect much. However, I understand making buildings (from Medieval Engineers) and am used to repeated failure via trial-and-error (from Kerbal Space Program), so I think I can eventually make something. I figured I'd document it as I go along so that other noobs can avoid some of the trouble I get into.
The general theme for this park is all the stereotypical things about Louisiana that the game currently has. Sadly, no animatronic alligators but I can improvise on that. The overall concept is as follows:
NOTHING of that so far exists. I'm starting with the Grand Station and going from there. So let's talk about that......
Today I managed to get the 1st floor interior pretty much done. It was a long, hard struggle getting the paths to play nice with the building (and another to come on the 2nd floor) but so far I'm happy with the results. It is, after all my 1st try at this sort of thing.
The key elements on the 1st floor are the queue for the steam train, a bunch of shops, and stairs going up to yet more shops. Here's a view of the paths integrated into the 1st floor grid. Nearly the whole floor is paths. These have been tweaked as shown and are now covered over with floor tiles.
Once the floor was in place, it was time for interior decorating, which I suck at. And the game so far has a pretty limited selection of stuff for that--I really wanted some potted plants in the lobby but nope. And, maddeningly, there are no path building blocks so this thing can't be exported (assuming anybody would want it). And no concave-curved corner floor tiles. PC could really take some lessons from Medieval Engineers when it comes to building parts, nearly all of which can act as paths by default. But things are what they are. Oh, and I NEVER want to mess with railings again, especially the stone ones which are intended for balconies instead of being turned upside down and placed in the middle of the floor. But anyway, I got the thing to this stage here:
So, down here we have the train queue, park information, the first aid station, restrooms, a hat store, burgers, shakes, and energy drinks. All the shops have "backstage areas" with fake doors for employee access. I also put my own office (but no desk or chain--they don't exist!) in the back corner tower next to the locomotive. Upstairs will be all the other shops and maybe a ride on the roof. Who knows at this point?
I decided to put a fake front porch with marching animatronic soldiers there beside the front door. This cut the width of the path there down to 4m as it goes in front of the queue for the information booth, creating apossible PROBABLE choke point right where every single guest has to pass entering or leaving the park. This was probably a bad idea and I'll probably change it back again and do something else to make the front of the building less blocky.
Of course I filled it with lights, the better to see theglowing glaring neon of the vendors' signs and park ride posters. This thing is a monument to crass commercialism [yesnod] and glitz. I also hung bunting along the railings for the priority pass line. Train stations are supposed to have bunting but Bullethead Exploitation Enterprises likes to make its special customers feel like their getting comped instead of bled [squeeeeee].
But all in all, it doesn't look TOO bad at ground level. Note the customer under the arch in the middle distance. I opened the park very briefly to make sure customers would walk the paths even when they were covered with floor tiles, then quickly cut the path to the main gate before any more came in. He's been standing there waving and screaming for help ever since [tongue]. In fact, his status is "HELP ME!" instead of "Heading to...". Never saw that before.
Anyway, that's enough for 1 day. 795 parts so far, not counting things like benches and bins. Next up, eliminating the front porch, covering the gap between the stair cases with some strip of wood or something. Then I'm going to decorate the outside and do some landscaping, just to see where they leads me. I still have no real idea what the top of this thing will look like but these projects feed on themselves, so I'm hoping the exterior work will give me some ideas. I had only a vague idea of what this building would be shaped like to start with, and no idea at all for its interior, but one thing just led to another. Then after that, it's burying all this stuff forever under the 2nd floor....
The general theme for this park is all the stereotypical things about Louisiana that the game currently has. Sadly, no animatronic alligators but I can improvise on that. The overall concept is as follows:
- Instead of a "Mainstreet USA" row of shops, I'm putting all that inside a massive train station, the Grand Station, which is a cross between the old Louisiana state capitol and an half-realized art deco horror. The customers have no choice but to enter this huge building as soon as they enter the park, where there are all sorts of things to take their money and give them more to spend. And they can catch the 7-car live steam train to the rest of the park. Of course, there's a foot bridge into the park, too, but you have to walk past even more concession stands to get to it, and it's a long walk.
- The 1st place you get to across the bridge is "Bourbon Street", not "Mainstreet". So, bands, bars, graveyards, random shootings, and a few plopped rides. There will also be paths to the other areas for those too cheap to ride the train. Because Bourbon Street is right across the tracks from the Grand Station, there'll be no separate station there.
- The rest of the park is divided into 3 areas going clockwise from the Grand Station. Each of these will have its own minor station, nothing like the Grand Station. First, the Mississippi River with steamboat (sadly, immobile) centered around some sort of water ride. Next you go into the swamp, lair of the Voodoo Queen. This area will probably be centered on a car track or log flume haunted swamp ride. Finally, you get out near the Gulf Coast where Jean Lafitte the Pirate lives. This will be the home of the big coasters, although there will be several smaller coasters scattered around elsewhere.
NOTHING of that so far exists. I'm starting with the Grand Station and going from there. So let's talk about that......
Today I managed to get the 1st floor interior pretty much done. It was a long, hard struggle getting the paths to play nice with the building (and another to come on the 2nd floor) but so far I'm happy with the results. It is, after all my 1st try at this sort of thing.
The key elements on the 1st floor are the queue for the steam train, a bunch of shops, and stairs going up to yet more shops. Here's a view of the paths integrated into the 1st floor grid. Nearly the whole floor is paths. These have been tweaked as shown and are now covered over with floor tiles.
Once the floor was in place, it was time for interior decorating, which I suck at. And the game so far has a pretty limited selection of stuff for that--I really wanted some potted plants in the lobby but nope. And, maddeningly, there are no path building blocks so this thing can't be exported (assuming anybody would want it). And no concave-curved corner floor tiles. PC could really take some lessons from Medieval Engineers when it comes to building parts, nearly all of which can act as paths by default. But things are what they are. Oh, and I NEVER want to mess with railings again, especially the stone ones which are intended for balconies instead of being turned upside down and placed in the middle of the floor. But anyway, I got the thing to this stage here:
So, down here we have the train queue, park information, the first aid station, restrooms, a hat store, burgers, shakes, and energy drinks. All the shops have "backstage areas" with fake doors for employee access. I also put my own office (but no desk or chain--they don't exist!) in the back corner tower next to the locomotive. Upstairs will be all the other shops and maybe a ride on the roof. Who knows at this point?
I decided to put a fake front porch with marching animatronic soldiers there beside the front door. This cut the width of the path there down to 4m as it goes in front of the queue for the information booth, creating a
Of course I filled it with lights, the better to see the
But all in all, it doesn't look TOO bad at ground level. Note the customer under the arch in the middle distance. I opened the park very briefly to make sure customers would walk the paths even when they were covered with floor tiles, then quickly cut the path to the main gate before any more came in. He's been standing there waving and screaming for help ever since [tongue]. In fact, his status is "HELP ME!" instead of "Heading to...". Never saw that before.
Anyway, that's enough for 1 day. 795 parts so far, not counting things like benches and bins. Next up, eliminating the front porch, covering the gap between the stair cases with some strip of wood or something. Then I'm going to decorate the outside and do some landscaping, just to see where they leads me. I still have no real idea what the top of this thing will look like but these projects feed on themselves, so I'm hoping the exterior work will give me some ideas. I had only a vague idea of what this building would be shaped like to start with, and no idea at all for its interior, but one thing just led to another. Then after that, it's burying all this stuff forever under the 2nd floor....
