Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 (RCT3) has recently been released for the Mac. Yes, it took until version 3 for Apple users to be able to build their own roller coasters and amusement parks (the game began on a PC) without turning on Virtual PC, but was it worth the wait?
Most people who know me know how I like amusement parks and world's fairs. I'm the type of weirdo that, for example, enjoyed reading a book on world's fair management by Lenox Lohr, an Army Major who organized Chicago's "Century of Progress" in the early 1930's and wrote guidebook for future fair organizers telling of every detail. I study why people go out, public amusements, theme park design, and park history.
My sister knows me pretty well and purchased a copy of the RCT3 software for me for Christmas. The first thing I noticed was that it was clearly not developed on a Mac. Simple, standard commands like "save," and "undo" where not supported - instead there were menu options. The software takes over the system, too, so you are either using it or not. I have found no simple way to run it in a window while doing other work. I'm willing to forgive these things to design roller coasters, though, so on we go.
There are two basic ways to approach RCT3. One is to progress through 17 levels of objective-based scenarios from Apprentice to Tycoon. Goals include things like increasing attendance, remaining profitable, and park expansion. The second mode is called "sandbox" and allows for building and construction with unlimited time and money. The game also comes with a few tutorials to get you going with the basic concepts.
The interface and menu graphics are again, un-Mac-like, upping the learning curve a bit. The way to quit, for example, is to go to the red button in the middle of the menu that has a door on it. Text boxes, when selected, don't select all of the text for editing - one must do the old "delete, delete, delete, delete... type, type, type, type" method. And not all of the commands printed in the fairly useful user manual work. Pressing "T" does not toggle anything, despite claims otherwise.
The game graphics are great. Imagine a huge piece of land that you are hovering above. You can zoom in or out as much as you like, and spin the property like a lazy susan. You can make mountains and hills. You can create valleys, lakes, and rivers. You can lay paths, build stairs and bridges, and do landscaping.
The game excels at 3-D "cartoon" realism. You can go in, on, around, and through everything you see. You watch park visitors - the "peeps" - as they go on rides, and hear when they scream. Wind blows through trees you plant. Day changes to night and park lights come on. You can program a fireworks show to go off each night. Double clicking on a ride gives you a chance to ride it yourself, and the attention to detail is great. Log flumes splash water at the bottom of big drops. The tea cup ride makes you dizzy. The glass windows on the monorail reflect flares from the sun.
From menus, you can select all sorts of amusement park pieces to purchase and deploy - everything from kiddie rides to thrill rides, coasters and log flumes, food stalls, souvenir shops, park benches, lighting, restrooms, trash cans, signs, and employees. Some are pre-made and ready to ride, other require that you lay track, build stations, add entrances and exits, and test the ride before opening it to your park's patrons.
Testing an unfinished coaster was quite realistic. I half-built a large wooden coaster and decided to take it for a spin before it was done. I rode around the track, enjoying myself until the end of the track was in sight. I assumed it would come to a stop and tell me to finish the coaster. Nope. I went full speed down a hill, off the track, kicking up dust as I slid in the car toward the wall ahead of me. The coaster car crashed, and blew up. Oops.
Once tested, you can open your creations to the park visitors and they start riding them. At any time, you can check to see what each "peep" is thinking to get feedback from customers. There is also a roving park inspector that you'll run into from time to time as he makes comments and suggestions for improvements.
Knowledge of simple physics is required to create a successful coaster. The second hill can't be taller than the first unless there is a chain lift mechanism to get it up there. Flaws in design will be evident during test runs, and some adjustments may be necessary to get the right mix of excitement while giving the train cars the propulsion they need to make it back to the station. I was getting ambitious with one design and the cars couldn't quite make it up the final hill - so the train started to roll backward, then forward, and so on like a pendulum coming to a rest. A few edits and it was able to complete the circuit.
The sounds are great, too. There is a mixture of ambient park sounds, nature sounds (ducks fly over and stop in lakes you build), ride music, and ride sound effects. The creaking of the old coaster, the whoosh of well-oiled steel tube coasters, or the running water of the river rapids all has been included. One odd but useful nod to Mac users - you can create a special playlist in iTunes that RCT3 will allow you to access from within the game, so you can customize music that pays throughout your park.
Despite a few complaints about the software, RCT3 is way too much fun. It must be used with moderation, or it will interfere with your life - taking you in and never letting you go. Should I take out the garbage or build an inverted flying coaster and take it for a test ride? Should I read these documents, or perhaps lay new track for a steam engine loop around the park? You can see that decisions must be made.
This game, along with many others I've seen out there, are getting to be very sophisticated. The level of detail, precision, and simulation has come a long way in the last 10 years, and computers are finally reaching the level where NASA moonshot mission simulations can be handled with a cellphone.
In one direction we see games of violence reaching new levels of realism. In another, we have simulations and creations. What is evident is that the tools exist for amazing new approaches to education, but for the most part these tools are being wasted on entertainment. With a bit of reworking, for example, RCT could be useful in a science class. Add a few tools for measuring velocity, etc. and take out a bit of the fluff and you have an engaging science module. Sure, it could be used as is, but the entertainment would interfere.
Imagine if there was a town planning game, where the landscape of Brattleboro was loaded in, and people could experiment and play with different scenarios by building new buildings, restoring old ones, changing rents and parking fees, and watching how the town's "peeps" respond. We could have students playing, learning, and experimenting to find the best solutions to community planning. (I would argue that this software should allow for the building of monorails, of course...)
If you are the type that dreams of running your own amusement park, give RCT a try. It costs less than taking the family to a real park, and you have control over how long you wait in lines.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 for the Mac is published by Aspyr (and Frontier, and Atari) and requires a minimum of OS 10.3.9, and a 1Ghz G4/G5 processor with 256mb ram.