RollerCoaster Tycoon World

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RollerCoaster Tycoon World
RollerCoaster Tycoon World cover art.jpg
Cover art
Developer(s) Nvizzio Creations
Publisher(s)
Composer(s) Maxime Goulet
Series RollerCoaster Tycoon
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release16 November 2016
Genre(s) Construction and management simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

RollerCoaster Tycoon World is a theme park construction and management simulation video game developed by Nvizzio Creations and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth major installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. The game was released on 16 November 2016 to largely negative reviews.

Contents

Gameplay

Players are able to build rides, shops and roller coasters, while monitoring elements such as budget, visitor happiness and technology research. Unlike RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile , the game does not include any micro-transactions. [1] Similar to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 , the game features 3D graphics instead of the 2D isometric style of the first two installments in the series. When building roller coasters, the game makes use of a spline system instead of the old style of laying individual pieces. Players are also allowed to "ride" the roller coasters they have created, and other rides they have placed in their park in the game, in either a first or third-person view. A new 'Park Pulse' mechanic was also introduced, allowing players to quickly find out how their park is doing and the customers' thoughts, similar to Zoo Tycoon titles. [2]

The game contains several scenery and ride themes at launch, with more in development that will be released via free updates and paid expansion packs. [3] [4] The game also introduces an "Architect mode", allowing players to plan and layout the coaster's model before constructing the coasters. Similar to the past installments, there are four different types of coasters available to build: steel, inverted, wooden, and launch-track coasters. In addition, there are ten roller coasters per type. Coasters can be built freeform or the player can place pre-made designs into their park. [5] Unlike in the previous games, the roller coaster train may fly off the tracks if the roller coaster is built incorrectly. As a result, a new "safety-rating" option and medical staff has been added. User-generated content (including custom scenery) was available from release, as well as Steam Workshop support. [6] While terrain and environments are randomly generated in a map, players can still gain access to a terrain editor. [7]

Development

When Atari announced RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile , they also promised that a title for Windows was also being developed. [8] The game was officially announced during Gamescom 2014 with a teaser trailer, subtitled World. [9] The first screenshots and details of the game were revealed during PAX Prime 2014. Part way through development, Area 52 Games took over as the developer of the game from Pipeworks Software. The reasoning behind this has not yet been published by Atari, who announced the change along with the relaunch of the RollerCoaster Tycoon website. The game was due for release in early 2015, although it was revealed that they would not announce an official launch date until closer to the release of the game. [10] A closed alpha was also in development. [7] A new trailer showing gameplay was uploaded on 5 March 2015, showing an intro featuring real life POV footage of Goliath and Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain. [11]

Atari later revealed that a third developer had taken over from Area 52 Games, later confirmed to be Nvizzio Creations. [12] At the NVIDIA booth on PAX Prime 2015, Atari unveiled interactive gameplay for the game showing off their development build that featured coaster building and sandbox mode. On 29 September 2015, it was announced the release date would be 10 December 2015. [13] [14] Two beta weekends preceded the release of the game. The first beta weekend was the last weekend of October and this beta was focused on the new spline-based Coaster Builder. [15] The first beta weekend took place as planned. However, feedback from this beta weekend led to Atari deciding to delay the game's release to early 2016. [16] The developer noted the additional development time would allow them to add requested items and features such as "predefined piece" coaster building, additional coaster test feedback, a robust fencing tool, improved on-demand grid, and various smaller improvements."[ citation needed ] Consequently, the second beta weekend was also delayed from November to December. [17]

Release

Atari had decided that its theme park game, RollerCoaster Tycoon World, would be launched into Early Access on 30 March, instead of going with a full release. The early access release was met with negative reviews, mostly complaining about the poor graphics, coaster builder, lack of detail, and ride animations. [18] In November 2016, Atari announced that the game would be released on November 16, 2016, one day before the release of Planet Coaster , a spiritual successor to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 developed and published by the same studio that made the latter, Frontier Developments. [19]

The game was available for both standard and deluxe editions. The deluxe edition contained two additional maps, terrain texture additions, a digital art book, a gold park entrance, and the panda mascot from the previous games. [20] [21]

Reception

Pre-release

A trailer released by Atari containing gameplay of RollerCoaster Tycoon World was received poorly by critics and fans. [24] [25] [26] Some critics noted that the game appears graphically worse than 2004's RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and that it "looks little better than a basic mobile game." [27] Atari later issued a statement that the game was still in "pre-alpha" stages, and that the graphics were not yet coded to their full resolution and would also receive a major overhaul when the game's engine is upgraded from Unity 4.6 to Unity 5.0. They also promised that the new visuals would be of higher definition and higher level of realism. [28]

Release

The release of RollerCoaster Tycoon World was met with negative reactions by critics. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game holds a score of 43 out of 100, based on seven reviews. [22]

Eurogamer suggested to avoid the game, calling the game a "machine designed to fleece your pockets and offer the bare minimum in return." [23]

TechRaptor rated the game a 1/10, citing the large interface and variety of bugs and glitches within the game. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating Transport Tycoon, which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon</i> Video game series

RollerCoaster Tycoon is a series of construction and management simulation games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allowing players to construct and customize their own unique roller coasters and other thrill rides.

<i>Theme Park</i> (video game) 1994 video game

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<i>Chris Sawyers Locomotion</i> 2004 video game

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<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon 3</i> Amusement park construction and management simulation video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, and was developed by Frontier Developments and published by Atari Interactive. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 places players in charge of managing amusement parks; rides can be built or demolished, terrain and scenery can be adjusted, and prices can be controlled to keep visitors happy.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon 2</i> 2002 video game

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<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon</i> (video game) 1999 video game

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<i>Thrillville</i> 2006 video game

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<i>Theme Park Inc</i> 2001 video game

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<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D</i> 2012 video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D is a 2012 construction and management simulation game developed by n-Space and published by Atari for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a spin-off of the RollerCoaster Tycoon and its first portable game.

<i>Theme Park Studio</i> 2016 video game

Theme Park Studio is an amusement park simulator game developed by Pantera Entertainment. The project began seeking funding on Kickstarter in 2013 and has been released in phases since February 2014. It allows users to design and build their own theme parks featuring roller coasters and flat rides; similar to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. The game utilizes Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and OSVR to allow users to experience roller coasters in a virtual reality format.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile</i> 2014 video game

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">OpenRCT2</span> 2014 game

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<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic</i> 2016 video game

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<i>Planet Coaster 2</i> 2024 video game by Frontier Developments

Planet Coaster 2 is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments. It is a sequel to Planet Coaster (2016). The game was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on 6 November 2024.

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