Rollercoaster Tycoon

[T Pot]

Here's a 10min or so gameplay footage of it:

In March they are upgrading it to unity 5. There's rumblings of a port to tablets with full functionality after the PC version is finished.

[Bojangle]

Given that it looks almost identical to RCT3, I suppose you're right.

Well I meant with it having the isometric view 'n all. RCT 3 never clicked with me personally, I felt like it lost a lot in the transition to 3D, so for me, it's the RCT 3 I wished for but never got.

[T Pot]

You can force ISO on RCT3. I still play it regularly, it's the only game installed on my mac. Although I need to get a good tutorial on setting up RCT2 on it. I've heard it's possible but never looked into it.

[Bojangle]

Yeah, I've tried that but there's just something about the game that doesn't gel with me. I just end up playing RCT 1 or 2 again.

[Professor Rob]

Well I meant with it having the isometric view 'n all. RCT 3 never clicked with me personally, I felt like it lost a lot in the transition to 3D, so for me, it's the RCT 3 I wished for but never got.

Fair enough. Even if it is identical to RCT3 that still means it'll be great, and I'm looking forward to it.

[Bojangle]

Fair enough. Even if it is identical to RCT3 that still means it'll be great, and I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not saying RCT 3 is awful or anything like that, it most definitely isn't. I just prefer playing 1+2, even if they're more limited when it comes to coaster designs.

[Professor Rob]

I was a bit of a late-comer to the series, with RCT3 being the first one I played. I might go back and give the others a try.

[T Pot]

2 is the peak.

[T Pot]

For those of you that were interested in this, someone on the RCT forums did a bit of research. It doesn't sound good. Oh Atari, what have you done.

Who is Area 52?Ok the teaser trailer triggered me to do some research on Area 52 games, as they are responsible for developing the game after Pipeworks left.

Founded: 2013
Employees: 11-50
LinkedIn description: We are an interactive game studio focusing on free to play games for mobile and PC platforms in the Pacific Northwest. Our team of top notch talent have worked on some of the most beloved games in the industry and we're hiring! Please check out www.area52games.com/category/careers/ for more information.

The studio is focused on free to play games for mobile and PC platforms, claiming to have worked on "some of the most beloved games in the industry". What games and which talents? Let's take a look at the known Area 52 team.

CEO: Jason Robar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrobar),
Specialties:Free to Play / Browser Based
Games based on Brands / IP
Online Gaming (MMP/MMOG, Mobile, Console and PC)
Overseas development (China, Korea, Russia, India)
Casual Games
Advertising-based Game Development
Serious Games / Games for Learning, Education and Training

His linkedIn tells us he founded a lot of studio's which I personally don't know. I can not find a proper game he worked on... His specialties are also not really what we would expect from a RCTW developer. It has "mobile and casual" all over it.

6 other employees are listed on LinkedIn of which I can't see the profile, but I can see their functions:
https://www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?f..._deg_connected
- COO
- Chief Games Officer
- VP of Marketing & Community (I'm sure she is on a 6 month vacation or something)
- Principal Engineer
- Sr. Staff Engineer
- Office Manager

That's it, only 7 employees on LinkedIn. So what about other social / web media?
Twitter: Last post from August 2014, containing a photo of a fridge and somebody's drawing over it (?)
Facebook: Last post from 16 December 2014, announcing the RCTW collaboration with Atari, 55 likes and 12 comments. Some comments asked for updates, no reply.
News: 24 May 2014, Star Wars Attack Squadrons cancelled by Area 52 Games. "The studio announced that it has shuttered the free-to-play space combat title to focus on other Star Wars projects." What other projects? The only projects shown on their website or found anywhere else is RCTW.
Website: http://www.area52games.com/, Not really much to look at. Last update on their blog from June 6th 2014, only containing that everybody should read their blog for more updates. The only games they are working on is RCTW. The news section (head page) doesn't really show any information besides how they have interns and an announcement they are working on RCTW.

I could not find any other social media or any other news items.

So what else?
Apparently their office is located here: https://www.google.nl/maps/place/371...d3507fad1f6141
(source: http://www.bloomberg.com/research/st...apId=249858879)
That doesn't really say anything, but I figured I could just post is here for information.

Concluding
There is very little to be found on Area52 games and it's employees. They don't seem to care a lot about marketing and community since their social media accounts have been silent for half a year now. They also don't seem to care to update anything on their website (which is of course a company's digital contact card). There are not a lot of people working at Area52. Their specialty is "free to play games for mobile and PC platforms". On a more personal note: Do I think Area52 can create a proper new installment of our beloved Rollercoaster Tycoon series? No I think not. They do not show any experience in creating games whatsoever. The teaser trailer (if showing current game status) shows they have completely destroyed everything Pipeworks has worked on.

[Captain Kelsten]

I liked the roller coaster tycoon games, but I'd spend hours designing awesome parks and coasters that no one would ever go on as they were too scary.

[Rob Rymond]

One of my favourite PC games was RCT2. But looks awful. I just want a decent modern isometic RCT2.

[Bojangle]

I was a bit of a late-comer to the series, with RCT3 being the first one I played. I might go back and give the others a try.

I think maybe it's a bit like your first Zelda game being your favourite. For me I was there right from the beginning. I remember getting a 30 minute demo of the original RCT in an issue of PC gamer and I'm not exaggerating when I say I probably spent over a hundred hours just replaying that demo and trying out a bunch of different things each time. I remember my step dad taking me to the local HMV at Easter and buying me the gigantic box for RCT and it was pretty much the only thing I played for the next few years. Added Atttractions and then Loopy Landscapes on top of that was just the perfect theme park game for me. As good as RCT 2 was it just never felt the same as the original to me, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

[Rob Rymond]

I think maybe it's a bit like your first Zelda game being your favourite. For me I was there right from the beginning. I remember getting a 30 minute demo of the original RCT in an issue of PC gamer and I'm not exaggerating when I say I probably spent over a hundred hours just replaying that demo and trying out a bunch of different things each time. I remember my step dad taking me to the local HMV at Easter and buying me the gigantic box for RCT and it was pretty much the only thing I played for the next few years. Added Atttractions and then Loopy Landscapes on top of that was just the perfect theme park game for me. As good as RCT 2 was it just never felt the same as the original to me, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Actually now you mention it, the original with the expansions was probably the best especially for the 'real park recreations'. I spent hours on Alton Towers tinkering with it. RCT2 improved some of the options for rides etc which I enjoyed and unlock more stuff but I guess for sheer gameplay and levels it was the first with expansions.

[Bojangle]

Some of the stuff people managed to create with the limited scenery and tools at hand was just incredible. I think that was one thing that set the original+expansions apart from RCT 2 in which people could just import items created outside of the game, whereas with RCT 1 everything was created in game (and then sometimes with the use of trainers and hex editing for certain ride/coaster types).

[T Pot]

Well I think Atari have dungoofed.

Late last week MattLab (Atari Staff) came on the RCT forums to say the god awful trailer was from old footage (About 6 month old) and there was a reason they used it. He said this would be explained in a blog post on Monday.

Monday came, nothing.

On Tuesday he posted again saying there was a delay, and it would go live on Wednesday.

Wednesday came, nothing.

He's been online multiple times since, but Atari have gone silent. Any thread made regarding Blog #5, rivals such as Parkitect, or questioning Pipeworks & Area 52 is locked without warning. Looks like RCT is dead.

LONG LIVE PARKITECT!

[Ketchup]

There can't be any good reason to use it. What happened to rct mobile? Did it ever come out? As I thought the pc version was originally going to be a port of that.

[Lorfarius]

What is all this 3D bollocks? Why don't they just do a Transport Tycoon and release the older versions, I'd buy that on iPad.

[deerokus]

The old ones are on GOG. I wouldn't trust them not to do an EA with a tablet release of the old ones.

[T Pot]

RCT Mobile (The idea of a port of the original) was scrapped. We got RCT4 Mobile. Some shite F2P game. Even worse, originally you had to buy it, and it still had the limits of a F2P game. It's a mess.

[Paulando]

I'd pay £££s for an iPad port of the original. It's pretty much the only reason I have Windows in Bootcamp on my Mac.

[T Pot]

Uh Oh. Got a feeling RCT might be on its deathbed...

Area 52 Games (The developers with no history except one cancelled game) website has been offline for weeks now. Their logo is missing from the game forum. People over there have done a bit of investigating too, and many of people connected to Area 52 have left within the last two months. There's been no communication on the social media for months, and non for a few weeks on the forum (Which was essentially, we've said it will be out early 2015 for a while, now we are saying mid 2015, but actually it's far from done and were still in the concept stage, and won't release it till it's ready, which could be 2016).

It's kinda sad that 3 young lads with a copy of unity are doing better making Parkitect than Atari are at making the sequel of a 16 year old series.

I'm calling it. RCT. 1999 - 2015

[deerokus]

Atari are barely much more than three guys with a lawyer at this point.

[Timmo]

I liked the roller coaster tycoon games, but I'd spend hours designing awesome parks and coasters that no one would ever go on as they were too scary.

Those coasters weren't awesome, man. If you make a coaster too fast and intense it's not enjoyable. You can still make a really long coaster and aim to get an extreme or ultra extreme excitment rating, just dson't make it too quick and make sure all turns are suitably banked.

[BeeJay]

The original is still brilliant and will feature in my top games of all time list when I make it. My daughter and I did play rct3 a bit last year and it is a decent game but a modern update would be good.

Edit: With VR headset for riding the coasters obviously.

[T Pot]

[RubberJohnny]

Aren't Frontier working on a Rollercoaster Tycoon successor? They've lost the original license, but aiming for the sort of Cities:Skylines to Ataris Simcity.

[T Pot]

Yep. Coaster Park Tycoon.

As my initial fears, it looks like RCTW is going through Dev hell:

Dear RollerCoaster Tycoon World Fans,

I know it has been some time since my last blog post yet we wanted to be far enough along with new developments before providing updates; now is the perfect time to share. Thanks for your patience.

As many of you know, this past fall the game moved from Pipeworks to a new developer – Area 52 Games. We brought them in to focus on core engine development. In order to accomplish many of the great things we have planned for the game, we needed this work first so that development could later continue on not only the engine, but also on gameplay, content, and graphics. Following this effort, RollerCoaster Tycoon World is now in its next phase of development and on its way to release.

A new team is now in charge, and has been for quite some time. You have not yet seen any of the work delivered by this new team since the trailer was prepared using one of the last builds done by Area 52 Games. Before you ask, we are not announcing the name of this new team today. Our reason is simple: right now, they are laser-focused on a key upcoming milestone and we are keeping distractions to a minimum. Our previous developers received tons of fan emails and social media posts (which we love) as well as phone calls and in a few instances even more extreme requests! Once this milestone is delivered, the pressure will ease a little and we will introduce the team.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the game has undergone a significant upgrade to Unity 5, and we are very excited about it. This next-gen engine now allows us to do much more with the game, such as displaying many more objects, polygons, and simulations on screen. We have always kept room for improvement and we can say that a number of your suggestions (those that were not in earlier builds) are being implemented now. Those improvements will be announced soon.

From a schedule standpoint, we are on track for a release this year. It has been more than 10 years since the last PC RCT game and we are committed to releasing an amazing AAA game that lays a new foundation for the future of the franchise. Game development is a journey and it is not without its bumps in the road.

Until the next major production blog, see you on the forums so keep the suggestions coming; the game designers and production team love reading what you write! And of course as soon as I have fully polished next-gen in-game assets I will share them.

That is them now on their 3rd set of developers since September. Mental.

[MK-1601]

What is all this 3D bollocks? Why don't they just do a Transport Tycoon and release the older versions, I'd buy that on iPad.

Because Atari have the rights to the Rollercoaster Tycoon trademark, but not any of the code or assets of the original games.

There is no chance that whatever Atari put out under the RCT name won't be shit. The fact that they won't even name the developer is a sure sign of quality.

[Scribblor]

Just bought Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe off GOG for £3.99. Haven't ever played it before. Was surprised and pleased to find that it was a Chris Sawyer game, as TTD is one of my favourite ever games.

Enjoying it so far, but having a real problem with building queue lanes. They keep joining up to paths I don't want them to join up to. The only way I seem to be able to do them properly is to delete the path they're near, build the queue and then remake the path. Is there any other way of doing it?

[Wallace]

Just bought Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe off GOG for £3.99. Haven't ever played it before. Was surprised and pleased to find that it was a Chris Sawyer game, as TTD is one of my favourite ever games.

Enjoying it so far, but having a real problem with building queue lanes. They keep joining up to paths I don't want them to join up to. The only way I seem to be able to do them properly is to delete the path they're near, build the queue and then remake the path. Is there any other way of doing it?

Good man. What a game.

From memory that is the only way to do it. But it's the most fun part of the game! I love zigzag queues.