I have about 1800 rides in rtc2. I would say about ten percent are actually converting.

Usuing the tool, I am testing them in sandbox. I have found several reasons rides do not convert and thought it might save time for some if I listed those reasons.

1. In general the rides from tt and ww do not convert--my guess is that cars are not available--there are a few exceptions.

2. In some cases, even great 2 coasters--ride physics are different and momentum is just not getting cars back up hills at the end of coasters--that is getting several of spunk's coasters. I don't know who made it, but I use a coaster called quadraangle a lot in 2--the cars won't even go up the first hill in 3.

3. Some coasters that run, are not usable because the space needed for the ride exit and pathing is greater in 3 and you flat can't find a place for them both with a way to build paths out. That also "got" a few of spunk's coasters.

4. Some coasters in 3 the ride statistics change so much that they become worthless. A launched of some kind by Jim with the numbers--who builds great coasters by the way--call abstract confusion--is another 2 coaster I frequently use. It's excitement rating does down to .22 and its intensity rating went up over 18.0. Obviously no reason to save it for 3 since even the loony peeps in 3 won't get on the coaster.

On a positive--a coaster abandoned mine--that is pretty ordinary in 2--the peeps in 3 love it and it makes money hand over fist.

Yeah it is harder to make coasters for 3 in my opinion and these are some reasons why it is hard for people like me who are used to making 2 coasters. It is a great idea for you to post these and I just want to add one thing and that is that woodies stop and dont go around a turn right after the lift hill like in 2 becuase of the physics differences. This gets a few of my coaster designs.

I haven't even attempted making coasters yet. In fact, I've kinda given up on the game for right now. Going from having it all to having nothing just stinks. The kicker is, everyone else is having the same problems we're having. the complaints about this game are all over Atari's forums. I don't think anyone at Atari is even reading them though.

I don't build well, but I did try a couple in 3 and did discover you cant put that turn at the top of the lift hill. I have no idea why?

I made a splash boat ride for 3 in the ride editor thing. It worked, but first, you can't put as many boats on--probably could not use them anyway since the load time is so slow.

Second, this would have had much better entertainment stats in 2--I can build splash boats well--one of my few talents.

But it only had a 4 plus in 3 even with many drops and go throughs.

I've tried converting a few of my tracks too. Things like the hedge maze & mini golf have not been able to import so far. Why? I've tried a few coasters. I did have problems with a few. I was able to see where it wouldn't go through the final hill & fix it, but it changes the coaster.

I'm stepping up on the soapbox, now. What the heck did they to do the mouse coaster?!?! They made them in TRAINS for goodness sake. Who's ever seen a mouse coaster with more than one car in a train? What the heck? Plus, I tried one of my "better" mouse coasters from RCT2, I got lousy stats in RCT3.

I imported a cheshire cat ride. The stats were way better than what I had in RCT2. Even unthemed. What's up with that?

At least its still running...so far! <Stepping down from soapbox>

Splash boats run in trains also unless you reset train length to ONE. Strange to see a train of splash boats go down a big hill.


Have these designers ever BEEN to a theme park?

After reading so many complaints about RCT3, I kind of glad that I had to return it because my computer couldn't run it.

Now that is an idea! I'll return it because my computer can't run it!!!! Maybe they'll let me pick The Sims 2 instead!

I plan on tinkering with coaster conversion later this week. I found a trainer for the game but all that does is give you money.

The second patch comes out tomorrow. Maybe that will help.

Well, it sounds to me like a majority of the complaints are due to the change in ride physics. I may be bringing up old news, but patch 2 supposedly has fixed all of this with a 'no ride friction' option. To give up a game because you seem to lack the imagination to build new rollercoasters rather than import old ones is a lame excuse. Another complaint about trains on splash boats is just silly. You can't be that lazy to not bother changing the trains to your specifications. I think, as unrealistic as it is, the programmers have opened up options. Why are you complaining about that. Sometimes I wish the tendency of the human race to complain would disappear; people almost always complain about the dumbest things (in a twist of fate, I'm a hypocrit in the fact I'm complaining about complaining...go figure ).

OK, rant over, but why can't people just be happy with what they have. Weigh the options, and choose what you want...don't whine.

I think the complaints are more about the lack of testing on the part of developers as adequate testing would have solved a great many of these problems before the game was released. A large number of folks are going to buy this game sight unseen and come away feeling let down once they have loaded it. To add insult to injury, most won't be able to return "opened software."

I got the game as a gift but I am dissappointed nonetheless. I have a right to expect quality for my hard earned dollars. I believe many people din't get the quality they expected. That is not a complaint. It's just a fact. Needless to say, I spend more time playing 2 than 3.

I respect what you are saying coasterfrk, but I have to also disagree with you on one important point...people didn't get this game for free, they paid money for it, and as consumers they certainly have the right to comment about what they see as shortcomings in the game.

"Being happy with what we have" doesn't work in the real world, if it did we'd still be driving Model T Ford's and watching the 30th year of the Brady Bunch on TV.

Any business must respond to the opinions and comments of the public towards it's products, or it will soon find that no one is buying them. I think it's safe to say that a great many people have been disappointed with RCT3, and unless their voices are heard no improvements will be made. That's not 'whining'...that's constructive comments about a product that does not meet consumer expectations.

If RCT3 meets your expectations, that's wonderful, you certainly are not alone. But others have a legit point of view that differs.

Also please remember that there are a large number of players, such as myself, who have no desire to design our own coasters. Not all of us play the game for the same reason, I like it for the park building and structures, not designing coasters. That's not 'lack of imagination'...that's lack of interest. So there IS a reason why some of us would want the ability to import more designs by others.

I consider myself to be a pretty good coaster builder and it really bugged me that I would build a coaster in RCT3, put it in a park, and watch 10 people line up for it. Then after a while nobody would ride it.

So I quit playing the game and just built coasters for a while but I got tired of the rough transitions to/from banked corners and a few other places. It wasn't fun riding my coasters.

And I never could theme them because scenery is so hard to place.

So I put the game away.

I haven't installed patch 2 yet. I'll probably wait until patch 3 before trying again. But since the flaws in the game are so fundamental to it I doublt I'll ever enjoy it.

The reason people are "complaining" is cause Atari didnt do the job they were supposed to do. Its not like these problems were out of their control. These problems could have been fixed by simply testing the game. Telling Atari that they need to test their games is like telling a mailman hes got to deliver the mail! Its just common sense. "Stupid" mistakes are the ones people "complain" about the most.

I've actually started making a park in 3. I've been so busy with 2 and the game takes ages to load and even longer to build stuff in that it has and entrance, couple of shops and 2 rides (Merry-go-round and a Boomerang). Also I don't have the same urge to play 3 as I do for 2. Don't know why, I just don't seem to want to dive onto RCT3 the moment I have some free time. At the moment I'm working on a lot of club stuff for RCT2 which also has the advantage of having quarter blocks (which of course Atari didn't add despite being asked several times). Maybe someday I'll get round to working on my RCT3 park. If I do I'll be sure to post some screenies.

I tried making a park in 3 but I have only figured out how to landscape well and also my Videocard meets the requirements (ATI Radeon 9200 32mb) but since it was at the bottom of the specs when I zoomed out I didnt see my coaster, just shadows. That made it really hard to make coasters and then take an overview screesnshot. So for not being able to work with my VC (I have a laptop can't change it) and the lack of Custom scenery I rarely play it.

Patch 2 has saved many rides.

Still a problem that the new game requires more clearance for pathing so some compact rides just won't let you place entry and extis.

I don't build coaster--not why I play the game, but I have a great library from some the the greatest designers in the community.


It is disturbing that you can only run one train and have to wait a ton of time because the peeps just don't get on the rides.

Also, on the boat rides if you set them as singles you just don't get enough boats available to make the ride profitable. These were the cash cows of II and I can build them pretty well.

I like to make not competition parks--just nice scenarios. I don't like the wierd theming--just county fairs, beachside boardwalks, and some abstract, so I was highly disappointed that just the more cartoonish themeing was carried over.

I do play with 3 more all the time, mainly in sandbox, but still wish they had just kept the best of 2 alive in the new game.

I'm personally against the new Low-Friction feature in RCT3. The new physics in RCT3 are much more realistic than the one in RCT2 and going back to the RCT2 physics seems a little "cartoony" to me.

Well, they've left it as an option at least so you don't have to use it. One aspect of the physics I don't like is the 'powered launch' block brakes. I feel they are a little silly.

Reading all of this makes me think...should I or should I not get the game?? Tough, tough decisions!...

My regular computer won't run RCT3, but I was going to buy it for my laptop. Maybe it's good that I didn't. I did play the demo, and I didn't think much of it. Like everyone says. It's not as easy to create the coasters, in my opinion. Does anyone think the game is worth getting?

-dkimber

I bought the game as a christmas present for my sons and because I felt I might like it too. For myself: I had major problems with steering the view with the mouse wheel, and this resulted in pain in my arm which was worrying me because I need to study on my guitar everyday for 1-2 hours for my music academy study, and I experienced pain while playing the guitar. That never happened before in all the years I've been playing.
So I quit playing RCT3, but my sons play it regularly and they like it. My oldest son is building coasters quite easily. The game should be really enjoyable when you have the patch; there seems to be no European patch available yet and we don't like the fact that the peeps seem to queue only for a slide and not for nice coasters, and other bugs like that the stats are not right or just changing over time.

I keep playing it--mainly in sandbox--and find it really hard to build buildings. After a while you get used to the camera and mouse.


I really like the trees and the way they sway and the sky at the edges.

I really don't like that even with the patch peeps just don't like rides very much. Flats actually do better than the coasters.

Good to see they've got programmers busy on the expansion pack instead of play-testing the game and fixing the fundamental problems with game play.

I suspect it's a monetary reason. Why should they fix bugs (which cost them money) when they could make an expansion in that time that will make them money? TBH I suspect Atari ignore enthusiasts like us. They'd prefer to make gimmicks to make you buy the game, play it for a while, get bored or sick of the bugs and buy the expansion with a new gimmick/their latest release, thus keeping the money flowing in to their coffers. I would suspect that rather than seeing us as fans, they see us as bad customers. After all we keep playing the same game rather than buying their latest release. In fact that could be why it was made impossible to add customer content to RCT3, to try and make us get bored of the game quicker. It also would explain why the repeat askings for quarter blocks in RCT3 were ignored. Yep, I know I'm cynical but it's just my personal opinion

I agree with your cynicism, Dave. And I don't agree with the ride physics change. People who wanted to carry their rct2 library of coasters over to rct3 now have to build an entire new library. that will take ages!

Ok, I am finally having some luck getting the people to keep riding the rides. This time instead of building what I like to--and sometimes that involves mixing things up since I don't like ANY of the theme components in 3--I started a heavily themed adventure park in sandbox. I am even using the adventure fences for the lines, plants everywhere, and although I steal all my rides--themeing them to the best my feeble efforts can. I even built a sultans ruins of sort to hide the restroom.

It is tough because there are problems building close to pathing. Plus the scenery is tough to use. But I am on year 4 and the rides are staying full. I used one of Spunks dragon coasters, the woodie called driftwood ex and one from the CPC? pack of coasters. All are raking in money and people even after four years.

Problem is this is not a park I would like--I like lots of flower, color, canvas tents, and beachy stuff. But making it this way does get the peeps "happy" with the rides and foodbooths. I am not good at theming but it is getting the peeps on the rides.

Plus I have not found a way to make two stations work. I am losing some great coasters I have stolen through the years for this reason.

Oh, that one! That's part of my "EX" series - "Extreme" series for peeps that prefer high intensity rides. I modified the Driftwood coaster that comes with the game to make it more intense. Is is still intense in RCT3? I would hope so.

I don't have RCT3, and have no overwhelming desire to get it. Making a mediocre product results in lost sales from peeps like me. Perhaps once its in the markdown bin I'll pick it up.

I think the real problem with RCT3's development is that the development team was simply the wrong team for the job. Programming is a different skill than entertaining, and it takes unique individuals to do both.

And while I'm on the soapbox....I've noticed recently a few software projects that were "outsourced" have been brought back. Software generally requires some degree of communication with the user, and is partially cultural. Offshore developers may have comparable technical skills to domestic developers, but cultural differences may create a barrier to successful development.

It is not as extreme in three. Ride stats are strange and almost none of the mouse coasters or powered launch ones convert--the intensity goes into the upper teens.

I just started a second one using the pirate part of adventure theming and so far the guests are riding the rides there also.

Think is, I don't really like either one.

Plus the only ones left to use are the western and I don't care for that in 2 even and the space one. There are some good plants in the scifi collection but that is all I like about it.

I had always used default before and the guests never get too excited regardless.

They like this adventure stuff.

Well I was planning a quick convert of my cloned coaster pack but it looks like thats not going to work after a trial with both the Jetstars. The Jetstar 2 won't even get to the lift hill. I think the friction is a little too heavily applied in RCT3 although the low friction mode helps. You don't have to use it if you don't want too. I do like the scenary more now, you have more flexabily than meets the eye although I do miss TT's quarter blocks and a lot of the staionary quarter tile stuff. I'm actually slowly building a fairly nice park now, although it is fairly small (2 rides and a lot of shops, in 3 themed areas at the moment). I'll post some screens once I've done the logo for the park. The peeps deciding how much they like the theming according to a formula should be removed, I decide what looks good and if I want to combine two theme's too create a new theme that's my opinion whether it looks good. And finally although the peep AI is improved over RCT2 I found that they still haven't covered basic firework safety. Remember kids, always stand 10ft away from a lit firework!