| RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
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First Released |
2004 |
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Developer |
Frontier Developments |
|
Publisher |
Atari |
|
Music |
Alistair Lindsay |
|
Platforms |
Windows - Mac OS X |
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Official Website |
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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (commonly abbreviated as RCT3), is a strategy and simulation computer game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, first released on October 26, 2004 in North America.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 features two methods of gameplay; In career mode, players must complete predetermined objectives in pre-designed scenarios. In the new sandbox mode, players have unlimited time and money to create their own custom parks. New features include the ability to import and export custom attractions, design custom scenarios and people (which are referred to as "peeps"), as well as design an in-game recorder and a fully three dimensional world players can view from all angles.
A coaster made in RCT with custom trains and scenery.
Like the previous games in the series, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a strategy and simulation game in which players manage all aspects of an amusement park by building or removing rides, scenery and amenities, adjusting the park's finances, hiring staff, and keeping the park visitors happy. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 features two main game modes. The career mode features scenarios where players must accomplish goals, such as impressing a visiting celebrity (called a "VIPeep) or attaining a certain park rating. Each scenario has three levels of objectives, which are ranked as Apprentice, Entrepreneur, and Tycoon; the higher the level, the more challenging the goal is to complete. A third of the scenarios are playable from the start, with the rest unlocked when the player completes the objectives at each level. The second mode of play is the sandbox mode. Players are given a large, empty plot of land and unlimited funds with which to build their own custom parks .
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 includes new gameplay features such as the CoasterCam, which allows players to experience an on-ride POV of their roller coasters and other rides, and the MixMaster, which allows the player to coordinate firework shows and time them to in-game music. Unlike the two previous versions of the game (RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2), the peeps arrive in groups and show variation in gender and age, including children, teenagers and adults. A day/night cycle changes the demographics of the park's peeps; rides at night appeal to teenagers, while the daytime attracts families with children. It is possible to harm peeps, but will never die as they did in the previous titles, nor will they drown when placed in water. This change was most likely for user-friendly issues. Parks now have opening and closing times, and the time of day is displayed. Scenery is divided into themes to customize parks, with generic-, western-, spooky-, sci fi- and adventure-theme sets. Another feature is the ability to import coasters from the previous games in the series into RCT3.
The game uses full 3D graphics instead of the isometric viewpoint of the previous games; this means that players can rotate and zoom the view of the park to any degree. However, there is an option to fix the camera's rotation to isometric angles, as in the previous games.
When roller coaster cars (or vehicles from any other type of tracked ride) derail from the tracks, they explode after a short period, whilst in the older games, they exploded on contact.
Although the core features RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is based on the previous games, Chris Sawyer, the developer of the first two games, acted only as a consultant, as the game was developed by Frontier Developments instead, and published and advertised by Atari.
Expansion Packs[]
Two expansion packs for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 were released - Soaked! and Wild!. A bundle, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Gold, was also released, including the original game and the Soaked! expansion pack; this was followed by RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum (Deluxe for the EU version of the game), including both expansion packs and the original game (Soaked! is the only expansion pack currently available for Mac OS X). Both expansion packs added ability to build underground (although it is available without the expansion pack in the form of an update patch).
Soaked![]
Soaked!, the first expansion pack, allows the player to build water parks, including swimming pools, waterfalls and water slides, and adds more ride types and scenery to the original game, along with the ability to add waterfalls. Water jets and lasers were added to the MixMaster. Two additional themes here included with this expansion pack; Paradise Island and Atlantis. A new type of footpath, called "Underwater Tunnel", could go underwater (unlike all the other footpaths types). Soaked! contains many new ride types (including the Roller Soaker).
Wild![]
Wild!, the second expansion pack, allows the player to build animal exhibits and safari rides which can travel through an exhibit. this expansion pack also and adds more ride types and scenery to the original game(billboards, etc.). The expansion pack contained many new ride types; including the popular Extended Coaster which had many track pieces, both new and old.
Cheats & Easter Eggs[]
Renaming peeps certain names can unlock various Easter eggs and cheats.
John D Rockefeller: Increase your money by $10,000
Chris Sawyer: All peeps applaud you & jump into the air
Mouse: All the peeps in the park stop what they're doing and stare at the cursor.
Guido Fawkes: Enables the Advanced firework editor (Usage: Scenery -> Firework Mixmaster -> Fireworks Displays -> Add firework display -> Advanced firework editor).
Atari: All peeps applaud you
James Hunt: A dune buggy appears that you can control (exit coasterCam and delete as scenery when done)
D Lean: Opens the Flying Camera routes editor (also available through Ctrl + Shift + 0 without using the cheat).
A Hitchcock: Many birds come to your park.
PhotoStory: All peeps take group photos.
ATITech: Every Person (both guests & staff) move super fast, though the game time passes at normal speed (rides & coasters do not speed up) (Expires after 20 seconds).
Make Me Sick: All guests vomit immediately and nausea reduces to 0.
Jonny Watts: PeepCam (Opens CoasterCam and sets it right over the head of the peep you just renamed).
John Wardley: No height limits on rides.
Frontier: Rides never break down.
Jon Roach: Peeps ride all rides.
Sam Denney: Peeps ride all coasters.
Atomic: Creates a larger explosion when coasters, cars, etc. fly off the track (larger than a usual explosion)
Andrew Thomas: Decreases track friction, which can make coasters go faster along their tracks. (v1a Beta Patch needed)
David Braben: Allows for extremely fast lift and launch speeds. (v1a Beta Patch needed)
Andrew Gillett: Removes the friction on roller coasters, thus increasing speed. (v1a Beta Patch needed)
Mornington Crescent: This allows building shops etc. underground. (Soaked! expansion pack needed)
David Walsh: This enables the ability to make the user interface invisible using CTRL+U once the cheat is active. This is useful for taking screen shots. Pressing CTRL+U again to makes the user interface visible again. (Soaked! expansion pack needed)
M Brookes: Enables the ability to place wall pieces and other scenery items on the edge of footpaths. (Soaked! expansion pack needed)
Alistair Lindsay: Alters the speed at which some sound effects are played at pause, fast and fastest. (Soaked! expansion pack needed)
Rick Griffiths: Changes the inside of the underground tunnel from rubble to sharks on all sides. (Soaked! expansion pack needed)
Rabbit: Animals constantly breed (Should make your animals reproduce very quickly).(Wild! expansion pack needed)
Alvin Swazonegger: Allows long billboard movies. (Wild! expansion pack needed)
RCT3 Fansites[]
- RCTgo-A website with forums and loads of custom content.
- RCT Wiki-The wiki deddicated to RollerCoaster Tycoon
- RCT Grotto-A division of Coaster Grotto with lots of downloads for all three Tycoon games.