RollerCoaster Tycoon

aka: Guoshanche Daheng, RCT, White Knuckle
Moby ID: 288
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Description official descriptions

Rollercoaster Tycoon is a real-time isometric amusement park simulation, in which the player takes the role of a theme park manager, creating rides and attractions to amuse his guests, as well as shops and stalls in case the guests are hungry.

Ride stats differ, with some being gentle and meant for "waking up" tired guests, and others being rather intense. Each and every guest has his own excitement and nausea tolerance, which will reflect on the rides' popularity and the park's tidiness. Hence, handymen are employed. Rides can also break down, and some of them can even crash, leading to a tragic ending. Mechanics can be employed to inspect rides for possible errors and to fix already broken rides. Security guards prevent vandalism in their line of sight, and entertainers keep guests happy while waiting in a long queue line.

Guests are also impressed if there is some wonderful scenery scattered around the park, leading to an increase in the park rating. They all have their opinion on the park, so it is a good idea to check their thoughts every now and then, as the park rating depends on the guests' satisfaction.

All these features require money. Loan can be raised from a bank, but the more one borrows, the more the bank asks in return. Certain rides, or even the park itself, can also be advertised, while vouchers are also available for discounts or free rides or food.

Spellings

  • 过山车大亨 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

106 People (89 developers, 17 thanks) · View all

Design
Programming
Graphics
Sound
Music
Additional Programming
Representation
Manual
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  • Louis Saekow Design
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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 83% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 124 ratings with 13 reviews)

(One part Bullfrog's Theme Park + One part Disney's Coaster ) over Micrpose's Transport Tycoon's Interface = Rollar Coaster Tycoon and a lot of fun

The Good
One of things that really shines about this game, is the little touches, and options. You don't want the temperature in farenheit? Make it Celcius. Don't like the color of that rollar coaster repaint it. This game gives you so many options and choices. You build your park the way you want it. My mind goes back to the game Theme Park from Bullfrog a while back. In that game you could make some rides custoom, but it didn't really make much difference. In RollerCoaster Tycoon, many of the rides you build your own designs, and everything matters. The scenary can make your ride more or less exciting. If you build over a walk way people walking near by will see it and get excited. This game does basically all you could want for a theme park simulator, without getting too complex like making you order the stock of french fries.

The Bad
I really only notice three problems with this game. The interface is a little heavy on windows. Every button or item you click opens a new window, much like Chris Sawyer's other game Transport Tycoon. Although these window allow you to monitor different things at once, they can make the screen very cluttered. Time is another problem. There are two speeds, paused and moving. This really can get to be a pain because when you are trying to build up some cash real quick speeding things us would be good, but more importantly because there are times whe n so much is going on that you really want to slow things down. The last problem is the fact that in a game that offers so many options there is no way to just start with a blank park and build. You can only play with the premade scenarios.

The Bottom Line
This game is a fun, cute game that has a lot of gameplay. Think of it as a mix of the best elements of Bullfrog's Theme Park, and Disney's Coaster with the interface from Transport Tycoon, but updated for the 1999. The graphics although not fantastic are cute and filled with little touches (such as everyone letting go of their balloons when you beat the scenario). The sound is really good. It is 3-d positional audio which you would think for this genre wouldn't add much, but it turns out really makes the park seem more alive. As you scroll away from the Merry-go-round the music fades off in that direction. The game has a delightful character that pulsates through it. The game is a lot of fun for all ages for the same reason theme parks are appeal to many people. A highly reccommended game.

Windows · by Andrew Grasmeder (221) · 2000

Good game, more or less.

The Good
This sim city-like game is much more layed back than others, but fun at the same time. For lack of better wording, it inspires creativity.

The Bad
I never was partial to sim games. Once you build a big city (or in this case, amusement park,) the fun just seems to go away.

The Bottom Line
It's a sim game, where you build stuff, try to keep the people happy and make money. One of the better ones, I think.

Windows · by Sam Tinianow (113) · 2000

A great sim for the theme park enthusiast.

The Good
The controls on the indiviual sims in the game made it adictive for continual play. Being able to moniter their spending habits along with their excitement level makes this game a joy to play.

The Bad
There are times that the sims get to tedious to manage, such as, when they get lost in the park or not being able to find the food stand when they are standing right in front of it.

The Bottom Line
A great game that puts the player in the drivers seat in creating roller coaster works of art.

Windows · by Benjamin Willis (2) · 2000

[ View all 13 player reviews ]

Trivia

Rollercoaster Tycoon was voted #31 overall in PCGamer Magazine's Readers All-Time Top 50 Games Poll (April 2000 issue).

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  • MobyGames ID: 288
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Brian Hirt.

Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Kasey Chang, Unicorn Lynx, phlux, Luchsen.

Game added September 22, 1999. Last modified March 14, 2024.