RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

aka: RCT3
Moby ID: 15734
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 marks the series' debut to a 3D engine, and is the first major title in the series created by a company outside Chris Sawyer Productions.

The new engine brings numerous cosmetic additions like day/night cycles; reflective water; improved terraforming tools; and guests who differ in age, gender and appearance (and who can be created by the player in the Peep Designer), while gameplay changes are even more substantial - construction can take place even when the game is paused; park staff now have happiness levels, manageable wages, and can be trained; shops and stalls have more purchasable items which can be changed so, for example, drinks are sold with ice cubes; rides can be viewed from a first-person camera from any seat within the ride; VIP guests can appear, with a secondary objective requiring to please them; fireworks can be created and combined in the MixMaster; new custom billboards can make use of image files on the player's computer, and custom stalls also added.

The main gameplay idea remains the same as in the preceding titles - the player is positioned as a manager of a theme park, and has to satisfy the goals of a particular scenario. This time, each scenario has three sets of objectives that act as a sort of difficulty setting - Apprentice, Enterpreneur, and Tycoon, all of which have to be completed in succession. The career mode puts the player in a series of scenarios, many of which are locked but can be unlocked if previously available scenarios are finished at the Apprentice level. Unlike the previous titles, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 comes with a sandbox map by default, allowing the player to build a park using any object in the game with unlimited funds.

Spellings

  • RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Магнат индустрии развлечений - Russian spelling
  • 롤러코스터 타이쿤 3 - Korean spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

172 People (139 developers, 33 thanks) · View all

VP of International Operation
Republishing Director
Republishing Team Leader
Republishing Producer
Localisation Team Leader
Localisation Project Manager
Localisation Technical Consultant
Printed Materials Team Leader
Printed Materials Project Manager
Copy Writer
MAM Project Manager
Director Supply Chain
Manufacturing Coordinators
Quality Director
Quality Control Project Manager
Certification Project Manager
Product Planning Project Manager
Engineering Services Manager
Engineering Services Expert
European Marketing Senior VP
European Group Marketing Manager
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 78% (based on 25 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 33 ratings with 2 reviews)

A great follow up to a great series of games

The Good
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 upgrades to a 3D engine, while still managing to keep nearly everything that was good in the first 2 game, whilst adding a load of great new features, such as day/night time and the ability to ride your own coasters.

The graphics look great, and even though the game has to handle hundreds or even thousands of peeps (guests) in the park at a time, it still manages to keep a decent frame rate and stunning graphics. At night time all of the path lights and ride lights turn on, creating a very nice atmosphere.

The gameplay is very similar to RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 and 2. The same control system is still used, and a similar system of buttons and panels is used. If you've played any of the first games, then you'll pick this one up very quickly. The major advantage of the 3D engine is now you can move the camera round to any angle, so you won't get stuck trying to add or remove an item in the isometric view like you would in the previous games.

There are loads of rides to add to your park of many different types (rollercoaster, thrill, gentle, water etc.). There are also 7 different scenery themes (Spooky, Western etc.), which allows for a huge variety of scenery decoration throughout your park.

Another new feature to the game is the MixMaster, which lets you create your own fireworks shows along with in-game music or custom music (custom music can also be used on rides).

There is also good support by the creators of this game. Patches are frequently released, to constantly improve the gameplay experience.

The Bad
There are however a few bad points about RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Firstly, now giant 'mega parks' are practically impossible to make on an average computer. Mega parks downloaded from the Internet will take about 20 minutes to load, and then only run at about 1 or 2 frames per second.

The peeps do look slightly low quality close up, and the animations not perfect, but this can be understood seeing as there can be hundreds of peeps on screen at a time.

The sounds can become quite irritating. The screams from rollercoasters don't seem to be as realistic as in RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 and 2.

The Bottom Line
If you've played and liked RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 or 2, then you'll almost definitely like this. It keeps everything that was good about the first 2 games, and enhances the whole experience with a 3D engine, which allows for several great new features such as night time mode. There are very few bad points about the game, and it's packed with tonnes of rides, scenery and features which will keep you occupied for hours and hours.

Windows · by James Isaac (238) · 2005

It's good...I guess....

The Good
Well, I must say that RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is that you are allowed to create a theme park our make your own Six Flags. This game also allows you to choose a big selection of rides, shops, and attractions. Also, you can make your own crack team of employees, and also check out your amount of money you make!

The Bad
But, The graphics weren't twice as good as they were supposed to be for a RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 game. The rain doesn't look half real. My friend might come over and check the game out and say "What is this crap?" and I'd be like, "Oh I downloaded it." And he's gonna say "Wow. you must suck." So senseless.

The Bottom Line
This game may be a "Tycoon" game, but trust me, What's the matter with this? Dude, it's like Super Mario Sonic Bros. WOAH HO HO! So, Did you like this game? I liked it, BUT IT WAS "Craptastic!" Hee Hee! NO!!!!!!! DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS CRAP!

Windows · by Ryan Wilson (1) · 2005

Trivia

1001 Video Games

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

PC Gamer covermount

The August 2005 North American PC Gamer covermount DVD features tons of free RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 content including over 1,000 coasters.

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Related Games

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum!
Released 2006 on Windows, 2010 on Macintosh, 2020 on Nintendo Switch
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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked!
Released 2005 on Windows, 2007 on Macintosh
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Gold!
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RollerCoaster Tycoon: Gold Edition
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RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
Released 2002 on Windows
RollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes
Released 2000 on Windows

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by El-ad Amir.

Macintosh added by Corn Popper. iPhone, iPad added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: rstevenson, iShrek, Zeppin, Klaster_1, Plok, FatherJack.

Game added December 5, 2004. Last modified March 5, 2024.