RCT Discussion / How to plan a park...

Well,
I always wanted to do a solo park, but I always lose interest after building the first theming...

So I want to have some tipps for planning a park.

How do you do it?

Cheers,
Yannik

I would also be interested in some shared tips. Especially from Gee and Xophe

think about what you want to build, and more importantly WHY you want to build it. understand your park on a conceptual level, don't improvise, KNOW what you're doing. also, to help you, collect pictures of what is like the things you want to create to get a clearer idea. you can also draw sketches of what you want to build if you can't find pictures. geewhzz told me he treats the game like a modeling tool. you take something from a source (real life parks, movies, books, etc.) and model it in the game. lastly, i'd recommend to try and adapt a from-the-peeps perspective when building and drop the make-it-look-nice perspective.

^Exactly.

I tend to build my parks area by area. I like to treat each are as it's own little thing, planning out layouts and such. I then will link them together in a park layout.

Most importantly, I try to have a story or purpose behind everything. For example, my latest solo had the regional location, "synopsis," themes, and real-life influences chosen before I even started building. I also did a ton of sketches and online research to find the right look, and work to maintain that look over the certain area. One tool I find really helpful is Wikimedia Commons, which has tons of photos for research.

Even understanding the basic concepts behind something helps too. For Tim Burton, I learned the story and setting of Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes before I built. I didn't even see the movies and they turned out successfully because of research.

Overall, treat your park as a solid concept, with concrete ideas and reasons for them. RCT can be like an essay. You can present ideas(opinions) but they need to be backed up by facts or reasons. RCT parks need purpose, and you should figure out your purpose before you ever start building.

i made a topic similar to this awhile back. in my opinion, coasters and landscaping are the best place to start, then just let your ideas flow from there

Hi!

The most important part of a park is the concept. I find a good concept is much more interesting than a generic amusement park or a country-themed park. Sure those two are also interesting but a park with a new and exciting concept is much more fun to build on imo. Try to make something new and you will have fun!
Then I mostly do research. Make a mindmap which areas you want to include in your park, what ideas you have for each area and what you really want to include (structures, rides, and so on). I google a lot before I build something, even if I want to build something simple like a water tower for example. This way I have numerous folders full of images for a park.
In the game it's like Robbie said. Lay your park out then the areas where and how you want them to be. Then I also build area by area.
Also as Robbie said, everything should have a reason to be there. And the park should be build from a peep perspective, as Posix said already.

On the other hand improvising can also be very effective IMO. I often tend to build just for fun and then the ideas flow. Many things develop when you're improvising. That's how I build most of the things in Canthose (the medival area and the mainstreet for example)...

"MFG"

You ALWAYS lose interest in a full scale solo park.

There's a simple explanation for that though; You can't build a large park in one shift, so you have to save your progress and continue later when you have the time to build on it again.

The trick is to continue building what you've started and don't get bored too soon, or think that you can't keep the quality up from what you've build earlier.

I don't know what works for you, but for me, pictures of themeparks/things I want to build help, together with some good music while building..

Good luck, as that is probably the most hard thing to find out if you want to complete a (good) full scale solo park,

SF

I look at parks to get inspired, build something, and if I like it I run with it. Then I get bored, and I build a different style building or ride or something in some other place in the park and run with that.

Basically, I don't plan at all. But I often have some sort of concept or style in mind when I start.

Edited by Cocoa, 22 August 2009 - 05:19 PM.

I just realized that I'm so not the person to answer this considering that I don't finish full-scale solos, but hey, it was fun...

one very important tip.
try to finnish as much as you start. so if you build a coaster. try to finnish it completly before you start something else.
else you wil end up with a park which is half completed but still needs a lot of work on various point. in that case you will certainly lose intrest

Hmm, Levis, I tend to jot around different parts and go back to things. If I get bored of building something in one area I just build in another. Before my first finished park all I ever did was try to finish one area before I moved on to the next and I could never do it, I've found that varying what you do each time adds a lot more fun as you aren't doing the same thing over.

As for planning a park with me I try to plan what I am going to do but 80% of the time I deviate from those plans and do something else, I think of something better to put there. I only look at images of themes at the start of the theme, I don't keep looking at the building and trying to perfect it, I probably would do that if I played rct2 though.

yeah, its difficult in ll innit JJ. i try very hard though.
nyhoo,

PLAN COHEISIVLY
PRETEND TO BE A PEEP

i suggest not nsnsansnasnansnncarly finish an entire area at a time, but certainly try to finnish buildings or other small areas before moving on, just for continuity. the same mindset as you start as when you finish

wow robbie, i'm proud of you

wiki commons is really great. even the regular wikipedia is great. i wanted to do a medieval theme with wwtt objects a few weeks ago but didn't do it because all of the objects don't fit into one map and i can't be arsed to select them just to later find out i have all the ones i don't actually need and miss those i chose not to add to the bench. anyway, i remember spending an evening on wikipedia reading about castles, medieval myths, finding pictures and so on. and while i did it, i took a sheet of paper and wrote down ideas i got during the research. for example i read something about witches and alchemists during medieval ages and got the idea to call an enterprise ride "witchbroom". things just kinda click like that when you KNOW your business.

You got to build what you have been wanting to build. If you start a park, but also plan to do other designs and projects your likely not to get much finished. Try and fit it all into the park so you stay motivated. Thats why I finish just about everything I start, only the downside is I end up with some themes that don't really seem likely to be in one park like in BP where there is an Alien Island and an Everglades Swamp area. Also you really should draw out a map of the park layout before you build. Its always good to have some of the park on paper.

Most of the other advice here is pretty good. Please let us know how you decide to do it.

One thing I have learned is that when you have a solo project on the board, never start something new. Whenever you get an idea or an urge to play, try your best to get it onto the map you've already started.

I pretty much build as I go, usually. My last design, Wildcat, was built ENTIRELY on whim and zero planning. The ideas literally went from my head onto the map, and it was actually the most fun I've had building and was done with it in less than a month. On my current park though I have done extensive planning/research. It depends on what the project is and what you think works out best for you.

I feel like as a player, everyone differs. You need to a find a method of building that suits you in both enjoyment and productivity. It'll come and go once you find it, but it is a great feeling once you've achieved it.

Awww... Thanks Phil!

I'm not gonna even try to give advice on this because I habitually fail to finish what I start. That's why ODH was (is) so depressing to me....it was SOOOOOO close.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell Jazz that he needs to change Ron-Ron's uni in his avatar.

Well firstly when I decide I want to undertake a full scale solo I think of the basics. The map limit (is it going to be big or small? I stick to 140 because I know I can fill that) After that I decide how many areas are going to be fully represented on that map size. To me 6 are good enough.

Then it’s on to the fun part. I spend a while thinking of a good enough theme to gain interest and find something that I can have fun with and really experiment with also. I always try to choose a theme and add a slant to it. In Dreamports case the Enchanted Valley is a medieval theme with a fairytale slant, this keeps it exciting and I don't slip into the generic area theme, this is something that I can take and run with and experiment.
I usually write down a list of general shops every area should include in a park just so I don't miss anything out and I can put a fun idea even into the most boring buildings.

For example.
Enchanted Valley - Cafe - Little Red Riding Hoods cafe.
Thought does go into this, I don't just pair an idea up into a building, I go with what feels right. Then I can start to explore from this.
So from this I have an idea I want the cafe to be a quaint quirky cafe with dashes of red to symbolise the fairytale, I could also add a mechanic or entertainer in the insides of the kitchen to represent red riding hood or even the big bad wolf.

Most of my ideas come at night when I'm lying in bed (nearly asleep) so I have a sketchpad in my drawer (not just for rct but for my graphic design as well). I add it to the list if I can visualise the idea in my head.

When I have four areas planned to great depth I start to build the bench. When building the bench I know the majority of themes I want to do and the basics of all my ideas I want to execute. I make sure I leave enough objects to use in an area to define the theme.
After the long process of a solo bench is done I start to build.

Building a solo takes nearly a year for me (probably half if I didn’t love H2h so dam much).

Along the way I follow my intuitions so I try to stick to building the majority of one area before moving onto the next. I never finish an area in full as I know my skills would have developed a few months down the line. I always start with the entrance area and then the area to the left of that in the corner; don’t know why it just works for me.

When I build I try to get the coaster and general landscaping of the area done first, since I've planned my coaster a while ago I've visualised it for a while so that comes quite easy. Although coasters are my weakest aspect of my park making I've consulted friends in the community with some of my layouts, just to make sure they're strong and they won't let the park down.

After all the fun ideas are done and my ideas are used up I usually hit a few gaps or maybe some hasn’t worked out so well, I either research this to make it better or delete to make space for a better idea. (I don’t know why people think deleting stuff is a bad thing; I just think it means you’re brave to go for better ideas.)

Of course along the way I can hit dry spots in my park making or a loss of inspiration. H2h really helps imo as I'm building on new things, learning from new players and having a real good time being competitive. I usually get about 20% of the park done while h2h is on. Not too bad imo.

If I do hit dry spots I'll just visit a theme park, research on the internet, look at awesome parks for a pick me up or just switch the game off and leave myself to think about bettering the idea.

After that there’s just a personal struggle of wondering if the park is going to be good or not. Bad planning leads to disappointment so just up your game and bring it to make sure such a large piece of work gets you the accolade you feel THE PARK (not yourself) deserves. I started Spellbrook again because I knew I needed to up my game, it only set me back a month and I benefitted from it in the end.

That’s my usual technique and building trends, it’s worked before and its working now and I wouldn’t change any other way.

All I can say is be positive, don't advertise your park too much to save awesome things for the release and don't show half of the areas of your park so the release is a surprise. It’s hard but it’s worth it.

I also agree about the modelling tool comment. As I'm a graphic designer I always have that end goal in my head. I know my limits when building and I try to go beyond that and reach the overall vision I have in my mind. I love the fact I can bring anything that affects me into my life and make it happen in the game. I’m somehow amazed by it actually.

just plan 5 different designs and put them all together

All I can say is be positive, don't advertise your park too much to save awesome things for the release and don't show half of the areas of your park so the release is a surprise. It’s hard but it’s worth it.

I completely agreed with your reply until this sentence.. Of course it's something personal, but it actually boosts my progress and activity majorly posting frequent updates, and getting constructive criticism on my work. Added to that, deadlines work too. Why do you think H2H5 had so many finished parks to showcase? Right, because if you didn't hand it in before the deadline, your team would suffer a loss. That's one of the reasons I put myself up to those Friday updates with epws, just to get something done every week on the park, and not let it sit a long period without doing anything on the park.. It's not that hard of a deadline though as with h2h, so I can be flexible with it and if I'm busy with other things or don't have any rct time, I can just skip a week.

In the end it's just a personal venture to see what works for you. As you can read, there are a lot of ways people found to keep completing their parks.. Some really good ones here as well, that I may try out myself, so good topic!

SF