General Chat / Natelox's Top 15 Parks

Natelox's Top 15 Parks
Here it is, my list. I have 'rules' that I follow, and that I think make a good park. This listing is based on my rules (not that anyone needs to follow my rules), so if I say something is ugly, that means I think it's ugly, it doesn't mean it really is ugly. Just my opinion. Enjoy


1.Florida Disney Sea by vTd
The number 1 park IMO, vTd has created a masterpeice. Tons of great ideas, amazing themeing, great volcano (which has been copied many times over), great sea monster, amazing disney esq rides, insane landscaping, it's just incredible. There are lots of little details such as the signs at the entrance to "Journey Through Fantasia" that read "Now Showing: Fantasia". The only problems with this park is its slight over use of water (but it IS Disney SEA), and its overly huge building for the ride "Indiana Jones".


2.Busch Gardens Lichfield by RRP
Great layout, great colours, great rides, great archiecture, all amazing. This park is so close to number 1. All the themed sections are great. The only problems with this are the fences in the "old west" part of the park, and the station for Lutz Breeze. The park is very Busch Gardens like, but has a bit too much theming in places.


3.Shilo Town by vTd & Jesse
An 'old' park here. 'Town' really describes this park, for it has a feel of a town. Great landscaping, strange but nice archiecture, great use of colours, nice rides. Problems with this park are that some of the buildings are too close to each other, making it hard to see things, and the crazy monrail that slithers around the park like a snake.


4.Orange Valley by Ty
Definetly one of the most well known parks of all time. Strange archiecture that looks good, great use of trees and great rides all contribute to an amazing park. The park also had a great story line. Problems with this park are the lack of alot of major rides, only two major roller coasters and one major water ride isn't enough to make it the worlds greatest. Also, Ty's attempt at the coral reef could have been left out.


5.Egyptopia by Coaster Ed
This park is just strange. One, its incredibly realistic and two it uses really UGLY colours that strangely look good together. Insane landscaping, great rides, amazing use of stairs, and great theming here. The problems with the park are colours (they seem out of place in some areas), the zoo, which also seems out of place, and the overall 'messiness' of the whole park. Like I said, strangly amazing.


6.Sea World Atlanta by RRP
Regarded as the greatest park ever, RRP creates another top 10 park. It is amazing, great use of colour, great layout, nice archiecture, new ideas. But, RRP did a lot of little anoying things, such as the glichyness of water in places, the entrances that stick out of the water for sunken rides, missing fences, too much water, two ugly sections called Blue Dolphin Coast and the island in the center and not enough sea creature exhibts (it IS a Sea World Park). Desvering of number 6 IMO.


7.Tropico Horizons by Fatha'
Another park which is considered amazing. This park features a lot of good rides, but no real 'stand out' rides IMO. Theming is impecable, there is great archiecture too and the best transfer tracks. Problems include the ugly effect of Trees on sand, the repedivitness of covered patios (I counted 21 buildings which used a covered patio) and the layout repeditivness. Every section features a group of buildings, or a ride that is surounded by paths, Fatha' uses this to offset the 'line effect', but there are other ways of doing it.


8.Univeral's Island Extreme by Nevis
NE's first spotlight, and it was just the begning of what was to come. INCREDBILE rides, almost all of them stand out. TONS of new ideas such as a working bungee jump, a working HUSS Frisbee and a working sky coaster, not to mention the insane 'White Water Rafting', 'Wave Rider', original fish hook, good looking custom supports and possibly the most famous ride of all time, 'Free Style Snowboarding'. The biggest problem with this park is the architecture, its just horrid. Tons of tiny buildings, that have no direction, litter the park. It's very noobish (is understandable, being it was his 'first' park). The tree selection could have used help in areas aswell.


9.Legends West by SAcoasterfreak
Another 'old' park, and considered one of the greatest of all time. SA uses simplicty as beauty in this famous park. Great archiecture that fit the areas well. Some amazing coasters such as 'Leviathan', which is probably the most imitated coaster ever. Problems with this park are the fact that it borrows heavily from IOA (Dueling Pendragons, Merlin's Forest Flight, the layout). Another problem is the rim of trees that circles the park, it looks really bad. Another factor of it being number 9 is that it's been out for so long, that, well, people get tired of it, it's old, people need new stuff.


10.Tropico Cove by Fatha'
The first in the Tropico series, and it was a great way to start it. Only two covered patios in the whole park, great layout, great tree selection and some of the greatest rides contribute to it's high placing. The problems with the park are it's overuse of 'mesh' or chain-link fence, sand under pathways, red and white path type for a whole section (I know, I did this too) and it's overuse of the $9 shrub and bush.


11.Atlantis: The Lost Empire by Nevis
As soon as one opens this park, they say 'wow'. It's bright and vibrent colours and use of roller coasters at the entrance is fairly impressive. Nevis did an amazing job of making the park look like it was just lifted out of the sea. It's sculptures and rides are amazing and he makes the custom supports look great again. The problems with the park are the overuse of tiny buildings again that litter the park, an ugly layout, overuse of roman columns and the begining of the trees on the pathway thing. This is incredibly annoying (trees/shrubs that litter the pathways) because when I imagine myself walking through this park, I see a not very well kept up park with weeds on the pathway, its just something for me to trip over.


12.Islands Of Adventure Hollywood by Jack Schuessler
There are some REALLY good areas of this park and there are some REALLY bad areas. The entrance area is INCREDIBLE, one of the best areas ever, but 'Marvel Super Hero Island' is just ugly. 'Hammanaptra' is awsome, but 'Isla Sorna - Restrocted Area' is really ugly. 'Merlinwood Forest' and 'ost Continent' are really nice. Masterful themeing and archiecture. Great rides such as Dragon Flight. The landscaping here isn't so great. The few really bad themeing areas hurt the park a lot.


13.Lloyd Harbour by Elrocko
Best use of colours and textures EVER. Elrocko has achived something no other park maker has ever, he made colours look good. The colours are really harsh and have sharp lines, it looks incredible. He used textures perfectly too. The park also features some of his best rides. Despite the fact that I love his archiecture, he does overuse it. He also overused trees in the center (I was surpised he didn't fill it with more archiectecture)


14.Glyphindel Oasis Dunes by Evil WME
Alot of this park is really good. Some really new, and intresting rides such as 'Race to the 7th Sea', 'Sinbad's Voyage' (For it's underground themeing), 'Galumphing Tours' and 'APE'. The park also features amazing themed sections such as 'The Seventh Sea', 'Ruins of Tathos', 'Streets of Agrabah' and 'Adult Aruba!'. The problems start in the back of the park, where things get dark, and are out of place with the rest of the park. Other themed areas also lack the amazing looks of the ones mentioned above.


15. Universal's Outrage by X-Sector
There is alot that I like about this park, such as the incredible 'Port Of Discovery' (copy right infrigment), 'Temptation Island' (minus the paths) and 'Atlantis: Sea Base'. Mixed with some great rides and great theming, it's enough to make the top 15. Problems are things like the dark part, which takes up about 25% of the map (it doesn't look so great), the mountain in the center (way to big) and the layout (once you get to Atlantis: Sea Base, you have to walk ALL THE WAY BACK AROUND the park to get to the entrance/exit).


Conclusion:
This is my list, and everyone is going to ask, where are parks such as Auroras Bay or Disney Dreams? Well, I don't like those parks because they break alot of my rules (not that Pyro needs to follow them) and they just don't match my taste. Keep in mind we all have different tastes. Areo, Butterfinger and Corkscrewed can't be found on my list because I don't like their style, but that isn't to say they don't make good parks, they just aren't appeling to me. Mala isn't on this list because as much as I love his coasters, the parks they are in aren't the most amazing things. Another thing, there aren't any RCT2 parks on this list because they are a pain in the ass to look at (RCT2 is too slow).

Funny you should say egypTopia is incredibly realistic, I find it exactly the opposite of that. Oh well, nice list I guess...

Nate, you're a lot more in tune with RCT than people give you credit for. This is a great list in my book.

Firstly, FDS is indeed one of the few parks I know of where there is next to nothing to complain about (that goes for IOAH, SWA and egypTopia in my book). It was top of Iris's list, and is high on mine. I can appreciate what you see in it, so its a good choice for a list-topper.

I was surprised at Shiloh Town being so high, but I can't say it's my style of park. I tend not to like the colours and style of architecture, and probably don't realise what a breakthrough it was when it was released. The same is true of Orange Valley, although I do agree that the buildings in Orange Valley are incredible. I think Orange Valley is the closest to a 'Theme Park' i've seen anyone create (it reminds me a lot of what Port Aventura was like when I visited it).

I also agree on the things that annoy you like the scenery and sunken entrances emerging from the water in SWA. It's because of that happening that some of my work is base-land 13. I disagree about the mesh fences (I kind of like them) and I also think that the layout of Tropico Horizons is one of the most amazing layouts i've seen. It flows seamlessly, even if some of the areas share layout-ideas. I can look at Tropico Horizons time and time again and still marvel at how the map is filled with such ease layout-wise. It's remarkable.

I appreciate the rides in UIX, but I don't think it can even compare with A:LE, so they'd be swapped round in any list of mine. The architecture in A:LE is phenomenal, and the park contains enough stand-out rides to compete with UIX's lineup.

Really great to see Legends West there. Really, it's another of those parks that I find difficult to find faults in. I kind of like the tree-ring around the park - it kind of wraps the park up into one parcel, connecting the (very) different areas together. A timeless classic, really, and I think Iris should listen and bring this park back up the list.

I've only just started realising the excellence of Tropico Cove. At first I shunned it because, to be honest, it's pretty sloppy (unneeded brakes, naming, staffing, fencing etc). But, the theme is unique and the coaster lineup is pretty scary when you think about it.

Marvel Super Hero Island is one of my favourite areas in IOAH, simply because of those mini-steel coaster pieces *faints* and the excellent Spider-Man coaster. I think it's a lot more impressive than both the JP area and the Lost Continent (well, maybe not so much the lost continent). And I also think you've misjudged on the landscaping, because I've always thought that this park is one of the best examples of landscaping in rct (JP is insane for landscape/coaster interaction).

Lloyd Harbour would get a lot more of my attention if all that land wasn't rock-type and treed to oblivion. The factory theme is well-pulled off, i'll admit, but i'll always remember Elrocko for the two Citrus Beach parks (especially the original, as I think that's his best work).

GoD. This park should be in everyone's top 10 IMO. True, the Ghost Train area is a bit dodgy (as is the Terra Spaciel) but Tathos (Sunrise customs!), Adult Arubia (architecture and funnest coaster ever) and Gusta City (best urban theme in rct) should be enough to carry any park. Brilliance.

Outrage speaks for itself, but I kind of like the mountain Better than a lake anyway.

Good List, nice read.

wow. Thanx for that review of my list. It too was a good read

Awesome list.

I liked it alot FDS does deserve to be at the top somewhere as its a perfect park with some awesome landscaping I find myself still looking at this park every now and then.

its great to see Shiloh Town so high I loved this park to bits when it was first released.

I agree with mantis on UIX and ALE being swapped around I been looking at ALE recently and I love it the rides and colours are amazing.

Heres something to clear up about SWA the entrances weren't sticking out of the water at first I think it happened when the park went to adix so he could hack the voyage. so in my version the original Islands are there and voyage is different and the entrances don't stick out.

I agree about Outrage and the fact you have to walk back around and the dark section isn't the best well I been thinking about these bits alot ages ago and I might do a bit of a revamp on the park and change the dark area to a brighter area.

Great list Nate

Funny you should say egypTopia is incredibly realistic, I find it exactly the opposite of that. Oh well, nice list I guess...

Well I consider egypTopia to be a very realistic park myself. I used to like making recreations and realistic parks like Cedar Creek but over time I've gradually started encorporating more fantasy elements into my work. In egypTopia there's a lot of fantasy in the rides and some of the theming but there's also a lot of realism particularly in the trees and the landscaping. I made it a point of giving my luge ride what seemed to me to be a realistic layout even though the concept is a fantasy one. The two H2H2 parks I've made though seem to indicate that I'm moving even further into fantasy parkmaking but that hasn't been a conscious decision, I'm still just building what interests me. Natelox, the points you mention I would definately agree with. I do try to use colors that I think are less common because I've just used everything else by now and that's one way I try to keep parkmaking interesting for me. The zoo was built in a different style than the rest of the park and it does stick out, especially since it's seperated on it's own little island. I blame that on the limitations of remaking an older park. I didn't change the basic layout of the park much and it's a mess. I don't think I'll ever get past having a cluttered style. That's just the way I build. I'm trying with my newer projects to be more conscious of clutter but I don't know, Battlefield RCT and Erwindale Forest are even more cluttered than egypTopia...

As for the list itself, it was very nice. Your comments about all of these parks ring true. If I made a list it would be basically the same with one or two exceptions, just shuffled around a little. I guess I should stop being surprised when egypTopia shows up on people's top parks list since it's a Spotlight now, sort of. I've never been a big fan of Siloh Town or Lloyd Harbor but I know how certain parks just really work for me personally so I can understand seeing those on your list. I have a couple older parks that really mean a lot to me too even though most people wouldn't rank them too highly. FDS is one amazing park, I like it more everytime I see it. I'm thinking of making a list of the best Disney parks one of these days and FDS is right up there with DDI fighting over the top spots. As much as I appreciate the skill and daring of ALE, and it is one of the greatest RCT achievments ever, I have to agree with Nate that UIX is the more significant park. UIX has more memorable rides and more of an amusement park atmosphere. Add to that the impact of seeing UIX for the first time will always be more memorable since ALE is sort of like a sequel to the best thing ever. It's still great, just not as great because nothing could ever be as great as the original. ALE isn't really an amusement park at all, it's more of a fully realized theme expanded into a whole park. It comes down to a matter of preference though. Incidentally, I was consciously going for the same sort of anti-themepark style of ALE with Battlefield RCT. I'm a little surprised given your experiment in no-trees parkmaking that you would think the Isla Sorna area in IOAH is ugly but I guess we all have our own tastes. I'm happy to see GoD on there cause it really is an amazing park, heads and tails better than everything WME has achieved in the past though you're right on in acknowledging it's inconsistency. If only all the areas were as good as the Sinbad and Urban Jungle themes this would really be something incredible. The things you don't like about UO (the HUGE mountain and oversized dark area) were my favorite parts because they give the park it's own identity. Without those it's just a string of (very creative and well-designed) themed areas. Because of those two things Universal Outrage was the park that finally displaced IOAH as my number 1. And then SWA came along and now I'm all unsure again. Anyway, once again I've defied those pesky English teachers and written one big unbroken paragraph. Sorry if that makes this hard to read. Maybe next time I'll write in all caps so you'll really go crazy.

Do I always have to be wrong Ed?

Sorry to pick on you. If it means anything, I really appreciate your post as it gave me an excuse to go off on another totally useless rant. You're right though, it isn't realistic in a traditional sense. One of these days you'll just have to realize that I am the absolute authority on everything and then we won't have these little disagreements.

god at 14. nice.

funny list. i want to opinionize ur #1 tho... i think the landscaping of FDS really lacks in places, i don´t know why. The outdated parts also seem to lack a lot, as well as some other stuff. oh well, guess i don´t agree it´s "perfect" then. Still i somehow see how you would choose the park as your #1. The perfect park has yet to be created anyhow. =D.

EDIT: after reading mantis´ post, THX.. listen to that natelox.. listen and learn.

Edited by Evil WME, 29 July 2003 - 11:49 AM.