RCT Discussion / Launched Coaster Problemo

OK, I tried to build a desirable shuttle loop last night, and I discovered a problem. I want the train to be launched into a loop, up a vertical spike, back through the loop (I was successful at all that),then fall backwards through the station and up the second vertical spire. Unfortunately, the train just returns to the station brakes. If anyone knows what I mean (I want something similar to Cinescape East's Shuttle) , could you give me a little advice? Thanx

you have to build track back through the station and up the spike, then into the back of the station with zero all clearances. Never mind, others answetred this pretty good.

I want to know this too. I always cop out and do the s-bend trick. There used to be a tutorial on MrIce's site, but I don't think that exists any more

*waits patiently*

Its hard to explain how to do it, but after a while you can perfect your own style. It gets really easy as you practice it more and more. (However it also gets annoying)

Hmm, okay I'll try to explain anyway..

1. Build your first coaster, just the station and the back spike. You probably want to make two extra straight pieces before the back spike and I usually end up deleting one of them. Also build a straight piece right after the station.

2. Build the second part of the coaster (loop & forward spike) and merge it with the first straight piece from the first coaster, err. I'm getting lost in myself.

3. Your second coaster has to go back through the station, and it shouldn't accidently merge in a station. (don't think it can)

4. Merge the second coaster with the back spike.

Its kind of like that, but its good to experiment on your own. (Unfortunately I had no tutorials to help me..) It took me a couple of hours to get just a shuttle loop working. Once you do finish it though you can move on to doing bigger and better things.

Start by making a test park and just play around. Try not to get too mad and kill your computer though.

Its not going to help any, but heres my explanation kind of in a park.
Working Shuttle Loop

X_X I tried to do something like this, it seems that my merge only worked when the coaster went forwards through the loop. I build the steel twister track past past the large loop, then I merge it with a vertical spike of track. The train goes up the spike fine, but when it falls back down, it crashes -_-

well for you, hxzero, when you merge track it only goes one way, not back, so you have to build backwards from the vertical spike to the station.

Well, It goes through a large loop before it goes up the spike, so how would I build vertical track through that? Or would I just merge it again?

Well... I must be braindead and dumb, 'coz I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm gonna cheat and use the s-bend trick.

Well, It goes through a large loop before it goes up the spike, so how would I build vertical track through that? Or would I just merge it again?

Try merging your spike portion backwards through your other track until it works properly.

To get it to work without the sbend trick you must have patince. It is very difficult and takes many tries. Atleast, the one time I did it, it took forever, and an uncountable amount of times.

Yes since we're on the topic, I was more proud of getting the train to go backwards through the station on the coaster in Erwindale Forest than the splitting. Sometimes the subtle hacks are the real tricky ones. I had to follow mrICE's instructions precisely the first time to make it work (that hammerhead stall in egyptopia) but now I just feel my way through it. All sorts of hacks with the Beast trainer aren't as difficult as you'd think if you just think your way through them. You know where you want the train to go, it's just a matter of making the track go where you want it to. You also need to perfect the speed click but that's pretty easy too when you can just put it in window mode. Here's how to do a shuttle loop:

The track in front of the station (with the loop and the tower) is Track 1. The station and the rear spike are Track 2. Remember this, it's important. Build Track 1 how you want it then build Track 2. You now have a complete shuttle loop but it's in two pieces. Now, zero all clearances but DON'T merge. Pause the game and select the rear most piece of Track 1 (where it intersects with the Track 2 station). Without merging, build ALL THE WAY THROUGH the station. You'll be building backwards. Stop when you get to the last piece of the station. Now, this is where the merging begins. Delete a piece of Track 2 between the station and the rear spike. Make sure Track 1 goes through the station up to this deleted piece of track. You should now have a rear spike that is only Track 2, a one piece gap, and then the station which is also Track 2 and Track 1 built through it.

Next rebuild the piece of Track 2 you just deleted. Now, select Track 1. Do this by clicking somewhere in front of the station (like the loop) and scrolling backwards to the last piece. The arrow should be pointing over the piece you just built. Now, leave the ride construction window open, make sure RCT is unpaused, and go to your Beast trainer. Move it so 'zero all clearances' is right on top off the build button and click twice in succession. This should merge Track 1 into Track 2. Click on a piece of Track 1 and scroll backward to make sure it goes onto the spike. Now scroll back forward and it should go through the station and stop on the first piece of the station which is the end of Track 2. Only one more merge needed.

Delete a piece of Track 1 before the station and then build it back again. Select the first piece of the station and change the ride piece to regular straight track in the build menu. Leave the game unpaused and the build menu open. Position the trainer again right over the build button so that if you click twice you will first 'zero all clearances' and then merge Track 2 into Track 1. Now the tracks are merged in front of and behind the station. Done.

Set it to powered launch mode and you're done. If you wanted, you could set it to race made and it would continue through the station after going up the rear spike however many times you set the lap number to. You won't have a powered launch if you do that though, so you'd have to use boosters or launched lift hill. Just a thought.

This was the most complicated explanation ever, but it makes sense if you just think about it. For any merge, you'll always have to merge onto a track and then merge off it again later. With a shuttle loop it's just a little more compact. If you build track all the way through the station, it looks like it's passing through the station but the game doesn't know that. It only sees regular track. And always remember: for any merge to work, the two track pieces you want to merge must be the same type of track piece (ie straight piece, 45 degree incline, whatever) and they must both be pointing in the same direction.

Thanks Ed! I think i'd have to do the merging in 'build thru' though, because there's always quite a long lag before my game zeroes the clearances. I'll have to try it.


And I still want to know how MA did the crazy hacking from one piece onto another in The Burning Secret by TPM...cos those definitely weren't the same pieces he was hacking together lol.

Oh well, Ed's explanation was basically mine except not as stupid. :/

THANX