RollerCoaster Tycoon

*GAMETAP: Expand your playground*

RollerCoaster Tycoon

PC

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________ ____________
___ __ \______ ___ /___ /_____ ________
__ /_/ /_ __ \__ / __ / _ _ \__ ___/
_ _, _/ / /_/ /_ / _ / / __/_ /
/_/ |_| \____/ /_/ /_/ \___/ /_/

_________ _____
__ ____/______ ______ ___________ /______ ________
_ / _ __ \_ __ `/__ ___/_ __/_ _ \__ ___/
/ /___ / /_/ // /_/ / _(__ ) / /_ / __/_ /
\____/ \____/ \__,_/ /____/ \__/ \___/ /_/

.___.
| . _. _ _ ._
| \_|(_.(_)(_)[ )
._|

& Corkscrew Follies / Added Attractions
& Loopy Landscapes

RollerCoaster Tycoon
& Corkscrew Follies/Added Attractions
& Loopy Landscapes

The Complete Strategy Guide

Version 7.1
Dec 29, 2004

by Dan Simpson & Jim Chamberlin
(manymoose@hotmail.com) (red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com)

Email Policy:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
If you are going to email us about this game, please put
Rollercoaster Tycoon as the subject. Or just RCT. Also please
realize that we are not hiding cheats or any other information,
i.e. everything we know about RCT is in this guide.

If you see any mistakes, or have anything that you want to add
please email us! We will, of course, give you full credit for
your addition, and be eternally grateful to you.

Before emailing us with a question, be sure to check out the
Frequently Asked Questions section.

An alternative to email is a Message Board. There is a board
on GameFAQs, which was made specifically for all three versions
of RollerCoaster Tycoon. If you don't want to use email for
questions, use the message boards listed below. There are others
who visit those boards, and I'm sure they can also help you out.

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=23121
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=25098
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=28313

_______________
.--------------------========= N O T E S =========-------------------------.
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ |
| The most recent version of this FAQ can be found at: |
| |
| http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |
| http://www.cheatcc.com/ |
| http://www.gamewinners.com/ |
| http://www.avault.com/ |
| |
| If you haven't read the Game Manual and are reading this, we highly |
| recommend that you read the manual first, since this Guide is meant more as |
| a supplement to an already good manual, rather than as a replacement for it. |
| That's not to say that you need to have read the Manual for this to make any |
| sense, just that we don't cover a lot of things already in the Manual. (like |
| how to build elevated paths) Enjoy! |
| |
| The Add-On to RollerCoaster Tycoon was released! Check below for more |
| information! Also the Scenario Editor has been released! Check that out in |
| the Editors section. Now throughout the guide we have noted everything that |
| is new to the Add-On. Oh, and if you are wondering where the Manual to the |
| Add-On is, it is in the CD case (This is true for both Corkscrew Follies |
| and Loopy Landscapes). |
| |
| This guide is updated often, so stay tuned! |
| |
| A Version History can be found in section "11. Final Words..." |
| |
| An OLD HTML version of this FAQ can be found at: (as of v. 4.2) |
| http://manymoose.8m.com/coaster/ |
| |
| There are foreign language versions of my FAQ as well: |
| |
| |
| En natuurlijk de Nederlandse versie van deze FAQ kan gevonden worden op: |
| http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/draznyk/rctstrategyguide.txt |
| |
| |
| Note: If you would like to do a foreign language version of the FAQ, drop |
| Dan a line! (manymoose@hotmail.com) |
| |
| If you don't actually have the game you can get the demo at: |
| English: ftp://ftp.infogrames.net/demos/rctycoon/rct-edl.exe |
| Non-English: ftp://ftp.infogrames.net/patches/rctycoon/rct-mdl.exe |
| Keep in mind that this demo is Time-Limited, so after 20 minutes it ceases |
| to work. (BTW, don't email us asking for "cracks" for the demo, we don't |
| have any nor do we know where any are.) |
| |
| If the ASCII art above looks garbled (it should say Rollercoaster Tycoon) |
| then make sure to set your font to Courier New, or another similar Fixed |
| Width Font. |
| |
| New Info on the Add-On Pack, Corkscrew Follies/Added Attractions! This is |
| directly from the Official Site: (http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com) |
| |
| Added Attractions is the official add-on pack for RollerCoaster Tycoon by |
| the game's creator, Chris Sawyer. This will add new types of roller |
| coaster, including historical rides like the Virginia Reel and Side |
| Friction Roller Coaster, as well as the latest modern rides like the Steel |
| Twister Roller Coaster and Steel Wild Mouse to name a few. |
| |
| In addition, new scenery, including Jungle and Jurassic themeing, themed |
| banner signs, and new styles of footpath will allow you to make your park |
| even more varied and interesting. |
| |
| Plus, with over 25 new scenarios, no RollerCoaster Tycoon player will want |
| to be without this. |
| |
| Release Date: Out Now! Go buy it! |
| |
| Note: This is an add-on pack and a full version of the RollerCoaster |
| Tycoon game is required to use the add-on pack." |
| |
| You can check the Official Page (http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com) for |
| some screenshots! |
| |
| By the way, in the US the Add-On is called "Corkscrew Follies". Which |
| I think is a very lame name. |
| |
| New info on the Add-On Pack, Loopy Landscapes! This is directly from the |
| box cover of Loopy Landscapes (LL). |
| |
| Stretch your imagination with the new Loopy Landscapes Expansion Pack. |
| From Rocket Ships and Medieval Castles to Winter Wonderlands and new |
| environments, you now have a complete working palette to create your next |
| thrill-a-minute masterpiece. Build on new landscapes, provide more shops |
| or take on one of 30 new scenarios filled with new exciting challenges. |
| It's all here and it's waiting for you! |
| |
| - 30 New Challenging Scenarios |
| - 6 New Crowd-pleasing Themes |
| - Sensational New Roller Coaster Types |
| - Profitable Shops and Stalls! |
| - Exciting New Rides |
| |
| Note: Loopy Landscapes is shipped with a copy of Corkscrew Follies/Added |
| Attractions already on the CD-ROM. So, all you need is a copy of |
| the original RCT to be able to run Loopy Landscapes. |
| |
| |
| Also there are a variety of patches out for both the original RCT and |
| the Add-Ons, which can be found at the Official Site |
| (http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com) |
| |
| Since this guide was started, there have been a number of sequels and |
| expansion packs for RollerCoaster Tycoon. This guide alone will not cover |
| each of these games, only the original RollerCoaster Tycoon and its two |
| expansion packs (Corkscrew Follies (aka Added Attractions) and Loopy |
| Landscapes). |
| |
| Rollercoaster Tycoon is Copyright 1999 by Chris Sawyer, and Hasbro |
| Interactive |
| This Document is Copyright 1999-2002 by Dan Simpson & Jim Chamberlin |
| |
| I am not affiliated with MicroProse, Hasbro Interactive, Chris Sawyer, or |
| anyone who had anything to do with the creation of this game. My policy |
| for the use of my guide on a website, for instance will be found at the end |
| of this strategy guide. |
'--------------------=================================-------------------------'

__________________
What's New in 7.1:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Well, so much for v7.0 being the final version, eh? This is the first
update in two years, and I think there will likely be a few more. The
bulk of this update was general maintenance. This included things like
fixing the links to the RollerCoaster Tycoon demo(s), removing two foreign
language translation links since they have since disappeared from the 'Net,
and adding alternate website addresses to several of the RCT utilities.
As with the foreign language links, websites come and go, some of the
original sites for the utilities have disappeared.

For a full version history, check out the Final Words... section below.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.) Scenario Walkthroughs
1.1) Quick Scenario Reference
2.) Your Park
2.1) Queue it up!
2.2) Park Maintenance
2.3) Guests
3.) Rides, Non-rollercoaster
4.) Rides, Rollercoaster
4.1) Crashes!
4.2) Basic Coaster Building
4.2.1) The Wild Mouse
5.) Landscaping
6.) Shops
7.) Alternative Ideas
8.) Cheats!
8.1) RCT Utilities (non-cheat)
9.) Bugs

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words...
|Section includes a Wish List, Internet
|Links, Credits, and a Version History

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Scenarios
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire RollerCoaster Tycoon series of games has a large number of
scenarios, which will test you to see if you have what it takes to be
a RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Below, we have "quick" walkthroughs, which only state a few facts about
each scenario. For full walkthroughs, head over to RCT Station -
http://rct.ogresnet.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 Quick Scenario Reference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

******************
Original Scenarios
******************

Name: Rides: Cash: Goals: Coasters: Notes:
----- ------ ----- ------ --------- ------
Forest Frontiers -- $10k 250g, 1yr SiSuSmUWmW L
Tips: Passing the tutorial also counts as passing this scenario.
Dynamite Dunes C $10k 650g, 3yrs CMUSmSsSuW L
Leafy Lake -- $10k 500g, 3yrs MSSiSmSsSuWmW
Diamond Heights 4C,T,G,E $1k $20k, 3yrs BISmSWmW
Evergreen Gardens -- $10k 1000g, 4yrs BCMSSiSmUWmW
Tips: Cut down on paths here to avoid getting lost guests.
Bumbly Beach C,2G $5k 750g, 2yrs BCSiSmWmW * C
Trinity Islands -- $10k 750g, 3yrs BIMSSiSmSsSuWm *
Katie's World 3C,3E,T $1k $15k, 3yrs BMRSSmSsSuUWmW * L
Tips: Katie's World is extremely rainy, and as such it needs indoor rides.
Also, it has the first completely underground ride, a rollercoaster.
Dinky Park 4G,2E $10k $10k, 2yrs BCIMSSiSmSsSuUVWmW * L C
Tips: You need to expand this ultra-small park quickly, by buying land
across the street. You get to that area via construction rights on
the street.
Aqua Park 5E $10k 900g, 3yrs -- ALL -- *
Tips: The waterslide here often "stalled out" on me, consider replacing it
or redesigning it. Or barring that remove the Maximum Wait time, and
have it always "waiting for full load".
Millennium Mines T $10k 800g, 3yrs BCIMRSSiSmSsUVWmW *
Karts and Coasters 2C,2E $10k 1000g, 3yrs BCIMRSSiSmSsVWmW *
Mel's World 2C,2E $5k 1200g, 3yrs -- ALL -- *
Mothball Mountain -- $10k 800g, 3yrs BCIMRSSmSsSuUVWmW * L
Pacific Pyramids -- $10k 1000g, 4yrs BCIMRSSiSmSsSuUV * L
Crumbly Woods 3C,3G $5k 1200g, 3yrs -- ALL -- *
Tips: All the rides here are exceptionally old and unreliable, consider
replacing them with new ones.
Big Pier -- $10k 600g, 2yrs BCISSmSsSuUWm *
Lightning Peaks 2T $5k 900g, 3yrs -- ALL -- *
Ivory Towers 2C,E,T $10k 1000g, 3yrs -- ALL -- *
Tips: Ivory Towers has been heavily vandalized and is rather filthy. Clean
it up first.
Rainbow Valley -- $10k 1000g, 4yrs BCIMSSiSmSsSuUVWmW *
Thunder Rock T $10k 900g, 4yrs BCIMSSiSmSsSuUVWmW *
Mega Park -- $10k Have Fun -- ALL -- @
Fort Anachronism C,T,2G,E $1k 1250g, 3yrs BCISSiSmSuWmW ! L

Note: Whenever you pass a scenario, all the guests in your park will applaud,
and also they will all let go of their balloons. Which means that they
have to buy NEW balloons, so you get twice the balloon money! Of course
you've already passed the scenario by that point...

Having trouble passing a scenario? Check the Common Problems Section below for
tips on how to increase Park Value and other ideas.

Note: The game year starts in March and Ends in October (8 months)

Note: Save every scenario after you beat it. (see the Bugs Section for more
info)

Note: Not every scenario has every ride in it (unless you cheat).

You may be looking at the scenario names thinking to yourself, "I never saw that
Scenario." Well I have the US version of the game, and the other International
versions have different names. Here's a little comparison:

US: International:
------------------------- ---------------------------
Katie's World Katie's Dreamland
Dinky Park Pokey Park
Aqua Park White Water Park
Mothball Mountain Mystic Mountain
Big Pier Paradise Pier

*********************************************
Corkscrew Follies/Added Attractions Scenarios
*********************************************

Name: Rides: Cash: Goals: Coasters: Notes:
----- ------ ----- ------ --------- ------
Whispering Cliffs -- $10k $17k, 3yrs SfVrWWmWsSmMUSuV
Tips: Space is at a premium here as you have very little space to work with.
So what I would do is to build the smallest flat rides on the ground,
then raise a piece of land 4 squares and build another ride on that.
(see the Your Park section for more information) Also have your
coasters start at the top of the cliff, and go down the cliff to the
water to save space.
Three Monkeys Park 3C $5k 1400g, 3yrs SfVrWrWTWmSmMSCISsBRWs
Canary Mines 2C,1T $10k 1300g, 3yrs VrWTWmWsSmMUCSsIBV
Barony Bridge -- $10k 1200g, 3yrs WWtWsMCSuISsBV
Tips: This park is very difficult to develop as you only have two small
(and I do mean SMALL) islands that you actually own. But you have
construction rights all around the bridge. So when you want to build
something, simply place it somewhere, and it will automatically be
placed above the water. However, placing anything on stilts costs a
little more.
Funtopia 2C,G $5k 1400g, 3yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMSCStSuIBH
Haunted Harbor 4G,C $5k 1200g, 3yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMSCSiB * L C
Fun Fortress -- $10k 1300g, 3yrs SfVrWrTWmWsSmMSCSuISsSiFV *
Future World C,T $5k 1500g, 3yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMUCStSuISs *
SiBHFRV
Gentle Glen 2G,C $5k 1200g, 3yrs SfVrWrWWsSmMSSsSiB *
Jolly Jungle -- $10k 1600g, 4yrs SfVrWTWmWsMSuSsBHF *
Hydro Hills G $10k $20k, 3yrs SfWTWmWsSmMSUCStSuISsBHF *
Sprightly Park 8G,E,2C,T $10k 1500g, 3yrs SfVrWrTWmSmM *
Magic Quarters T $10k $30k, 4yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMSUCStSuISs *
SiBHFRV
Fruit Farm T $8k 1100g, 2yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMSCStSuIBHFR *
Butterfly Dam -- $10k 1400g, 3yrs SfVrWTWmWsSmMSCStSuIBHFV *
Coaster Canyon -- $10k 1200g, 3yrs SfWTWmWsSmMSUCStSuISsSiBHRV *
Thunderstorm Park 3E $10k 1400g, 3yrs VrStWsSmMSCStSuIBF *
Harmonic Hills -- $10k 1200g, 3yrs VrTWmWsSmMSSuSsV *
Tips: You can't build above "tree height" which means 8 levels vertically.
Also you can't remove trees either. So for best coaster effect, start
at the top of the hill, and run down the hill.
Roman Village G $10k 1500g, 3yrs SfVrWrWTWmWsSmMSStSuISsSi *
BHFRV
Swamp Cove 2C $5k 1600g, 3yrs VrWTWmWsSmMCStSuISsBHFV *
Adrenaline Heights C $10k 1600g, 3yrs VrWTWmWsSmMUCStSuISsBHFRV *
Tips: These people are the opposite of Gentle Glen and want exciting thrill
rides.
Utopia Park -- $10k 1400g, 3yrs SfVrTWsSmMCBH * L
Rotting Heights 3G,C,2E $10k 1200g, 3yrs SfVrWrWtWmWsSmMSCStSuISsB *
HFV
Tips: This park is a mess of vandalism, broken rides, and rides that seem
to have lost most of their tracks! Clean it up and rebuild.
Fiasco Forest 2G,2C,E $1k 900g, 1yr WWmSmSISsBH *
Tips: This park is going to kill someone with its dangerous rides. Either
fix or replace these deathtraps before people get hurt (and before the
year ends as well!).
Pickle Park -- $10k 1400g, 3yrs VrWTWmWsSmMUCStSuISsB *
Tips: Here the trick is that you can't advertise, you simply must get guests
going home happy to get a good reputation.
Giggle Downs 3G,4C $5k 1250g, 2yrs SfVrWTWmWsSmMSUCStSuISsSi * L
BHV
Mineral Park -- $10k $10k, 2yrs VrWTWmWsSmMCStISsBFV *
Coaster Crazy -- $10k see below -- all coasters -- *
Tips: This one has the most unique winning requirements of all, you must
have 10 DIFFERENT types of rollercoasters in your park, each with at
least 6 excitement. Hopefully by now you know how to build good
coasters... By the way, you have unlimited time to do this.
Urban Park 2G $10k 1000g, 3yrs SfVrWWmWsSmMSUCSuISsBHFRV * L C
Tips: You start with a tiny chunk of land next to a town, and there are
other small chunks of land for you to buy, but you'll have to get
construction rights to get to them!
Geoffrey Gardens -- $10k 2000g, 4yrs SfVrWTWmWsSmMUCStSuHFV *

*********************************************
Loopy Landscapes Scenarios
*********************************************

_______________
.--------------------========= L E G E N D =========-------------------------.
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ |
| 'Rides' indicates which rides the scenario already has in it. |
| For example, C indicates that there is One Rollercoaster, 2C, Two. |
| 'Coasters' indicates which coasters are possible to research. |
| All Goals that have a number of guests for a goal require a rating of 600. |
| |
| Coaster Key: Notes Key: |
| ------------ ---------- |
| A - Air-Powered L - Able to buy land |
| B - Bobsled C - Able to buy Construction Rights |
| C - Corkscrew * - indicates that these scenarios |
| M - Mine Train aren't immediately available |
| F - Flying ! - indicates that you must download |
| H - Heartline Twister this scenario off the official |
| I - Inverted web page (see "11. Final Words") |
| Iw- Inverted Wild Mouse |
| R - Reverse Whoa Belly (Free Fall) |
| Su - Suspended @ - available only if you passed all |
| S - Steel other scenarios |
| Sf - Wooden Side Friction |
| Si - Single Track |
| Sl - Suspended Looping |
| Sm - Steel Mini |
| Ss - Suspended Single Track |
| St - Steel Twister |
| T - Wooden Twister Goals Key: |
| U - Stand Up ---------- |
| V - Vertical A - Complete 5 partially-built |
| Vr - Virginia Reel coasters with an exc. rating of |
| W - Wooden at least 6.70 |
| Wm - Wild Mouse B - Keep park rating > or = to 700 |
| Wr - Wooden Reverser until there are 2000 guests |
| Ws - Steel Wild Mouse C - Build 10 different coasters with |
| exc. rating of at least 6.00 |
| D - Achieve a monthly ride income of |
| Rides Key: at least $8,000 |
| ---------- E - Complete 5 partially-built |
| C - Rollercoaster coasters with an exc. rating of |
| G - Gentle Rides at least 6.60 |
| T - Transport F - Achieve a monthly ride income of |
| E - Exciting/Water at least $9,000 |
| G - Complete 5 partially-built |
| coasters with an exc. rating of |
| at least 7.00 |
| H - Achieve a monthly ride income of |
| at least $10,000 |
| I - Build 10 different coasters |
| with exc. rating of at least 7 |
| and a min. track length of 1200' |
| J - Build 10 different coasters with |
| an exc. rating of at least 6.00 |
| K - Keep park rating > or = to 700 |
| until there are 2500 guests |
| L - Complete 5 partially-built |
| coasters with an exc. rating of |
| at least 6.40 |
| M - Build 10 different coasters |
| with exc. rating of at least 7 |
| and a min. track length of 1400' |
| N - Keep park rating > or = to 700 |
| until there are 3500 guests |
'--------------------=================================-------------------------'

Name: Rides: Cash: Goals: Coasters: Notes:
----- ------ ----- ------ --------- ------
Iceberg Islands T,G,C $10K 1250g, 3yrs BSmSuStWsSlMCVSsStF
Volcania 5C $15K A TStSlSuWsWmVrWSmSsIwMHRV
IUCStFWrSiB
Arid Heights -- $0K B StSmWUSfCStTHSuMSlWrISiWm
VrRVWsSsBIwFA
Razor Rocks -- $10K C SlUWSmSfSiWmSuMBHVrITAIwSt
VWsRCSsWrStF
Crater Lake -- $10K 1300g, 3yrs MWSiSuVIwWsUSmSsWmVrFSfBH
TRWrStCStASlI
Vertigo Views C $10K D CVrWrSmSuRStISsSlIwSfSiW
MVBHWmATStFWsU *
Paradise Pier 4G,3E,C $10K 1200g, 2yrs SmSfStWmVrCSlIwBSsWrIFUSu
MHSiTWWsSt *
Dragon's Cove 5C $10K E SlSuVBStSsHSfMWmVrWAIwSm
StTWsUFRWrISiC *
Good Knight Park 2C $10K 1200g, 3yrs WrWSmTUWmVrSuSfIwStMVWsI
SiSsBHCStASlFR *
Wacky Warren 2C $10K F SmIwTSfSiSsUCStFStIBHVrW
SuASlWmMVWsRWr *
Alton Towers 3T,14G,11E,5C $10K 2500g, 3yrs SmCMIVStWWmUSiBSsSuFVr
Fort Anachronism 2T,3G,2C $1K 1250g, 3yrs SiSmWStCBIWmSu
Heide-Park 3T,16G,12E,4C $10K 2500g, 3yrs CMIBWmWSuVWsUSt
Blackpool 3T,16G,11E,13C $10K 3500g, 3yrs WSmWmCTVrBMSiStASlSuSfUWr
Pleasure Beach RIwSsVWsHFISt
Grand Glacier -- $10K 1500g, 3yrs WSmMIUWmVrBIwSfCHStSiTASt
VSlSuSsFRWrWs *
Crazy Craters -- $0K B SmVrStSlHSiSsUFCSuMStSf
IwWmWBTVRWrIWsA *
Dusty Desert 5C $10K G TStFIVWSmSuWrSlVrMWsUCSf
WmAIwSiSsBHRSt *
Woodworm Park T,G $10K 1600g, 3yrs SfWmWWrVrT *
Icarus Park -- $10K H WSmSsRHWsVrUSuMVCStSlIw
ABFStWrTISiSfWm *
Sunny Swamps G,E $10K 1600g, 3yrs SmWSfStSuMWmVrIVWsFRWrIw
SiUASlHTCStSsB *
Frightmare Hills C $10K 1500g, 3yrs IWSlTStSfWmSmWsSiIwFRWr
HBSsVVrMUCStASu *
Thunder Rocks T,C $10K 1500g, 3yrs VSuSmMWrSiSfStITSsHRCWB
WmUStVrWsSlAIwF *
Octagon Park -- $10K I SfWmVrWSmSuMSiSsBUStITH
FSlWrCStRIwAVWs *
Pleasure Island -- $10K J SfWmVrCWSmSuMSiSsBUStITSlF
WrHStRIwAVWs *
Icicle Worlds -- $0K K StSmWUSfCHTStSuMSiIwIWmVr
RVFASlWrBWsSs *
Southern Sands T,2C $10K 2300g, 4yrs TSlStUWSmSuWrWsSfRMSsCAIw
StHIBFVSiWmVr *
Tiny Towers 5C $10K L StTVICWmWrStSsBHSiMWsAVr
WUFSmSuRSfSlIw *
Nevermore Park C $10K M SmSfWmVrWSuMSiSsWsUCStHSlI
StBWrFRAIwVT *
Pacifica -- $10K D WSmSfFRWmCStTASlIwVWsSt
SsUWrVrBHSuMISi *
Urban Jungle G $10K 1200g, 3yrs VWsUCSfWmVrSuMWrWSmStIRSi
SsBHASlStFTIw *
Terror Town -- $10K C SmMSfWmSiUCSlRVrVWSuIwStI
SsWsABHWrStTF *
Megaworld Park 4T,15G,9E,23C $0K N WmWSmSuUMCRStISiSsBStFAV
WsIwSlSfVrWrHT *
Venus Ponds -- $10K 1600g, 4yrs IwSsBHRSmISlFWrTStSiWmVr
WsASfWSuUCStVM *
Micro Park -- $10K $100K, 3yrs WSmSfWmFIwCStTVSlWsStSsU
VrBSuMISi *

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Your Park
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Section deals with how to set up a successful park, and has some other
great ideas on how to make money in the park.

- The first thing that you want to do in your new park is to set Research up
to the maximum funding possible ($400 a month). If you do not have the
Information Kiosk available already, then you will want to uncheck all
research boxes except for "Shops and Stalls". (Information Kiosk is the
most useful shop in the game, since it sells both maps and umbrellas)

- Once you get the Information Kiosk, build it close to the entrance (not
right by the entrance, but somewhere nearby), as your guests will want a
map to avoid getting lost (and an umbrella if it rains). Typically what
I do here is to build the Information Kiosk on a corner of the first
intersection, that way everyone has a good chance to buy something when
they enter the park.
Note: Don't forget to recheck the research areas back to all areas. Unless
you don't mind never getting new rides...

- Next you will want some rides. Build a good mix of rides, some gentle,
some exciting, and of course a rollercoaster. Place one, and only one,
rollercoaster by the entrance to get the guests' hearts pounding early. It
also increases their happiness. The rest of your Rollercoasters you will
build deeper into your park (you build only one by the entrance since
they will have to travel to the others, and will sometimes see other things
on the way). This is how real amusement parks design their parks in case
you didn't notice. You want at least one indoor type ride, like the
Haunted House.
Note: The game sets ride prices if and only if you are letting Guests into
your park for free. If you are charging them to get into your park
then you will have to set the price yourself. (see sections 3 and 4
for pricing guidelines)

- Third, hire one of each type of employee. Uncheck the handyman's option to
mow the grass. You don't need that yet. (mown grass looks nicer, and
helps guests happiness ratings, and park value ratings) When you do want
someone to mow the grass, hire a handyman specifically for that task, and
uncheck all but the mow grass option.

- Fourth, jack up the entrance price to the park to around $15-$20. You want
it cheap enough to keep your guests happy, but high enough to get you some
money. Generally, for every 4 new rides that you build, add $5 to
admission. $10 if one of those rides is a roller coaster. I'm not saying
that the only money you get should be from the entrance fee, I still think
you should also charge them on rides. This way you can maximize your
chances of getting all your guests money.

- Finally you are going to want to build some amenities, such as Bathrooms,
and shops. Build these a little further away from the entrance, since
the guests who enter don't need to use them yet. Avoid placing food shops
near the exits of vomit intensive rides--although you can, and possibly
should, place Drinks stands there.

Note: Once you get over $30 thousand dollars, you don't need to increase your
admissions price any more! I always keep my admissions price around
$50 at that point. (the absolute maximum that you can set your
admission price is $100)

Banners (Add-On):
Banners not only work as Signs, but they also work as "Do Not Enter" signs!
The best ways to use banners are these:
To block off exit paths (the ones that have nothing but an exit)
To block off empty areas of the park so you can finish building them
To tell guests where they are
Banners can only be placed on normal paths, that is you can't put them on
sloped paths. Be very aware of the direction that the banner faces, face
it the wrong way and you get the wrong results. For more information on
banners check out the Landscaping section below.

Small Area Parks:
Some parks seem to be too small for you to build a great theme park in, or
are they? One of the best ideas in these parks is to literally build rides
on top of each other. For example build a Hedge Maze, then raise one
square of land by it, then build another ride on that square. Don't worry
the ride will have supports raising it where you don't have land raised.
Different rides can have a different height above the land. Here's a chart
(provided by Ake Malmgren):

Height levels:

The non-custom rides also have maximum height above ground values, but
they aren't displayed in the game. Here is the list:

Gentle Rides
Bumper Cars: 6
Ferris Wheel: 5
Haunted House: 6
Hedge Maze: 4
Merry-Go-Round: 8
Observation Tower: 61*
Slide: 7
Space Rings: 13
Exciting Rides
3D Cinema: 4
Gravitron: 9
Motion Simulator: 8
Scrambled Eggs: 8
Swinging Ship: 5
Swinging Inverter: 4
Whoa Belly: 61*
Shops and stalls: 8

Buying Land:
If you want to expand the park, you can buy land (in the Main Entrance
window). Land that is for sale has a little white sign on it, and costs
between $15 and $90 per square (depending on the Scenario). Construction
Rights sell in the same way, but only 2 scenarios let you buy those.
Other parks come with construction rights already purchased, like Katie's
World (for the underground coaster) and Mega Park, where you can build a
ride (or anything else, for that matter) across the path to the entrance.

Oddity: You don't need a path that leads immediately from a ride exit. If
there is a path on a lower level under the exit, the guests will
fall down and land there without any problems. Of course you will
get a bunch of messages that says you don't have a path from the
exit.
(Ake Malmgren)

Common Viewpoint:
Ever wish that you could visit your wonderful theme park? Well one way is
to view a guest just before they enter your park, name them, and click the
"i" button (the bottom button on the individual guest's window) to receive
updates on them. By following around several people like this you can get
a new viewpoint on your park, and it may help you solve problems that you
didn't know existed! If you leave his window open you get to see how long
a queue wait really is, how hard it is to find a place in the park, and if
you really have enough facilities like bathrooms or food and drink stalls.

Note: Naming your peeps with a number first to assist in keeping track of
the peep. (i.e. name someone "1 Dan Simpson" or "2 Bob Roberts")
They will then be listed first in the GUEST MEGA LIST, making them
much easier to find later.

Add On Note: Every once in awhile, the guest that you have been watching
for awhile will think "I have the strangest feeling that
someone is watching me." Funny!

Money Making:
Remember that you can take a loan. If you need a new rollercoaster RIGHT
NOW, then take out an extra $5k or so (keep your loan under $20k total, the
max loan possible is $50k but you shouldn't need that much; also bear in
mind that each scenario will allow a different Max Loan). Also use the
Rides button (press "R") and slide the marker down to "Profit" to see where
you are making, and losing money. If a popular ride isn't making money, it
may be that you are charging so much for the ride that people won't go on
it. You want to get all of their money, but you don't need it all at once,
so lower the rates. (see sections 3 and 4 for a pricing guide to rides)

Later in the game you may want to consider only charging for admission
(say... $90) and giving the rides away for free, or maybe you want to let
them in for free and charge them more on rides. Well there are problems
with both. Since your ideal is to get every cent from the guest charging
$90 at the gate is a problem: 1) what if a guest doesn't have $90? and 2)
what if the guest has more than $90? The first guest can't come in, and
the second will probably leave your park with money. (there's only so many
ice creams that he can buy!) Your other option is to let them in for free,
and charge them more on rides. This option is even worse. Here's why:
Suppose Guest 1 enters your park with $100 and he's happy. Then he gets in
a long line for a log flume that was poorly designed (i.e. LONG). By the
time he gets off the log flume he is hungry, thirsty and very unhappy.
Since he didn't pay to get into the park he's getting outta there. I
usually stay with the $50 admission and still charge for rides. I get all
of their money, and they usually leave only when they run out of money.

Awards:
Best Value Park in the Country
Worst Value Park (is there an award for Least Safe? Deadliest?)
Tidiest Park
Untidiest Park
Most Beautiful Park
Safest Park
Best Roller Coasters
Best Park Food
Worst Park Food
Most Disappointing Park (Loopy Landscapes)
Best Bathroom Facilities (Loopy Landscapes)

Note: If you click on a duck, it will quack. Ducks only appear if you have
water in your park. I have heard of parks where there are so many
ducks that it looks like a Hitchcock movie.
Note: To slow the game down, click and hold the right mouse button.
(only works on slow computers! For a different way to slow the game
down, go down to section 7. Alternative Strategies)

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2.1 Queue it up!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll discuss Line Queues here, before I even talk about the rides themselves!
The first thing to building the ultimate Queue is Ride Placement. Place the
ride well away from the nearest path, at least 2 or 3 squares. This keeps
the Queue from "attaching" to a path before you are ready. Then start
building the Queue, and don't put it near a path until you are satisfied with
the length. Only after you have built the entrance Queue to a ride should
you build the path to the Exit. So, how long should your Queue be? That
depends on the type of ride mainly. For example, a roller coaster is a very
popular attraction, PLUS it loads a lot of people at once, PLUS its a short
ride, and can also have multiple trains. So for a Rollercoaster build a long
(10-20 squares) queue line. Long waits in line are fun for no one, so if
the "people" tab on the ride window say a queue wait of 10 minutes or more,
cut the line down.

Note: To change the color of the queue (Add-On only) simply click and hold
down the Queue button in the paths window. A small choice of colors
(Blue, Red, Yellow, Green) will appear for you to choose from.

Here's the breakdown:
Rollercoasters - 10 to 20 squares
Exciting Rides - 6 to 15 squares
Gentle Rides - 5 to 9 squares
Log Flume - 6 to 9 squares
Boat Hire - 3 to 5 squares
Transport Rides - 5 to 15 squares (depending on the type of transport)

Even if you see a very full line, don't overdo it and make it longer, then
the people will wait in line a long time, and they will lose a lot of
happiness; and if the ride isn't so hot (like the Log Flume) they'll have
been worse off for going on the ride. Keep waits under 9 minutes if you can.
Even less for long rides (5 minutes and more). If waits get above 15 minutes
the people will get fed up and leave the line.

Finally, don't just wrap the queue around itself, try to open up some holes
to the side to place trees, fountains, etc. This will help keep the guests
comfortable, and happy.

_____ ride entrance ________ ride entrance
| | | | __ | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |__| |
| |_____| | | |________|

Example of a boring Queue Example of a better Queue

Dynamic Queues:
Alright there's no such thing (see the Wish List in the Final Words section
below) but there is a good way to "fake it". A dynamic queue is one that
changes its size depending on need, i.e. if more people want to ride it, it
increases in size, if less people want to ride, it decreases in size. When
you first build a ride have one section that "pokes out" of your main line
queue. This will accommodate the larger crowds that new rides see. When
the crowd dies down, or if the wait time is too much, simply cut off that
area of the queue.

When to have No Queue At All:
There are times when you don't even need to build a queue. Simply having
the entrance built right next to a path will allow people to enter the
ride. This is only feasible with certain types of rides (never ever do it
with a rollercoaster, for example). The best rides to do it with are the
Space Rings, Maze, Car Ride, Boat Hire, and the Slide. If you build these
on a crowded enough path, then they will always be full, yet never need a
queue (therefore people are never actually waiting for the ride, and
therefore never becoming unhappy with a long wait).

Note: Even a ride with no queue, still has a queue of one person, except now
that person is waiting on a normal path.
Note: Entertainers can help keep the people in line amused.

Ride Exits:
The best place to put a ride exit is on an already existing path, rather
than building a path specifically for the exit. (That can result in dead
ends, and lost guests) Which means that you will want to place the ride
at least 1 square away from any paths, and then place the exit somewhere
in that area.
Note: Placing the exit near the entrance will promote repeat business on
that particular ride. (especially useful on rollercoasters)
Note: If your exit is not connected to a path, and is over water, guests
will all fall off and drown.

Now Incorporating all of the Queue ideas, we'll now do a little trick, that
seems to me, to save a little space. First build a Merry-Go-Round 1 square
away from a path. Build the entrance on the far side away from the path, and
build the exit right next to the path. Now build the queue so that it goes
immediately back to the path. This method has several advantages, the first
being that the Exit is always on a normal path, so you don't have to create
new dead-end paths; second, it saves space.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 Park Maintenance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mechanics:
It is my theory that for every 4 rides you build you should hire a new
Mechanic. This keeps a "net" of coverage on your park, as there will
usually be a mechanic nearby if a ride breaks.

As your rides age, their reliability will go down tremendously. To help
alleviate this problem, swap the Inspection rate on the rides down to
"every 10 minutes". At each inspection the reliability will go up a
little. Also if your rides are REALLY old (5+ years) you need to take
drastic measures to insure that they don't crash. Consider replacing the
ride. Or, just reduce the number of trains on a rollercoaster down to 1.
(this will avoid a crash) Another way to tell if it is time to replace a
ride is "Down Time".

Note: If you want to get your mechanic somewhere quicker, do NOT just pick
him up and put him there, this resets his JOB and he will forget
what he was doing. Instead just wait. If you have to wait too long
you know that you don't have enough mechanics.

Overkill Maintenance:
One way to guarantee a good response time from your mechanics is to hire
one mechanic for every ride (yes, EVERY ride) and give them ONE route
marker right on the exit of the ride--the route must actually be ON the
exit, not just by it. Then set all the ride inspection times to 10
minutes. Too bad there's no "Constant Inspection" option. This comes in
handy when your roller coasters are very old, and when they fail it can
be fatal. With any luck your Mechanic will fix the ride before any
accidents happen.

Note: If the ride exit is at the first square on the station platform,
the mechanics can reach this end faster and (hopefully) fix the
station brakes before an accident happen. (Ake Malmgren)

Handymen:
For every roller coaster or shop that you build you should hire a new
Handyman to help with the added trash and vomit. Make sure to "specialize"
your handymen, that is, don't have them clean trash AND mow lawns, in that
that is very inefficient. Have most your handymen clean trash, water
gardens, and empty trash cans. Then have a few mow the lawns.

15 Second Rule:
So how many Handymen do you need? There's no really good way to tell,
but one strategy I use is to count to 15 once I have spotted some
garbage. If by 15 no handyman has ever come onto the screen (max zoom
in, of course) then I hire a new handyman. (Then again I subscribe to
the "More is better than Less" philosophy, I'd rather have more Handymen
than I need than have less than I need!) If one has come onto the screen
in the allotted time, then I move him onto the garbage. There are,
naturally, special cases when this rule does not apply:
1. At the exit of Rollercoasters. They need a Handyman all their own.
2. If you already have over 40 handymen, you probably won't want more.
(although it should be noted, that in large parks, I often end out
with around 60 handymen)

Let them Roam:
So should you give your handymen an area to clean up (assigning an area)
or should you just let them roam on their own. Both. In general you
want most of your handymen just roaming around, but you also need some to
permanently stay in your "worst areas" (i.e. those by the pukiest
rollercoasters). Why not assign them all routes? Too much hassle when
your parks get really large, plus you don't get all that much benefit
from all your micromanagement.

Note: Another way to remove litter/puke is to remove the path.

Entertainers:
This may not quite be the proper place for this, but this section is
dealing with Staff, so why not? Entertainers are just that, entertainers.
You put them in a costume of your choice, and they wander the park, and
try to entertain the peeps in your park. One useful place for them is in
the Queue. Some rides either have very long lines or the track is very
long and needs more time to make it's way around. Entertainers can be used
to cheer the waiting guests up. Below is a list of the Full list of
costumes available after the release of Loopy Landscapes:

- Panda Costume
- Tiger Costume
- Elephant Costume
- Roman Costume
- Gorilla Costume
- Snowman Costume
- Knight Costume
- Astronaut Costume

Finally, you need security guards to stop Vandalism. But since you can't
always stop it, you need to know what to do afterwords. Vandals strike only
3 things, benches, garbage cans, and lights. The vandalized bench will be
broken in half, the garbage cans will be tipped over, and lamps will have
their lights broken. Simply replace the old items with new ones to fix.
(Don't right click to remove! That may get rid of the path as well) So
who are all these vandals? If you check the people screen, the vandals are
the ones with the red snarling faces. If you manage to catch one of these
perps, you can try to get his anger out by placing him on a one square path
with a bench. He'll smash the bench and become happy again (well... he won't
be so violent anyway), then you can move him back into the park. (this is
covered again in the next section as well)

Note: Guests doesn't get mad (red-faced) if there is nothing to vandalize.
(Ake Malmgren)

Note: Keeping a clean and pleasant park helps cut down on vandalism. If your
park is clean enough, you may not need Security Guards at all. Plus it
really isn't that hard to replace benches/lamps/trash cans, so lately
I haven't been hiring Security Guards.

Note: The maximum number of staff members that you can hire (handymen,
mechanics, security guards, entertainers) is 116. However, if you have
a lot of guests in your park (4000+), you may not even be able to get
to 116.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3 The Guests
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To better serve your park guests, you will need to understand them. For one
thing they are all male, and exactly the same age. The following is a small
breakdown of your park guests stats:
Happiness - happy people stay in your park and will be more willing to
part with their money. Happiness is increased by fun rides, like
roller coasters, and maintained by normal rides. The guests become
unhappy if they are: Tired, Sick, Hungry, Thirsty, or have to go to
the bathroom. Other things that contribute to unhappiness are: Long
waits in line, and inability to find good rides, and how clean/pleasant
your park is in appearance. Finally, don't forget that you do have
Entertainers, and although it seems like they are worthless, they do
help your guests happiness ratings.
Energy - a tired guest won't go on anything but the most exciting rides to
"wake up", but once he has done that will go on other rides. Tired
guests also walk slower than others, and are less happy. Place a
good roller coaster by the entrance to wake up these sorry fellas.
Hunger, Thirst - these two stats start at a random value when the guest
enters the park, usually under 1/4 full. These values increase mostly
over time. Thirst is also affected by what the guest is doing. Eating
Fries increases thirst, as does a high nausea rating.
Nausea, Nausea Tolerance - guests always underestimate their chances of
getting sick off of a ride. Nothing you can do about it except provide
numerous benches, and clean any vomit up. Also note that sick guests
become very unhappy and walk very slowly (to the point of slowing down
the launching of rides).
Bathroom - need I explain?
Other Complaints:
"I'm Lost!" - reduce the number of paths that don't lead to rides, provide
more Information Kiosks (if you priced the maps high, then reduce that
price). Also guests seem to get lost more often when they take a
transportation ride to a far off section of your park. Also try to
build shorter paths between areas of the park.
"I Can't find XXX Ride" - same as above. Also Observation Towers can help
the guest spot the ride. Or you could take them there directly via
pincers. Another thing that may prevent the finding of rides is large
scenery around the ride, so if there are lots of tall trees, consider
chopping some.
"I'm not paying that much for XXXX" - reduce the ride cost, OR change the
ride around to be more exciting.
"I can't find the Park Exit", "I want to go home" - you've lost these
guests, and they want out. Pick them up with the pincers and get rid
of them before they become even MORE unhappy. Nothing you can do will
keep them in the park, so don't even bother.
Note: If you need a certain number of guests in your park to pass the
scenario, you may want to stick these peeps (guests) in a place
that they can't get out of. Something like a 1x1 path in the
middle of nowhere works. (see "7. Alternative Strategies")

How Guests Move:
Guests are morons. You just have to accept that. Their normal algorithm
on moving goes like this:
Walk down path
If you are at an intersection, pick a direction at random
Also realize that Stores, and Line Queues create intersections. The only
exception to this algorithm is when a guest knows EXACTLY where he is
going (his window will say "Heading for XXXX"). This means that you HAVE
to avoid using Double Paths (paths that are 2+ squares wide), and cutting
down on intersections also helps. Employees also follow this algorithm,
which is really annoying.

Compliments and How to get them:
The guests want a nice clean park to visit, good rides to go on, and short
lines. Also pricing things affordably gives the guest a good feeling that
translates into happiness. When the guest likes something, they will give
you the "good thought" (check the people button, and look under thoughts).
Happy patrons, when they leave, promote your park to their friends.

Big Problems:
Every once in awhile you will want to check the People button and look at
a summary of their thoughts (the second "Group" tab). Checking here will
give you a good idea of areas to improve in your park. If a lot of people
complain of hunger, build some food shops; if people complain of having
to go to the bathroom, build a bathroom; if lots of people complain about
waiting in line forever, consider cutting the line down.

Vandals:
The best way to prevent Vandalism is to keep your guests happy. However,
that doesn't always work, so here's some suggestions on vandalism.
Whenever a guest goes red in the face, he is about to commit vandalism. So
what do you do with a guest that you catch before he does anything? Put
him in "Jail". That is, a one square path with a bench on it for him to
smash. Let him smash it and get him outta there. Consider it "Destructive
Therapy". If you are wondering how Security Guards affect vandals, Guests
do not commit vandalism if there is a guard present. They don't actually
get "caught".

Oddity: Guests will remain seated on a vandalized bench for quite awhile,
but no new people can sit on the vandalized bench.

Note: Guests' Preferred Intensity increases as they ride tame rides (or as
the manual puts it "Riding less intense rides near a coaster can often
help guests get up the nerve to ride the more extreme attraction"
pg. 11)
Note: Guests who leave happy are considered "Good PR" and a free
advertisement.
Note: Guests who Die or Leave unhappy are considered "Bad PR" and can
discourage others from visiting your park.
Note: Guests can die in crashes, or drown; see section "4a. Crashes" below
for more info

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3. Rides (non Rollercoasters)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before we get to the Complete Ride Listing, a few words. All rides have many
customizations in them. From the amount of time the ride will take, to the
amount of people crammed into it, it is usually all contained in the ride
Information under the Gears tab. Any ride with independent vehicles, like
the Chair Lift, or the Boat Hire, has a maximum of 12 vehicles.

Music rides influence the moods of people walking by, and make them happier.
Indoor rides are popular when it rains every other ride is considered outdoor
Custom denotes that you can custom build the ride

a single * by the people number indicates that many people per vehicle

a single * in front of the ride name indicates an Add-On only ride

Gentle Rides: cost: size: people: notes:
Bumper Cars $440 4x4 12 Music, Indoor
Car Ride $540+ ** ** Custom
Ferris Wheel $450 4x1 32
Haunted House $340 3x3 15 Indoor
Hedge Maze $216+ ** ** Custom (16 max people)
Merry-Go-Round $460 3x3 16 Music
Observation Tower $592+ 3x3 20 Indoor, Custom, Tower
Slide $330 2x2 **
Space Rings $288 3x3 4
*Crooked House $260 3x3 5 Indoor
*Circus Show $500 3x3 30 Indoor, Music
*Ghost Train $570+ ** ** Custom
*Cycle Railway $450+ ** ** Custom
*Miniature Golf $740+ ** ** Custom
*Cycle Monorail $540+ ** ** Custom
*Flying Saucer $560 4x4 12

Exciting Rides:
3D Cinema $560 3x3 20 Indoor
Go Karts $920+ ** 1* Custom
Gravitron $580 3x3 8
Motion Simulator $440 2x2 8 Indoor
Scrambled Eggs $360 3x3 16
Swinging Ship $387 5x1 16
Swinging Inverter $424 4x1 12
Whoa Belly $800+ 3x3 8 Custom, Tower
*Roto Drop $880+ 3x3 16 Custom, Tower
*Enterprise $800 3x3 16

Water Rides:
Boat Hire $205+ ** ** Custom
Log Flume $1320+ ** 4* Custom
River Rapids $1840+ ** 8* Custom
Water Slide $1200+ ** 2* Custom
*River Ride $1260+ ** 16* Custom
*Jet Skis $205+ ** 1* Custom
*Raft Ride $900+ ** 4* Custom
*Water Coaster $1640+ ** 6* Custom

Transportation Rides:
Chairlift $1440+ ** 2* Custom, Indoor
Miniature Railroad $1300+ ** ** Custom
Monorail $1550+ ** ** Custom, Indoor
*Suspended Monorail $2400+ ** ** Custom, Indoor

Ah, More US:International Comparisons:

US: International:
------------------------- ---------------------------
Swinging Ship Dragon Boat
Whoa Belly Launched Freefall
Gravitron Top Spin
Scrambled Eggs Twist
Miniature Railroad Steam Train _or_ Miniature Railway
Bumper Cars Dodgems
Boat Hire Boat Ride _or_ Boat Hire
Reverse Whoa Belly RC Reverse Freefall Rollercoaster
Fries Stall Chips Shop
Cotton Candy Stall Candy Floss Stall

Play Music (Add-Ons):
One new addition to the Add-Ons is the ability to set any ride to play
music, just like the Bumper Cars, Merry-Go-Round, etc. Here is a list of
the styles that you can play:

Gentle Style
Summer Style
Water Style
Ragtime Style
Techno Style
Wild West Style
Rock Style
Rock Style 2 *
Fantasy Style
Horror Style
Toyland Style *
Roman Fanfare Style *
Oriental Style *
Martian Style *
Jungle Drums Style *
Jurrasic Style *
Egyptian Style *
Dodgems Beat Style *
Medieval Style *
Urban Style*
Space Style *
Snow Style *
Ice Style *

Note: A single * indicates that it is available with Loopy Landscapes only.

The Play Music option is found by opening the ride's window and selecting
the far right tab. (the "people" tab)

Tip: (from Ake Malmgren)
If you have built a ride so near the path that the queue area 'sticks' to
it before it should, and you won't rebuild the ride or path, you can
either build the queue area at one level higher or lower than the path, or
make it so that when you put a queue piece next to the path, it has
another piece to stick to rather than the path.

Like this:

SSSSSSSSSSSS <-- Station platform
Entrance -->EQ <-- Build this first
Queue -->QX <-- So that this will not stick to main path
Main path --> PPPPPPPPP
P
X is where you want to place the queue piece

Entrance Options (Add-On)

With Loopy Landscapes, you are now able to change the Entrances to the
Rides in your park. This is actually more of a landscaping option,
although the option is available on each ride's panel. Here is a list of
the theme options:

- Plain Style Entrance/Station (what you normally see)
- Canvas Tent Style Entrance/Station
- Castle Style Entrance/Station (brown)
- Castle Style Entrance/Station (grey)
- Log Cabin Entrance/Station
- Wooden Style Entrance/Station
- Jungle Style Entrance/Station
- Classic/Roman Style Entrance/Station
- Pagoda Style Entrance Station
- Abstract Style Entrance/Station
- Snow/Ice Style Entrance/Station
- Space Style Entrance/Station

Note: This affects both the Entrance of the ride, as well as the Stations
(where applicable).

Gentle Rides:
People for the most part don't like Gentle Rides. Most people want to ride
Rollercoasters (not all, some are a little chicken). But you can usually
get anyone onto a Gentle Ride. They tend to ride Gentle Rides AFTER having
already ridden on something exciting. This is the most true with the
Haunted House, which can have no business at all if people haven't ridden
something exciting first. The other time when a lot of people ride gentle
rides is when they are getting up the courage to ride something more
thrilling.

Custom Rides:
So what exactly makes a good custom ride? First off, each custom ride has
a saved template in the game, so you don't have to start off designing them
right away. The main problem with this is that it doesn't always fit into
your park. Remember that the amount of vehicles/trains/boats is determined
by the size of your Station, and if you have multiple stations, then it is
decided by the size of your smallest station. Well here's some notes on
each ride:

Boat Hire - a station platform is all you need, you can build "Guide
Rails" if you want to control where they go, but you don't need to.
If guests get lost/stuck on your boats, then you might want to
consider putting in a guide rail. Also build a Guide Rail if you
want to limit the amount of time the guest spends on the ride.
Note: The Guide Rails do not need to form a complete circuit.

Log Flume - keep this one short with 3 or 4 drops. 3 minutes is plenty,
any more than that and people start to get impatient and unhappy.
(they become impatient when they become hungry, which increases over
time) Also try to use the Log Flume as a showcase for your other
rides, e.g. have it go through the loop of your coaster, or by your
Go karts ride.

Add-On Note: The Log Flume gets a new track piece, the "turntable",
which turns the log around, but only if the log is
going slow enough. If the log is going fast, it won't
turn.

Water Slide - keep it simple, one uphill chain pull and then just move
them around, use the complete circle tracks to keep them from flying
off the track. (the idea is similar to the Bobsled Coaster since
neither are connected to the track)

Tadhg Pearson sent me this about Water Slides:
"Water Slides always go faster when there are people in the boats
and this can result in 'boat pile ups' when empty boats are
followed by a few full ones. Increasing the minimum waiting time
can help solve this." -- you could also uncheck "maximum" wait
time, and leave it "waiting for full load".

Also:
"Waterslides will always crash if you make a steep drop
underground using uncovered track."

Ake Malmgren had this to say about Water Slides:
"Because the dinghies runs on water, unlike the coasters that runs
on wheels, they have more friction against the track and loose
speed faster, so water slides are more difficult to design.

"When a water slide breaks down, all lift hills stops. That will
cause the boats to pile up in the lift hill(s), and probably run
into each other and make jams later in the track. Because of that,
it is no good idea to have more than one lift hill (I use to have
it, so i know the problems).

"(The lift hill stops on all water rides on breakdown)"

Any Transport - you need at least 2 stations for these to go anywhere,
Monorail doesn't need a complete loop, and the Chairlift
automatically makes a loop. Build the stations at least 6 squares
and more is always better. (well...not _always_ but you get the
general idea!)

Any Tower - go as tall as you can!

Note: on Whoa Belly if you make it very tall you will need to
increase the launch speed to keep up, but go too fast and it
will "jump free" of the tower. Oddly it may not crash,
though. (the one I built cleared the tower by a good 5 feet
but then on the way down, went right back onto the tower;
however I tried this again later and it caused a crash)

Go Karts, Car Ride - Up down, around, whatever.

Note: For fun one time I built a really short Go Karts that had only
2 station platform squares and immediately turned around and
finished the ride. Then I put the laps up to 10. It got an
excitement of "5 High". Not bad for a puny ride!

Dan Mullin had this to add about Go Karts:
"As with roller coasters it appears that Go-Karts really like to have
intertwined and paralleled tracks at the same or similar levels, i.e.,
a driver going one way on a section of track can see a driver going
another way on a different section. This seems to boost excitement
quite a bit.

"As you know, when run in race mode the winner always gets to take a
victory lap. Therefore, a nice balance to achieve in the number of
laps is completion of the victory lap at about the same time the last
place car actually finishes. Otherwise, if you simply cut down the
number of laps you are not speeding things up and you are reducing the
excitement level."

Ake Malmgren had this to say about Go Karts:
"To get extreme excitement ratings on this ride, build it
around/through/under/over many rides, preferrably at exciting points,
like through loops. It is easy to do because of the tight turns on
this track."

Hedge Maze - there's no good advice here, except to try to make a good
maze, but not so hard as to be impossible. Also keep in mind that
the longer the guest is lost in your maze, the hungrier/thirstier
he becomes.

Note: One of the best ways to build a Maze is to build the Ultra
Small Hedge maze. Have only 2 squares of maze, with only one
straight path. Place both the entrance and exit on a path
(i.e. no queues), and you have a very quick loading/unloading
ride! They get out and go right back in! Best of all, the
whole ride + stations takes up only 4 squares, and can be
placed almost anywhere.

Now for more detailed information on Transport rides.

Chair Lift - Building any more than 7 station squares is unnecessary
since the CL can only have 12 cars. Also to decrease the time it
takes to load the ride, place the Entrance near the beginning (where
it starts to become the ride) of the Station. (see Common Problems
for a "picture" of where to place the Entrance/Exit) Also increase
the speed of the ride to 9 mph. (under the Gears tab)

Monorail, Railroad - these rides really slow down going up hills, so one
idea is to make them into "subways" and only surface them at each
station. Part of the idea with these is to show patrons the park,
however, so that may not be the best idea. Again make your stations
as long as possible to have large multiple trains if you want those.

Note: The monorail doesn't even need 2 stations to operate, simply
set it to "Shuttle Mode" and it will go to the end of the
track and back. Shuttle Mode also works when you don't have
a complete loop.

Note: You can build a maximum of 4 stations!

Note: The excitement ratings in transport rides and water ride are
dramatically enhanced when they go through the loop of a rollercoaster.

Some thoughts on Pricing: (if you don't charge admission into the park, these
prices are too low for you, charge more)
These rides fall into 3 pricing categories: freebies, cheap, and workhorse.
Freebies are gentle rides like the Merry-Go-Round and the Ferris Wheel. You
make these free to keep people happy, and in the park. Cheap rides are the
other Gentle Rides, the Transportation Rides, and the Boat Hire. Cheap
rates are .30 to .90 and keep people coming on rides that they would other
wise avoid. Workhorse are all of your exciting rides and the other 3 water
rides. These rides are consistently popular and you can therefore charge
more. Workhorse rates are .90 to 1.30.
Also be sure to remember that you can charge more for new rides than old
rides. This is due to the "Novelty Factor". You can sometimes get away
with $5 admissions on new rides.
Remember that you get most of your money from Admissions and Roller Coasters
so don't freak out about the costs of these rides.
Note: The maximum that you can charge any guest on one ride is $20.

Further Thoughts on Pricing:
Some people split hairs trying to get as much money from the guests at
every possible opportunity, by overcharging on new rides, and gradually
decreasing the rate. As near as I can see this will merely deplete your
guests funds quicker and get them to leave sooner and less happy. I believe
that having fair prices (i.e. _not_ overcharging) is better in the long run.
Firstly your guests can stay in your park longer keeping your guest count
higher. Secondly they leave happy, which encourages more people to come to
your park. And finally they usually leave with little to no money anyway,
it doesn't matter if you get it all at once, or gradually, you still get
their money!

Loopy Landscapes Park Admission Pricing:
In case you haven't noticed, when Chris Sawyer made Loopy Landscapes, he
disabled the ability to charge a "gate fee" to enter the park. There has
been a lot of speculation on why this was, and we've received hundreds of

emails about this issue. It's simply not possible to charge a gate fee in
the Loopy Landscapes expansion pack. With the use of a trainer, on the
other hand, it is possible to tweak this a bit. You can download trainers
on just about every one of the major Rollercoaster Tycoon fan sites (links
can be found towards the end of this guide).

To put the speculation of why this was disabled, I (Jim Chamberlin) asked
Chris Sawyer about this in an interview. Here's what he had to say about
the matter:

"I disabled the gate fee option in the new Loopy Landscapes parks so
that the design and themeing of the individual rides became more
important and crucial to the success of the park. If an entrance fee
is charged it doesn't tend to matter too much if the guests don't
enjoy all the rides in the park, so there is little incentive for
the player to really think about the design of every single ride.
Without an entrance fee though, every ride becomes important, and a
poorly designed ride is of no benefit to the park's finances.
Although initially it seems more difficult to make money this way,
it's actually possible to make more money, as you can charge very
high prices for your really big rides, especially when they are new."

-- Interview w/ Chris Sawyer on RCT Station (May 2001)

Some thoughts on Spacing:
Some rides--the Log Flume, Monorail, etc.--launch many separate independent
vehicles. Obviously you don't want to launch them all in one bunch, as
that would be bad spacing (think of waiting in a line that either moves fast
or not at all, and you see what I mean). To increase your spacing you need
to edit how the ride launches each vehicle. The best way to do this is to
increase the Minimum Wait time. This keeps each vehicle there longer, and
increases the space between it and the previous vehicle. Another good way--
especially good on Monorails--is to set both the Minimum and the Maximum to
the same time, so that it stays at each station exactly that amount of time.
This keeps your transportation network moving.

Here's a good formula to follow:
Minimum Wait Time = (Ride Time Length / Vehicles on Ride) - 1

Bear in mind that this isn't a perfect formula, and depends on your rides
loading in less time than the minimum time. Remember that if it takes
longer than your minimum time for the guests to load onto the ride, that
your carefully planned Min. Wait time is worthless.

Note: The highest setting for "minimum" and "maximum" is 250 seconds.
Note: The Data Logging graph stops at 5 minutes.

Thoughts on the Pause:
This is also discussed down in Alternative Strategies. Normally if you
want to change the attributes of a ride (like the amount of logs in a log
flume) you have to close down the ride, causing everyone to leave the line.
One way to avoid this is to first Pause the game, then close the ride,
change what you want to change, and then Unpause. Quick and easy. Notice
how the line stayed where it was. However, everyone who was on the ride is
now leaving the ride (you can also Fleece the Guests this way). They
surprisingly, don't seem to care that much about this. (although it should
be noted that they won't be as happy as they would be if they rode the
entire ride, since happiness is increased gradually.)

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4. Rides (Rollercoasters)
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Add-On Rollercoasters

Flying
Heartline Twister
Slide Friction
Steel Twister
Virginia Reel
Wooden Reverser
Wooden Twister
Inverted Wild Mouse
Suspended Looping
Air Powered Vertical

For a basics guide to building rollercoasters, go down to "4b. Basic Coaster
Building"

Special Track Pieces: (not all are available on all coasters)
On Ride Photo -- Takes a photo of your guests, which they can buy for $2
(to start) at a profit of $1.80. You want one of these on
EVERY coaster that has it available!
Brakes/Booster - One slows you down, the other speeds you up. One of these
alone is not enough to get you up/down to speed.
Helix -- A Helix is a banked turn that also goes up or down. Comes
in two flavors, LARGE and SMALL.
Half Loop -- The first element in the COBRA LOOP, to use you need to
first use a straight track with the small angle up. Then
to finish you need to use a corkscrew.
Corkscrew -- Standard corkscrew.
Inversion -- Like a corkscrew, but not as large. Only available on the
Inverted Rollercoaster. (technically a Loop and a
Corkscrew are considered "Inversions" but that isn't what
we mean here)
"S" Bend -- Used to move your coaster 1 square either left or right.
Vertical Loop -- The normal loop. Also moved your coaster left or right 1
square. To use have one straight piece angled up slightly
then build your loop.
Steep Twist -- Not really a "special track" in that it isn't in the
little menu, but it counts for me. It is essentially a
turn while going down at the maximum angle (not straight
down). To build it, have a steep drop (or climb) then
on the next track have it also go steep, and do the small
turn.
Water Splash -- Only available on the standard wooden rollercoaster. Sends
the coaster train over a "water splash". Adds excitement
but also slows the train down.

When designing your tracks pay more attention to Lateral G's than Vertical,
as this will increase the Nausea rating of the ride--which you want to keep
low. (Lateral G's are created when you take turns while going very fast)
Some strategies to keep in mind about L. G's are to slow the coaster down
before taking turns, and try to avoid using the sharp turns. And especially
don't combine the two. The best way to slow a coaster down before a turn is
to have it go up a hill right before the turn. Use brakes sparingly. Test
your roller coaster, and if the L.G's exceed about 3 or so several times in
quick succession, you may need to go back to the Drawing Board. I'm not
saying to avoid L.G's completely, as they are quite intense and exciting, but
keep it within reason. It does not really matter if you have more than one
"lift hill", as the guests happiness increases based on the ride as a whole,
and not by where they currently are. Finally, when you run a coaster
through a loop, try to keep the speed down, as fast loops increase intensity
and nausea really quickly.

To keep things interesting (and expensive) periodically shut down the roller
coaster and refit it with something new. On a wooden roller coaster, try to
add an On Ride Picture, or a "Splash" section; on a Mini Steel, change the
cars to Spinning, etc. This helps to keep your ride from getting stale.

Further Thoughts on Design:
If you want to create a Roller Coaster (or any custom ride) and save the
design, one good way to do it is to follow this idea:
- Start the Forest Frontier scenario (or any other)
- Take out the maximum loan
- Set Research to Maximum, AND take off all research options except
"Rollercoaster"
(or if you are doing another ride, check the appropriate option)
- Design your roller coaster (don't open the park)
- Test the Design out, try for High Excitement
- Save the design (open the ride window, click the Disk button, select
save design; Note: you must have named the ride!)
The idea here is to use this scenario as nothing more than a canvas for
creating new rides. Then you can take your saved design and place it into
whichever scenario you are working on. This should save you time, and
money. An alternate idea is to use a scenario that you have already
passed that has a lot of money. Close the park (takes awhile to get those
guests out of the park, however) and bulldoze the rides. Save the blank
park as something else (Test Park works) and start experimenting. Remember
that practice makes perfect.
Note: Intensity of over 10 is unrideable. Not completely unreadable, mind
you. I built an 11 intensity coaster that had an excitement around
5, but then I cut the intensity back to 9 and the excitement shot up
to 8.

What the *&#$% is Intensity Anyway?
Excitement - is a measure on how exciting the ride looks to a guest and is
based on Intensity--between 6 and 9 is usually good, anything higher
and the excitement plummets--and the Aesthetics of the ride itself.
Large rides with loops generally look more exciting than something that
is small and flat. Also try to weave the ride through previous sections
of the ride--like sending the track through the hole of an earlier loop.
(it's even better to send _other_ rides through the loop!) Tunnels and
Scenery will also help. Another trick to use is the old "Decapitation
Trick"; which basically works by dropping just below some obstacle just
in the nick of time, giving the appearance that it would take your head
off. You can also increase excitement in tunnels by placing an object,
such as a statue, on top of the tunnel. Finally excitement lowers over
time but one way to get it back up is to change the ride--like changing
the type of train on the coaster, painting it, or adding to it.
Note: Scenery only effects the coaster excitement up to 4 squares away,
anything further has no effect.
Intensity - is a measure on how intense the ride is. So what does that
mean? You want to keep the ride moving fast--have only one lift hill--
and add elements like loops and corkscrews to increase intensity.
Simply having a tight turn is not in itself a bad thing, it only becomes
bad if its too fast, and followed by a turn in the opposite direction.
(think of shaking a soda can, if you simply move it fast in one
direction it doesn't fizz so much, but if you move it back and forth
quickly, it fizzes quite a bit) Have the coaster go up and down, take
sudden drops, and above all keep the speed up!
Nausea - is based on the Intensity partly, and on the how you get the
intensity. Fast speeds on hairpin turns that go left then right, is
generally a good way to get people sick. Try to keep nausea below 7.

Some Thoughts on Platforms: --from R.D. Mack
Flush loading (enter on the left, exit on the right or vice versa) can be
done well if the ride is planned in advance. In addition, placement of the
exit and entrance can speed up loading of the coasters, especially if the
ride is short and runs more than 2 trains. (See below)

12 length platform, three train operation, 7 cars per train (wooden coaster
operation)

E
XXXXXXXXXXXX
X

E - Entrance
X - Exit

The exit can be anywhere along the platform as they are in no hurry to
leave, but now the entrance will be centered on the loading train so that
the peeps no longer have to walk down to the back. (the peeps walk the same
distance to the front as to the back, and take less time doing so.)

This formula can be used for all different types of rollercoasters, as well
as some of the transport rides. Of course, if one is using a shorter train,
the platform entrance should be moved towards the center of the train.

Thoughts on Pricing:
Roller Coasters are the big money makers, and are very consistent. When
it is new, charge $3 to $5 (depending on size and excitement), and as time
goes on, drop it to the $2 to $3 range. You shouldn't have to drop it
further, unless you want to. On Ride pictures help to increase profits.
Note: Guests will only buy ONE On Ride picture in your entire park, period.

Further Thoughts on Nausea:
Some people just shouldn't ride roller coasters, but do it anyway. For
them you need at least 3 benches right outside of the Exit, as well as a
Bathroom right by the exit. It is also wise to have a Handyman on patrol
by the Exits to popular (and therefore pukey) roller coasters. Also
sometimes a Drinks stall nearby helps.

Rain Delays:
Guests don't like to go on roller coasters (or any other outdoor ride for
that matter) in the rain. Doesn't mean that they won't do it, however.
There are 2 notable times when guests get over their aversion to outdoor
rides in the rain:
1. If the ride is new, people will still line up for it (Novelty Factor)
2. If they just got off the ride and want to go on it again (repeat
business)
Anyone else who lines up in the rain is a freak.
Note: Underground (and mostly underground) rides are considered "indoor".

Rain Delays 2 -- Beating the Rain:
So your guests won't go on coasters in the rain... or will they. We have
already established that they will go on coasters that are brand new due
to the Novelty Factor. So when it is raining, (and if it tends to rain a
lot in that scenario) you might want to try "Breaking up the Ride". That
is, remove one section of the ride (after it was closed, of course), and
then re-open the ride. Since the ride is now considered "new", you should
be able to get peeps to line up for it. Best done during prolonged rain
storms that cut your lines down to zero.

How to Build an Underground Roller Coaster:
If you've played the Katie's World scenario, you know that it is possible
to have a coaster completely underground. Well how do you do that? It is
actually kind of simple. Cut away some land down to the level that you
want to build your coaster. Then build one station platform above ground
in the hole, with the next station platform going underground. Then remove
the first station platform and raise the land back to where it was. You
are now free to build that underground coaster! You should realize, of
course, that this is much more expensive than building a normal coaster.
Note: The maximum height for land is 31, so the highest drop that you could
manage underground is a 29.

How to build an Elevated Roller Coaster:
Ever want to put that coaster station above ground in the air? Well it
isn't so hard to accomplish. Simply raise one square of terrain to the
level that you want, and build your first station on that, then just keep
building. Then later go back and lower that piece of terrain back to the
ground level.

Transport Rollercoasters:
You may eventually want to use a Rollercoaster as a train to shuttle people
from one area to another. Bear in mind that you can't use the powered
launch mode with 2 stations, therefore you have to build a lot of "Booster"
tracks to keep it going. Also if you make a straight track it will be
very boring. You will want to add some excitement to it via a Loop or
something similar.
Note: You don't actually have to have the guests go through the loop, as
long as it exists on the track somewhere, it will increase the
excitement.

Fix the Crazy Vole: (Wild Rodent)
This ride actually needs a bit of a tune up to make it better. Sometimes
when the cars launch from the station, they don't have enough speed to make
it all the way to the lift hill, which is surprisingly far away. To help,
have a small downhill section out of the station, then turn it and then
back up and onto the lift hill.

The Single Dueling Coaster:
This isn't so hard to produce. Simply build one coaster as normal, except
that when you get to finish the ride, move the track 1 square left or right
and make a new station that would be identical in length to the first one.
Now build a second coaster. Try to keep it the same size as the first
section. To finish the ride off, have the track go back into the first
station. Now you'll probably want to get half the Trains to each station,
so push the "Test Ride" button until half the trains have left, then click
the Red "Close Ride" button once. To get the 2 stations to synchronize,
click the "Synchronize with Adjacent Station" buttons (you have to do this
for each station!) Now you just need to place 2 entrances, 2 exits, and
you're done!

Note: Do not simply link 2 separate coasters together to make one, that
doesn't work!
-- answer from alt.games.rctycoon, Michael Kerr

Painting Each Section (Add-On):
So you want to paint your coaster in a hundred different colors, each
section being different from the last. Now you can. Go into the paint
tab like always, and note the "Track" and under that "Main Color Scheme".
Click on Main Color Scheme to bring up a menu that also includes 3
alternate color palettes. Select one of the alternates, then change some
of the colors in the normal fashion. Now click the Brush button and click
on any section of track to color it. Now if you change the colors in the
menu all the sections you painted with it will change colors as well.

Add-On Testing Note: Guests seem to wait for rollercoasters to be tested
once you get the Add-On. Which means, no more getting
them on any old ride, now you have to make sure it is
rideable before they will ride it. This means that if
you created the Coaster of Death (you know that it's
intensity will be way too high), and you want to get
peeps on it before you test. Nope! Peeps now need
documented evidence that this ride won't cause their
hearts to burst!

If you want a more in depth look on Rollercoaster Construction go down to
"4b. Building Good Coasters"
Some more ride design ideas can be found in "7. Alternative Ideas"

Note: If you demolish a ride that had an On Ride Photo, all the photos from
that ride disappear as well!
Note: The cheapest roller coaster (pre-made) is the Shuttle Launch Steel
Roller Coaster.
Note: Spinning cars on the Mini Steel Rollercoaster increases Nausea more
than they increase Excitement.
Note: Naming your Coasters different names, not only helps you differentiate
between them, but can also help your guests out!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 Crashes!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are lucky, you won't ever have to deal with a crash. However, it is
very likely that you will have to eventually.
Preventing:
Constant Maintenance! On your old rides, decrease the inspection time down
to 10 minutes (this may require more Mechanics). This increases your
reliability rating on the ride, and may help avert major disaster.
The most common crash is that of Station Brakes Failure on a Roller
Coaster. To prevent this common malady you need to slow the friggin
coaster before it gets to the track. There are several ways to do this:
- Have a lift hill right before you go back into the station, this is
a separate system from the brakes and won't fail in the same explosive
way. (having other brakes, i.e. track brakes, does not work because
all brakes tend to fail at the same time)
- Use up all the speed in the ride. This entails a lot of good ride
design as you have to get its speed down before it enters the station
yet still avoid stalled out trains, and trains going backwards.
Coasters that come into the station at 5 MPH tend to not crash as much as
coasters coming in at 90 MPH. Other ideas to try are to have a Mechanic on
permanent patrol near your rides, or you could finally remove all the other
trains completely. (if you do that make sure that the train has the
maximum amount of cars allowed)
Dan Mullin has this to add:
"I tend to design a coaster so that as much speed is dumped
during the ride as possible, then the train is actually hauled back into
the station by a small lift hill (maybe 2-3 levels). This can be
accomplished by either raising the station a few ticks above the ground
or, even better, having the end of the coaster ride underground, then
hauling back up to ground level. The latter will normally increase your
excitement level. Either way, a train that has to pull back uphill to
enter the station at 5 MPH WILL NOT CRASH."

The other main way to crash a ride is through bad design. So avoid bad
designs! (easier said than done, eh?) Typical bad designs are when you
build a hill that is higher than your train can get up. It will then slide
back down and hit the next train coming down the track. The easiest way
to fix that is to change the hill to a lift hill. Also on your test
modes, have only one train go through the ride at a time to avoid any on
ride collisions. (an alternative to switching to one train, is to watch
to see if it will crash, then to quickly hit the Close button, which will
somehow magically remove the trains)

Note: If you crash something in the "Test" mode, guests will still fear the
ride ("I'm not going on that, it isn't safe!").

Note: When two vehicles are racing to each other, the faster moving one is
the "lucky" one to explode. (Ake Malmgren)

Recovering from a crash:
The best way to recover, is to scrap the ride and build a new ride there.
This is because crashed rides have horrid reputations and people will avoid
it like the plague. However, it isn't always feasible to replace rides
(cost, or maybe you really like the ride), so there is a plan to save it
and get it back to being popular. Close the ride for 2-4 months. Give it
only 1 train. Repaint the entire ride to a different color scheme (I don't
know if this helps them forget that people died here, but it couldn't
hurt), and if necessary, advertise the ride. After your Mechanic has had a
look at the ride, double click the Close button on the roller coaster to
reset the ride, and then you can re-open it. Your roller coaster should be
a big hit again! Also be SURE to give it a 10 minute inspection time. And
if you feel like it, you can edit the ride a little. (add that On Ride
Photo you always wanted!) Don't worry if it isn't popular right away, it
will take some time to get there.

Note: One odd way to crash is to have the coaster fly through the ground.
If you have an incomplete track that allows the coaster train to fly
off the track, and it goes into the side of a cliff, instead of going
"BOOM" it will go through the cliff, and will only crash when it
reaches the edge of your park. (either the sides, or the low level)

Note: Besides dying in crashes, guests can also drown. Guests will drown if
your ride exit is over water, and has no path connecting to it (then
they'll fall right in), if you destroy a path that is over water they
will fall in, or if you use the pincers to put them in directly.

Note: If two cars is swinging towards each other on adjacent tracks, they may
collide and lose almost all speed. This happened to me with the
suspended aeroplane cars, I don't know if it happens with the normal
cars, or with the suspended suspended sigle-rail RC. (Ake Malmgren)

Note: The "Holding Brake" on the Vertical RC will not fail with the rest of
the brakes at a Station Brake failure. (Ake Malmgren)

An In-Depth Look at Crashes (from Metro Master):

Before getting into major detail, it has become increasingly clear that
game author Chris Sawyer invested a great amount of effort on realistic
details. There appears to be very little that escaped him. With that
in mind, it should come as no surprise that the more complex the ride,
the greater the possibility for failure, breakdown, disaster. Hedge
mazes and rowing boats do not breakdown. Bumper cars and Ferris wheels
breakdown. Roller coasters breakdown and crash. I will be primarily
concerned with roller coaster crashes here, even though from time to
time I will make mention of other attractions if they are relevant to
the subject matter at hand. Having said that, settle in and prepare
yourself for long reading.

I observed all types of coasters running for about 10 game years under
a number of varying conditions, which I will address in the same order
as follows:

(1) With regard to braking sections and the station brakes failure.
(2) Regarding inspections, their schedules, and the assignment of
mechanics.
(3) Other causes of crashes.
(4) The ride operations box (the one with the gears).

Firstly, I have never had a crash with only one train on a closed loop
of track. There is just nothing else there for the train to run into,
unless you have designed the coaster so badly that it simply sails off
the track into open space. I do not say this derogatorily. Bobsleds,
side frictions and water slides can get airborne a lot easier than you
may think. Reverse whoa belly coasters and shuttle loop types can also
be run off the end of the track to their demise, but then again, that's
poor planning and bad design. Not the type of crashes under discussion
here.

(1) Braking sections and the station brakes failure

If you are in the habit of zooming to the scene after a crash, and
checking with the ride operations box, you will know by now that all
too often it identifies the cause as "Station Brakes Failure" which
is, by far, the most frequent cause of crashes. According to what
Steve shared with me from the Official RCT/CF strategy guide, when
this happens after the coaster has been in service for a number of
years the cause is likely to be that the brakes have worn out, and
replacing them (the brake sections) may very well be a viable
alternative to tearing down the entire ride. This sounds better than
it works. The game does not acknowledge new parts of the ride. And
in tests I have discovered that the same breakdown will occur again
within a year, while the reliability and down time do not change
significantly as a result of such replacement. I have long maintained
that adding additional braking sections prior to entering the station
decreases the number of "station brake failure" crashes. I have
subsequently observed that these two appear to operate in direct
proportion to each other. In other words, If you want less "station
brakes failures", add more braking sections. My observations with
Steve's "Thunderbolt" and "Cyclone" bore this out very significantly.
Both of these are very good renditions of their real life counterparts
at Coney Island, N.Y. Steve used short trains on them. Short trains
have less momentum and therefore require less braking. Along with this,
there are long straight sections all with additional brakes adjusted to
smoothly reduce train speed, just prior to the station entrance. The
energy of the train is dissipated over a longer period, resulting in
much less wear and tear on all the brakes. As such, crashes on these
coasters are rare indeed. However, when I removed all the extra brake
sections and conducted the very same tests, crashes began to occur as
early as the third year in service. So additional braking sections are
indeed a very effective way to reduce the number of crashes on your
coaster. Although there are those who insist that all brakes fail when
the "station brakes failure" occurs, I can assure you that this is not
so. On several occasions during these observations I have seen the
"station brakes failure" pop up in the operations window, and the next
train into the station would slow down to a crawl on the braking section
I had added prior to the station entrance, and then coast slowly right
through the station and back to the lift hill. This indicated that
only the brakes in the station had failed and not the additional ones.
However, I also had times when it appeared that all of the brakes did
fail simultaneously and the train would crash into its leader after
blazing through the station with undiminished speed.

The big steel coasters are indeed most likely to crash, simply because
they are even more complex, intense, heavy and generally run faster
than their wooden counterparts. This too, has been confirmed in my
observations. I tested Cav's "Reflections", "Double Take" and
"Psycho Line". These are very complex steel racing coasters, of which
"Psycho Line" is of the vertical drop type and the other two are
corkscrew. They all have a sweeping curve as the grand finale before
entering the station. Hence no additional brakes near the station, and
the station brakes themselves must dissipate all that energy on an
already longer, heavier and faster moving steel coaster train. However,
"Reflections" and "Double Take" are racing coasters on one continuous
loop of track with two adjoining stations operating only two eight car
trains, which are synchronized. So the trains were always equi-distant
from each other and as such they never crashed. Nonetheless the dreaded
"station brakes failure" did rear its ugly head about as often as could
be expected. I did some major surgery on both of them and added brake
sections prior to the station and in the ensuing tests the "station
brakes failures" were reduced by about 30%. I had similar results with
Cav's "Psycho line". There are six three car trains on this coaster
also running as a racing coaster looped on itself and synchronized.
But the track is so long that it is possible to avoid the crash entirely
by setting the proper holding time in the station with the ride
operations box (more on this later). If you have the luxury of a
coaster with a very long track, the time needed for the trains to
traverse the loop works in your favor and it's almost as if there were
only one train present on the track. These coasters are true works of
art. No serious RCTycooner should be without them. I had also
conducted similar testing on "The Storm" which is a large mine train
coaster in "Katie's World". Without modification this coaster crashed
within three years. When I modified the station approach with additional
brake sections, it gave me eight crash free years, while another steel
coaster I had built elsewhere in the park (without) additional braking
sections suffered a crash about every three to four years.

There are some types of coasters on which adding braking sections is not
possible and most of them operate in single car consists. These include
wooden crazy rodent, single rail, suspended single, heartline twister,
and Virginia reel. It appears to me that when such single car trains
are operated, the program gives us a break, in that even with "station
brakes failure" evident, the cars simply bump into each other and stop
without a crash and loss of life. But the fact is that crashes only
occur at speeds over 30 MPH, with the big coasters. With these smaller
coaster cars, the crash only occurs if the cars are outside of the
station limits and moving at over 30 MPH. Even the water rides will
crash if you can get the boat to collide at speed outside of the station
limits. I've noted that multi car bobsled trains, however, will crash
and kill, even though they do not have the option for additional brakes.
But then again this is because the Bobsleds move at a much higher speed
that these other coasters. The option to install additional brakes on
rides operating such single cars is not needed, as these cars frequently
do not have sufficient momentum to complete the track circuit, and will
come to a complete stop unless the track has been carefully planned and
laid out. Which brings me to another important point. Although these
single car units do not generally crash because of "station brakes
failure", they will crash and kill if they should lose momentum on a
grade and roll back into the following car, (more on this type of crash
later) or if they should fly off the track in a curve.

(2) Scheduling inspections and assigning mechanics

Assign a mechanic to each coaster, confining his patrol to the immediate
area around the ride's exit. A good coaster will show enough profit to
cover the expense of its own mechanic. Schedule inspection for every 10
minutes. Assigning the mechanic in this way can actually save the
situation directly because of his proximity to the ride. Since my last
report, I have had the situation in which a mechanic so assigned was able
to access and repair the brakes just seconds before the train came