Why is Planet Coaster exciting for fans of the genre?

Many fans of the theme park builder and tycoon genre have been craving a brand new, substantial offering for many years. The last major release was Frontier's RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, 12 years ago in 2004. 12 years is a long time to wait for a true successor to the franchise, and whilst other games have released since such as NoLimits 2 and Theme Park Studio, nothing has fully satiated the majority of players. RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile was a perhaps soulless cash-in and RollerCoaster Tycoon World has been passed around so many studios that the end-product has suffered for it. Neither of the two RCT games released after 3 were developed by Frontier, but they have since gone independent and have been developing a true RCT3 successor. Currently in the second phase of alpha release; Planet Coaster certainly seems to live up to the hype. Large, flashy rides and the ability to do some rather silly stuff have already made the game a hit with the YouTube community, but why exactly is Planet Coaster so exciting for casual and avid fans alike?

Previous games locked object placing to a grid-like format, and whilst this still allowed a huge variety of building and ride options, Planet Coaster more or less scraps this and allows you to place objects almost wherever you want. Most items can be freely rotated whichever way you'd like, not just left and right but up, down and side to side. With this system, the possibilities of object combination and positioning are almost endless, but that's only the start. Objects are now able to clip through one another, which allows for structures both practical and wildly abstract. Buildings are no longer confined to being large blocks or combinations of smaller ones, and have a far more realistic shape and flow to them. This is particularly handy if you're going for a certain architectural style for say, a themed area. Facades can be dressed appropriately, brimming with detail or full structures can be crafted in all manner of shapes and sizes, each with their own flavour and character, which really helps give your area a sense of authenticity.

Whilst we are still working with a finite set of assets, it's what we can now do with them that fans should be excited about. That's not to mention the deceptively simple terrain editing system. We are given a handful of tools to mould, shape and chisel away at the land, but this allows for creating some simply stunning natural structures (some examples already in the game being Mt Rushmore and a giant tree), and also allows your coasters to really interact with the terrain by passing through tunnels, diving off a cliff face or even conforming twists and turns to the ground and hills.

On the subject of coasters: there's a lot of them. Plenty of real life coaster types and concepts have been put in to parks since the release of RCT3, and Planet Coaster plans to fill in the gaps. Take for example the B&M Wing Coaster, a ride where thrill-seekers sit at the sides of the track, rather than above or below it. This simply isn't something that could be modded in to RCT3 as it brings with it a whole new set of logic and physics. Planet Coaster however have not one but two types of wing coaster, a launched and a chain lift variant. Many coaster types also feature a couple of different train models too, so designers can choose between a train heavily inspired by a famous ride (Manta and Formula Rossa being two notable examples) or a far more generic one. The level of detail put in to everything in this game is astonishing, but the coasters are the star here. Every track type accurately represents its real world counterpart, copying the shape of the tracks almost exactly. Accurate supports feature with every bolt and rivet where it should be and intense detail even down to air bubbles and holes in the concrete footers. This helps push the game further towards being a true simulation game and further away from fantasy (although fantasy parks are still entirely possible). Despite the level of realism present, everything fits in surprisingly well with the charming and cheerful art-style found in the characters and guests that roam and inhabit your park. Stations and dispatch are also brought to life here, with features not before present such as air gates (railings that help riders sort in to rows and stop them from entering the ride area for health and safety), and lowering and folding floor platforms often found on floorless and inverted coasters (allowing riders to board and exit ride vehicles). A control booth can also be found in every station (although at this point it is not customisable), and custom entrances will soon be added to the alpha.

And perhaps what's most exciting of all is that there's plenty more to come in future alphas and then final release. Planet Coaster is scheduled for a Q4 2016 release with a particular view to November or December. A special pre-order price of £19.99 is available but £49.99 will net you permanent beta access right now and then the final release too. It is not at this point confirmed what the post-launch price will be.

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