Rollercoaster Tycooon FAQ Q: My park rating is going down! What can I do about this? A: The park rating is just a composite of how the guests feel about the park. If it is raining, this may experience a small dip (they can't go on roller coasters in the rain). Also your park may be dirty, overcrowded, and have long lines. Hire a handyman, build a new ride to siphon people away, and cut the lines. Also hire an entertainer or two to patrol your longer line queues. Finally overhaul your rides, paint them, add to them, advertise about them, whatever it takes to get people excited again. If your value drops for no apparent reason, the most likely cause is litter. Q: How can I increase my Park Value? A: Park Value is an estimation of how valuable your park is. This isn't a simple sum of all of your rides, but also includes how popular your park is, and how old your rides are. So how do you increase your Park Value? First replace the really old rides with new ones (even if it's the same ride). For example, bulldoze your Merry-Go- Round, and build a new one. This isn't too expensive, and will also allow you to charge more for that ride (novelty factor). I would replace Coasters only if you have already replaced all the rides, and are still short. Then keep on developing the park! Build scenery, shops, and new rides. If you want to even stay at the same value, you have to keep adding/replacing rides. Tip: If you desperately need park rating and/or guests, and you don't plan to build any more rides, make the park totally free! The park rating will boost and the guests will stay forever. And you'll still be able to hire staff when you have negative money. (Ake Malmgren) Q: People are avoiding my Rides! A: Chances are they think that ride is too expensive. To find out for sure what is wrong with the ride, check the People tab on the ride and click the thought bubble. You will see exactly what people are thinking. If you see "I'm not paying that much for XXXX" then slash prices. Remember that if it's raining, they will tend to avoid outdoor rides like rollercoasters. The other reason people avoid roller coasters, is if it is too intense (10+). To tone down the ride, remove sharp turns and replace them with larger, banked turns (not available on all coasters). You can also add brakes before you hit the sharp turns. Q: People are stuck on my Ride! How do I get them out? A: Sometimes the problem is mechanical, and your mechanics will go in and get the ride moving again. However, sometimes, it is simply bad design that gets people "stuck" or "stalled out" on a ride. In either case try to get them out by double clicking the Red "Close" Button on the ride. If that fixes it then the problem was the design so redesign the ride to remove the problem. Try to make it go faster through the problem area, add a lift hill or a booster, or even shorten the ride itself. If closing the ride does nothing, then wait for a mechanic to come and fix the ride. Q: How do I save my Custom Rollercoaster? A: -- from page 40 in the Game Manual This is in the manual but some people have troubles with it anyway. First you have to have a ride to save. Then NAME the ride something (you can't save "Rollercoaster 1"). Finally with the ride window still open, click on the DISK icon and go down to Save Track Design. Q: What is a "Peep"? A: A peep is a guest in your park. I think that this term came from Theme Park, and is meant in a semi-derogatory way. It certainly sounds mean spirited. After playing "The Sims" a lot, I tend to call these people "Sims". Q: How do you make an underground Whoa Belly (like in Mel's World)? A: Well you can't really, but you can make it look like it anyway. Lower a 3x3 section of land at least 2 units (the more you lower it, the harder it will be to build the Whoa Belly--aka Spaceshot or the Reverse Freefall). Then build the ride in your hole. Now select the path icon, and select the "Bridge/Tunnel" tool and build a path in a donut shape above the ride. Note: To build a ride entrance underground you must have the land at least 5 units above the bottom of the ride, and the exit needs land 3 units above the bottom of the ride. Q: Help! My Chairlift won't work! A: The chairlift is a little different than other rides, in that you only need to make one line (not a loop). Here's a small diagram of what to do. 1st Station 2nd Station E - Entrance S - Station X E X E X - Exit = - Line SSSSSSS==============================SSSSSSS Where each letter represents 1 square of land. At the first station you want the Entrance to be close by where the Station touches the wires, but on the 2nd station you want the opposite, put the entrance as far from that as you can, but if possible, still on the same side as the first stations. Q: Mechanics can't get to my rides to fix them... why not? A: Two possibilities. One, you gave them an area to patrol that did not include the ride exit (not the path by the exit, the actual exit itself must be covered in their path). Or Two you are using the Blue Queue Path leading from the exit. Switch over to a normal type of path and that should fix it. Note: There is no good way to set a route for a mechanic on a completely underground ride. Sure you can set a route above ground, but no way to keep him underground, he'll tend to stay above ground. Q: How do I make a smooth looking Hill/Mountain? A: -- from a Grey Box on page 32 of the Manual This is covered in the manual, but some people seem to have trouble with it anyway. Open up the Land Window by pressing the Shovel button. Then press the Minus button. You should see (in the window) one solid square surrounded by non-solid squares. Then raise/lower the land as normal and it will raise the land near it as well, but contoured to make a smooth looking hill. Q: I've been playing this scenario for ages, yet I don't have all the Rides... A: Simply put, not every scenario has every ride. Most scenarios have all the non-rollercoaster rides, but some (like Forest Frontiers) will be missing a few. Don't worry, you'll get to see those rides soon enough! Q: How can I create a picture to go with my own Custom Rides? A: There are a couple of utilities for that! Go to: BMP to TP4 - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/5366/rct.html PCX to TP4 - http://members.aol.com/pjc0407/maketp4/index.html These programs are simple to use. Simply go to your game, take a screenshot of the ride that you want a preview picture of. Then open the utility and convert it, making sure to name the picture the same as the ride. Note: If you use the BMP to TP4 program, you will have to convert the PCX screenshot to a BMP in another program before you can convert it. Q: We installed a new hard drive, and my CD ROM is now a different drive, but RCT keeps asking me to put the CD in the drive that the CD ROM used to be... A: You can change this by editing the registry. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Fish Technology Group\Rollercoaster Tycoon\ and change the "Setup Path" value from the old drive to the new drive. -- answer from alt.games.rctycoon, Alden Bates Q: I have version .164 ... where can I get the patch to the latest and greatest version? A: You can find any and all patches on the Official Web Site http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com Not only are there updates for the regular game, but for the Add-On as well. Q: Is there going to be a sequel/add-on? A: There already is an Add-On! In the USA it is called Corkscrew Follies, and elsewhere it is called Added Attractions. If you liked RCT, you'll love the Add-On! As for a sequel... who knows what the future will bring! There is currently another Add-On in the works. Q: What is Chris Sawyer's email address... I have great ideas for an add-on! A: First off, Chris accepts no submissions for new ideas, and won't discuss his future plans. You can mail Chris at: webmaster@chrissawyer.com However, I hear that he has since moved on from this email address. - o -