This page is really bare-bones right now. It's here so that I can share a few RollerCoaster Tycoon (RCT) related things with friends. Someday when I have a little more time, I might actually put some effort into making it pretty and adding some nifty stuff I've got tucked away. In the meantime, this is what you get... sorry if you think it sucks!
RCT has quite a few known bugs. One of the most helpful bugs makes it easy to generate cash quickly. Fossil has an excellent description of the bug here. I consider using this to be cheating, but hey, every once in a while it's nice to be able to build a nice looking park without having to wait for cash to flow in. Good theming is expensive, and doesn't really offer a whole lot of gameplay benefit other than for one's own aesthetic appreciation. So I admit it, I "exploit" this bug/cheat every now and then.
Well, the other day when I was messing around with this, I stumbled across another bug that can make you even more money, and much more quickly. If you're curious to find out how to do it, check out this page here. It's still cheating to use it, in my opinion. But it's certainly an interesting bug, too. And like all the other bugs in RCT2, it will probably never get fixed...Atari's proven all too well that it doesn't care about it's end users. (What? Well, two expansion packs later, stupid bugs that should have been caught in beta testing, like a bug preventing the ferris wheel from operating properly in reverse mode, are still there. No patches, and even official expansions don't fix it...that's active apathy, I'd say.
Random naming algorithms can be an endless source of amusement, since they can often create some silly combinations of names. (Diablo II frequently generates some real howlers.) Well, the other day RCT2's naming algorithm gave me a good solid laugh. After all, many folks call the guests "peeps", and the little people are certainly...little. So look at the name that was assigned to one of my guests:
After Little Bo Peep is done riding the Giga Coaster, the sheep will probably really be lost...quite disoriented, at the very least!
I think I'll be sticking some nifty track layouts here eventually. Just not yet.
OK, I recant. Here's one to whet your appetite: Quad-track soap box derby racers! And, just to be extra generous, how about a re-creation of a real ride -- the Jet Star 2 at Lagoon (Farmington, UT).
I don't have a lot here yet, but check out my entry for the 2003 RCT Holiday Park competition.
I have three of my scenarios available for download right now:
My current work in progress (and it is not going to be ready for a while) is "Arkham Amusements", divided into several distinct sections meant to represent various H. P. Lovecraft short stories. Here's some info from the park's marketing literature:
Visit Arkham, on the Miskatonic River, and see the sights! When you've finished visiting the university, you can move on to the see the famous Blasted Heath. You probably don't want to spend too long under the Indian Burial Mound, though. Trek onward to Africa (but don't get bitten by the flies!). For the truly adventurous, take a tip to Antarctica's Cliffs of Madness, Venus, or prehistoric times when conical, rugose sentient plant beings slithered across the earth. Drop by South Pacific Island where the thrones of Cthulhu and Dagon lie. You probably won't stay long in Innsmouth -- nobody ever does, for some reason -- but that's OK. Just don't forget to visit some of the Elizibathean mansions. The De La Peor's would just love to have you for dinner...
Now, after reading that, I'm sure you just can't wait to visit. Well, sorry, but I didn't manage to get it ready in time for Halloween. Maybe by next Halloween, though! In the meantime, go read H. P. Lovecraft's stories. Just don't read them at night...
I've also started working on a big park -- Lagoon, in Farmington, UT -- but I won't finish that one for at least a year. Now that I have a digital camera, I want to go back and take a zillion pictures so I can get it as close as possible. So until they reopen in the spring, that one's on hold. My memory's decent, but the digital camera's seems to be just a hair more accurate, I've found.
What good is the web without links? Here are just a few of my favorite RCT sites. Check them out:
I've got a ton more great links in my bookmarks, and someday I'll add more of them above. There are lots of great sites out there with downloadable rides, scenery, etc. You can find a lot of them as you peruse the scenery database link above. You'll also notice I haven't bothered putting up a link to the official site. Considering how often it's updated, it's pretty much not worth visiting. The fans care about this game a heck of a lot more than Atari does, and it shows. Boy, it shows.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or requests, just e-mail me. But please be patient. I'm pretty busy, so I might not be able to answer right away. Kind words are always welcome -- but spam is most definitely not. Be warned!