Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments for Microsoft Windows and is available on Steam. Planet Coaster was released worldwide on 17 November 2016. Frontier had previously worked in the construction and management genre with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, of which Planet Coaster is a spiritual successor.
There are three different modes in the game, namely Sandbox, Challenge, and Career. In the career mode, players assume the role of a theme park manager, and must complete tasks such as constructing unfinished roller coasters or hiring janitors. In Sandbox mode, players are tasked to construct their own theme park on an empty plot of land. The challenge mode is similar to the sandbox mode, but with added difficulty, as players need to take funds into account.
Originally called Coaster Park Tycoon, the game was officially revealed on 29 January 2015 and was renamed during E3 2015. Planet Coaster is Frontier's second self-published franchise, following Elite: Dangerous. Frontier organized several multiple alpha and beta testings before launching officially in November 2016. The game was supported with free post-release downloadable content upon launch. The title received positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the game's sandbox mode and creation tools. Criticisms were mainly directed to the game's career mode. It was a commercial success, with more than 400,000 copies sold in its first month of release.
Video Planet Coaster
Gameplay
Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game. Similar to its spiritual predecessor, the game allows players to build different theme park rides and roller-coasters. These player-created attractions can be shared through a mechanic called "global village". The game also comes with ten mascots.
Before starting the game, the player must create their own avatar. Afterwards, the player is able to choose between three game modes: sandbox, challenge, and career.
Similar to Frontier's previous game, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the Sandbox Mode enables players to construct their own theme park on an empty plot of land. In Sandbox Mode, all features and rides of the game are unlocked and your funds are unlimited. This is the mode most players use to create items (parks, coasters, scenery, etc.) and then post them to Steam's Planet Coaster Workshop.
In the Challenge Mode, the player must construct an amusement park on an empty lot (similar to Sandbox Mode) but with limited funds and research depending on chosen difficulty--Easy, Medium, or Hard. As the player develops their park, the game presents the player with challenges that the player must accept or decline. Upon completion of a challenge, the player is given a reward such as a park rating boost or a sum of money.
In the Career Mode, the player must complete objectives such as constructing roller coasters, achieving park ratings or hiring janitors. Similar to Frontier's previous game, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, Career Mode allows players to progress by completing scenarios with objectives in different difficulties.
First unveiled at EGX 2016, the game also features a dedicated mode called the "crash mode" which allows players to construct incomplete coasters and let them crash into the park's visitors.
On April 26, 2017, Frontier revealed the existence of several cheat codes that were previously undiscovered on their official forums. These included the ability to ride go-karts and the ability for security guards to plow through guests similarly to a bulldozer.
Maps Planet Coaster
Development
Before the development of Planet Coaster, Frontier Developments had developed several other construction and management simulation video games, including 2004's commercial and critical success RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, which sold over 10 million copies. Planet Coaster serves only as a spiritual successor to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 instead of a direct sequel, as the company considered the use of the brand Tycoon "didn't carry the cachet anymore" due to the releases of mainly poorly-received Tycoon games in recent years. In a December 2016 interview with Cambridge News, David Walsh (the Chief Operating Officer of Frontier Developments) said that the success of Elite: Dangerous enabled the company "to bring Planet Coaster to the market, which is highly significant as it demonstrates we are not a single game company".
The game was announced on 29 January 2015 by Frontier Developments. Originally called Coaster Park Tycoon, the game was renamed into Planet Coaster on 16 June 2015 during the PC Gaming Show at E3 2015. Frontier Developments aimed to turn the game into the company's second self-published franchise, along with the Elite series. The game uses an advanced version of Cobra Engine, which is an in-house proprietary engine developed by Frontier previously used by games like Elite Dangerous and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Features confirmed for the game include a hybrid spline/piece-by-piece coaster builder, modular structure building, a voxel terrain editor among others detailed through Q&A's and "Dev Diaries." On the second live stream, the release date of the alpha was announced. Released on 22 March 2016, the alpha emphasized on modular building and paths. The alpha contained two themes: "Planet Coaster" and "Pirate". Although disabled by default, Coaster Building was included in the first alpha through a cheat code.
On 24 May 2016, Frontier released the second alpha build. This build included finances, terrain tools, improved path building, and the official release of a coaster builder. Also, on 25 August, Frontier discontinued further alpha purchases. On 24 September, Frontier announced at EGX 2016 that players who had pre-ordered the "Thrillseeker Edition" would be able to test the game that October. At Gamescom 2016, Frontier announced that the game would be released on 17 November 2016. The game was released with Denuvo's anti-tamper technology.
To record the audio for the game, sound designer Watson Wu took over the Holiday World & Splashin' Safari theme park in Santa Claus, Indiana to record the sounds of various attractions. Guests in the park and park staff speak their own fictional language, known as "Planco". According to James Stant, Frontier's senior audio designer, the language contains about 7,000 words. After the game's release, Frontier Developments released an official Planco dictionary.
Soundtrack
Planet Coaster features a dynamic soundtrack composed by Jim Guthrie & JJ Ipsen, released under the album titled You, Me & Gravity: The Music of Planet Coaster. Additionally, players may use their own sound files in their parks as long as they are in the correct folder on their PC.
Downloadable content
On 15 December 2016, Frontier released their first major update: "Winter Update". Several notable additions included additional rides, blueprints, stores, and staff features. One of the newly added rides, the "Collider", was determined by a community vote. On March 2017, the "Spring Update" was announced. Among the features included are new rides and a crime system. The Spring Update was later released on April 2017. On 27 June 2017, the "Summer Update" was released. The biggest addition in the update is the ability to create firework shows, especially during the American Independence Day, New Year's Day, and Bonfire Night. Furthermore, the fireworks can be triggered by other events in the park and can be synced to custom music. The summer update also added the ability to add customizable images and video into the game.
On 21 July 2017, Frontier launched paid DLC for the game featuring props inspired by Back to the Future, Knight Rider, and The Munsters.
In August 2017, Frontier partnered with the Cedar Point amusement park to provide an in-game version of the park's upcoming Steel Vengeance roller coaster before the ride officially opens in 2018.
On 25 September 2017, Frontier launched the fourth paid DLC for the game entitled the "Spooky Pack." This pack included over 200 new building and scenery pieces as well as two new tracked ride types. The first ride type is the Huntsman, a trackless multi-motion dark ride vehicle. The second ride type in this pack is the Hoax, a free-spinning haunted house ride with the smallest track pieces in the game. The final addition is a new entertainer called "King Ghoster," a character dressed as a ghost that "glows in the dark" with the same face as King Coaster.
Details of the next major update are expected in October 2017 at the Frontier Expo, with a release in November coinciding with the game's first anniversary.
Reception
Pre-release
The game was met with praise upon release of the alpha. Andy Kelly of PC Gamer commented that Frontier was "off to a tremendous start", adding that creating buildings with the creation tools hinted at "immense possibilities". However, Mark Walton of Ars Technica noted several small flaws including the "hard to navigate" menus and the lack of custom built roller coasters. On 27 April 2016, about a month after the release of the alpha, Frontier announced that Planet Coaster had grossed nearly two million dollars.
Release
Matt Wales of Eurogamer recommended the game, concluding that the game is "the finest simulator yet". Meanwhile, Ben Reeves of Game Informer praised the game for its creative mode but criticized the game's career mode, referring it to as "boring" and "tedious". TJ Hafer of IGN compared the game's integration of Steam Workshop to Minecraft and Second Life. Edmond Tran of GameSpot praised the game for its accessible creative tools and for its evocative tone. Jonathan Leack of Game Revolution claimed that the game "resurrected the [theme park simulation] genre". In a critical review of the game, Jody Macgregor of PC Gamer praised the game's challenge mode but criticized the game for not innovating enough from RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. The original score (70/100) was retracted due to miscommunication between Frontier Developments and PC Gamer with the game version they received; its reevaluated score is 75/100. Patrick Hancock of Destructoid noted that the game suffers frame rate issues in larger parks. Furthermore, Edge Magazine noted that the game's "fiddly" camera makes some actions harder.
Sales
Upon release, the game topped the Steam "top sellers" charts. The game sold over 400,000 copies in the first month of its release. Despite being released later in the year, Planet Coaster was featured on Steam's "Top 100 Best Sellers of 2016" chart as a "silver tier" title. As of August 2017, the game has sold over one million copies.
Accolades
See also
- Parkitect
- RollerCoaster Tycoon World
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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