I’ve been wanting to get a Roller Coaster computer game for some time, but every time I go to the store, I can never decide which one to get, so I end up with neither.
I really enjoy Zoo Tycoon, but I also love Sims.
So, which one’s better? OR what do you like about the version you have?
One of these days I’m gonna buy one of them. Hopefully on the 26th or 27th.
I prefer Sim Coaster. It doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as Roller Coaster Tycoon. The graphics are also fully 3-Dimensional (as opposed to RCT’s 2-D bird’s eye view), and one can even ride the attractions they create. However, RTC does give you more control over the park itself (micromanagement aplenty), however, I rather the streamlined approach of Sim Coaster (which still offers tons of control over the park you create).
What are the control differences? The reason I haven’t been able to decide is that I like having control, and could never tell how much design power I got over the parks. One of them looked like there were only a few layouts to choose from, then you built the coasters and placed them. I love creating things from scratch.
SC’s 3D and riding the rides sound really cool. I think it’s now in the lead, hehe.
It’s been a few years since I played Tycoon, buit the interfaces are similar, though I found SCs to be more userfriened (though, once again, you have slightly less control over some attributes). Other than that, I don’t know how else to describe it.
I have found RCT more of a game of crowd control, not so much micromanagement which is something that will turn me right off a sim game. That said I have never played SC.
Bah, please ignore the typos in my last post. I was in a hurry.
I’ve played both, and RollerCoaster Tycoon is a far superior game. SimCoaster seemed too… kiddish. SC’s graphics are pretty poor, even compared to RCT’s dated pseudo-3D. RCT is much more firmly rooted in reality (a good thing), and its coaster builder is not as good as RCTs (of course, neither is great, considering they’re just one part of a larger simulation). Just go out and get RollerCoaster Tycoon, it’s superior to SimCoaster in just about every way. You won’t regret it.
If you’re just looking to build rollercoasters, go with NoLimits. You have total control over the entire coaster, and you can ride your creations. If you
I would go with RCT, but definitely not RCT2, unless they’ve finally patched all the problems.
I highly disagree with SC’s graphics being poor. Sure, they’re not Half-Life 2, but they are definitely a step up from RCT. Also, RTC’s more realistic approach is one reason why I preferred SC. Now I’m not saying one is better than the other, but merely pointing out that being grounded in reality isn’t always a “good thing”, as cheddarsnax conveyed.
I’ve only played RCT if you’re a micro management fan it’s for you. I found it to be a pain. Esp making coasters from scratch it took me 20 mins to build a coaster that was truely pathetic. It was alot easier to D/L other peoples coasters from the net.
Well, in the Sims, I love building and designing houses from scratch. After that, I tend to get kind of bored with it.
In Zoo Tycoon, I love building the zoos from scratch, and also having goals to beat, customers to please, being able to change the cost of admissions and food/suveneirs, keeping up with the display maintinence. 45 minutes to build a good coaster wouldn’t bother me at all.
So, which one would I like? I got a $40 gift certificate to the mall, and I’d like to use it on one of these video games today.
Hmmm. So this is in Cafe Society now? I thought that since it was an opinion (which is better?) it belonged in IMHO. Sorry.
According to my son: RCT, no contest.
Just chiming in to second the advice of asterion. Do not buy Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, buy the original. You can find an edition of the original that includes both expansion packs for around $20.
Anyway, based on what you’ve said you enjoy about the Sims and Zoo Tycoon, you almost certainly want Roller Coaster Tycoon.
I don’t know Hazel. He does state that “In Zoo Tycoon, I love building the zoos from scratch, and also having goals to beat, customers to please, being able to change the cost of admissions and food/suveneirs, keeping up with the display maintinence. 45 minutes to build a good coaster wouldn’t bother me at all.” In Sim Coaster, you can do all of those things as well.
I’m a she, just so you know, hehe.
Read the forum description:
IHMO would be more like, “German Sheperd or Doberman?”
Anyway, SimCoaster is kinda fun for a while. There’s various goals, such as getting a certain number of customers per day, building a highly rated ride, convincing the old folks to stay, etc. When you meet enough goals you gain access to new land to build on. I don’t know the other game so I can’t comment on that.
Bah, don’t take my word for it. Here’s IGN’s take:
“For those of you that haven’t played Sim Theme Park, you can think of it as Roller Coaster Tycoon meets a toy shop”
"Sim Theme Park gave you the punch that you always wished Roller Coaster Tycoon would deliver, namely allowing you to get on rides, walk around your park, or just get a better angle on the situation when you were trying to lay out a mega-coaster. "
" If you’re hoping for the detail-oriented world of Roller Coaster Tycoon’s paint customizing schemes, park customer feedback, and realistic physics, you’re not going to get it. But what you lose in realism you’ll gain in charm and fun. "
I should note though that both games scored an 8.5, however, Sim Coaster was released 2 years later, thus standards had changed.
If you have XP, don’t get Sim Theme Park. It’s very difficult to get it to run, and it looks crappy. Sim Coaster is essentially the same with better graphics, and it does run on XP.
I’d say RollerCoaster Tycoon, definitely. SimCoaster (or SimTheme Park if you’re in the U.K.) isn’t much like The Sims at all – that’s just franchise-building on EA’s part.
It comes down to flash versus depth and longevity. SimCoaster is a lot more impressive visually, and it does give you the 3D-first-person view of riding your coaster. But building the coaster itself is a lot more slimmed-down and simplified, and the physics “model” is a lot more “forgiving” – which is to say completely inaccurate. You can build just about any series of loops and hills you want, and the coaster will still run. That sounds good at first, but there’s no challenge there so it gets old quickly. And their non-coaster rides are neat at first, but most of them you just plop down and that’s it, so after you’ve seen it once there’s no reason to see it again.
RCT’s coaster-building is more true to physics and more interesting as a result. You have to get enough speed to get your coaster through loops or over hills, or it will crash. And the focus is definitely more towards rides you can build (coasters, monorails, trains, go-karts, etc.) rather than ones you plop.