91 replies to this topic

[mushroomer]

Lavender and Lime green would be an awesome combination, you know...

[K0NG]

Ok, let me clarify this.....

The coasters colors are red and white NOW because that's what I started with because
of the flag. Whatever they end up as will be because the colors fit the theme....I haven't
decided on the coasters color scheme yet because I haven't finished theming yet.

Lavender and lime green could be an AWESOME color scheme for a coaster.......IF it
looks good with it's surroundings.

Louis! makes a very valid point about the colors LOOKING good....there's a heck of a
lot more to a coasters appeal than just good ratings. RL parks don't post a coasters
ratings, people are drawn to the ride because of it's VISUAL appeal. And, the color
scheme is a very vital ingredient along with how exciting the layout looks and the
theming of the ride itself and the surrounding area. Trust me, people don't ride the
majority of the rides at Disneyland based on "Excitement". "Intensity" and "Nausea"...
it's all about the visual appeal of them.

As far as the colors of the flag of the country/city/state of Monaco....I'd personally
rather incorporate that into the theming itself than rely on the color scheme of the
coaster(s) to represent it.

Edited by K_W, 10 February 2009 - 11:48 PM.

[Wolfman]

That's not the point Shroomer, (you must be driving your teachers crazy.) The point is that you can't be superficial. That is, basing your opinion on what it looks like on the surface. Without notice of the content, quality or any other sort of deeper meaning. Otherwise, you're doomed to live a shallow existance.

[K0NG]

^ That would be a valid point IF the guidelines for this particular contest were
to build a coaster with great ratings. While the coasters ratings ARE important
(as far as whether or not it's popular with the peeps) the guidelines HERE are
to use the provided bench, build a specific coaster (it says NOTHING about ratings)
and THEME IT TO MONACO. The guidelines also state that peeps aren't even
ALLOWED to be in the park when it's sent in for judging.

That being said, one would imagine that the visual appeal of the entry would actually
carry more weight than the ratings of any coasters within it.

And, I'm not sure what 'deeper meaning' one would strive for within the confines
of a RollerCoaster Tycoon contest.
God, I thought I took this game too seriously .

Edited by K_W, 11 February 2009 - 12:15 AM.

[Sambo]

Ohhh, we take this VERY seriously...



I'm not giving any trade secrets here by saying the parks are typically judged by more than one person - often enough several. Bearing in mind that each person judging has preferences, if a park meets the basic criteria, then the next thing that is a filter for the judge is their preference. For example, I am a visual person and the park must be visually coherent to the theme, well designed layout, and has a "look" that is somewhat unique (considering the size, submission time frame, etc.). Then I look at the assortment of rides if any, and the rideability - this includes the specs.

Another judge may first consider the structure and stats of the ride as a priority and then decide if it looks good. Different people judging, different preferences, and then we compare notes then out comes a winner and possibly a runner-up. I understand that there is less consistency between contests, but in the longer run there is greater opportunity for differences in winning parks and parkmakers.

So, the safest thing for the entrant is to consider all those things when making a park, and their own preferences will lead the way. There really is no absolutes beyond meeting the basic criteria - but there is a lot of range in what gets considered for a winning park.

[Wolfman]

Z
Zz

Snort!!
Huh... Wha--??

Did I miss something??


So is it safe to say that it doesn't matter if a park is peep friendly or not?

[Sambo]

So is it safe to say that it doesn't matter if a park is peep friendly or not?

It is not.

It is safe to say that it would likely be a consideration by the judges.

[K0NG]

The park is closed with a trainer. You are free to open it to test it with guests in it, but before sending it in the park must be swept of peeps and closed again. You can use a trainer for building purposes, but remember that the actual rides and scenery cannot be changed or added to.

This is all I'm talking about. Personally, I think peep-friendliness is a MAJOR asset to any park. I'm one of those people that believes that it's almost sacrilegious to build a RCT park that isn't. But, I'm not one of the judges so......
I'm just thinking that because the park has to be closed and swept of peeps before it's sent in, I'm not so sure that any judges would (or, could really) take the time to open each entry and let it run long enough to see how the peep interaction manifests itself. That would lead me to believe that the visual aspect would have a MAJOR influence in the judging criteria. Not that the rides stats would be meaningless whatsoever, just that a well laid out coaster that is visually appealing would probably beat out a somewhat less 'attractive' coaster with slightly higher ratings.

Plus, I've noticed that in the past, entries that had MUCH better designed coasters
seemed to consistently be beat by entries that were more visually appealing. Even if
the coasters seemed to almost be an afterthought thrown in simply to accommodate the
guidelines, the better themed entry typically got the nod.

Since one of the main objectives of the Road Rallies is to THEME the entry to the specific location, it seems like something that, to some, might seem 'minor' (like the actual coloring of any rides) would be more important here than say, in a VP entry. But, like Sambo said....the best way to go is probably to shoot for all-around quality and stick to the theme.

Lol, my wife was right...I DO tend to ramble when my meds kick in .

Anyway...back to building and.....good luck to all entrants.
This should be a stellar year for the RR's.

Edited by K_W, 11 February 2009 - 06:46 AM.

[Sambo]

Just so you know - unless I'm pressed for time - I like to open them up and let the parks run untouched for a long time. Overnight if possible.

Oddly enough, many contest entries have problems or max out within only a couple hours. This is telling. Doing this is not my first check, nor is it even a must-do. Visual inspection always is. So I suppose you are correct in that for me looking good is more important than operating good. The question is... is that true for all judges? Not in my experience.

Think broad-spectrum antibiotics...and be good in as many areas as possible if you want to win.

[Wolfman]

Ah HA! There IS a way you an test to see if changes need to be made for peeps. When you're ready to let the little createns in, just save the park, and open the gate9s0 via trainer. Save the game under another version, (I do numbers for normal saves and letters for peep versions.) Let the peeps screw the place over and find out where they gather when they get "lost". You can then figure out how to relieve the congestion, then duplicate that correction in the last peepless save.

Meds? Oh THAT was what that was.