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November's here - and I'm Still Waiting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: October 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

WARNING! If you do not have a "Direct X 9.0c" compatible video card, this game will not run! The company (after an install!) recommends ATI Radeon and =some= GeForce cards. If you do not live up to THEIR standards of what you need to run this game it will not run. Period.

Although I advance ordered this one - my suggestion to the general buying public is to wait for the inevitable add-on disc or two. They will probably (but may not!) contain all the bug fixes that this product seems to have. I've tried my disc on several machines here at my home and my shop - I'm a computer tech. I have not got ANY of them to run this game correctly yet. I've deinstalled them all. Bug fixes are meant to be repaired BEFORE a product reaches my home or shop. Atari isn't paying me or you to be a beta tester. I can see customers bringing me their computers now...

My first suggestion if you're thinking of RCT3 for a Christmas present - go back and order the "RCT2 Triple Thrills" pack. Please. You won't be disappointed.

My second suggestion, if you MUST have RCT3, then make =sure= your computer is up to RCT3's recommended (NOT the "required") standards - or better.

My final suggestion is to wait until at =least= the RCT3 add-on disc(s). Perhaps then we will get a game I can run well enough on my machines to review correctly.

I know I'll probably still be playing RCT2 for the foreseeable future.

You better have a REALLY powerful machine!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 21
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I can only echo a lot of the other comments about this game and it's sytem requirements. First of all, let me say that the game itself is great. If you were a fan of the original game, you will not be disaapointed with the actual workings of the game, as a lot of the original elements are still here and work the same way. You can even import your coasters from RCT1 and RCT2 into this game!

HOWEVER... I would also like to say that my system exceedes the system requirements as written on the box by about 4 times, and this thing is almost unplayable once you have more than a few rides and more than few hundred people in your park. This is, indeed, very diaapointing.

I have put this down to design defect, because I've been experimenting with all of the different graphics and performance settings, end even turning everything down to it's lowest level does not really speed up the game. (I'm even using the recommended ATI video card!)

The scenarios that come with the game seem to work fine, but forget building a large sprawling park like you used to be able to do in RCT and RCT2. The game includes a sandbox mode with a huge wide open space, but as I mentioned, build more than a few rides and you're sunk. It runs GREAT with only a few things in the park, but once you get into more complex designs I find the frame rate drops to less than 1 frame a second... completely unplayable.

Considering that I can play MS Flight simulator 2004 with all of the graphics settings turned all the way up (at 1280X1024 no less) with almost no degredation in performance, I have to say that this is not the result of not having a poweful enough system, but just a poorly writeen game.

In summary, the game itself is great, but unfortunately is just unplayable once you have more than a few rides, scenary pieces, and peeps.

Will not be a let-down

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 39
Date: July 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 was a total let-down for me, since it was essentially the same game as the first RCT. But this game is redone with a completely new game engine.
Looking Forward to:

Better Graphics-- The screenshots and videos of the game are stunning. The people and some rides have the same old cartoonish look, but the environment is very realistic.

Better AI-- Finally the people act as a group as well as an individual. I was tired of watching my little guests walk around by themselves in the first two games. Since when does everybody go to an amusement park completely by themself?

Fireworks-- This may be an interesting thing to play around with, but doesn't look like it will add much to the game.

More content-- Simply by watching the videos, you can see all the extra stuff you can place in your park, and there is sure to be a lot more.

In the end, this is yet another game I am adding to my must-have list for the end of the year.

One step forward, two steps backwards.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been, and will always be, a Rollercoaster Tycoon fan, but this latest game has questioned my devotion.

Sure, it's very fun, I mean, you build, and now can ride, your own coasters. You also can manage and watch as your peeps walk through your park to ride rides, buy ballons, eat your overpriced food, and watch your firework shows. But it's not perfect.

The game has been totaly re-written from the previous versions, and as such, the game isn't as polished as the older versions, and there are glitches. Randomly your rides change raiting from normal, to highly intense, to mind-nubming dull. Ofcourse, the peeps would ride the rides, if they could find them. Rides that are placed even SLIGHTLY off the main, straight path will fall the wayside. Then there are the breaks, which are funny, as in bad funny. The regular breaks can't stop a train at all even if 10 are put back to back, yet a block break, one singe one, can stop a train to a slow roll.

Glitchy, oh yeah, but there's a patch now, but still, I would wait for some expansion packs to see what they add.

So-So....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: March 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I found this game very interesting when I read the box, but don't always trust the box! First of all, the 3-D graphics are good, but I could definitly live without them. I'm getting tired of all these games turning to 3-D graphics, as if thats the only way to make games these days (e.g. Caesar IV, Zoo Tycoon 2, RCT3, etc.). I did enjoy riding the rides, especially the coasters you make, and I like it that the developers added more detail, but I think they went a little crazy on the detail. For example, you have to chose the amount of pickles on the hamburgers and your staff get lazy and they either quit, you disipline them(which makes them sad), or train them which gets expensive. And one BIG WARNING: the requirements for RCT3 on the box and what you read on the internet are the MINIMUM requirements! MINIMUM!! Which means that if your computer barely meets the requirements, RCT3 will run unbelievably slow!! Trust me, RCT3 is a big investment, because you need a lot of RAM (I recommend at least 512 MB) and a good graphics card( ATI Radeon, GeForce) and those can get very expensive! So think wisely before you get this game!

tut, tut

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: March 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

when i got it i thought there would be much more options than roller coaster tycoon 2 (which i also have, along with the first one). you CAN'T build underground or make tunnels and there's ONLY 4 THEMES!!! (the previous ones had about 10 each). Riding your own ride is cool, along with the endless music possibilities (that you put on it from your MP3 player) and the enourmous fireworks. if i were you i would DEFINATELY wait a couple of months. 3 words for you: BUGS, BUGS, BUGS!!!!! IT DROVE ME CRAZY!!! AAAAAAAAAHH!!!!! still, i suppose the graphics are nice.

**Game of the Year** -- Plain and Simple!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 24
Date: October 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The demo is amazing, in fact beyond amazing. Some people have outdated hardware or video cards, so they're not seeing the full picture. RCT fans, who can't seem to let the previous series go, should stay there and bring something to clean the cobs web with on a regular basis. This new version brings the series to an unimaginable level. Comparing RCT3 to the previous versions is like comparing a Mercedes Benz to a kids tricycle. Once you become accustomed to the interface, and explore all the options, you won't believe how much amazing features this game offers. If you can't handle the new interface, plain and simple, you're pretty much pathetic, and deserve to play with 10 year old technology. I've had the demo for a week, and I've been playing it more then full versions of other popular games, including Doom 3 and the demo has like 95% of the features disabled. If you have a fairly powerful machine -- don't hesitate to pick up what's probably going to be the best PC release this year. Keep your Half Life 2, this will be on my hard drive long after all the others are deleted.

Thank you Frontier/Atari for finally bringing this series OUT OF THE DARK AGES.

Didn't live up to expectations...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 16
Date: December 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 promised much but sadly what has been delivered is a disappointment.

While the new 3D environment and the ride camera and the new sandbox mode are welcome improvements, the game has been plagued by bugs and the strange omission of basic features from earlier versions.

Poor performance has been a major problem, for people who have purchased the game. These have ranged from simple rendering issues to not being able to get the game to run at all. It appears that if your system only meets the minimum requirements specified then you should think carefully before purchasing. Of course, this an issue that is becoming increasingly prevalent across all software types, however many people with systems that well exceed even the recommended specifications are battling with the performance issues.

There are also numerous game play bugs, such as VIPs not functioning correctly, Peeps in generally not riding the rides for no reason to name but a couple of the many. Some of the scenarios have been far more difficult to complete than was intended, as a result.

Then there are the many basic features from the first two RCT versions that may mysteriously been omitted from RCT3. For example it is no long possible to add building walls, fences etc to the same squares that paths are already in. Shortcut keys for some commonly used functions have disappeared. In addition for some bizarre reason the ability to build underground and through terrain has been omitted completely.

To the developer's credit a patch to fix a number of the bugs has already been released and a second, to hopefully, fix the rest is due shortly.

If you are only interested in completing scenarios then the game should satisfy you, once you have the patches in place. However if you like to create your own parks, the new features added to assist this will please but overall the game may well disappoint.

Cool game with plenty of room to grow cooler in the future

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

While most of the electronic gaming world was out buying the newly released, highly anticipated, and (bleep)ing awsome Grand Theft Auto; San Andreas for the PSX2 on the 28th of October, this quiet gem was quietly put out for the PC. The unfortunate reviewer before me complains of software issues with what sounds like a pretty kick-ass system. I am inclined to believe the guy, but I am running this game on a Laptop that it shouldn't be running well on at all. While I did have to turn my video card's settings to low, the game has been running like a Ferrari (with well over 600 peeps in my park) and still looks great. So maybe that dude just has to check out his own hardware... I don't know. Computers are strange. Maybe my old laptop kicks more ass than it should... but I don't think so. I ordered its replacement (A Dell Dimension XPS which hasn't arrived yet), and I picked up RTC3 for my new machine. But I said "why not try" and installed it on this old laptop, thinking it would never run. But it does; way better than I expected, and I am thrilled and can't wait to see what it looks like on my new Dell (with a 19" flat panel display-woo hoo!)

What I love about this game is that it is not terribly different from the pervious two RCT games in terms of control. You build coasters the same way, paths, scenery and all of that are all the same-wonderful-it cut the learning curve in half. The new features are sweet.

You can put your own mp3s and windows media audio files on your rides, and you can even (and this is what I think really rocks) create your own fireworks displays, using your own music and that will take some time. Rides have "events" like Jaws popping out of water from the Universal Studio Tour, and exploding volcanos. You place a trigger for the event someplace on your roller coaster's track, to add a little more excitement to your ride.

A gripe I have is about the music. The music only plays at the ride's station... so if you want to hear your music play as you "ride" your roller coaster in the CoasterCam mode you can only hear it near the station and it will fade out as the car rolls further away. That is annoying. People are literally sheep also, and that bugs. These peeps can get lost crossing the street, so you need signs everywhere. I haven't played this game to the fullest though (I'm saving that up for my new PC when it arrives), but I have created a small park, have not experienced any hardware problems. I love the way it looks and sounds, and I think fans of sim games can have a lot of fun with this one. I'd give it three and a half stars, but Amazon doesn't play that, so I'll round down and give it 3. Have fun!

Great game if your computer can handle it.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is alot of fun. However I found that getting it to work properly with my system caused me alot of trouble. I am an advanced computer user, with a system that I built specifically for gaming. This system is not connected to the Internet, which led to alot of my heartache. Also, although I had a top of the line video card that could run all of my other games. I had to purchase another card and install it, so that this game would stop crashing my system. I love the game, but could have lived without the hassle that came with installing it.

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