Planet Coaster
| Planet Coaster | |
|---|---|
| File:Planet Coaster Logo.png | |
| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Publisher(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Director(s) | Jonny Watts |
| Designer(s) | Andrew Fletcher |
| Programmer(s) | Owen McCarthy |
| Artist(s) | John Laws |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | Q4 2016 |
| Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
Planet Coaster is an upcoming construction and management simulation developed and published by Frontier Developments for Microsoft Windows due to be released in Q4 of 2016. An Alpha version of the game became available on 22 March 2016 for those that purchased the early bird edition which will run continuously until the games general release.[1] The game is a spiritual successor to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, a game that was also developed by Frontier in 2004.[2]
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”.[3]
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 almost 10 million copies.[4] 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.[5]
The game was announced on 29 January 2015 by Frontier Developments.[6] Originally called Coaster Park Tycoon, the game was renamed into Planet Coaster on 16 June 2015 during the PC Gaming Show at E3 2015.[7] Frontier Developments aimed to turn the game into the company's second self-published franchise, along with the Elite series.[8] The game will use 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.[4] 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."[9][10] 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.[11]
On late April 2016, Frontier announced that the second Alpha will come out on 24 May 2016.[12] Furthermore, in an interview with GameSpot on 16 May 2016, John Laws announced several new features in the second alpha build. These include finances, terrain tools, and improved path and coaster building.[13][14]
Reception
Pre-release
The game was met with praise upon release of the Alpha. PC Gamer commented that Frontier is "off to a tremendous start" and that the alpha "was solid and creating buildings with the new creation tools hinted at the immense possibilities".[15] However, Ars Technica noted several small flaws including the "hard to navigate" menus and the lack of custom built roller coasters.[16] On 27 April 2016, about a month after the release of the alpha, Frontier announced that Planet Coaster grossed nearly two million dollars.[12]
References
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