RollerCoaster Tycoon (video game)

Development

After releasing Transport Tycoon in 1994, Chris Sawyer used some of its revenue to travel in Europe and the United States, visiting theme parks with roller coasters. Initially disliking roller coasters, he became fond of them through these trips and eventually rode at least 700 coasters. He decided to follow Transport Tycoon with a roller coaster simulation, partly as an excuse to continue visiting parks for research. The game was called White Knuckle for most of development but was renamed to follow the Tycoon tradition.

Sawyer developed the game over two years in a small village near Dunblane, writing 99% of the code in x86 assembly language for the Microsoft Macro Assembler and the remaining 1% in C. Artist Simon Foster created graphics using 3D modeling, rendering, and paint programs. Early playtesting involved family and friends, then Hasbro handled extensive bug-testing and feedback. Sawyer earned around $30 million in royalties. The Xbox port was handled by Frontier Developments, which later developed RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.

Release

RollerCoaster Tycoon was first released in North America on March 22, 1999. The first expansion pack, Added Attractions (known in North America as Corkscrew Follies), came in November 1999, and the second, Loopy Landscapes, in September 2000. Loopy Landscapes included all of Added Attractions' content on its disc. In September 2001, Infogrames Europe released Totally RollerCoaster, a compilation with the base game and Loopy Landscapes on separate discs.

In 2002, Infogrames released RollerCoaster Tycoon Gold in North America, a single box with the base game and both expansions; it was re-released in 2003 as RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe on a single disc. Deluxe later appeared on digital platforms such as GOG.com and Steam, and in July 2014 these versions received European language localizations previously available as separate retail versions. The Xbox port, released in 2003 by Frontier Developments and published by Infogrames, included both expansion packs and adapted controls for a controller, with no menu buttons (accessed by holding X and B) and a magnifying glass cursor toggled by clicking the left thumbstick.

Reception

GameSpot's Alan Dunkin called the game "another fun management simulation from the mind of Chris Sawyer," praising custom naming and position-accurate sound effects, but disliking the limited game speed and the small number of scenarios without the ability to create custom ones. IGN's Jason Bates also found it fun, noting that custom ride design could be time-consuming and frustrating initially, and that tasks like changing land levels, repositioning trees, and building walkways cost too much cash; however, mastering these allowed players pride in designing elaborate coasters.

Game Revolution's Ben Silverman highlighted the graphical style, saying the game did not need fancy graphics and ran smoothly, with detail from green-faced nauseous guests to marquee scrolling ride names; he praised the endless design possibilities and specific detail focus, with only slight criticism of the "sloppy" interface. Entertainment Weekly's Gary Eng Walk gave the game an A, calling it "Quite literally, the thrill ride of the summer," and in 2003 the magazine ranked it number 68 on its list of the "100 greatest videogames."

Aaron Curtis of the Los Angeles Times praised it as simple enough to enjoy immediately but sophisticated enough to satisfy obsessive park planners for weeks. The Xbox port received mixed ratings due to very little improvement, with exclusive features limited to no menu buttons and a magnifying glass cursor.