I've definitely watched more retrospectives on RCT than I can recall, but I feel like this is the first one that actually gives credit to the art and music of Simon Foster and Allister Brimble. As much as I appreciate the technical skill of Chris Sawyer, so many videos fall into the pitfall of "OMG just ONE PERSON made this, that's craaaaazzyyyy" and neglect the fact that RCT would not be what it is without its iconic graphics and sounds. Heck, you even mentioned David Ellis, whose name I have not yet committed to memory given the prominence of the big three. I genuinely appreciate you giving credit where it is due and generally making the best retrospective I've seen on the game.
As a programmer who knows how to code in Assembly i can't imagine how hard creating this game was.I spent so much time on this game when I was 7 years old and the game first released, I wish Chris sawyer would see this video and read the comments so he could see how much this game touched all of our hearts and so he could see this comment and know how much RCT helped me as a kid with no friends, I really can't thank him enough for creating RCT knowing this game will always be a part of who I am.
There is no game that I sunk more time into than rct2 and there probably will never be. There is just something about this game I absolutely adore. The nostalgia is real with these games.
I always wonder to what's extent it's nostalgia. In the end, I think it's nostalgia that keeps bringing you back to them, but it's their sheer quality that makes you addicted every time you do.
@@Silvarret I think you are right, at least to an extend. I mean, RCT 1/2 were great games when they came out, and it is for a reason that they inspired like all of the modern games. The games are and were fascinating and fun for experienced as well as new or casual players.
This is how Parques Reunidos run their parks in real life, except the pile of cash accumulated at year 12 is given to shareholders instead of used to build new awesome coasters.
@@zachcoastercrazy4032: Yeah, pretty much. And other Parques Reunidos parks have had it even worse. I think BonBon-Land takes the crown, but the parks in Madrid have also really been screwed over.
I remember picking this up at a Target and spent many late nights staying up trying to finish scenarios. Man the sound and music is unreal and atmospheric, I always loved the crowd noises. And yeah, Strauss is forever carousel guy to me, haha.
@@bartallen8121 Demand for bathroom relief will never go down! So....just block the exits with "Do not Enter" signs, give away drinks and food dirt cheap, charge $20 for the bathrooms and watch the cash come rolling in
@@TheBfutgreg Not too sure how it works in RCT3 and RCTC because there seem to be a limit on how much you can charge before guests rather hold their bladder, for RCTC, the limit is 60 cents
RCT2 was my favorite with the additional features. My best friend and I were just starting college when the game came out. I was a landscape design major and my friend a civil engineering major. We spent way too many hours co-building parks with me focusing on the theme and landscaping and him building the coasters. So many great memories playing this game! Thanks for the video!
What amazes me the most about this game is the many small details that were added to make the game more realistic. For example, guests will not buy ice cream when it's raining, after riding one side of a dueling coaster guests are more likely to try the other side afterwards, and as they spend time riding rides in the park their preferred intensity will slowly increase! And there's tons of little details like that, which most people will probably not even realize are in the game!
lol I’d probably be embarrassed if I ever found out how many hours I sunk into this game... eh who am I kidding, I would play this game again in a heartbeat
To young to of played the first 2, but rct3 was holy grail of my childhood. Every couple of months I’d boot up the old pc and play it a bunch for a week, then get busy again. I still do, even though it’s a struggle to get it to work smoothly I really wish I could have parkitech or planet coaster, but I don’t have the time or the means to play them.
As soon as I heard that music in the beginning it just brought back the hundreds of hours of enjoyment I had with this game in my youth. I would stay up all night playing it and my parents would have to come in and physically remove me from the computer. I never played RTC2 so I can not speak for it but when I finally got RTC3 for Christmas one year I was amazed I could finally have a 1st person view of the rides and spend the first few dozen hours just making coasters that would crash into the guests since that is obviously how they intended for the game to be played. And now after having sunk so much time into planet coaster trying to make the perfect rides with smooth banking and realistic elements I suddenly find myself yearning to go back to the simpler time of simple isometric camera views and grid based ride construction.
Damn, 0:00 instant goosebumps. The music, the nostalgia! So many feelings durings this vid! When the game just came out when I was 9, I just watched along with my neighbors son who was 3 years older than me. It was so fun to just watch. Later when I got my own pc, I played the shit out of the games, this time my kid brother and sister watched while I was playing. We named guests after our own names and turned on notifications. When I've built the go karts, before the race we each picked a color and it was exciting to see who would win :) As you describe in your video, the balance of creativity and management has never really been matched. It was so satisfying to start from zero and see your creatively designed park turn into a money making machine. Am I the only one who never charged people 0,10 for the use of toilets? It felt wrong somehow haha. I wish Planet Coaster had the management aspects of RCT.
Great video! I think there's one big thing that you didn't mention about RCT3, and that is the colors. Almost all menus are mainly white, which is incredibly boring. In RCT1 and 2 the menus have all different kinds of colors and a very unique and recognizable style. RCT3 is just a generic streamlined design that is just boring. The colors of the rides themselves are also much less vibrant, which is makes it less interesting to look at as well.
That makes a lot of sense! I also think RCT1/2 had a very simple and clearly late 90's UI style, but unlike them RCT3's has aged quite poorly in many ways. It's generally more clunky than the earlier games', I think.
Thanks for articulating all of the reasons I love RCT1 and have so many hundreds of hours logged in it. Also, your coasters are mesmerizing to watch - good designs like that can be a real pain. Nice work!
RCT1 will likely forever be my favourite in the series. It was genuinely challenging and, while its creative tools today seem limited compared to those in RCT Classic and OpenRCT2, it provided an outlet for creativity that many stage based games don't have. Completing difficult scenarios to unlock new ones was always rewarding, as was seeing a bad or empty park transform into an amazing one. I'll never forget how rewarding that game felt.
I got RCT2 from the Scholastic catalog at my school in 2003 and played it every chance I could for hours on end. I eventually moved onto RCT3 probably around 2005 and played it all the time. RCT2 holds the nostalgia for me, but RCT3 probably has the most time spent playing of any game I own. I don’t know quite how it all happened, but I’ve been hooked as a coaster enthusiast ever since! Thanks for the great content Silv and for keeping my childhood alive well into adulthood!
I still remember playing the demo from a CD my dad got with a gaming magazine back in ‘98 and realizing I was never going to stop playing this game. Evergreen Gardens will forever be my favorite park, I’ve lost count of how many different versions I’ve made of it. Great video, a very nice way to pay homage. I know how I’m going to spend my day off.
I actually had a part in the script comparing Evergreen Gardens to some RCT2 scenarios, that I ended up throwing away because I felt that I already made the point. Evergreen Gardens really forces you to work with the setting, while in RCT2's Amity Airfield for instance it's a common strategy to just remove the airport, because it gives you extra money and it's very easy to do.
This made me want to play RCT again so badly!! The sounds made me so nostalgic, and I remember I would spend a lot of time just watching the videos at the beginning of the game, looking for inspiration...great game!!! Thanks for the video!
great summary of the game, I really think you did this amazing game which shaped so many childhoods justice. I also adore your designs, the dueling coaster at 11:30 is just beautiful!
After watching your video I think I know can fully understand my doubt full feelings on witch game I find better. I really enjoyed how you found something we and brought it to the discussion. Thank you for the great video!
Watching the slideshow just brought me back to the magic of watching the menu screen of RCT1 Deluxe after upgraded from base RCT1. Your building style has a nice balance of clean and chaotic. My parks always suffer from excessive cramming so they lose that signature Chris Sawyer charm to them. They're still pretty, but the visual clutter makes them less satisfying to me. I could learn a thing or two from your parks, Silv. Thanks for putting together such an awesome vid
It was the first game that caught my true attention. It was also the first game that I physically bought on my own demand. I was five/six years old when I first played RCT1. I didn't know about RCT2 until many years later, which then felt too overwhelming with all the scenery props and functions. It wasn't until I gave it an honest shot that it occurred to me that it just stacked the fun and creativity ontop of the original game, so it was a clear winner in my book after some time. I've never looked back at RCT1 since then, because I would feel weakened by the lack of props and the disability to create whatever I intend to build. The other thing that caught my attention was the music. It was so neat and pure. Till this day I can listen through the entire soundtrack and find the nostalgia within me. The 'easiness' behind the game and its interface is the true genius in it. The simplicity and innocence is exactly what's needed in a simulation game. People will always call Half-Life, Counter-Strike or World of Warcraft the best games in the world. I do agree, many games definitely fit on such lists, but Roller Coaster Tycoon is just a perfect example of a perfect game. Since 1999, this game was and will probably always be the best game there ever was, according to me.
I think one important thing to mention about RCT2 is how theming of your park worked. While placing objects was pretty basic in RCT1, you were able to change heights of stuff in RCT2, which gave a whole new depth to the game as you could create buildings with great detail. There was also a big community back in the days, who would create custom content for RCT2 like new objects, flat rides and even rollercoasters. A good site I came across is NEdesigns, where people are still pretty active till this day. It’s great to see what amazing things people created with RCT2.
RTC is why I am here. One of the earliest video games I ever had. After playing Command & Conquer, Warcraft II, and Diablo, RTC was a major change. My buddy and I played this game non-stop. I still always build "woodchip" first in my parks whenever possible. With blue and grey paint.
Of every video game I've ever played, from first person shooters to to tycoon games to simulators to RPGs, RCT1 (with loopy landscapes) still remains my favorite game of all time. It's been a long time but it's still a goal of mine to beat every single scenario. Super well done video and great to hear that people still play, learned quite a bit.
I never noticed how weird my names for these coasters were until people pointed them out. It's been a while since I was playing many of these scenarios!
I'm glad RCT brought us your creativity to us, Silvarett, thanks! It is very good and well thought game. I felt kinda sad that I just cant get into it because of the 2D isometric view always hamper me from building anything because of my lack of spatial awareness. Its a grudge that only been healed because Parkitect took soo much inspiration from them and decent 3D graphic can allow me to see whats actually going on. With how come every good roller coaster game is basically had a relation with RCT is just another testament to its status.
RCT I and II are the definition of my childhood. I've never experienced such joy and creativity in a game since then, and I will be happy to play those two games for the next 50 years to come. For me, those two games are the most important and best games ever to be created.
It was RCT2 that brought me to this community back in 2017, but I’d played it when I was younger in 2012. Soon after, I found you, Flux, and Coaster Studios, and have been in love with coasters since.
I can argue this game set me down my current path of life. I spent so much time on RCT, RCT2, and RCT3. The first thing I do when I get a new computer is make sure it can play RCT. The organ music is ingrained in my head and I occasionally whistle it while working... so many memories.
I got really emotional watching this. wow...didn't expect that. So many memories...so many major life events flashed before me as I remembered playing over the past couple of years. Thank you for putting this together. It was wonderful to watch.
my sister got RCT1 and I was enamored with it even though I didn't quite understand how to play or the nuances of the coasters, but I loved simply watching the game go. after placing tons of ride, paths, benches, watching the people roll through the maze was intoxicating. RCT2 pushed it to the next level, where I really unlocked my creative abilities and fully understood the coaster designer. good video, great game
I absolutely loved RCT and still do, I still occasionally fire up RCT2 and have large parks that I work on, just spending an evening every now and then building new parts. It's relaxing, almost like having a big unlimited Lego set or something to just build things that appeal to the eye. I love Cities Skylines for the same reason. I remember first playing it in 1999 and immediately becoming hooked, like so many others. I was always impressed with how well it was made as well, there's something impressive about old school titles like it, Sawyer pretty much creating it himself with some help with the art as you say. It's beautifully efficient and it ran so well at the time on most PC's. edit: thanks for the link to Foster's video! really interesting
When I was a child my favourite toys were always things where you build, especially if tracks are involved. Marble runs, train sets, domino rally, plastic road sets, lego, even scaelextrix and other scale model type things... on and up to dreaming about running a model railway in your own room! RCT just combines all these things, the modulatiry, the simplicity, the realistic motion, the act of creating a space from your imagination and making it come to life. In short, video game magic. Happy 20 years existing, RCT.
That RCT 1 opening BGM very touch my heart, the open play(OP) of the game is really amazing, I always watch a while before launch a scenario and I totally agree with your statement: In 31 March 1999, RCT released and changed my life
I first got the original game for Christmas 1999 when I was in 5th grade. On our old Dell Desktop. Dynamite Dunes was my favorite park because it was simply a desert with flat land. Then of course, 5 months later when I turned 11, I got the Corkscrew Follies expansion pack and I remember how you could change the color scheme of the rides and the souvenirs. I spent so much time playing this game, as well as The Sims. I used to take out the maximum loan amount because I was so bad at the finances lol. I'm so happy I can get it on Steam now, I just got the Remastered RCT Classic and it's amazing. Some people are so good at building custom coasters and I suck at it. I love all the cool new scenarios too.
I have some serious nostalgia for this game. I was 14 in 1999 when this came out and I played the demo over so many times lol. I remember my friend finally bought the full game and he burned me a copy. Thank god for CD burners back then, I wouldn't have played 80% of the games I played if it wasn't for those things lol. Been playing Planet Coaster recently and it definitely brings back memories of this game.
Frolicking down nostalgia lane; man 20 years already?! I remember getting jealous of a friend who got this game in a cereal box probably in about grade 1/2 and was totally searching grocery stores for it instead of print studio CDs. Also probably a good factor at how we became friends, because I'd go over to his house to play RCT scenarios after school. A wonderful video and really great expansion on the amount of work that went into the original game. I'm definitely firing up my copy and getting through some of those scenarios!
It all started for me when Pillsbury put a submission form on the back of a Toaster Strudel box to receive a free copy of the game. I was completely unprepared for the world it'd introduce me to. Thanks for taking me back with this video!
Played it from the start and fell in love. Out of any game I still get the itch to play RCT2. It's almost like a therapeutic session. I know all the rules and can build something satisfying and unique in a few hours. I usually like to make my own scenarios and maps. After I scratch the itch, I put the game away for months until I get it again. Perhaps I'll continue this trend for another 20 years??
When i bought RCT i was the happiest kid alive. I sang own invented songs about it and counted the days till release... And then i came home with the game and ... it didnt work on my PC. Crashes all the time like the demo (which i played like 500 times) did too. I was crying a lot but my neighbour helped me and after 2 weeks he got the solution. Was something wrong with the controller settings in windows... Oh and then i fell in love even more (with the game - not my neighbour)... :D What a game. Legend. Thanks a lot for this video, Silv!
This is so amazing. I love this game so much, and this retrospective was so cool to watch. There is literally no game I have played more in my life than RCT. It has stood the test of time for two decades. It is the greatest game of all time!
What I really liked about RCT1 is the balance between freedom of creativity on one hand but being limited with your options on the other hand. It feels the same as playing with LEGO. You can build a ton of different coaster but you are limited in the corners you can make and the options you have. This made me quit planet coaster quite soon after I bought it. It's a game were you can produce great things, as you showed many times over on your channel. It frustrated me that I didn't came close to a great coaster after hours of trying and I had the idea i was failing. RC1 gave me the feeling I could make a coaster that was awesome.
My son and I were talking about how much we loved playing this game when he was a kid and so he got it for me on steam for a Christmas present. It is still a great game and I still can't beat certain levels 20 years later :)
I played RCT for hours back in the day as a young adult. Now that I'm older I am now playing Planet Coaster. Of course Planet Coaster features graphics which are really good but I am still amazed at how well RCT functioned and how it's creators made it so easy to use. Planet Coaster is to me complicated when it really doesn't have to be so. Just building a pathway can be a pain at times on level ground. In RCT you could build above ground or underground with ease. That's just an example of course but kudos to the RCT gang for a job well done even after looking back over the years.
Played it probably ever since I was 7, so I’ve gotten a good 10 years out of it. The best part is that every time I play it, to this day still, I have new ideas and new tactics for coaster designing to create more realistic or epic coasters. You don’t really have a skill cap in the game due to how flexible it is, and I like that. You can never really say “I can’t make it better”, because there is always something to make better.
I bought the RCT classic on my phone 2 weeks ago and quickly became utterly addicted. I played a ton when i was a kid but now that i understand certain aspects better i am truly getting into it!
Two things: 1.) by reaching the goal of the level, visitors clap their hands and drop all their balloons - is so nice and nostalgic for me :) 2.) the moneymaker coaster: a looping with a steep ramp for a reverse ride back. 10 seconds of ride and a lot of money :D
Most awesome procrastination ever 😍 What a vibrant tribute to Roller Coaster Tycoon. I can truly relate to your story and experience with the game, too. I remember downloading the demo version of RCT2 on a summer afternoon back in 2004. There was some sort of castle scenario, and I was immediately hooked, dodging parental surveillance to play all night long 😅 What I really love about the trilogy is how knowledgeable about coasters it was. The game contained obscure and quirky rides such as the Vekoma Tilt Coaster, Togo Ultra-Twister and Side Frictions! Much agree about the liveliness how an end game scenario. RCT1 really managed to capture the sweet carefree, joyful feeling of a great amusement park experience 🥰 Also agree about how RCT was really inspiring and fostered creativity! As I learned talking to actual coaster engineers (shout-out to Benjamin Bloemendaal if he somehow happens to read this 😅), working to overcome constraints is a big part of designing rides. It was so rewarding to find creative solutions - and I remember playing the game in my head for hours, ever trying to find new ideas and new coaster layouts 🥰 Thanks for this beautiful hommage Silv. You worded quite eloquently my nostalgia and high regard for this series 👍
I can't believe I've never heard of this game until today! I've always been a huge fan of Zoo Tycoon and now I need to order this game right here thanks man!!
This game is fucking amazing, I grew up playing with it, I've spent thousands of hours of my life playing it to date, I've reinstalled it not how many times. I really appreciate that we can still live the experience of playing it. Without a doubt, he has not had the recognition he deserves. It is a great game that many have wanted to imitate but nobody has achieved it. Now Parkitect retakes all this nostalgia and gives us something to satisfy that need that even the franchise today has not been able to satisfy. they continue releasing new Rct but of pessimistic game experience. Happy 20 years!!!
It’s just insane how we don’t know how much credit we need to give to rct because without it none of these other games would be out and hot now like planet coaster, parkitect, no limits, and now ultimate coaster x. It’s crazy that rct set a path for these other successful roller coasters creater games, I applause 👏🏼 them and will always remember them.!!!
I picked up RCT 3 at a school book fair when I was in 2nd grade. It was my first RCT game, and I instantly fell in love with the genre and Chris Sawyer games. I played a bit of RCT 1&2, and Locomotion, but RCT 3 remains my favorite
Its been years since i played RCT and i have to say it sure made my childhood, ever since my brother first introduced to me, ive loved amusement parks ever since, and the graphics are amazing for such an old game, i also love how interactive it is.
Not to mention just watching the people coming into the park and going on all the rides and everything and having fun, it always had such a nice nostalgic feel thats still super loveable.
And the graphics, WOW there are so many small details in everything. If you appreciate it, I honestly think it's as good as anything being made right now if not better. So simple yet so complex
I have never played 3 and never will. Love RCT2. Been playing a lot lately. Trying to be super creative and build a great park like I have seen others do.
This video opening made me jump right in the past when I was a kid and I was counting minutes before I could go home after school just to play RCT... Knowing that now it's 20 years after makes me feel quite aged :)
Gosh sunk who knows how much time into RCT2 as a teenager with my brothers. Built some really cool (to me) Zelda themed coasters too which I still probably have the files for somewhere. Definitely looking to eventually recreate them in Planet Coaster. While I haven't played enough PC to gauge it fully yet, at least it's the same company and looks promising. But to get there, we had RCT. Just so many good memories, thanks for sharing.
I have spent thousands of hours on this game, playing and replaying... And I will spend more! As for my favorite, I, now-a-days, consider RCT 1 and 2 the "same" game since I can play them together in OpenRCT.
i cant count the number of times ive beaten every RCT1 scenario. Definitely one of my favorite games of all time. Love Planet Coaster for what it is, but no game will ever recapture the wonder I had, and nostalgia i now have, while playing the first rollercoaster tycoon.
*He didn't mention all the guests clapping when you WIN THE SCENARIO!!!*
as a kid, that was one of my favorite parts of the game
And their balloons flying away too
That used to scare the shit out of me.
And then pop their balloons
And if they have balloons they would release them into the air ☺
@@lalakuma9 yeah and they were a colorful flying recreation of your pathway system
I've definitely watched more retrospectives on RCT than I can recall, but I feel like this is the first one that actually gives credit to the art and music of Simon Foster and Allister Brimble. As much as I appreciate the technical skill of Chris Sawyer, so many videos fall into the pitfall of "OMG just ONE PERSON made this, that's craaaaazzyyyy" and neglect the fact that RCT would not be what it is without its iconic graphics and sounds. Heck, you even mentioned David Ellis, whose name I have not yet committed to memory given the prominence of the big three. I genuinely appreciate you giving credit where it is due and generally making the best retrospective I've seen on the game.
As a programmer who knows how to code in Assembly i can't imagine how hard creating this game was.I spent so much time on this game when I was 7 years old and the game first released, I wish Chris sawyer would see this video and read the comments so he could see how much this game touched all of our hearts and so he could see this comment and know how much RCT helped me as a kid with no friends, I really can't thank him enough for creating RCT knowing this game will always be a part of who I am.
There is no game that I sunk more time into than rct2 and there probably will never be. There is just something about this game I absolutely adore. The nostalgia is real with these games.
I always wonder to what's extent it's nostalgia. In the end, I think it's nostalgia that keeps bringing you back to them, but it's their sheer quality that makes you addicted every time you do.
@@Silvarret I think you are right, at least to an extend. I mean, RCT 1/2 were great games when they came out, and it is for a reason that they inspired like all of the modern games. The games are and were fascinating and fun for experienced as well as new or casual players.
Silvarret do you know about openrct2.org
Same. I’ve poured thousands of hours into RCT2
I loved coming home from school just to play RCT2!
9 year old me would let this play all night while I was sleeping just to wake up at year 12 and 3 broke coasters. Easily in my top 5 games.
This is how Parques Reunidos run their parks in real life, except the pile of cash accumulated at year 12 is given to shareholders instead of used to build new awesome coasters.
@@Codraroll This is too accurate, it's a shame.
@@Codraroll So that's why Lake Coumpounce didn't get a new coaster for 16 years.
@@zachcoastercrazy4032: Yeah, pretty much. And other Parques Reunidos parks have had it even worse. I think BonBon-Land takes the crown, but the parks in Madrid have also really been screwed over.
@@Codraroll Why are those parks known as being independent?
This was my first pc game I've ever played. Every pc I've owned has RCT installed.
mine was rct 2 and it got me into gaming
Same
Freaking same. I have 1 and 2 with both expansion packs for both games
I remember picking this up at a Target and spent many late nights staying up trying to finish scenarios.
Man the sound and music is unreal and atmospheric, I always loved the crowd noises. And yeah, Strauss is forever carousel guy to me, haha.
Thanks for the shout out. Your work in Parkitect turned out great!
Thank you, it means a lot!
I convinced my mom I could play this because it was "educational"
same lmao
I mean, there's a lot you could learn from RCT, such as economics with supply and demand, and physics too so I'd say that's big
@@Ren722 Yup, I learnt how to overcharge guests just to maximise profits without affecting the demand too much
@@bartallen8121 Demand for bathroom relief will never go down! So....just block the exits with "Do not Enter" signs, give away drinks and food dirt cheap, charge $20 for the bathrooms and watch the cash come rolling in
@@TheBfutgreg Not too sure how it works in RCT3 and RCTC because there seem to be a limit on how much you can charge before guests rather hold their bladder, for RCTC, the limit is 60 cents
Rollercoaster Tycoon is one of those games that will look FLAWLESS every passing year
Happy birthday RCT
Also I guess I have to go back and 100% complete these games now
...speaking from a sudden case of RCT addiction, I assume
RCT2 was my favorite with the additional features. My best friend and I were just starting college when the game came out. I was a landscape design major and my friend a civil engineering major. We spent way too many hours co-building parks with me focusing on the theme and landscaping and him building the coasters. So many great memories playing this game! Thanks for the video!
Rct2 is how I learned what block brakes were.
What amazes me the most about this game is the many small details that were added to make the game more realistic. For example, guests will not buy ice cream when it's raining, after riding one side of a dueling coaster guests are more likely to try the other side afterwards, and as they spend time riding rides in the park their preferred intensity will slowly increase! And there's tons of little details like that, which most people will probably not even realize are in the game!
These games hold so many good memories for me. Thank you for taking the time to remind me why I always loved them so much.
This is WAY up there with the likes of Age of empires 2 and Halo CE in my nostalgia book
The only thing with AoE is that I would get bored / lose interest in making a custom map where as I didn't with RCT
Damn, I remember drowning those people who wanted to puke HAHAH
lol
lol I’d probably be embarrassed if I ever found out how many hours I sunk into this game... eh who am I kidding, I would play this game again in a heartbeat
im considering buying it again lol
I cried when I thought I lost my copy. I can drop whatever I'm doing and go play this game and still get enjoyment from it
You can play it on mobile now. The same exact game to a T. Its like 5 bucks
AMagicProduction I played again recently on a friends computer, it’s still amazing! Lol
I still have it, I'm surprised it's still working
To young to of played the first 2, but rct3 was holy grail of my childhood. Every couple of months I’d boot up the old pc and play it a bunch for a week, then get busy again. I still do, even though it’s a struggle to get it to work smoothly
I really wish I could have parkitech or planet coaster, but I don’t have the time or the means to play them.
you really should try rct and rct2 then! plus they have always worked totally smooth.
As soon as I heard that music in the beginning it just brought back the hundreds of hours of enjoyment I had with this game in my youth. I would stay up all night playing it and my parents would have to come in and physically remove me from the computer. I never played RTC2 so I can not speak for it but when I finally got RTC3 for Christmas one year I was amazed I could finally have a 1st person view of the rides and spend the first few dozen hours just making coasters that would crash into the guests since that is obviously how they intended for the game to be played. And now after having sunk so much time into planet coaster trying to make the perfect rides with smooth banking and realistic elements I suddenly find myself yearning to go back to the simpler time of simple isometric camera views and grid based ride construction.
Damn, 0:00 instant goosebumps. The music, the nostalgia! So many feelings durings this vid!
When the game just came out when I was 9, I just watched along with my neighbors son who was 3 years older than me. It was so fun to just watch.
Later when I got my own pc, I played the shit out of the games, this time my kid brother and sister watched while I was playing. We named guests after our own names and turned on notifications. When I've built the go karts, before the race we each picked a color and it was exciting to see who would win :)
As you describe in your video, the balance of creativity and management has never really been matched. It was so satisfying to start from zero and see your creatively designed park turn into a money making machine. Am I the only one who never charged people 0,10 for the use of toilets? It felt wrong somehow haha.
I wish Planet Coaster had the management aspects of RCT.
Great video! I think there's one big thing that you didn't mention about RCT3, and that is the colors. Almost all menus are mainly white, which is incredibly boring. In RCT1 and 2 the menus have all different kinds of colors and a very unique and recognizable style. RCT3 is just a generic streamlined design that is just boring. The colors of the rides themselves are also much less vibrant, which is makes it less interesting to look at as well.
That makes a lot of sense! I also think RCT1/2 had a very simple and clearly late 90's UI style, but unlike them RCT3's has aged quite poorly in many ways. It's generally more clunky than the earlier games', I think.
Also the chainlift sound are pretty much the same on almost all steel coaster
Thanks for articulating all of the reasons I love RCT1 and have so many hundreds of hours logged in it. Also, your coasters are mesmerizing to watch - good designs like that can be a real pain. Nice work!
The best RCT retrospective ever. 20min for 20 years. :).
Perfect in just citing the latest versions (Rct 3d and sucks on..) on credits way.
RCT1 will likely forever be my favourite in the series. It was genuinely challenging and, while its creative tools today seem limited compared to those in RCT Classic and OpenRCT2, it provided an outlet for creativity that many stage based games don't have. Completing difficult scenarios to unlock new ones was always rewarding, as was seeing a bad or empty park transform into an amazing one. I'll never forget how rewarding that game felt.
I got RCT2 from the Scholastic catalog at my school in 2003 and played it every chance I could for hours on end. I eventually moved onto RCT3 probably around 2005 and played it all the time. RCT2 holds the nostalgia for me, but RCT3 probably has the most time spent playing of any game I own. I don’t know quite how it all happened, but I’ve been hooked as a coaster enthusiast ever since! Thanks for the great content Silv and for keeping my childhood alive well into adulthood!
I still remember playing the demo from a CD my dad got with a gaming magazine back in ‘98 and realizing I was never going to stop playing this game. Evergreen Gardens will forever be my favorite park, I’ve lost count of how many different versions I’ve made of it.
Great video, a very nice way to pay homage. I know how I’m going to spend my day off.
I actually had a part in the script comparing Evergreen Gardens to some RCT2 scenarios, that I ended up throwing away because I felt that I already made the point. Evergreen Gardens really forces you to work with the setting, while in RCT2's Amity Airfield for instance it's a common strategy to just remove the airport, because it gives you extra money and it's very easy to do.
This made me want to play RCT again so badly!! The sounds made me so nostalgic, and I remember I would spend a lot of time just watching the videos at the beginning of the game, looking for inspiration...great game!!! Thanks for the video!
great summary of the game, I really think you did this amazing game which shaped so many childhoods justice. I also adore your designs, the dueling coaster at 11:30 is just beautiful!
Thank you! I love building dueling coasters, more than anything in the game probably.
After watching your video I think I know can fully understand my doubt full feelings on witch game I find better. I really enjoyed how you found something we and brought it to the discussion. Thank you for the great video!
Watching the slideshow just brought me back to the magic of watching the menu screen of RCT1 Deluxe after upgraded from base RCT1. Your building style has a nice balance of clean and chaotic. My parks always suffer from excessive cramming so they lose that signature Chris Sawyer charm to them. They're still pretty, but the visual clutter makes them less satisfying to me. I could learn a thing or two from your parks, Silv. Thanks for putting together such an awesome vid
It was the first game that caught my true attention. It was also the first game that I physically bought on my own demand. I was five/six years old when I first played RCT1. I didn't know about RCT2 until many years later, which then felt too overwhelming with all the scenery props and functions. It wasn't until I gave it an honest shot that it occurred to me that it just stacked the fun and creativity ontop of the original game, so it was a clear winner in my book after some time. I've never looked back at RCT1 since then, because I would feel weakened by the lack of props and the disability to create whatever I intend to build.
The other thing that caught my attention was the music. It was so neat and pure. Till this day I can listen through the entire soundtrack and find the nostalgia within me.
The 'easiness' behind the game and its interface is the true genius in it. The simplicity and innocence is exactly what's needed in a simulation game.
People will always call Half-Life, Counter-Strike or World of Warcraft the best games in the world. I do agree, many games definitely fit on such lists, but Roller Coaster Tycoon is just a perfect example of a perfect game. Since 1999, this game was and will probably always be the best game there ever was, according to me.
Gosh such good memories.... nostalgic... I miss those times when I was still a kid..... I really hate getting old...
I think one important thing to mention about RCT2 is how theming of your park worked. While placing objects was pretty basic in RCT1, you were able to change heights of stuff in RCT2, which gave a whole new depth to the game as you could create buildings with great detail.
There was also a big community back in the days, who would create custom content for RCT2 like new objects, flat rides and even rollercoasters.
A good site I came across is NEdesigns, where people are still pretty active till this day. It’s great to see what amazing things people created with RCT2.
For me RCT & RCT2 are inseparable, like brothers. I could play either
RTC is why I am here.
One of the earliest video games I ever had.
After playing Command & Conquer, Warcraft II, and Diablo, RTC was a major change.
My buddy and I played this game non-stop.
I still always build "woodchip" first in my parks whenever possible. With blue and grey paint.
Of every video game I've ever played, from first person shooters to to tycoon games to simulators to RPGs, RCT1 (with loopy landscapes) still remains my favorite game of all time. It's been a long time but it's still a goal of mine to beat every single scenario. Super well done video and great to hear that people still play, learned quite a bit.
20:11 Left and Right Testicle coasters hmmmm Silv what is this winnies now testis also great vid XD
I never noticed how weird my names for these coasters were until people pointed them out. It's been a while since I was playing many of these scenarios!
You were one of my inspirations and got me into this game! Your RCT3 builds were some of the best I've ever seen!
I'm glad RCT brought us your creativity to us, Silvarett, thanks! It is very good and well thought game. I felt kinda sad that I just cant get into it because of the 2D isometric view always hamper me from building anything because of my lack of spatial awareness. Its a grudge that only been healed because Parkitect took soo much inspiration from them and decent 3D graphic can allow me to see whats actually going on. With how come every good roller coaster game is basically had a relation with RCT is just another testament to its status.
I could watch those coasters you made nyoom by all day. It's so relaxing haha
i could watch a RCT1/2 compilation in this style (the rct menu style) for hours. this game really nailed it on the comfy aesthetics
RCT I and II are the definition of my childhood. I've never experienced such joy and creativity in a game since then, and I will be happy to play those two games for the next 50 years to come. For me, those two games are the most important and best games ever to be created.
It was RCT2 that brought me to this community back in 2017, but I’d played it when I was younger in 2012. Soon after, I found you, Flux, and Coaster Studios, and have been in love with coasters since.
Damn, you are so good at making parks and custom coasters..
All I do is place ingame-designed coaster tracks haha
I can argue this game set me down my current path of life. I spent so much time on RCT, RCT2, and RCT3. The first thing I do when I get a new computer is make sure it can play RCT. The organ music is ingrained in my head and I occasionally whistle it while working... so many memories.
I got really emotional watching this. wow...didn't expect that. So many memories...so many major life events flashed before me as I remembered playing over the past couple of years. Thank you for putting this together. It was wonderful to watch.
my sister got RCT1 and I was enamored with it even though I didn't quite understand how to play or the nuances of the coasters, but I loved simply watching the game go. after placing tons of ride, paths, benches, watching the people roll through the maze was intoxicating.
RCT2 pushed it to the next level, where I really unlocked my creative abilities and fully understood the coaster designer. good video, great game
I absolutely loved RCT and still do, I still occasionally fire up RCT2 and have large parks that I work on, just spending an evening every now and then building new parts. It's relaxing, almost like having a big unlimited Lego set or something to just build things that appeal to the eye. I love Cities Skylines for the same reason.
I remember first playing it in 1999 and immediately becoming hooked, like so many others. I was always impressed with how well it was made as well, there's something impressive about old school titles like it, Sawyer pretty much creating it himself with some help with the art as you say. It's beautifully efficient and it ran so well at the time on most PC's.
edit: thanks for the link to Foster's video! really interesting
When I was a child my favourite toys were always things where you build, especially if tracks are involved. Marble runs, train sets, domino rally, plastic road sets, lego, even scaelextrix and other scale model type things... on and up to dreaming about running a model railway in your own room! RCT just combines all these things, the modulatiry, the simplicity, the realistic motion, the act of creating a space from your imagination and making it come to life. In short, video game magic.
Happy 20 years existing, RCT.
That RCT 1 opening BGM very touch my heart,
the open play(OP) of the game is really amazing,
I always watch a while before launch a scenario
and I totally agree with your statement: In 31 March 1999, RCT released and changed my life
I first got the original game for Christmas 1999 when I was in 5th grade. On our old Dell Desktop. Dynamite Dunes was my favorite park because it was simply a desert with flat land. Then of course, 5 months later when I turned 11, I got the Corkscrew Follies expansion pack and I remember how you could change the color scheme of the rides and the souvenirs. I spent so much time playing this game, as well as The Sims. I used to take out the maximum loan amount because I was so bad at the finances lol. I'm so happy I can get it on Steam now, I just got the Remastered RCT Classic and it's amazing. Some people are so good at building custom coasters and I suck at it. I love all the cool new scenarios too.
RTC 1 & RTC 2 are definitely my top 1&2 all time favorites. Countless hours
Finding ways to drown as many people as possible in RCT1 was one of the best parts about it, lol
My all time favorite!!!!! RCT!!!! Great video!! Loved learning about it! Thanks for posting this!!!!
I have some serious nostalgia for this game. I was 14 in 1999 when this came out and I played the demo over so many times lol. I remember my friend finally bought the full game and he burned me a copy. Thank god for CD burners back then, I wouldn't have played 80% of the games I played if it wasn't for those things lol.
Been playing Planet Coaster recently and it definitely brings back memories of this game.
Frolicking down nostalgia lane; man 20 years already?! I remember getting jealous of a friend who got this game in a cereal box probably in about grade 1/2 and was totally searching grocery stores for it instead of print studio CDs. Also probably a good factor at how we became friends, because I'd go over to his house to play RCT scenarios after school.
A wonderful video and really great expansion on the amount of work that went into the original game. I'm definitely firing up my copy and getting through some of those scenarios!
Haha. Some of the coaster names. 1:37 🤫. But truly one of mine and many's favorite games that ever existed.
...I have to admit, I never imagined that I'd ever show these parks on UA-cam.
The game that brought me into the genre of simulation games, a masterpiece
This is the most nostalgic thing ive seen in a while. What a masterpiece of a game!
It all started for me when Pillsbury put a submission form on the back of a Toaster Strudel box to receive a free copy of the game. I was completely unprepared for the world it'd introduce me to. Thanks for taking me back with this video!
Played it from the start and fell in love. Out of any game I still get the itch to play RCT2. It's almost like a therapeutic session. I know all the rules and can build something satisfying and unique in a few hours. I usually like to make my own scenarios and maps. After I scratch the itch, I put the game away for months until I get it again. Perhaps I'll continue this trend for another 20 years??
One of my earliest memories is playing rct2 with my father when I was about 4. I played that game so much when I was younger
When i bought RCT i was the happiest kid alive. I sang own invented songs about it and counted the days till release... And then i came home with the game and ... it didnt work on my PC. Crashes all the time like the demo (which i played like 500 times) did too. I was crying a lot but my neighbour helped me and after 2 weeks he got the solution. Was something wrong with the controller settings in windows... Oh and then i fell in love even more (with the game - not my neighbour)... :D What a game. Legend. Thanks a lot for this video, Silv!
This was awesome. It’s even cooler that you grew up to be one of the best planet coaster builders out there
This is so amazing. I love this game so much, and this retrospective was so cool to watch. There is literally no game I have played more in my life than RCT. It has stood the test of time for two decades. It is the greatest game of all time!
I still have all my RCT disks how do i make them play on todays computers?
What I really liked about RCT1 is the balance between freedom of creativity on one hand but being limited with your options on the other hand. It feels the same as playing with LEGO. You can build a ton of different coaster but you are limited in the corners you can make and the options you have. This made me quit planet coaster quite soon after I bought it. It's a game were you can produce great things, as you showed many times over on your channel. It frustrated me that I didn't came close to a great coaster after hours of trying and I had the idea i was failing. RC1 gave me the feeling I could make a coaster that was awesome.
It's weird to think I was born only 2 months before this came out and I am still playing it to this day.
RCT is one of the absolut best games I've ever played and I still play it 21 years later. Just fantastic.
RCT 1 (and 2) = best game of all time.
same ranking of my view in SLG games, with Sc3000 & SC4 at the same period
Get OpenRCT2!
My son and I were talking about how much we loved playing this game when he was a kid and so he got it for me on steam for a Christmas present. It is still a great game and I still can't beat certain levels 20 years later :)
I played RCT for hours back in the day as a young adult. Now that I'm older I am now playing Planet Coaster. Of course Planet Coaster features graphics which are really good but I am still amazed at how well RCT functioned and how it's creators made it so easy to use. Planet Coaster is to me complicated when it really doesn't have to be so. Just building a pathway can be a pain at times on level ground. In RCT you could build above ground or underground with ease. That's just an example of course but kudos to the RCT gang for a job well done even after looking back over the years.
This clip is SO Nostalgic! Wow it brings back a lot of good childhood memories! Love RCT!
Played it probably ever since I was 7, so I’ve gotten a good 10 years out of it. The best part is that every time I play it, to this day still, I have new ideas and new tactics for coaster designing to create more realistic or epic coasters. You don’t really have a skill cap in the game due to how flexible it is, and I like that. You can never really say “I can’t make it better”, because there is always something to make better.
I bought the RCT classic on my phone 2 weeks ago and quickly became utterly addicted. I played a ton when i was a kid but now that i understand certain aspects better i am truly getting into it!
Two things:
1.) by reaching the goal of the level, visitors clap their hands and drop all their balloons - is so nice and nostalgic for me :)
2.) the moneymaker coaster: a looping with a steep ramp for a reverse ride back. 10 seconds of ride and a lot of money :D
Most awesome procrastination ever 😍 What a vibrant tribute to Roller Coaster Tycoon. I can truly relate to your story and experience with the game, too.
I remember downloading the demo version of RCT2 on a summer afternoon back in 2004. There was some sort of castle scenario, and I was immediately hooked, dodging parental surveillance to play all night long 😅
What I really love about the trilogy is how knowledgeable about coasters it was. The game contained obscure and quirky rides such as the Vekoma Tilt Coaster, Togo Ultra-Twister and Side Frictions!
Much agree about the liveliness how an end game scenario. RCT1 really managed to capture the sweet carefree, joyful feeling of a great amusement park experience 🥰
Also agree about how RCT was really inspiring and fostered creativity! As I learned talking to actual coaster engineers (shout-out to Benjamin Bloemendaal if he somehow happens to read this 😅), working to overcome constraints is a big part of designing rides. It was so rewarding to find creative solutions - and I remember playing the game in my head for hours, ever trying to find new ideas and new coaster layouts 🥰
Thanks for this beautiful hommage Silv. You worded quite eloquently my nostalgia and high regard for this series 👍
I can't believe I've never heard of this game until today! I've always been a huge fan of Zoo Tycoon and now I need to order this game right here thanks man!!
This game is fucking amazing, I grew up playing with it, I've spent thousands of hours of my life playing it to date, I've reinstalled it not how many times. I really appreciate that we can still live the experience of playing it. Without a doubt, he has not had the recognition he deserves. It is a great game that many have wanted to imitate but nobody has achieved it. Now Parkitect retakes all this nostalgia and gives us something to satisfy that need that even the franchise today has not been able to satisfy. they continue releasing new Rct but of pessimistic game experience. Happy 20 years!!!
It’s just insane how we don’t know how much credit we need to give to rct because without it none of these other games would be out and hot now like planet coaster, parkitect, no limits, and now ultimate coaster x. It’s crazy that rct set a path for these other successful roller coasters creater games, I applause 👏🏼 them and will always remember them.!!!
RCT is what got me into simulation games all those years ago and still playing them ones in a while just to feel nostalgic.
I'm 21 years old and I'll still play OpenRCT2 from time to time.
I picked up RCT 3 at a school book fair when I was in 2nd grade. It was my first RCT game, and I instantly fell in love with the genre and Chris Sawyer games. I played a bit of RCT 1&2, and Locomotion, but RCT 3 remains my favorite
Its been years since i played RCT and i have to say it sure made my childhood, ever since my brother first introduced to me, ive loved amusement parks ever since, and the graphics are amazing for such an old game, i also love how interactive it is.
Not to mention just watching the people coming into the park and going on all the rides and everything and having fun, it always had such a nice nostalgic feel thats still super loveable.
The original RCT, together with Settlers 3 and Team Hospital were like my first computer games. And I still play RCT occasionally even today.
And the graphics, WOW there are so many small details in everything. If you appreciate it, I honestly think it's as good as anything being made right now if not better. So simple yet so complex
I have never played 3 and never will. Love RCT2. Been playing a lot lately. Trying to be super creative and build a great park like I have seen others do.
Literally 10% of the years 2002 - 2005 I spent were playing these games. These were the games I invested time in the most.
This video opening made me jump right in the past when I was a kid and I was counting minutes before I could go home after school just to play RCT... Knowing that now it's 20 years after makes me feel quite aged :)
I remember getting this in the mail in March 1999...and subsequently spending HOURS on my home computer for years to come, haha.
Gosh sunk who knows how much time into RCT2 as a teenager with my brothers. Built some really cool (to me) Zelda themed coasters too which I still probably have the files for somewhere. Definitely looking to eventually recreate them in Planet Coaster. While I haven't played enough PC to gauge it fully yet, at least it's the same company and looks promising. But to get there, we had RCT. Just so many good memories, thanks for sharing.
My favorite thing about this game was making death coasters and drowning park goers. I was a strange kid.
Got this game in a cereal box when I was a kid, hearing the music brought me back. Damn.
RCT3 holds a special place in my heart. Good to see you’re doing well silv.
I have spent thousands of hours on this game, playing and replaying... And I will spend more!
As for my favorite, I, now-a-days, consider RCT 1 and 2 the "same" game since I can play them together in OpenRCT.
Coming back around for the 25th. RCT will never die!
I have been playing this for almost 2 decades, I love it so much I have it on my phone now
I played this game for probably 1000 hours with my friends. This is one of the best sim games ever created!
I only ever played RCT3, and only built pre-made rollercoasters. Loved it and "Summer Air" and "Tribal Wild" is engrained in my memory.
i cant count the number of times ive beaten every RCT1 scenario. Definitely one of my favorite games of all time. Love Planet Coaster for what it is, but no game will ever recapture the wonder I had, and nostalgia i now have, while playing the first rollercoaster tycoon.
😭 9:18 THE MUSIC HOLY CRAP I STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY wow it really takes you back INSTANTLY I just time traveled 😭😭😭😭