''RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic'' is a

construction and management simulation Construction and management simulation (CMS), sometimes also called management sim or building sim, is a subgenre of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources. Strategy vide ...

video game developed by Origin8 Technologies and published by

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

. The game's initial release is a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

of both ''

RollerCoaster Tycoon ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' is a series of construction and management simulation games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allo ...

'' and '' RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' combined into a single game. Both games are

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

management simulators created by

Chris Sawyer Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the best-selling ''RollerCoaster Tyco ...

for the PC. ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic'' was released for Android and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

in December 2016 and for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

in September 2017. A

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

port was released on December 5, 2024.

Gameplay

''Classic'' implements the same gameplay as the first two games in the ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' series. Played from an isometric view, players are tasked with building or revitalizing an

by adding rides, attractions, facilities, paths, landscaping, and staff to manage the park. In particular, the game allows players to plan out a wide array of custom

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

s and other rides using tracks, such as

log flume A log flume or lumber flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Loggi ...

s and

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performanc ...

s. The player also must manage the park's finances to make sure they bring in sufficient revenues from guests to cover the cost of running the park and installing new features.

Development

had developed the original ''

'' and its sequel '' RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'', which released respectively in 1999 and 2002. The games had come out of his work developing a sequel to '' Transport Tycoon'', which he released in 1994. Sawyer allowed

Frontier Developments Frontier Developments plc is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier develops management simulators '' Planet Coaster'' and '' Planet Zoo'', ...

to develop ''

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' series, and was developed by Frontier Developments and published by Atari Interactive. ''RollerCo ...

'' while he worked on '' Locomotion'', a 2004

spiritual successor A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...

to ''Transport Tycoon''. Sawyer re-emerged in 2010 with the opening of 31X Ltd. a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

for his ''Transport Tycoon''

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

, and took 31X in a direction towards mobile development. Sawyer recognized that there was a demand for a game that used the more simple controls and graphics offered in the original ''Tycoon'' games, which worked well for mobile and touch-screen devices. In 2013, he announced the mobile version of ''Transport Tycoon'', developed with Origin8. With Origin8's help, Sawyer was able to convert the original ''Transport Tycoon'' code from a form that relied heavily on

assembly code In computing, assembly language (alternatively assembler language or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence bet ...

to transfer it into a more portable form. Origin8 continued to work with Sawyer to help port ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' into a similar mobile format. In March 2016, Sawyer affirmed he had started work on ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic'' with Origin8, to be released for mobile devices. As with the rework of ''Transport Tycoon'', this required Sawyer and Origin8 to rework the assembly code from ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' into C. They were also able to add new elements to the game during this period. The game was released for both Android and iOS devices on December 22, 2016. On that same day, Sawyer released a statement explaining his reason for developing the game: "It was my long term ambition to bring the classic game to modern touch screen devices as its visual style and tactile nature are so well suited to smartphones and tablets." Meanwhile, the CEO of Atari stated that the game should appeal to both long-time fans, as well as new players. A

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

port of the game was released on September 28, 2017. The game was later ported to

on December 5, 2024.

Reception

Bob Fekete of ''

iDigitalTimes IBT Media is an American global digital news organization with over 90 million monthly readers, owned by followers of religious leader David Jang. It publishes the ''International Business Times'' and ''Medical Daily'', among others. IBT Media ...

'' praised the game for faithfully porting the original games on mobile devices for a low price tag, but criticized the game's "cramped" feel and occasionally low

framerate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and motion capture s ...

s. Alex Olney of ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' praised the game, opining that the

port is "the best way to play this classic in your living room." However, Olney criticized the lack of touch-screen support as well as some performance issues when the game is zoomed out. ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

Australia'' was critical of the release, citing the system specification requirements—which are considerably higher than that of the original games—and the lack of multiplayer support, which had been added to the original game via the community-driven '' OpenRCT2'' project. In 2022, an update to ''OpenRCT2'' would allow the use of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic'' as a base install path, rather than the original games.

References

External links

* {{RollerCoaster Tycoon series 2016 video games Amusement park simulation games Android (operating system) games IOS games MacOS games Roller coaster games and simulations

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

Video game sequels Video games designed by Chris Sawyer Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games with isometric graphics Windows games

Gameplay

Development

Reception

See also

References

External links