Among the select few studios in the industry, Frontier Developments stands out for its comprehensive approach to crafting and managing simulation games through meticulous monitoring reports. Eight years after 2016’s successful revival of its classic fan-favorite approach, Frontier has unveiled a long-awaited sequel. By incorporating features like water parks and customizable coasters with iterative enhancements, the game attempts to build upon its predecessor’s foundation through diverse approaches. During our recent conversation with the sport’s developers, we had the opportunity to discuss several significant updates and improvements. Below, discover an insightful conversation with Principal Lead Designer Dave Bamber and Tech Lead Simon Jordan in our latest interview.
“We received enthusiastic support from the community surrounding our innovative concept for creating waterparks, which has led us to be thrilled about incorporating it into the upcoming sequel.”
As I returned to development after an extended hiatus, my mind was abuzz with thoughts and ideas that had been percolating for years. The pre-production process was filled with numerous options and concepts drawn from both internal and external sources within the company and community. At the outset, our objective was to capitalise on and further enhance various gameplay elements, thereby reinvigorating the essence of enjoyment that players derive from the experience. The neighbourhood surrounding our one-of-a-kind concept has expressed enthusiastic support for introducing waterparks, which has prompted us to seriously consider incorporating this feature into the sequel’s development.
By applying design principles, we dissected the game’s mechanics into distinct categories: Coasters, Company, Finance, Employees, Beauty, Narrative, and Online Interaction. By applying principles such as Simplicity, Steerage, Depth, Effort, Breadth, Appeal, Group, and Immersion to the gameplay design, we were able to strategically prioritize options and concepts that aligned with our creative vision.
We’ve strived tirelessly to offer players a diverse array of elements to build upon in standalone theme park settings. With an extensive array of more than 60 coaster and tracked journey designs available for construction, plus a comprehensive collection of over 50 pre-made coaster blueprints ready for immediate implementation.
This innovative feature empowers players to personalise their car coasters by integrating ambient devices, unleashing a fresh wave of creative possibilities and providing unparalleled opportunities for customisation. The feature’s remarkable design allows players to indulge in their favorite gaming aspects, leaving us eager to discover the creative possibilities that will emerge as gamers experiment with its capabilities.
Roller coasters are experiencing a major resurgence in popularity on a grand scale. Gaming enthusiasts adored the immersive, flat ride experiences in the original, but yearned for greater flexibility and control over the theming to enable creative placement options within their parks. We’ve significantly enhanced our flexicolour offerings by incorporating intuitive sample options. There are over thirty flat rides, some of which have been reimagined from their original counterparts in the classic recreation, offering an even more stripped-back experience, allowing players to personalize and customize them with animated surroundings gadgets tailored to each ride.
Now our neighborhood can freely explore and share customised Flat Journey Blueprints through the Frontier Workshop, with an initial offering of 25 designs at launch.
From a coaster enthusiast’s perspective, we’re thrilled that gamers will soon discover that our Blueprints now include detailed information on paths and queues.
Beyond its unprecedented capacity for customization in terms of overall appearance, the standout feature is undoubtedly the animated coaster elements – intricately designed monitor items that represent a cutting-edge innovation in modern rollercoaster design.
While production methods may vary depending on the manufacturer, a fundamental understanding of how coasters are created is essential to appreciating their value. To ensure the smoothest possible coaster experience, our team has revamped the way twist values are stored for coasters, resulting in silky-smooth rides from the moment players begin their journey. We’ve significantly enhanced the performance of our smoothing instruments by refining the control over power and flow, enabling increased productivity and accuracy.
Dedicated gamers will find that the intuitive selection, switching, and banking features of the customizable display allow for seamless and flexible application across vast areas of the screen.
Besides its unprecedented customization options for the overall aesthetic, the standout feature is undoubtedly the animated coaster elements – cutting-edge technology that elevates modern rollercoaster design to new heights.
To address gamer demands for more realism in their visitor simulations, we’ve incorporated additional features to better understand visitor behavior.
We’ve transformed our visitor satisfaction initiative into a comprehensive ‘Visitor Moods’ metric, seamlessly integrating with our overarching ‘Visitor Expertise’ framework. Visitors can curate a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing their satisfaction and dissatisfaction through Moods’ advanced emotional mapping, extending beyond a simple happiness gauge.
As companies converge upon the park in well-coordinated surges, they bring forth a dynamic tapestry of human behavior, characterized by ebbs and flows that mirror the ebb and flow of visitor activity as groups move throughout the park. By introducing this system, we gain enhanced control over visitor flow and revenue management; if an individual departs the park prematurely, they carry their earned funds back to the next wave of visitors.
We’ve designed a ‘Luxurious’ visitor persona with distinct wants – a Reward-based want that drives purchasing decisions at the souvenir store, a Leisure-focused want that fuels enthusiasm for recreational rides, and a Priority want that prioritizes safety concerns on thrill rides.
Visitors with dietary restrictions have been provided, suggesting we exercise added caution in considering the number of outlets being offered.
By further refining our journey tolerances for peak, pace, and G-forces, we’re now able to accommodate a broader range of journey types, providing an even more immersive experience for our visitors.
As players delve into the newly expanded world, they’ll encounter a plethora of thrilling opportunities to test their skills and imagination by crafting and refining their park, now empowered by a wealth of innovative features.
To streamline your interface, we’ve streamlined the characteristic and power entries, allowing easy access through simple actions such as double-clicking or holding A on controller, which instantly opens the modification tools for that characteristic. Additionally, our radial menus from Console edition are now accessible to keyboard players as well.
To enhance the learning experience alongside our comprehensive tutorials on operating a theme park, we’ve simplified gameplay for new players by incorporating intuitive keyboard shortcuts directly into the user interface. This allows them to quickly grasp key controls and focus on developing their skills as they progress through the game.
Navigating the complex path system was no trivial feat; creating an intuitive interface required meticulous attention. Significant effort was invested in developing the system to empower participants to create freely, unencumbered by constraints. From the participants’ perspective, the intuitive trail and pool interfaces function as seamless tools, allowing for instant utilization – building a plaza is as effortless as placing a single tile. For avid gamers seeking additional flexibility, the trail software options offer unparalleled customization capabilities, which we’re thrilled to see many enthusiasts utilizing to their full potential.
With the capacity to scale surroundings, an experience-altering enhancement becomes readily available. As a result, the surroundings menu is streamlined, eliminating redundant size options, and participants can dynamically adjust settings according to various circumstances.
The Occasion Sequencer is a user-friendly timeline-based tool that enables the coordination of animated environments, visual effects, audio elements, and lighting adjustments in a single, easily accessible interface. Whether operating independently or seamlessly integrating with flat rides, coasters, or tracked attractions, this intuitive interface allows users to easily configure components in succession or concurrently, thanks to its user-friendly design. By providing a tangible insight into the harmonious functioning of your outputs, environment, and sound equipment, you’re able to craft seamless combinations of events that consistently delight your audience.
Gamers can trigger a flamethrower explosion by simply letting a coaster roll onto a monitor segment or initiating a flat ride’s movement. A prime example of immersive storytelling is crafting a “Dark Journey,” where a meticulously detailed track layout unfolds into an indoor series of animated scenes, weaving together to form a cohesive narrative, akin to an underwater adventure built using our Aquatic theme, complete with sea creatures and water effects.
The introduction of cross-platform play within the revamped Franchise mode, accompanied by collaborative Sandbox saves, presented a captivating technological conundrum: ensuring a glitch-free experience as players seamlessly transition between console and PC while sharing a save or competing in a franchise challenge together.
When executing a command on your console, you may recall the Oswald Eugene Calder, a well-known figure in computing history. Furthermore, it features a valuable ‘Complexity Meter’ on all platforms, guaranteeing seamless execution regardless of the device used. PC gamers will also be able to gauge the complexity of their creations by comparing them against the game’s built-in Complexity Meter, ensuring that console players can effortlessly open, build, and manage the parks without any issues.
It’s likely that the PS5 will feature professional-enhanced capabilities upon its release. We’re leveraging the enhancements to deliver even higher pixel densities, achieving breathtaking 4K resolution for an unparalleled visual experience.
“Gamers will now face captivating new opportunities and strategic decisions as they bring their park vision to life, thanks to our groundbreaking updates.”
New advancements in hardware offer game developers innovative opportunities to pioneer fresh gaming experiences. As we stay attuned to innovations across consoles and PCs, our team will closely monitor and analyze the advancements of the PS5 Pro as they emerge.
Sony has made history by introducing AI-powered upscaling in its consoles, raising intriguing possibilities for future advancements. As advancements in hardware technologies continue to break new ground, a fresh dynamic is emerging with AI being empowered by tailored hardware, revolutionizing the landscape. It’s an exhilarating era for game development, with the potential for a revolutionary new wave of console innovations on the horizon.
We ensure a smooth and consistent gaming experience across all platforms by maintaining a stable frame rate of 30 frames per second throughout. The budget-friendly PS5 and Xbox Series S models render content at a native 1440p resolution, which is then upscaled to produce a visually stunning 4K experience. The Collection S offers a 960p resolution that is up-scaled to mimic the quality of 1440p, while the PS5 Pro delivers a native 4K experience.
