This *IS* Rollercoaster Tycoon 3...

[Sc4jeeks 35]

This situation is 100% exactly like the situation that happened with RCT3. Let me explain...

I've been very involved in the RCT community. When RCT3 was announced with a new 3D engine, new developer, and changes in gameplay, it was practically a riot. People bombarded the new developer's website, along with the RCT fansites, making posts in anger at Atari for ruining such an awesome franchise by taking it out of the hands of its developer, Chris Sawyer, and having it developed by a very different company, Frontier Developments. They accused Atari of betraying them, and even began to send mass e-mails.

People began to ponder making their own game. Many projects for the RCT community to "build their own game from the ground up" began, none were successful.

Now, for the ending. RCT3 did sell well, and did form its own community. However, its success wasn't comparable to that seen by Rollercoaster Tycoon 1 & 2. The community does still exist for the game, but right now it appears that RCT3 is the last in the line of RCT games.

Will Societies end up the exact same way? So far it's very eerily similar.

[LivingInThePast 364]

But did they make a huge-o list of requests and Atari ignored all of them?

Atari's in trouble now financially. Will the same be for EA?

[Poetic 0]

I don't know. I've been playing RCT series since number 1. Actually, at one time, made me think of being a roller coaser designer (I was about 13yrs old)... Anyway, I hate to say, but I liked RCT3 more than the others. But, in my opinion, besides the 3D cartoonish features of RCT3 & the developer changes, I don't think the situation was as bad.

I haven't played SCS yet, so I can't say for sure, but from what I can tell SCS is altering the basic foundations of what a SC game is supposed to be. RCT3 was still, for the most part, RCT. It didn't change the basic foundations and, I think (maybe I just didn't notice), the game play wasn't altered dramatically and the overall goals of the game were similar.

[Explodingsims 3]

Yeah, Being a member at The RCT forums, There was a lot of complaining and threats against Atari. But RCT 3 did end up being alright, although between these two forums there is one difference, They were angry over the Programer shift, and that was all. Here everyone is angry because they are shifting programers, having bad graffics, and are severly dumbing down the game. 

Livinginthepast- You hit the nail on the head.

But there are some similarities...

[The_Dalai_Llama 15]

I personally thought RCT3 was a good game. It was RCT2 that didn't win me over since it was pretty much the same as the original.

Onto SCS, I can see the similarities, but there can be a RCT4 that caters to the RCT fanatics, and I doubt it's the end of SimCity as we know it, either. SC6 can return to the complex model we know and love.

[Sc4jeeks 35]

Originally posted by: LivingInThePast But did they make a huge-o list of requests and Atari ignored all of them?quote>

Actually, yes. But what game publisher doesn't ignore the fans? I don't think there are any that actually listen to what people want anymore.

Yes, RCT3 did turn out fairly well. But before it came out, the community was in a huge uproar. Trust me, I know, I operated Atari's official chatrooms for 3 years. Which makes me wonder, will we all be biting our lips when we actually play SC Societies?

[Goldfish4209 9]

We'll have to wait and see. This'll either be a major embarrasment to TM/EA or us.

[fpxmedia 0]

Originally posted by: LivingInThePast Atari's in trouble now financially. Will the same be for EA?quote>

No, for the following reasons:

1. The Sims

2. EA Sports titles, namely the Madden franchise

3. Spore -- eventually

4. their assorted first-person shooter titles

Watching a huge company make a mistake is like watching a fat kid trip and fall in a room full of Jell-O -- it never hurts them.

[Barbarossa 51]

Atari's in trouble now financially. Will the same be for EA?quote>

Simple answer, No. EA is a monster and they have so much revenue from all of their other titles, that they do not care one iota about SimCity. It's like asking if Microsoft will go bust because one of their games was stinky.

Barbarossa

[Speth 0]

strangely ive always felt rct3 was a very good game and i was also a fan of the original games. rct3 did not feature any major changes in gameplay (you still got to be creative and make the kind of park you wanted, you still had similar rides), the only big change being the somewhat more cartoony looking graphics and the addition of 3d. i liked rct3 very much because i thought it kept the original gameplay as much intact as possible.

simcity societies on the other hand will feature completely different gameplay which is what worries me the most about it. graphics can be changed by mods, but the gameplay is going to be a complete turnaround for the worse.

so i don't think it's a very good comparison

[gshmails 534]

I was not a fan of RTC3 when it first came out, but the more I played, the more I liked it. The expansion packs were great. Water slides you can design and ride in first person was so much fun! The 3d took getting used to, but you adapt and move forward. The difference is that the core concepts remained, let's see if that holds true for SCS.

[Pepper 15]

I agree.  I played RCT for years and years; I never bought the second one because it looked so similar to the first.  I got lots of entertainment out of that game.  Then RCT3 comes along, and I bought it, but it just wasn't the same as the first one.  It's sitting in my computer games cabinet right now.  I reformatted my computer awhile back and didn't bother installing it; I hadn't played it in months.

I don't really like the looks of SCS, and I am definitely not going to run out and buy it as soon as it's released.  I didn't really like Caesar IV (especially since it ran VERY POORLY on my computer which well exceeded the minimum requirements, even when I turned the settings down) and I don't know how SCS is going to be either.

[Blazerhawk 162]

I posted this earlier. Glad someone sees it the way I do.

[outriderdriver 4]

I can't wait for the sims in 09! Ive been wondering...will popeye be in it?!?!

[egod6969 8]

I would have to say this is a bad comparison because as someone said earlier RCT3 didn't change the game play, SCS does. And to say RCT is a dead series is also wrong, while it's future is clouded because of a legal fight between Atari and Chris Sawyer and Atari's financial problems, Frontier recently released a spin off for the Game consoles called Thrillville which while it's not RCT is is similar.

[Sc4jeeks 35]

Originally posted by: egod6969 I would have to say this is a bad comparison because as someone said earlier RCT3 didn't change the game play, SCS does. And to say RCT is a dead series is also wrong, while it's future is clouded because of a legal fight between Atari and Chris Sawyer and Atari's financial problems, Frontier recently released a spin off for the Game consoles called Thrillville which while it's not RCT is is similar.quote>

That's a good point, but I was more-or-less trying to compare the community reaction than the games themselves.

Also, all the legal fight between Atari and Chris Sawyer is regarding Atari's rights to publish a console version of RCT. Thrillville was published by LucasArts in the USA (Atari did gain publish rights in the UK) and has nothing to do with RCT or the lawsuit. The idea was completely by LucasArts, and they contracted Frontier to develop the game.

I've been involved closely with the RCT series for years. I could go on for hours with details about the lawsuit and Thrillville.