The Weekly Ambassador - Volume XVI

VOLUME XVI

Happy Sunday and welcome to Volume 16 of the Weekly Ambassador.  As we continue to push towards an equal representation of all 3 sites, if at any time you think we’re overlooking something, shoot me a PM either at vpyro, RCTLounge, or SGW and I’ll do my best to check it out.  We want to showcase every worthy project and we want to make sure what we’re selecting are things YOU care about, so let us know.  If you’d like to write, again, we’re always looking for fresh faces that know their way around the English language. 

In other news, I’m fiddling with an idea to bring a fresh format to the WA.  It would include more sections and some new ideas that have been tossed around, but it’s still a ways off.  Just a heads up!  This week there’s some great stuff from each site, so be sure to check it out and leave comments on the projects.  Comments are always nice.  Have a great week, everyone.

-mb1.0.2, Editor in Chief

Saying Goodbye
by LostThought

LostThought and I go way back.  A few years ago, I had the privilege of filming one of his coasters, Bandit.  Even back then, I knew that LostThought was going to be big (bigger than he already was).  As the months went on, we all saw just how creative LT was and how incredible his attention to detail was.  In the Summer Showdown ‘09, hosted by myself, LT and his team created a spectacular tropical setting and I saw a hint at where his true passions lie: water parks.

Lava Lagoon is a park that first showed up in the later quarter of 2010.  Immediately, it was clear that this was going to be something special.  LostThought even went so far as to create his own custom scenery for this project, and wouldn’t ya know it: he was good at that, too.  What makes Lava Lagoon so special is the simple fact that it looks like a REAL water park.  I know from my experiences, my water park didn’t flow nearly as well as his.  He used curves and the invisible doodads to perfection to create a truly spectacular project.  Lava Lagoon went through a few variations, especially regarding the central mountain, and each time it came out looking even better than before, which is something I never thought possible.  The slides are impeccable, the path system and lazy river flow harmoniously with each other, and everything simply looks right.

Unfortunately, this week’s headliner is bitter-sweet.  It’s great to see this project on the top of the Weekly Ambassador, however, it was also told to us that this will most likely be the last update for this great park.  Even so, I just spent the last several minutes looking through each page of this fantastic project, and I highly recommend you do the same.  No one builds a water park like LostThought...

...no one.

*in addition to this fantastic project, in LostThought’s final update, he included a link to a beta of his custom scenery he created for the park.  It’s a great set that you should check out.

Written Contribution by mb1.0.2

This project can be found at SGW

vParty 2012 Lightning Teaser	Small | Large

A Vparty to Remember
by Various vPyro members

It’s going to get loud in here. With the collective abilities of nearly every great choreographer and pyro junkie available, this has the makings of a stupendous show. From the few teasers we’ve been granted thus far, it is clear that the show is upbeat, over the top and all out energetic. The stage boasts an iconic “2012” on the top with a limitless bottom portion to work with. The lasers come on, nice and soft at first, but as soon as “party rock” kicks up, they go mad. Flashing in all directions, the lasers illuminate the stage at all angles and create a fantastic setting for the pyro. When the pyro does kick in, it does so with brilliant hues of blue, orange, yellow and purple. This is one party, you’re not going to want to miss.


Written Contribution by Liam

This project can be found at Vpyro 

Look Who’s Taking Flight
by mcsuper47

Owl’s Flight is a new B&M Wingrider found on RCTLounge.  Now, there’s been a glut of wingrider coasters hitting the RCT community for the last few months, and they’re starting to wear on me just a little.  However, Owl’s Flight is one of those coasters that, even though it’s following the trend, is able to break it just by the sheer attention to detail and beauty.

Perhaps what’s even more exciting is the fact that Owl’s Flight comes to us by a member that isn’t one of the “household names” of RCT3.  Mcsuper47 has absolutely put his name on the map (at least in my mind) with this beautiful coaster set in a stunning forest.  Sure, the lift is slow, but that simply makes me anticipate the ride even more!  The color scheme is a nice contrast to the forest that the ride is surrounded in and each element feels smooth and purposeful.  My favorite part is the little “canyon” right after the first drop...the rock work and foliage is really well done.  Owl’s Flight is a great ride!

Written Contribution by mb1.0.2

This project can be found at The Lounge

(click the picture to be taken to the project)

Skye Amusement Park San Diego by Wilhelm 1407

Skye Amusement Park San Diego is easily one of the best parks on the RCTLounge forums today. This is the second park by Wilhelm under the Skye name, and it is just as fantastic as the first! He’s got two great coasters, a well-laid-out park, and some of the best architecture I’ve seen. The park has just suffered from a major fire, but hopefully this plot twist won’t set the park back too far! Wilhelm has a terrific style, and is truly the master of the traditional small-park atmosphere. Well done, Wilhelm!

Written Contribution by GCI2011

Uncharted: Golden Abyss, The Ride by Ironaiden

Besides RCT3, I’m not usually much of a gamer, so I wasn’t expecting to be that excited by a ride themed to a PS3 game. I was pleasantly surprised - Ironaiden’s Uncharted: Golden Abyss is an excellent ride, with a wonderfully mystical theme. We haven’t seen a whole lot of the coaster yet, but the scenery warrants this mention all by itself. Ironaiden has creatively mixed custom scenery to create a totally unique theme that just works, and is really impressive. That, along with the expert lighting and editing make this a must-see project.

Written Contribution by GCI2011

Modern Society Set by Dark Horizon

I’m a sucker for clean lines and modern architecture.  DasMatze’s Office Day continues to be one of my favorite sets.  So when I saw the Modern Society Set by Dark_Horizon, I knew it would be something worth looking into.  Indeed, this set is shaping up to be a real treat.  After a long hiatus, DH is back working on this project and we anxiously anticipate a release!

Written Contribution by mb1.0.2

The Grid, Its Meaning and if it’s Still Necessary by Liam

So, what exactly is the RCT3 Grid? Well, it’s the lines that allow endless possibilities for creation and imagination. Essentially, the grid has guided us since day one, being the omnipresent object in the game that we use, but never seem to appreciate. Without the grid, where would we actually be today?
I for one shudder to think what could have happened had we not been given this quintessential tool to our RCT3 arsenal. Whenever I go to construct anything, I use the grid as my guideline. It helps me to place the first walls of a building, the first track sections of a coaster and terraform the land. It is my fallback, and without the grid, I would be lost. In some ways, it’s that fear of loss that makes me worried to try building onto different angles then the square style roller coaster tycoon was designed for. The first time I ever used a piece that wasn’t straight was a little over a year ago and even then I was unsettled for hours afterwards. The grid is an easy, bought and paid for tool that I’d proven to work and suffice to say, it’s hard to get out of your comfort zone.

However, abandoning the grid is not really my main point in this soapbox. I wanted to address the idea of smashing the grid entirely. Just recently, there was another soapbox on custom tracks. Custom tracks, as it would seem, destroy the grid altogether and go onto angles never dreamt by the creators of this aging game. Sometimes it hurts me to see such a vital tool squandered, rather than appreciated like it should be. Leon, for example, takes the grid’s strict placement system and makes marvelous creations that are like nothing I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t build these things using custom pieces tailored to his every idea, but with everyday CS sets and inventive, and sometimes wacky, ideas.

At the risk of sounding like an old man, shunning the new creations, I find that the disregard for the grid is a mistake. I like the idea of free-flowing layouts in roller coaster tycoon, but much prefer the people like Ranger and ZeroG who come up with natural looking ones using the options the creators left us.  Then people like Leon and NGT blow us away with stunning architectural creations the likes of which few could imagine let alone attempt. It is for those few reasons I deem the grid necessary, and therefore, a tool to be respected. We should praise the grid, rather than destroy it, because without the grid, none of this would be possible.


Until next time, happy gaming!

The Weekly Ambassador Post Script:

***We are always in need of capable, dedicated writers.  Please PM mb1.0.2 your email address if you are interested.  mb1.0.2 reserves the right to add or remove writers for each volume as necessary.

*** From time to time, we like to show off little teasers / previews / Easter eggs that usually have nothing to do with the articles at hand.  If you have a well composed picture, video tease or anything else you haven't publicly released (old projects that never made it to light for example), we'd love to share it in future editions of the WA.

*** Think you have the next great idea for the Weekly Ambassador?  PM mb1.0.2 at SGW, RCTLounge, or Vpyro, or post in the WA Headquarters thread at either SGW or RCTLounge and let him hear it!  Your idea just might make it into the next edition.

Completely agree with the soapbox. Great edition 

Wow, I loved this addition. Good projects and a good soapbox!

I completely agree about the grid. Sometimes it does get frustrating, but then again it is the basic guideline for everything in RCT3. One thing that I think would be a bit better though, is that if each square of the grid was made up of two triangles, like in Zoo Tycoon 2. Not only would that still allow us to use the grid to align things properly, but we could also have the options of having every piece rotated not to 90 degree intervals, but 45 degrees. Diagonal stations and having every coaster piece in diagonal would allow for a more "off the grid" look, while still being true to the grid, and diagonal scenery would make it that much more realistic.

^ So kind of like the Sims 3?

I really enjoy building in that game, since the grid, while ever present, is much more flexible than RCT3.  If the grid could even be like in the Sims it would be a huge improvement!

I think having a grid with diagonals available has been brought up once before. The only problem with this is either some form of clever scaling technique would need to be used or a completely different model would need to be made for the diagonal.

What a great ambassador this week! Seems I've missed some projects.

Another great issue guys! Well done! 

This issue was great! Loved the soapbox! It really had a point! Its really sad also to see lava lagoon going!  :'(  It really was a great park!

I'm actually really flattered to be mention along with ZeroG as someone that has "come up with natural looking [layouts] using the options the creators left us." It surprised me a bit reading through the soapbox today.

I think all the articles and mentions this week are great. There are some really nice projects out there, maybe I should go check a few out. 

I like the take on the grid! The grid provides a nice level of simplicity that makes the RCT games accessible to everyone. Sure, the restrictions of the grid can become a little frustrating after years and years of experience with the game, but image a 10 year-old kid diving into the game for the first time if there were no guidelines! I love seeing what people can do to challenge the restrictions of the game, but at the end of the day, RCT3 is still a game, not a simulation.

Many thanks to all writers of this volume of the Weekly Ambassador.

The grid is really essential.
I only wish that there would be an option to switch it on/off, so that certain objects could be placed free off the grid. (e.g. tress, bushes, rocks, boxes, dinosaur models ...)

Speaking of grids, seems like we hate it for it confining us to 45Ă‚Âş and 90Ă‚Âş, but like it because it makes things easier.  What if the grids were shaped in a hexagon/honeycomb?  That would still give us the ease of use without compromising too much on freedom (unless you're like me trying design 1500m curves for high speed rail).