Ask the Experts / Open > Vanilla compatibility

So, since I got OpenRCT2 to work today, I'd like to know what hacks still aren't compatible with vanilla, and maybe how to get around them. Can someone give me a hand?

Generally most 3rd party trainers that I have tried don't work at all, but OpenRCT2 already has a cheat menu that does what I need which negates the use of downloading said 3rd party trainers.

Pretty much everything is backwards compatible except for the invisible huts that you can select from the ride paint menu, but it tells you that right in the selection window.  Can't really think of anything else at this point.

Given you were unable to open Expedition Everest in vanilla, it would suggest the corrupt element stuff is still not completely backward compatible (it's the only thing I can think of which I did in OpenRCT which I can't in vanilla)

The corrupt elements are definitely not 100% backward compatible, I've had parks that load fine in vanilla but only if corrupt elements are removed. But the use of corrupt elements doesn't guarantee a park will be incompatible with vanilla, they do work sometimes.

The other major thing that hasn't been mentioned is track pieces. Junior, vertical drop, and twister coasters have had extra pieces added. Crooked house now works for all track pieces as well. When building using these track types, you'll need to be careful not to use pieces that vanilla doesn't have, especially for the Junior coaster whose extra pieces are accessible from the ride construction menu without a cheat.

The workaround is to use a merge.

Okay, thanks guys, I guess I'll have to do the more complicated hacks in vanilla then.

My latest park won't open in Vanilla anymore, not sure how far back it goes. It's too much work to retrace my steps, unless it's just the invisible huts issues. In which case I might be able to repair it. But OpenRCT is the future for this site so I'm not overly concerned about it. Shoot me if you don't like it

I'm sorry I guess I missed the answer to the following question so if someone could answer for me that'd be great: why are we so concerned about backward compatibility with vanilla when Open is set to outclass it in every way?

I'm sorry I guess I missed the answer to the following question so if someone could answer for me that'd be great: why are we so concerned about backward compatibility with vanilla when Open is set to outclass it in every way?

 

Because, at this state, vanilla is still needed. Overly complicated hacks, like changing ride stats with the ride open, and making custom messages are still impossible with Open's cheats. Also, as it stands right now, peep AI is crap in Open, and the game might not even work for some people. So, at least currently, I'll stick with making everything vanilla-compatible. 

I find that if OpenRCT2 doesn't support the hack you want, it's generally easier to implement it than to try and get your park compatible with vanilla. I don't bother with vanilla compatibility unless the park is for a contest that requires it - lack of a suitable invisibility hack is the main reason why. Of all the options, not one of them reliably works in vanilla.

Also, the most interesting possibilities - removed limits, improved AI, new track styles etc cannot be done in a backward compatible way. In order to have your park work in vanilla, you're limited to only things you could have done with a trainer, and now that the game is fully implemented that's going to become ever more restrictive. It will reach the point, if it hasn't already, where the features supported by OpenRCT2 but not vanilla are more useful than the things implemented by trainers but not OpenRCT2, and for what remains you can always use a script to make the needed changes.