H2H8 / H2H8 Round 4 Match 3 - Team Spacecrab vs Strangelove

I think Grand Central, aside from the unfinished/rushed bits is the better executed park here. The level of detail, intricate train paths, interesting glass architecture, and worldbuilding all made it a great park and pretty easy for me to enjoy. There were parts that felt really rushed to me, such as the factory and slums, and a few parts that could have used a bit more life and motion to really bring this to the next level.

Haystack was my vote however, because it was "my favorite" as the poll asks. There were weird decisions all over the place that didn't sit well with me, but it's an exciting fresh idea with a ton of motion, clever ideas, new rides, and a relate-able experience. Things I wish were improved: too much outdoor seating, use zipline cables instead of track for the chairlifts, make the time of year a bit more obvious to reduce the "suspension of belief" that you need in order to appreciate a waterfall, roller coaster, and skihill at the same time and place.

Strangelove

Trainworld is finally here! First impression: there's a lot of archy, and the archy is grandesque. Masterpiece of the map is surely that grand central building, it looks huge and yet refined. In general, the archy is very good. Also great use of different levels.

 

The trains going everywhere is nice. The coasters are good too, I especially like the way the divers lifthill was tackled. Both coasters are also very well integrated in their environment and have good interaction. Overall this park was really atmospheric. Great job team Strangelove. 80%

 

 

 

SpaceCrabs

A ski resort, this is neat. Great idea, there probably will be ski resorts done before on NE but I don't think they are done on such a high level. The village is cool, also props for doing interiors. The ski slopes are very fun to look at and the many details around makes it so interesting. Great job on landscaping and foliage.

 

I don't really care if the RMC is out of place or not, it just looks cool. Probably one of the best RMC lay-outs we've seen at NE. Though I wished more people would just use the wooden coaster track wherever possible. Overall very original and enjoyable park. 80%

 

 

Hard match-up to chose a winner from. Both are great parks. In the end I'll be going with Haystack because it kept my attention longer. 

Mount Haystack Ski Resort by Team Spacecrabs

Space babies park would’ve been better without the underground RmC and if it hadn’t been a rehash of the builders mount baker lakelandia trope we’ve seen for years.

Grand Central certainly lacked refinement but I e joyed it’s unique moments. The origami boat needed help but was a nice attempt.

A lot more creativity coming from strangelove’s Park despite the unfinished / emptiness that describes half the park... the grand architecture and the main portion of the park is top notch and quite lovely, very much enjoyed the creativity in the architecture and the raised platforms. The entire style of the park is evocative of another era while still being so relatable, and the atmosphere was light and airy which was enjoyable. There seemed to be a rushed quality to the other half of the park, not sure if it was a time constraint issue but it felt empty and unfinished, there was a lack of content to keep my attention and what was there was one notch below the rest of the park. Really unfortunate because the premise of the park is wonderful. 70%

Ski resort tycoon was the better executed park, even with some strange decision making with the unnecessary RMC and the waterfall starting from nowhere cutting the ski slope in half. The town itself had lovely bits and the cutaway revealed some nice interiors. I appreciated all the varieties of ski slopes and watching the skiers was a joy. The alpine coaster was much more fitting of the theme and it was nice to look at but quite boring as well. I love the kiddy areas and the main building was really well designed. 80%

Mount Haystack was brilliant.

 

I loved the little details here. I can't believe they bothered to make the shitty skiers "snow plow". That's hilarious.

 

Honestly, this might be my favorite park of H2H. It's exploding with atmosphere, there are awesome details at every turn and they put a ton of thought into this.

 

I don't care for the RMC. I feel like they put it in because they felt like they needed a coaster to get votes but it doesn't fit at all. It still doesn't take away from the brilliance of this park.

 

Grand Central was nice, and the architecture was well executed but I felt like we've seen it dozens of times before. It's a good park, but it can't hold up to Mount Haystack IMO.

i think its a real shame that the vote disparity is so wide on this match-up. although i lean strongly towards haystack, i still feel grand central could hold its own to score at least 30% or more of the vote.

 

don't be disheartened builders of grand central, you have a lot to be proud of even if the score doesn't reflect it

The discussion surrounding the RMC seems amazingly hypocritical. Tahendo was disparaged for not having a coaster in comparison to a park that was all coasters. Winkelheim was disparaged for a coaster that seemed tacked on and unnecessary. Now Haystack is being disparaged for having an RMC that is 'unrealistic.' It seems like the community flips wildly between insisting every park should have a coaster because 'the game is ROLLER COASTER tycoon' and insisting coasters aren't necessary. You put one in - it wasn't necessary and was tacked on. You don't put one in - there is no movement and it needed a coaster.

 

Grand Central was really impressive and had some amazing architecture and atmosphere, but it didn't all come together. Maybe it was part of the park's concept, but some parts just felt lost or mashed together in the clutter, and it meant the park itself didn't seem to meet the expectations set by the readme.

 

Haystack, while less imaginative (except that CRAZY fantastical coaster, what a fantasy world to add a coaster) was far more composed. Everything came together very well, the slopes actually held my attention in a way no other winter parks have, and the result was a really well defined park that felt like a complete package.

The discussion surrounding the RMC seems amazingly hypocritical. Tahendo was disparaged for not having a coaster in comparison to a park that was all coasters. Winkelheim was disparaged for a coaster that seemed tacked on and unnecessary. Now Haystack is being disparaged for having an RMC that is 'unrealistic.' It seems like the community flips wildly between insisting every park should have a coaster because 'the game is ROLLER COASTER tycoon' and insisting coasters aren't necessary. You put one in - it wasn't necessary and was tacked on. You don't put one in - there is no movement and it needed a coaster.
 
Grand Central was really impressive and had some amazing architecture and atmosphere, but it didn't all come together. Maybe it was part of the park's concept, but some parts just felt lost or mashed together in the clutter, and it meant the park itself didn't seem to meet the expectations set by the readme.
 
Haystack, while less imaginative (except that CRAZY fantastical coaster, what a fantasy world to add a coaster) was far more composed. Everything came together very well, the slopes actually held my attention in a way no other winter parks have, and the result was a really well defined park that felt like a complete package.

It's entirely possible that the community isn't one person and is actually many people all with different opinions. That might explain why some have issues with this coaster but not others.

However I think a majority of people who have an issue with the Coaster is due to the construction of the coaster itself, not simply the fact it exists. Whether or not it has been vocalized as much is another thing entirely.

Make non parks great again

Haystack was my favorite because it was more cohesive. Nothing looked out of place (even the RMC, fuck the haters) and the map did not feel crowded while still packed with stuff.

 

Grand Central could have probably done with a bigger map. I would love to see a similar concept done on a bigger (4 corners) map where each station gets its own area with some space inbetween. The architecture was really cool, though.

@FK all context. The rule doesnt apply across all types of parks.

In my opinion Tahendo couldve used a coaster because it felt dead to me - very little movement besides the peeps themselves. And a zoo with a coaster isnt out of the realm of realism, which is what it was going for. And since it is RCT, Id like to see a coaster.

Winkelheims coaster was just pretty bad. And repeated four times for four times the badness. The issue isnt that there is a coaster, it was in the execution.

Haystacks RMC isnt terrible but isnt great either, and given the realistic nature of the park, it wasnt very plausible. The issue here isnt solely the execution, but for me it was mainly the concept. PS they had an alpine coaster in there as well, which is a conceptually fitting ride, and so that point about not having coasters is moot.

Its really hard to apply a general rule to all parks besides there should probably be a coaster as it is roller coaster tycoon, but sometimes its an issue of concept and sometimes its an issue of execution.

So what I'm hearing is that I'm not playing roller coaster tycoon anymore but just a pix-elated sandbox game. Why didn't anyone tell me this.

So what I'm hearing is that I'm not playing roller coaster tycoon anymore but just a pix-elated sandbox game. Why didn't anyone tell me this.

Technically we haven’t been playing roller coaster TYCOON since we stopped caring about scenarios and earning $$$$$$$ by overcharging peeps.

Virtual Legos with Roller Coasters.

roblox with amusement park rides.

so we don't build parks on NE anymore?

i think its a real shame that the vote disparity is so wide on this match-up. although i lean strongly towards haystack, i still feel grand central could hold its own to score at least 30% or more of the vote.

 

don't be disheartened builders of grand central, you have a lot to be proud of even if the score doesn't reflect it

 

This was discussed a little independently of other discussions; the conclusion was something like that both parks are indeed good, strong parks; one just seems to be slightly better than the other and most agree - hence the disparity.  

This is kind of a theme for the whole contest except for a few matches.

Incredible submissions from both Strangelove and Team Spacecrab! I'll start with Grand Central. I love the layered feel of the park, especially the lower boardwalk section. While it didn't catch my attention at first, the dark ride is tactfully woven into the buildings, and it was a great choice to put the line below the outside sections. The architecture really gives me Le Rêve Parapluie vibes, with those huge Gothic buildings and glass roofs.

 

The High Speed Experiment is phenomenal. Schwarzkopf bias aside, I love how it interacts with the scenery. The same applies with Grand Central Ironworks; the spiral lift around the smokestack is really unique and I adore the finish around the sailboat. Overall, it's a marvelous park reminiscent of a bygone time.

 

Team Spacecrab is a force in this H2H, though, and that rings true with Mount Haystack. Right off the bat, I'm impressed by the custom rides. SpaceK's custom rides have been phenomenal this H2H, and the ski lifts, skiing guests, and alpine coaster are no exception. Speaking of which, I've always wanted to see a well done alpine coaster in RCT2, and Mountain Adventure Coaster is wonderfully executed. I could definitely see that being a hit in the summer!

 

The architecture in this ski resort is excellent, but it's a completely different beast than Grand Central's. It's perfect for a ski resort, and the lodge is mind-blowingly detailed down to the custom ski trail signs! The pool's theming and structure feels so natural, with all the plants and the hot springs-themed hot tub. However, the showstopper of this park for me is Frostbite, perhaps the best RMC I've seen in RCT2. My favorite part about Frostbite is how natural and unobtrusive it looks, despite still being a classic RMC thrill machine with all the elements. The cherry on top of the hybrid cake is how it weaves its way into Hydrotopia without feeling off-putting. It's a tough call between Frostbite and The High Speed Experiment for my favorite coaster of this batch, but both are some of the best I've ever seen.

 

To vote for any one of these parks would mean stealing from the other. Both of these parks are among the best I've seen for RCT2 and are evident we're in a new era. While I did end up giving my vote to Grand Central, there's so much that Mount Haystack has to offer that it makes me almost regret solidifying my vote. Bravo to both Strangelove and Team Spacecrab!