News / J K's "The Lonely Planet" released

During the foundational years of NE, the community lived and breathed by its Spotlight parks. It was the one thing you would see most prominently on the frontpage, clearly placed in the centre of competition. The accolade became so covetous that it left a lasting mark on many player generations to follow, who aspire to attain it to this day.

J K has very much lived this tradition, and in fact is one of the few members with a double spotlight win to their name. Someone who was clearly gifted early on, Spellbrook Shore won in 2007, some mere 2 years after he joined, and of course Dreamport was released in 2011, and considered the best park ever made by many at the time. It would also establish the rare Legendary Parkmaker status for J K. The park was an achievement most of us still remember, and by the same token, as with most superlatives, a heavy cross to bear.

J K disappeared soon after, not just from NE but also his home, to travel the world. Four and a half months, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, a backpack, and a man hungry for adventure. The trip's influence on his life is an everlasting one. And now, exactly 12 years to this day since the release of Dreamport, J K has decided to face the spotlight challenge again, and does so by channelling his travel experiences into the glorious The Lonely Planet, which we are releasing today.

A park that from the first moment on has a distinct OG atmosphere, a beautiful and massive semi-realism giant with 6 large country themes in vintage fashion. It has all the J K trademarks: the warmth and positivity, the intense dedication to theming, the lively details you would expect. I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams could have predicted how much the game would change in those 12 years. A whole new game with OpenRCT2, new technicalities, objects, hacks, evolving into new styles adopted by new player generations. And so perhaps the biggest challenge to the desired goal will be to bridge this gap whilst staying true to oneself. Looking at time alone, it would in fact be the longest ever in our history books, an achievement currently held by CedarPoint6 with an (equally) astounding 11 year span between Six Flags Carolina (2010) and Washuzan Park Rainbow Summit (2021).

So go feast your eyes over The Lonely Planet, let it take you on a journey, and enjoy one of the ever so rare fullsize parks of this calibre. Best of luck to you J K, and thank you for a truly wonderful park.

And perhaps as quite the befitting contrast, we are also releasing someone's debut park tonight: Welcome to NE MemesRCT, who presents Six Flags World of Owl City, a park that shows clear devotion to our showcase parkmaking tradition, and definite signs of new talent emerging.

And needless to say, the deadline for the much anticipated Micro Madness 2023 - Semi-Finals is fast approaching, and we will endeavour to present the matches to you asap. Of course though, J K's wish to release the park on his previous spotlight's anniversary wasn't to be denied, so even with everything going out in a matter of days, please make sure you take the deserving time to view, rate and comment on both parks, whilst our beloved mad little contest shall continue.

Speak to you very soon