User Guide

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Research
As we’ve mentioned a number of times already, novelty and variety are
remarkably important to the continued success of your park. When you
begin any scenario, your options in terms of rides and other attractions
might seem rather limited. That’s because they are. At the start, you have
only the bare minimum needed to get underway. To discover more forms
of guest entertainment, you must do research.
You have at your disposal a research and development (R&D) team com-
posed of experienced designers and engineers — and a few safety experts.
These highly-trained people will invent not only completely new rides, but
also improvements to existing designs, ways of building scenery that fits a
certain theme, and new shops and stalls for your guests’ convenience.
With their research successes in your hands, you can continually upgrade
your park, thus keeping up the all-important levels of novelty and variety
and attracting greater numbers of visitors.
The only catch is that you must pay
for the research efforts — every
month. Let’s look at how you control
your researchers.
Click the Research button on
the Toolbar to open the
Research window. What you
see is the Current Research display,
which tells you what development
your R&D team is currently working
on and when they expect to complete
it. Below that is a summary of their
previous achievement (if any). This
display is for information only.
Select the Research Funding tab to take control of your efforts at
invention.
♦ The Research Funding setting is what you use to determine the level of
support you want to give your researchers. The more you pay, the faster
you’ll get results.
♦ Below that are the Research Priorities boxes. Clicking any of these con-
trols whether that particular category of research is included in your
Research Limits
If a particular research category is
grayed out, that means that no
further developments are available
in that area. Your expert team has
exhausted the possibilities in
that category.
The R&D prospects are different in
each scenario — you cannot dis-
cover all the possible items and
improvements in every one. It’s up
to your researchers to let you
know what can and can’t be dis-
covered, then to invent it for you.
Building a Better ParkBuilding a Better Park
Decoration
A park filled with attractions, paths, and all the things already covered in
this guide is a good park. Your guests will be happy with that. However, if
you want to build a great park, you’ll have to do more. You need scenery
— decorative trees, hedges, shrubs, fences, walls, lighting, and more.
These are the final touches that make your park more than fun; they
make it a pleasant place in which to have fun.
Do not underestimate the effect of scenery. To take just one example, a cool
path lined with shady trees is much more pleasant on a summer day than a
ribbon of melting asphalt baked under direct sun. Also remember the exciting
effect that strategically placed items can have on your rides. You can drastically
raise the excitement ratings of an attraction by judicious use of nearby trees.
Here’s how to install scenery:
Click the Scenery button on the Toolbar to open the Scenery win-
dow. This contains everything you need to landscape your park.
Each of the tabs in this window covers a different type of scenery.
Research can often add whole new tabs, too!
♦ Once you’ve chosen the type of scenery you intend to install, click on
the picture of the specific item you want to add to your landscape.
Use the Rotate button to orient the object exactly the way you
want it. Note that for some things, there is neither need nor oppor-
tunity for rotation — fences and footpath accessories, for example.
♦ Move the mouse pointer to where you want the thing installed. You’ll
notice that the cursor, once it moves out of the Scenery window, reminds
you what object you have selected. For example, if you’re placing trees,
the cursor includes a tree icon. Also, the highlight on the land reflects the
space needed to install the item you’ve chosen. Most items require one or
more complete squares, however, smaller items (like certain shrubs) need
only a quarter of a land square, and border items (fences and such) take
up only the edge of a land square.
♦ Click when you’ve found the right location, and the scenery is installed.
Any cost is deducted from your treasury.
When you wish to remove an item, make sure that you’re in one of the
construction modes (any window that allows you to build something is
open), place the cursor over the item, check the Message Area to be sure
you’re in the right place, and right-click. Your treasury is immediately
modified by any fee or refund.
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