Forest Frontiers, part 1

It only takes a few attractions to lure 250 guests into Forest Frontiers.

Forest Frontiers is the very first scenario you're expected to play in RollerCoaster Tycoon. In the original PC version of the game it was used as something of a tutorial scenario and is nigh impossible to fail. You play for less than an hour, complete the goal, and then never revisit Forest Frontiers again. There's really no incentive to play past October 31, Year 1. The park itself is a flat, open, boring space that doesn't inspire any creativity if all you want to do is pass the scenario and unlock harder scenarios. When I installed RCT Classic on my tablet recently I zipped through Forest Frontiers without a thought. I finished a few scenarios at a rapid pace before deciding that I'd like to paint each park like a canvas. I've beaten the game before and this time I’d like to savor it.

Starting size: 16,100m²; Maximum size: 30,470m²

It's curious that they only offer these five.

I reluctantly started Forest Frontiers anew. It's still flat. It's still open. It's still bor… hmm. There's a couple of interesting things to notice. The first is that the park has a lot of real estate to buy; its size can be nearly doubled. Zooming out on the map I see that there are some local hills and a body of water that can be claimed. Going by the name "Forest Frontiers" and seeing that the park is in a forested valley formed by foothills gives me a bit of flavor for design ideas. It's supposed to be woodsy. The second interesting thing is that there are a few items from the Mining Theme available as decorations. This underscores the idea that the park should be woodsy, maybe like an old timey logging camp. Then there's the juxtaposition of the entry way; the main path is paved and lined with topiary squirrels. I can sort of work the squirrels into a rustic forest setting, but the sidewalk and city street lights just don't fly. I'll do some subtraction to the park before I start my additions. I'm going to spend some time planning the major rides and paths before I actually start playing the scenario. I'll do all of ride research with the game clock at top speed, just to know which attractions need space allocated, and then I'll start over at Day 1. To be continued.