It’s been a while since we’ve looked at the world of Theme Park Simulation games, so please join me for another visit to The Simulation Station!

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Today, we’re checking out the latest improvements to Theme Park Studio. Theme Park Studio was a game that enjoyed some serious Kickstarter success back in 2014, and the team at Pantera Entertainment have been plugging away at the game, which has been available on Steam Early Access as they make constant improvements to the designer and park viewer.

Live Parks

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Online Guests explore a virtual park.

 

As they work on the game, an exciting new feature has emerged that I got to play with a couple of days ago. It’s called “live parks”, and it brings to life the idea of visiting user-created parks with your friends. Live Parks will feature multiplayer activity. Players can tour parks, ride coasters and flat rides, and compete in interactive rides.

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Visitors can compete in Go Kart Races inside of online “Live Parks”

Interactive rides include:

  • Go Karts with leaderboards to challenge friends!
  • Bumper Cars with leaderboard point system
  • Bumper Boats with leaderboard high scores for water cannon hits.
  • 4D rides, like splash battle, which are point-based shooting gallery rides attached to leaderboards.

Most importantly, the author of the park is granted access to the Park Host Controller. Using the Park Host controller, the author has the power to open and close the park, can oversee the park from a special birds-eye view, can tend to guests, collect park stats, and manage rides. There is full messaging, chatting, and fun events. More changes are being implemented every day.

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I really like where this is going, and I think there’s plenty of potential. Instead of just being another theme park tycoon game, this really allows Theme Park Studio to find it’s own footing in the virtual theme park world. Imagine virtual MiceChat meets with your friends online, playing games, in new and recreated theme parks from around the world. This type of feature has never been done in a theme park game before, and it shows lots of potential.

Here’s the official press release:

Hello Everyone,

We have some very exciting news to share!

The theme park simulation genre has really taken off over the past couple years. When Theme Park Studio was first announced we were alone in ‘to be released’ theme park simulator lineup. There had been a long dry spell since the last major release. Since then, the genre has grown by leaps and bounds with multiple titles being announced for 2015 through 2016. It is wonderful to see this genre revive with multiple players doing their best to give the community new titles, that each have their own unique features and strengths.

Theme Park Studio’s focus has always been on customization. It is our unique specialty and niche. To continue our vision, we are happy to announce a very special update that will take advantage of all our unique customization tools. This update is not part of our committed feature list on Steam or Kickstarter, so there is no obligation if it does not pan out . It is really just a free bonus we are experimenting with, based on our personal goals, excitement, and vision, since we share the same enthusiasm as our community. If there is enough support for the service we look forward to keeping it going! It is a feature we are super exited about, as we feel it will provide park builders a unique channel to express their dreams of building and hosting their own custom theme parks!

So without further ado, Theme Park Studio is proud to announce ‘Live Parks’. Theme Park Studio’s new front menu interface contains an animated photo book. Now, with the turn of every page players, can select the park they wish to visit. Players can select different categories for parks, including:

  • “My Parks” Parks located on the local machine. 
  • “Workshop Parks” Parks uploaded to steam workshop
  • “Live Parks” Parks located on our networked server. 

Live parks are completely unique and operate like real theme parks. They have operating hours, host special events, and include multiplayer rides, games, and activities. They are networked with live guests, stats are tracked, and leaderboards maintained. The author of the park is granted their own leaderboards and achievements, unique to interactive rides they have created for their own park. Finally, they are granted exclusive access to our unique “PCH” panel (Park Host Controller), which allows them to manage live guests, environment, and more!

As a case example, when a member of the community has completed their park, it is submitted for live hosting. Once ready, the park is uploaded and a launch date and time is scheduled for opening. The park is marketed on our media channels and by the author through his channels. Goals for leaderboard status and re-hosting include getting as many live guests as you can to visit your park, and receiving positive ratings from your guests. Leaderboards and achievements will also be setup for unique visitors and satisfactory ratings. Once the opening date arrives, the author is granted access to the ‘Park Host Controller’. From there, the host can open his park, and manage it, using specific features in the PCH panel. The host also has access to a special birds eye viewport for visualizing the park scene.

For casual players that just want to experience some great parks and have fun, simply select the park from our new front menu and you will be automatically logged into a live world. After the park opens, you will be able to tour the park, ride coasters, get on the leaderboards through challenging interactive rides, and rate the park to provide the author feedback and leaderboard status

We are super excited about the incredible possibilities this new service provides. We already have some awesome parks under construction, designed specifically for live hosting. We look forward to seeing the amazing parks the community will design.

Special thanks to all our backers who supported us during development

Theme Park Studio Team

Walt Disney World Recreations

Most exciting for me is how the community has really jumped into the advanced editing  tools that Theme Park Studio offers. One such community member, the Disney Parks EARchive (www.disneyparksearchive.com) and on Twitter as @DPEarchive, is working on some recreations of Walt Disney World, including a current day, and 1979 version of the Magic Kingdom, and it’s looking amazing. Here’s some example renders of Tomorrowland:

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Here’s what he has to say about it:

It has been a long-time dream of mine to be able to experience Disney theme parks at various points in their histories, and with TPS I have the tools to accomplish that as a non-programmer. I’m starting with Magic Kingdom and Epcot at WDW, and would also love to do more with Disneyland as well. The first experience I want to have running is Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland from 1979. This is partly because I love the clean lines and futurism of that incarnation of Tomorrowland, but also because that incarnation is the Tomorrowland of my childhood. It holds such a strong nostalgic pull for me. Even as I work on the modeling and development, I can feel some of the same excitement I felt being there as a child. I hope that other like-minded people will follow the progress of this project and offer feedback as it develops. Whether you want to go back to a time and place that holds a precious place in your heart, or if you just want to experience something that you never had a chance to see, I hope this will be the first step in a long and especially fun adventure into the past.

Please keep in mind that this is a work in progress and does not represent the final project. In particular the texturing is only in its very earliest stages and most objects just have placeholder materials and textures for now. There are certainly other issues with some of the historical details that still need to be worked out. It is my goal to be as accurate as possible whenever I can find historical supporting data.

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It’s quite amazing how much community has built around this game, and it’s outlook with some of these new features. Just think, soon you could explore these classic versions of Walt Disney World with your friends in a virtual environment!

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This aspect of visiting classic Disney theme parks is a compelling reason why the “live parks” feature makes perfect sense, and is a whole new way to consume digital creations. Never before in a theme park simulation have people been able to make a space, and then invite people online to come and enjoy it. I’m excited for what the future of this game holds.

Theme Park Studio is currently available on Steam Early Access for PC. Find them on their website or Facebook. Let us know in the comments of what you think about these new features, and if you would explore a 1979 Tomorrowland with your friends online!

Hastin Zylstra
Hastin Zylstra, MiceChat Technical Administrator, has been involved with the technical aspects of MiceChat since it's launch in 2005. In addition to keeping MiceChat online, he works for a major software company in the Orange County, California area. Most weekends, he can be found at Disneyland geeking out with MiceChat friends and the latest technology.