Games PC ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON 2 User Manual

RCT2PC

MANUAL FRONT COVER

RCT2PC_ManInt-new 8/23/02 9:59 AM Page 1

coal-hauling. Eventually a restaurant and hotel were built at the top, and the
ride attracted more than 35,000 passengers a year. It continued to operate, with
an amazing safety record, until it was closed in 1933.

Upside Down Side

Way back in 1846, an Englishman apparently sold a loop-the-loop coaster ride
to the French. This Paris attraction, called the Centrifuge Railway (Chemin du
Centrifuge), featured a 43-foot high hill leading into a 13-foot wide loop.The
rider would sit in a wheeled cart, pray to the physics gods, and hang on as the
car whipped down the hill and through the loop with only centrifugal force
keeping the cart and rider on course.

Nearly 50 years later, in 1895, Lina Beecher revived the idea with the Flip-Flap
Railway, a 25-foot circular loop at Coney Island.The circular design was very
unforgiving in the g-force department, and whiplash complaints were no doubt
part of the reason why it only lasted a few seasons. In 1901 a man named
Edward Prescott built a new looping coaster, also at Coney Island.This ride,
called Loop The Loop, was oval-shaped to reduce g forces. Its low seating­capacity, perhaps, was why it only lasted six years.

Getting Real

The first “roller coaster tycoon” was probably La Marcus Thompson, the man
who created the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway, which opened at Coney
Island in 1884. His ride was a 650-foot long wooden structure shaped like the
Russian ice slides. Riders would climb a platform, board cars and be pushed
down a hill and over a few bumps.At the other end, workers would hoist the
car to the top of a second station, riders would board again and coast back in
the other direction.The early ride focused more on sightseeing than excite­ment, so the bench-like coaster cars faced sideways and the ride traveled at a
mere 6 mph. But people loved it:Thompson charged just a nickel a ride, and
made more than $600 a week.

Thompson’s success was an inspiration. In late 1884, a man named Charles
Alcoke created a U-shape version of the Switchback ride that did not require
riders to unload and reload mid-way. In 1885 Phillip Hinkle added a cable
hoisting mechanism. Soon, track-mounted brakes were developed, track designs
improved, and the rides began to look and act like modern-day roller coasters.

In 1912, coaster designer John Miller, who got his start as LaMarcus
Thompson’s chief engineer, patented a design for the under-friction roller
coaster. This revolutionary safety advancement made steeper drops and faster

3

ROLLER COASTER HISTORY

It’s difficult to trace the origins of the thrill ride — for all we know, Stonehenge
is just the ruined supports for an early roller coaster. But we do know one
thing: that mind-clearing adrenaline buzz you only get from being scared out
of your wits is a timeless human endeavor.

The Ice Age

Most coaster historians consider Russian ice slides the forerunners of roller
coasters.These large wooden structures, up to 70-feet tall, were popular
throughout Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Riders would use a wooden
sled or block of ice to slide at up to 50 miles-per-hour (mph) down giant ice­covered wooden hills and crash-land into a sand pile at the bottom.

Somewhere along the line, a French businessman brought the ice slide idea
back to France, perhaps forgetting that Russian-like winters might be a pre­requisite for their success. Undeterred, he or someone else developed an all­season solution by waxing the sled runners. Eventually, someone swapped
wheels for runners, and more ambitious and thrilling tracks were created. In
1817 someone attached the carts to the tracks and dubbed the ride the Russian
Mountains of Belleville. It had two tracks that ran next to each other, so riders
could race (and onlookers could bet on the outcome).

Runaway Train

The ultimate American thrill ride — past or present — may well have been the
Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railroad, in Mauch Chunk, Penn. (now called
Jim Thorpe, Penn.). It was the second railroad ever built (1827) in the United
States, and was originally used to haul coal from mountaintop mines down to
the Lehigh River. The track was built so that miners could load mine cars with
coal, shove them over the hillside, and let gravity do the rest.

Mules, whose job was to pull the cars back up the hill, and a brave, solitary
brakeman were apparently the first participants in this nine-mile, hair-raising
tear down the mountain.Thrill-seekers soon took notice, and the track was con­verted to a thrill ride in the afternoons. Eventually, the mules were replaced by a
steam engine that hauled the empty cars up a longer, more gradual track.

People would pay $1 to ride up the gradual incline, then the steam engine was
removed, and the cars were pushed back down the hill, with speeds apparently
reaching nearly 100 mph. Now that’s a roller coaster!

In 1872, a new tunnel was constructed, which made the track obsolete for

2

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FIRST THINGS FIRST . . . . . . . . . . 6

The ReadMe File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

SETUP AND INSTALLATION . . . . 7

WELCOME! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

WHAT’S NEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS . . . . . . . 9

SAVING AND LOADING . . . . . . . 10

MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ON BEING A TYCOON . . . . . . . . 14

Common Window Elements . . . . . . 14

MAIN VIEW SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . 15

Pause / Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

View Control Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Construction Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Finances and Park Rating . . . . . . . . 20

Date / Weather / Messages . . . . . . 21

BUILDING A PARK . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Park Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Excavating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Scenery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Footpaths and Queue Lines . . . . . . . 31

RIDE CONSTRUCTION . . . . . . . 34

Building a Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Ride Construction Window . . . . . . . 37

Caring for Your New Ride . . . . . . . . 38

RUNNING A PARK . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Managing Rides and Facilities . . . . . .44

Caring for Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

CREATING A COASTER . . . . . . . . 52

Roller Coaster Designer . . . . . . . . . 52

Coaster Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Simple Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Managing Your Track Designs . . . . . . 56

DESIGNING A SCENARIO . . . . . . 57

Tips on Using the Scenario Editor . . . 57

Scenario Editor Elements . . . . . . . . 58

Convert Saved Game to Scenario . . . . 63

INFOGRAMES WEB SITES . . . . . . 64

TECHNICAL SUPPORT . . . . . . . . 64

LICENSE AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . 67

CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

speeds possible by holding the cars to the tracks and reducing drag. Miller, a
complete coaster tycoon, held over 100 patents on roller coaster devices, and
designed more than 100 roller coasters.

Miller’s safety advances apparently inspired inventors to push design limits even
further. Take the infamous Cyclone of Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada.This ride,
designed by Harry Traver in 1927, topped out in the intensity department —
often leaving riders with broken ribs or snapped collar bones. (An on-staff nurse
was always present.) It failed to profit and was eventually shut down, apparently
because more people came to watch others ride it rather than“enjoy” the ride
themselves.

The Cyclone was not the only roller coaster from this era that didn't last.The
Great Depression and World War II saw the decay and destruction of more than
1,500 roller coasters in the United States, and at least that many overseas.

Back on Track

The amusement park industry was given a shot in the arm in 1955 with the
opening of the first successful theme park: Disneyland. Disney’s contribution to
coaster history was Matterhorn Mountain, the first tubular steel coaster.

Steel construction allowed for much faster and more thrilling rides, including
the Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, Calif.), in 1975, and Magic
Mountain California’s Great Revolution, built in 1976. Both rides revived the
centuries-old novelty of going upside down (this time with proper safety
restraints).These led to rides with double loops, triple loops, and combinations
of corkscrews, loops and other elements — the race was on!

Since then we’ve seen inverted coasters (cars travel beneath the tracks), linear
induction motor coasters (power-launched), “giga-coasters,” (over 300 feet tall),
multi-dimensional coasters (free-spinning cars), vertical coasters, air-powered
coasters, and more. No one knows what the future will bring, but it’s safe to
predict that — whatever it is — it will be faster, taller, longer, scarier, and, best
of all, more fun.

4

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SETUP AND INSTALLATION

1. Start Windows®98/Me/2000/XP. Exit all other programs before installing.

2. Insert the RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 CD-ROM game disc into your CD-ROM drive.

3. If AutoPlay is enabled, a title screen should appear. Click on the Install but­ton. If AutoPlay is not enabled, double-click on the “My Computer” icon on
your Windows

®

desktop. Next, double-click on your CD-ROM icon. If the
install screen still does not appear at this point, double-click on the “My
Computer” icon, then double-click on your CD-ROM icon, then double­click on the Setup icon.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing the RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
CD-ROM game.

5. Once installation is complete, double-click on the RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 game
icon to start the game.

Note: Minimum install copies all of the files required to play the game, but
leaves some of the larger files on the CD.This option lets you conserve hard disk
space. Full install copies more files to your hard disk.The main difference you
may notice between Minimum and Full install is that with Full install you can
play two musical themes at once if two rides close to each other both have
music. Both Minimum and Full install require that the game disc be in your
CD-ROM drive in order to play the game.

Installation of DirectX

®

The RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 CD-ROM requires DirectX®8.1 or higher in order to
run. If you do not have DirectX

®

8.1 or higher installed on your computer, click

“Yes” when asked if you would like to install it.

7

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The Readme File

The RollerCoaster Tycoon®2 CD-ROM game has a ReadMe file where you can view
both the License Agreement and updated information about the game.We
strongly encourage you to take the time to read this file in order to get the
benefit of changes made after this manual went to print.

To read this file, double-click on the ReadMe.txt icon in the RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
directory found on your hard drive (usually C:\Program Files\Infogrames
Interactive\RollerCoaster Tycoon 2).You can also view the ReadMe file by clicking
on the Start button on your Windows

®

98/Me/2000/XP taskbar, then selecting
Programs, then Infogrames Interactive, then RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, and then the
ReadMe file.

System Requirements

Operating System: Windows®98/Me/2000/XP

Processor: Pentium

®

II 300 MHz or equivalent

Memory: 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)

Hard Disk Space: 120 MB free (200 MB recommended)

CD-ROM Drive: 4X or higher (8X recommended)

Video: Windows

®

98/Me/2000/XP-compatible video card*

Sound: Windows

®

98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*

DirectX

®

: DirectX®version 8.1 (included) or higher

*Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX

®

version 8.1 (included) or higher.

6

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9

KEYBOARD
SHORTCUTS

Though it’s possible to control the game
using only the mouse, there are a number of
keyboard shortcuts that can speed things up.
The following are the default key commands.
You can reassign any command in the

Options menu, while playing the game.

Command Key

Close topmost window . . . . . . . . . . Backspace

Close all floating windows . . . Shift + Backspace

Cancel construction mode . . . . . . . . . . . . Esc

Pause game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pause

Zoom out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page Up

Zoom in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page Down

Rotate View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enter

Rotate construction object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z

Underground view toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Remove base land toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H

Remove vertical land toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . V

See-through ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

See-through scenery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Invisible supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Invisible guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Height marks on land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Height marks on ride tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Height marks on paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

Adjust land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Adjust water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

Build scenery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3

Build paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F4

Build new ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5

Financial information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F

Research information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D

Rides / Attractions list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R

Park information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P

Guest list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G

Staff list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S

Recent messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M

Show map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tab

Screenshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ctrl + S

WELCOME!

The world’s most addictive game ramps up the FUN with America’s favorite
theme parks — Six Flags

®

! Break ground and start from scratch, open the gates
to existing parks or just create the most gut-wrenching roller coaster ride ever
— it’s up to you! With wild new rides, new theme decorations and easy-to-use
building tools, creating the ultimate amusement park is now more fun than ever!

WHAT’S NEW?

If you’ve played the original RollerCoaster Tycoon CD-ROM game, you can probably
jump right in at the scenarios and start to discover the new features and
enhancements for yourself.We recommend you play through the tutorial levels,
however, to learn about some of the new enhancements.

Part of the fun of a new game is exploring and discovering. With that in mind,
this manual won’t give away everything about RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, but rather
introduce the major features and describe when and where they appear. We’ll
leave the details for you to discover.

The most obvious change is how easy it is to PLAY YOUR WAY in RollerCoaster
Tycoon 2. The following are the most obvious examples of this new freedom,
available right from the Main Menu:

• 5 New Scenario Categories – Play scenarios in any order!

• Roller Coaster Designer – Design the ultimate ride without distraction!

(See page 52.)

• Scenario Editor – Create your own games to share with friends! (See page 57.)

Compatibility

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 is all new. Under the hood of the game is new, more efficient
program code and many new features. Because of this, saved games from previ­ous versions of the game — RollerCoaster Tycoon, Corkscrew Follies,and Loopy Landscapes
— are NOT compatible.

You can import landscapes from older saved games into your scenarios while in
the Scenario Editor (see page 57). Most landscape files from previous versions
of Roller Coaster Tycoon will load, but some scenery items might look different. It is
possible that unpredictable results might arise from importing landscapes from
these products.Technical Support cannot help you with these types of issues.

8

Real Roller Coaster

Déjà Vu

RCT2 Coaster Type: Inverted

Vertical Shuttle
Specs: 196 feet tall; 1,203 feet long;

65 mph max
Special Features: Riders dangle

face-down up the first tower, then
drop 178 feet straight down,
through a 102-foot vertical loop,
110-foot butterfly and up the sec­ond 178-foot tower. Then they ride
it again — backwards!

Location: Six Flags Magic Mountain
– Los Angeles; Six Flags Over
Georgia – Atlanta; Six
Flags Great America –
Chicago

*Look for this ride in

the Six Flags Magic
Mountain scenario.

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MAIN MENU

Start A New Game

This is where your fun begins! Click on the Start New Game button and you’re
on your way — but you’re not inside the park yet. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 includes a
number of park scenarios.What you see is the Scenario Selection window.

The scenarios are divided into five categories, indicated by tabs. Click on a tab
to see the scenarios listed under that category. When you move the mouse cur­sor over a scenario name, information about that scenario is displayed on the
right side of the window, including a summary, objectives, and the name and
rating of any player who has completed it before.

Choose a scenario and click on the name to play it. Click on the Close Window
button [X] in the upper right corner of the window to go back to the Main
Menu without choosing a scenario. When you have completed a scenario, your
success and your score are noted in the Scenario Selection window. Scenarios
are divided into the following categories:

Beginner Parks – These “entry-level” scenarios will help you get a feel for how
the game works, and introduce you to the tools and techniques you’ll need to
become a full-fledged tycoon.

Challenging Parks – These scenarios are the next step in your quest to be a
tycoon, and will introduce you to further fine-points of park management.

Expert Parks – Want a real challenge? Expert Parks pull out all the stops. If you
successfully make it through these thorny trials, you can confidently call yourself
a tycoon!

11

Start a New Game Load a Saved Game

Tutorials Tools Exit

SAVING AND LOADING

The commands for saving and loading game files, track designs, landscapes and
scenarios vary slightly depending on where you are in the game, but it is self­explanatory once you understand the interface.

You can save your progress in a RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
game at any time by clicking on the Options
button (diskette icon) in the Main View, and
selecting Save.

Similarly, clicking on the Options button
(diskette icon) while in the Scenario Editor will
save the landscape you are currently tinkering
with. To save a scenario, click the double-arrow
button in the lower right corner that takes you
through the steps of creating a scenario.The final
step saves the scenario.

To save a track design, click the Save button (diskette icon) in the Ride

Statistics tab of any Ride window. (See page 40 for more details.) Note: The
Save button only appears after you have successfully tested the ride.

Each track that you save is automatically put in the Tracks folder on your hard
drive.You can find the Tracks folder in the location where RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 was
installed (usually C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\RollerCoaster Tycoon
2\Tracks). If you manually place a track design file in the Tracks folder, it will
automatically show up in your New Rides window in the proper category.

To install a new track from within the game that is not in the Tracks folder, click
on the Install New Track Design button while you are in the Track Designs
Manager. (See page 56.)

To load a game while playing, or a landscape while creating a scenario, click the
Options button in the Main View. To load a game from the Main Menu, click
the Load button.

10

TIP

It’s a good idea to save

your game before you

spend a bunch of money

creating a new custom ride

or an ambitious landscap-

ing project. Saving your
park at the beginning of
each year is also helpful.

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Convert Saved Game to
Scenario – This lets you load a

saved game, create new objec­tives for it, and save it as a sce­nario. If you have already started
a game, you can use this tool to
create a scenario that includes a
park already in full swing, or an
aged park in need of help. (See
page 63 for more details.)

Roller Coaster Designer – This
tool lets you design a ride in
peace with no scenario objec­tives, money constraints, or
guests to distract you. Build
rides, test them and fine tune
them until they are perfect, and
then save the track design to
share with other players or use
in one of your own parks. (See
page 52 for more details.)

Track Design Manager – After
you have designed or down­loaded several new rides, this
tool will help you keep them
organized. (See page 56 for
more details.)

Exit

Click here when you are done playing RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.

13

“Real” Parks – These parks were designed from actual real-life parks from
around the world. If you have visited any, see if you can find your way around
them and, most importantly, keep them running and out of the red.

Other Parks – These scenarios include special parks that fall outside the above
definitions.

Note: When you create a scenario, you can assign it to any of the above cate­gories. It will then show up with the other scenarios listed when you start a
new game. (see page 63.)

Load / Continue

Click here if you want to pick up where you left off in a saved game.

Tutorial

If you want to learn the basics of building and running your own park, or need

a quick refresher, we recommend you click on
Tutorials first. Tutorials are animated scenarios
that feature step-by-step instructions and advice.
Clicking on the Tutorials button displays a drop­down menu with the following choices:

Beginners – If you have never played RollerCoaster
Tycoon or RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 before, we recom-

mend starting here. If you played the original
game but want a refresher course, this should be
your first stop.

Custom Rides – Includes tips on making rides
and a sneak peek at some new features. Start here
if you have played RollerCoaster Tycoon before and

feel confident in your park-building abilities.

Roller Coaster Building – Whether you’re an old pro or a newcomer, you can
always learn something from the Roller Coaster Building tutorial.

Tools

Clicking on the Tools button opens the Tools menu, where you’ll find the
following:

Scenario Editor – This fantastic new feature lets you design and create your own
scenarios, which you can share with other players. You decide the look and layout
of the park, and even set the scenario’s objective! (See page 57 for more details.)

12

TIP

You don’t have to just sit

and watch the tutorials.

While a tutorial is running,

you can click on any mouse

button or press any key to
take over control.The only

caveat is that you can’t give

control back to the tutorial

once you interrupt it. To

restart the tutorial you

must go back to the Main

Menu and run it again.

Real Roller Coaster

Medusa

RCT2 Coaster Type: Floorless
Stats: 142 feet tall; 3,985 feet long; 61 mph

max speed
Special Features: Riders sit on open-air

pedestal-like seats — with legs dangling —
through 7 inversions, including 114-foot vertical
loop, 96-foot dive loop, hear tline cambelback
(zero-gravity roll), cobra roll, and two interlock­ing corckscrews,

Locations: Six Flags Great
Adventure – New Jersey; Six Flags
Marine World – San Francisco

*Look for this ride in the Six Flags

Great Adventure scenario.

RCT2PC_ManInt-new 8/23/02 9:59 AM Page 12

menu, will select the next
item in the list if you simply
click on it.

C. Buttons – Buttons activate
a specific game element.

D. Close – Click the [X] but­ton to close a window.

E. Scroll Bar – Some windows
contain scroll bars that let you
access hidden information.
Click on a scroll bar to scroll
through your options.

F. Resize – Click and drag the
bottom right corner of a
window to expand or con­tract its size.

MAIN VIEW
SCREEN

The Main View contains your
park in the background, tool
buttons along the top, and
information buttons in the
lower left and right corners.
Click on any button to open
its associated window.

Pause / Options

Pause

This button stops time until you click it again. All activity stops in the
park and you cannot build while the game is paused.You can do other tasks,
however, including looking at statistics, dealing with finances, managing staff,
redecorating rides and eavesdropping on your guests’ thoughts.

Options

The Game Options menu contains the following:

15

ON BEING A TYCOON

Even when you’re destined for greatness, you’ve got to take things one step at a
time. If you are going to succeed at the challenging task of building and man­aging your own amusement park, you must mind the details.

The opportunities for failure are numerous. You can let your park fall into disre­pair, overcharge or over-nauseate your guests, or overdraw your bank account.
Guests can get lost, hungry, bored, disgusted and depressed. Rides can break
down, break apart and go out of style. Flowers can die, research can dwindle
and your marketing plans can go awry.

Your first step is to learn the interface. The interface elements are similar,
whether you’re playing Tutorials, Scenarios, Roller Coaster Designer or Scenario
Editor. Some buttons and tabs open up new windows and reveal more informa­tion and features.These windows are explained in detail later in this manual.

Common Window Elements

Most windows share these common interface elements:

A.Tabs – Many windows contain a row of tabs, which organize the statistics,
feedback and options
you will need to access
while playing the
game. Click on a tab to
display the informa­tion it contains.

B. Drop-Down Menus

– Some buttons are
linked to drop-down
menus. Click and hold
to display the menu,
then move your
mouse cursor over the
menu item you wish
to select and release
the mouse button to
select it. Some menus,
such as the Open /

Test / Close Ride

14

A

B

CD

E

F

Real Roller Coaster

Chang

RCT2 Coaster Type: Stand-up Twister Coaster
Coaster Specs: 154 feet high; 4,155 feet long; 63

mph max
Special Features: World’s longest, fastest, tallest

stand-up coaster contains world’s biggest vertical
loop (121.6 feet), plus 104-foot dive loop, 72-foot
inclined loop, and 2 corkscrews.

Location: Six Flags Kentucky
Kingdom – Louisville

*Coaster type only featured in game
— not actual ride.

RCT2PC_ManInt-new 8/23/02 9:59 AM Page 14

Landscape Smoothing – Toggle ON to smooth angled edges on landscape.

Gridlines on Landscape – Turn landscape gridlines ON or OFF.

Construction Marker – Set construction markers to White or Translucent.

Scroll View – When ON, the Main View will scroll when you move

the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen.

Shortcut Keys – Click here to see a list of keyboard shortcuts. Click
on a command in the list to assign a new shortcut to it. (See page 9
for a list of default keyboard shortcuts.)

Show Real Names of Guests – When ON, guests are assigned real
names; when OFF they are assigned numbers, such as “Guest 234.”
(See page 46 for information on how to change a guest’s name.)

Screenshot – Takes a snapshot of the current screen and saves it in a file in the
directory where you installed RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.The default keyboard shortcut
for this command is Ctrl + S.

Quit Game – Ends your current game (you have the option to save it) and exits
to the Main Menu.

View Control Tools

Zoom Out

Enlarges the amount of the park you see in the Main View, but displays
less detail.

Zoom In

Takes a step closer to the action — displays a smaller area of the park in
more detail.

Rotate View

Rotates the landscape a quarter turn (90 degrees) clockwise.

17

Load Game – Click here to open a saved game and resume playing it.

Save Game – Save your current game so that you can load it later.

About RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 – Click here to view the list of folks who helped

make this game possible.

Options – Opens the Options
window, which includes a number
of game settings you can change
to customize the way RollerCoaster
Tycoon 2 works.

Sound – This drop-down
menu lets you pick the sound
card driver the game will use.

Music – Toggle music ON or
OFF.

Sound Quality – Choose
between LOW, MEDIUM
and HIGH.

Forced Software Buffer
Mixing – This setting should

automatically be adjusted
when you install the game.
However, if the game stalls
regularly or the sound crackles, then toggling this setting ON or OFF
might improve those problems.

Currency – This drop-down menu lets you set the type of currency
used in your park.

Distance and Speed – Choose between Imperial and Metric systems of
measurement.

Temperature – Choose between Fahrenheit and Celsius.

Height Labels – Choose between Real Values (5 feet or 1.5 meters per

elevation block) or Units (one unit per elevation block).

Display Mode – Choose among various screen resolutions. Higher­resolution settings might slow the game down.

Note: Although the game features a variety of screen modes, it is
designed to provide optimum performance in 800x600 mode.

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Mini-Map

Click on this button to open the Mini-Map window, which is a map of

the entire park area with tiny representations of paths, rides and guests. Land
owned by the park is colored a lighter shade. Click anywhere on this map to
center the Main View there.

There are two tabs in the Mini-Map window: Guests and Objects. Use the
Guests tab to help identify overcrowding and clogged paths. Use the color­coded legend on the Objects tab to locate rides and shops. This can help you
disperse needed refreshment stands, for example.

Construction Tools

Bulldoze

You can always use the right mouse button to bulldoze trees, scenery and
paths one item at a time while in any construction mode. But, you can use this
handy tool to demolish larger areas of scenery with a single click. (See page 24.)

Land Tools

Think of the Land tool as your paint and paintbrushes. When you go out
to craft and tame the land in your park, the tools will help you. Use the Land
tool to adjust the height and slope of any landscape tile (square) in the park.
(See page 24.)

Water Tools

If you lead a guest to water, you can probably get him to cool down on a
water ride! Use the Wa te r tool to create lakes, rivers and ponds. (See page 24.)

Scenery / Theme Objects

Scenery objects include gardens, statuary, benches, shrubs, and other use­ful or decorative non-ride items in your park. Click here to place them in your
park. (See page 27.)

Build Footpaths / Queue Lines

You’ll use this button often, as you fill your park with (and tear up)
walking paths, queuing lines, ramps and bridges. (See page 31.)

Build New Ride / Attraction

Click on this to open the Ride Creation window. This is where the fun
really begins (and the cash starts to flow). (See page 34.)

19

View Options

Sometimes — when you’re building structures, for example — you need
an uncluttered view. The View Options menu includes several ways to achieve
this. Select an item from the menu to toggle it ON or OFF. A check mark next
to a menu item indicates that option is ON. You can have any combination of
view options — or even all of them — activated at the same time.

Underground / Inside View – Makes the land surface transparent
and provides an underground view. Use this when building under­ground.The game automatically switches to the underground view
when a path or ride you are building goes below the surface.

Remove Base Land – Completely removes the land graphics, allowing
you to see underground rides and scenery more easily.

Remove Vertical Faces – Completely removes the vertical “cliff faces”
on landscapes.

See-Through Rides – All of your attractions (including shops and
stalls) become invisible.

See-Through Scenery – The scenery (trees, bushes, walls, and so on)
becomes invisible.

Invisible Supports – The structural supports of your rides become
invisible, offering a clearer view of the areas beneath them.

Invisible People – All guests and staff are removed from sight.This is
quite helpful when your visitors are roaming your park like swarms
of bees, obscuring everything.

Height Marks – There are three options for displaying height marks:
on Land, on Ride Tracks, and on Paths.This marks every square of
land, path or ride track with its height level relative to the elevation
of your park gates.This is handy when you’re trying to match up sec­tions of footpaths or track, and for making the most efficient use of
your landscape.

Note: You can choose whether height marks are displayed as Real
Values or Units in the Options menu (see page 16).

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C. Park Rating

The longer the green line, the higher your park rating. When you move your
mouse cursor over the green line, your actual park rating (between 0 and
1,000) is displayed in a pop-up window. Click on the green bar to open the
Park Rating tab in the Park Information window.

Date / Weather / Messages

Date

Some scenario objectives are time-based — be sure to keep an eye on the calen­dar so you don’t miss a deadline. The window displays the current month and
year, and moving your mouse cursor over the date will display the day in a
pop-up window.

Note: Years are measured from March to October,
since parks typically operate seasonally.

Weather

Take a look here to see the current temperature
and weather conditions.You can change the tem­perature units (Celsius or Fahrenheit) in the
Options menu.

Recent Messages

Click anywhere on the Date / Weather button to
display the Recent Messages window, which lists recent on-screen announce-
ments, such as ride breakdowns, new research discoveries and awards.

21

Management Tools

Rides / Attractions in Park

To really excel as a “roller coaster tycoon,” you must analyze park data
and adapt to changes, so your guests remain happy, and eager to spend time
and money in your park.The Rides / Attractions window presents a number of
useful overall reports on every ride and facility in the park. (See page 38.)

Park Information

This button does the same thing as clicking on the Park Entrance:it
opens the Park Status window. (See page 22.)

Staff

This opens the Staff window, where you can hire, control and fire park
employees. (See page 41.)

Guests

You were born to be a tycoon, and the visitors who come to your parks
thank you! Click here to learn more about the little people you love to entertain.
(See page 45.)

Finances and Park Rating

A. Finances

This information button shows your current cash on hand.When you move
your mouse cursor over this figure, your current weekly profit and park value
are displayed in a pop-up window. Clicking on the number opens the Financial

Summary window (see page 48).You can change the monetary unit in the
Options menu.

B. Guest Population

This is the number of people currently in your park. Click on this number to
open the Guest tab in the Park Information window.

20

TIP

When it rains, all of your

guests will want umbrellas,

and the only place they
can get them is at your

Information Kiosks and

Souvenir Stands. Make

sure you’re not under-

charging for them.

A
B

C

RCT2PC_ManInt-new 8/23/02 9:59 AM Page 20

2. Buy Land – Sometimes you just don’t have enough room to spread
your wings.When you run out of space to place your attractions,
click on this button to see land near your park that is for sale. Each
square of land for sale shows up on the landscape with a little white
sign on it. (Land that you own shows up as a fenced-in blue grid.)
Click on a square of land to buy it.

3. Buy Construction Rights – Sometimes a landowner can’t or won’t
sell, but doesn’t mind letting you hang a corner of a coaster over his
property. This option lets you purchase the right to build all or part of
an attraction on a parcel of land. When you click on this button,
every square of land with construction rights for sale shows up with
a blue-striped sign on it. Click on a square of land to buy construc­tion rights to it.

4. Snap To / Locate – Click on this button to center the park gate in
the Main View.

5. Rename – Click here to rename your park.

B. Park Rating – Some scenarios require that your park achieve a certain rating —

a sort of overall tycoon score.This tab shows your current park rating and a graph
of that rating over time.

C. Guests – Click on this tab to see how many guests are currently visiting your
wonderful park, as well as a graph of your park population over time.

D. Admission – Click on this tab to set the ticket
price for your park. (The minimum admission
price is free, the maximum is $100.) It also dis­plays the number of admissions to your park to
date, as well as total income from admissions.

E. Park Statistics – This displays global data on
different aspects of your park, including overall
size, number of rides, staff and number of guests
in the park.

F. Objectives – Click on this tab to view the goal of the current scenario.

G. Awards – From time to time you might win a special award — it might be

quite wonderful, or it might be a badge of shame! Click on this tab to view
your park’s awards.

23

BUILDING A PARK

Park Information

The Park Information window is the first window that opens when you start a
new game. (You can open the Park Information window at any time by click­ing on your park gate, the boundaries of your park, or the Park Information
button on the top of the screen.) You’ll probably want to build a few attractions
and facilities before you open your gates to guests, but when you eventually
officially open your park, this is the place to do it.

This is also where you can set your admission price (unless you are playing a
scenario with no gate admission).You will probably return here to adjust the
admission price as you add attractions.

The Park Information window is also where you can buy or lease more land
for your park.

A.View Park Entrance – Take a look at the entrance to your park. (This is a
handy spot to drop off those lost guests you may bump into now and again.)
This window has five buttons on the right side, indicated by numbers in the
screen shown above.

1. Open / Close – Click here to open your park for business. Click
again to close it.

22

TIP

Keep an eye on your

guests’ thoughts. If lots of

them are thinking about

what a great value your

park is, maybe you should

raise the admission price.

ABCDEFG

1

2

3

4

5

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