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| By Christopher Mack | 10 Comments » |
Why is creating and managing virtual worlds so appealing? In short, it is a combination of control, expression, and creativity. In bigger worlds like SimCity or Roller Coaster Tycoon, players control an entire world and aren’t limited to simpler spaces or systems. And now, Zynga is bringing the businessperson inside us all to the Facebook platform with its latest release, Roller Coaster Kingdom.
Roller Coaster Kingdom is somewhat reminiscent of a simplified version of the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. At the beginning, players can build a handful of attractions with the coin they start out with. As players build up their attractions, guests start to file in for a good time. For each ride guests visit, a bit of money is earned and thus the business begins to take flight.
For now, the term business is used in a limited sense, because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of strategy involved in earning income. It feels like Zynga has spent more time so far on aesthetics than creating a wider breadth of game play. That isn’t to say there isn’t any strategy at all though. Players can still upgrade attractions, build new elements based on NPC “thoughts,” and replace outdated rides. On that same token, however, there is no noticeable marketing or manual price setting.
While the traditional concept of “salary” doesn’t exist, you do pay your workers in food. Each attraction or vendor requires someone to manage it, and they can only work for about three hours before needing “payment.” What is most interesting, however, is that these workers are your friends. As a social game, this is perhaps the most curious feature of the game, as you get to place them at any ride you want and watch them earn their keep in some rather goofy outfits.
While it is simple compared to its breathren, the game is fairly fun. Like most social games of this genre, it is a bit slow in getting started, but once you start to get a decent cash flow, the ability to create what you want becomes much more entertaining. The game does have some kinks to it, but as with most Zynga games, it is unlikely to remain the same for too long. Changes will happen, improvements will be made, and all in all, we’re sure to see more improvements soon.
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August 31st, 2009 at 3:00 pm
The “employ your friends” (and pay them in food) feature has already been in place with Playfish– besides NOT being a farm or mob/mafia game, being able to hire your friends to work for you is probably the feature that makes Restaurant City so unique.
It’s nice to see “social games” starting to really explore the space of in-game interactions.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I’m not sure whether to be scared or excited to see Zynga entering the same game genre (Tycoon / Business sim) that our game is in.
It looks fun, and as usual Zynga will likely see success with a game that is fun for the masses without in-depth strategy.
Meanwhile, we will continue to target our game (Tycoon Online) to a more competitive audience with a good balance of casual fun and strategic gameplay.
September 17th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
nothing to play just wanna play
September 24th, 2009 at 12:54 am
The Roller Coaster just upgrade , feel not fun anymore because waste time to waiting the guest coming , coin earn less and hard to level up.
October 1st, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I agree with ABC. Roller Coaster Kingdom has lost it’s appeal. You have to wait an EXTREMELY long time for guests and then you don’t earn very many coins. I’m losing interest fast.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:05 am
[...] Roller Coaster Kingdom, has also boomed. It actually launched at the beginning of August, and by Zynga’s standards had been growing relatively slowly. In fact, it was actually losing traffic in September, falling from a high of 4.45 million to as [...]
October 29th, 2009 at 7:10 am
guys please add me to roller coaster game here in facebook please… i need more neighbors
please help me guys heheh ^^
October 30th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Anyone who is struggling because of lack of employees, its maybe cheating in a way, but simply open a new e-mail account the a new facebook account with this e-mail and add neighbour. Just a thought!
November 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Just stared roller coaster kingdom. I am in need of neighbors. can anybody help.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:09 am
I have been playing Roller Coaster Kingdom and enjoy it very much.
THE PAST 3 DAYS I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ENTER TO DO MY SITES……I CAN SEND AND RECIEVE GIFTS….BUT THAT’S ABOUT IT….
Any suggestions?