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TowersStreet Coaster Building Contest 2021/22: Winners Declared (contest ended 12th May)

Matt N

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Participants:
Overall Points:
  1. @Matt.GC - 143 points overall, 3 Realism points, 4 Originality points
  2. @Archermav - 114 points overall, 17 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  3. @RicketyCricket - 108 points overall, 2 Realism points, 4 Originality points
  4. @Connor98 - 101 points overall, 2 Realism points, 1 Originality points
  5. @Matt N - 54 points overall, 9 Realism points, 5 Originality points
  6. @Poisson - 50 points overall, 0 Realism points, 15 Originality points
  7. @Burbs - 50 points overall, 10 Realism points, 3 Originality points
  8. @mo237 - 34 points overall, 1 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  9. @Matt878787 - 20 points overall, 2 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  10. @Thameslink Rail - 12 points overall, 1 Realism points, 13 Originality points
  11. @JAperson - 4 points overall, 0 Realism points, 2 Originality points
Current Round Points:
  1. @Archermav - 46 points overall, 10 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  2. @Connor98 - 30 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  3. @Matt.GC - 24 points overall, 0 Realism points, 4 Originality points
  4. @RicketyCricket - 16 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  5. @Poisson - 10 points overall, 0 Realism points, 4 Originality points
  6. @Matt N - 10 points overall, 0 Realism points, 2 Originality points
  7. @mo237 - 10 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  8. @Thameslink Rail - 4 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  9. @Burbs - 0 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  10. @Matt878787 - 0 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
  11. @JAperson - 0 points overall, 0 Realism points, 0 Originality points
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Hi everyone! Over on another forum, I have recently been participating in a Speed Coaster Building Contest, and it’s been great fun, so my question today is; if I organised one on here, would any of you guys be interested in participating? I know we do have quite a few coaster game players here, playing a variety of different games, so I thought it might be fun!

In terms of how it would work:
  • This would exclusively be a coaster layout building contest, as I know that theming can often be extremely time-consuming compared to coaster building, and if we’re judging entries that include varying degrees of theming and take theming into account, then I feel like that would make things slightly unfair, as I feel like people might naturally be inclined to vote for the more heavily-themed layout. By all means include some theming, landscaping or terraforming if you wish, but can I please ask you all to judge purely based on the track and train layout.
  • Each round would last for 4 weeks in total; 1 week for deciding a ride type, 2 weeks for building and 1 week for voting. If the ride type decision ended up being quicker through you guys’ decided option for picking a ride type (I’ll get to that below), I’d give you an extra week to build. Or shorten each round by a week, if you wish, with 2 weeks for building and 1 week for voting.
  • How we decide the challenges in each round is up to you. Would you like me to decide a ride type and brief for you in each round? Would you like to give me suggestions and I’ll concoct a brief based on the most popular suggestion? Or would you like me to give you a series of options and run a poll asking you which option you’d like most, with the option with the most votes being what we do in that round?
  • When all layouts have been built and submitted (through a post with a POV and some off-ride shots of the creation, as well as some explanation of what’s been built if the poster wishes, although this isn’t required; only the POV and off-ride shots are required), we would move to a voting period, where I would ask everyone to vote for their top 5 layouts in ranking order, as well as a vote for Most Realistic and Most Original.
  • Whoever gets the highest score based on ranking would win that round (each rank from 1-5 would be weighted, with a #1 rank scoring highest and a #5 rank scoring lowest, with anyone not ranking in a top 5 gaining 0 points from that voter), and when the contest is over (I’m thinking possibly 6 rounds based on the other contest I’m in?), whoever has the most points overall would be the winner. I’ll also keep tabs on realism and originality points as well and award those winners accordingly.
  • I would personally be using Planet Coaster, but I’m more than happy to accept entries from any coaster game; NoLimits, RCT, Parkitect… you name it, I’ll accept it, as long as it builds coasters that fit the brief!
So, would any of you guys be up for this? And if you are, is there anything I’ve suggested that you don’t like the sound of that you think I should change?

If you’re up for this, make a post below saying your name and what game you’re building using (or games; you can use multiple different ones if you feel a different game would fit a different brief better!). For instance, my entry post is:
  • Name: Matt N
  • Game: Planet Coaster (PC edition)
So, is anyone up for this? And if you are, what would you like to do about ride types? I’m happy to accept suggestions and go with the most popular, but I’m equally happy to offer options or just straight up give you a brief!

If I get a good enough turnout, then I’ll decide our next ride type at the end of this week (deadline for anything ride type-based, whether it be a suggestion or a vote, is 13th February 2022 at 11:59pm) so that we can get building our first coasters!

EDIT: I’ll make ride type deciding as a separate thread a bit later on once we have some turnout, as well as some idea on what people want to do in terms of challenges. Sorry, mods… there might be quite a few threads for this contest, as the forum only lets you have 1 poll per thread…
 
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Name: Thameslink Rail
Game: Planet Coaster PC (with DLC)

Edit: If you are going to do lots of polls then you could use Google Forms if you are worried about making lots of threads.
 
Can I do mine in plasticine on the old breadboard?
Could take a photo with my box brownie, get it developed at Max Spielman, then get our Rick to scan it?
Think I might have Theme Park World for the PS2 somewhere, but that is as far as I got sadly.
I can even remember when "bovine" was a secret.
 
Great to see we already have a few willing participants!

To anyone who hasn’t yet signed up but would like to; I’m happy to accept new entrants right up until the end of the competition, but please bear in mind that the later you enter, the greater your disadvantage compared to other players. If you join in Round 3, for instance, you are missing the potential to gain points in Rounds 1 and 2.
rob666 said:
Can I do mine in plasticine on the old breadboard?
Could take a photo with my box brownie, get it developed at Max Spielman, then get our Rick to scan it?
Think I might have Theme Park World for the PS2 somewhere, but that is as far as I got sadly.
I can even remember when "bovine" was a secret.
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If you can find some way of visualising how your design rides in terms of a video, then I’d be more than happy to accept any entry you make, Rob! I think a blackboard drawing would possibly be a touch too imprecise for me and other members to judge, but if you can get on to some sort of coaster building software, whether it’s Theme Park World or a different game, and find some way of uploading your entry onto the web, then you’re good to go!

I do apologise, Rob; I’m not trying to discriminate or make things harder for anyone, but I’m afraid we can’t really judge layouts based purely on a drawing. I think we’d need some sort of video showing it off, if that’s all right with you, as layouts can often ride very differently to how you might expect based on a drawing.
Thameslink Rail said:
Edit: If you are going to do lots of polls then you could use Google Forms if you are worried about making lots of threads.
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That is a smart idea, and one I think I’m going to adopt; cheers for the suggestion @Thameslink Rail!
RicketyCricket said:
As participant of the Coaster Force one I'd like to request this one is a bit more fast paced :p
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Fair enough! I stuck to the CF timescales as I felt that was a good length of time to allow everyone to build (I can’t really rely on every participant having tons of spare time or a fast build speed, so I’ve got to allocate at least a certain amount of time for building), but if you think we should go faster, that’s fair enough; how would you (and everyone else, for that matter) feel about reducing the build time to 1 week instead of 2, thus making the total time for each round 3 weeks instead of 4?

More generally, what would you guys like to do about how to decide what we do for each round? I’ll admit I do have a few fun round ideas of my own, so I’d be quite happy to decide the rounds or at least give you guys some options to pick from, but if you’re strongly against me deciding the rounds in any way, then I’m more than happy to open the floor for suggestions!
 
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RicketyCricket said:
Happy to go with your round choices @Matt N
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OK then; cheers for your input!

In that case, I’ll release a Google Form in due course with a series of different options concocted by myself for you to vote on, as I’d feel bad not giving you as my fellow contestants some degree of input…

I am quite excited to reveal some of my ideas; some of them are contextual to an extent, and they do differ from the CF ones! Let me just think of a slightly wider selection of ideas (I’ll go with 5 round ideas, as I think I’ve settled on having 5 rounds at this point, if that’s OK with you all), and I’ll get back to you…
 
OK everybody; sorry for the double post, but I’ve concocted the options for Round 1!

Instead of ride types, I actually decided to take a slightly different route for this competition and instead do contextual rounds, with each round having a bit of real-life context for us to work within! So under the preliminary rounds I’ve concocted, each round will have a different UK park-based context, with some constraints for us to work within; I’ve kept the briefs fairly open to interpretation in most cases, but you will have a set of constraints to build your submissions within.

So the round options I’ve come up with are:
Option 1 (Project Exodus Improved at Thorpe Park)
  • Context: Project Exodus, an upcoming UK height record breaker, was recently announced at Thorpe Park. In spite of the ride’s record-breaking status, the layout drew many complaints from enthusiasts, particularly here on TowersStreet. The cries of “it’s so short”, “it really lacks airtime” and “missed opportunity” reverberated around the enthusiast community upon the reveal of the plans, and my general view was that many felt they could pull off a better layout in their sleep. So in that case, why don’t you? If you can build a better Project Exodus that provides a stronger ride experience while still breaking that all-important UK height record, why don’t you show us?
  • Constraints: Minimum Height of 235ft/72m, Maximum Footprint of 755ft/230m*170ft/52m (I know that’s oddly specific, but it’s what I measured to be the approximate footprint that Project Exodus will take up).
Option 2 (SW9 at Alton Towers)
  • Context: The coveted SW series at Alton Towers is awaiting a new entry. The park has spent years concocting unique, thrilling coasters for this series, and it’s your job to design SW9. The park could do with a longer coaster, as Smiler is the only one passing 3,000ft at present, but don’t forget the tree line height limit, as well as the requirement for uniqueness!
  • Constraints: Maximum Height 72ft/22m (the same as Alton’s current tallest coaster), Minimum Length 3,000ft/914m, Must Be Unique to the UK in Some Way
Option 3 (New Family Thrill Coaster for Drayton Manor)
  • Context: Drayton Manor is said to be clearing space for a brand new roller coaster coming within the next few years. Pandemonium was removed this off-season, and Apocalypse is said to be on the chopping block next. With the park moving increasingly towards families, the new ride can’t be too extreme, and the combined area of Apocalypse, Pandemonium and Test Track isn’t huge, so what can you come up with in this area?
  • Constraints: Maximum Height 82ft/25m, Maximum Speed 50mph/80km/h, No Inversions, Maximum Footprint 212ft/65m*237ft/72m (The largest possible footprint that combines Apocalypse, Pandemonium and Test Track’s areas).
Option 4 (Big One Improved at Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  • Context: The Big One is the UK’s current tallest roller coaster, but it gets a lot of flack from enthusiasts about its layout; some even coin it “the UK’s largest monorail”! But if given the opportunity to improve upon it, what would you do? Show us!
  • Constraints: Minimum Height 213ft/65m, Lift Hill Propulsion, Footprint Shape Should Roughly Follow That Of Current Ride
Option 5 (The Ultimate Reloaded at Lightwater Valley)
  • Context: The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley has been closed since 2019, and its future is uncertain. But Brighton Pier Group have come up to you with an unlimited pot of cash, and told you to refurbish and improve on the concept in whatever way you see fit. As long as the length and the 2 lift hills are kept, you can do whatever you want with the rest of the concept!
  • Constraints: Minimum Length 7,000ft/2,134m, Minimum of 2 Lift Hills, Maximum Height 199ft/61m
Do you think those sound fun? I’m certainly quite interested to try them out; all rounds will be tried at some point, so if a round you voted for isn’t picked for Round 1, it will get picked eventually!

If you don’t like what I’m presenting, though, I’ll happily come up with some different rounds.

Please submit your preferences on this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnHjilKpRQH0_Kz6kvWvHmyNduZU2XT3ax6SRADGRir8Z9Yw/viewform

All round preferences must have been logged by 13th February 2022 at 11:59pm.
 
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Project Exodus is ideal as I actually started making a Thorpe recreation with my own Project Exodus in mind. Built all of Lost City and finished Colossus then got bored, so can pick up from there.
 
I'll participate but be aware I'm not very good.
name: JAperson
Game: Planet Coaster PC
I've voted for the family thrill coaster for Drayton but am happy with any suggestion.
Be aware that I may not be able to do the challenge sometimes and that my POV's will not be very high quality.
 
JAperson said:
I'll participate but be aware I'm not very good.
name: JAperson
Game: Planet Coaster PC
I've voted for the family thrill coaster for Drayton but am happy with any suggestion.
Be aware that I may not be able to do the challenge sometimes and that my POV's will not be very high quality.
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Welcome to the competition @JAperson!

Skill level doesn’t matter; this is ultimately just a bit of fun, and besides, I’m sure you’re better than you think you are!

In terms of the POVs; a simple way to record them that works well for me is to press Windows button + G to bring up the game bar and then capture in-game from there (the button that looks like a dot), if you’re struggling with doing the POVs.
 
This sounds great fun. With kids and work, I only have about 4 hours a week to invest on a late night before a day off so I'm happy with the timescales. I should be able to knock something up in that time.

Name: Matt.GC
Game: Planet Coaster Console on PS5 with no DLC

A few questions though. I'm a bit of a technophobe and I have no idea how to get a POV and offride onto my phone without just holding my phone up to the TV screen. I know how to record clips on PS5 but no idea how I get that over to my phone for upload?

Also, how do we know how tall a coaster is on Planco? I know it gives you this when you've completed and tested it, but how do you know when you've just built the lift hill? I don't want to build something, pat myself on the back and then realise it's 20ft too short.

And can one of the constraints be capacity? If we're going for solving real world problems, then I think it needs to include capacity. No point building an awesome 5 minute duration thrill machine that only runs on 1 or 2 trains. Unless we're building something for Chessington of course. I would also say the same for practically. These things can't be pulling 7g's or anything silly like that.
 
Matt.GC said:
A few questions though. I'm a bit of a technophobe and I have no idea how to get a POV and offride onto my phone without just holding my phone up to the TV screen. I know how to record clips on PS5 but no idea how I get that over to my phone for upload?
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Seems like it's possible but I don't own a PS and have never tried it https://www.androidheadlines.com/so...gged in, simply,choosing on the mobile device.
Matt.GC said:
Also, how do we know how tall a coaster is on Planco?
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Yes I was just thinking this, I have no idea either. Admittedly I'm on PC rather than console but I imagine it's in a similar place.
 
I'll take part in this, playing on PlanCo PC. I'd say giving 2 weeks in a speed building challenge for a single unthemed coaster is way too long - a week should do it for most I'd have thought. Also, stop trying to please everyone Matt! You have some good ideas for rounds down there - just announce one for us to do for the week. :)
 
Burbs said:
I'll take part in this, playing on PlanCo PC. I'd say giving 2 weeks in a speed building challenge for a single unthemed coaster is way too long - a week should do it for most I'd have thought. Also, stop trying to please everyone Matt! You have some good ideas for rounds down there - just announce one for us to do for the week. :)
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Yes @Burbs is right, you are never going to please anyone. Pick a round and if someone doesn't like it well then they can lump it because it's your game. No in all seriousness all of your idea's are fine. I don't think doing a poll each time to decide the round is needed. Only for voting for the winners.
 
Great stuff, everybody!

Including myself, I believe we currently have 8 participants who have registered. Please correct me if I've missed anyone, but the current list is:
If you haven't signed up; don't worry, it's not too late! You can still sign up right up until the competition is over, after round 5, but please bear in mind that the later you sign up, the greater your disadvantage compared to other players... if you sign up midway through a round, you'll have less time to build and submit for that round, and if you sign up, say, 3 rounds in, then you will be completely missing out on the chance for points in rounds 1 and 2.

In terms of what you guys have said:
  • Following your feedback, I've decided to streamline the timescales slightly, allocating 1 week for building and 1 week for voting in each round. It seems like you guys aren't overly keen on having the decision week and having to have the competitors decide the ride type for a round, so with that in mind, I will pick the challenge for a given round out of the 5 options outlined above and tell you the challenge at the start of building week.
  • In terms of how to tell coaster height; I admittedly don't know how it works on console, but on the PC version, height markers are enabled by default in either feet or metres (dependant on whether you've chosen metric or imperial as your unit system of choice). If they are not enabled; there should be a series of buttons with the label "Height Markers" located beneath Angle Snap & Auto Tunnel. For the purposes of the challenge, I would recommend Terrain Relative (the button that looks like a cliff), as the plots of land being used will presumably be fairly flat, and that is also what I will be using.
  • In terms of how to determine footprint; my advice would be to go into the Scenario Editor and create a new scenario with the dimensions I've given and attempt to build your ride within it. If any of you struggle with that, though, I can quite easily upload a Steam Workshop file of a scenario with the given dimensions that I made myself to complete the challenge with for you all to use.
  • If anyone has any issues with recording or uploading their submission; PM me before the deadline, and I will send you my email address so that I can either upload a video you've recorded on your behalf or record and upload your submission on your behalf (dependant on what sort of problem you're having). For me to do the latter, I'm going to need to have a Steam Workshop file of your submission sent to me.
  • In terms of the capacity suggestion from @Matt.GC; great suggestion! I thought I was the only PlanCo player who even vaguely cared about capacity... you know what, I might add it as a constraint in some rounds, as real parks do have to contend with it, and it might make for a fun challenge! In terms of how you'd measure capacity; I'd recommend the Dispatch Timer app on iOS or Android. Or failing that, use a stopwatch or timer to time how often trains are passing a particular point, then do 3600/the time logged and multiply that by the number of riders in a train (for instance, if a 20-person train passed a point every 50 seconds, I would do (3600/50)*20 = 72*20 = 1,440pph). In terms of your other suggestion of practicality, that's what the Most Realistic award is looking out for; that award will look out for the rides that look like something a park might conceivably build, or a very realistic example of the ride type being portrayed.
So with that in mind, then... let's reveal the first round, shall we? I've shut the Google Form for responses, and the most popular option on there, so the one I'll be using for Round 1, is... Project Exodus Improved for Thorpe Park!

Let me just remind you of the constraints outlined for this round:
  • Minimum Height of 235ft/72m (that UK height record still needs to be broken!)
  • Maximum Footprint of 820.2ft/250m*328.1ft/100m (as it turns out, I substantially undersold the dimensions of Exodus earlier... sorry about that)
  • And following the feedback from earlier; Minimum Capacity of 1,000pph. The ride must attain at least 1,000pph, Thorpe Park's specified target capacity for the real Exodus, in a Dispatch Timer timing or similar.
Just to clear something up; the constraints above are the only constraints that apply. Your improved Exodus does not have to be a Mack Hyper Coaster or even bear any resemblance to the existing proposal whatsoever; as long as it is above 235ft tall, has a throughput of at least 1,000pph, and fits within the given footprint, I don't care about the rest!

Also, you are being judged on layout only. By all means add theming, landscaping or terraforming if you wish, but you are only being judged on layout here, so if you're in a rush, I wouldn't advise doing much, if any, theming. Prioritise the layout.

You have until 15th February 2022 at 11:59pm to submit your submissions here or PM them to me so I can do so on your behalf.

If any of you are struggling to make a scenario yourselves, here is a template sandbox park of the dimensions required, to ensure that you're building within the footprint: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2747501879

Get building, everybody; I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!
 
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