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TowersStreet Planet Coaster Speed Build Contest 2022/23: Winners Declared (contest ended 18th March)

Thameslink Rail said:
Ok - my entry
I've been too busy to do a proper entry this week so you'll have to make do with this:

In all seriousness though, I may not be able to enter for the next few weeks.
From: https://youtu.be/UdiSCmNcJEg
Click to expand...

Out of interest, is this a joke entry, or would you like me to actually include it?

Not entering the next few rounds is absolutely fine by me. I fully expect that not everyone will be able to do every round.
 
Thameslink Rail said:
If you want to include it you are welcome to despite it not really being in the spirit of the game.
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If you were to look at it through a pedantic lens, it technically meets all of the given constraints... so I'll throw it in and let the other players see what they think to it in the voting stage!

Even though the whole ethos of the game revolves around roller coasters, thus inferring that your submission should typically be a roller coaster, I guess I never technically said that your submission had to be a roller coaster... you've got to love a good loophole, eh?

It's certainly an original response to the brief!
 
Weekly Digest for Week 5 (3rd-9th December 2022)
OK, everybody; we now begin Week 5 of the competition! There are three key points to cover this week, so let's get straight to it!
Round 3 Results
After a week of voting, Round 3's results are now in! I can confirm that I got 7 responses in the Google Form, and the winners of Round 3 are as follows:
The leaderboard for Round 3 is as follows:
RankingUsernameOverallRealismOriginality
1@Archermav2140
2@Thameslink Rail1804
3@Connor981600
4@Matt N1520
5@RicketyCricket1200
6@Matt.GC1100
7@Burbs901
8@Poisson601
9@immelmanloop000
10@JAperson000
11@MaxPower000
12@mo237000
As such, the leaderboard for the overall contest so far is as follows:
RankingUsernameOverallRealismOriginality
1@Archermav5580
2@Poisson5101
3@Connor985050
4@Matt.GC4210
5@Burbs3908
6@Matt N3730
7@RicketyCricket3421
8@Thameslink Rail3307
9@immelmanloop910
10@JAperson000
11@MaxPower000
12@mo237000
Well done, everybody! Now let's get onto Round 4 voting...
Round 4 Voting Stage
We have finished the building stage for Round 4, therefore the voting stage must now begin!

Please vote for your Round 4 favourites via this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaHWMxQuslPabY2uUMl6yBPcpnCo2-50HXNZkjwVfeMZuuVg/viewform

Let me just recap a few things about voting, if you need a reminder.
  • If you're not clear on how I'd like you to vote; please pick your top 5 track layouts and rank them in order of preference from #1 to #5. If you give a player a particular ranking, the points allocated are as follows; #1 ranking = 5pts, #2 ranking = 4pts, #3 ranking = 3pts, #4 ranking = 2pts, #5 ranking = 1pt.
  • You will also receive the opportunity to nominate a submission for Realism or Originality if you wish. Unlike last year, these nominations are not compulsory; you can award them if you wish, but you do not have to nominate anyone for Realism or Originality. Each Realism or Originality nomination a player gets will grant them 1 Realism point or 1 Originality point.
  • Please only fill out this form once. I have not mandated this within the form itself, but I'm trusting you all here.
  • Please do not vote for yourself. I know that there is no way I can mandate this, but I trust you not to. Please can I request that you only nominate submissions that are not your own.
  • Please judge submissions on track layout only. This is a coaster layout building contest; theming is pretty much irrelevant here.
  • I know that this form of voting is a lot more anonymous than the voting process was in the last contest. If you would like to add a slightly more personal touch, you can still post a comment in this thread indicating your top 5 choices, as well as any Realism or Originality nominations, like you did last year if you would like to. However, can I please request that the Google Form be your first port of call for voting; I will only count votes cast within the Google Form, as if you post in this thread, I wouldn't like to assume whether you've already voted in the Google Form or not. Post your choices in the thread by all means, but please make sure that you log your votes within the Google Form first, as the votes within the Google Form are the votes I'll be counting.
Here are the submissions from Round 4, so that you know what you're voting for:

Voting for Round 4 will close on Friday 9th December 2022 at 11:59pm.

Now let's move on to the Round 5 reveal...
Round 5 Building Stage
Now that we've finished building our Round 4 submissions, I reckon it's about time that we faced a new challenge. With that in mind, I have a new round up my sleeves for us all to tackle! The Round 5 brief is... Grand National Reloaded at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

The context is as follows:
For 87 years, the Grand National has stood proudly as one of Blackpool Pleasure Beach's most iconic rides. However, the ride has been getting increasingly rough and unpleasant in the eyes of many, so the park has decided to remove it and completely revitalise the concept. But there's a twist... they've hired none other than you to spearhead the project! That all-important competitive element needs to stay, and the park doesn't want a ride that's too dominating compared to the Grand National of old, but other than that, you've got carte blanche over how to revitalise the concept! So, how will you rejuvenate this vintage classic?
Click to expand...

The constraints are as follows:
  • Maximum Footprint 209m*149m (686ft*489ft)
  • Maximum Height 100ft/30m
  • Must Be Duelling, Racing Or Quasi Mobius/Self-Duelling
I'm aware that Planet Coaster does not allow you to build one coaster with two stations, so a traditional mobius loop is out. By quasi mobius, I mean something like Twisted Colossus, where the ride is one coaster with one station, but it gives off the illusion of being a duelling or racing coaster.

For clarity, this is the area of Blackpool Pleasure Beach that we are building within (it's the area circled in black and labelled "Nash"... I apologise for my slightly crude drawing):
Grand-National-Plot.png


I would recommend using Scenario Editor to apply the footprint constraints if you are on PC. As per usual, I have created a Steam Workshop park with the constraints applied that I would be happy for you to download if you struggle to design a scenario yourself: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893648082

As for console users, I would recommend setting out the footprint constraints using wall pieces or path pieces to build yourself an "area" to work within. I know it's not ideal, but it's sadly the best I can offer given that neither Scenario Editor nor Steam Workshop are seemingly available on console... sorry for the inconvenience, folks.

As for how to determine your ride height, please use Terrain Relative height markers (the option denoted by the picture of a mountain).

As for what you need to do to submit; please build your submission, film a POV and off-ride shots, and post them in this thread. You can do a brief description of what your ride is if you wish. If you have any issues with uploading your video(s), please don't hesitate to PM me.

May I once again emphasise that this is a coaster layout building contest. By all means add some light theming and landscaping if you wish, but the coaster layout should ideally be the focus. Quality of coaster layout is pretty much the be all and end all here; heavy theming won't gain you any points, and no theming won't lose you any points.

The Round 5 submission deadline is Friday 9th December 2022 at 11:59pm. If you struggle for time and would like me to extend the deadline, please PM me or request an extension in this thread before the deadline. I would be more than happy to facilitate an extension for you if you would like one. If you do not make contact with me and ask for an extension, I will assume that you are happy to forfeit this round and move on after the posted deadline.

OK, then; I think that's all I need to cover for Week 5! If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Good luck with Week 5, everybody... get building for Round 5 and voting for Round 4, folks!
 
Well, folks, I have a Round 5 submission ready! Say hello to... Race for the Border, a pair of GCI racing wooden coasters:
Race-for-the-Border-Entrance.png

Race-for-the-Border-Layout-Overview.png



I decided to go for something slightly more traditional for this particular challenge, and with Blackpool not being a million miles from Scotland, I thought that naming the two sides England and Scotland might be a more unique take on the racing coaster.

The stats are as follows:
  • Name: Race for the Border (sides are England and Scotland)
  • Manufacturer: Great Coasters International
  • Model: Wooden Coaster (Custom)
  • Height: 80ft/24m (both)
  • Speed: 44mph/71kph (both)
  • Length: 2,535ft/773m (England), 2,557ft/779m (Scotland)
  • Inversions: 0
  • Airtime Moments: 4 (England), 5 (Scotland)
  • Maximum Positive G-Force: 2.4G overall/2G heatmap (both)
  • Maximum Negative G-Force: -0.9G overall/-0.2G heatmap (both)
  • Trains: 6 trains with 12 cars/24 riders (3 trains per side)
  • Throughput: 2,520pph (1,260pph per side)
If you'd like to play with Race for the Border yourself, here's a Steam Workshop link that you can download it from: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2896965128

So, that's Race for the Border, my Round 5 submission! I must admit that I'm not sure if this is my best submission... building Race for the Border reinforced that I'm utterly terrible at building duelling coasters, particularly racing coasters. I've ascertained that there's a reason why I don't tend to build them very often...

I hope you like it regardless, however!
 
I'm early as well this week.

Name: National Steel
Capacity: Runs 3 trains of 22 riders
Inversions: 8
Airtime count: 20!!!!!!!

Includes 4 custom inversions, 1 of which is a heartline drop.

Took me forever to sync them to make them duel for the first half of each section.

Edit: Sorry, now uploaded with correct video. Have been having problems with video quality on PlayStation unloads.


From: https://youtu.be/jnAMk-jULL8
 
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Matt.GC said:
I'm early as well this week.

Name: National Steel
Capacity: Runs 3 trains of 22 riders
Inversions: 8
Airtime count: 20!!!!!!!

Includes 4 custom inversions, 1 of which is a heartline drop.

Took me forever to sync them to make them duel for the first half of each section.

Edit: Sorry, now uploaded with correct video. Have been having problems with video quality on PlayStation unloads.


From: https://youtu.be/jnAMk-jULL8
Click to expand...

Awesome submission @Matt.GC! Your ride is smooth, packed with airtime and has some excellent-looking custom inversions!

On a side note; out of pure interest, what are the rides I always see in the background of your submissions? I noticed that one of the rides present this week appeared to be your Colossus Reloaded submission from last week, but I wasn’t sure on the others… do you build your submissions as part of a wider park or something?
 
Matt N said:
Awesome submission @Matt.GC!
On a side note; out of pure interest, what are the rides I always see in the background of your submissions? I noticed that one of the rides present this week appeared to be your Colossus Reloaded submission from last week, but I wasn’t sure on the others… do you build your submissions as part of a wider park or something?
Click to expand...

Yes I do. All the previous submissions are in the same park other than the Ron Jeremy one which I deleted for space. Rock Vs RAP is by the entrance, Mind of Walliams is opposite. There's actually 2 Colossus builds there behind the Chessington coaster which is why it looks so prominent. I also built an Intamin effort (the one you see by the lift hill, station and mid course block section) which wasn't too bad but decided on the B&M (the coaster by the wrap around corkscrew and sidewinder) in the end as it was smoother and I just liked it more. There's also some other test stuff experimenting with different speeds, profiles, custom inversions etc with different coaster types. More practice stuff really.

Means I don't have to start a new sandbox every time but I'll have to start a new one soon as the dreaded, hand holdy Console piece counter is at 98% now, despite nothing being wrong with the performance of the game. I really hate that thing, it's really the only downfall of the game on console.
 
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Matt.GC said:
Yes I do. All the previous submissions are in the same park other than the Ron Jeremy one which I deleted for space. Rock Vs RAP is by the entrance, Mind of Walliams is opposite. There's actually 2 Colossus builds there behind the Chessington coaster which is why it looks so prominent. I also built an Intamin effort (the one you see by the lift hill, station and mid course block section) which wasn't too bad but decided on the B&M (the coaster by the wrap around corkscrew and sidewinder) in the end as it was smoother and I just liked it more. There's also some other test stuff experimenting with different speeds, profiles, custom inversions etc with different coaster types. More practice stuff really.

Means I don't have to start a new sandbox every time but I'll have to start a new one soon as the dreaded, hand holdy Console piece counter is at 98% now, despite nothing being wrong with the performance of the game. I really hate that thing, it's really the only downfall of the game on console.
Click to expand...
That’s an interesting way of doing it; I can imagine that it would save you some time. I start a new sandbox every time myself, but that might be because I always use Scenario Editor to create the template that exactly fits the constraints… given that you console users don’t have access to that, I can imagine that having one big sandbox is easier.

Wait, there’s an object counter in console? Nothing of the sort exists on PC; if it did, I know for a fact that it would be my worst enemy. If you’ve ever seen any of the full size parks I’ve created in Sandbox mode, you’d know why… my Worlds of Globala park, which even when empty drove my relatively high-performance laptop down to <5FPS, would almost certainly have breached any game-imposed object limit by a considerable order of magnitude!

Come to think of it, that park was a significant reason why I paid £1,500 for a substantially upgraded PC after my 18th birthday in July 2021. I tested that park on the new PC, and it got 15-20FPS empty. Even with 41,000 guests in the park, it did not drop to the levels seen on my old PC, but that’s a story for another day… my basic point is that I would really struggle under any kind of object limit.
 
Matt N said:
That’s an interesting way of doing it; I can imagine that it would save you some time. I start a new sandbox every time myself, but that might be because I always use Scenario Editor to create the template that exactly fits the constraints… given that you console users don’t have access to that, I can imagine that having one big sandbox is easier.

Wait, there’s an object counter in console? Nothing of the sort exists on PC; if it did, I know for a fact that it would be my worst enemy.
Click to expand...

Scenario editor and the dreaded piece counter are really the only noticeable differences I've seen so far. Other than a few cosmetic things and having to use Frontiers own workshop as opposed to Steam, everything else appears to there. The control scheme is quite remarkable, it takes some getting used to but it's genius how they've managed to keep every feature designed for a mouse and keyboard and map them to a single controller.

But the piece counter is game ruining. They've left all the customisation of PC in which is great but you can only build so much. After someone mentioned it on here, I looked it up and it's to do with licensing from Microsoft and Sony to publish on their platforms. Since the great video game crash of the early 80's, console producers have strict licencing rules on what can be published on their consoles to prevent shovelware, which is what happened to Atari. It was originally spearheaded by Nintendo and continued with Sega, Sony and Microsoft. Basically, games have to perform to certain standards as part of this and Frontier used the piece counter to get around this.

They basically impose limits to ensure the game performs to a certain level. But it seems over zealous to me. I have Planco on PS4, Xbox One and PS5. Granted, it doesn't perform well on PS4 and Xbox One (where the piece counter is even lower) but the game doesn't break a sweat on PS5 even when at 100%. I wouldn't mind sacraficing 60FPS for bigger parks but rules are rules. To add insult to injury, they give you a massive playing space you're not allowed to fill.

So basically you can build whatever you want, just not too big. It's fine for this kind of thing though. Just don't try and build any substantial park because 1 fullt themed area in and you won't be allowed to build anymore.
 
Matt.GC said:
Scenario editor and the dreaded piece counter are really the only noticeable differences I've seen so far. Other than a few cosmetic things and having to use Frontiers own workshop as opposed to Steam, everything else appears to there. The control scheme is quite remarkable, it takes some getting used to but it's genius how they've managed to keep every feature designed for a mouse and keyboard and map them to a single controller.

But the piece counter is game ruining. They've left all the customisation of PC in which is great but you can only build so much. After someone mentioned it on here, I looked it up and it's to do with licensing from Microsoft and Sony to publish on their platforms. Since the great video game crash of the early 80's, console producers have strict licencing rules on what can be published on their consoles to prevent shovelware, which is what happened to Atari. It was originally spearheaded by Nintendo and continued with Sega, Sony and Microsoft. Basically, games have to perform to certain standards as part of this and Frontier used the piece counter to get around this.

They basically impose limits to ensure the game performs to a certain level. But it seems over zealous to me. I have Planco on PS4, Xbox One and PS5. Granted, it doesn't perform well on PS4 and Xbox One (where the piece counter is even lower) but the game doesn't break a sweat on PS5 even when at 100%. I wouldn't mind sacraficing 60FPS for bigger parks but rules are rules. To add insult to injury, they give you a massive playing space you're not allowed to fill.

So basically you can build whatever you want, just not too big. It's fine for this kind of thing though. Just don't try and build any substantial park because 1 fullt themed area in and you won't be allowed to build anymore.
Click to expand...
I must say, the things you say about the piece counter have further vindicated my decision to not buy a console so I could play Planet Coaster Console Edition… I pondered it, but ultimately decided against it due to already having the PC version. Given my typical style of building, it sounds as though console would not have suited me.

I should note that Scenario Editor was not a base game item on the PC; it was added later on. It was certainly added after I first started playing the game in 2017, anyway. I must admit that I personally find it quite a helpful feature, particularly for things like this contest. Even though I don’t use it for its explicit purpose of building scenarios for Career mode, it’s enormously helpful if you want to make a Sandbox park that’s smaller or bigger than the typical one they give you, which I quite often do! With it not having been a base game feature on PC, I can imagine that it might make its way over to console before too long.

From past experience of PC games ported over to console, I think I’m more of a PC player myself.
 
I'm assuming a setup like Joris is all good as well with asymmetrical sides but come back together at the end?
 
Matt N said:
From past experience of PC games ported over to console, I think I’m more of a PC player myself.
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Well let's not get too carried away. It all depends on what games you play and how much money you have to spend on hardware. The PC ports of Arkham Knight, Cyberpunk and RE4 (one of the best games ever created, being remade next year folks!) were all a car crash.
 
Matt.GC said:
Well let's not get too carried away. It all depends on what games you play and how much money you have to spend on hardware. The PC ports of Arkham Knight, Cyberpunk and RE4 (one of the best games ever created, being remade next year folks!) were all a car crash.
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As I say, I can only speak from personal experience.

I remember that my older sister and I bought The Sims 3 for PlayStation 3 (I think?) when we were kids, and we both immeasurably preferred the PC version. We also played other things on the PlayStation, and I always struggled a bit with the console controller compared to a keyboard and mouse.

I also had a thing for car racing games at one point, and we once had Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the PS3. I found the PS3 version quite difficult to get to grips with, but I bought the same game on my iPad and found it far easier to control (although an iPad is admittedly not especially comparable). Mind you, I was still terrible and crashed into stuff all the time…

I absolutely digress that some things are likely better experienced on console. It’s definitely a format that I can imagine really suiting certain types of game. From my experience of playing games designed in more than one format, however, I’ve usually preferred the PC format. That might just be down to the type of games I’ve played, though.

I’m conscious of the fact that I’m diverting the thread off-topic somewhat, but I do think that this would be an interesting discussion topic…
 
Maybe a thread topic of its own Matt......

Racing games on a tablet? Are you mad man? I still can't get to grips with the touch screen on my phone! Mind you, my first games playing device was a Commodore 64 (games on cassette that had to be loaded in) with a joy stick. This was shortly before getting my Sega Master System in 1989, which felt like the future! A small square controller with a D-pad and 2 (yes 2!) buttons, all in the fitting in the palm of your hand. All games on cartridge that loaded almost immediately, no loading screens and no computer knowledge required. It felt really modern at the time. Had a few mates who had Amiga's. Those were the days.
 
Matt.GC said:
Maybe a thread topic of its own Matt......

Racing games on a tablet? Are you mad man? I still can't get to grips with the touch screen on my phone! Mind you, my first games playing device was a Commodore 64 (games on cassette that had to be loaded in) with a joy stick. This was shortly before getting my Sega Master System in 1989, which felt like the future! A small square controller with a D-pad and 2 (yes 2!) buttons, all in the fitting in the palm of your hand. All games on cartridge that loaded almost immediately, no loading screens and no computer knowledge required. It felt really modern at the time. Had a few mates who had Amiga's. Those were the days.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, I actually found it a lot easier on the iPad myself! The car goes on its own without you inputting anything, so you just swipe up on the right hand side of the screen to enable Nitrous, you turn the iPad to steer, swipe up on the centre to jump, and hold down the right side of the screen to drift. I found it very simple myself compared to a console controller, but I guess that depends how well you do with a touchscreen.

You’re right… I might make a thread on this tomorrow! (Seeing as it’s now 1am, I think I’ll be off to bed after finishing this post…)

On a broadly more on-topic note, you talking about the object limit on PlanCo Console brings back memories of playing RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D in my late childhood. This was at the point where I still actively played on my Nintendo 3DS (those were the days… when I was about 9 or 10, a 3DS was the absolute height of gaming technology!), and I remember RCT3D, while fun, being somewhat short-lived fun, as like PlanCo Console, it had an object limit. This one was particularly over-bearing… I could only ever manage 1 coaster and 2 flats before “local zoning laws” stopped me from building anything else…

On a properly on-topic note; you have 4 days left of Week 5, folks!

In terms of Round 5; I’ve only had 3 submissions so far out of a potential 12, including my own. Please remember that I would be more than happy to facilitate an extension for you if you would like one. If you do not make contact with me and ask for an extension, I will assume that you are happy to forfeit this round and move on after the posted deadline.

In terms of Round 4 voting; I’ve had 5 responses to the form so far. If you’d like to vote, here’s the Google Form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaHWMxQuslPabY2uUMl6yBPcpnCo2-50HXNZkjwVfeMZuuVg/viewform
 
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