This tip may sound strange, because it is! But you would be
surprised how effective and helpful this can be. Perhaps there is a
building in your town that you don't like? Try re-producing it in
the game, this results in a win-win situation. Either you will
create a building that you don't like, which will help you to
understand what not to do, or more likely you will finish your
building, take a look at think "You know, that is not too bad
actually!"
Deliberately creating a building that you think you will hate will
encourage you to use building techniques that you think will not
work, and you may discover otherwise. Remember to make it realistic.
I have yet to see an ugly building in RCT3, and it is not through
lack of trying! I have discovered many new building-techniques this
way.
Seriously, I suggest you try it.
Copy elements from real buildings
They say the best stuff comes from real life, the same is true of
buildings. Every day I see and visit many buildings, it is always
worth looking around, and perhaps taking a few photos.
Many of the buildings you see in my parks have elements inspired by
real life buildings.
Inspiration From Real Buildings
I have a gallery of elements that I have taken from real buildings
here.
Don't let anybody tell you that it can't be done
If anybody tries to tell you that something can't be done, think of
that as a challenge. All that really means is that nobody has found
a way to do it... yet!
Wheelchair Access
Some of you may have noticed that in my later projects, every part
of every park is fully wheelchair accessible.
Every area of the park is accessible using ramps, or lifts. Even
though the game does not have wheelchair users in it, I find that
these disabled access features add some realism to the park.
Be Creative with the lifts
The lifts (Elevators) in the game are more than a way to transport
people vertically, they can also be used to enhance the appearance
of a building.
This office building has a restaurant on the top floor. the lifts
not only transport the peeps to the restaurant, but also add
features to the building.
Go easy on the glass
I have seen a lot of RCT buildings online that consist of nothing
more than an attraction contained within a big glass box. It is easy
to forget that in real life, buildings like that would not be strong
enough to remain standing. There should be some walls and supports
to make the building look more realistic. I like to place my glass
walls in "window sills" to give this effect.
As you can see, each glass window is surrounded by something
stronger, in this case, slate. You may also notice that there are
steel supports inside to hold the roof in place.
Remember the lighting
One of the new features that RCT3 introduced was night-mode. When
building, it is sometimes easy to forget about this. Remember to put
lights throughout your building. If you notice any of the lights
flickering, it is because you have too many lights close together.
Buildings Need Supports
I have seen many buildings with giant roofs, with
nothing to hold them up. Although supports are not actually needed,
they do make your buildings look a lot more realistic. The "Wall
Girders" from the "Coloured Wall Set" make great supports.
If used correctly, they can enhance any building.
You can even use them to build towers!
Remember that the Wall Girders are not the only
scenery pieces that can be used as supports, many of the walls can
be used to create pillars as well.
Use Water to your advantage
The water effects in RCT3 are really useful. Reflective water can
really enhance the appearance of a building. Why not try building
reflecting pools near your buildings, or surrounding some of them
with water.
Experiment
The only way you are going to know if something is going to work or
not is to try it. Remember that you can always change it if it does
not work out!
Don't be afraid to delete things and start again
Quite often I will start to build something, and suddenly get a
flash of inspiration on how it could be better. My advice here is to
save what you are creating, and try your new idea. If it does not
work, you can always re-load the old one.
Remember the groundwork
The ground texture surrounding a building can be as important as the
building it's self. The ground surrounding a building should be
realistic. For instance, houses may have have grass in their gardens
and factories may have muddy grass around them. What it looks like
is up to you.
Have Fun
This is one of the most important tips of all. Remember that this is
just a game, and the whole point of playing is to have fun.
