SimCity Amusement Park Set

Hi there, Mayors! My name is Jason Halvorson and I’m a Gameplay Scripter on SimCity. I’m here today to introduce our newest content set, the Amusement Park.

The Amusement Park is a tourist attraction similar to casinos and landmarks, however the way in which you use the Amusement Park is very different. We really wanted to add new content that not only enhances the look and appeal of your city, but also give you even more things to do as a Mayor. And that’s what this set does – in addition to managing your city like always, running a successful Amusement Park is almost a mini-game in itself. Sound fun?

First off, your city earns money from the Amusement Park by having guests either go on rides or purchase goods from concession stands. Unlike landmarks and casinos, where you're paid by the amount of guests you have in your attraction, you’ll need to actually get your park guests to rides and concessions stands in the most efficient way possible. So what does that mean? It means you're really going to need to pay attention to the layout of your park in order to maximise profits.

The first thing you'll need to do is place down one of the three available main gates for your amusement park. Each gate comes with one ride, one concession stand and a stub of road. You'll want to extend the stub of road that comes with the main gate in order to give yourself more room to place additional rides and concession modules.

There are five different kinds of modules:

Signs - These can be placed by your park entrance to attract more tourists to your park. In fact, it not only benefits your park, but all tourist attractions in your city. I highly recommend placing a sign as soon as possible as it’s a fairly cheap module that pays for itself rather quickly.

Main Attractions - These are the rides that tourists really come to your park for (roller coasters, Ferris wheel, go-karts, etc.). Not only do they tend to have a larger capacity for riders, they also will increase the tourist attraction rating of your city. A higher attraction rating means more tourists -- and that's always good for business. Main attractions are also great tools in herding your guests where you want them to go, as guests seek them out first when entering the park.

Secondary Attractions - These rides are cheaper than the main attractions and have a lower maintenance cost (drop tower, carousel, etc.), but doesn’t satisfy as many riders and don’t add nearly as much attraction when compared to the main attractions. Despite that, they’re very beneficial since guests who have just visited a main attraction tend to seek out secondary attractions next.

Concession Stands - These are the cheapest attractions available. They have a small capacity, but work their way through guests quickly. Every guest will go on three rides without going to a concession stand. Once they purchase a good from a concession stand, they are "refreshed" and ready to go on more rides. The most successful parks retain their guests, and without concession stands, it won't happen.

Mini Train Stations - Your guests treat the mini train station much like a secondary attraction. The only difference is that the ride is customisable. You can draw the rail in any way you want within your park, just like a road. It’s a lot of fun winding your rail line throughout the park, through tunnels and over bridges. You can also connect two train stations together, transforming the mini train station into a transport system for your guests. Use the train to transport your guests exactly where you want them to go, whether it’s right to a main attraction or perhaps even to a group of concession stands.

Park Gates - These are additional entrances into your park. Ideally, building a gate close to any major entry point into your city works the best for bringing in tourists. The more direct your route is into your park, the better.

Benches - Although these do not have any gameplay benefits, it just seems cruel not to give your park guests anywhere to sit. Go ahead and build a few around the park and let your guests take a load off their feet.

When you build your first amusement park gates, you'll notice that not all of the modules are available to you right away. Worry not, they’ll become available as you increase your daily profit and upgrade your park to higher levels. If you find yourself stuck and unable to reach the next level, make sure you are maximizing your mass transit systems and have gates as close as possible to them. Also, from time-to-time you should "prune" your less profitable attractions. When you enter the editor, you can mouse over each ride to see their individual performance. Bulldoze the ones that aren’t bringing in enough money and try to put them somewhere you feel would be more popular with your guests.

Good luck Mayors, and have fun!