Interviewing the developers, Roller Coaster Tycoon edition

Roller Coaster Tycoon World is having the finishing touches put on it as it's successfully finished being beta tested by endearing fans. It's been a bumpy road as things haven't always had a positive impact on the community at large. There have been a few missteps, but the feedback gained is being take to heart and being taken very seriously.

We had a chance to ask a few questions with Matthew Labunka, a senior producer over at Atari whose working diligently on making sure Roller Coaster Tycoon World meets the expectations the series demands. They're very excited about the direction that it's taking and want it to be a game that everyone of every skill level can properly enjoy. You don't have to be a master architect or engineer to appreciate the complex tools, but if you want to make some intricate, physics-defying contraptions, you can do that too.

Let's delve into the conversation and see where this train (or roller coaster) is headed. The franchise is old, but there's plenty of innovation to be had.

How's the future look? Can we expect expansions or DLC of either the paid or free variety down the line?

The future is bright! We are super excited about launch and just as excited about what we plan to add afterwards. Our first goal was to have a super solid foundation and base game. We accomplished that by using the amazing systems that our team created, namely UGC, the lack of a grid, and coaster editing tool. We have a strong framework to which we will be adding a ton of awesome free content! On top of that, we have expansions planned that will allow players to experience the game in entirely new ways.

Our mission is to support the community and adapt as well as grow the game with them. We will be announcing our plans for this with due time. All fans need to know is that our engine is solid, our game is fun, and we plan to add even more as we go!

The ride editor looks incredible, but are there going to be simpler options for those that also want crazy yet complicated rides but don't want to spend the necessary time testing?

Yes, of course! Our tool is designed with both the hardcore and casual player in mind. For our hardcore players we have a completely freeform spline based editor mode. It literally lets you draw a coaster using your mouse. It's completely freeform and incredibly powerful. For mid-core fans we have an additional piece by piece mode more akin to what we have done in the past with the franchise. It allows for the placement of structured and exact pieces that can all individually be fine-tuned. Last, but certainly not least, our casual players can enjoy a number of pre-built coasters. Each coaster type comes with a set of pre-made coasters that you can simply place with one click.

Are there any plans to implement DirectX 12 in the game?

Our engine is Unity 5 and as it evolves, so do we. We constantly evaluate new technology and integrate it when the time or need is right.

It seems like it would be perfect as a VR experience. Is that a possibility in the future?

We agree. VR does naturally lend itself to the simulation genre. We are working on designing the best experience for the platform. A solid VR experience takes time to design and we want to provide relevant game features that fit the platform. Because Unity allows us to launch VR on multiple pieces of hardware simultaneously we will be in a good position to activate when ready.

Thank you Matthew for taking the time to answer our questions. We really appreciate the time considering you guys are busy putting the final touches on what's sure to be an exciting game in new ways.