Tips To Make Realistic Theme Parks In Planet Coaster 2

Key Takeaways

• Design realistically by adding fast track queues, ride photos, & scenery from other games for authenticity.
• Add wear & tear to buildings & paths with decals to simulate realism & make the park more lived-in.
• Use music, sound effects, & fences for safety to enhance the overall experience & make the theme park feel alive.

While Planet Coaster 2 is also a management game, one of the most popular things to do is build realistic theme parks. The realism is not only about making the park look great but also about designing it to function like a real theme park.

This involves going beyond the mechanics of the game and thinking about how things really work. For example, many real-life rides have fast track queues and ride photos to buy after, and these are things that players can make themselves. Players can also bring over their learnings from other realistic building games.

6 Have A Car Park & Road For Realism

Connecting The Theme Park To The Rest Of The World Makes It More Realistic

One of the many improvements of Planet Coaster 2 over the original is that guests now spawn out of coaches, but to make their resort even more realistic, players should consider building a car park and potentially even a road leading into the park.

Thanks to the many wonderful Blueprints available in the Workshop, this isn’t even too difficult. Players can either download packs with road markings and signs, or they can download entire parking lots. As the map ends at a certain point, one tip is to have the road go into a tunnel so that it looks like it continues. Of course, if players are playing in Franchise mode, then they will not be able to afford all this at first. Once they have their profits up and an established park, then they can think about adding these realistic elements.

5 Use Decals To Add Wear & Tear

Real Theme Parks Don’t Stay In Perfect Condition

One of the best ways to make buildings and paths look more realistic is by adding wear and tear via decals. Real theme parks, even the best, don’t stay in pristine condition, and thousands of guests walking around the park means that paths quickly get worn in.

These decals are easy to add to flat surfaces, and by playing around with the colors, players can make all sorts of dirt. One tip is to set a decal’s color to be ever so slightly darker or lighter than the surface it’s placed on, and this will make it look as though it’s taken some light damage. Moss can also be good to add, and there are even decals for vents to make buildings look more functional.

4 Fill All Gaps With Scenery Items, Especially Foliage

Empty Gaps Between Paths Look Bad

If players look at a mediocre park and one of the best in the game, one key difference will likely be all the gaps. These blank spaces between paths and rides draw the eye, especially when there are sharp edges. Therefore, it’s best to fill them with foliage or other scenery items. Bushes and other plants can also hide anything ugly or unfinished.

Thankfully, filling in these gaps has never been easier thanks to the new Scenery Brush, which essentially allows players to paint items in an area, rather than having to place them by hand, one by one. There are preset Scenery Brushes for foliage and rocks based on size and geographical location, but players can also create custom brushes out of whatever they like. Having lots of scenery will also help increase the Park Rating in Planet Coaster 2​​​​​.

3 Download Scenery Packs From The Workshop

Other Players Create Truly Mindblowing Things

The Workshop for Planet Coaster 2 is a wonderful resource, as it allows players to upload their creations so that other players can download them, no matter the platform. A good thing to look out for is custom scenery packs, where creative individuals use smaller pieces to make larger realistic objects, such as fire extinguishers and the like.

Using these decorative items, players can make their park look more realistic and lived in. It’s even possible to dissect these creations to learn how to make similar custom scenery items. These can be particularly great for decorating gift shops and other buildings. Using other people’s creations is even realistic in itself, as theme park owners don’t build or make everything themselves, they outsource architectural designs and purchase vending machines and the like.

2 Use Music & Other Sound

This Helps Make A Theme Park Feel More Alive

Having a theme park that looks great is one thing, but music, sounds, and effects can all make a resort truly feel alive. Rides themselves, of course, have music options and sound triggers, but music can also be added to parts of the resort, such as a magical forest path leading to a dark brooding area.

To add music in Planet Coaster 2, head to Scenery items, then Props, and then Interactive. There are currently four speakers available, and they can play music, ambiance, and sound effects. They can be used alongside an Event Sequencer to trigger at parts of rides or as guests walk past.

1 Build Protective Fences To Stop Guests Being Harmed By Coasters

Rides Have Security In Real Life

Protecting guests from rides is not a mechanic in Planet Coaster 2, but in real life, dangerous rides will have strong security fences around them. This is both to prevent guests from walking into the path of an oncoming coaster and to stop them from tampering with anything.

Therefore, this is something players should consider if their goal is realism. Of course, for parts of a coaster that are high up in the sky, this is not a problem. Making signs warning of danger can also be a nice addition, and these could be added around power generators too.