8 Park Planning & Layout Tips

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to park planning in Planet Coaster 2, especially if you are playing the Sandbox Challenge mode when you need to consider park management and guest satisfaction. But before you can even consider where to place your first ride, you should spend some time developing the foundation of your park.

In Planet Coaster 2, park planning can seem daunting, especially if you don’t already have a layout, theme, or other park ideas already in mind. This guide explains eight things you should do to improve your park planning abilities, including ways to more easily plan your park layout in Planet Coaster 2, park planning tips for guest satisfaction and overall park aesthetics, and what you can do to improve the basic starting maps available in sandbox mode.

Look To Real Examples For Inspiration

One of the best ways to come up with an idea for your new park’s overall aesthetic and design is to look at real-life sources. Real-life theme parks are great for helping to come up with overall park and specific ride ideas.

For example, if you look at Alton Towers in the U.K., you can take inspiration for your layout from the overall park map, and take inspiration for your rides from famous rides like Oblivion or Wickerman.

Think about the general theming of your park before placing the first path, as it will inform your choices when it comes to your overall park layout. Looking to real-life examples helps to make your parks more realistic, but don’t feel like you have to copy things one-for-one. It’s good to look at a lot of sources and come up with your own ideas based on what you’ve learned.

Use Terrain Editor To Create An Interesting Map…

If you don’t like the default four terrains that come with each sandbox environment, spend some time in the Terrain Editor to create a more interesting environment. Once again, look to real-life examples or your favorite environments from your favorite media for inspiration. If you’re a big Skyrim fan, try making the Thousand Steps and Whiterun in the Taiga map. If you want to try an Islands-Only map, go into the Tropical environment map and create the archipelago of your dreams.

Consider your park’s theming, then terraform the map to create a foundation for that theme in the rest of your park. The possibilities are practically endless, but it can take some time to create something to your tastes.

…Then Use Terrain Paint To Plan Your Park Layout

Once you have an idea for your park theme and have edited your Terrain to create a good foundation for your park, it’s time to plan the specific layout. Paths, rides, buildings, and scenery all take up space and cost money to place – but you can use the Terrain Paint tool to plan your Planet Coaster 2 park layout for free.

Go into your Customize tool with the Terrain Editor open and select a terrain that will stand out against your park’s ground texture. Plan out your paths, guest hub locations, staff zones, Scenic locations, and of course your Attractions with different textures to indicate their locations.

Later on, you cover up these textures with the Terrain Edit tool once again after placing objects and rides in their appropriate place. Just set your customize brush to the normal terrain for your park and paint over it.

Create Scenic Locations In Between Ride & Guest Hubs

One thing that can really make your park pop is the addition of eye-catching Scenic setpieces. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Planet Coaster 2 scenery objects that range from the smallest rocks to complex construction materials that can be used to make just about anything.

It can be tempting to place all of your Rides and money-making sources close together, but that doesn’t make for a very realistic or aesthetic park. Instead, plan several large hubs with Guest Facilities and Rides all over your park, and leave space for Scenery in between along guest paths.

This way, your guests will be more satisfied by seeing more Scenery as they walk from hub to hub. Consider theming these scenic areas around the theme for nearby rides and areas – an enchanted forest looks great by a Viking zone, for example, while a large statue of Poseidon surrounded by rubble makes for a great setpiece near a Mythology-themed area.

Avoid Congestion By Widening Your Main Paths

One fatal mistake many players make while making their first Planet Coaster 2 park is making paths too thin. In Planet Coaster 2, congestion is a real problem, as guest groups can run into each other on popular paths and slow traffic down to a standstill.

For your main paths, the paths that Guests will spend most of their time walking on to get from hub to hub, make sure to make them as wide as possible to avoid causing congestion. At the maximum 12 width, Guests will rarely create pileups and keep the flow of traffic consistent throughout your park, increasing your income as guests aren’t blocked by anything.

Place Guest Services Next To Pools & The Entrance

Guest Services facilities provide a few valuable things for Guests, but they aren’t necessary for all of your shopping and guest facility hubs. Guest Services sells useful items like Sunscreen and Umbrellas for inclement weather, as well as Pool Passes to allow guests to swim in your park’s pool areas and flumes.

Place one of these near your park’s entrance for guests just coming into the park in bad weather, then be more sparing with other placements. You need at least one by all of your Pools for guests who just wander up and fancy a dip, but you don’t need to place them in most other shopping hubs.

Create A Guest & Staff Hub For Every 3-4 Rides

To keep things organized, and efficiently manage staff between all of your Attractions, build a Guest Hub that connects the entrances to a handful of rides. These hubs should contain Food shops, Drink shops, a Gift Shop, a Restroom, and sometimes a Guest Services building (if you have a pool nearby).

As you increase the number of Rides in your park and increase your park rating, you will bring in more Guests, and will need to meet the needs of more people. Try to cluster your rides together in groups of about three or four, and make sure each of these hubs has easy access to these important services to keep guests satisfied. It’s a good opportunity to elaborate on the theming for that specific area, too, creating “zones” in your park that can all follow different aesthetic designs.

You can make your buildings look like Viking Huts near a Viking section, for example, which also helps to create variety in your park.

Don’t Forget Benches & Bins For Guest Happiness

One of the easiest mistakes new players make in Planet Coaster 2 is not adding enough benches or bins. Guests have Energy levels that need to be replenished by resting, and will become disgusted with your park if there’s too much trash.

The best way to make sure you have enough benches and bins in your park is to turn on Path Extras when building your paths, and select either the Bench or Bin item. When you place paths with this option enabled, Benches or Bins will be created automatically along its length.

Aim to place about 1 bench and bin each for every about 12m of pathing you place down. It might seem like a lot, but it will go a long way in making your Guests more satisfied – just remember to hire enough janitors.