A huge hit on PC, Planet Coaster: Console Edition promises to translate the theme park creator and management sim for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X later this year. The first dev diary explores some of the high level controls and UI changes that Frontier Developments are bringing to the game.
Two of the biggest areas that Frontier have focussed on are the controls and the camera in particular. A new camera mode is being introduced to let you build your coasters from a viewpoint that follows the track as you place it. Think that bit where Gromit is laying the model train tracks, but in a video game and with less dramatic music and evil penguins.
There’s also a big console focused overhaul of the UI, with radial menus available to replace the keyboard shortcut functionality of the PC version. These will naturally be context sensitive to each mode, whether it’s creating a coaster or editing the scenery.
And to help you tap into your creative juices, there’s hundreds of new blueprints being added to the game, so you can very quickly drop great-looking buildings and scenery for their park. Of course, for perfectionists, you’ll either want to start from the ground up or heavily tweak these blueprints.
In our original Planet Coaster review, Dave wrote:
Planet Coaster feels like a step into more modern times for the genre. There are bugbears when it comes to the camera and the subsequent patience required to build your perfect theme park, but should one have the stamina to intricately design features for their park, the possibilities are nigh on endless. Managing can feel simplistic at times, but for those who want to have the amusement park of their dreams, even if they use mods from Steam Workshop to supplement their masterpiece, Planet Coaster has it in spades. Now if only the rides could be viewed in VR…
Planet Coaster: Console Edition will be out for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X later in 2020.
Source: press release
