[Q & A Session] Ken Allen

[Josh]

We had the rare opprotunity to have a question and answer session with the senior producer for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (and expansion packs) at Atari, Inc., Ken Allen. We've covered everything from RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 to the new upcoming expansion pack, Soaked!

By [url=\"http://josh@killanet.net\"]Joshua Martin[/url] - May 9th, 2005


[b]1.) Could you please give us a brief description of what you do for Atari?[/b]
[i]A.) My title is Senior Producer. It is my role to supervise development on
behalf of Atari. I do not manage the development team first-hand; this is
the role of the producers and project managers who work for the developer.
Rather, I ensure the product being developed is the game the as Atari
expects. This requires me to evaluate each stage of development and offer
feedback and guidance to the developer. Beyond this, I make sure marketing
and QA and other parts of the company have everything they need to
manufacture, promote and sell the product. So every little detail (such as
the punctuation on the readme.txt file or the little TM symbol on the logo)
to every big detail (such as ensuring the right software is sent for
manufacturing) falls under my jurisdiction.[/i]

[b]2.) How satisfied are you with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3?[/b]
[i]A.) I'm thrilled with RCT3! The game is quite fun to play, especially in
sandbox mode. And it's been selling well, too. It debuted at number 1 in PC
sales and remained there for several weeks. In fact RCT3 has remained near
the top of the PC sales charts ever since its release. Finally, I am pleased
with the game's reception among fans of the RCT series as well as critics.
It's a rare product that has financial and critical success AND is well
received by the loyal RCT fans.[/i]

[b]3.) RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 introduced a new type of music which creates a
great impact on the game itself. Was this music made for RollerCoaster
Tycoon 3 specifically?[/b]
[i]A.)Music and sound effects were created specifically for RCT3. In fact,
support for music took a huge leap forward in RCT3 with the feature to allow
players to add music from their own MP3 library. It's yet another way people
playing the game can make the park feel more like their very own. And
because the game is 3D, we also added support for directional audio, so when
you are close to an object that makes sound, you'll hear it louder than
objects further away. My background is in audio and composition, so high
quality audio and music is always at the top of my checklist in game
development.[/i]

[b]4.) Who is "Alistair Lindsay"?[/b]
[i]A.) To misquote H2G2 author, Douglas Adams, "He's just this guy, you know?"
But seriously, Alistair is the composer for the music in RCT3. His
contributions for video gaming range back to 1994. Some of Mr. Lindsay's
credits include, Donkey Kong 64, Perfect Dark, The Getaway, and Wallace &
Gromit in Project Zoo.[/i]

[b]5.) Do you know how many expansions will be made for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
before moving onto RollerCoaster Tycoon 4?[/b]
[i]A.) We will create at least two expansion packs for RCT3, the first one,
"Soaked!" will be in stores worldwide in late June. The other will be
released for the Christmas '05 season. Beyond that, we are exploring all the
options.[/i]

[b]6.) It was rumored for about a week that RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 would not be
released by the set release date because The Sims 2 came out and had the
same exact menus as RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Could you clarify this for us?[/b]
[i]A.) I've not heard this rumor. There was never any delay anticipated for the
release of RCT3. In fact, the game was actually released about 30 days
sooner than planned in order to pair up with WalMart in a special promotion.
I've seen Sims 2 and can say with confidence; our menus are not even close.[/i]

[b]7.) Who do you feel are the biggest competitors with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3?[/b]
[i]A.) Currently there are no other amusement park games, coaster editing games
or tycoon games that have the kind of success we've enjoyed with RCT3.
Unfortunately, there are several budget games out there that give the tycoon
genre a bad name. So in away, we're competing against the tainted reputation
created by these budget titles. I remember hearing one of out marketing
people say, "RCT3 is the world's greatest tycoon game, but don't hold that
against us!" In a way, the real competitors are the expectations of the
loyal RCT fans. We love these folks and have really tried to listen to their
expectations. So far, the fans like most of what we've done. And we'll
continue to work very hard to earn their dedication to the brand.[/i]

[b]8.) RollerCoaster Tycoon 3's very own expansion pack will be released in
June. Do you think that this expansion pack will give the fans what they've
been looking for?[/b]
[i]A.) Personally, I think "Soaked!" is a logical first step for creating
expansion packs for RCT3. But we also did some marketing research to confirm
our thinking. Adding water parks to existing amusement parks was rated very
favorably with the players we surveyed. But we've added much more than just
water park attractions. We've released a lot of details to the press, so I
won't repeat the feature list here.[/i]

[b]9.) The expansion pack's name has been announced to be "Soaked!". Why
"Soaked!"? There surely can't be anything to soak the user playing the game
now can there?[/b]
[i]A.) "Soaked!" was suggested by our marketing brand manager. And I think it's
GREAT! I'll let you in on a little secret; the working title (which was my
idea) was "RCT3: Cape Typhoon." I chose the name because it suggested the
name of a place. Where "Soaked!" implies more action and experience, which I
think upon reflection is a better choice.[/i]

[b]10.) What's the biggest accomplishment in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked!?[/b]
[i]A.) The water effects are spectacular on "Soaked!" But we've also added
tunnels to the terrain editing tools - this was the most requested feature
from players of RCT3 so adding it to "Soaked!" was practically a "must."
There's lots of new stuff in the game as well, but I think these two
features are at the top of the list.[/i]

[b]11.) Beta testing for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! went into full testing
on April 21, 2005. How well has this beta test been going?[/b]
[i]A.) By all accounts, the open beta has gone swimmingly (pardon the pun).
This effort has really helped in the development and testing of "Soaked!" We
wanted to do an open beta for RCT3, but these things take a great deal of
coordination and resources, which we didn't have during the test phase of
RCT3. It is my expectation that we will do an open beta for most games at
Atari from now on, especially multiplayer games. But getting back to RCT3
Soaked!, we've accomplished out goals for the open beta.[/i]

[b]12.) The beta testing admin stated that Frontier was a bit hesitant about a
public beta test. Has anything been leaked to the public or has anyone
violated the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)?[/b]
[i]A.) Actually, Frontier was quite eager for the open beta and were very
supportive of the program. But Atari and Frontier are also aware of the
reality and risks associated with executing an open beta, and we've taken a
number of steps to reduce them. We've seen excellent compliance by the beta
testers with regard to non-disclosure.[/i]

[b]13.) Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. On behalf of
KillaNet Technology Ltd., I thank you. Do you have any last comments?[/b]
[i]A.) Thanks Josh. I feel very privileged to be associated with the successes
of RCT3 and to be counted as one of the fans of the series. RollerCoaster
Tycoon is one of the icons of computer gaming and it is my goal to honor
that status by continuing to add excellence to the franchise. [/i]