Build main features first and work round them.
Building the big coasters first makes it easier to interlock them without having to remove smaller rides and attractions that may be in the way. This method also enables you to lay down sensible paths. However, it has its disadvantages. Firstly, you will be unable to test your park. Peeps hate walking a long way if there's nothing to do along the way. They'll become bored and go home. You'll also need a lot of handymen and mechanics for just a few rides because of the distances involved. It's also easy to forget things such as drinks stands and toilets if your screen is full of coasters. Building from the top down also requires a lot of planning! Finally, once all the big rides have been built it can get quite boring filling in the spaces with golf courses and flowerbeds and it's quite easy to forget to build that extra toilet if all you can see is rides.

Of course, if you're expanding an existing park then this is the only way to go.

Build one area at a time
The other approach is to build small 'parks within a park'. By concentrating on a small area you are more likely to achieve a balanced park, with guests not having to walk miles to reach the nearest refreshment stand. If you start construction near the entrance you can also periodically test your park to get guest feedback and check for problems. Using this method also allows you to worry about what to do with 'big green space A' another day. Nevertheless, there are disadvantages. Should you wish to build a transport ride, say, into each small park section, you'll have a lot of demolition and tweaking to do. It's also quite tricky to construct a good network of paths.

Which method should you use? I tend to use a bit of both. I'll either landscape the whole park first or just a small area that I'm going to build on and put in my main coasters and transport rides. Then I'll landscape adjacent areas and build any rides that will end up over or under the original park area. I'll also put in the main paths from area to area. Then I'll use the second method to finish off the original section. If I get bored I might start work on one of the other areas. If I open the park for testing I'll just demolish any dead-end paths and only open the rides that are in the finished section.

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The main thing to remember is to keep the terrain natural looking. Use the 'mountain builder' terrain-raising tool (one level lower than the single square spade button - click on the minus sign). It raises the square underneath the spade and also the surrounding land to create a sloped contour. Beware! It raises and lowers land of adjacent squares whether you wanted them moving of not... It takes a bit of practice and can be expensive (not that money should be a problem). Do it a bit at a time and if you're unsure of the consequences then save the game first. Unless you're going for the 'Himalayan' look it's best to include some flat areas. This will also stop your park from turning into a forest of supports when you build rides and paths. Not all terrain has to be hilly. You can build houses, walls, aqueducts, dams and anything else you can think of...

Don't forget that you can also change the look of the terrain, from grass to Martian rock or from muddy cliffs to brick walls. This is especially important if you want to create a well themed park. Try to include water in your park. A river or sea will help you separate themed sections and make your park more interesting to look at. And hey - no park is complete without a boat hire!

If you can't be bothered to do this (it is quite boring) then check out some of the blank parks.

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Avoid dead ends.
Try to construct paths in giant loops so guests don't need to cover the same ground twice. If a path leads to just one attraction then a guest's happiness won't be getting any higher as he or she makes the long journey back down the track if he or she didn't go on the ride. At the very least, every path should lead somewhere; otherwise peeps will get lost. If you have to build a path from a ride exit then place a 'no entry' sign (AA/CF only) on the main path to avoid unnecessary trips. Your handymen and mechanics will ignore the sign.

Avoid long, boring paths.
Aim to have as many attractions as possible on a stretch of path. Long, deserted stretches will result in guests becoming bored and going home or getting lost.

Avoid excessive intersections
A guest without a park map may get lost. Peeps are also likely to turn right around and head back from whence they came - resulting in far-flung areas of the park being almost deserted and paths close to the entrance becoming too crowded.

Advertise with paths
By building paths through coasters you can encourage guests to ride them. Such paths also increase the excitement rating of your rides.

Paths can also be used to create dark rides in a park.


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If possible queues, should be placed with their entrances on busy thoroughfares. This cuts down on wasted trips by peeps who walk down a long path only to discover that they didn't want to go on the ride at the end of it. It also increases the chance of a guest queuing for the ride.

In general, it's best to avoid lengthy queues, but if a park is becoming too crowded then it's preferable to have guests waiting in line rather than whinging about the park being too crowded. If a long line is unavoidable then try to make the wait as interesting as possible to maintain a guest's happiness and stop them wandering off. This can be done through the use of scenery and themeing or by hiring entertainers to patrol the area. With the add-on pack it's also possible to make each ride play music to keep peeps happy - click on the peeps tab of the ride window. (You might want to stop the music being played through your speakers on the options screen because it gets quite annoying. You won't be able to hear it anymore, but your peeps will.)

As with paths, building queues through other rides makes guests aware of them and also increases the excitement rating of the ride. Finally, it's not absolutely to build a queue. If a ride entrance opens onto a path then guests will just jump straight on the ride (if there's room). This is useful for less popular rides such as hedge mazes and slides that run continuously.

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Placing a ride entrance is, however, extremely important to ensure efficient ride operation and cut the queuing time. On rides with a fixed boarding point, place the entrance on the same side as the ride loads from. This is usually on the side that the yellow arrow points to during construction. For example, on the 3D cinema, the entrance needs to be on the same side as the hole where peeps enter the building. This will cut-down on the time it takes to load a ride since guests don't have to walk as far. Of course, some rides don't have a fixed loading point, the pirate ship and roto-drop for example.

On rides with single cars, place the entrance right at the front of the station. For rides with trains, the entrance  should be at the middle of the front train. That way, peeps have just as far to walk to the front and back of the train. See the section on ride timing for more ways to run coasters efficiently.




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Generally it's best to keep the duration of a ride under 4 minutes. Any longer and peeps start becoming bored, wanting the toilet and complaining. Usually this won't be a concern, but be careful when designing water and transport rides.

Always change the number of rotations on the Ferris wheel to 1, otherwise peeps will start wanting to get off...

Except for a few circumstances, such as below or if a ride is really unpopular, ensure that a train will always 'Wait for full load' before leaving the station or has a low 'maximum wait' time. If guests have a long way to walk from the entrance to board a ride then the 'minimum wait time' may need to be increased to avoid trains leaving half full despite a long queue.

For rides with a small capacity or a large number of vehicles, it may be necessary to tweak the ride timings further. The aim is to keep the queue for the ride moving as evenly possible, so that peeps don't start looking at their watches and queues are never empty. Set the 'minimum wait time' according to the formula

Go-karts that are set to 'race mode' and transport rides cause their own problems - see below.

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Water rides
Water rides (except for the boat hire and water slides) move very slowly when not going downhill. The water also slows boats quickly after drops. When building one of these rides try to include a lot of short drops to keep boats moving. Boats also move more slowly when fully loaded, meaning that the ride duration under testing may give a false impression. If a ride is approaching 4 mins in length before it has even opened, then be prepared to shorten the track.

Water slides are prone to crashes if not designed properly. Be sure to test the ride before opening and place enclosed track on fast sections on and after corners. I always use enclosed sections underground (as it's dark anyway). Steep drops can also cause the boats to explode. Water slides (including some pre-built ones in the scenarios) can also get stuck. If this happens, reset the ride (by double clicking on the stop button), uncheck 'maximum wait time' and make sure that the boats 'wait for full load' (heavier boats have more momentum to get up hills).

The boat hire ride can also get jammed. Often, there's not much you can do about this (it's just peeps being stupid), other than adding more water near the problem. If boats are wandering off and getting lost then either raise land to block off an area or add a guide rail to steer boats in the right direction - the track doesn't have to be a complete circuit. Waterspouts (AA/CF only) can also be used to stop guests rowing into trouble.

Go-karts
Go-karts can be made more exciting by setting them to 'race mode'. However, the race winner always goes on to complete a victory lap. Try to set the number of laps so that the winner's extra lap doesn't hold things up too much. Note, that since you can't test go-karts, this can only be done once they're open. If this seems like too much of a drag, then set your karts to 'continuous circuit mode' and charge 'em less... they'll still go on it!

Transport rides
Most transport rides can be set to either 'shuttle mode' or 'continuous circuit mode'. The exception is the chair lift, which is a two-way track - and don't forget to increase the speed of the chair lift!

Shuttle mode doesn't need a loop of track but it can only have one train. Unless space is tight (or it's a scenario and money is tight) then it's best avoided. Instead, stick to continuous circuit mode. It requires a bit more planning but can get more people from A to B. Always build station platforms as long as possible and remember that the capacity of the ride is determined by the length of the shortest platform. Use covered trains to get guests on the ride in the rain. Resist the temptation to make the rides too long. The longer the ride, the less peeps will be able to use it and in extreme cases they'll want to get off. Don't forget that transportation isn't the only use of these rides. They are also a brilliant advertisement for other rides, so make sure the track goes through coasters. Even in the scenarios, I never charge for transport rides. For more adventurous guests, build a few rollerbuses.

Dark rides
Most rides cannot be built underground. However, other rides can become dark rides through the use of paths. For example, by building paths over a boat ride you can simulate a 'tunnel of love'. The paths don't need to be used as paths. It's even possible to build a whole park underneath a roof. Just remember that the maximum height of a path above ground is 20. Wooden coaster tracks also provide a nice 'pagoda' look.

Build a variety of rides near the entrance so that every guest is catered for. If they can jump on a ride that suits their tastes straight away, then they'll become happier more quickly. More timid guests will also benefit from an increase in their 'preferred intensity' rating.

Even the most hardened coaster enthusiast will want to relax on a more feeble ride once in a while. Avoid building rides with similar intensities all in the same area. Guests will become unhappy if they have to walk past too many unsuitable rides. However, more distant parts of a park can have fewer gentle rides. By the time peeps have arrived there, they will have built up their intensity tolerance levels. Usually it's possible to have just coasters and (the less thrilling) thrill rides at the back of a park.

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Instead, scatter shops and stands throughout the park, building them in spaces that would otherwise be full of flowerbeds. Put toilets and drinks stalls near the exits of vomit-inducing rides (sick guests are thirsty guests, but drinking won't make them puke). Souvenir, balloon and hat stands should be placed near the exits of exciting rides, since happy peeps are more likely to spend money. The add-on pack allows you to change the colour of balloons, hats and umbrellas - making it easy to see which stalls are the most popular. Don't worry too much about building food stalls near your chunder rides as green guests will usually end up all over the park. If they're stupid enough to want something to eat then they'll find somewhere to eat anyway! Try to build information kiosks at intersections to take advantage of the fact that they have four windows. One should always be situated close to the entrance before any paths diverge to allow peeps to buy maps and brollies. When building food stalls, try to have a variety of shops in an area. Toffee apple, ice cream and candy floss/cotton candy shops don't generate any litter. Build plenty of benches and litter bins near food and drink stalls as guests like to sit down to enjoy their food. Popcorn and chips/fries also make guests thirsty.

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The key is to use your imagination, but try to be consistent. Whilst the odd barrel in a Roman themed area will look good, a giant pyramid next to a huge mushroom might look a bit daft. A colour scheme for rides in each area will improve the overall look (although it will have no effect on ride stats). With the add-on you can paint sections of rides which cross more than one themed area as well as laying different types of path.

Try to separate different areas of themeing through the use of water, walls (both on paths and ones built from raised land) and other terrain. Remember too, that other landscape features, such as trees and bushes can also be used to shield areas of park as well as contributing to the look of a park. When placing gardens, remember that handymen need to have access to them for watering. If they're not next to a path you'll need to assign a handyman to them.

Theming shouldn't just be an after thought. Try to incorporate it into the design of a ride - a vertical coaster can drop through a volcano or coliseum or a mine train can wind around a mineshaft.

Finally, even the smallest square of land is an opportunity to place a tree or statue - use it!

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