2tainment releases Virtual Rides® 3, the long-awaited successor to the successful fun fair ride simulation series Virtual Rides®
2tainment and ZeichenKraftwerk announce the long-awaited third installment in the fun fair ride simulation series Virtual Rides®.
The third installment in the Virtual Rides® series, which fans have been eagerly waiting for, will be available in retail stores and via SteamTM starting in 2017. Developer ZeichenKraftwerk has added a slew of new features to the new version. The number of rides has tripled in comparison to its predecessor and the entire fairgrounds have also significantly increased in size. But it is not only quantity which the latest title of this successful series has to boast about — the developer has also greatly improved the AI of the visitors, which now do not simply just populate the grounds, but also fill it with life and make you feel as if you were really in an amusement park.
The player is transported to a carnival environment and takes on the role of a ride operator. As any die-hard amusement park fan knows, the right atmosphere can only be achieved with an excellent operator. The player has the option of playing preconfigured jingles or even grabbing the microphone and completely immersing himself in the role. The improved graphics engine allows for a much more immersive amusement park experience, whether by day or by night. Furthermore, transitions between day and night as well as the weather can now be performed both manually and automatically.
By standing at the corresponding control panel or using a keypad, you can tone down the excitement on the ride, give visitors a short breather, add some mist, and change the color of the environmental lighting to a calming green. But that was just the calm before the storm. Now it’s time to switch on the stroboscope, pierce the swathes of mist — and put the pedal to the metal! An echo effect is added to the microphone: Time for the last round, guys! Screams and shouts of joy are accompanied by exhilarating electric beats.
Furthermore, with Virtual Rides® 3, the player will have the option of customizing his ride down to the very last detail. The colors of the various components can be individually configured, add-on parts such as decorations and effect devices can be installed, and operators can also choose from a wide range of themes.
Steffen Schaller, CEO of Zeichenkraftwerk: “Because we too were huge fans of fun fair rides since we were kids, it was not only important for us to ensure a realistic implementation of the simulation when creating Virtual Rides 3 — our goal was to create a coherent overall experience that ignites the same passion we have, even in players who are new to the scene, by bringing the amusement park to them in their very own home! It is a fond reminder of the fascination amusement park rides holds for us with all their colorful, blinking lights!
Key features:
• 15 simulated and unique rides
• Over 100 booths on the grounds
• Completely open, significantly larger fairgrounds
• Advanced human simulations/crowds
• People react to time of day/weather
• People walk and interact with environment
• Both manual and automatic control of weather and time
• Realistic controls on 3D panel
• Comprehensive design and adaptation of rides
• Physics-based materials and reflections
• Newly developed lighting system