For nearly three years, I’ve proudly watched as the Zynga LA studio has grown leaps and bounds. In 2011, we released the social combat and strategy game, Empires & Allies. WithE&A, we tried to take a category of games that we loved – real-time strategy and combat – and bring it to a new audience of players.
Just as soon as we watched E&A spring to life, we started to think: what’s next? We knew we wanted to once again find a game and category and bring it to a new generation of players. One theme in particular that stood out to us was theme parks. This is a familiar category for fans of classic PC games and it’s also one that resonates with millions of people around the world in real life – reports show nearly 300 million people visit theme parks each year in the U.S. For many of us it’s hard to outgrow the allure of a great theme park. I dare you to watch this video of a dad who built his daughter a ride out of PVC pipes and not be jealous.
So, free-falling soon to a browser near you, I am honored to introduce Zynga’s newest ‘ville’ game: CoasterVille, where players create the world’s greatest theme park alongside their friends. True to our studio’s form, we’re taking a new twist on a familiar favorite – one that gives players limitless bounds of expression and creativity.
In CoasterVille, everyone becomes an architect of fun. Players tap into their imagination, as they create and share their very own theme park with friends. Self-expression is a cornerstone of our –ville games, and CoasterVille might be the most expressive game we’ve ever built. Players mix and match an endless combination of game pieces to customize and build unique rides and attractions. Want a double down drop? No problem. Prefer the Immelmann Roll? That’s up to you. And if you decide you want to change it back to a simple loop, you can simply re-customize your ride.
Within each park, players can create their own Themed Lands, from Fantasy Kingdom, Frontier, Jungle Safari and many more. In these lands special centerpiece landmarks can be built from the ground up to attract and delight park visitors. Themed Lands are where the social magic lies. Since players pick which Themed Lands to build, visiting a friends’ park nets players resources that they can use to advance and expand their own park. The guests within your own park won’t exactly be strangers – their names are generated through random combinations of your own Facebook friends’ first and last names. (Disclaimer: Zynga is not responsible for the potentially awkward situation where a guest has your ex’s first name and your parents’ last name.)
Here at the studio, we prescribe to Sid Meier’s notion that a good gameis a series of interesting choices, so we wanted to make sure players felt completely in-control of their parks. As players dive deeper into the game, they’ll find that their decisions determine whether guests have the best experience possible when visiting their theme park. The more thought that goes into placing coasters, restaurants and service buildings, the quicker players can climb the ranks of the world’s greatest theme park. Players can also “boost” rides to record speeds, but need to be careful not to over boost and send their ride into disrepair. Park guests react to the actions players take within the game: some may have a blast and others may become bored. Many will need to “use the facilities” and everyone is guaranteed to puke after a jolting ride.
I’d like to end with a special “Thank You!” to Zynga LA for building a game that offers Zynga players a brand new way to express their creativity and imagination in the powerful design space of a theme park.
Don’t forget to check out the trailer below. Now join us on the lift hill, imagine the next segment and build! You’re in control in CoasterVille and we hope you and your friends enjoy the ride.
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