By now, we know that the new coaster editor is in the designing phase. But that doesn't mean it's too late to throw ideas around for it.
One of my concerns for the new coaster editor is that it'll be too much like No Limits. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because No Limits is a powerful program that can build darn near anything you can imagine a coaster to do. However, I feel that implementing such an advanced program into a game like RCT might be a little too much for some of the newer players to handle. Here are a few of my ideas to ensure that making a coaster can be easy for newcomers, powerful for advanced tycoons, and generally fun for everyone.
Auto zero-lateral banking by default - As a coaster travels around a turn, it experiences lateral g-forces. Modern coasters are designed with banked turns and curves to reduce lateral forces. My first idea is to make the coaster editor 'smart enough' to automatically bank your turns and curves to generate zero lateral forces by default. This means you'll get the perfect amount of banking every time. And you can always go back to manually edit the banking of any curve if you wish. Especially for RMCs and ElLocos.
G-force visual layer - An idea taken straight from No Limits 2. Click a toggle button, and you get a visual representation of the g-forces experienced throughout the ride.
Placeable real-time testing points - Remember in RCT3 how we could test a ride mid-construction with the 'ghost train'? And it would automatically reset when it reached the end of the layout? I'm proposing the same thing here, but with one addition: With the press of a button, you can place a 'start/end point' along your layout, and the 'ghost train' will start it's trajectory at that point, at the same speed it would've had if it had gone full-circuit. With this, you'll no longer have to wait for your train to get to the point of the layout that you're currently working on.
Force vector design nodes - A separate tool in the editor. Another idea taken from No Limits 2 but, for the love of God, a little easier to use. Probably more along the lines of Newton2. But like, very basic. Wanna make a perfect airtime hill? Set the G value to zero, and set how long this value is true. Bam, perfect airhill. Add a roll to it to make a perfect zero-g roll. Wanna go for ultimate realism? Set your G value to 4 g's to achieve the perfect pull-out for drops, no more guessing.
Auto-Heartline by default - Because why not? Every modern coaster built in the last two decades have been designed with this philosophy. By default, rolls and banking transitions are auto-heartlined for your convenience.
Stalling indicator - No more guessing if your trains will make the complete circuit or not. In the editor, if an element in your layout will be too tall for the train to make it without a lift, it turns red. Sim Theme Park had this.
Collision detection - Cannot place this piece because Rollercoaster 1 is in the way? Instead of a pop-up, a simple visual: it turns red.