Is it possible to run RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 in windowed mode?

Question

Is it possible to run RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 in windowed mode?

I have Windows 7 and the game works, but since my resolution is bigger than the game can handle, I would prefer to play in windowed mode instead of having the game scale.

So is it possible? And how can I activate it?

Thanks

Answer

No, it's not possible at all to run RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 in windowed mode. The only thing I could think of, while drastic, is running the game in a virtual machine like VirtualBox or just Windows 7's XP mode and thereby 'faking' windowed mode. I'm not sure what that'll do to performance though.

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Have RCT3 retail on my PC, bought RCT3: Platinum from Steam. How should I set up?

Question

I've had a retail copy of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 since it first came out, which was several years ago. It's a great game. I don't play it as regularly as other games, but I still love it.

The other day there was a Steam Daily Deal on RCT3: Platinum (RCT3 + Soaked! + Wild!). I went ahead and grabbed a copy because I don't have the expansions, there was no way to purchase each individual expansion via Steam, and 10 bucks seemed a good deal in my book anyway. Also, I like the Steam platform.

My save games and other data are probably going to be compatible two expansions up, so I'm not worried about those. But what do I do with my existing RCT3 installation itself? Do I need to get rid of that first before having Steam install RCT3: Platinum?

Answer

You should run into no problems. If you're hurting for disk space, you could delete it, but your OS knows which one is which and they are not sharing resources.

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How do you recover after a coaster crash in Roller Coaster Tycoon?

Question

I realize this is an old game, but it's fun to pull out every once in awhile. However, I've found that I never make it very far into the game because I'll end up crashing one or more roller coasters on a particular level.

It doesn't seem to be avoidable. The crashes just happen eventually, even if your maintenance worker is checking it every 10 minutes. Every time this has happened, I can't recover or re-open the coaster after it's fixed. All I can do is delete the entire roller coaster, which can be costly and very annoying.

Is there any way (without using a cheat) to avoid the crash or recover after it?

Answer

Try switch to the red flag and click the red flag again, It worked for me in R.C.T.2 but I am sure it should work in the first version too.

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Why does RollerCoaster Tycoon (original) on a Windows 7 64-bit VM display a black screen on launch?

Question

I'm currently trying to avoid Windows XP mode since the Windows 7 installation itself is a VM (running on a Mac Mini). Regardless, here's my description of the problem.

The game successfully launches, but displays a black screen. You can hear the music play on the title world. I end up using ALT-TAB to switch out of full screen mode so I can quit. I know that once I get the game into windowed mode it'll work fine, however I've tried numerous command line switches to no avail.

I have the following compatibility options currently set:

• Compatibility mode: Windows XP SP2 (also have tried Windows 98/ME and Windows 95)
• Disable visual themes (at least required for the save dialog to appear)
• Disable desktop composition
• Run this program as Administrator (otherwise I know the game cannot save)

I have also tried (no success):

• Run in 256 colors. I've also switched to the Windows 7 Basic theme and 800x600 resolution.
• Run in 640x480 resolution.
• Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.

I've tried the original game, with and without Corkscrew Follies installed, and with and without all known available patches.

So I'm looking to get the display working, regardless of method. If there's a command-line switch I can use to force a windowed mode (I've tried -w, -win, -window, -windowed) that would be just as fine.

Answer

I've been able to run the game under Wine, so you may have better luck with that then in your Windows VM.

Instructions for installing Wine on your Mac are here.

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What's the best way to run PC games like RCT3 on a Mac?

Question

OK, I've got a PC version of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 on PC CD-ROM, but I've upgraded to a Mac (MacBook Pro OSX Snow Leopard specifically) and I want to re-install it.

I understand there are a number of options for running PC games/software on a Mac, such as Wine, VirtualBox or BootCamp.

I already have a Windows XP VM in VirtualBox, but that's slow enough without trying to run something like RCT3 in it.

I know there's a Mac port of RCT3 released, but I don't want to spend extra money when I already have a perfectly valid PC version already.

Answer

Boot Camp is your best option, especially because it is unlikely that RCT3 is going to be the only Windows game you decide to play. Newer games will want access to all the hardware they can get, so giving that to them through a regular Windows installation on the MacBook is optimal.

The one and only drawback to Boot Camp is that you must reboot your computer in order to play the game, so it is not as quick as popping the CD in and starting the game.

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