Harper’s Amusement Resort
Hey all,
So, I have finally decided to sit down and begin work on a full-length storyline RCT3 park. I had an awesome start to the season, making six or seven park trips in two months, which prompted some TPR’ing. I stumbled onto my old favorite category, the theme park sim one and was ecstatic to see people still into my favorite game of all time. I decided that I wanted to finally complete a project, so I began doing some brainstorming, getting some general ideas of what I wanted to do. Firstly, CS supports were out of the questions. IMO, custom supports were for the days when we didn’t have auto generated, nice looking supports, which both PLC & RCTW have afforded us. I have decided to name the park Harper’s Amusement Resort, located in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. For now, I’m going all vanilla, which cheats for some object collision. I’ve probably spent about two hours in the park so far and am excited to begin the story, so without further delay, allow us to begin. {/i}
07/10/1966
Mark,
I found some interesting stuff regarding the fairgrounds they’re constructing over in Harper’s Ferry, and I figured you’d want a look.
It seems that the park is being operated by some wealthy landowner, who wanted to build the park for his grandkids. Guy’s name is Luke Feith. This is the eighteenth month of construction. There’s not much going on in terms of quantity, but you’ll be excited to hear about the variety going on. There’s a Carousel (yawn) and a Loop-O-Plane already installed, but apparently the guy is really into custom layouts. There’s a PTC woodie, designed by John Allen, and a custom Ghost Train. I reached out to Feith and he claimed he’d be more than happy to show me around the park next week.
I’ll drop you a follow-up letter with some photos next weekend.
Best,
John
07/17/1966
Mark,
Gotta followup on my last note. Had an opportunity to see the park for real yesterday. It’s something, dude. Feith was a super nice guy. Eccentric, but nice. He said they plan to open next April, leaving nearly a year to finish up the park. He promised me a follow-up in February to review progress.
Here’s your entrance area. Typical; security windows. Beyond is the main entrance. Very small, I wonder if Feith will be prepared for next summer.
Here’s the actual entrance.
Midway shot. I walked down to the other end and snapped this. There were a few other people on the tour, mainly Feith’s family members. They all noted what an interesting man he is.
The lead mechanic did a demo of the Carousel. Behind that, the ‘Main St Market.’
Here’s a cool shot: the ‘Spook House.’ Only the exterior is done, so, of course, Feith wouldn’t let us in.
I wasn’t supposed to take this, but… Feith invited us to the Main St. Kitchen for a tasting menu experience. Pictured is the unfinished inside. (Off limits…) The food was good, but average of an amusement fair; burgers, shakes, and fries.
Here’s of some interest for you, Mark. Its a PTC; Feith calls it Firefly. He claims it has the best ejector airtime in the world. Very, very, unfortunately, we were not allowed a ride.
I only had about two hours, so I (rather glumly) prepared to return home, feeling like I hadn’t really gotten that much out of the day. However, as were leaving, Feith slipped me a card, with an aerial view of the park.
I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun here, friend.
Oh, and its got a name: Harper’s Amusement Resort.
Best,
John