Excitement

Excitement, or Excitement Rating, is one of three Ratings combined to determine the quality and enjoyability of a ride in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series of games. Excitement is measured on a scale that starts at 0 (very dull), and which in theory can be infinitely high (though readings above 10 are extremely rare). Excitement is used primarily as a judge of ride design, and also determines how much guests will pay for ride admission.

Contributing Factors
Ride design is crucial for increasing Excitement. Adding variety to a ride, while decreasing parts that cause discomfort or boredom for the rider, will increase the excitement rating. Generally, rides that have sections that enter the ground are more exciting than rides that stay above-ground. Also, rides that have portions of it going over water will have higher excitement ratings. Rides that have lots of sections that discomfort the rider will have lower excitement ratings; this is evidenced by many rides built that have very low Excitement Ratings while also having ultra-extreme Intensity ratings - the excessive G-Forces of the ride make the ride not enjoyable, and the excitement rating suffers. An intensity rating must always stay below 10, for the ride to stay exciting.

Nearby scenery and theming, when tied into a ride, can massively increase the excitement rating. Even decorations as minor as planting trees can increase excitement, but when a theme is developed and the ride conforms and works within this theme (or vice versa), there is the potential to massively increase excitement scores. In this way, the games simulate reality, as good theming surrounding a ride can in many cases substantially improve a riding experience. Also, having coasters interlocking themselves or others, or having pathways or other rides going trough loops or corkscrews also greatly improves excitment ratings.

Some rides will characteristically have lower Excitement ratings than other rides. Roller Coasters will typically have the highest excitement ratings, followed by Water Rides and Thrill Rides, then Gentle Rides and Transport Rides, although there are exceptions in each category. Since riders will pay more to ride a more exciting ride, it is typical, in a pay-per-ride park, to have the Roller Coasters have the highest admission cost, since they are (usually) the most exciting.

Scale
Excitement is measured on a (nominally) 10-point scale, where higher numbers represent higher excitement ratings. Ratings above 10 are possible, but ratings below 0.00 are not.

Excitement is given a value; x.xx; and that value is associated with a category:


 * Low - Excitement from 0.00 to ?.??
 * Medium - Excitement from ?.?? + 1 to 5.11
 * High - Excitement from 5.12 to y.yy
 * Very High - Excitement from y.yy + 1 to z.zz
 * Extreme - Excitement from z.zz + 1 to q.qq
 * Ultra-Extreme - Excitement from q.qq + 1

Unlike Intensity or Nausea ratings, a higher or more extreme Excitement rating is desirable. Additionally, a guest will not intentionally ride or not ride a ride because of its Excitement rating.

Uses
The Excitement Rating can be used as a crude estimate of how "fun" a ride is. As such, it can be used to determine proper admission prices and ride photo prices, queue/line length, and the amount of advertising it should receive. The Excitement Rating also encourages unique building concepts, use of special track elements, and the construction of rides near each other, near paths, and near scenery. In this way, the Excitement Rating works to encourage real-life ride building practices.