Paths

Paths allow your guests to walk around the park.

Guests and Paths

An unlimited number of guests can walk on a path in any direction, and they never bump into each other.

Guests will follow a path until an intersection, entrance, exit or until the end, they can't turn around in the middle of a path. Unless you provide guests with maps, the direction the guests take is purely random. Guests with maps will head towards their destination rides/stalls, and avoid paths leading to dead ends.

Guests never leave a path unless you delete paths or they fall off a ride exit onto the ground (or you pick them up and place them off a path). "Lost" guests wander around the ground until they find a path.

Building Paths

Path Types

In RCT1 and RCT2, paths can be constructed using the path builder window, in the center of the topbar. There are 2 kinds of paths: Queue Lines and normal paths.

Queue lines are built from ride entrances and allow people to queue for rides. In the Original RCT, all queue lines were blue. Corkscrew Follies allows the building of green, red and yellow queue lines. When a queue line connects to an entrance and a normal path, a banner displaying either "closed" or the ride name will appear at the head of the queue line.

Normal paths allow normal movement, but Queue Lines can also function as general paths if they don't lead to a ride entrance. In the original RCT, there were 5 different kinds of path design. The selection was expanded in Corkscrew Follies and further in Loopy landscapes.

Queue lines won't connect to adjacent queue lines, but will always connect to an adjacent normal path.Once queue lines connect, you can no longer extend them. Queue line never form intersections.

Normal paths always connect to other adjacent normal paths. In RCT2 and RCT1, the creation of 2 paths side by side will form a wider continally intersecting path; many guests become stuck as they wander in circles around the paths. In RCT3, large intersecting paths no longer caused guests to be stuck.

Path building options

Paths can be built in 2 ways in RCT1 and 2. A direct method allows you to place path square by square, but only on flat and sloped path (not diagonal slopes or edges). Path tiles automatically connect to adjacent path tiles, forming continuous paths. Sloped paths only connect to paths parallel to the gradient, 2 sloped paths side by side never connect. Ground paths cost $10 in the original RCT, queue lines $12, but both were revised to $12 in loopy landscapes. You can delete paths by right clicking on them. The refund is always $10 regardless of what the path originally cost.

You can also change the path style or type of existing paths, even underground or elevated paths using this method. Replacing a path with a different type/style costs $6.

The second method allows you to select the head tile , i.e where you start building the path, and allows you to add paths linearlly section by section. You specify the direction using the arrow buttons.

In this method, you can add elevated paths by selecting the slope up/down options. Elevated paths cost than normal paths, depending on the height. Supports can be customised in Loopy Landscapes, up to 5 options are available. Paths have a maximum support height of 40 in RCT1, trying to create paths any higher off the ground will cause an error message saying "Can't build footpath here, too high for supports". Paths can be build over tracks and other paths; a clearance of 2 height marks is needed for guests to pass through.

By building into a cliff, underground paths or tunnels can be created. Underground paths always cost $32 in RCT1, regardless of depth. Underground paths must clear other rides/paths by 2 height marks underneath.

Trivia and Tips

In RCT1, there is a bug where when you place a sloping path directly in front of a ride exit at the same height, guests magically float up on to the sloped paths even though the path is not connected. Mechanics cannot enter by this way though, so make sure paths always connect to ride exits.
In RCT1, convert a queue line with guests already queuing on them into a path, and queing guests will continue to stay in line until the line moves. Then, they will walk all the way up the queue line (as like normal paths) and reach the entrance, only to turn back and resume walking normally.
Guests never vandalise or puke on an underground path.
Delete an evelated path, and the guests on it will drop to the ground or a lower path. Delete underground path, and the guests on it will "drop" into the void.
To prevent the queue line prematurely connecting to the path, delete an adjacent path or use queue lines for normal paths instead.
Queue lines also have a tendency to connect to an adjacent ride exit or stall, causing them to end. Dont place entrances close to exits or stalls to prevent this from happening.
Mechanics never enter a queue line by themselves. So if you decide to make use of a queue line as a path, do not connect them to exits.
The only staff who purposedly leave paths are handymen, set to mow the grass.