PCA 2024 Nominated Disney's America Park - The one and only, really truly Bench Four...and The End

[Wabigbear]

Well, originally on this ride it was supposed to be a shooter, so I had the idea to start in the 'city' and then move out to a final confrontation in a rural area...and that's about it.  So I built a short section of track, laid in most of the structures and themeing around it, and then moved onto the next section.  Then later would go back and tweak.  

Most often I was influenced by things I found in the Workshop that I liked...for instance the gas station or the still and bootleggers, so I added track to where these elements would logically (or maybe not...this is ME we're talking about after all - 'logic' doesn't always come into play...) fit. Some things were also influenced by where the original targets were placed - for instance the bootleggers truck has 'liquid' spilling out of the barrels after they were hit by stray bullets.  One scene that didn't show up in the screenshots was inside the barn, where you had cops on one side of the track and bad guys on the other, shooting at each other with a ton of targets for guests to add.  The final scene is of the old ramshackle shack with bad guys holed up inside but it was on fire, again with a lot of targets dropping down.  But the size of the bench was really lowering the quality of the textures - especially those of the targets, and then I thought about whether this would be a theme Disney would have had and I decided to change directions.  Even the unbuilt Dick Tracy attraction for Disneyland Paris wouldn't have had the same sort of shooter ride with guests firing at other 'humans' (even of the cartoonish variety...). 

There's a lot more I would have liked to have done with this ride, the exit is kind of bare and there needs to be more detailing and work on backgrounds in many areas, perhaps someday I'll plop just it on a smaller bench so I don't have to worry about the textures and I can finish it the way I wanted...

[Gin]

I really like how you created this attraction. It's really interactive and cool to look at. I wish you had done a video riding this attraction.

[Wabigbear]

Our tour continues!  (I saw you looking at your watches...)

Leaving Bonnie & Clyde we head back to the streetcar and turn right...

At the end of the street you'll note Tiana's Palace, a fancy eatin' place...

On the right is the entrance to The Bayou Bateaux...aka "Tiana's Bayou Adventure".  The structure is a Workshop find closely based on the Pontalba Building on New Orleans...

But before we get there we'll take a sharp left onto Royal Street...  Drug store on the corner for those who party the NOLA-way too hard.  There's another streetcar making it's way...

Many of the signs I created are actual ones from New Orleans...

They look fairly good after dark too...

Up ahead you can see the Park and the Big Easy restaurant.  Turn the corner to the right and there's an ice cream shop...

A pedestrian street loops around to the right...some of New Orleans 'seedier' establishments find a home here...  "Voodoo Club being one that the tourists seem to flock to.

A small plaza features a Venetian Carousel...

While across the street is the Royal Theater with live stage performances and Disney feature films...  (another Workshop find I tweaked slightly...)

We'll pause here...

 

 

[Wowman]

looking awesome. i love all the curb work and realistic way all the pavements look (and everything else as well)

[JB]

Wow, you've got a fully realized city here; so much detail! It seems like a huge area in these images but it's probably smaller than I think. I especially like the colorful strings of flags stretching across the street. Is the Voodoo Club/House of Voodoo a working ride? IT OUGHTA BE !!11!!!1!

By placing the camera at peeps' eye level you make the shots look very real. Very "you are there". Nice update.

[citytrader]

Thanks wowman! You are totally correct, JB! The sheer amount of detail upon detail Wagi manages to squeeze into a small area is just incredible!

I always start to sweat when he says  "Can I just have the bench back for a little while? I have a couple ideas!" 

Edited August 24, 2023 by citytrader

[Kablary]

A sign that reads 'DRUGS' in neon caps in a DIsney park is kinda hilarious  But that theater is a beaut and the night shot is magical! Really digging how the Big Easy peaks over the top of the roofline. Are the second-story balconies guest accessible, or do they belong to some seldom-spoken club? 

[wolfpaw]

How do you guys continue to nail every single section so perfectly??

[Wabigbear]

1 hour ago, wolfpaw said:

How do you guys continue to nail every single section so perfectly??

Citytrader's so old he's visited most of these places repeatedly since they were founded...and while he can't remember why he came into a room or what he had for lunch earlier, he does have an eye for details like these after long, looooooong years of observation.  His Seven Wonders Park is built entirely on recollection you know...

[Gin]

This is all really impressive!

I don't know if all of this is using in-game pieces, or some from the workshop, but regardless, it's all really impressive how it all comes together.

Again, I've never been to New Orleans, so I don't know how it really looks like, but I do recognize some of it from photos, movies, and videos.

Great job!

[Wabigbear]

It's a mix of scratch-built structures we made along with a lot of blueprints from the Workshop, most of which we tweaked to some degree or just used parts of.  It's a lot of placing stuff like a puzzle to see what works, I can remake one street easily a couple dozen times, and that's before adding all the streetscape details.  Both of us have pretty good eyes for detail (mine tends to go overboard at times!  LOL!) and what seems to 'fit' and are open-minded with suggestions, so we work well together, plus both of us use this game to relax, so there's no big hurry (which is good when I can 'borrow the bench for a bit' turns into "are you going to finish up here anytime THIS year???"  LOL!).

 

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone, most appreciated!  And don't worry, there's only a couple more things to explore in New Orleans before we wrap up with a visit to a spot honoring my kinfolk!

Edited August 25, 2023 by Wabigbear

[Wabigbear]

Next up, a ride on "Bayou Bateaux", which of course recently received a "Princess and the Frog" overlay becoming "Tianna's Bayou Adventure", 'cause synergy is everything!

 

Looks like 'Princess" Tianna is there to see us off...

 

 

We float by the Blue bayou Restaurant...

 

 

Gators???   What do they mean GATORS???

 

 

And now there's "River Pirates"???  What sort of ride is this???

 

 

Fog seems to be rolling in...that's a funny looking green log there on the right...

 

 

 

Looks like a junkyard...for boats...

 

 

 

Avast, there be pirates...puny river ones, but pirates none the less!

 

 

Passing under the train trestle...

 

 

Look at the size of that firefly!   Thankfully it's not a mosquito...

 

 

The frogs are kinda funny-lookin' here as well...

 

 

Well, this looks 'interesting'...Mama Odie's a lover of snakes and gators, but not people it seems...

 

 

There's the old girl now on her front porch...charming...

 

 

"Fresh" zombies?   I suppose they hold together better than the one's past their pull-date...especially if you're just renting them for the weekend.

 

 

Oh, this is one of those famous New Orleans cemeteries!  Looks like a tour group is visiting...

 

 

Hmmm, must be foreigners, they don't look like locals...

 

 

Here comes another group of them...can't seem to find the exit.  "Hey, tour buses load over there!"

 

 

Looks like we're headed back towards the city...

 

 

Local swimming hole...that's how "Slow-foot Joe" became "No-foot Joe" I hear...

 

 

It's The Real Thing...

 

 

Hey, Tianna's here to welcome us back!

 

Time to unload and grab a beignet before we continue...

[JB]

Like Pirates of the Caribbean, only outdoors... and it takes place entirely in the bayou... and there's almost no pirates. I love how you captured the look of an actual bayou, with slow-moving/ still water, and the flooded trees and shrubs.

I wouldn't worry about the funny-looking green logs; swamps are full of those old fallen, moss-covered trees. And I see from the next few pictures that the logs take on all sorts of shapes and poses; some of them actually appear to be leaping out of the water! But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.

"Fresh zombies for rent". So funny on so many levels. People do tend to look like this when they've been on a tour bus for too long.

I love the scene at the end with the guy contemplating diving into the water with the gator, I mean log waiting for him. 

Great looking ride! And great concept!

[Cody]

See that is a bayou adventure! One that actually shows different locations of New Orleans and the swampy setting that Princess and the Frog takes place in. I think that ride system is better than a log flume system because log flumes almost feel rushed because of the knowledge that a big drop is typically at the end. The ride system you used allows riders to enjoy the sights and animatronics more because of the lack of the anticipation of a huge drop to take over. This is a pretty effective overly, hopefully Dr Facilier does not find a way to make deals with the riders.

Overall, I love the area and Tiana's Palace probably has the best food in the park!

[JB]

"and Tiana's Palace probably has the best food in the park!"

I'm sure frog legs are featured prominently on the menu! 

[Cody]

14 minutes ago, JB said:

"and Tiana's Palace probably has the best food in the park!"

I'm sure frog legs are featured prominently on the menu! 

Curious if Peppa Pig theme park serves pork..

[Wowman]

Great idea for a theme. Haven't seen this done in the game yet. just goes to show there is still lots of potential left in these games. Also love the way the train cuts through this ride area as well.

[Gin]

Well done on the theming of this ride - it really does look like you're riding an eerie swamp.

 

[Wabigbear]

Sincere thanks for the comments everyone!

 

As we leave Bayou Bateaux we'll stop for a beignet and a café au lait at Mardi Gras Cakes...

Now we'll access the back entrance to Enterprise...

"Train crossing...look out for cars!"

 

A little further on we leave Enterprise and come to our final destination...

Rushmore Station, a salute to America's National Parks...

 

Wildlife abounds here...raccoons and other 'critters'...

A museum dedicated to National Parks...

 

 

There's a second floor overlook...

Our version of Mt Rushmore...

Next door is a stop on the Disney America railroad...

Restrooms on the left, and looming in the background is the areas main attraction...

Great spot to fill up on Bison Burgers...

Grizzly Lodge...home to the Famous Country Bear Jamboree...

Here's the main entrance...

Portraits of the Cast are displayed...

The Grizzly Lodge Restaurant is located on the second floor, check in and the up the stairs or use the elevator...

Past Fred, our friendly castmember, is a hall with more portraits of the stars of the show...

There's a waiting area with seating...

Finally it's SHOWTIME as we enter the Jamboree Theater. Liverlips is in the middle of his number...

 

Always 'synergy' if it's a Disney Park...and that extends to the Ursine Community...

There's the doors we came through originally...

 

What a show!  Still humming how 'all them guys who turn me on, turn me down"...

The Lodge has seating and tables in it's lobby...

And - of course - a gift shop and small cafe...

You can load up on Country Bear items...

The cafe sells do-it-yourself Smores kits, so after you exit the Lodge...

Just head upstairs to the firepit and toast you up some tasy treats...

Catch of glimpse of of Railroad cars heading past before heading out for the day...

 

Next time we'll take a quick look at some backstage areas, and then that will FINALLY conclude our visit to Disney's America Theme Park...hope you enjoyed your time with us!

 

 

[JB]

I love how the buildings are timber frame construction, or otherwise rustic, in Rushmore Station. And the flora (and fauna  ) is in a semi-wild state. Is the Mt. Rushmore sculpture an in-game piece?

I immediately recognized Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore and Humphrey the bear outside the Country Bear Jamboree:

 "First you pick it up, put it in the bag. Bump Bump!". 

Funny how that song from the cartoon stays with you after all these years.

Hmm, a roaring bonfire next to a huge timber frame structure... what could go wrong? 

Wow! The queue leading to the Jamboree Theater really captures the woodsy lodge look. And of course, the interior of the theater looks great.

I like how the Lodge Restaurant has high ceilings and lots of windows to let the forested outside, in.

Really nice back-to-nature update. Thanks! (Now I don't have to go for my walk today.)

[Wabigbear]

Mt Rushmore is actually a piece done by blackmanshadow from the Workshop!  It's in multiple parts to get around the TMTK size restrictions, but he also shared a blueprint of the all the parts placed together.

[Kablary]

The nostalgia I have while looking at your Country Bear Jamboree reincarnation is so strong....really, really well done Wagi! 

[citytrader]

The most amazing thing about that area is how tiny it actually is. Wagi had the idea, and shoehorned it into a tiny corner of the bench. Really wondeful work!

[Kablary]

I'm sure I missed it somewhere along the way, but can you clarify what constitutes a "bench"? Is it a park file? Or just one part of the park within the park file? Or is it that the park itself is made up of different park files, but collectively they're all one large project? 

[Wabigbear]

Great question! 

A 'bench' usually refers to a 'workbench', and in this instance it kind of means a section of a project, taken to the 'workbench' for closer, more detailed work to just that section of the project.  Some people use 'bench' interchangeably with 'park' as well, but here it means a 'section or part of a project'.

The limitations in Planet Coaster when parks exceed a certain size (mostly based on the overall piece count), sometimes make it easier to make a copy of the park file, then remove items except in the area you are going to focus on.  That allows the piece count you have available to use to increase.  In our case, the original park layout ended up being divided into five parts, because of all the crap we added. Each of those benches when combined make up the whole park which we can't create in one humongous park file.  Each bench is released as a stand alone park file - the parts of the park we didn't focus on on that bench are left blank for the most part, and we usually fix peep spawn points and things like railroad tracks to fit with the smaller size.

 

Gawd I hope that made a small bit of sense!  LOL!