How to start building a park correctly?

[MadRaven]

So I'm playing RCT2, I pick "Build your Own Six Flags Park" from the main menu, and the game smacks me upside the head with a gigantic blank canvas of park. I'm sitting here thinking "Well, I know how to manage a park, but how the hell do I start building one? I think this goes here and...no, that looks messy...maybe that goes there...no, I don't want it there..." Before I know it, I'm down to 500kr before any guests come because I can't decide where the frick to put my stuff.

What do I do to start building a new park? How should I draw footpaths? Should coasters/buildings go outside footpaths, inbetween them, etc.? I'm not sure what to do...

[jensj12]

Is the problem that you can't make any money or that you don't know how to make it look nice? In case it's the latter, I can't help you (look at real parks instead and build out slowly), but for the former, here are my tips: One of the most important things is to not just build giant coasters right away, but start with a few flat rides and a small (but fun) rollercoaster. Don't be afraid to take max loan and managing your park is as important in a small park as it is in a big park. Try not to remove anything you've built for the first few years as it will likely only lower your bank account. Scenery only improves existing rides up to a limit while a new ride will always attract more guests, so don't go overboard with scenery. Where you put your paths isn't that important, as long as everything is connected and the walk distance for guests isn't much longer than it needs to be.

[Broxzier]

That's part of the game, isn't it? Being creative is the way to go. Try to build things on the fly, and not remove it too soon because it doesn't look good. You can always make it look nicer with scenery. After a while you'll get the hang of it for sure.

As for the money problem, when I start an empty map I usually keep the 10l-15k load for quite some time, and start off by building a Money Maker attraction. It's a coaster track that I called that way, because it's really short, and guests love it.