I just got the RCT2 Deluxe version. With the music, etc. I couldn't help but laugh. It is fun. A little different from RCT3 platinum. The game reminds me of the one's I use to play when I was a kid. I'm kind of going backwords with the game versions. I was curious about why people liked RCT 2. Now I have a better idea. I got my version from gog at a good price. Took awhile to download. I have windows 8.1 and at first it wasn't working very well. Then I made some adjustments and so far it is okay. I will be saving my games frequently. How many of you remember pong, frogger, Asteroids? The original versions not the remakes.
I'll share as soon as I figure out how to do things more in the game.

I;m so glad you got it, the thing about RCT2 is tat it doesn't matter about the custom scenery, but more about the skill it takes to build things with what you are given
Some features that aren't in RCT3 that you might like are
1. peeps will go to the back of your park
2. tunnels only are 1 block high
3. you can colour each individual car

Enjoy the best game ever!
naveisawesome

Some features that aren't in RCT3 that you might like are
1. peeps will go to the back of your park
2. tunnels only are 1 block high
3. you can colour each individual car

Adding to that,

- You can set ride ticket prices to match the excitement rating. I've seen guests complain in RCT3 when you do this, but in RCT2, if your coaster has an 8.00 excitement rating, you can set the ticket price to $8.00 and they won't say a word about it. You actually get paid better when you build better coasters.

- Height values go up evenly by 5 feet. In RCT3, you can have weird numbers on your height markings such as 126.83 ft, which may look more realistic to some players, but with a track editor already containing preset pieces that are the same size no matter how high you build them, there's no reason for it to be that way. In RCT2, gradual slopes on rides go up in increments of 5, land slopes go up in increments of 5, and paths go up in increments of 5. It's almost as if they wanted us to enjoy terra-forming.

- Roller coasters already look good in RCT2 without custom scenery or supports, as naveisawesome said. While custom scenery does exist for this game as well, you'll find that you will not need it to improve the quality of the design. There is so much that you can do with the scenery provided that downloading extra scenery is just an extra step for both you and everyone who downloads the ride.

- You can build a roller coaster in RCT2 and import it into RCT3. If you don't like working with the RCT3 track editor--I know I can't stand it--you can build the track in RCT2 and still use it in RCT3. You may miss out on a couple extra features available only in RCT3, such as the zero-g roll or multiple on-ride photos per ride, but you'll have built a polished track in less time once you get used to how quickly you can build a roller coaster in RCT2.

Terry Inferno,

Thanks for the extra tips. I was watching a tutorial on youtube regarding RCT2. I couldn't figure out how he got the sandbox mode in RCT2. I'm wanting the unlimited money so I can build a park from scratch. I tried some of the tutorials that came with the game, but they were not very helpful. I did notice that about the roller coasters in RCT2... I agree with your statement..."Roller coasters already look good in RCT2 without custom scenery or supports..."

Hopefully when RCT World (4) comes out the supports for the roller coasters will look better than the in game supports in RCT3. By the way, I've been getting different feedback regarding RCT World (4). Out of curiosity sake, I may purchase it when the final release comes out. The game has a lot of potential. But I think that what makes RCT2 unique. You can do a lot with the original content (RCT2) and it still looks good)

There is no official sandbox mode in RCT2 as far as I know, but most experienced RCT2 players have created their own version of one at one point or another, so you will see something like it in YouTube videos as well as downloads here at RCTgo.

1. Go to Scenario Editor. This can be accessed through the red toolbox on the far right of the main menu. You can use this to build any park from scratch, but these instructions are specifically for how to build a sandbox mode for building rides and saving them with scenery in an open park environment.
2. Check the boxes for every roller coaster and every ride that can be customized in any way, such as Go Karts, Observation Towers, River Rapids, etc. If you have Wacky Worlds or Time Twister installed, just check the rides available for standard RCT2 to avoid going over the limit.
3. Make as much scenery as you can available. Since there is a maximum number of scenery themes allowed in a scenario, there's a simple way to do it and there's also a way that takes a bit more time. You could just check the scenery types you use the most--essentials for me being Mine, Medieval and Mechanical, to name a few--and leave it with those options. If you want even more options for your sandbox mode, you can click the Advanced button, which gives you the option to select individual scenery items rather than entire themes. So if you want particular walls and blocks but don't want useless smaller items, you can check and un-check as you please.
4. Make your map size as large as possible, then select "Land Owned" and fill the entire park so that only the edges of the map, which can't be owned, are outside of your park. Don't forget to put in a park entrance and a path leading there from outside.
5. When you're on the Invention Setup step, make sure that every item is available from the beginning so that you don't have to wait for any research any time you decide to use your "sandbox" park. Nothing should be under the "Items to invent during the game" list.
6. When you get to the point where you see a box with monetary values, check the box that says "No Money" and your scenario will be free of financial restrictions. You shouldn't have to check any other boxes after that on that step.

The Scenario Editor is remarkably easy to use, so most of this will come pretty intuitively.

If you become a proficient enough RCT2 builder, you may just be lucky enough for one of your downloads to be featured on your birthday.

I agree with Terry Inferno, and will point out there are also no overbanked turns in RCT2 fo rthe coaster builder thing
As for some other RCT2 benefits
The land won't disconnect the pathways
its easier to make waterfalls
and all the scenery in the regular walls and roofs plus some of the themes (abstract, log cabin, mine, water feature, six flags, etc.) all just seem to go together
There isn't many times you can use log cabin, snow and ice, and abstract theming on one coaster, but in RCT2 you can
plus, the walls and roofs that are built into RCT3 suck horribly