...about Chris Sawyer & Game Development

Which development tools were used to develop RollerCoaster Tycoon?

The game was written and compiled using MS Macro Assembler V6.11c, MS Visual C V5, MS DirectX 5 SDK, plus assorted custom-written tools. The graphics were created using a variety of 3D modelling, rendering, and paint packages, including Lightwave V5.6, Raydream Studio V5, DeBabelizer Pro 4.5, Photoshop 5.5, Paint Shop Pro V5, Deluxe Paint 2E, Pro Motion V4.2, Painter V5, True Space V2, Corel Draw 8, and Meta Creations Poser 4.

What language was RollerCoaster Tycoon programmed in?

It's 99% written in x86 assembler/machine code (yes, really!), with a small amount of C code used to interface to MS Windows and DirectX.

What qualifications do you need to create games like RollerCoaster Tycoon?

Chris Sawyer has a degree in Computer Science and Microprocessor Systems, but creating great games comes mostly from experience rather than study. University or college can teach you how to program, but there's much, much more to game development than that. You need to be organized, methodical, determined, patient, reliable, and of course you need to understand what people enjoy. There are some computer game design / development courses available in UK universities nowadays, but there is still a lot they can't teach you.