jmicha

For anyone interested in what the Gatekeeper Plaza will look like, here are the concept sketches from PLACE Workshop. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.468128136591837.1073741825.151790661558921&type=1 It looks pretty nice. I like how it creates a nice area to look out over the beach and the water.

^I'm so excited to see that footage. It's sounding like this ride is living up to its crazy looks which is awesome. The POV was awesome enough. Offride footage is just going to be icing on the cake.

I had the same experience on Wild Eagle. They started off amazingly comfortable. A few elements in though and they were extremely tight and by the end of the ride my collar bones weren't all too happy. It was unfortunate since it distracted from what was otherwise a genuinely fun ride.

Well who ISN'T a fan of Ruby Rod?

^Don't get too excited about those structures, they weren't in the concept art provided by Cedar Point. PLACE Workshop does a lot of Sketchup concept work. I don't actually know if they are the final designers though. They may have just done initial concept work and passed that off to an architect/landscape designer to actually finish the work and make it buildable. Overall it feels much more modern and provides a nice focal point to draw people towards the front gate. I'm excited to check it out.

For anyone looking for another view of the entrance plaza design, here is the concept art for the plaza from PLACE Workshop in Cincinnati. It appears a few things have changed as always happens from initial concepts, but it still gives a better idea of what the plaza will feel like once completed.

Ask and you shall receive

^You mean the big mechanical train designed to safely transport 24 riders through the course doesn't look like a real snake? Seriously though, these trains are awesome looking! I can't wait to see the first testing videos.

Wasn't this a movie? Like exactly the same as some cheesy movie? *searches* Indeed it is. And it's even named Titanic 2. So we should be expecting some sort of TSUNAMI to hurl an ice berg into its path on its maiden voyage. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640571/?ref_=sr_6 I wonder why anyone thinks this is a good idea. By today's standards the amenities on the Titanic are abysmal and the size of the ship is nothing impressive by today's standards. I feel like, if somehow magically completed, the first people on board will let out one collective sigh of disappointment upon seeing the actual scale of the interiors that are so famously known such as the grand stair. That being said, I DO want this to be built, because why not? It's not my money and who knows, maybe this ship, although gimmicky, will somehow be a huge success. Doubt it, but would love to be proven wrong.

This is great! I love seeing smaller parks feature quality expansions. I bet this place will become a nighttime hotspot. Next time I'm in Orlando I'm going to have to go give it a try. I have a thing for tiny wooden coasters and loved the only GCI I've been on (Thunderhead) and expect White Lightning to be a ride that is just pure fun.

I haven't bought gas in about a month and a half and was shocked yesterday when I went to put a few gallons in that it had risen to 3.85 here in Cincinnati. I put a lot less in than I originally intended. I hate driving as it is and only use my car once a week anyway, so hopefully it'll go down. Either that or I'll just stop using it altogether.

^From what I've heard, yes actually haha. I believe the problem was that there was no flat portion between angling down to leveling out as there is on that hill now. Therefore you'd be flying over hill 3 and the air would be increasing since you'd be accelerating over a circular piece of track then with no transition immediately be leveling out on another circular piece of track, causing people to slam back down into their seats. I heard reports of quite a lot of bloody noses from people hitting their faces on the front of the car or seat in front of them, etc. If anyone is interested, here's a POV of the original Magnum layout before the changes to hill 3 and the pretzel turnaround. also note the trims before the pretzel are on top of the hill instead of at the bottom as they are now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFpHxzCarh0

^Sounds like they'll be needing lots of Booty Ease. *yes that's a real product*

Question. How are they going to get the track into the tunnel to install it? Does anybody have the answer or a viable solution?

^Although extra labor is most certainly a big cost, I'd imagine the location of this ride has also caused a much higher price tag in proportion to NTaG. Building on the side of a quarry is going to be far more expensive for various reasons than building on flat land. These RMC rides are so amazing looking. It's like we have finally reached the point where we can build those crazy rides we've all dreamed of. The shaping of elements and the pacing is so insane that they set themselves apart from any other rides out there. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long before I get to ride one. *Please let this be done to Mean Streak*

Good god this thing flies through its course! I hope to be able to get out and ride it next season. From these few videos it's looking like one seriously intense ride.

^It depends on all those things as well as the wheel compound used. For instance, Hulk has a compound that makes a TON of noise. Therefore the ride is seriously loud and audible from miles away. Dueling Dragons, on the other hand, has a compound used to minimize sound to help the theme of riding on a dragon. But since Gatekeeper isn't trying to keep up some major theme, I'd expect it to have a similar roar to Raptor and Mantis. Quite audible.

I'm so excited to ride this this summer. It really does look beautiful. It's crazy how open that area now feels compared to before. It's going to be so different. Excuse me if I'm incorrect, but there have not been any images or plans, etc. yet of what the entryway to this ride will look like right? I'll be interested to see what that area is going to look like now that Space Spiral and DT are gone. There appears to be a pretty good spot right next to Gatekeeper for some sort of flat right along the beach. That would be quite interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the finishing touches come in the next few months.

^Very interesting. I hope it is a success as I can see this being a great way of bringing new life into older rides (not that the Batman clones need new life, but you know what I mean) in a similar manner to turning other rides around. Any reinvestment into older rides shows a park still cares about their rides which is nice to see.

^Doesn't B&M suggest not turning their trains around, and therefore due to Ohio law Raptor can't legally be turned backwards? Not that I think it needs to be backwards though even if it was allowed. It'll be interesting to see if this is actually good. I'm drawing a blank, but are there any truly intense coasters out there that run backwards? All the ones I can think of are fairly tame or far less twisted than the Batman clones. It will be interesting to see if this turns out to enhance the ride or if it just makes it uncomfortable.

Wow, glad to hear testing is already happening! Can't wait to see the first videos of this insane ride in action. My goal next summer is a trip to Hersheypark and a trip to Missouri to visit SDC and Six Flags St. Louis (along with visiting friends at Wash U). Hopefully that happens

Same as these people have said, it doesn't take long. I came out when I was 18 a few weeks after getting to college and it probably took me 3 months to really start being comfortable saying it. It may take a bit longer for some other aspects of living as a gay man such as being able to openly talk about someone you find attractive. I remember the first time I said a guy was hot around my friends they all stopped and the one was like, "it's about time!" haha. But like others have said, it may be different for you as it's a different experience for everyone. Hopefully your process is a good one

Although I didn't enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies and only mildly enjoyed The Hobbit, one thing cannot be denied about these series. They have some of the best looking settings around. I would LOVE to see several parts of Middle Earth recreated in person. As for these rumors, I'm obviously going to take them with a HUGE grain of salt. But it would certainly be interesting to see. I would definitely be curious to see where this could even fit. The biggest available spot owned by Universal is south of Jurassic Park across Hollywood Way if they were to make this entirely new and not part of a massive renovation. Would be interesting to see how they'd incorporate that land into IoA.

^The first thing I noticed on my first ride of Wild Eagle this past summer was that there were FAR more head/foot choppers than appeared from just watching videos or looking at pictures. The trains are so wide that it is deceiving how close certain things will be to the train. So far looking at Gatekeeper it's looking like the first drop through that support is going to be awesome on both sides of the train.

^Exactly what I thought when I saw it. The introduction of the gorgeous colors of Gatekeeper plus the colors of Windseeker which tie everything together really make for a fun, vibrant, beechy color scheme at the front of the park. I'm a fan. Gatekeeper is looking great. I can't wait to ride it next season. It'll be exciting to see them construct the keyhole front gate. Definitely going to be the ultimate entrance feature.