jmicha

I personally don't really care enough about these systems to protest them, but I do get where some of the frustration comes from. I was at KI in line for the Beast and after 2.5 hours of waiting (Halloween Haunt was packed) a group of older ladies came in with a massive smile and quite loudly while looking at the people in the normal line said, "wow, I'm glad we only had to wait 10 minutes unlike THOSE people" while pointing. Obviously not everyone is like this which is why I don't really care (hey, it's their money. If I'm not willing to spend the extra for the fast lane I really can't complain) but it can be irritating on those extremely busy days when you see people gleefully making their way to the front of the line. Honestly, the only thing I wish would change about lines at Cedar Point is how they jam pack some rides' stations which makes the line seem shorter than it really is until you reach the station. Magnum, TTD, and Maverick (sometimes) come to mind. Wading through hoards of people trying to determine which lines they are even in is far more frustrating than some people having a much shorter wait to ride.

Holy crap, those night shots are gorgeous. This coaster already looked fantastic, but that lighting package with all that theming is seriously immersive. I wish more parks were as particular about their theming as this because it really creates a distinct character for the ride. It's amazing.

^That's pretty much how it is here in Cincy. All of my straight friends enjoy going out to gay bars with me, especially my female friends. Heck, about an hour ago one of my friends came over and asked how long it was going to be before we go out and see my friend perform (drag queen) and go dancing. The answer is tonight haha. As for dancing with a guy at a straight bar, it is still kind of odd for me. I have done it but the stares do get uncomfortable at certain times. For the most part though people just don't give a crap which is certainly nice.

^I've personally ridden three B&M megacoasters (Goliath, Apollo's Chariot, and Diamondback) and I actually liked the new trains more than the old ones. Nothing is wrong with the old ones, but I liked the sense of freedom in the staggered trains. And this rattle people talk about isn't something I've ever really noticed, but I'm also never looking for it.

^That could be it as well as possible differences in labor costs between regions. It could also just be a difference in how the costs were calculated. I305 may have been just for the ride and Skyrush could be for everything involved including dealing with the creek, the new pathway, etc. Advertising might even be included for all we know. Chances are its a whole combination of things that isn't an exact 1:1 comparison of costs. As for the ride, I can't wait to see this start testing. A trip to Hershey is a possibility for me this year and I would love to be able to ride what looks to be an incredible ride.

^Wow, that definitely looks like it is going quite a bit faster than in the first test run video. The pacing through the first turn is pretty crazy looking.

Thankfully the one time I visited when the waterpark was still open there weren't many people there so we were able to ride Wildebeest four times before the waterpark really started to get busy. I'm expecting this will be similar which honestly is a great thing. I love Holidayworld and only want its attractions to be super popular. And if anyone can run it at full capacity properly, it's Holidayworld. I'm quite excited to get out and try this out and all the improvements (and hopefully timberliners) on Voyage.

^The scream is the sound of The Swarm attacking. There's an ad that uses the same sound a couple pages back. The Swarm attacks a kid on a bike and as it flies over it makes that noise. It's quite the cool sound if you ask me. The ride's theming is great. And what's nice is that letting the theming go over time will just make it look more and more post-apocalyptic. Seems like a win win if you ask me

^Wow, thanks for that awesome video and pictures. Seeing this ride up close makes it look even more impressive (if that was even possible). Whenever I find my way to Spain in the future I will have to visit here and take this ride for a spin. It looks incredible.

^^Just read up on the special paint needed to be developed for the roof of Ferrari World and you will understand. Constant glaring desert sun will fade colors quite fast. Anything other than white will look quite poor in a very short period of time.

...It's not though. If it was just concept art it wouldn't be being used for virtual clearance testing. It's a rendering of the final product, not just a drawing an artist did. As for the forces, you don't need to be an 'expert' in order to understand them and understand why heartlining doesn't work on a ride where riders are placed where they are on the wingriders.

^^That's not concept art, that appears to be taken from Google Sketchup being used to design the theming meaning the ride is quite exact within the program. You can even see the virtual clearance tests being used to ensure the theming is safe for riders. The rolls on these need to be slow because the people sit so far apart. Each side of the train has a completely different heartline meaning there is no way to actually heartline the ride. Therefore any banking transitions must be taken slow enough to not create excessive forces for the riders.

^^They definitely are. And they look high enough that your feet may not touch the floor in the middle seats, similar to the B&M megacoaster trains. It will make for two interesting experiences between the middle and outside seats. Oh, and those trains look absolutely awesome. I always love the reveal of new train designs.

I'm loving the sound of all these lighting improvements. Windseeker is stunning. You can see it from miles away lighting up the night sky. It's just so vibrant. And being so vibrant and bright really drew attention to how dim and bland (and also poorly maintained) the lighting was on the other massive attractions in the park. Power Tower was especially bad this past season and Millennium wasn't looking too good itself. The colors just weren't as bright as they once were. I'm quite excited to see what these lighting packages look like.

It's really a shame how much less aggressively styled the FR-S production version is. I figured it would be toned down, but it just doesn't look anywhere near as sinister as before. I loved that concept, but am not really a fan of the production versions' styling. Oh well, I still hope it does well as I don't like seeing car companies do poorly.

^^B&M calls it a megacoaster, which is just the coaster type. It has nothing to do with the height of it. Their megacoasters can be of any height. The smallest is Hollywood Dream and the largest now is Leviathan. Other people use megacoaster to describe 200-299 foot coasters, but B&M uses it to describe the ride type instead. I'm super excited to see this thing testing hopefully next month. This and Shambhala appear to be potentially awesome rides. I've liked the three B&M megacoasters I've been on quite a bit, so hopefully I will get the opportunity to ride this sometime in the near future.

^Hey I'd take an Apollo's Chariot style hyper and be happy with it Honestly I'm hoping for Maverickesque coasters in the future. By that I mean small enough that they are popular with the whole family, but still offer an awesome ride and unique experience. Cedar Point has the height and speed thing pretty well covered. Rides that don't break records but are just pure fun are really what I would like to see. Don't get me wrong, I'd be ecstatic with a 300 foot dive machine, but I don't really feel that's at all necessary at this point in time. That and more flats would be great. They've done a pretty good job of stepping their non-coaster game up since Power Tower opened, but more flats will never hurt.

The most interesting thing about this, in my opinion, is that it would allow for people to fall faster than their terminal velocity. Being as it is fully enclosed wind resistance wouldn't come into play on the riders. And because the entire thing would be powered and not just falling on its own accord, you could potentially hit some pretty epic speeds. I would hope the enclosure is nearly all glass for the best views of plummeting towards the earth at ridiculous speeds.

^^Fabulous job with that. I know we are looking at the drop from a foreshortened angle in that picture, but dang does it look steep. This and Leviathan seem to wait to the very last minute before pulling up at the bottom of the drop. Should make for a great back seat drop

^^The Cyclone's structure has always been steel. As for the refurbishment, I say bring it on if it makes the ride more enjoyable. The ride is historic, but being rough isn't part of its history. A retracking and refurbishment of the trains is ideal, but even getting new trains won't make the ride any less of a historic piece of Coney Island. It's a machine and unfortunately they don't last forever when they're used so often.

Man, this thing is packed with rides and attractions. I wish this was here when I was in Galveston a couple years ago. I've always loved the idea of amusement piers (never been to one unfortunately) and in this day and age where they only seem to be closing I'm happy to see a new one going up. Hopefully this turns out successfully as I'd love to see more of these pop up around the country's coastlines.

^Those look fantastic. They're significantly classier than the ads of old. Simple is definitely the best way to go in advertising these days. They look great.

^Hairraiser at Ocean park is brand new. But yes, their popularity has certainly dwindled quite a bit, which I feel is unfortunate since they are super fun to me. Anywho, that drop looks insane. I hope it rides as well as it looks like it will.

The cable-stayed construction of the lift right now is pretty cool. I hadn't watched the construction of I305's lift and was curious how they were going to do this. I now have my answer. Topping out looks to be coming quite quickly.

The Rec Center is great. The megatrusses spanning the depth of the building are extremely impressive, especially when viewed from the suspended running track. As for the Lindner Center, it is also quite the interesting building. In case you didn't see pictures of the EPIC interior stair, here is one to whet your appetite. Probably my favorite stair on campus, with the stair leading from the outside up into the Rec Center classrooms in a close second. That's the best photo of the Rec Center stair I could find in a quick search. I'm sure there are better ones out there, but it's a pretty cool stair. Stairs are like porn for me by the way Nothing like a good set of steps.