Electerik

I agree that it's ugly, but it will give USF that "visual pull" from CityWalk. Which, it would appear, is what they want. Which I find rather interesting, because between this and the first big construction at IOA since it opened, it looks like the powers that be now believe that IOA has sufficiently entered into the minds of the GP as its own park. I'm not sure I'm explaining that well. The idea is that the GP didn't realize that IOA was a separate park, so would just budget one day at USF during their Orlando vacation. And this is why IOA was advertised equally, but new attractions (mostly) went to USF ("come back to USF, and--oh yeah--go to IOA.") No sense adding new rides to a park that hadn't really gotten all the initial visits that it "should have." But if they're wanting to pull people from CityWalk into USF, and adding to IOA, I guess that's finally changed.

^ But did any of that actually drive up attendence? It's hard to say, of course. But just reminding people that the parks exist doesn't accomplish much if people have already been and had a bad experience. I could be wrong, but I still think that most adults just don't like Six Flags. What I would do (and I hate myself for suggesting this) is put in a free virtual queue system and then advertise the hell out of "less time in line," with lots of shots of friendly and helpful employees. /All lies, of course. But, as they say, no no ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the public.

^ Millennium has always had its detractors--but they're mostly of the "it's overrated" variety. For perspective, it came in 12th in Mitch's 2008 Steel Coaster Poll (with 342 "wins" against other rides, and only 10 losses and 3 ties). Which means that it definitely has some fans out there. It's my number one--but that makes perfect sense, since I haven't been on any of the rides that beat it. (And only one of them is in the US, so think of it this way: MF is the second best steel coaster in America! )

Sorry, that's all I've got. Semi-full disclosure: I didn't actually take the picture...but neither did I steal it. It's kind of complicated. But, anyway, they won't mind. As for the original, though, I've no idea if it even still exists. /Man, I should have just said "no."

You win the thread! /How do you feel at IOA?

^ Aw, Indiana's not too bad. Try Wild Adventures! ^^ Maybe it's just because I'm an atheist...but I don't get it. Why "blasphemous"? Seems pretty pro-religious to me.

^^^ I want crash doors! /Hulk was supposed to have 'em. //Cooler heads prevailed.

^ It was worse than that. Several people (who know my terrible secret) came to me right after the incident and said, "Did you hear what happened at Six Flags?" Only to be quite surprised when I told them that it had happened in Kentucky. I suspect that that incident was the worst kind of national branding for the chain. In any case, I personally think the focus of any commercials Six Flags does now should be that they're different/better than they used to be.

I don't think that's quite right. My understanding is that the extra helix is to bleed off excess speed before the MCBB, so that it wouldn't have to slow the train quite as much. (It's quite a dramitic slowdown on Goliath.)

^^ I'm really not convinced that it matters. Ulness they live in, like, Texas, most of the GP don't really think of Six Flags as a chain. Here in Tennessee, for example, "Six Flags" means Six Flags Over Georgia, period. I also don't think showing generic rides is a big problem. When you and I see a shot of a coaster, our brains immediately identify which one it is. The GP just see something that looks fun. They're not going to remember a 1-second shot of an inverter, and then be pissed off when they can't find it.

Here's one of MF, from before it opened, that I just happen to have laying around on my hard drive.

More, yes. But Santa Claus certainly has its charms: The Santa Claus Museum, Santa's Candy Castle, Santa's Lodge, Frosty's Fun Center. If theming is your thing, Santa Claus, Indiana is way better than Minneapolis or Dallas. Of course, if variety or night life is your thing...then nevermind.

^ I liked it. It's like I don't even have to go to the park, because it will come to my subdivision and eat me!

I like the one where the guy throws up in the trash can, with the tagline, "Another satisfied customer." Marketing genius! /I also prefer movies that promise to make me cry.

Yeah, the choice between Holiday World and Six Flags Over Texas really is going to depend on what you're looking for. I personally think HW is a better park, but SFOT offers a much wider range of attractions. It's been a long time since I've been to ValleyFair, but just based on my outdated experience, I would think it would be a fairly distant third choice (though I certainly don't dislike the park). But, in an effort to maybe kind of be helpful, I will throw out a very general generalization: If you're fairly young and haven't been to lots and lots of parks, you'll probably prefer SFOT. If you're a bit more seasoned, HW will probably be more your bag.

"Originals"? I hope you mean, like, not resized. Cuz, personally, I wouldn't know a dark room from a butter churn. As for story ideas, I've always thought Europa Park was pretty interesting, what with the whole "owned by a ride manufacturer (Mack) who uses it as a kind of showroom" angle. They're building a new ride, too: Blue Fire

Did you know that SeaWorld owns Busch Gardens and Apollo's Chariot was built by General Mills? "Really?" asked the dude's friend. "I thought Anheuser Busch owned it." "Nope, SeaWorld."

^^^ Is that postcard showing off the ride's awesome exit path? That's amazing! /Colossus was my first wooden coaster. //Don't feel sorry for me. It used to be awesome.

I'm seriously okay with that. The Busch parks tend to be fairly careful with new attractions anyway, which has never hampered my respect for them. In any case, it would have to be better than "Six Flags Virginia."

Not that this means much, but the concept art seemed very specific on that point. Still, it's hard to quite picture it, even looking at the concept art. It just doesn't look right.

I thought it was much better...so maybe it's my fault! /Well, I did fill out the poll.

Well, it is, kind of. The first half is comprised of mostly smaller elements. They're still fun, but the real problem is that they're poorly suited to a ride with over-the-shoulder restraints. The second half works a lot better in that respect, but is rather short. I do like Mystery Mine (especially the dark ride parts), but it's very weird.

I grew up with Disneyland. I miss Disneyland. Congratulations on the job and the new girlfriend! Weirdly inconsistent picture sizes, though....

I've worked on a few rides that have seperate loading and unloading platforms, and it never ceased to amaze me how many people would ask, "Do we come back here?" (Usually because they wanted me to hold their stuff.) But seriously, you just waited in line for an hour, and every ride vehicle comes into the station empty. Figure it out.

This is going to be a very general, non-park specific comment...but most ride ops learn rather quickly not to get involved. It's hard to prove, and if you call out security, they usually just talk to the person and let it go. Meanwhile, you've lost way more in capacity (by dealing with the line jumper instead of running the ride) than you'll gain by managing to get rid of the offending party (assuming you even do). And keep in mind that the ride ops probably didn't see much. I know it seems like they did (or would) while you're in line. But they're only occasionally glancing that way--they don't have everyone around you memorized. If they stare, you might think they "know," when really they're still trying to figure it out. Even someone going under a railing could just be someone already in line screwing around. It's hard to tell when most of your attention is (rightfully) on the ride. If a park is serious about line jumping, they post people in the queue to deal with it. But most don't, for cost reasons--and then try to fool themselves into thinking that the ride ops can deal with it. /Just my experience. You're mileage my vary.