Xcoaster

I think only Fujiyama and the suspended rodent coaster are made by Japanese companies, so they're all pretty standard compared to what you'd find in the US. Takabisha has a few more straps than normal Eurofighters, but I didn't find it to be an issue. Eejanaika and Fujiyama are comparable to their Arrow equivalents. I didn't ride Dodonpa this last time, so I'm relying on more distant memories, but it does seem it was somewhat tight (it's also my least favorite of the big four, so no huge loss there). Highly recommend you get fastpasses early if it looks like there will be more than a couple other people in the park. It's at the stand between the wild mouse and carousel, 1000 yen/ride, 1 hour window scheduled when you purchase (possibly flexible if you're late, but don't risk it), and they sell out quick. It's not cheap, but each one will probably save you 1-3 hours (+) of wait time, which might be necessary. Also, Fujiyama was at one train operations a couple weeks ago, so it could have a deceivingly long line (I counted at least 8 minutes per cycle). Everything else matched what was posted. Back to your question; watch out for Nasu Highland. They probably have the world's largest collection of Japanese built coasters (Meisho), and I had to sit sideways on most of them as a result. In fact, as a rule there, the larger the coaster, the less legroom you'll receive. I also barely got the seatbelt on at Galaxy Express 999.

I see there being the following options for Colossus if Rocky Mountain works on it: A - Topper track and new trains, current layout B - Topper track and new trains, original layout C - NTAG treatment, original layout D - NTAG treatment, similar to original layout E - NTAG treatment, all-new layout F - Some combination of the above, with one side one way and one side another. My preference would be D or E on both sides, or F with D or E on one side (New Colossus) and B or C on the other side (for Classic Colossus). To me the biggest loss with rehabbing it is that they might not be able to run one side backwards at Halloween if they make it too forceful, but keeping one side close to the original could fix that. Otherwise, I'd prefer they take it to it's fullest potential, which if it's anything like NTAG, would easily make it one of the top coasters in California. As is, it's a pretty good ride, but nowhere near how it should be.

Copying part of my old post over now that it's relevant. Anyways, given TPR's report from IAAPA and previous comments from Six Flags regarding Colossus at SFMM and Rattler at SFFT (plus the notebook sketch in this article), I think we have almost a lock as to where Rocky Mountain's work will be in 2013. And given the success experienced by SFOT with NTAG, I doubt either park would go only halfway and get just topper track vice a full remodel, especially given the lack of marketability available to an old ride that's now simply smoother (plus, Colossus isn't exactly a major offender for roughness, it's just a little dull). Since they've already said something is coming to Log Jammer's spot, I'm guessing 2013 will be a repeat of this year, with a new attraction there and a updated attraction with Colossus. And you have to give it to Six Flags, their recent trend of refreshing old attractions has been quite successful (expect perhaps with the Bizarro twins), so it makes sense that they'd continue in that direction. Or maybe I'm hoping for too much and Colossus will just be getting new trains and topper track.

THANK YOU!!! Being fully awake at Knott's will make this event SO much better. Burbank also does have the rare advantage of being within walking distance of a train station, but like you said, public transit won't help much with getting to SFMM or KBF. I know public transit (ie. buses) goes to both, but my experience going just between UC Irvine and Disneyland via bus is that getting around will usually take about 10x longer than with a car, it's unreliable, and they probably aren't available when needed.

Sounds great! Personally, I never much cared for March - weird weather, losing an hour from the time change, physics day, crowds starting to pick up. February sounds like a good change. Even being a holiday weekend it should be enough in the off-season where I'd think the crowds will be minimal. Anyways, I'm looking forward to it. Now I just pray that I'm in town then.

I'm not much a fan or visitor of any of their water rides, so I don't really mind either way (between Disney's, Knott's, and Seaworld's excellent SoCal offerings, SFMM offers little of interest when it comes to water). I would've been far more upset if they'd touched Ninja or Goldrusher, which I consider some of the best remaining examples of their respective types. Now as far as 2013, I'm still hoping that Colossus' 35th anniversary comes into play and that it gets made over into a racing out-and-back version of New Texas Giant (I'm imagining the same footprint with a layout more inspired by the original design, but with NTAG's/Balder's drops, and something more interesting during the turn arounds). That would probably also upset some people, but it would kill a few birds with one stone, giving them the west coast airtime crown, another revitalized attraction (which seems to be a trend), and a "new" coaster visually on par with X2 and Goliath. However, the amount of otherwise (somewhat) unnecessary rip-out this year makes this seem unlikely, unless if they were planning on that *and* a family attraction in 2013, or if they were just going for another big attraction year, with it *and* something major in Deja Vu's or Log Jammer's spots, either of which could be used for nearly anything. For now I'm going to assume it's wishful thinking, since they've already announced a forthcoming announcement for Log Jammer's spot (which could in itself be amazing, given the terrain, water, and lots of surrounding real estate on the mountain), but the very positive comments regarding NTAG at WCB this year still give me hope.

I'd also just noticed this on rcdb.com. Maybe TPR will be able to visit during the 2012 China Tour? Not only is it a record breaker, but I see from their NL concept art that they've found a way to eliminate those pesky support structures.

This is random, but I just saw Magic Forest on TV. In Dodge's commercial for their contest to find a hidden Journey, they drive past Magic Forest. If anyone needs a free car, there you go. It's probably towing the Mighty Mouse trailer around. Note giant Muffler Man Uncle Sam on the right and Mighty Mouse riding the elephant in the middle.

I ordered my ticket. I'll need to leave work early that day to get there by 5, but it's only an hour drive from my house (w/o traffic), so it shouldn't be a problem. Can't wait!

If I'm in town I'll go. With the early entry and front of line pass it shouldn't be hard to do each maze a couple times, which is fine with me. Last year we made a point of getting there early, and we got through everything we wanted to do in just a few hours (I think this was a Sunday night). After that everything was pretty busy, but that's when you'd break out the front of line pass.

Forget the Batman vs SLC at La Ronde, it's all about Monstre track 1 in 1985, followed by Monstre track 2 in 1986. They're practically the same ride, and only a year apart! Seriously, Timber Terror and Tremors at Silverwood (someone beat me to it). 3 years apart, both CCI woodies, very similar designs, one an out-and-back (with buzz bars, if I recall), the other somewhat larger, with great tunnels and a few more turns thrown into the mix. I guess most wood coasters had this issue back in the day, as hypers are really just the contemporary take on the wooden coaster formula (with Behemoth being the out-and-back style, and Leviathan more of a twister). As for hypers, the rides do fit the Magnum and MF pattern nicely, except CP had a lot more time in between, and with different ride companies. My theory about Leviathan is that it was B&Ms proposed giga design for KBF (it almost seems like it could fit along the edge of the park) but they sent it to CW and Knott's wisely chose to go with Intamin's design bid instead. Here's hoping anyways - I want my Intamin giga.

Deja Vu is fun, but I wouldn't particularly miss it since I rarely ride it anymore, usually because it has a long line or it's closed when I visit. Magic Mountain has enough good looping coasters where they could afford to lose a few of the less visible ones. I wouldn't care if Scream left either. I enjoy them both, but neither adds much to the park, and they're both out of the way. I doubt the public would really care either, as neither seems to enjoy much word of mouth. And I imagine SFNE will just get rid of their boomerang, Flashback, at least after the first couple seasons. But the coasters are different enough where it probably wouldn't really matter either way, as long as they weren't directly adjacent.

Given the apocalyptic theme, name, and the art released so far, I'm guessing that they're going with a grey-goo nanobot swarm theme (i.e. Prey), not deadly deadly bees. From the NL video the layout appears pretty short, but with some theming and near misses it might be a cool ride. I initially though Raptor looked about the same, but it turned out to be a fun looking coaster.

It could be that you have too much scenery that doesn't fit into any particular group, so that it's all ending up in the "?" category. If you have too much scenery in that tab, some of it won't show up. If this is the problem, I'd recommend choosing scenery groups that cover more of your selected objects.

I'm now a little happier that White Canyon happened to be closed when I was there last year. At least now when I make it back there will be padding. Also, I wonder if they have replacement plans for SL Coaster? It looked neat and had a cool out-of-station drop, but that was about all there was to it. It was also broken for most of my visit, so I wonder if they were having maintenance troubles.

Yeah, if you're already waiting in line and they aren't immediately before the loading dock where they can result in inefficient operations, as on Terminator, I think pre-shows are usually good at making the wait more bearable. It's just a matter of whether you're forced to watch them when you could be on the ride, which shouldn't be a problem if done correctly. I wonder if they'll do single rider? It would probably help a fair amount with capacity, but it would also lead to more balanced rides (ie: less flipping).

^ I had a decent time at Fuji-Q when I visited last year; I got on all the credits in about 6 hours despite a late arrival (~1 pm), looming rain, and fairly slow operations (about 1-2 hours for the three big coasters, 30 minutes or less for the others), so I'm glad to see that its reputation may finally start to change. Also, on a side note, it seemed that they were the only non-Disney park I visited that had much of any ride merchandise (besides cookies), so that was nice. It's very similar, and if you didn't know any better you might think they're the same. Eejanaika has a shorter, older model train, a slightly different layout, and is a little rougher, but the main difference I noticed is that they did a lot more with the seats flipping. Basically, anywhere the seats rotate a little on X2, the seats on Eejanaika rotate a lot, so as a result you flip over several times more. I only had one ride on it, but I'd say I probably prefer it somewhat over X2, effects aside. I do like both quite a bit though. The Purdue Boilermaker soccer team is actually the mascot(s) of the new Star Flyer. It's construction themed, and one of the many weird video clips shown throughout the park shows a bunch of them linking together to form the ride. The resemblance may not be coincidence though.

I need to go back to Sea World San Diego someday after work to finally get my JTA credit. I went last week and it kept breaking down. After that, possibly SFMM, then to the East Coast for pre-NE/CP travels, starting with Idlewild and Lakemont.

The true joy of Shaka Shaka Chicken comes in the packaging and preparation process, but anyways, see below. Available spice packets include cheese, lemon, and black pepper. I preferred black pepper and lemon. Other unusual items include the McPork (I've heard it's delicious, did not verify), various meat pie things, the teriyaki burger (also in Hawaii), and the Lemon Garlic Chicken Burger (also pictured below). Japanese McDonalds is amazing (it is everything American McDonalds is not). The TR is awesome so far, I am supremely jealous and upset that I had to drop out. Black Pepper Shaka Shaka Chicken after Hanayashiki and Tokyo wandering. Lemon Garlic Chicken "Burger"

^ If the rumored awesome-coaster is true, I'd be sooooo happy that I'd still happily ride even if you were riding naked. Seriously, this perennial rumor coaster has been around forever (I recall rumors before Perilous Plunge), so hopefully it finally happens, as the park could use a real stand-out, world-class, ERT demanding ride. 2012 would certainly be the year for it, especially given what its competitors are doing. The park is pretty crammed, but with something tall and sprawling like this, I'm sure they could find room. Plus, I imagine they could always pull a RFII and go across the road into a parking lot, or go through the backstage area. It still does seem too good to be true though, so I'm not buying my annual pass just yet.

I wouldn't buy them, except maybe for playing through the scenarios, but otherwise I'd agree that they're mostly crap. Having the expansions can make sharing your parks difficult, since many people don't use them. So if anything from an expansion finds its way into your park, you've probably excluded a good portion of your potential audience. Also, I think the Rct2 standalone disk may be more trainer/hacking friendly than the Rct2 version that includes the expansions. In short, the expansions are okay if you're just playing scenarios or viewing parks, but they're a bad idea if you're making parks to share with others.

I agree completely. They may not be the best in any one category (except maybe operations or adding attractions), but as a complete package they have no equal. Disney is arguably better at theming, details and atmosphere, CP/SFMM/SFGAdv may have better coasters, and Dollywood probably has better shows and food, but combined together Europa stomps all over them. IOA is the closest example I can think of in terms of overall combined quality, but even it would need to at least double or triple in size to begin competing.

^ Mid-course probably. Heck, maybe even some kind of pre-lift dark ride section. If any park can keep the lines down, they can. Anyways, so Europa Park continues to further distance itself from any "competition" it may have had in the theme park world. Just when I thought the world's best theme park couldn't get any more awesome, they add what will probably be yet another excellent coaster. It's almost overkill. EDIT: Also, judging from the announced stats, this sounds like it'll be second only to Mountain Flyer at Knight Valley for GCI's tallest and fastest design, and about even in length with their other big coasters. That's assuming google didn't trick me at the conversions...

Yes, I'm me. Now that I'm not doing much hardcore Rct, I like to occasionally play the scenarios as a way of continuing to do something with the game. Those micros were the same idea. Also, I really want to see what's in a bag of crap.

My entry: themeparkreview.com/game_exchange/track.php?id=2208 Pictures: Overview and Mammoth's layout (the big wooden coaster): http://themeparkreview.com/game_exchange/images/thumb/2208_SCR21.BMP SuperSonic, a compact quad-looping Schwarzkopf: http://themeparkreview.com/game_exchange/images/thumb/2208_a_SCR16.BMP Slippery Dips, a water-adjacent side friction coaster (had 8 casualties during testing, and a few near misses... all better now): http://themeparkreview.com/game_exchange/images/thumb/2208_a_SCR17.BMP Little Dipper (kiddie wooden coaster) and Flying Turns (flying turns type coaster... unfortunately with single cars - maybe it's Intamin's attempt?): http://themeparkreview.com/game_exchange/images/thumb/2208_a_SCR18.BMP