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Everything posted by ECZenith
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I worked west side attractions for five years at Disneyland resort and it was by far the most fun years of my life. I got to meet so many celebrities including John Voigt, Famke Jansen, Hugh Hefner, Kate Moss, Kobe Bryant, Randy Johnson, Lawrence Fishburne, the list goes on. Because all three of my attractions were near and dear to my heart, I'll share a little story from each. Disneyland Railroad: I was a conductor on the railroad as my first entry level attraction upon being hired in Anaheim , traveling out from New England. As conductor we were responsible for signaling the fireman and engineer to stop, go, reverse, we would also deboard the train and throw switches when it was time for the trains to go to bed behind It's A Small World. True story: Upon park closing the monorail crew and the train crew have a friendly "race" getting back to their maintenance bays, the monorail always wins. Another fun fact: People forget their babies on the train ALL the time. In my five years on the railroad I have seen at least fifteen or so babies:young children left behind, really scary but with the help of security parents are found quickly. We have a special Railroad car on the back of the Excursion 3 train called the Lilly Belle named after Walt's Wife. Conductors give tours to VIPs and some lucky guests. I was lucky enough to give a tour around the park with Sean Astin, really cool guy! I didn't even know it was him until he mentioned we had the same first name with the same spelling. Indiana Jones Adventure: The most fun ride to work at. I would beg to be at the dispatch console as long as I could. I won an award for "temple priest" which is like employee of the year at Indy. It is a trophy consisting of a replica spike trap with a skeleton and golden hat being pierced by the spikes. I was very efficient and kept the lines down and was very much into acting out the role and getting guests into the story of the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Indy is still my all time favorite dark ride and I was typically the one volunteering for show checks and never get tired of riding. I got to meet the legendary Tony Baxter who designed Indy and Thunder, also got to meet John Lasseter during the research phase for RSR at Cali adventure. I just love everything about this ride. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: my third learned attraction and the one that actually requires the most skill in the park to run, along with Matterhorn and Space Mountain. All theee coasters have a cascade system that can make the ride e stop if you don't move fast enough. On busy days, we would run five trains and I made it my mission to keep the line down for my guests with quick and safe dispatches and if a train was ready from the maintenance bay I added her as soon as possible. My favorite part of working Thunder is walking the entire track length at the end of every night to recover guest items. It was great reconnecting people with their lost stuff and I always volunteered to walk the track because who doesn't love that? Waiting for the first miners of the morning Fastpass plz....
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[PLC] Geyser Springs
ECZenith replied to sdanwolf's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
Wow, really nice park! Please be sure to post a link for steam when it's finished. -
Arcadia Valley Theme Park Thanks for checking out the park! This evening I finished the first themed land section "Riptide Reef" including Riptide, the park's B&M launched wing coaster. Arcadia Valley will be a hub-based park with satellite lands protruding from bridges like spokes on a tire. The park will be a mix of workshop buildings and custom coasters and tracked rides. also in these photos is a peek at Malevolence, Arcadia Valley's twisted RMC monster! Captain Lockjaw's Renegade Rapids features six trigger scenes, four rapid sections and one massive underground drop! The Main Entry Gate, Chief Beef and King Coaster welcome you to this new Planet Coaster park. After walking down the Welcome Plaza, the first spoke bridge extends to the hub island where guests may choose their adventure. When completed, Arcadia Valley will have a sci-fi, haunted, pirate, western, and fantasy themed area. A monorail and steam train connect these lands for convenience. At the center of my hub is the Earth Dome, where guests can relax in a serene environment. Guests in line for Rocktopus can catch a glimpse of the Mystic Mountain Railroad as she passes through a "window" in the tunnel. Here is a sneak peak into my newly finished RMC monster: Malevolence. Malevolence will be one of several coasters in the huge new Forbidden Forest zone. Projects from Bolliger and Mabillard as well as Intamin are being considered for next year. Malevolence should be ridden at night to experience maximum glory on its first drop. Malevolence was inspired by Wildfire, Lightning Rod, and Wicked Cyclone and hugs the terrain for much of the layout. Rumor has it a dive machine may become neighbors with Mallie's wave turn. This bowl element begins with a double down and ends with a zero roll! Riptide gracefully drops off of the cliff side and into a hang-over inversion. And now on to the star attraction: Riptide! Here you can see the marquee, station, launch bridge and a train which has just launched at 65 mph. A huge wave splashes from the cove below when the train enters the Thunderbird-inspired dive loop. After exiting the dive loop, Riptide soars into the vertical loop and into the Kraken's lair where the beast can be heard as the train crashes through its underground lair. Not pictured here is the ride's signature show scene, which will be shown in a later update, where the Kraken attacks the train as it navigates a zero-g roll. The mid course brake run features a show scene where cannons fire and scare the passengers. Following the rum-inspired hangover element, the train crashes through a wrecked ship's hull much like Mako at Sea World. Guests get a refreshing blast of cool mist as the train heads to the finale. Riptide's final element is a cutback leading into a barrel roll crossing Captain Lockjaw's Renegade River. Riptide Reef aglow in the evening. The first of the five lands is Riptide Reef, which opened to the public 11-27-2016. The new land features Riptide, a Bolliger & Mabillard electromagnetic wing coaster.
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I read somewhere just now that new track was spotted by Gwazi, they claim to see rails similar looking to RMC, anyone goin to the park soon that could take a peak? I'll believe it when I see it but wow this would be amazing ! I know there are no projects for RMC in 2017 but a project like this would likely be for 2018. Looks like something is developing in Tampa.
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IAAPA 2016 Live Updates!
ECZenith replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
We are onnnnn an (inflatable) log fluuuuuume! I wonder if that Rollin' Thunder car they were showing off at the Zamperla booth is for the new park in Alabama. I'm loving the updates guys, thanks very much for them. IAAPA = Theme Park Christmas -
Thomas Land at Edaville USA
ECZenith replied to derpadederp1999's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I went for a trip to Edaville USA today for the first time in years. Just wanted to say it was really surprising to see so much progress and new additions since I was a kid. Apparently in addition to Kersplash , Pirate Adventure (rumored to be a dark ride) , bumper boats and a go kart track will open next year. I can't wait to see what else could be in store in the next few years, the place seems to be doing well! -
The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this prototype was the rumored Avengers/Iron Man coaster concept pitched for the Disney parks. I remember seeing a drawing of an unusual flying coaster idea from WDI , with Vekoma doing so many coasters for Disney recently, including prototypes (Everest/Grizzly Peak reversing coasters and the swinging cars for the Dwarves coasters) this may be plausible.
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Hello all, I am going to Six Flags New England tomorrow and am a little nervous about the crowds... I read in this thread that Saturday was light crowd wise. Do you think we can expect the same for tomorrow (holiday) or do you anticipate a very busy day ? Also, will my Six Flags Great America parking pass (built into my season pass) work at SFNE? I am so looking forward to getting back on Wicked Cyclone, thanks in advance for the help.
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The discussion of the contract and Marvel coming to Florida reminded me that the rumors for ToT at DCA becoming a Guardians attraction came around the same time as a similar one for Universe of Energy at EPCOT getting a retheme/replacement. I suppose it's only a matter of time before Ellen's Energy Adventure is replaced.
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There's confirmed to be a Marvel land but the location is unconfirmed. I just can't imagine the trolley rolling through Marvel area, and it would make the most sense to put the new stuff in this area. I rode a golf cart down that service road During cars land construction and that area is pretty big. I hope this happens.
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Bubba I agree, the parade building, other large backstage buildings and lots behind ToT are likely the new home for the Marvel attractions. So many awesome expansions in California right now with Harry Potter, Star Wars and now this. It's a good time to be alive, a great time to be an attractions fan! Between RSR and ToT
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As I mentioned before I am very excited and welcome this upgrade to the tower. I am a former Indy, BTMRR, and DLRR ride operator and still speak with many of my friends who continue to work the rides at the resort. I am not surprised to see many of them, and many guests who have heard the news mostly seem upset with this transition. While many are upset at this change , I feel most Californians haven't tried the superior Florida version, or the awesome Japanese version (I have yet to try Disney Sea's but it looks amazing!) The point I'm trying to make is if this version makes DCA's tower completely original from the other versions story-wise, we are going from a cloned story and theme to an original one, which is awesome in my opinion. While I don't believe everything I see on Screamscape or other theme park rumor sites all the time , Joe Rohde said himself that this will be the first of several attractions in the area. There was a strong RUMOR going in 2015 that the lots behind Tower of Terror would become a Marvel themed land. The big E-Ticket ride rumored to be in this area was an Avengers-themed indoor, launched coaster with projection and other special effects. I hope this comes to fruition , between Marvel land at DCA and Star Wars land at DL, this is a MAJOR expansion and I can't wait to see this come to life at both parks! Regarding Marvel land taking over Hollywood, I very much doubt it. The red car trolleys are still very new , and the area does still offer some nice attractions, perhaps Monsters and Muppets will see some kind of upgrade or replacement. Personally I love the animation building and think it's a must - see for a first time visitor. I have not worked at the resort in several years but I hear a new lot/parking structure is being built so DCA can continue to expand, Micechat has shown where the new land would supposedly be.
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https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/07/guardians-of-the-galaxy-mission-breakout-coming-to-disney-california-adventure-park-summer-2017?CMP=SOC-FBPAGE20160724024800 It's official: Tower of Terror at DCA will become Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT. According to the announcement video this will be the first attraction in an entirely new themed land. Today at San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, announced to a packed house of fans that the Guardians of the Galaxy are coming to Disney California Adventure park! Beginning in summer 2017, the outrageous and irreverent gang will appear in Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! – a comically high-energy, rocking new adventure. Guests will be right in the mix with characters from the blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. Deep inside his fortress-like collection, the mysterious Taneleer Tivan (aka The Collector) is displaying his newest acquisitions, the Guardians of the Galaxy. They are trapped in customized display cases, suspended over a vast abyss. Unbeknownst to their unscrupulous captor, the intrepid Rocket has escaped and is enlisting the Collector’s VIP guests for help. Guests board a gantry lift, which launches them into a chaotic and hilarious adventure as they join Rocket in an attempt to break his fellow Guardians out of captivity. The new attraction will anchor a broader universe of Super Heroes that will grow over time at Disney California Adventure park. This exciting new presence will transform the structure currently housing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ (scheduled to close in early 2017) into an epic new adventure, enhancing the breathtaking free fall sensation with all-new visual and audio effects to create a variety of ride experiences. Guests will experience multiple random, unique ride profiles in which the rise and fall of the gantry lift will rock to the beat of music inspired by the film’s popular soundtrack. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! opens summer 2017 at Disney California Adventure park. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog as we’ll bring you more details as the attraction develops as well as opportunities to celebrate The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ before it closes in early 2017. I'm a huge fan of Tower of Terror but I'm an even bigger Marvel fan. I welcome these changes in hopes the other versions of Tower of Terror remain with their respective themes. Please don't touch the WDW and Tokyo versions ! I'm a huge fan of Tower of Terror but I'm an even bigger Marvel fan. I welcome these changes in hopes the other versions of Tower of Terror remain with their respective themes. Please don't touch the WDW and Tokyo versions ! Guardians of the Galaxy film director James Gunn chimes in on the development of this new attraction... Guardians of The Galaxy : Mission BREAKOUT
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That green track is so bright, I love it! The gold track would make for a great Ziz. I would speculate one of these is for Canada Wonderland's long rumored inverted coaster, One of my favorite parts of being a coaster nerd is watching the track plant and seeing where they go, there's something majestic about fresh B&M track.
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Spider-Man: Symbiote Showdown
ECZenith replied to ECZenith's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
I have for the past few weeks been working on my Lego roller coaster and have received the chain, power source , lights, motor, gears switches, etc. I will need to move forward. The lift structure has been painted black to match the coaster's theme. The current idea for the theme of the coaster is... Spider-Man: Symbiote Showdown When the coaster is running you will see a lot of Spider-Man theming thanks to my collection. I can't wait to show you the coaster when it's running, thanks for checking it out! Train, lift motor and power source The new black lift structure The lift chain is made up of 190 technic links The cast... Carnage will have a great scene ... Venom will have the most elaborate set on the ride. -
Planet Coaster (PLC) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to scbt's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
Hi guys, I hope this is appropriate for me to ask here: I just earned a $600 bonus at work and was thinking about getting a new PC mostly for Planet Coaster. I am terribly computer illiterate when it comes to specs and I know we have some people on here that know better than I. Would this machine run PC nicely? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-ultra-desktop-amd-fx-series-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black-blue/4593000.p?id=1219775850518&skuId=4593000 I hope it's not too late for me to get the early bird access. Any help would be much appreciated, I can't wait to start trying Planet Coaster out. -
Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Hey Point fans! Just a quick update from today's visit to Cedar Point. It was the day after the closure and the park was quite busy for a Tuesday. I arrived at opening and stayed till close and maximized my time without using fast lane. I have been many times so missing a few rides was no big deal, here were the wait times... Valravn: 2.5 hours, broke down twice while we were in line, and it was the first ride of the day. I enjoyed this one more than Sheikra and Griffin. Rougarou: 35 mins, I so don't miss the Mantis trains, what an improvement! MF: 60 minute wait which we skipped by obtaining fast lane tickets. There is a promo going on right now, if you download the Mobile Strike app game and show guest relations , you get a one time use fast lane. Millennium is such a great ride, effing legendary. Maverick: 70 mins, My favorite coaster at the park and all time #2 coaster. The new soft restraints are excellent, thanks Tony! Gatekeeper: 15 mins, I love my Gatekeeper. Smooth and sprawling and a great way to end the night. After riding all the US wing coasters I still like GK best. The beach setting, keyholes and layout make it one of my faves out of 300+ coasters, I feel GK is criminally under-rated. Raptor: 40 mins all day except for at closing where it was a walk on. New lighting looks amazing and the paint pops at twilight. Outstanding inverted coaster as always. TTD: 5 mins (went up to 90) It was closed all day until around 530. I heard it launch and briskly walked from Magnum to be on one of the first trains. Sorry Magnum, next year buddy... That's all there was time for today without fast lane. A lot of breakdowns today for almost all of the big coasters but still a great day. I want to thank Cedar Point and Ohio Edison for replacing 36 downed power lines on the causeway and getting the park open today. I am so lucky Monday was a travel day from Chicago. I am most grateful to the Sandusky Police For keeping everyone safe after the storm damage , thankfully there were no injuries after the storm. -
Holiday World (HW) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Hi Ty! I was at the park yesterday,I was in the station for TBird as well when the train was taken off, glad we waited because it didn't take long to get things rolling again. I was so impressed by the cleanliness of the park , friendly employees and selection of rides. The water park was amazing especially Mammoth. I can't say enough good things about this place , absolutely incredible ! My first Thunderbird ride! -
My two favorite (for fear factor) are not at parks but I would like to share them. At #2 is Nightmares Fear Factory, Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario It's year round but not located at a park. Canadians love their haunted houses,eh? Clifton is loaded with haunted houses but only a couple of them are very frightening. As someone who goes into any haunted house I can , not much scares me in them anymore. I have never been one to be afraid of the dark, but Nightmares makes you question that. Jessica and I were the first to visit Nightmares that day and after a 12 hour drive from south of the border I probably wasn't in the best shape for something like this. I couldn't resist stopping in Niagara Falls on my way to Leviathan several hours further north, when I heard Nightmares is an entirely pitch black experience I had to try it. I love these dark mazes. The darker the better, really. The small looking building is themed to a haunted coffin factory. It's much bigger than it looks, takes a while to find your way through and there is not one actor to be found inside. Machines, buzzers, static shockers, bursts of light, and of course the major elements I won't spoil out of respect. Everything takes you by surprise , you follow red tiny led's that show the way. They turn off and on and show up on the opposite end of the wall to mess with you. You are terribly lost the whole time and hopelessly fumble around finding the way through. You had to squeeze through tight gaps, and climb under a low wall at one point. I was very impressed and I recommend it for intense scares. #1 Barrett's Haunted Mansion presents Darkness Unleashed, Abington, MA Being a New Englander had its advantages at Halloween. There are so many mazes to choose from but none better in all of the northeast than Barret's. Barret's take's the all dark concept of Nightmares and amplifies it. 3 nights a year , the year round standing structure (it is only a seasonal haunt, however ) BHM becomes Darkness Unleashed. The lights go out in these nights in the main maze, the props become useless , the actors wear night vision goggles like effing Seal Team 6 and mercilessly grab , pull, rub, smell and otherwise violate you for what seems like forever. I have been twice and the first time was with my girlfriend and coaster /haunt buddy Jess and an older couple. While we were sworn at, grabbed , and separated that year, the next year with another younger couple was intense. We were getting grabbed all over our bodies , nothing seemed to be off limits. It was way more sexualized and I can see it being kind of disturbing to some. You have to buy reservations online , sign a waiver agreeing that you will be touched , etc. and when your time arrives you are given the choice of a red or green tiny glow stick as your only source of light. I chose red and lead the group both times . With the red glow stick the actors are way "rougher" and scare factor is maximized. We had hoods pulled over or face , I was "washed" by a maid who insisted I was dirty , she sprayed me directly in the face with water and two more actors showed up and started rubbing shaving cream all over me. I barely make out the frills of her costume with the little glow stick and I'm being dragged away, can hear my girlfriend screaming that she's being taken away, my friends are gone apparently. It was unbelievably intense , not quite like the ones where you're in a coffin, or made to eat things , or freeze in a box like the one in San Diego, but man it's intense every time, worth checking out just get tickets early they sell out. It looks small, really deceiving from the outside. The staircases are one of the only lighted areas. A lot of people quit midway. These guys did a great job with this one. Take my money!! Barret's Haunted Mansion Entrance for Darkness Unleashed where you get your glow stick. Don't be a puss, choose red!
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What's your closest coaster?
ECZenith replied to FishyFish's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Edaville USA is a 20 minute drive in Carver,MA from Wareham, MA where I live. Wareham is also home to Water Wizz which has great slides, literally right up the street from my house. Edsville had the Troublesome Trucks coaster and later this year a fairground style water coaster with two drops. Great for my four year old niece. -
[PKT] Port Costa Resort
ECZenith replied to ECZenith's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
Thanks Paradox! The new terrain system is great, I find it much easier in Parkitect than in RCT games.Thew new 9a update is available! The Tourbilion multi-axis ride is now available. An Intamin gigacoaster is expected to be the next major in-game asset added. Here is the next update for port Costa Resort! -Forgotten Mountain is about 50% done including the new GCI T-Rex wooden coaster! Other rides include Rain Dance (Top Spin) and Carnivore (Huss Jump2). You will notice in the screens a large blank area.. I'm torn at the moment whther to add a dark ride or some more flat rides. I think I might wait for more assets to come out before adding to this area. I'm think the B&M wing coaster is next to go up. Edit: Pictures coming soon, there is a problem with mods and the new alpha. -
Planet Coaster (PLC) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to scbt's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
Hi Dante, My specs are: AMD FX-4100 Quadcore Processor 3.60 GHz 8 gb RAM installed memory AMD Radeon HD 5700 series Do you guys think it would work well? If I were to buy it today could I access the alpha or did I miss my window ? -
Planet Coaster (PLC) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to scbt's topic in Roller Coaster Games, Models, and Other Randomness
I have a quick question or two... If I preorder today on the frontier store for 29.99 will Ibe able to access the alpha now? More importantly, is there a way I can run a program to make sure the game will run on my machine ? I appreciate the help, thank you. -
Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
ECZenith replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Guy, you are a legend.