Fallen Heretic

A witness said it happened near the end of the ride when the train was turning before the brakes. From close examination of the pictures and videos on the news it looks like all the wheelsets have come off one side of the train but not the other. Maybe a rail on one side getting out of alignment? Pure speculation of course about the rails. I live a few minutes from it and can see it from my window at work but the park and approach roads have all been closed off.

Your models are pretty good. I especially like that you include light. Good lighting can make a good model better. I'm curious about the bases. I assume they are hollow so the LEDs can be mounted from below. What are they made of? It looks like wood (ply or Balsa?) but it could just be brush marks I can see.

For anyone interested in the HSE and what they do in relation to rides in particular, there is a free PDF guide on their site which gives advice, guidance and some legislation for ride operators. Its alot of reading though. You would have to be VERY interested. http://books.hse.gov.uk/hse/public/saleproduct.jsf?catalogueCode=9780717662494 They also describe what enforcement power they have, which might give a hint as to whether there could be a threat of a court ordered closure (I think its really unlikely). http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/index.htm A quick skim of that leads me to believe that, if there are measures which can prevent a similar incident in future, there will be no law-backed permanent closure of the ride. If a permanent closure happens, it will be because Merlin have chosen to do it. It may come down to two things. Will any required changes be too expensive to implement and sustain running the ride, and is it better for the company as a whole PR wise to let it go. Remember that gullible, tabloid believing GP we complain about is where the vast majority of ticket sales come from. Dont forget Big Dipper in Blackpool had a block crash and after upgrades it reopened. Okay, so injuries were not as severe, but its about risk. The consequence is only one part of the equation.

It looks quite cool so far. Also looks like it will have full freedom of track design rather than be limited to pre-set track pieces. But then I suppose in this day and age there is no reason not to. One thing though, looking at the wording on some of their non-game pre-orders, I kinda get the impression that there will be modern style DLC. I mean like buy a ride, or a new scenery item, rather than an expansion pack. Not sure why, it just feels that way to me. If thats the case then I also imagine that they will make custom scenery and rides deliberately hard to implement. I hope I'm wrong about that, but it is the popular business model these days. Pure, unfounded speculation, of course. Edited to say, I had another thought. Maybe they would also fund some things with options like the foundation stones they are selling. People pay for something special, but the actual ride/scenery is released for free? Unlikely, but what if? I personally prefer the expansion pack model, but with individual DLC you only pay for what you use. But then to get everything generally costs alot of money.

Some folks here just love to find things to complain about. And if there isn't really anything worth complaining about, then they find something that's not worth complaining about and then complain about it. That family that left when they saw an evac just wasted their kids day because they were grumpy, and of course they think its all someone else's fault. Its just a shame that these are the people that get quotes in papers as the 'public opinion'. Jeremy Kyle syndrome in full effect.

Really tragic, and unfortunate business. Accidents rarely have just one cause, especially when dedicated safety systems are involved. I will be interested in the HSE report (if they have detail in the public release). The report will help decide whether there has been a case of negligence which can be considered criminal (the civil case I think is pretty much taken as read at the moment). It could be that it was such a set of unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances which came together into a perfect storm which allowed it to happen, that it could even be written off as a freak accident with recommendations made to prevent it happen again. It could be that someone just lost focus for a moment and made a catastrophic error. It could be a culture of laziness in the company staff. It could be a bizarre technology glitch. It could be an inerrant design fault which has never had the right circumstances to happen until now. Maybe all of the above. Its all speculation. Sometimes things which seem obvious really aren't so because we are missing some vital information which totally changes the picture. Much of the over-reacting and knee-jerk stuff being said in media and the public in general is partly down to people simply not understanding risk. It is impossible to eliminate fully. Not mechanically, not in software and definitely not in the staff. In fact in Scottish laws (which of course wont apply here) about employer responsibility in accidents assumes that an employer should expect staff to become complacent, and so cant use that as a defence unless deliberate employee negligence can be shown. Its human nature to get complacent if your not given a little prod now and then. I think Merlin have handled this well from a PR standpoint and a corporate responsibility standpoint. I don't think anyone could claim they haven't taken the incident or general safety seriously (despite what certain news pitbulls would have us believe).

I had thought Frontier had already announced they were making their own new rct style game? I guess its possible that they have done a new deal with Atari, but Since they self-published Dangerous I thought it would make more sense to self-publish the new game as well. Unless using the RCT trademark is that important.

Wow, seems this has been a hellish development so far. I'm a software dev and I know things can very rapidly screw up quite quickly and completely in many a project. Maybe starting over is the only alternative to cancelling it. I cant help but wonder if Atari are a bit impatient and are jumping to other developers when they don't see results fast enough? Coders are known for being way too optimistic in their development time estimates.

^ I think this would be a good approach. Would also allow for selecting an area of the park and hitting one option to theme all rides, restaurants etc in it to one theme. Im settling on the idea that this is shaping up to be more of a fun-toon game, and not at all like a simulation. As long as its really good at being that, it will be fun. RCT3 was never exactly serious, nor was it meant to be, no matter how much the fans of the earlier games wanted it to be. Its not being built for the enthusiast, dont expect enthusiast-friendly things. There are other products for that. Atari just need something that will sell well.

That is a really, really nice concept. Actually rather stylish which could appeal to a wider market than the enthusiasts. If it were to grow into a range, I can see it being kinda collectable. Would also make a good desk ornament for the cube/office/home desk/etc. Almost brings to mind those little buildings (Lilliput lane etc) that folks collect. I completely understand your position Jack. The most vocal folks (enthusiasts mostly I guess) have given the company a rather unjustly hard time.

There are glues out there which will stick silicone to other stuff. But they are usually a bit pricey and involve multi-part epoxy or pre-treating the surfaces. As for the paint, I'm really not sure. I have never tried to paint silicone before. But keep the faith. This is like hitting a wall in long distance running. Have a break from it and another idea might hit you later. Thats why its good to have more than one project on the go at a time.

Looks good. I haven't tried to bend styrene which is that thick, but I understand that it can be made easier to bend by heating it. It seems something of a dark art to get the temperature right though. Too little and it wont bend, too much and it will melt and loose its square cross section. You would need a former to attach it to so it holds its shape as it cools as well. Ive also heard of some folks slicing lateral cuts into the inside surface of the bend, to make it bend a little easier. How about this idea: You could use smaller square beams which are easier to bend, and laminate them up to the size you need. Start at the inside bottom corner (closest to guide wheels) on either side to make the gauge easier to maintain, and build them up and out. Have a look at what the guy doing the Rye airplane did with his track. What Im suggesting isn't exactly like that, but similar. The laminations should also hold the track to shape so it wont strain against any glue and pop out at a later date. The down side is that it will be more fiddly to do, and once the track part is glued it cant be adjusted much, so if its a bit wrong, you have to take it out, and build a new piece. Of course you could mix techniques, and use thick stuff for the gentler curves, and laminate the tighter stuff. Are there any softer alternatives to styrene that would be easier to manipulate but still hard enough to not bog down the train?

Thats pretty unusual for a first post? Never tried NoLimits, but these look quite nice. I have RCT3 but just dont have the time anymore for computer or real-life modelling.

Looks good so far. Wooden coaster models are a real challenge to do, and getting them to work is even more challenging. Especially at the smaller scales. I recommend building a test track. Just a small valley will do, to give you an idea of train friction, and whether it is likely to make it around the track. The smaller scale the cars are, the easier they loose energy on the way round. Some tips I can give is that if you exaggerate the difference in heights between the lift and subsequent hills, it will have more chance of working. Also, be careful with the track gauge. Keep it just a little loose, especially in the turns. It is surprisingly easy to have a train bind in turns. Some of the classic coasters with PTC trains even widen the gauge in turns. Lube on the track and bearings is a good idea too, as long as it doesn't eat the styrene Although, even if it doesn't run all the way, it looks like you will still end up with a good model.

^ I'm pleased to hear they are using a safeword. It sounds like they are running it responsibly. Apart from a few typically sensational tabloid reports I haven't actually seen any complaints about it. If it was really too much for most guests they wouldn't make any money off it and it wouldn't still be running.

These hands-on more extreme things are getting more popular these days. Im really in two minds about them. Personally I like scare attractions to be fun. I want to be scared, nervous, jumpy and have my fight or flight triggered. I want to run out laughing with a smile on my face. Im also quite partial to the more plot heavy, slow-burner type attractions. I really don't rate the more 'extreme' stuff. Its not that I cant handle it, its just that I dont find it entertaining. I was in one where I got black-bagged and pushed hard in the chest against a wall so that breathing was difficult. And to be honest it was not scary, just uncomfortable. I imagine that it would be disturbing if it hit at a core vulnerability (eg a near-sexual assault on a young woman) but then disturbing isn't the same as scary. Being traumatised still isn't the same as scary. I don't think any entertainment attraction should be leaving anyone in the state of the girl mentioned above. It has the potential to genuinely damage. I think the problem really isn't with the attraction itself, its that some of the people in a more vulnerable state of mind really don't know what they are letting themselves in for as its such a departure from standard scare attractions. Some people who really can't handle it would go through just to try and prove they could, and end up with a horrible experience that stays with them for way too long. Even with the disclaimer (which is pretty clear) really doesn't prepare a vulnerable person for whats waiting for them. And then, once they are in that state, alot of these things spit them out into public space with no time to compose themselves from the trauma, so they bury it instead and that makes it worse. This isn't the attractions fault, the people going through should be aware of their own limits. I also think actors in these types of attractions should be taught how to recognise that it has gone too far for a guest, when its no longer just a show and has really got to someone in a bad way, and call a halt to that guests experience. Maybe even give them a space to recover. Even if its just a cup of tea, a biscuit and a chat with the actor in a bright non-threatening space, anything to dissipate the trauma. Of course, having said all that, it could equally be said that its just a show, nothing bad is really happening and if someone enters an attraction which clearly states sexual content and manhandling when they are, say, recovering from sexual abuse, then its their own dumb fault. I used to do a pretty good seance show that left some folks quite disturbed, and can honestly say it never bothered me at the time. I would do it a little differently now. At the end of the day though, there needs to be the more extreme stuff to keep the industry moving forward and stop stagnation. That doesn't mean all attractions should go that route eventually, but there needs to be variety and someone pushing boundaries to inspire new ideas. Anyway, yeah, rant over. Feel free to comment/apply standard TPR abuse EDIT: Oh, and the rest of Scare Kingdom looks pretty damn good. Ive been through a few Atmosfear attractions and they have always been fun. never gotten to the kingdom though. I love the idea of greyscaling a maze.

I would like to think that each plot is pretty big. I suspect we are not talking rct3 size split into 3. More like 3 separate game areas that can be linked, like how MK is linked to Epcot via monorail. At least I hope thats how it works. It still looks quite grid-like to be honest, but maybe that part was built as a grid deliberately. I figured that invented, made up flats were an rct staple. In game (non-custom) stuff was never realistic. It would be nice to have the option of realistic rides, but there should still be the silly, fun stuff too. Its not a simulator after all.

Now thats a hard fail. Fail at what Im not sure, but definitely a fail.

This is some really nice work. Ive seen pros selling models which don't have this attention to detail. It shows that its a labour of love.

Sim City had always on DRM, which was an anti piracy measure. It meant you had to be connected to the net to play single player, so couldn't, for instance, play on a laptop while you were travelling and had no internet. So it wasnt online play, the game just needed a net connection to work at all. Everyone hated it. Im sure RCTW wont have a feature like that, not as long as Pipeworks have their sanity.

They want to release early 2015 and they are still in pre-alpha? Lets hope they have a real hot and fast team working on it. Otherwise we are going to have major, major slippage.

Im still a bit concerned about how little we have seen of it when its release is less that a year away. Im really, really hoping this isn't a rush job.

Well, I am late with this, but here goes. You are really talking about the physics of a pendulum, so look that up (the internet is the font of all knowledge). The G-force experienced is caused by the rate of change of direction, otherwise known as acceleration. As you swing, you are being accelerated towards the bar at the top as your body moves through the arc. Faster swing means faster rate of change and more g-force. The higher the start of the downward swing, the more you will accelerate (as it takes more time to reach the bottom of the swing), and the faster you go. So higher swing means (in crude terms) more G-force. The length of chain also effects g-force. A shorter chain means smaller arc, and a faster rate of change for the same speed compared to a longer chain, and so higher g-force. But you will not accelerate (due to gravity) as much with a shorter chain. Like all things physics, its a balance. In this case, between height of the 'drop' and the tightness of the arc the swing makes.

Granted, you now have no emotion. No boredom. No love. No joy. Nothing. Just the pointless march of time. I wish I could afford a holiday.

Considering how much fun Turbo Dismount turned out to be, this could be a laugh.