griffonj2022

Just a reminder that I have recently started a Twitter account @griffonj2022! Be sure to follow for new updates, daily tweets about new rides bad upcoming projects, and even some extras now and then. DiVE has also been released above! #8 is coming around next week; ready to be inverted 9 times on one ride? It's another fun one that I'm excited to release!

If someone can name #8 in the DNA Phase, you'll get an exclusive POV of the ride before anyone else! Do you have good enough eyes to find it in the video above? DM me if you think you have the answer!

While filming the POV for DiVE, my computer crashed and didn't seem to want anything to do with me, so DiVE won't be released until tomorrow. I apologize for this, but my computer is rather fickle and can either work or freeze, and today it chose the latter of the two. However, i promise that the release will be tomorrow, so get ready to take a plunge! Thanks for the suggestion. I've "produced" (footed and supported) these rides I'm releasing a few months back, so most of what you'll be seeing footer-wise is older. However, different footers, supports, scenery, etc. will be used in the coming months, so your suggestion isn't far off from what I've been using lately! Works with this picture too...

MAY 28, 2013

My first project outside of the phases is underway! Zalika, meaning "born into power" in Swahili, takes inspiration from Africa, taking me to a place I've never been before for scenery and theming. Notice the new B&M track connectors? It's gonna be an experiment!

NeurENRG

I'm seeing stars on every single ride when I hit halfway through that turn. It's scary yet amazing at the same time, and the "gray corner" fits! Anyone know how busy it will be at the park the first week of June?

Thanks...I believe it's Moby's Glasshouse & Framework set. A quick Google and it's the first site that comes up. It's pretty easy to use and has multiple opportunities! Looking for someone new to follow on Instagram? Head on over to my new page @griffonjofficial! This is the first social media outlet that I'm delving into since Twitter (@griffonj2022), with more to follow in the future. Be sure after reading this to hop onto Instagram and follow, as well as Twitter. I only have one follow on Twitter, and want to be up to at least 50. I tweet occasionally but if I receive a lot of followers on both accounts you might all get inside views on upcoming attractions and PHASE III! NeurENRG is coming this week too.

I knew going to the park that day that the ride was going to be different. I knew that a lot of the general public found the ride to be too much for them, but all of my family and friends that went on the ride last season said it was the best ride they've ever been on (yet again, we're avid theme park visitors). Skyrush now seems much more GP friendly in my mind. It still scares the crap out of me every time it goes up the hill, but does adapt more so that more people are willing to ride I think. I can agree with Robb when he says that America isn't ready for an Intamin Mega-Lite because the public wouldn't be ready to ride something like that. I rode when it was around mid-60's so maybe my opinion of the ride is a bit biased. I'll have to go back when it's a hot day with a full train to see how I really feel about it. I also forgot to mention that when the train hits the brake run and then stops in front of the station, the lap bars unlock. You hear the pneumatics make their hissing noise and then the whole "CLUNK" as all the lap bars unlock a bit to give you some breathing room. The whole train went "Thank god!" while my brother and I were surprised to see this addition. The pain was and is bearable, but this is just a good add-on to please the GP. Don't get my wrong, Skyrush is a great ride. It's the best megacoaster I have ever ridden for multiple reasons. But, it's just been altered a bit to adapt for the GP to enjoy more than they did last year. Hopefully they'll make it a bit more intense as the season goes on, and trips back to the park in the future will be the test!

After a day at Hersheypark, I have created a list of Pro's and Con's in my mind on the three hour ride home. PRO'S - Great Bear is sporting a new coat of paint (only in The Hollow section of the park though?) - There were bare minimum to almost no lines from 10am-12pm - Skyrush is now featuring softer restrains and a "wider" station (the gates were moved back a good three feet) - The food tasted better than I remember - The Boardwalk has indeed added two new slides and a smaller version of East Coast Waterworks for little ones - The path beneath Skyrush in the Sunken Gardens has been enhanced (I believe) - The park seemed much smaller and more compact; it felt easier to walk around in - The app for the park is very useful for finding out wait times for rides, what rides are currently broken down, and where in the park you are - It's fun! CON'S - There were multiple school groups, musical groups, and math groups there today (it was Math Day actually ), leading to too many middle school-aged kids running around the park - Line jumping was evident here and there as groups were "saving spots" for other members of their party currently not with them - Operations were a bit slow on some rides but great on others - The back of the park was empty while the front of the park was packed jam full! - Waits at the front of the park were around 30min-1hr while waits on Storm Runner and other attractions further into the park were less than 30min - Yes, here's the big con: Skyrush is slower. The lift is great and even though it slows down at the top, it doesn't feel that way when you're on the ride. But, I did notice you don't feel thrown over like you did last season, but instead feel like you're falling back down to Earth. The airtime hills, although still full of floater airtime, weren't as "HOLY S**T!!!" as they were last season, and the ride even felt slower in my opinion. When I got off of Skyrush, I didn't feel the urge to jump back in line like I did last season, but instead opted to go and ride the skyride. My brother and I did purchase season passes, so going back is definitely in the future for Season 2013. I would like to go back when the Boardwalk opens to see how wait times are then (since they seemed lengthy today), as well as test out the new waterslides. Hopefully, Skyrush will be a little bit faster when we go back; the intensity and sheer terror of the ride was muted a little bit, so maybe it will be restored again? Yes, they were indeed running two trains! But, as usual, people cannot figure out that you get on and off from the same side of the train, leading to slow operations (we sat on the brake run for about two minutes I bet). Hope it's better for you on Sunday. Pictures to follow in this update when I get them loaded onto the computer! Oh, and we also found a great little place called Ridge Road right off of one of the main streets in Hershey. There is a little walking path right next to Skyrush that we walked down and back to watch a few trains go by. Kid you not, you're so close you feel as if you can touch the ride. It's a great place to go chill out once you leave the park!

griffonj is at Hersheypark for opening day! Check back here later for pictures and updates during the day that I'll try to do. There isn't a lot of people here, so the day looks promising!

Shot0183.bmp Aptly named, DiVE originates from classic B&M Dive Machines. Featuring elements from SheiKra, Griffon, Krake, and other well known "divers", DiVE takes the plunge from 150+ ft. only to hit the water and rise up into an Immelman. Repeating the process again, splashing down into the water, and experiencing more airtime, riders on this Dive Machine by griffonj2022 will discover a similar ride in new light. Inspired by a person diving into water and rising back up to the surface, DiVE relates to griffonj's DNA by illustrating his athletic abilities as a swimmer as well as his love for water. Are you willing to Take the Plunge? Shot0186.bmp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QmNmH47gQ DiVE Take the Plunge And after... Shot0190.bmp

While going into the game to finish up NeurENRG, the game has shut down on me twice. I think it may have something to do with the tree set that I'm using since it doesn't seem to want to work whoever that set is opened. I will try my hardest to get out at least an "Unofficial" POV for everyone since I'm going on vacation and won't be able to work on NeurENRG until I return home. This may mean that NeurENRG won't be coming until the second week of April...that's my debockle. Hope to at least release something for you all to see tonight, so keep your eyes open! [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QmNmH47gQ

#8 in the DNA Phase is coming on my birthday...are you ready to dive in? If you can name my birth date PM me for something cool! Shot0173.bmp

I apologize for double posting, but LOCUS is out! I finished all of the filming and editing yesterday, but the video didn't upload onto YouTube until late last night. But, everything about LOCUS is listed above, so check out the pictures, watch the videos, and flND yOUR CENTER! I initially had planned on doing a Verbolten recreation as the 5th ride in the DNA Phase, but soon realized that I had not enough time in my life to dedicate to such an extensive project. The ride ended up being saved for another date for me to finish (if I choose to), and I set out to design another ride to take it's place. LOCUS was designed in the middle of PHASE III designs, but I went back a little bit in my brain to make LOCUS fit within the DNA Phase more than PHASE III. It was designed in a mere ten minutes. LOCUS illustrates the idea of having a specific center point. The ride is very compact, much more compact than previous endeavors, and really pushed my idea of how supports and structuring of ride design is done. I wanted the ride to be contained like it is to show the meaning of the word locus: a central point along a specific strand of DNA. The name fitted not only because the ride was so smushed together, but because the ride is smack dab in the middle of the DNA Phase. It turned out being one of my favorite rides! The video for this one used less editing features and more motion of the camera when shooting. I wanted to sort of "fly" with the coaster as it went through the motions, and I think I did it pretty well. I'm pleased with the way the video turned out, and an unedited POV is also included. Following LOCUS is NeurENRG, a ride that takes impulse from the brain and nervous system. More information will be coming on that on a later date, so for now enjoy flNDING yOUR CENTER! -griffonj2022

flND yOUR CENTER Shot0138.bmpShot0102.bmpShot0135.bmpShot0108.bmpShot0104.bmpShot0119.bmpShot0129.bmpShot0115.bmpShot0134.bmpShot0124.bmpShot0105.bmpShot0132.bmpShot0112.bmpShot0133.bmpShot0109.bmpShot0094.bmpShot0107.bmp

Shot0077.bmp Shot0093.bmp Shot0080.bmp Shot0086.bmp Shot0076.bmp 3(15)13

You're not smiling yet, but I am.

Thank you for the support! As I've mentioned, LOCUS will be coming out March 15th with NeurENRG following close after, so you'll be able to view these guys in the coming weeks. Hope you stick around to see the rest of the DNA Phase completed! Be sure to vote in the poll above too! It only runs until tomorrow night, so be sure to make a decision by then on whether or not you would like this... ...to become a reality. I'm cautious about going forward with the APP's production because I'm unsure as to whether or not followers would be receptive of it, thus the reason I created a poll. So, if you could, vote on whether or not you would use it. And don't worry, it will be able to be used on Android devices as well if you choose for it to be released! Expect an update and teaser for LOCUS this coming weekend. It's a very tight and twisted B&M Flyer featuring some new maneuvers, so be sure to look for that as well!

Alright, I think it's time to have a little fun here. I've actually announced two more of the names for attractions coming in the DNA Phase, yet there are three more that come after that. If you notice a pattern within the names of the phase, you'll figure out what I'm working with on #8... 1. iDNA 2. Mutation 3. SkyRush 4. DARE 5. LOCUS 6. NeurENRG 7. -i-- 8. --i-- 9. ***BREAKING POINT*** Think about the music that's been used for Phase II. If you know the name of the album then you're all set, but if you don't then you'll have some digging to do. Also, if someone names BOTH #7 and #8, I'll release something from PHASE III. It may just be a sneak peek at something that's undergoing a change as we speak. Be sure to vote in the poll I've created above as well! I've finished something that I will hopefully produce and release as part of the final phase, so be sure to check it out above. If you're interested in finding out more information about the topic feel free to pm me at any time... Oh, and LOCUS is coming March 15th.

DARE, in my mind, may be one of the most insane rides I've ever done (for now). I've been dying to use the name DARE on a ride for months, maybe even years, and to finally release an attraction worthy of that title makes me really excited. All day today I kept saying in my head "DARE is coming out today!" not only because I haven't released a ride in months, but because I think that this ride shows off how limitless the possibilities are for a ride. No one has even done a first drop like the one on DARE, nor been as adventurous as to stick a vertical drop into a ravine as the ride's finale. I also think that this ride shows off how daring I am (pun intended!) in my designs and the progression of my attractions over time. Each one seems to link my DNA together a little bit more, and DARE illustrates how truly intense, aggressive, and powerful I can be at times. Tomorrow I will link images of the ride as well as statistics in this original post, so check back then for more! I know that the ride hits almost 5 G's when it heads into the Cobra Roll and at the turn over the water, as well as a top speed of around 70 mph. It may even be the fastest floorless coaster in the world...I'd have to check on that one. Enjoy the video and be sure to comment below! I am a fan of constructive criticism and comments, so feel free to offer up anything that come to mind. The next attraction in the DNA Phase, Locus, should be coming in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes open for that attraction as well. FACE YOUR FEARS HEAD FIRST.