GayCoasterGuy

Looks like a little orange frog. The poisonous frog coaster! Maybe in Japan, I guess...

Whatever it is, there will be lots of complaints... I can see it coming. Whining about not getting a new coaster. I think we can never have enough family rides.

Yes. No need to go back to CP-Penna for a long time. Laser was special, like any Anton ride. It's doing just fine in Germany, even in the snow:

Let them ride it every year for 5 years and then see what they think. Flashback has a *WOW* factor (for anyone who hasn't seen like... 14 Vekoma Boomerangs) while Shockwave looks more like what I would think is a very basic coaster. Some hills curves and a couple loops. *WOW* factor works on many people. Some enthusiasts I would even say... Just look at X-Flight Heck, 2 nights ago it was a walk on while Whizzer had over a 30 minute wait. The pretty new ride ain't sticking... That's strange either way. The first time I have ever heard of anyone saying something negative about Shockwave. Then again, there was a kid getting off Voyage in it's opening year and complained "Mean Streak is way better!" Ahh... I forgot the kool-aid flows into the GP, too.

It's much better to let a park know your complaints (constructive criticism) than to walk around mad, complaining on online coaster geek forums saying "it doesn't matter, they won't do anything about it anyway." Have a freakin spine, you know? Our society is full of spineless lemmings walking around doing basically nothing. Learn your resources and learn how to communicate effectively in person. (I'm not blaming cell phones/internet; I won't even go there ) The parks are (or should be) trained to deal with upset guests. I'm *NOT* excusing poor/loud behavior, but I look at it this way - the employees are there for US. The reward is a paycheck (albeit not a big enough one). The years I worked at Cedar Point, I saw many a ... whats the word... *snoooty* (coming from the Chausee' side of the Point, not the causeway) giving managers (and Jack Falfas in one situation) a very hard time about not getting what they wanted. And heck, the park was run much better back then! Because the guy that did this story is a *coaster fan/enthusiast*, people are going to come down on him. He did some stuff wrong, sure. But what the park (any park) gets from some non-enthusiast folks is much MUCH more offensive and moot. This guy was upset (we are only human) and said some stuff that was off (I don't know a perfect human). Either way, the employees should be trained to deal with this. It's good to communicate with the park, tell them your concerns, and learn how to do it in a polite, constructive and hopefully productive manner. Of course, the employees are not trained properly and underpaid - that is a Six Flags corporate issue. "Let's make lots of money RIGHT NOW and ignore customer service and the future" only get's you so far. Six Flags has had many re-boots over the years. It's always some new scheme. Assigning seats on coasters is a strong-arm method of attempting to get better capacity. It rarely works and pisses people off. I mean, you are going to tell me you have to assign seats to "get a train out on time"? There is nearly no training. On top of that, you get over-zealous (or just plain idiotic employees, in this case) that get all *true grit* when you ask a question or request something. (I wish some of these idiot employees would be assigned to nabbing line jumpers. The Six Flags parks would be much better places.) Back then, we filled seats, paired up singles (who were willing to ride together), let people wait for any seat they wanted, AND got the trains out on/before time. You really can do ALL that. We actually talked to people - not always over a garbled microphone - and connected with people. That's lost on many big parks these days. Like most GP know what a muffled "the next train only has 3 seats in row 5" (on Superman at SFGAm, for example) means. You really think they got anything out of you repeating that every other train? Over a cheap loud speaker with "I wanna move it move it" AND an automated Superman spiel blasting in the background?? Higher capacity may hurt their "pay to cut" profits, too.

From what I have heard, it would help if the lap bars were a completely different shape. They need more surface area contacting the legs. Kinda like the B&M clamshell design. They can put all the padding they want, if they don't increase the surface area of contact, you are still in for pain.

When I worked at CP (91-93) we would always go to Geauga. Sure, it was a bit trashy, but it was a whole lotta FUN. Big Dipper had some rough track years, but over all gave a great classic ride, full of laterals and great air time. With the loss of Screechin' Eagle and Big Dipper (and for me, Blue Streak) Ohio is not a hot coaster state (for me, anyway) the way it used to be. I'm sad about Geauga still... it was CRAP when Six Flags run it. It was over-ridiculous to see all those new BIG steel coasters plunked down in random spots in a tiny traditional park. Why not focus on something a little more refreshing - and something that *could* still go somewhere, like this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restore-Revolution/388480361172971 (I was told I could mention this ride and it's hopeful 'restoration' as long as I included good old pics) mmmmmmm...... *Much stranger things have happened*

Hrm... The Beast "classic"? Maybe at one point, in an odd way. But with all that PTC "gear"? uck. It's been Frankensteined to the max. But I know what you mean, it is often called a "classic." Out of all the MEGA woodies built in the 70s/80s, I would say American Eagle kicks them all to the curve. (I'm thinking Colossus, Beast, Screamin' Eagle, Hurcules, American Eagle as the first BIG woodies back then. I think I may be forgetting one...) The Beast's 2nd drop (78' at a 32 degree angle iirc) used to be floater air... but thats long long gone. I would think the entire 350' mid course brake/trim could be converted into a big dip... into an underground tunnel, of course.

Just think, they have 4 times the number of restraints to check today. Things change - "it is what it is!" Someone mentioned the ride is boring on the flat sections between curves. Now... imagine those flat sections but twice as fast! The train would have a very "hurtling" feel to it. I thought Voyage could benefit from a few of those flat sections (they also could have beat the length record with just 3 or 4 of those). The Beast sometimes hurt folks at night b/c it was pitch black and you couldn't see the curves coming; they later added more and brighter flood lights. The changes suck, but it's par for the course (pun not intended!) One odd thing that surprised me is when they painted the whole ride BROWN. It was always a nice red-stained color; similar to the Kennywood Racer. It looked great and WILD; with new pieces of lumber here and there, it really worked. Why paint that with brown house paint? Strange. Why not just leave it looking *WILD* and spend that painting budget on maintenance and let it run faster? I have no clue if they still paint the ride...

Hrm... I'll disagree with "the speed it essentially the same as it always has been." The speed has been the same since the early/mid 90s. The Beast had several "major step downs" in speed. Those occurred: 1) right after the ride opened in 1979 (this period, the 80s, is where I believe the Beast earned it's legendary reputation - that still somewhat remains today) 2) right after the rides 10th birthday, 1989 3) early 90s, 1992/93 iirc since (3) it's been essentially the same. I never rode the original 1979 Beast, but started riding it in the 80s and the 2 big speed "step downs" are very vivid in my head. The most logical way to make the Beast *great* again would be to let it run faster than it does; that is what made the ride so fun and even frightening to people. Of course, they would have to cut the magnetic brakes in half, or something... and then increase the maintenance budget. The structure is built with old school John Allen formulae; the structure and track bed definitely would need major bolstering. Especially with those heavy lap bar assemblies the ride was not designed to run with. But as it is today, it's just fine for Cedar Fair/KI I'm sure. The ride created a legend for itself, and most folks that ride today don't know any difference.

(said in the voice of Meatwad): "What's a Gold Striker!?" http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SUl6ZN4Rv-s/UBcCZHsWo2I/AAAAAAAASh0/VygwyXCMBJw/s1600/Picture+4.png

Thank you. I have left other sites for this sort of thing. And trust me, I can get louder and meaner than anyone I know, but online coaster geek sites are no place for it. No where is. Unless you are cornered of course I'm a coaster geek and I take it probably too seriously. I have complaints, and lots of good things to say, too. The most annoying thing is getting complaints about complaining. And now, complaining about that. Full circle Full throttle... Like anyone cares, but this would make me return to Magic Mountain - much faster than any new high-tech intensity machine: (EDIT - sorry, I forgot mentioning Revo is a sour/sad topic here. Is one mention a week ok? One mention a month?)

Yes. It still bums me out. Rides up until somewhere around 1991 could still be outta effin control. *If* the brakes were light for some reason and/or if you got it during or right after the rain. I remember distinctly thinking "this is going to RIP OFF the track" on those curves after the 350' long brake shed. It could still provide an insane ride. Then came all the PTC *gear* and heavy brakes.. Does anyone remember when they added the pinch/clamp brakes? I thought it had skids into the 90s... I figure the new mag brakes are better than the clamp brakes, but there cannot be adjustment now. Any which way, people still LOVE the ride! So it's a win for most folks. I figure the ride really earned it's reputation in those first 10 years or so.

Some of the most least-expensive, most portable rides can be made to look very nice. Of course, it's up to the park if they want to make an installation look good or not. Six Flags doesn't always have the "budget" for making stuff look pretty. Look at Scream. There is a natural *charm* that comes with carnivals; at least some of the ones I grew up at. Some folks associate carnivals with dirty stuff, trashy folks (whatever your definition may be), etc.. and some associate carnivals with *FUN* good times, wild rides and crazy lights. Or both. You're judgement of a "portable/carnival" ride has more to do with the association in your brain and how you judge things more than anything (what's it called technically? Reference/conditioning, I dunno...). Not whether a ride is *easily* portable or not. The whole "it looks like a carnival ride" bashing is lame - to me at least. Take the Wildcat at Cedar Point. As of last summer, it was still one of the most pure and fun roller coasters in the park (for me). I will miss it. I think it looked great, even with it's portable exit ramp. It had a charm all it's own, and was maintained impeccably. The rattling of the entrance/exit ramps, and the rattling of the whole structure was a part of that quirky charm. I guess we all have styles that we like don't like. I have a thing against *HIGH* coaster stations. They always seemed strangely arrogant and unneeded to me. I much prefer ground level stations - like some of the coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburgh. It's great for people to wait for their friends/family at the exit, and easier on disabled folks too. Just preference I guess. Doesn't mean I won't enjoy a coaster with a high station, just a personal "coaster geek" quirk. On a related note, this Skyscraper upcharge/portable swing thing at Cedar Point is one of the best rides I've ever been on. I dunno if they kept us on extra long or what, but had a couple great rides on it. I'm surprised more parks don't have them:

Can't wait to get back to Knoebel's. It's easily a 2 day park for me - too much to do in one day! And too much good stuff to do only once. Food alone... I hope to go for Phoenix Phall Phunfest (PPP) this October. Have any of you guys done that? I've heard it's great fun, but can be crowded?

Don't count on it. There's a hockey team in Cleveland that already bears that name. Not exactly the same situation, but:

I rode it 3 times (in a row) in 2005. The lift (I'm a lift hill enthusiast) and loop were awesome. But I couldn't believe some of the curves actually had *corners* in them; I think it was around or in the 2nd (smaller) helix area. You could see them coming "no, not again!" After those 3 rides (my friend had left the station after 2, I had to take a third just to make sure what I experienced was real) I walked off with a sore back. The only ride that I think *really - not joking* hurt me. I've heard the wood can't/shouldn't be burned as it has some special crazy coating on it. Ride ops and had hand out rubber gloves during lift hill evacuations; apparently the wood wasn't healthy to even touch. Too many cooks in the kitchen on that project. It's too bad - soon after, Intamin came up with plug-n-play track. The layout still would have been unexciting, but it would have been at least smooth and ride-able. I'm still grateful I got those 3 rides on "Sonny." RIP.

While the above poster is correct, the speed a block slows the train to is dependent on the speed at which the train hits the block. If it happens to be going...28 or above if I remember correctly, the block only trims the speed down to 16 mph, as opposed to the agonizingly slow 4 mph you'll usually get. But will it stop the train in the event of 2 trains entering the same block? I guess that's not too hard to find out for myself...

A couple from my recent Kennywood *tribute* area on the top of a mountain in a big park: And a Demon inspired by... The Demon: Does anyone know how to take a larger, higher resolution capture in RCT2? Print Screen doesn't work.

(I'm sure this has been asked too many times, so sorry in advance if it bugs anyone) Can you raise the speed of a block brake with the 8 cars per trainer or any other hack?

@GayCoasterGuy, are you in this photo??? Omg. Which one are you? I still love the Blue Streak. I really should go to CP this week. I would like to ride Disaster Transport one more time. Yeah, I'm 3rd back on the right side. I got to the photo shoot late as I overslept; so I had bed head and didn't have gel in my hair like all the other guys.

Then we can always take into account "I had a great time this one time... with these people... at this place... at this time..." Like at the ACE coaster con 1990 at SFOT. They were pushing all this free soda and treats on us.. it was late at night, a bunch of rides were open for ERT. It was my first time on a Vekoma boomerang - Flashback. I rode it 6 times with some friends and it was moment that is burned in my memory. But I probably wouldn't even give that ride a "courtesy ride" these days. But still, great memory. Then I have opposite memories; really good (or "should be great") rides that I had a lousy time on. Like being at Lake Compounce by myself at waiting in a long line to ride Boulderdash. It had so much hype... but the ride, along with my experience waiting alone in a long line (one train operation, the 2nd train was sitting right there in transfer) really left a negative experience in my head. I won't even get into the horrible times I've had at Great Adventure. Alone and with friends. This was supposed to be a positive thread heheh

Oh yeah. That's one of my favorites, too. I assume you mean Mind Bender at SFOG and not Mindbender in Edmonton? The point was to list your favorite coasters; the ones you love *the most*. Not necessarily a ranked list.

Hrm... I guess I should have 2 lists. One list for the best coasters I ever rode - that either do not exist anymore or have changed into a somewhat-to-completely different ride; and another list of current favorites that provide stable fun every time over the years. Favorites every time: Thunderbolt - Kennywood Phoenix Mind Bender - SFOG Cyclone - Coney Island Legend Voyage Cyclops Whizzer Best I ever rode (but are different now): Timberwolf #1 Texas Giant Georgia Cyclone Blue Streak - CP Zambezi Zinger (well, I guess I could travel to Columbia to ride it...) Hades Big Dipper - Geauga Lake Coasterin for a long time I start to think about how my favorites have changed over the years and what has stuck. When Custom Coasters were building stuff, they had some great ones. But many of those tore themselves apart too fast. Comfort is very important to me, so I love about any Anton coaster (Scorpion, Shockwave SFOT, sooperdooperLooper, the shuttle loops...). I think Maverick would be *GREAT* with just lap bars; but as it is, I'd rather not ride. Rides I couldn't care less about for years have snuck up in to my favorite list simply because they are unique and rare - Whizzer being the prime example. All those years we had stuff coming on going (Shockwave, Batman, Viper, etc.) I would give good old Whizzer an occasional courtesy ride. But how things have changed! It's one of my main rides there now... Heck, I've even come to worship the small, oft-bashed ("it's a stupid carnival ride!") Anton Wildcats. The first time I rode Batman it was my #1. Same with Millenium Force. Staying power was low. Sometimes I think, what if things were reversed; if all the Arrow and B&M coasters were actually built by Anton, and the Arrow and B&Ms were the rare ones... and how that would affect my favorite list. Could you imagine a Loch Ness Monster, Demon and Vortex but built 1970s/80s Anton style!? My coaster count is somewhere around 350 (I know many of you have ridden many more than me!) Some other personal taste trends I have developed over the years - the B&M coasters, with few exception (Busch Gardens parks) were mostly great in the beginning, but have become VERY same-y over the years. They just don't have staying power (for me). Some of the big newer Intamin coasters like El Toro are fun, but it's just not the same when I am *ONE* with the seat (stapled and strapped down). With Intimidator 305, I went feeling it would be a top coaster for me when I read the reports, but I felt like a Roller Coaster Tycoon peep coming off it. It's pure intensity/low fun (rode with the soft straps). I tried and tried over 2 days at the park, but it never did much for me. Figured I would explain my tastes, just incase anyone cares

My apologies. My post has been fixed by the powers that be. Thanks guys *Must learn to not mess up quotes." I disagree, I feel the ride is barely hyped. When it was announced, they clearly stated there was NO opening date for the ride, and most people know that. The most "bashed" for not opening on time (even though they said there was no opening time), yes...