JonnyRCT3

Some more foliage would make this park seem more like a finished-product, than a work in progress. Great selection of rides, and great job on the paths and buildings. That woodie is a bit much, to much to soon. Just focus a bit more on the scenery, that's this parks shortcoming. Anyways, not bad. Keep it going!

You've captured the realism to a T. Very lush with vegetation too, such a pretty park. The flume is done well, the covers for the first drop look splendid. And I like how the mine train interacts and blends with the walkway below, nice touch! The railway also flows smoothly into everything. Overall, I can tell you took your time on everything & the detailed work is stupendous. This park is really something else! Mandatory enthusiast complaint The chain fencing around the creek would be better replaced by a wooden low-rise fence. I think something like that would be better suited, the chain fence just looks bit tacky. But it in no way effects anything (Park is still gorgeous), again, just a very minor complaint.

That last inversion looks extremely uncomfortable, given the train length. As long as it rides safe, then it shouldn't be much of an issue. Also, marvelous heartline roll (last pic).

^Those zero-g's are taken at about 35-40 mph. Furius Baco seems legit. iSpeed to.

No comments? I'm starting to feel iffy about this project. =================================== Friday, June 27, 1980. John Kline ~ Park Operations Manager Valley Hills has seen eight prosperous seasons, filled with laughter thrills and memories. Sadly, during this ninth season, Valley Hills has taken a turn for the worst. The park has been struggling to make a profit for nearly 3 years now. The park's attendance has slightly dropped for the first time, adding to the wound.. Kid Town is one of the more prosperous area's of the park, with lots of foot traffic. Sadly, profits say otherwise. After such a large capital investment last year with Kid Town, Sky Slide was the only feasible addition. Sky Slide is popular among the smaller children & parents. Rotor is still having technical difficulties. The ride ran for only 5 weeks last season, and began having the same issues. Rotor was open for the first 12 days this season, and the hydraulic functions finally called it quits. Rotor is only 4 years old and has become an extremely unreliable ride. Parts have been ordered, and the ride has been closed until further notice. In other news, BackWoods Buffet will no longer be serving homemade-style treats. An electrical-based fire spread across 3/4 of the structure February 14. Luckily it was snowing heavily, so the fire didn't spread anywhere beyond the structure. The building has been deemed unsafe, and the City has ordered it's demolition by July 14 or further legal action will ensue. This is most unfortunate for Valley Hills, BackWoods Buffet was a huge crowd draw for this area of the park. What makes this scenario even worse is it's proximity to Bluegrass Theater. The Theater will remain closed until something is done about the safety hazard. A new show was set to premiere this season, "Saucy Sal V.s. the Outlaw " Valley Hills takes an even bigger hit financially with this one, Bluegrass Theater was a prime source of income for the park, and was becoming wildly popular. Valley Hills has taken a huge hit financially. We here at Valley Hills are striving to make it through this difficult step. We are always looking up into a better tomorrow. John Kline.

OP: No, for the most part. Six Flags has well established their level of commitment towards this. However, Six Flags over Texas actually maintains it's themes. SFFT & SFDK have (arguably) some above-par themed areas.

Mega Update! I experimented with a little more CS. ============================================================ Monday, July 2, 1979. Tessa Keystone Local resident, mother of five. Valley Hills has "something for the whole family." When I read this, my headache went away. My husband Rick, the kids and I were all arguing on where to spend a day trip. My oldest two (14, 16) and my youngest three (6,7 & 7) couldn't decide on a place we could all enjoy ourselves. Valley Hills is a life saver, I honestly thought they were going to tear each other apart. My sister, Samantha, constantly blabs about the place and how I should take my family there. The only problem was that my youngest three wouldn't have much to do, and that would't be fair to them. So we took a day trip down to Valley Hills to have a family day. Making our way into the park, this towering ride caught everyone's attention. The younger ones were thrilled to see this, they called it "pixie horses." My youngest is going through a horse phase, she was mortified when she had to get off. The next ride of the day was Apple Twists. The whole family enjoyed this, except my husband (who dislikes spinning rides by the way). He was able to take this one. It wasn't that bad, quite relaxing honestly. The kids began fussing over what to ride next, so Bluegrass Theater it was. No talking during the show, solving this potential disaster. My sister, Samantha, spoke highly of this place. So I had even more motive to check it out. And apparently she was right, a full house before noon. The show was very entertaining, and had some great humor to. The kids really enjoyed all the stunts, which were even better than the local theater's. After the show, the kids saw this and were more than eager to try it out (they were like this with everything they saw). We snacked on some of these delicious pretzels. These things were massive, it was more like a meal! It was time for Kanawha Railway! The lines for the front were to long for me to care, seats towards the back had no wait at all. I don't understand why people wait longer to experience the same ride. The ride itself was amazing! Lots of tunnels, the kids loved it. Both my husband and oldest son wanted to test their strength. The operator was apparently on lunch. Oh well... My sister, Samantha, told me to stay away from the GreenBrier Grill. I decided to take her advice. I saw a lot of upset faces through the window though. Everyone wanted to ride Parachute Tower. I'm a sucker for heights, but the younger ones begged me to ride with them. Scrambler looked like a vomit inducer, my husband and I both sat this one out. We enjoyed some games in the meantime. He set the new 2nd highest score on Duck Hunt, even won me a panda! Mountain View? I really couldn't tell what this was, the name was intriguing enough though. It ended up being a Ferris wheel. Not my favorite, but the younger ones were having a blast. It was finally time for lunch, although it was already 3:00 p.m. . Cobblestone Cafe had a great menu to choose from. We ordered a large pizza, with two pitchers of soda. And we were able to enjoy it in this shady picnic area. Nice! Next up, Trout Spin. Everyone but our oldest two sat this one out. The line was mostly teenagers, go figure. Red, white and blue! My husband is the textbook patriot, so he was rather disappointed to find out this one was closed. ==================== = PART 2 - KID TOWN = ==================== The little ones were beyond thrilled to see this, a town just for kids. Kid Town. Our oldest two split from the group, and joined their friends at this point. So much for a family day.... The place was beautifully decorated in flowers, I noticed quite a few rides to. First up was Tea party, the ride furthest from view. My youngest two boys loved these motorcycles. Road Rally was their favorite ride of the day. It was time for Kid Town's centerpiece attraction, Monarch flight. We all decided to ride this one together. I enjoyed myself on this one. Cameras were allowed on this ride. I was able to get this picture of the eatery. Kid Town Market. This place was beyond busy, but we still decided to check it out. The kids snacked on PP&J sandwiches and a cookies. The Caterpillar! A kid-sized roller coaster, which meant I could take a break..... ...Or so I thought. They wanted us to ride, and we were dragged into the 20 minute line. Not bad for a kid-sized coaster though. I feel a little ashamed for enjoying it so much. After about 1 & 1/2 hours in Kid Town, it was time to try something for us adults. RattleSnake! I met up with my oldest two and made them watch the younger ones while hubby and I enjoyed this. This thing was VERY intense, that loop is a ride by itself. My favorite ride of the day! (no kids either) Everyone was nearly exhausted so we all decided on one last ride. Which ended up being up Dodge 'Em. Which ended up breaking down right before our ride. Which caused the younger ones to argue among themselves. I was feeling a bit bewitched at that point. All in all, Valley Hills was an excellent place to spend a family day. We actually agreed (on something, finally!) to visit again, maybe sometime soon. For now, it's back to juggling this family. Tessa Keystone.

Thanks for the comment. I've been working on this park extensively the past few days. I've already entered the 80's, I just need to post some TRs. I can't reveal much. But rest assure, some interesting additions are coming. Another update will be posted soon!

This could possibly be another reason why the coasters elements are taken slower. Since the transitions can't be designed directly around the heartline.

Another picture of the re-paint. The red and white is a vast improvement. www.screamscape.com/html/california_s_great_america.htm

Looks great! Any word of B&M flyers or Divers? I'm looking forward to building parks in this game, RCT3 has way to many limitations.

Thursday, August 18, 1977. John Kline Park Operations Manager Valley Hills is a full time commitment. Everyday our maintenance crews check and test each ride to ensure safe thrills. My shift started early today (6 A.M.), and the maintenance crews began their shifts as well. So today I present a behind the scenes look at Valley Hills' daily inspections. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Sun's rays reach Valley Hills, the start of another magnificent day. Scrambler's electrical components were being tested. The ride then had a vigorous 10 minute test cycle, followed by another inspection. Safety is important! Rotor was having some issues this morning. The electrical components were in-check, however the rides hydraulic functioning were having a bit of troubles. The floor locking mechanism would have a delay when unlocking. It took some time to work around this, but eventually it began working. For about 15 minutes, before the same issue arose. Unfortunately, the ride will remain closed until the issue is solved. A behind the scenes look at RattleSnake! The ride goes through a mandatory 20 minute safety run every morning. The ride has performed well so far, no major issues to report. The ride is holding up well as expected. The crew let me join them on their "lift walk", as they like to call it. I was able to get some great views to. I was granted access to Parachute Tower's maintenance platform during routine maintenance. That's a LONG way down. These workers are brave, working at these heights is no joke. The only time GreenBrier isn't packed to the wall with costumers. Sales have decreased here since the introduction of the Cobblestone Cafe. This place was brought up in the last few meetings, hopefully some changes are made about the decor here. Kanawha Railway takes the longest to inspect and test. It has a long wooden structure, two separate lift hills, along with five different brake zones. Kanawha Railway is our most popular attraction, the extra effort does pay off. It was time to head back to the office and get this park ready for another heavy summer crowd. Attendance has spiked this year, RattleSnake has been a huge contributor to that. It has nearly payed for itself already! Upper management is pleased with this addition and the profit that comes with. All that really matters is the guests experience and what they take away from it. John Kline ================================================================= Bonus material, 1977 park map! Enjoy. =================================================================

Friday, June 3, 1977 Samantha Keystone ~ local resident. Another update here from yours truly. I haven't been here since early last year, Rotor and Dodge 'Em were the new family oriented rides of last season. I don't fancy the rides, but they are still two great additions to Valley Hills. With the reveal of Rattlesnake, the parks new looping roller coaster, I just had to check it out for myself. I spy something green! RattleSnake! The rides signature move, the vertical loop. Such a neat feature to be included on a roller coaster. RattleSnake's impressive station. Going up. (I got this one about 20 minutes into the wait, lines were at least 2 hours all day) That crazy Loop! About 1 hour into my wait I was able to snap this one. Finally, it was time to ride! So how was it? Awesome!! The ride was really cool and super smooth. The loop was extreme, my body felt super heavy. It was an amazing experience going upside down on a roller coaster. Everyone was scared coming down that first drop, in anticipation for the loop. The rest of the ride was great to. Lots of twisty segments with more extreme forces that kept everyone snug in their seats. There were a few moments of unexpected butterflies as well. The verdict: even better than Kanawha Railway! Such a great roller coaster, and has made Valley Hills my new #2 park, behind Kings Island. Rattlesnake is my new favorite ride as well. I waited in another 2 hour line to ride it again, and it was worth it. The new Rattlesnake Refreshments located outside the ride's entrance. Decent coffee is served here, and oversized ($3.99) souvenir cups filled with soda. Rattlesnake provides a better wake up call than a coffee ever could. Apparently the park has been working with a local greenhouse, and it appears they've also taken up shop here. It's good to know Valley Hills focuses on the smaller things to. Trout Spin and Parachute Tower. Two excellent rides at an excellent park. I was impressed with the Cobblestone Cafe. It had speedy service and an open area design. The dense vegetation surrounding it created a nice place to enjoy a meal. A vast improvement when comparing Greenbrier Grill. Mountain View. Another scenic attraction at the park. (The name confuses me though, I saw hills not mountains.) I skipped Dodge 'Em, the line was too long. 45 minutes for a bumper car? No thank you... Look at those trees! Nothing worth mentioning here, moving along.... (Never again! ) Parachute Tower. I passed on this one to, lines were absurdly long all day. And it's only early June. Rattlesnake has been quite the success. Apple Twists. I managed to catch this one with only a 25 minute wait. The line quickly grew to 50 minutes when I got off. Lucky me! I had such a great time at Valley Hills today. The park just keeps on improving and offers such a great collection of rides. The RattleSnake and Kanawha Railway are two of my favorites here. The food options have improved, and the park is still locally owned and operated. Valley Hills is a promising place, can't wait to see what's next for the park. Samantha Keystone =========================== So what do you think? What would you like to see added? Comments would be appreciated. And thanks for the views.

^Or just keep it simple. Ditch the vest and use straps like I305. I'd also like to note the more open view train design, that was always a pet peeve of mine. Glad they're trying to improve.

Terrible idea (vest lock). The more freedom the better.

Kennywood 2.45 hours Cedar Point & Kings Island 4 hours Camden Park 1.5 hours *Columbus Zoo (if that counts) 1 hour

Sweet Jesus!! This is really, really good.

Thursday, July 1, 1976 John Kline, Park Operations Manager. It has been a long and cold winter here in WV. Summer has returned, and Valley Hills is open for business. I tried to get an update in before last season's end, but work has had me busy. Utilizing week vacation, I thought what better way to spend it than visiting my favorite place? (which is my job, sadly.) Cobblestone Cafe is my new favorite vendor in the park. The pizza here is a really good value and has masses of toppings. NEW! Rotor An all new thrill ride designed to keep riders "floating" above the floor in a spinning room by the use of centripetal Ge-force. A great ride for the older children & adults looking for a scare. The ride's large signage is attached to it's structure, very imposing. Valley Hills is celebrating America's bicentennial by decorating the ride with red, white and blue colors. Lines were like this all day, I was able to get this just before the que was expanded. I saw lines reach up to an hour for this one. All this hard work pays off with the guests appreciation. New! Dodgems The classic bumper cars attraction makes it debut at Valley Hills. Another ride that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The ride has become a success for large groups. We were able to purchase this for only $66,000 USD, it's a used one from a traveling fair. With a little refurbishment, our maintenance department had it up and running for under $90,000 USD. Budget has been cut back a bit, so this was especially convenient. _______________________________________________________ Originally, three new attractions were planned to open for the bicentennial celebration. Unfortunately, we were only able to open two of them. The third attraction has been delayed due to a recent buzz in the industry. The third attraction's future location is pictured here. Parachute Tower provided a better view of this rather offset area, difficult to photograph from the ground. This massive crane has been used to relocate some of the trees, most of the area has been razed. Something big is coming! I can't reveal anything yet, but rest assure this is something unlike anything else. John Kline P.S. Independence Day is next week, Valley Hills will provide a free firework show the community. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. , don't miss it!

I'm really enjoying this project. It's an overall beautiful park, lush with vegetation, truly gorgeous. I'm surprised by the lack of comments here, this is really something. It's great that your already expanding too, this park could really use a smaller flat for the smaller children. And lol at the fence incident, reminds me of Dueling Dragons. At-least the park is responsive and takes appropriate actions. Hopefully this park doesn't keep attracting the "wrong" type of visitors. Looks amazing!

If you lurk or post here...

Even more great food? Heck, that's just as good as any coaster.

Wow! I can tell you took your time with this, so much detail. Gardens are gorgeous, and even better at night. The atmosphere here is great, realistic and charming. It's very lush with vegetation and the whole place looks like a botanical garden, lovely. Wonderful park!

Haha, yes!

Monday, August 4, 1975. John Kline, Park Operations Manager. It's been a busy season here at Valley Hills, I've been buried deep in work for the past few months. I was finally able to enjoy the park for a bit during my lunch break last Wednesday, an hour to take in the beauty of the park. We saw an attendance boost last year with the addition of Trout Spin. This year, the midway has been further expanded again to offer even more. Lets take a look... An all new area has been added to the park. It's a shady nook across from Trout Spin, featuring two new additions. Mountain View, the new ride for 75'. A 75 foot tall Ferris wheel, giving guests a relaxing view of the surrounding terrain. Mountain View also gives great views of the park. Guests who aren't tall or brave enough for Parachute Tower can enjoy the more tame Mountain View. The Greenbrier grill was Valley Hills primary food outlet, and it was operating beyond capacity. We've also noticed many guests wished for more variety of food. The new Cobblestone Cafe serves Pizza, Pasta and Root Beer. A new picnic area across from Cobblestone Cafe. Guests can now enjoy their meal in a relaxing (non-hectic) environment. We now offer three different restroom facilities, we're growing faster then expected. This should help relieve some of the overwhelming traffic at the other two facilities. Hey! (The park now is in co-partnership with a local greenhouse. We're always striving to help the local community. ) An hour goes by quick when enjoying yourself. I was able to get this shot in 20 minutes before closing. I'll try and get another report in before the end of the season. I've just been really busy getting thing together for next year. John Kline