Dr. M

Sounds like kind of a sad Christmas Eve to me. =( Hope you have someone nice to spend tomorrow with.

Uh?? Intamin Much? I guess not... I love it when people use the name of a company as large and with as many diverse products as Intamin like it's synonymous with "intense ride", instead of actually naming a specific coaster, making it impossible to respond to them. Does Shoot the Rapids whip you into inversions like Batman?

Why do I get the feeling TPR is making up its "nice" and "naughty" lists?

They couldn't be smoother, I seriously have no idea what any of these people are talking about. When people, especially members of the GP, talk about "roughness", they don't always mean the same thing. When people say Batman is rough, they don't mean headbanging or vibration, they mean the sharp, "jerky" transitions combined with the forces. The transitions aren't smooth like we're used to with newer B&Ms, I've never been on a coaster that whips you into inversions like Batman does. It's those sudden changes that jerk you around that people say are "rough". "That track in front and to the right of us. Are we seriously about to be riding that track in a second? We're getting there from here? How's that supposed to work? *gets whipped around first corkscrew* Oh, that's how."

I want to apologize for contributing to all this talk of "forceless" versus "forceful", I have my own opinions but obviously it's very subjective and like it's been pointed out, no coaster is actually "forceless". But I'm getting a little sick of all the talk about which coaster belongs to which category. It's just reaaalllly getting beaten to death at this point. There are way more exciting, great inverts than slow boring ones, end of story. Let's hope Banshee belongs to the former (though I highly doubt it, but I'd love to be wrong). And something as intense as a Batman clone won't be for everyone anyway. I don't get why, but fine. Not that Batman is my favorite invert anyway, that belongs to Talon, which has a longer ride time while retaining a tight, compact layout and a decent mix of forces.

^Not that I know or anything, but looking at the shape and relative size of that hill it looks to me more like an El Toro-style "ejector" hill than a "floater" hill. We'll know for sure next year, but that's my hope.

Good cartoon shows never stay good forever. Unless it's King of the Hill.

This board definitely needs a "bull poo-poo" smiley.

Who knew restraints magically unlocking briefly before locking again was such a common occurrence! >.>

Did you know that heat lightning, the way most people think of it, is a myth? There's no such thing as lightning in the absence of a thunderstorm. "Heat lightning" is simply lightning that's so far away you can't hear it, since light travels further than sound. Well I thought that was interesting anyway. But yeah, that sounds like a pretty awesome ride. Nothing adds excitement like actual physical danger!

^Holy shit.

It happens that the 2010 cartoon series was developed by Lauren Faust, who (along with her husband Craig McCracken) was one of the people behind Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, both very creative and funny shows known for appealing to a wide variety of ages. So because of the real talent behind the show it's actually very possible for adults to enjoy it unironically. Some people discovered this and made watching it into a "thing". Like all "things" in the internet age, it was taken a little too far, then taken a little farther, then here we are. Though it should be noted that like Robb said, there are fans of the show who aren't creeper-weirdos.

I agree. With how efficient Skyrush's operations have become, I honestly doubt it makes much difference at all. So the disembarking riders pass by the people taking their place. So what? Why should that seriously affect capacity?

People endlessly complain about all kinds of things, it's not just this thread. And c'mon, the station for this coaster is hilarious! You never get any pleasure out of snarking things that are amusingly bad?

Well, I'm definitely not a brony, but I've seen a couple episodes and it's actually pretty funny. Reminds me of the Powerpuff Girls. But I definitely don't understand how obsessive people get.

They definitely are quirky. I wouldn't even mind Dorney having one, if they had gotten any decent coasters at some point in the last decade. Instead it just feels like another leftover.

Am I the only person who is actually okay with Skyrush's station? I have never had a bad experience. The attendants do everything they can to make sure the loading area isn't super-crowded, they let you pick a row if they haven't already sent a group there, there's a nice roof over your head... I feel like the single-sidedness just gives people an excuse to complain. It's not so bad. When it opened it was much worse due to the bins and the operations. Now I don't think it's bad at all, if only because you're only in there a really short time. My only complaint is couldn't they have made the ceiling a little higher? I also happen to think the outside looks nice too. Ever notice the pretty decorative lamps? At least they tried. I've never been there but I'll put this here anyway: is there another station as ridiculously minimalistic as YOLO's new station? Seriously, I'm curious.

Sometimes I think SFGA is bad. Then I look at the SFMM thread. The YOLO station really does look like a joke. It looks like they built a giant solar panel to power the ride. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a station for a major coaster that was literally just a roof at any permanent amusement park I've been to. Anyone have any other examples? As for the concept art, it looks to me like they designed the cheapest area possible, then tasked their artists with making it look amazing. Like a spectacular alien sunset on Mars.

Really? You mean the metal box ones like Demon Drop? Huh. Those actually scare me the least out of the drop rides I've ridden, probably because you can't look straight down like on newer models. I feel more protected on them (the ricketyness of the ride notwithstanding). Though I do like how turning on your back makes it into more of a "ride", and I do get a little lurch in my stomach when the car moves forward at the top, knowing there's no longer anything holding us up.

^Well never mind then. Memory does not serve.

Laser for Stinger really is the biggest downgrade I can think of at any park in recent memory. Laser was easily the 2nd best coaster in the park after Talon... Stinger is the worst coaster in the park. Plus, every coaster at Dorney is pretty much forceless (even Talon which I like) and Laser was incredibly intense. In addition to that Laser was extremely reliable and Stinger routinely valleys and strands riders for hours at a time. Plus on opening day this year they had to run it with half of the train full of water dummies so they were only loading a maximum of 12 people per cycle and it was STILL a walk on. Technically speaking, Stinger didn't replace Laser, Possessed did. Stinger replaced an old building where they used to have one of the haunts, if memory serves. So it's not quite that bad, Possessed is a fairly forceful coaster in its own right. Not that I wouldn't take Laser over it any day of the week. But of course the basic idea of your post, Laser rocked and Stinger sucks, I wholeheartedly agree with.

Talon is not forceless, not even close. I have never gotten a forceless ride on it. Half the time I come off with my head spinning. Also, Steel Force has great airtime under the right conditions.

I know many dislike boomerangs but with the new restraints the one at Hershey has become a must-ride for me every time I go, considering the line is rarely long. That first drop is the third scariest in the park, IMO. And considering Fahrenheit is beyond vertical and Skyrush tries its darndest to catapult you from the train, that's saying something. But I'll never forgive them for Mind Eraser.

I've always wondered about giant portable coasters like Olympia Looping. I know in coaster construction there's very little room for error, anything the slightest bit out of alignment could totally disrupt the ride. Do these large coasters that get taken apart and put back together over and over actually give consistent rides, or have you ever ridden one after a "bad install" where you get unusual bumps, shaking, etc?

I'd give up Hydra too. Geeze this is sad, let's talk about something else.