coasterkid124

^^ Yeah, to us we all know how great of a park it is. But it is generally unheard of outside the coaster community. Ask anyone of the GP what their favorite park is and Cedar Point, Disney, etc. would be the most common answers. If more people knew about Knoebels and actually visited, I'm sure it would get a lot more praise. People from all age groups would find an attraction they would love to death there.

When I saw that the last reply was from coasterbill I was preparing to join in on a Knoebels gush fest. I have been disappointed Bill.

At 28, I don't have a problem with coasters at all. I don't even have to stop for many breaks during trips. But spinning rides and any flats with high g forces are big no-nos when it comes to marathoning. I never had this issue when I was younger. I can't even do Super Loops more than a couple of times during visits.

1) Maverick- Just pure perfection. Only behind Skyrush in my rankings. 2) Millennium Force- wish it had more airtime, but still solid. 3) Magnum- A little rough but the airtime is great. 4) Raptor- I love how aggressive it is. Still packs a punch. 5) TTD- A one trick pony, albeit a smooth one. 6) Gatekeeper- I think it's a bit underrated; I liked it. 7) Rougarou- Definitely better than Mantis, and very smooth, but not very forceful. 8) Blue Streak- Exceeded my expectations, good ride. 9) Gemini- Some good drops with airtime. 10) Iron Dragon- Unique ride, but it was no Big Bad Wolf. 11) Mean Streak- Pretty rough and forceless, but had good length and a few good moments. 12) Wicked Twister- By no means a bad ride, but not much texture to it or length. 13) Cedar Creek Mine Ride- meh 14) Corkscrew- A very rough clone I won't rate the kid coasters, as I haven't been on them or they would rank low anyways. I would imagine Valravn will fall around my top 5.

I'm surprised that Hershey hasn't been mentioned yet. Not that it's completely underrated, but it is often overlooked compared to big chain parks. They have a great collection of coasters, a modern waterpark, and who doesn't love their chocolate?

Both Superman clones (Darien Lake and SFA) don't get the attention they should. The airtime is amazing and it holds a fast speed for the whole ride. I actually think it is a better ride than Millennium Force. Especially that Darien Lake's model is getting second generation trains, it will ride like new again. I know that I'm being a Darien Lake fanboy for naming two coasters from there, but Predator could be one of the most underrated coasters in the world. It gets hate for being rough, even though it isn't too bad with the new trains. Airtime over every hill, and it is relentless airtime too. If RMC ever gets its hands on it, it will make a gigantic jump on the coaster rankings.

I'm glad that the fresh coat of paint is the same shade as the "faded" colors rather than the original green of the supports. (Edit: I'm dumb I was thinking of a different coaster. The new paint looks good though) TTD looks amazing too. The star attraction of the park should shine the brightest.

When Tatsu was originally built, they couldn't get the trains to go the same speeds. They tried everything, including changing the wheels but it just wouldn't work out, and it was throwing off the computer. Their solution ended up adjusting the lift speed for each train so that they would match up. RoS operates in a similar way, mainly due to the same principles of PLC software. Any little thing that doesn't agree with the system shuts the ride down. Even if a train spends too long in the brake run because weather slowed it down enough, the ride gives an error.

^ A redo of Oblivion like Hulk at IoA would be pretty cool. Add some more length and elements, then maybe new floorless trains w/ vest restraints.

I'm going to do a little oddball park here because my expectations are a little more realistic than some of the larger parks listed. Martin's Fantasy Island: 2016: Family-Thrill flat to replace the Ferris Wheel, which is up for sale. Possibly return of the Scrambler or Pirate Ship, or a new drop tower for adults. 2017: A new coaster in the recently cleared area where the log flume was. Something like Switchback at ZDT's would work great there. 2018: Something small like a waterpark addition. Possible replacement of Raging Rapids, which is getting very old for a slide complex. 2019: Off year, maybe a kiddie ride or a new show. 2020: Large scale family ride in place of mini golf. Maybe a dark ride or something similar to Moose on the Loose at Darien Lake. 2021: I know this is the 6th year I listed, but it is the 60th anniversary of the park. Possible return of older attractions like the Mystery Mine (crooked house).

Because the trains are a newer generation, they have different specs. They weigh different amounts, have different wheel assemblies, and are shaped more aerodynamically. It probably won't make a huge difference in the ride, but it could throw the computer off if one train is significantly quicker than the other. Switching up the wheel compounds could be a temporary solution until 2 new trains are here.

^I see what you did there

Ive ridden Skryush once before, (and loved it) but still dont understand what people mean by a "kink". Could you explain it to me please? It's best felt in the back. During the first drop, you get two pops of air. The first comes while cresting the hill and initially dropping. The second is midway through the drop, when the hill is around 85 degrees. It's a little hard to explain, but if you rode it again, I think you would get what I mean.

It's likely just a technical bug that's trying to say something like "closed for the season". The park already announced it's 2016 addition and there's been no news even pointing to this.

I know it's been mentioned before, but hopefully this ride has a "kink" in the first drop like Skyrush. One of the biggest "Oh S**t" moments for me on that was the initial airtime, then that nosedive towards the ground.

Regardless, Marineland only has one killer whale left and it's an older one. Likely once it dies, they won't bring in any more. Marineland is probably nearing the end anyways. The owner is in his 80s now, and the park doesn't have many big rides or things to do besides the animal shows.

Take this for what you will: They're not really confirming or denying any new attractions next year. I'm hoping for the former, but expecting the latter. It could just be that they really don't know yet, and are waiting until after IAAPA to see if they want to build something. The other touches around the park are nice, but nothing will bring in more people like a new attraction would.

Small little touches like that go a long ways. It looks great so far. Not sure if you can reveal anything, but has there been any update on if Ranger is finally coming down Doug? I know that the queue has been turned into a seating area, and it really is becoming an eyesore back in one of the nicer looking sections of the park.

Technically they could, but if the trains ran any differently, mainly in speed, it would throw off the computer. RoS is very touchy especially when it comes to timing. Sometimes even if the weather causes the trains to be slower it automatically shuts the ride down.

I was just using the maximum number from the Intrasys website. There's a lot of physics involved too that has to be factored in. Air resistance, friction, mass, etc. The way that LSMs have to be programmed could get sketchy too, and confuse the computer with every launch. All of those factors are probably why 110 was the maximum number.

Gerstlauer's been in a lot of hot water lately. If this project comes true and will be in fact a B&M, it screams Invert to me. It's something that the park doesn't have yet and could work well with their terrain.

I've heard mixed reviews about those type lap bars, but I'm definitely open to trying them. My problem now is how the side brackets dig into my legs, which seems to be eliminated by Bizarro: The Ride of Whatever's (lol) restraints. After marathoning Skyrush, I'm sure this won't faze me. If it means better maintenance and two train operations in the long run, I'm all for it.

No As of right now, I don't see myself dumping all that money for a new TV when mine still works fine. Quality isn't the biggest issue for me because my current HDTV works fine, and I watch a lot of hockey games. The streams I use usually have crappy quality anyways. So I would only consider a new TV if mine craps the bed, or price goes down a lot on 4Ks. Most likely 4K, but price will also be a big factor on which one I choose.

^I like that last shot of RoS. Was that captured with a camera drone like what Six Flags uses?

Not exactly. The speed at which this coaster is going is about the limit of what LSMs can do. So, anything faster than this like Ka or Formula can only use a hydraulic launch. Coasters going that speed are pretty rare anyways, so don't be surprised to see Intamin doing LSMs for anything below the 110 mph mark. In terms of maintenance vs cost, LSMs are very efficient and the lack of moving parts makes it less likely for something to fail. A little off topic, but were there any big problems with Formula Rossa's hydraulic launch? I haven't heard of any, but it could be because we don't hear too much news out of that park anyways.