Password121

^ Yeah that's exactly my point. Not everything on park maps, park website, the Internet... Well, not much of anything "has" to be true. And usually nobody really cares except some coaster enthusiasts and it almost never matters.

...and Millennium Force is a hyper with a few feet added on. ...and Magnum isn't a hyper, but with a few feet added on. So, it is... a hyper... Yeah...

^I'm probably reading this wrong but the end of your post makes no sense. You said "even Raptor is more forceful than Banshee," followed by saying Banshee is more intense than Raptor.

It almost looks like they've bolted together two or three lift pieces on Perimeter Rd. Obviously they know 100% what they're doing but I've never seen it done like this before (unless they just laid them in line one behind the other... hard to tell on the webcam). Not sure if the lift will rise today.

Says who? All the people boycotting Six Flags Great America over the wording of the marketing for their new coaster? And, to answer your question, it is correct, actually. Tallest drop, fastest wooden coaster, steepest wooden coaster. At this point, it is still true. And they probably won't change it, just like Kingda Ka is still "the tallest and fastest coaster in the world" and El Toro has been the "Worlds best wooden coaster." Why? Because nobody cares.

^Wait, really? Can't marathon Diamondback? I haven't ridden it yet, but I've marathoned Nitro many times with no issue. Of course everyone handles intensity differently but when I think of intensity I think of I-305 (which I can do about 5 rides consecutive), Maverick and El Toro. Have other people found Diamondback somehow ridiculously intense for a B&M hyper?

I'll take two lotto tickets, please

Okay, okay, scratch that... either a steel hyper, major new steel of some variety (but not gimmicky), or an RMC wooden coaster. I think what you're getting at is something modern and exciting. My home park is SF America so I'm no stranger to this debacle. IMHO Batman at SFStL is better than anything at SF America, but it isn't new or exciting. With the potential that is Boss as an RMC candidate and the lack of a hyper coaster, it makes sense that people aren't satisfied. Superman at SFA is honestly a very mediocre hyper coaster, but can you imagine how sad that park would be without it?

Thanks for the pics and info. Even though a lot of people will remain unsatisfied until a major steel coaster is announced, it looks like the park is on the right path and doing everything possible to make it great in other ways at the moment. Thanks for keeping us updated--definitely appreciated, even if it might not always seem like it.

To be completely honest at first glance it looked like sludge to me until I had the chance to find the eyes and beak. Regardless, might be cool on one of those new Gravity Group unique wood coasters, but a traditional classic like Thunderhawk? Pass.

^Kings Dominion's is not a separate ticket event--or at least wasn't in 2015.

Maybe it's me but I've actually started to get disappointed when I'm riding with someone that's not super nerdy about coasters and goes ahead to wait for any row but the back (unless it's an invert or floorless, etc, as mentioned). When I'm with people that know about my nerdy side I'll suggest the back on most coasters, but I usually prefer just having a good time with whoever I'm with than interrupting and having to explain why we must sit in the back. At that point I just say "okay" but I'm secretly disappointed and I make mental notes during the ride where the forces would be so much stronger in the back It's a bit of a problem of mine actually haha. But to answer the question, like most here I gravitate towards the back on most coasters, especially two across seating where you have to wait more trains than it looks like and the front is 20 mins from the station.

From an enthusiast's standpoint I think we can all agree (for the most part) that it's a case by case basis. Inversions can make certain coasters better, depending on the inversions themselves and what the coaster is attempting to establish. For example, Batman clones wouldn't be as interesting without inversions, and the inversions themselves are snappy and intense which make the coaster better. Take a coaster that is trying to impress with sense of speed, airtime, etc... and it's a different story. Tossing a slow, boring heartline roll on Millennium Force would do nothing for pretty much any enthusiast. The only people that might like it are the general public who enjoy coasters for knowing they rode something fast or loopy, not something exhilarating or intense. So for me, it depends what the coaster is all about. Sloppy inversions never help anybody, and there are definitely limits on the inversions themselves in terms of quantity. I also find myself gravitating towards non-inverting coasters as favorites, but I think there's a valid explanation for this. Enthusiasts (or at least myself) prefer airtime, sense of speed, QDC's (quick directional changes), and intensity over inversions. It's not that inversions make the coasters not in our top 10 worse, but coasters with inversions (excluding Maverick) don't focus on what we consider makes a coaster outstanding.

Batman backwards in the last row (you can see the track you just passed). It's hard to tell if I'm saying this purely based on "potential nausea" factor, but unlike any other ride I've ridden every single moment feels like you're in the middle of a really intense part. You know what I'm talking about... not like "Holy crap sustained g's can't move," kinda thing, but always bracing and clenching my jaw and fingers on the grab bars. It's almost like I was constantly preparing for an old-school B&M corkscrew where you bring your head down a bit and lean in to avoid headbanging, but then it's baby-a$$ smooth and you have no idea what direction you're going or what just happened. I can't imagine this on a coaster that lasts more than about 40 seconds start to finish, but any coaster that does isn't as intense as Batman. Huh. I probably completely butchered explaining that... but forwards Batman is pretty damn intense too.

How's the reputation been for Kentucky Kingdom recently? Are they planning having two trains on T3 next year? I'm contemplating adding Kentucky Kingdom onto my Midwest trip in June, and Storm Chaser (along with Lightning Run) really makes me want to visit the park for a day.

It's unfortunate to see so many classic wood coasters losing their classic charm, but anything to improve a rough ride is a good move I suppose. If you're itching to ride a good coaster with buzz bars... wait for it... Skull Mountain.

Looking on Mike Fehnel's Twitter, it seems all the content he's posting/retweeting is all Carowinds related. His job is still listed at "General Manager at Carowinds." Anyone know why the switch to Carowinds and back so suddenly? Did Carowinds just need a GM for a year until thus my decided on a permanent one? There's no indication he has anything to do with Dorney on his Twitter right now. Not making anything of it--it's just interesting and a little baffling to me.

^Is that the base price, or every day? I know they do tiered pricing depending on the day of the week and time of year. I'd imagine a Friday in the end of June would be $10-$15 above the base price. If that's the case I'd rather purchase now--anyone know more? Really appreciate it.

I was originally going to wait until the actual trip, but I noticed Cedar Point has an admission and FL+ for any weekday this year for $70 on the website today only. My question is, if I choose to wait, are there any better deals with a platinum pass (which I've already purchased) on FL+ for the summer? Looking at a late June Friday most likely. What is the normal price of FL+ for this time of year? Are there any other platinum pass holder discounts (as we wouldn't need the admission from the deal online, but $70 for a FL+ on a June Friday is definitely lower than the normal price. So--buy now or later? Not worried about weather because it's a 2-3 day trip so we'd have options. Thanks!

Are you guys serious about this? They "lied?" Holy crap guys it's marketing. 99.9% of their site browsers have absolutely no idea what "inverted coaster" means. If you are angry with Valleyfair for putting a stock image on their website to market a season pass to the general public then you need to find something else to do with your time. Period.

Sounds like a classic wooden coaster to me. As for comments, be patient. If you haven't checked out my park, Frontier Forest, I've been working on it for a year and a half and I still only get about one or two comments per update. If you enjoy making the park, keep doing it. Not everybody always has something to say, but I can tell you people do enjoy watching the park grow.

It's too bad the stand up coasters in America are fading--I think certain people could still find a good use for them. In all seriousness I hate seeing accidents like these happen for two reasons. One, I can't imagine how the family feels after such an incident. It's heartbreaking. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, every time the general public hears about any kind of "accident," they think rides are unsafe and blame the operators/amusement industry as a whole. That's what leads to seatbelts on B&M hypers and people suing parks for their seatbelts coming undone and having nothing happen to them, or barbed wire and more fences surrounding certain inverted coasters. I think there's a bigger issue here than the rides not having redundant safety precautions--that issue being a severe lack of common sense.

2011--Green Lantern--SF Great Adventure 2012--Apocalypse--SF America 2013--GateKeeper--Cedar Point 2014--Ragin Cajun--SF America Planning 2016--Valravn--Cedar Point 2016--Storm Chaser--Kentucky Kingdom

^If you know your SF account credentials I believe I heard something about a mobile app that can be scanned as your SP at the gate.

Yes, yes I know... it's been awhile. You guys probably had forgotten this project exists. I can't believe it's been almost 18 months since the concept was first planned. Anyhow, I'm back (for now) and I can't promise when the next update will be. It's really hard for me because I always have so many exciting ideas floating around in my head that I'd love to actually create, but life just doesn't allot me enough time to sit at home playing RCT2. Enough rambling, I've streamlined 2001 into just "it happened," so here's an update from, oh, let's say mid-summer, 2002. Away we go into (somewhere), Virginia. Let me know what you think in the comments. And off we go into 2002... This shot sums up the last couple cap-ex projects. The new restaurant is a success; BackFire, well, it has its fans. The Sky Ride is chugging away as it has been for 32 years now. And what have we changed in '02? Midway games! Some traditional carnival games along with a "Three-point Shootout." The theme this year? Up-charge! So, where does the government stand on that project yet to be announced? Well, I can tell you all these people aren't waiting around for nothing. Official info next update. Until then, I'm just "dropping" in for now. Don't read into that. Or do. I'm not really sure yet.