neil009

To be honest I don't think that would be so great. I find weed (not that I've ever done it or anything *cough*) raises your sensitivity level in general, textures are more distinct, things taste more, colors are more vivid, etc, but this also comes with the negative effect that harsher things like cold breezes and bumps in the road bother you a lot more. I can't imagine how weed would enhance your enjoyment of a roller coaster. Dark rides hell yes, coasters no.

^While I agree they'd have to have policies to keep it from getting out of hand (and confine it to designated smoking areas), it's worth pointing out that weed intoxication is different from alcohol intoxication. If you're going to act stupid on weed you'd probably act stupid regardless. Weed mostly just makes you sleepier and gigglier. Of course despite that we're still a long, long way off from weed being an accepted public activity like alcohol.

^Exactly. They wanted their 85 degree max angle, but they couldn't move the support column any closer to the apex or raise the max height of the ride, hence the bizarre shape.

^It was there from day one. In fact it was even there in the renders, I remember people on the NoLimits forum talking about it before construction even started.

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. Doesn't steel eel have 2 pops of air on it's drop? There's a single point in the drop where the radius of the curve tightens and you get a spike of airtime, rather than a smooth increase and decrease in the forces. Most modern steel coasters avoid this kind of sudden jarring force. My theory is that the kink has to do with where the second support column is and was necessary to fit the drop in such a tight space. I wouldn't get my hopes up for a similar shape on the drop for this coaster.

^Unless you can explain where you're getting your information we have no reason to believe anything you're saying. No, I don't really think you're making up elaborate lies, but the claim that RMC designed the worst trains in history is pretty significant and needs to come from a reliable source. You have six posts all in this and the Great America thread. Are you a Six Flags employee who registered just to bash the company you work for? That's a pretty good way to get fired just FYI.

"Hey, I wonder what interesting stimulating conversation is happening over on TPR about Playland's new coaster. Dick jokes? Yup, dick jokes."

You're mixing up your terms. Skyrush isn't a "floorless" coaster, as you can see it very visibly has a floor (an ugly exposed grey floor). It has seats on the edge that make it a "wing coaster" hybrid sort of thing. Intamin also makes a wing coaster that is more comparable to B&M's wing coaster, of course there's only one of those too (Furious Baco). I'm not sure how Intamin stays in business spending so much money on R&D only to have one or two installations made in many cases. I believe Fahrenheit is also their only vertical lift coaster.

The standing coasters would like to have a word with you. In terms of the number built, the standing coasters did ok, not a total failure by any means. But it's also worth noting that was literally the first kind of ride B&M built.

Any ride type designed by B&M is going to be a hit because they take their time and only roll out a product when it's certain to be comfortable, reliable, and deliver a great ROI. At the opposite end of the spectrum, rides like Eurofighters and Sky Rockets have a huge advantage because they pack a lot of elements into a tiny footprint which is perfect for smaller parks. Why products fail will depend on the individual product. There has to be something it offers that beats out all the competition. If it's expensive, low capacity, and isn't very comfortable to ride, it won't catch on. Screaming Squirrels by all accounts give terrible rides. I bet it also has to do with backroom deals and relationships that the general public isn't privy to, like someone from this park happens to meet someone from this company at this industry event and they have a beer and then badda bing badda boom you got yourself a Moser drop tower.

^^Just out of curiosity, where are you getting all of this information?

Say what you will about the restraints, but those trains are not poorly designed - they're one hell of an innovation if I've ever seen one. Ok so the restraints are so overpowerlingly bad that it kind of makes all the other complaints seem insignificant, but they also happen to be the ugliest coaster trains ever built (they look like platforms on wheels with office chairs bolted onto them), and the ride is extremely rough compared to other Intamins. Also, the wing seats are a gimmick that limit what they can do as far as transitions and elements. I love the ride particularly in the wing seats so for me that last one isn't so much of a drawback, but if you're one of those people that hates it, that could easily be seen as a bad thing.

It's all part of squeezing every last dime out of that intellectual property. I really like the name Total Mayhem on its own for various reasons, but associating it with anything DC would totally kill it for me.

^Oh man that sounds awesome! It seems like haunts in general are getting more bold and "grabby" which I think is a really positive turn for the industry. Just look at the hype surrounding certain "extreme" haunts, there's obviously a demand for it.

^I don't think you need to be afraid of spoiling it for anybody at this point. What was in it? I'm curious. Has anyone else seen that commercial for Haunt they've been running all month, with the scary clown? It's not bad, except for the fact that it looks like it was filmed in some church's basement. Couldn't they have filmed it in one of their own walk-throughs and gotten way better results?

^Skyrush sends a telegram.

Oh yeah B&M, you were really pushing the limits with that ridiculous oversized hill next to the station. I think you almost feel .9999999 Gs on that thing, better watch out.

Ah, the ol' "Six Flags attracts poor people and minorities" saw. I don't buy that either. All parks attract an extremely diverse clientele, the only possible exceptions would be tiny parks like Knoebels that cater mainly to locals and resort parks like Disney World that cater only to those rich enough to even consider going. As long as Six Flags is alone in this policy, you can bet honest people will continue to get caught by it and have their day ruined (assuming it's even enforced consistently). The problem is, I don't honestly think Six Flags cares, because like any big corporation, their primary motivator is money, and there's no monetary reason to care. That's why laws like the ADA have to exist, because these companies aren't going to care about marginalized groups out of the goodness of their black, capitalist hearts.

What are you even arguing for/against anymore? My whole point was there is a line, a reasonable way of weeding out abuse, and an unreasonable one. Based on the image you were describing, it sounded much more like an operations/infrastructure problem on Six Flags' part rather than, uh, a moral failing on the part of all humanity? Everyone else on this thread is ready to jump on the "people are sh*t" bandwagon, but in my experience people just aren't generally dishonest to that degree unless they're practically encouraged to be. Even if Six Flags has taken the (again, reasonable) steps I've outlined, as you say they have, I still find it hard to believe there's nothing else they can do, because as I've repeatedly said, does any other park have the problem to this degree? And I mean parks on the scale of your average Six Flags park, not Disney and other heavy-hitters that draw the biggest crowds in the world every year. Does Kings Dominion see lines at the ADA entrance out the wazoo? Does Dollywood? But regardless of any justification you can name, I still don't see this measure being reasonable at all. Six Flags has to obey the same rules as any other private business. People with disabilities have the right to enjoy the same opportunities, with the same ease of access, as those without disabilities. That's the entire point of the ADA. And yes, there's a big difference between requiring you to have a note prepared before you arrive, and requiring you to walk across the park and sign a form promising you're not lying. Don't believe me, why don't you ask all those families who will show up next year without reading the new policy first. Their fault for not reading the website before they go? Do you read through the policies every year before you go, just to see if anything has changed? How often do you sign something without reading the fine print? "Scroll to the bottom to click I AGREE", sound familiar? What makes you better or more deserving than anybody else? Are you aware of your own privilege? And maybe I'd be more willing to slide Six Flags the benefit of the doubt here if they weren't such a shitty company but they are. They price gauge their costumers, half the time their employees run around like chickens with their heads cut off, the properties aren't maintained well, they buy low-capacity rides and under staff them and then pay someone to stand there and sell drinks to the people waiting in line. They represent a lot of what's wrong in the amusement industry and now, once again, they seem to have found themselves on the wrong side of an issue.

This is great, I have one person telling me my suggestions will never happen, and one telling me they're already happening. I don't even know who to argue with.

^Right, and yet they still haven't gone as far as Six Flags, true? Doesn't that kind of prove my point that there are other ways of dealing with it? Also it's a different situation because Disney has an excellent reputation for costumer service, they manage their employees better, etc. I trust they can handle this with sensitivity more than I do SF.

^I'm not claiming to be an expert of course, but I do think there's a line where you can change the attitude of the general public towards the pass, without discriminating or breaking the law. The justification for this policy relies on two assumptions: 1. Abuse of the pass is widespread, rampant, of apocalyptic proportions. 2. This policy is necessary because Six Flags has already undertaken every conceivable, more costumer-friendly measure to stem the tide. To me, one or the other of those have to be false. They can't both be true or else we would see this same problem at other parks.

If we're choosing between making the location slightly less obvious and requiring a doctor's note, what do you think sounds more drastic and discriminatory? If you're trying to project a sense of authority, age helps. Is hiring big guys to be bouncers weight discrimination? Right, Six Flags has their reputation in mind, not money. Right. That's the reasoning behind this offensive, borderline illegal policy. Makes sense.

I don't think you quite get what I'm saying. You don't deny them the pass outright, you do what you can to make them feel embarrassed IF they're lying. You know how employees at high-end retailers walk up and ask if you need anything, primarily to let you know they're watching you? And if you look suspicious they may even follow you around? (Had that happen to me before.) Same principle. If you're an honest person these practices don't hurt you, but if you're dishonest, they help to persuade you you're not getting away with anything (even if you probably could). It's a mind game. It's also about changing the culture at the park in general and creating an environment where people respect rules. It's a subtle art and one that Six Flags knows its incapable of. You'll never see Holiday World need a policy like this. This line of discussion is pointless. Obviously people think it's a viable alternative to a legitimate flashpass or else they wouldn't be doing it, so of course it's losing Six Flags money. No, there is no perfect system, but that's the world we live in. I don't buy for a second this policy is either needed or will be particularly effective. Six Flags has broken new ground in instituting policies that openly antagonize their customers, I can't say I'm surprised but I don't find it worthy of applause.

I'm not suggesting they ask what disability the person has. If the person is asking for the pass then the answer to the question "do you need it?" is an implied "yes", the point of asking it is only to guilt trip people who are most likely lying, and a good, experienced employee should be able to smell bullshit a mile away. Following the law doesn't mean you need to be stupid about it. Some particularly nefarious people will still scam them, but a flood of people doing it is just ridiculous. They're obviously doing something wrong. I was under the impression the lowest-level flash pass worked exactly the same way.