pǝʇɹǝʌuı
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Posts posted by pǝʇɹǝʌuı
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I'm originally from Ohio and I really don't mind SoCal roads. While they are slightly more stressful than Ohio(likely the least stressful place to drive), it's not bad to the point where I would pay for a $100+ Uber over renting a car. Just have a GPS on hand and you should be totally fine.
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I am in the camp that thinks that adding 13 more feet would have been advantageous for the park. Oh well, i'm sure it will be a hit for the park no matter what.
But would it have been advantageous for the chain? Remember that Cedar Fair isn't trying to make KI a destination park; it's doing just fine by drawing in locals. Remember, there's a 310 foot tall coaster 4 hours north...
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What the heck, I'll give it a go.
Top Thrill Dragster
Steel Vengeance
Maverick
Millennium Force
Magnum XL-200
Wicked Twister
Raptor
Blue Streak
Valravn
Gatekeeper
Rougarou
Corkscrew
Gemini
Iron Dragon
Overall I think Wicked Twister is underrated. I think the coaster community is coming to light on how good Magnum actually is, but I feel like that ride is fairly underappreciated as well. And yes, I like TTD better than Steel Vengeance.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the snappiness of the first couple of elements on Fury, but I think it's mostly agreed that Fury is kind of an outlier among newer B&Ms.
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Do we know if Gwazi is actually a real fable or did Busch Gardens just make it up? I tried Googling it and every single result brings back the coaster. If Busch did make it up, they're making their own rules here.
That's a twist...
Yeah, so there's really no reason to ever look 6 pages into a google search, but if you search the word "gwazi," every single result on the first 6 pages (I'm not looking any further) uses the word in reference to the roller coaster. Absolutely nothing about African folklore.
Something even more fun to try, type "gwazi" into google translate. Translate the word from Swahili to English. According to google, it translates to "gum." That explains the purple track...
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2020 may just be the year I make a trip to Florida; these rides are gonna be great! Ngl, tho, all the park guests are gonna think Gwazi means crocodile. Definitely an interesting choice of name.
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Looks forceless.
I watched the POV and can confirm it will be forceless. I rank it below Fury, I305, Millennium Force, and Leviathan which I have not ridden yet but know it is my 4th favorite due to the POV.
Having finally ridden Leviathan over the weekend, my thought after that, was that it was still a mind-blowingly amazing coaster, in spite of often being regarded as the "worst Giga", and that Orion has some great elements that should make it even better than Leviathan! So there's no reason for anybody be worried about Orion being awesome!
My thoughts exactly. Orion is KI's giga. It's not a record breaker, but it'll probably be the best ride at the park. If you want an even better ride, travel to Carowinds, and while you're there, enjoy the other amazing rides in their lineup!
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Funny how dividing Banshee is. It's really a black sheep among B&M inverts. On top of having unique trains, it has a super unique layout and doesn't feature any traditional "flat spins," which I tend to really like. It's not snappy like the other inverts but I think it's still a great ride. Plus, the restraints are a HUGE improvement over all the other inverts.
The one ride I'm surprised more enthusiast's don't like is Silver Bullet. Other than the first drop, the layout is super forceful and unique. The ride fits in perfectly at a park that is better known for its theming than thrill rides, and its positioning really makes it stand out. The fact that it's at Knott's makes it seem bigger than it is, even when you ride. But above all, it's the smoothest B&M invert that I've ridden. No headbanging and no rattle, like it hit the sweet spot of B&M ride design.
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Funny, I was just talking about this with DIL and Rawkin at KI. I've only ridden 6, including 2 batman clones, but here's how I would rank them.
1. Banshee
2. Raptor
3. Silver Bullet
4. Batman
5. Afterburn
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^&^^ both quality content
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I consider the removal of GL addition by subtraction. Just think they open up a whole new slot for a new ride in the future.
Subtract a negative = add a positive? Brilliant!
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After my last two new credits of the year, here is what I assume to be my final list of 2019
These coasters get 11/10
1. Fury 325 - A masterpiece, I can't put it any other way.
2. TTD/KDK - They're essentially the same ride, don't @ me. Really good rides, though.
3. Steel Vengeance - Another masterpiece--most of the time.
4. Maverick - After 12 years the thing still delivers like it was built yesterday.
5. Eejanaika - I'll admit it's been a minute since I last rode, but I have very fond memories!
These coasters get 10/10
6. Beast - My personal favorite wooden coaster
7. Diamondback - It's personal. Nothing screams home or nostalgia to me like Diamondback. The ride itself ain't bad, either!
8. Cannibal - Very underrated, mostly because a lot of enthusiasts haven't been on it. Hangtime galore. One of the best first drops in the world.
9. Tatsu - I love me a good B&M flyer over the trees.
10. El Toro - Very different from Beast, and probably a tie for my top wooden coaster. In a world where RMC exists, though, I can't really bring myself to rank it any higher on my list.
These coasters also get 10/10, but remain off the top 10 list to avoid redundancy
Millennium Force - Good ride. Does what Fury does but not quite as well.
Twisted Colossus - I'd argue it has stronger airtime than Steel Vengeance, although the pacing is very off.
Ghostrider - 'nuff said
X2 - Does what Eejanaika does but not quite as well
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Steel Vengeance. Then you'd have a place to put your keys.
...or some water to get you through 2+ hour lines
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This looks awesome, and it’s honestly kinda what I expected. When they started teasing it, I couldn’t help but think T-Rex, but as that idea got shut down pretty quickly, I immediately thought of a custom raptor. Glad that’s exactly what they’re getting! Hopefully I can make it out to Jersey again sometime soon!
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None of the Giga's have "ejector" airtime (my opinion) on the drop if that's what you are asking. They are more drawn out, so duration may seem longer.
You also have to account for the obvious psychological impacts the sheer height will throw in there if you haven't been on something that tall before.
Millennium Force was more psychological than stomach for me. Ride of Steel messes with my stomach more than MF seemed to, but I always ride back car on ROS for the whip. MF didnt really have that whip IMO, but we were 2nd to last car.
Definitely true of MF; just looking at the shape of the drop should tell you it doesn’t have as much whip. V-sear B&M hypers like Diamondback give you decent whip in the back. Fury has a little bit more of a “pointy” crest than MF and I got some good whip in the back, which is why I consider that ride significantly better than MF.
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Many drop towers are accelerated downward to give you extra ejector airtime, and I generally find them to make my stomach jump more than coasters.
As far as B&M hypers and gigas go, they're really good at giving you a great floater airtime -- a freefalling sensation as you go down, which, to a less-experienced rider, will often cause that more fluttery feeling in the stomach. In that case, the taller the coaster, the more intense you feel that. However, some smaller coasters can give you more of the sensation of your stomach "jumping." I find this happens when you get good ejector airtime. In my experience Intamin and RMC are better at that; rides like Twisted Colossus or Maverick have some of the most intense drops yet they're not nearly as tall as the B&M hypers/gigas. Both types of airtime are fun, but in different ways.
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^^To emphasize your point, on the day that I went, the park was already crowded by 9:30. It got slightly more crowded after opening, but it seemed like most of the people at the park that day were gold or platinum passholders who also took advantage of early entry. If you go 2-3 times a week I'm sure you see similar patterns.
But this is what the park wanted. Pretty much all the chains are trying to put a greater emphasis on season pass sales to boost revenue. From what I understand in my limited knowledge of theme park economics, most of the profit comes from food/game/merch sales inside of the parks rather than from admissions, so it's better for the parks financially to get more foot traffic inside the gates rather than charge more for admission. Season passes have exactly that effect--cheaper admission in the long run, and higher attendance.
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^^Yes! That sounds absolutely awesome!
I can't help but think straight to the "big if" side of this, though. An announcement this far in advance is almost a set-up for failure.
On the off chance that this thing comes to fruition, though, I'm all for visiting Saudi Arabia!
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Scream is pretty hit or miss for me. Bizarro, on the other hand, is glass smooth. I was shocked when I rode Bizarro; "oh, THIS is what Scream is supposed to be like!"
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Pretty much confirmation this is being shipped to another park
Exactly what I was thinking. La Ronde 2020?
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They've transferred all of the trains on to Top Thrill Dragster.
Yes, they were all on the track yesterday except maybe one. Didn’t see any cycling, though.
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So I did what any sensible enthusiast would and bought a FastLane+.
You would not like my take on FastLane! But then nobody on here does, so what else is new!
I've heard your take on FastLane and I sometimes agree--see my previous CP TR and my rant about the merge point for SV. I will say, however, that I very much enjoyed having it yesterday.
Something is just off about the drop; perhaps its my expectations. I think B&M does big first drops better.It's surprising you feel that way, because my son (who you met the other day) and I were talking not too long ago about how even after all of these years, and all the other great drops on coasters we've been on, MF still has THE BEST first drop of any coaster out there in our opinion! It's pretty much the best part of the ride in our perspective. So that's interesting you feel the complete opposite.
Yeah and I'll reiterate that I really can't put my finger on it. I've ridden Millennium countless times in the front, back, and middle. Both rides yesterday were in the back, which, in my experience, has been the best seat for the first drop and it does give you airtime. Something about the shape of the drop, though, is just not quite as thrilling as many other coasters I've ridden. As far as CP goes, SV takes the cake for the best drop, then maybe Maverick, and after that Millennium. At least for me. My all time favorite is Fury, but the other B&M hypers I've ridden have really slapped on that first drop as well.
F&%@ OSU!!!Basically the exact reaction I expected from you
I don't feel like a dive element is any more of a "gimmick" than any other element on a coaster isI consider it like a drop track or backward launch where it's out of the ordinary from a traditional track maneuver. But I think you would agree that enthusiasts hate on "gimmicks" too much; I personally love the holding brakes on Valravn and Hangtime. If I'm not mistaken, Valravn's is short even for a B&M, so I'd love to get out to BGW or BGT and ride one of the OG American Dive Machines before I really make the call that Gerstlauer is better.
I hope to be able to enjoy a park with you again sometime when you're back in the area, maybe even CP! (Or you can come North, and marathon Shivering Timbers with me while I hum the U of M and MSU fight songs! )Yes, aboslutely! I would love to meet up again! But if I do visit MiA I may just have to skip Wolver*ne Wildcat out of spite! (haha--I make fun, but it's all in good spirits; I respect your schools up north). Let me know if you ever come out west, espeically if it's during a school break! I love a good excuse to drive down to Vegas or LA.
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Visited the park today again with my brother, this time with a strong determination to ride all the rides. The park was pretty crowded and the two rides I was most looking to get on (Steel Vengeance and Valravn) had super long waits (2 hours and 1 hour, respectively) by park opening. I know this is pretty typical of those two rides, but I was hoping for a lighter crowd today with it being near the end of August, and I was sorely disappointed. So I did what any sensible enthusiast would and bought a FastLane+. It honestly was really worth it, especially with the platinum pass discount.
Some thoughts on the rides:
I've officially changed my mind about Steel Vengeance. That thing is awesome! It really keeps going forever; a perfect-length ride in my opinion. Better than Fury? The rides are so different that it's hard to say, but I'm keeping SV at #3 on my top 10 behind TTD and the aforementioned B&M giga. It's a jump from #7 after my first ride a couple weeks ago! My biggest comment is that the airtime is a little more consistent in the middle of the train--something that I did not really expect. The back feels like it has a weird delay where the airtime comes late. Not too dramatic because RMC trains are short, but I preferred row 5 over row 12 today. Didn't get to ride in the front because we got rained out at the end of the day :/
Maverick: Sorry, you're now the third best ride in the park. Great ride, though! That second launch HAULS and I can't help but think about how awesome these new Intamin blitz coasters like Taron and Taiga must be.
Millennium: Better than Fury? No. Something is just off about the drop; perhaps its my expectations. I think B&M does big first drops better, per my experience on Diamondback, Nitro, Fury, and Intimidator. I definitely can appreciate this ride, though. I've mentioned before that I was not impressed the first time I rode it; this time around I really enjoyed the fast turns and the high g's. I hope this doesn't sound like a forced appreciation, I genuinely enjoy the ride. It's just the first drop, I'm always underwhelmed.
Valravn: Only got on once. Was planning to ride later in the day but got rained out. I rode in the first row. I think this ride has good pacing and is fun! This was my first B&M dive coaster and 121st credit. I think both the hold and the drop were a bit underwhelming (I can blame the vest restraints if you want) but the big swooping elements are fun. RAWKIN pointed out that the ride looks like a script Ohio from a certain angle (Take that Michigan! They gave us our own COASTER!) so my brother and I (keep in mind we're from Columbus and by default Buckeye fans) had fun shouting the respective letters as we passed through them. Of course, they're wildly out of order when you ride, and the "h" consists of both the first and second drops, so we ended up shouting HOHOI, but hey, it's all in good fun!
Sorry if this was already posted on the forums, I was completely out of everything coaster related in 2016, but I was very impressed with this and will subject you all to another picture of this piece of art.
As far as the dive gimmick goes, Hangtime does it better. I know it's a weird comparison, but really the holding brakes on these two rides are meant to do the same thing. I like how Hangtime gets the whole train facing the ground, holds you there for a solid 5-6 seconds, and you're only secured in with a lapbar. But I really love the sheer size of Valravn and honestly its novelty. I've been itching to get on one of these dive machines for so long that it's honestly pretty satisfying to ride one AND enjoy it.
I'll stop myself before this post gets even longer but for a total ride count, thanks to FL+ we got on all the non-kiddie coasters except Cedar Creek Mine Ride and Dragster, and we got rerides on SV, Millennium, Maverick, and GateKeeper. We also got to spend some downtime in Frontiertown and went for a little stroll around the Forbidden Frontier after all the rides shut down. That us, until the music changed to a weather advisory! But huge thanks to Cedar Point for an amazing day! Nothing beats this amazing coaster collection!
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Funny how so many of these are mildly dangerous. Honestly, it's fun to see parks that are a little more lax on safety. Not to the point of the ride actually being dangerous, of course. But just enough where you're like, "man, someone could maybe get hurt." Like a log flume. No real restraints, the park's just trusting you to stay seated.
It's fun having these kinds of experiences with GP friends, though. We experienced riders don't get nearly as scared when things slightly out of the ordinary happen, but my GP friends thought I was going to die on a certain Schwartzkopf double looper. For those not familiar, these rides only have jenky lapbars (the g-forces on the loops keep you in just fine) and there's no real divide between the two seats in the row other than there being two separate lapbars. So imagine sitting behind me, a single rider, having a blast with my arms up when suddenly, as the train banks to the left, I disappear in front of you. Yeah, there was nothing supporting me on the right so I fell straight over into the right-hand seat. The g-forces from the turn pinned me down for a second, but I popped right back up afterward and decided to hold on for the rest of the ride. Of course, I was just fine, but we were on a coaster having a good time and laughing already, so we had a real good laugh when it happened. Me telling the story does not do the moment justice.
Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
That's fair, I'm sure it's a destination for some. My point was that Cedar Fair is probably trying to keep Kings Island in a tier below Cedar Point. It makes sense to someone from Columbus like myself. Almost all of my friends from Columbus prefer CP to KI, although that might change with Orion being built. But I do admit I have a weird bias as my hometown is almost exactly in the middle of the two.