Matt Ice

-Frank Simmons Another glorious season is almost over at Simmons Creek. Thunder Strike has been running very smoothly and has continued to draw crowds into this small but growing park. A new area and pathway has since been added near Thunder Strike that connects it in a loop with Alpine Village. A small gap has been created between some buildings and the path, so hopefully a new ride will be going there soon! As usual I started off my trip with a ride on Pinecrest Plunge. One aspect of this ride that I always enjoy is how it interacts with Welcome Pier, Adventure Harbor, and all the rides around it. Orion seemed to be running better today than it has in the past. Once I walked over towards Thunder Strike I immediately noticed the new pathway. While I couldn't get any aerial shots of this loop, I was able to sneak this nice view of Thunder Strike from it. Thunder Strike's lift hill structure still astounds me to this day. Riders excited for their chance to ride one of the most unique wooden coasters in the world. Thunder Strike's headchopper is one of the most intense things I've ever experienced, even more so than Howler's. Another great thing about Thunder Strike is how it interacts with the surrounding trees. The various bunny hills on the ride do a great job of this. There are plenty of moments for airtime on Thunder Strike's over 3000 feet of track. Thunder Strike ends with a quick headchopper under the break run and a small turnaround. As I sat to eat dinner at Storm Express I enjoyed watching excited riders exit Thunder Strike. I must have been eating for a long time, because once I left the restaurant the line for Thunder Strike began to pick up. I was only able to get one more ride before the line extended beyond the entrance. With all the attention Alpine Village has been getting it's easy to forget how great Adventure Harbor is. Howler has seen a huge drop in riders since Thunder Strike opened. I don't know why though, they're both great rides! These riders look like they enjoyed it! Turbulence was practically empty for the entire day. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go in 10 years or so. Orion is still the big steel coaster at the park. I find it hard to believe that some coaster in the future will surpass this beast. Another beautiful sunset to end a great day at Simmons Creek.

Thanks for the reply! I will definitely try out that path set for redoing paths or adding fences.

The B&M Gigacoaster that Wonderland has is 3 years old, and a quick check of rcdb shows that there are 15 other roller coasters in the park. CF really needs to step up a notch, more than half its parks desperately need coasters. Same situation with Six Flags but not as bad. MiA KD VF Dorney WoF Knott's The Great Escape La Ronde SFStL SFA SFOG SFOT I would also add California's Great America to that list of CP parks. Yes Gold Striker was a recent and great addition but it and Flight Deck are the only good coasters at the park. Demon is getting rough, Vortex hurts, Psycho Mouse is a wild mouse coaster, Grizzly is really in need of replacement, and its other 2 coasters are kiddie coasters. While I think other parks (*cough Michigan's Adventure *cough) deserve it more, I definitely think that Great America needs a new addition.

Thank you for the feedback! I always enjoy reading responses, especially from other park builders, so your response is greatly appreciated! 1. I agree I can definitely add some fences. I originally tried to add some in the Welcome Pier area but a couple of the curves were a bit irregular so I figured it would look better to have no fences than to have some weird parts. I'll try to fix it up though as I agree that it makes it more realistic. I have both CS sets, so I'll give them a try. 2. Currently the supports for Pinecrest Plunge are from a mod that makes it look more realistic. However, like you pointed out, it doesn't have footers on every part of the track. I'll see what I can do with the CS sets I have to make that look more polished. Currently I am working on my next update but my game is constantly crashing due to the huge amount of content in the park. I am also unable to take screenshots in this particular save file and I'm not quite sure why. I've had to work my way around a few things in order to get my most recent updates to look good but I'm not sure how much longer I can go like this. Any suggestions or help is greatly appreciated at this time so I can get this park working and ready for future updates. I am glad people are enjoying the park and I hope to continue working on it for many more seasons to come.

Great start! Your architecture and paths are really top notch, although the colors for your wooden coaster seem a bit odd. How did you get that wide curve on the first drop? All in all, it looks like a really good park. Can't wait to see more!

1988 Opening Day: -Frank Simmons Today was the grand opening of the park's newest addition, Thunder Strike. I must say that the park was twice as crowded as I've ever seen it! This new roller coaster is sure to keep thrill seekers satisfied for years to come because of its wild hills and quick transitions. I definitely think Simmons Creek found themselves a winner this time. I started off my visit by riding Pinecrest Plunge. It had a surprisingly short line of only 20 minutes, so I figured it would be a good starting point for my day. Frenzy is still just as disorienting as it always has been. It always provides a solid ride, I hope it never leaves. Orion was yet again a fantastic ride with fairly short lines. Although it always surprised me how short the lines were for this great coaster, it means more rides for me! Spinning Barrels was broken down for most of the day. Alpine Village was by far the most crowded part of the park. Mountaineer Cafe got some new postcards for this year, and I couldn't resist buying this one of Thunder Strike testing. Here's another cool postcard from Mountaineer Cafe. Storm Express, a new restaurant and gift shop, was also added for 1988. Thunder Strike's exit leads directly into it. Finally it was time to ride Thunder Strike. Thunder Strike's first drop appears very intimidating as you wait in the queue. The support structure for the lift hill also looks truly astounding. I can't even fathom how much lumber must have been used to build that! Thunder Strike begins with a couple of little hills and curves into the lift hill. The wood tunnels provide a nice touch to an otherwise generic start. The 124 foot lift leads to a 110 foot first drop. That drop comes extremely close to the support structure and provides for some nice airtime towards the back of the train. After the pulse pounding drop is a short bunny hill and a quick turnaround. That small hill provides for loads of airtime and shows why this ride will become such a hit for generations to come. One of the few moments to catch your breath on this entire ride. Two more bunny hills ensue before the large hill underneath the lift. This hill is the largest of the ride and provides quite a head chopper. Another view of that large hill. Following that is yet another turnaround, this time banked. This one, however, is taken with more speed and provides for some nice lateral Gs. A couple more small hills and a some more turns round out the rest of the ride. The final brake run into the station. Although Thunder Strike had around an hour wait all day, its quick operations helped keep the crowds under control. The ride operates with two eight rowed trains, each holding 32 passengers. By the end of the day I had ridden Thunder Strike at least 8 times. Its crazy and ridiculous layout is unlike anything else at Simmons Creek. One last shot I got of Thunder Strike in action.

1988 Announcement: -James Wheeler ENOLA, Pennsylvania (September 26,1987)- Simmons Creek Amusement Park has recently announced its plans for the 1988 season. The park is happy to announce that Thunder Strike, a Dinn Corporation Woodie, is coming to Simmons Creek next April. This 110 foot beast will feature 29 seconds of "air time" over its 1 minute and 12 second course. Thunder Strike will feature several bunny hills and turns, providing plenty of out-of-control moments for everyone to enjoy. This new coaster will be located in Alpine Village and will surely put Simmons Creek on the thrill ride map. Pictures: Beta POV: (I understand that obviously there wouldn't have been a POV rendering back in 1987 but I thought it would be fun to try out. Also, a side note, the POV was shot in an empty park to make it crisper, so some parts of the POV show empty sections. Hence the "Beta Part". I hope you enjoy the POV and let me know if these should continue in the future.)

You'll find out sooner or later.

I have been trying to record roller coaster POVs for my park, Simmons Creek Amusement Park. However, my in-game recorder isn't quite recording the videos. I have tried to record other POVs in sandbox mode and the in-game recorder works just fine. Is my park too full to record? Is there not enough space on my disk or CPU? I would prefer if I could record these without having to buy an actual screen recorder, so any help is greatly appreciated.

Small Update Today: I am currently in the process of constructing next year's addition for the park. In the meantime I thought it would be good to get some feedback on a couple of questions I have for you guys. First off, how is my update schedule? Obviously it revolves around my availability, but am I posting too quickly between updates for everyone to keep up with? Another question I have is about possibly creating a website for the park. I understand that the internet was barely starting around this time in the park but would it be something that would be worth my time? I saw the website JonnyRCT3 created for his park, Valley Hills, and I thought it looked outstanding! Any other possible comments or concerns are gladly taken at this time. I'll provide a couple of photos along with this post just to keep things interesting.

-Frank Simmons Mid-July at Simmons Creek always manages to draw the biggest crowds of the season. I stopped by today hoping that the forecast for rain later tonight would scare away the crowds. Well, I'll be the first to say that the park was still packed! I had a great visit, although I can't help but think that there needs to be more food and drink options around the park. The entrance plaza still hasn't changed since the grand opening back in 1985. Welcome Pier was by far the busiest part of the park. This classic shot never gets old. I still wish Fun Wheel faced the other direction though so I can get a good view of Alpine Village. Pinecrest Plunge's signature drop. It sure came in handy in today's 89 degree heat. Alpine Flyover was scheduled to close early today due to the forecast. I made sure to get a few rides on it early in the day. Here's another beautiful picture I purchased from the park. Mountaineer Cafe sells tons of cool pictures similar to this one. Swashbuckler consistently had long lines all day. I must of rode it 10 times. It's such a blast! This woman sitting across from me looked like she enjoyed it too! Swashbuckler is a fun ride, but I probably won't ride it too much after this season. It gives me a weird sensation in my stomach that it fun but also nauseating. However I still believe it was a wise investment for the park. Xtreme Pizzeria had a special July sale: 2 slices for the price of 1. This restaurant was a zoo all day because of this limited-time offer. Howler's 70 degree first drop is much steeper than it looks! I will never get tired of Orion. It's probably the best ride I've ever ridden all time. Simmons Creek Amusement Park's two signature roller coasters. Orion's finale is the perfect end to a perfect ride. I hadn't ridden Adventure Harbor Bumper Cars in a long time, so I decided to check them out. They were okay, but there sure are some crazy drivers out there! After leaving Adventure Harbor the heavy rain began. Thunderstorms also struck, which is odd for this time in the summer, especially considering yesterday's lightning. I would have never expected thunder to strike twice in one summer. I decided to leave the park around 8:00, but I rode Grand Carousel on the way out. On a side note, I was assigned by the park to give clues for the upcoming 1988 announcement. While I won't reveal anything explicitly, read through my Trip Report again. I've sprinkled a few hints within that, but that's for you guys to find.

Thanks for the response! I'm happy to hear that you like it. Swashbuckler nicely fit in that little spot, so I thought it was better use of space to put it there.

Thanks! I got it from CS Depot. Here's the link: http://www.customscenerydepot.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=2197 I'll try to get some updates in the upcoming week, maybe about more background of the park. Big things will be coming in the 1988 season, and it's been taking me a while to build.

1987: -Frank Simmons Today I finally returned to Simmons Creek Amusement Park to see what's new for the 1987 season. I missed opening day but coming a few weeks later is just as good! Ticket prices have also gone up $10 this season from $35 to $45. However a season parking pass is now offered for only $30, so I still managed to get a deal. Swashbuckler, new for 1987. Swashbuckler was a fun family ride. I only rode it once, but it seems like a nice addition for Alpine Village. (P.S. I realized that I forgot to add fences between the loading docks and the actual ride. I will add them ASAP.) Swashbuckler's location on top of Castaway Lake makes each swing much more exciting. Alpine Village's two rides. I have no doubt that this total will increase over the years! Whirlwind had a surprisingly short line today. It still manages to provide a fun and disorienting ride. Turbulence also ran empty for most of the day. I'm surprised that this side of the park doesn't get heavy lines. This off season also brought the addition of a light package to Alpine Village. Crowds definitely began to form at night, especially for Alpine Flyover. Swashbuckler's bright blue lights provide for excellent photo opportunities.

Awesome log flume! I like the aesthetic look of the drop underneath the building. It seems like you have a nice park growing.

-James Wheeler After my meeting today with the city board, I decided to stop by the park to get a glimpse at the new Alpine Village in person before the end of the season in a couple of weeks. It sure is breathtaking! I'm proud of the way this park is beginning to grow and I'm pleased with the attendance it's getting. However, operations is still running a bit slow, so we will gladly take any new employees. I also stopped by to make the announcement for 1987, but more on that later. Upon entering I immediately noticed how crowded Grand Carousel and Frenzy were. Those two are definitely crowd guzzlers. What I love about Frenzy is its close proximity to the trees around it. I could've sworn I was going to hit one! Xtreme Pizzeria had quite a wait today. To me, it's well worth it anyway. Howler was by far the longest wait of the day. Due to only a couple of ride ops, it took extra time for each dispatch. That created lines that spanned all the way out to the entrance of Adventure Harbor! Here's a cool picture of Orion that I picked up at Journey Grill. They have all types of souvenirs such as ride pictures and foam fingers. Orion sure is a beast! It has perfect pacing and an incredible amount of force to make for one sick ride! I finally managed to visit Alpine Village around 4:00 PM. I immediately noticed the windows recently put into place on the back of the Entrance building. Neat touch! Alpine Flyover, new for this year, taking flight. I really enjoyed the sensation of gliding through the sky while looking upon the rest of the park. This pond looks awfully quiet... Even late at night Pinecrest Plunge draws big crowds. Next time I'll be sure to bring a poncho. Obligatory creek shot. The last ride I took a spin on was Whirlwind. I've always been a big fan of HUSS enterprises so this ride was particularly fun for me. On my way out of the park I made the announcement for next year in Simmons Lodge. Everyone there seemed very pleased with next year's addition, Swashbuckler. Swashbuckler will rock riders back and forth at 60 degree angles right on top of Castaway Lake. Located in Alpine Village, this new pirate ship ride will cost $350,000 and will provide yet another reason to come to Simmons Creek Amusement Park.

Thank you! I synced Howler by clicking the icon under the operations for the coaster that says "Sync Adjacent Stations". I also had to slightly lower the chain speed on one side of the lift hill to account for those curves. Overall I think the result looks pretty nice, although there are still a few kinks I'm working out.

Thanks for the comment! I added a barrel roll to try to make it unique, but I'll probably remove it some time in the future as I'm sure it will get rough with age . As for the entrance, I agree it could use some work. I've never really been good with entrances, so I appreciate the ideas you gave me. I'll try to implement them for sure. That's what I was going for. I based the layout on Demon at CGA for the first half of the ride and Anaconda for the second half, so I'm glad that it turned out good. Thanks! I've been trying to plan out the next 25 years for the park, and a B&M Hyper is definitely something I'm considering.

Opening Day: 1986 -Frank Simmons Welcome to the 1986 season! Although this park has only been open for a year now, we here at National Amusement Industry are very pleased with its attendance and its plans for the future. I can guarantee that the years to come will provide immense expansion to Alpine Village and will make the park a regional destination across the country. Without further ado, here's my trip report from my day at Simmons Creek Amusement Park. I arrived a bit early to make sure that I would be able to explore Alpine Village. Here's the view of the Entrance Plaza. Naturally the first thing I did upon entering was to visit Alpine Village. I must say that the entrance building and overall architecture of this area is quite astounding! The first ride to open with the new expansion is Alpine Flyover. Although this ride is fairly tame, it provides nice views of the park and of the nearby mountains. Alpine Flyover may be the only attraction in Alpine Village thus far, but I have a feeling that will not be the case for much longer. After Alpine Flyover I took the time to explore the rest of Alpine Village. It has a beautiful lake with plenty of surrounding buildings and trees that make it aesthetically breathtaking! Since I arrived so early at the park, I opted not to eat breakfast before I came. Luckily, Mountaineer Cafe serves fresh waffles and pancakes all day in addition to various lunch foods. Shortly after eating I decided to walk to Adventure Harbor to check out my favorite rides to see how they held up during the off-season. After riding Howler again, I can definitely say that it is easily one of the best wooden roller coasters out there! Howler is one of those rides that is absolutely relentless! It never lets down and always maintains its high speeds and fun airtime hills. Orion ran particularly well today. The lines only exceeded 30 minutes once all day, making it easy to re-ride again and again. Orion's second corkscrew over the lake. 3 trains in one shot! Once the sun began to set, I headed back over to Alpine Village for a couple more rounds on Alpine Flyover. I didn't lie when I said this ride provides awesome views! I'm not quite sure who the woman next to me was, but she seemed to be enjoying the ride too. One last overview of Alpine Village. See you next time at Simmons Creek!

1986 Announcement: -James Wheeler, Park President ENOLA, Pennsylvania (August 30, 1985)- Today we are pleased to announce the brand new expansion coming to Simmons Creek Amusement Park for 1986. Alpine Village, a 25,000 square foot expansion, will feature plenty of buildings, restaurants, and rides for families and thrill-seekers alike. This new area of the park will cost around $2 million and will be the future site for numerous expansions to come. Simmons Creek is very excited for the upcoming years and can't wait to see everyone back next year.

-Frank Simmons Today was officially the last day in the 1985 operating season. I came back to the park to ride some of my favorite rides before the offseason begins. I was also able to get a sneak peak at next season's plan. As soon as I entered I rushed over to ride Frenzy. Throughout the year it consistently drew the longest crowds of any ride, even longer than Orion or Howler. I decided to skip WaveSwinger and Fun Wheel in order to get as many rides on Orion and Howler as I could. Awesome shot of Frenzy in action. Although it's hard to tell from this picture, there's some serious construction happening in the background. More on that later. Grand Carousel had surprisingly long lines today, but I decided to ride it anyway. I always enjoy a classic merry-go-round. It was a cool 70 degrees today, but Pinecrest Plunge was still refreshing. The dip right before the big drop is one of my favorite parts of the ride. This splash is about to get a whole lot bigger! The real reasons why I came today. There is not a single dull moment on this ride! The last ride I rode was Orion. It only had a 10 minute wait so I made sure to ride it as many times as I could. The corkscrew under the lift hill is right inbetween two support beams. This helix sure does provide some Gs! I'm disappointed though that I have to wait a year to ride this thing again. The final barrel roll into the station hangs you right over the water. As I left the park I saw these logos begin to raise. Is this a new expansion? What do you guys think will come to Simmons Creek in 1986?

-Frank Simmons I came back later in the day to visit the rest of Adventure Harbor. It has a nice collection of rides for the family and thrill-seekers. The first ride I went on was Spinning Barrels. I couldn't believe it was a walk-on! This tea-cup like ride spins riders adjacent to the Howler. It's fun to hear the screams from Howler while riding Spinning Barrels. After Spinning Barrels it was time for my next ride, the Adventure Harbor Bumper Cars. The Bumper Cars are situated next to the arcade, which houses over 20 types of games. I must of spent at least on that Quarterback Toss game. It was brutal to win! Turbulence, a tilt-a-whirl, was next on the list of rides. (P.S. There certainly isn't a lack of signs for this ride!) It's surprised me how dizzy I got on this ride! Although it's your standard tilt-a-whirl, it sure packs a punch. I decided to stop by the Journey Grill for a quick bite to eat. It looks small and has a flat roof, but it has surprisingly large crowds. Some of the booths provide a stellar view of the creek. After resting a bit I finally got to ride Orion, the Arrow Dynamics looper. Orion opens with a 124 foot lift hill into a 113 foot curved drop. The whole ride interacts nicely with the surrounding trees and lake. The first element after the first drop is Orion's signature double loops. They're intense! The turnaround after the loops provides a pretty view of Welcome Pier and the trees. Following the turnaround is an airtime hill and a curved drop into the lake. The first corkscrew over the lake is one of my favorite parts of the ride. More airtime hills and some helixes await you on the second half of the ride. The second corkscrew and final helix pull a whopping 4.3 Gs! Orion once again surprises riders with a final barrel roll into the brake run. The brake run and turn into the station. Just like any ride at Simmons Creek Amusement Park, Orion is very photogenic. As I was leaving the park I spotted some land clearing for next season. I wonder what it will be! Any comments/criticism appreciated.

-Frank Simmons After a long meeting with the park executives, I went back to ride as many rides as I could. Unfortunately, due to press and other issues, I wasn't able to return to the park until around 7:00. Since it was opening day, the park had to close at 8:00 Hopefully I can make it to the park tomorrow! 1985: Second Operating Day: I finally got a chance to explore the whole park. I never realized how big it was! There was whole second area that I never truly realized was that big (more on that later). I was really pleased with the overall atmosphere of the park. It seemed like a cozy, family park that also has the potential to compete with the big parks. I can't wait to see what the upcoming years have in store for Simmons Creek! More pictures of Adventure Harbor to come tomorrow (sorry for the long update ) Here's the line I returned to. Even at 7:00 the park was still crowded! Although I had little time at the park, I was still able to ride the Fun Wheel. I wanted to ride WaveSwinger, but it broke down. I can't believe it broke down on the first day! No matter how many times I see this at the entrance, I am still speechless! The first new ride I tackled was WaveSwinger. This classic swing ride provided the sensation of gliding and provided more stunning views of the Pier. WaveSwinger can seat up to 40 guests at a time. Hopefully that will help alleviate longer lines when the park is crowded. WaveSwinger is located right next to the creek that runs through the entire park. Here's a beautiful shot I got of the bridge from WaveSwinger. It blends in perfectly with the creek and the trees. The last ride in the Welcome Pier area is Pincrest Plunge. This refreshing log ride is sure to get you soaked! Pinecrest Plunge perfectly interacts with the creek and the trees around it. Personally, I think it's the prettiest ride in the park! Pinecrest Plunge offers multiple underground tunnels that run under the overpass between Welcome Pier and the rest of the park. The log emerges from the tunnel to embark on the rest of its journey. Pinecrest Plunge swerves in between the trees to provide various views of the creek. Although it is only around 50 feet tall, Pinecrest Plunge is sure to get you wet! Here's a view of the big 30 foot splashdown. The turnaround after the drop. Here's the second drop into a tunnel. If the drop didn't get you wet, the waterfall sure will! The final lift hill after the other underground portion. The overpass offers nice views of various rides, especially of Pinecrest Plunge. The first thing I did when I entered the park was head over to Simmons Lodge. The Lodge provides plenty of food options and a nice place to relax and avoid the heat. On the other side of the overpass is the park's other area, Adventure Harbor. This massive section of the park has 4 flat rides and 2 roller coasters. Another view of the entrance to Adventure Harbor. On the other side of the entrance is another fountain. I never get tired of seeing nice fountains. On the right of the entrance is Whirlwind, a HUSS Enterprise. It's located near Pinecrest Plunge and the overpass and provides plenty of near-miss moments with both. Whirlwind doing its thing. Look how close it gets to the overpass! After Whirlwind I decided to eat at Xtreme Pizzeria. It offers numerous kinds of pizza and a ton of soft drinks. The lines were pretty short this early in the morning. I can't imagine they'll be short for much longer though. Here's the view of whole entrance plaza to Adventure Harbor. After my food digested I went for my first roller coaster ride of the park, Howler. Here's the entrance to the left side of Howler. The left side is the "Dusk" side and the right side is the "Dawn" side. The queue of the Dusk side is located right next to Pinecrest Plunge. It's nice to have something to look at while in line. The queue on the Dawn side. The duel aspect of the ride definitely makes you want to ride again. I rode the Dusk side first but I made sure to ride the Dawn side next. They are completely different experiences! Here's the lift hill leading to the 107 foot drop. The Dusk side of the lift hill. The Dawn side of the lift hill. The ride ops work hard to make sure each train is dispatched at the same time. The result sure is awesome! After the first drop there are two intense hills full of airtime. Personally I enjoy them more on the Dusk side because they are a little less rough but they are still awesome either way! The turnaround gives the Dawn side a slight lead heading into the back half of the ride. After the turnaround there are three more hills and a couple of sharp turns. It also ducks under the support structure for the lift hill providing one heck of a head chopper! The final helix and hill into the brake run. Both trains in the brake run after an exhilarating ride. Here's my favorite picture of the day.

I think the Joker theme looks awesome but I'm curious if its name will still have to do with "Roar". I originally thought that it would be called Roar: Unleashed but now I'm not sure.