coasterlover420

What are your computer's specs?

^I would update to the newer version http://home.arcor.de/busterinwg/NL-AHG_v1_6.zip

They are not fixed, they are suspended, and they knock back and forth between joints on the train. They're not broken. I agree with you about Raptor, it's a lot like Millennium. It runs better on a hot day.

^I wouldn't say strange, just new and not important.

^Location, location, location! ^^Where is this entrance located?

^If it touches the drive tires while it's in the magnets, that's how it stops. Otherwise, if the track is perfectly flat the train will stop simply by friction.

^&^^I operated the ride all summer, I know this is how it works. Yes there are 2 sets of brakes, one which function as the main brakes and are fixed. The retracting brakes in the waiting block only function to slow the train down, not to stop it. The train is stopped by the one set of drive tires in the waiting block, and when the train is parked, the brakes remain down away from the train. This video proves my point. Watch from 3:00 and you will see the brakes retract just before the drive tires park the train. As you can tell by this video at 2:13, the brakes don't go back up until the block is completely clear. The reason this happens is so that the train is stopped in the same position in the block every single time, but when the tires are wet, the train slips past that specific point and causes the ride to error. The only instance in which the brakes remain closed is when the ride is in manual mode.

Why does Millennium shut down in rain? Drive tires. All Arrow and B&M coasters have a forceful friction brake to stop trains, but Millennium is stopped completely with the drive tires. The way it's designed, the magnetic brakes stay open even when the block is considered closed, so the train will slip right over the drive tires because the bottom of the trains consists of nothing but diamond-plated steel, which is pretty slick even when it's not wet. Also, when the train in Waiting begins to move into Unload, it will slip (so basically it won't move), and the train flying up the lift will stop. Typically going down to 2 or 1 train operation will bypass this problem, but sometimes storms last so quickly that capacity will actually be better just waiting for the storm to pass. Transferring trains on and off takes forever. This goes for Maverick and Dragster too.

I believe what revolutionized MF in the first place are the reasons people still love it. 300 foot lift, wonderful 80* drop, huge sweeping turns, speed that never lets up, good consistent airtime, no laterals, positive G's that will make most gray out (emphasis on MOST, not all people experience it), tiny tiny lapbars, comfortable seats, great capacity, large layout, perfect opportunity for good on-ride photos, amazing view of the lake and the park, and smooth transitions. The reason enthusiasts get a stick up their butt about it being so highly rated is that most if not all of these factors have been passed up in the past few years. We now have extreme negative g's, beyond vertical drops, crazy laterals, clamshell lapbars, extreme positive g's that make everybody black out, etc...but these kinds of things are not for everyone, whereas what MF has to offer is. You don't usually get GP who get off of MF disappointed unless they are kids who were scared. After riding other types of coasters, enthusiasts are basically looking for reasons they won't like a coaster, especially MF since it's now mostly known as boring. I would personally say the same thing about new gen B&M hypers, but that wouldn't mean I'd get off the ride saying "wow that was boring." I like to focus on the parts of a coaster I like, rather than the parts I don't. Even if 80% of a coaster was boring, and 20% exciting, I'd still love the coaster for the 20% exciting it is. I do prefer that the exciting part be at the end of the ride, which is exactly why I'd rate MF higher than Leviathan, even though I prefer the first 20 seconds of Leviathan over the first 20 seconds of MF. My point is that some people don't like MF because they like something very specific about riding coasters, whether it's laterals, quick transitions, negative g's, compact layout...you name it. MF puts together a whole package that would satisfy everyone, and I think that's what enthusiasts don't like. At least this is what I've observed.

This is how I would describe MF. -If it's cold out or if it's early in the day...DON'T RIDE IT. -The first drop, like any other coaster, is better the further back you sit. -The airtime throughout the ride is better RIGHT in the middle. Most MF single-riders who have ridden literally thousands of times will tell you this. Car 5 row 1 is the best because the air isn't inconsistent like the other seats. You don't get yanked over (back seat) and you don't get the initial pop (front), but still you don't get the lame lag while you're waiting for the rest of the train to get over the top (except for the last hill which is good no matter where you sit) If you're there on one of those days where it's so hot you can barely move, THOSE are the best rides on MF, especially at night.

I will say absolutely yes. I think the problem was that as it broke in and started running faster during the hotter months, it DID become more forceful and therefore became much more rattly. That's what I observed having ridden many times from opening weekend to the beginning of August, although I always found a pretty smooth ride in rows 1, 2, and 8. Throughout the season, it did become progressively faster, and therefore rougher. I wouldn't say I'm surprised since the ride's capacity was around 1600/hr, which meant trains were flying through the course more consistently than any other coaster at the point. Lots of wear and tear going on there... What I have also observed is that the coaster bumps over the track seams. It's very odd, and if you find any offride videos of it, you'll hear the clicking noise. To prove my point, watch this video and listen carefully at points 1:55, 2:53, 10:09, and mostly at 12:25. What sounds an awful lot like the anti rollbacks is actually the wheels bumping over track seams...and this got progressively worse throughout the season over the entire circuit. I believe this is what contributes to the roughness people complain about. Also, in response to the post below, the anti rollbacks are obviously making noise, you can tell every time the train goes upside down. This is a very different and almost violent sound the seams are making in two rather specific spots (bottom of the dive loop, and the final helix), and considering there are no negative g's in the final helix, I could only assume the anti rollbacks aren't making that noise (there are other spots on the track that it's less obvious). Plus, it's after having ridden it hundreds of times that I've come to this conclusion, not just once or twice.

There's gold, maroonish, and grey.

^Gold train only

Posted 2 months ago: I'm pretty sure maintenance hasn't had time to continue with this endeavor, so I would expect the full change to happen over winter. If any other seats are known, please share them!

Yes, you'll be spending days or even months on a coaster in NoLimits. It's not just about completing a circuit and being happy with the layout, it's about making it work, making it smooth, making sure it's not too forceful...lots of things. Not to mention making supports look good takes FOREVER.

I think the plinko game has a much lower impact on wait time than people here are thinking. It's not like thousands of people use plinko passes per day. At Millennium Force, we'd get around 100-200 plinko passes per day on a crowded day, which is 200-400 people. If the park is open 12 hours, that would be at most 32 ish people per hour, which means you'd have to wait ONE EXTRA TRAIN per hour, which is only adding 1.5 minutes of wait time per hour. It's not that big of a deal, and CP rakes in the cash with it too. It's seriously not something to complain about, it has a very minimal effect. Fast lane, however, DOES make the line move really slow. We let in around 50/50 for fast lane; so before the merge point, the line literally moves half as fast.

As far as I know, running 2 trains on Iron Dragon was a company decision because of how fast employees had to move in order to check seats. You'd practically see employees running down the station trying to dispatch in time. The problem was that if the trains stacked, the third one would be on the second lift, and the way the ride is designed, an employee would have to go up to the second lift to restart it. Magnum used to be exactly the same, except now the release button is in the control booth instead of up on the block. And as far as complaints from guests about being hurried...that's not Iron Dragon, that's Raptor. I agree. Even after working at CP these past years, I feel spoiled when going to other parks because they only run two trains or because they stack trains so often.

This describes working at CP exactly. I wish I could have worked back in the day GCG is describing!

It looks as if that is new invert or flying track due to the curved cross ties. Beat me to it! But indeed so! I was gonna say because there's obviously an inverted loop in the back...but that works too

THIS. When I rode NTAG, what I remember was that every different host that checked my seat stapled me. I was not upset at all because after riding the ride, I was thankful they did! But it wasn't just an 'oops I accidentally stapled that guy,' it was obviously intentional. They really leaned into it. Also, I have NEVER heard of mid course brakes having sensors on them that detect lap bars. I'm only familiar with B&M coasters, however. Is there any actual proof that this is true of NTAG? It honestly sounds like some BS that someone made up in light of this event. What I know is that if there is a malfunction with restraints, it would be detectable RIGHT after it is locked by the ride. There are times when a restraint does malfunction and it's instantly detected by the ride host so the seat isn't loaded. I just can't really imagine a scenario where something DURING the ride would cause a restraint to malfunction. These are heavy duty cylinders! What usually happens is it doesn't lock after being released, not that it randomly releases itself. I only know the functions of Intamin restraints, but I imagine they are all the same design. If anything changes on the ride, I would expect them to add seat belts. They hold riders in differently than lap bars, and restrict vertical movement much more...just my 2 cents.

The thing is that there are no weight restrictions on coasters, just accommodations regarding the restraints. Certain coasters you must be able to fasten the seat belt or the restraint must come down to a certain point...having worked at a park for the past 4 years, I can say people are shaped differently. Some people you wouldn't think are that large can't fit into certain rides, whereas some people you see who you think have no chance to fit will just secure themselves into seats with no problem. I'd imagine since Texas Giant has some pretty extreme negatives, that the restraint must have barely made the lights come on and the problem is that negative g's affect heavier people much greater; who's to say her weight didn't just thrust her legs right through the lap bar? You never know. Still waiting for more info. Also just searched 'Texas Giant' on twitter...some of those tweets are making me lose faith in humanity..

Last night I had a chance to ride in a modified seat on Gatekeeper, and I'll say...SO MUCH BETTER. I had no soreness after the ride at all. If anyone's interested, I do know of two seats that have been changed already; Gold train, right side, rows 2 and 4 outside seats. I'm sure there are others I'm not aware of, but try those first if you want to experience it.

I'm sure many will be happy to know this: Gatekeeper's restraints are slowly being modified one by one so that the vest does not lock anymore. I'm not sure which ones are already adjusted and which aren't, but it will eventually be all of them. Happy Thursday!

I do remember reading that, and I was just there on the 19th and they all work great now! Re: Gatekeeper's lights. Keep in mind that the mechanics at Cedar Point probably start their work days in the very early morning, I'm guessing around 4-6am. They have to inspect and check all the rides to make sure they are in safe working order...all before the park opens. That's a lot of work alone, let alone if something actually does need fixed. Working at night would probably call for a 20+ hour work day. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather the coaster I'm riding be inspected for flaws by a well-rested mechanic, rather than one running on 1 hour of sleep. I'm sure the lights will get fixed, but I doubt a cosmetic issue is currently top priority. Mechanics are on the clock 24 hours a day. There are 3 main shifts, therefore three sets of mechanics for the park; one of which goes from park closing at night to park opening in the morning. It takes a lot of night work to get the rides in shape for each day. Every single bolt, seat belt, restraint, etc...must be checked. It's a lot of work. There's no time for lights when that kind of stuff goes on. Also on the subject of Gatekeeper's lights...who cares?? Lights go on and off all the time. It's not like the lights are permanently broken just because you saw a few of them off one time. I've been on nights when they're not working, then the next night they're all just fine. It's not fair to accuse Cedar Point just because these things happen. Roller Coasters are machines, there are things that malfunction. It's like complaining if a ride breaks down for some other mechanical problem. Just be understanding of the situation and get over it.

This gets brought up about V2 all the time too...the seats and restraints are identical. If you look at the photos below, even though V2 has two buckles on most seats, there are multiple holes that the buckles can be belted into and theyre not all bolted in the same place. Depending on which hole the buckle is bolted to it might be very easy or impossible for you to buckle without the ride op even on the front buckle. Why they randomize it is beyond me. I'm not sure about other impulse coasters but this is also not true about Wicked Twister. The buckles are all bolted into the same holes on every seat. It's not "randomized." The picture you posted is old, so I do know that now the buckles are in the farthest hole, but the seat belts are shorter. The result is the same, anyway. The restraint must still come down to a certain point, but they didn't just shorten the belts over time, they also moved the buckles up. I hope that makes sense. The reason the test seat only has one buckle is so people can test if they fit. There's no reason for a back buckle because if you fit in the front one, you can ride no matter what. The back buckle on the ride is for safety for skinnier people.