Arthur_Seaton Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 When TC first opened, there were attempts to hurry the crowd up. They would announce before the air gates opened that you need to get in fast if you want to duel, but they do seem to have given up doing that. The ops are consistently fantastic on the ride, but the way the ride was designed makes it very difficult to duel consistently. The station doesn't help, but I suspect that the ride itself is to blame. If there was a way to hold and release a train after it has left the station built into the design, they could potentially have maximized the dueling, but I'm not quite sure how that would work. Add on top of that a barely-conscious GP that try to drag luggage, toys, and sundry other household items onto the ride with them, and you have problems. With that said, I've ridden it 50+ times, and I'd estimate that it's dueled far more than not. It doesn't seem like there's much the OPs could do except banning all the junk that people drag onto the ride with them. And yeah, it's a shame about Apocalypse — it's in a very bad state these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYTrojan Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 It just feels like it has been a long time since they've done something really extraordinary. Perhaps, but I'd argue that this is something they HAD to do. They don't have infinite money, so the choices were "build something new or renovate an area and a ride because, well, we need to have SOMETHING new to sell this summer" So instead of a new ride we got Twisted Colossus (pretty much a new ride), a repainted Scream, and a re-themed colossus county fair area. A few years ago instead of a new ride we got Green lantern, a repainted Batman, and a rethemed DC Land. Now instead of a new ride we're getting a reworked Revolution and a rethemed baja ridge. Yes it's been ages since we've seen a Tatsu, and yes that's tough for those of us who went through the coaster explosion in the late 90s, but given the choice between the two, I'd rather they take a few years off to fix the park and then start adding again. Especially if something like Twisted Colossus is what 'taking a year off' looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Why didn't six flags have TC simply stop a car before the second lift until a car catches up? Best way to get TC to duel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarFlags Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Why didn't six flags have TC simply stop a car before the second lift until a car catches up? Best way to get TC to duel That was an option, but it was decided by the park management that it would decrease the capacity too much. That extra 10-20 seconds doesn't seem like a lot in the course of one cycle, but over an entire operating day could decrease the ridership by close to 1000 guests. They knew it would be popular and the line would be crazy, so they did what they could do (cheaply) to mitigate it. More trains and a double station would have been the best idea for capacity, but it's a less practical option for the park as a business, so I can't really fault them for not going that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 ...instead of a new ride we got Green Lantern... Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYTrojan Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 ...instead of a new ride we got Green Lantern... Interesting. Ha, I knew someone would mention this. If you look at the thread I was responding to he clearly didn't consider Green Lantern as a "new" ride. There are arguments as to whether it is more of a glorified flat ride than a roller coaster, but the spirit of the conversation was about the addition of full featured 'best in class style' rollercoasters. Like Tatsu. Honestly I think it's a bit unfair given how new TC really is, and full throttle, but I was trying to address the conversation on his terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYTrojan Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 deleted doublepost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonskinny12 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 ...instead of a new ride we got Green Lantern... Interesting. Ha, I knew someone would mention this. If you look at the thread I was responding to he clearly didn't consider Green Lantern as a "new" ride. There are arguments as to whether it is more of a glorified flat ride than a roller coaster, but the spirit of the conversation was about the addition of full featured 'best in class style' rollercoasters. Like Tatsu. Honestly I think it's a bit unfair given how new TC really is, and YOLOcoaster, but I was trying to address the conversation on his terms. No doubt GL was a new ride and TC and FT are great rides. But like we both said, it feels like it has been ages since they've done something brand new that I feel is truly extraordinary like Tatsu. However, I will gladly take all of the things you mentioned in your other post because it makes the park better as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Why didn't six flags have TC simply stop a car before the second lift until a car catches up? Best way to get TC to duel That was an option, but it was decided by the park management that it would decrease the capacity too much. That extra 10-20 seconds doesn't seem like a lot in the course of one cycle, but over an entire operating day could decrease the ridership by close to 1000 guests. They knew it would be popular and the line would be crazy, so they did what they could do (cheaply) to mitigate it. More trains and a double station would have been the best idea for capacity, but it's a less practical option for the park as a business, so I can't really fault them for not going that route. instead, they just slowed the green side even more. when there's a chance that side goes so slow, i'm not sure it's worth it anymore. i'd almost just rather jam up both sides and go solo and have the line move even faster. btw, they tried to do some dueling during the commercial shoot by stopping the green side. i don't they ever got it lined up when i was riding and they did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasternut Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 ^ JT, I was there on media day, and on the first train out. I rode it 24 times, and I would say the dueling occurred 90% of the time. They didn't want us to get off the train for quite sometime, and I was good with that. The dueling can occur, but they need to slow down the side 2 more than they do. It's a great ride, but when they duel it's extraordinary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanthonyam Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Does anyone know when Spring Break is officially over in this area? Los Angeles? I plan on hitting the park AFTER the masses go back to school. Should be ok after that. Any info helps. THX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Does anyone know when Spring Break is officially over in this area? Los Angeles? I plan on hitting the park AFTER the masses go back to school. Should be ok after that. Any info helps. THX! i usually guess by the park hours. they are open until 9pm this week, then until 8pm for a couple weeks. april 12th they start to close at 6pm. i'd guess that's when it will slow down some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarFlags Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Busy and windy at the Mountain today. Rides closed all day were: X, Scream, and Ninja. Lex Luthor closed for the wind and didn't reopen for the rest of the day. Superman was sending cars on the right side, but they were empty toward the end of the day. Still wasn't making it all the way to the top. Did anyone else know about the re-branding of Orient Express? Will Six Flags ever have a promotional tie-in that isn't TACKY AS ALL HELL? Speaking of tacky... RIP to the Batman Action Theater. Your delightful tackiness will be missed. I didn't realize until I saw it all cleared out just how much space the theater took up. There's definitely room for a cool new something. A Justice League ride would be super cool, but with the long lines today, the lack of entertainment options at the park was especially conspicuous. Today could have been a better day at the park, buuut... it's hard to stay mad at that view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 ^ Interesting. I didn't realize SFMM closed rides for wind. I'm particularly surprised by Scream being closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarFlags Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 ^ Interesting. I didn't realize SFMM closed rides for wind. I'm particularly surprised by Scream being closed. As far as I know, Lex was the only ride closed specifically for wind. Which wasn't all the surprising, since a lot of vertical tower rides don't operate in high wind. That kind of thing is usually set by the manufacturer of the attraction based on the way it was engineered. The weird part was that Superman was still running, even though the two rides share a structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 ^ Interesting. I didn't realize SFMM closed rides for wind. I'm particularly surprised by Scream being closed. As far as I know, Lex was the only ride closed specifically for wind. Which wasn't all the surprising, since a lot of vertical tower rides don't operate in high wind. That kind of thing is usually set by the manufacturer of the attraction based on the way it was engineered. The weird part was that Superman was still running, even though the two rides share a structure. i wouldn't really think either of those rides would be affected by wind really. of course i'm just a keyboard ride engineer. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMountainMan Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 X2 is one of the first rides to close because of high winds, and for good reason. Scream also closes fast because the wind can really whip through the parking lot. Lex closes fast, maybe even faster than X2 in some cases. Yolo also closes decently fast in the wind because of roll backs and the increased risk of getting stuck on or above the loop. It takes a little more to close Goliath and Tatsu but they can close in high winds (Goliath because of its location and Tatsu more so because of the chance of valleying in the pretzel loop). Of course, most importantly, Sky Tower closes in high winds to everyone's dismay. Needless to say, if you're visiting the park on a windy day, expect X2 and Lex to be closed and a lot of other rides to be hit or miss. I honestly don't know how Twisted Colossus fares in the wind but I suppose hearing nothing is better than something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X2coasterfreak Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 ^ Interesting. I didn't realize SFMM closed rides for wind. I'm particularly surprised by Scream being closed. X2's train essentially acts as a giant sail in high winds and can be prone to valleying, especially towards the top of the first raven turn when the train is perpendicular to the ground. Scream has always closed in high winds since it opened, like MagicMountainMan said above me it's probably due to the ride's location, as well the openness of the floorless trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleDown Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Why didn't six flags have TC simply stop a car before the second lift until a car catches up? Best way to get TC to duel That was an option, but it was decided by the park management that it would decrease the capacity too much. That extra 10-20 seconds doesn't seem like a lot in the course of one cycle, but over an entire operating day could decrease the ridership by close to 1000 guests. They knew it would be popular and the line would be crazy, so they did what they could do (cheaply) to mitigate it. More trains and a double station would have been the best idea for capacity, but it's a less practical option for the park as a business, so I can't really fault them for not going that route. Twisted Colossus is one of the best ride experiences in So-Cal when the trains are dueling -- period. When I rode it during the video shoots, it really was fantastic how the trains interacted, and made for one of the best rides I EVER had on a roller coaster. Complete strangers conglomerating and screaming together up the lift, reaching for eachothers hands during the high five and top gun elements, it was phenomenal. lol @ park managements decisions. lol @ "this park cares about capacity." Is that the same way they care about capacity while running 1 train on a major attraction during a Summer day when there's cars parked out to the dirt lots? The excuses this park comes up with why they're not performing in the form of "looking out for the guest and capacity" is an astounding illusion that people for some reason continue to buy into. Honestly, I would rather sit at the left side of TC lifthill at a standstill, waiting for the guests to enter the train, for the ride ops to dispatch the train, to alllow for a dueling experience to happen, than to let the trains go hog wild, then let a double stack happen on a 6 minute ride because the park doesn't know how to take charge of guests or deal with a 60 second dispatch. *GWARGH!* *reaches to the sky* I am so over the excuses this park comes up with in the name of their cheapskate tactics and terrible operations. Especially because they only have themselves to blame. They've been doing this for over 50 years, you'd thing they could figure it out by now. But no, they're fine with skating by with mediocrity for some reason, and with me, the excuses just don't work anymore. /rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike932 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Does anyone know when Spring Break is officially over in this area? Los Angeles? I plan on hitting the park AFTER the masses go back to school. Should be ok after that. Any info helps. THX! Should be packed until April 2nd. April 12th is soonest time I would go for low crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Alumni Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Here are all the pins that SFMM has released so far along with the lanyard and special pins that only come with the lanyard. The cars on each of the roller coaster pins move which is a cool feature. I hope they don't go too crazy with these or this may end up being an expensive collection. lol Lanyard Set Special Lanyard Pins Old School Pin with old Logo Twisted Colossus Tatsu Viper X2 Goliath The New Revolution Twisted Colossus - Dueling Full Throttle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarFlags Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Yolo also closes decently fast in the wind because of roll backs and the increased risk of getting stuck on or above the loop. That's interesting, cuz I never saw a break in Yolo's operation throughout the day. I wonder if the direction of the wind matters for that ride? Also, another piece of info I forgot to mention.... Batman has a grouper assigning rows again. I was thinking to myself how stupid it was that the "No preferred seating" sign has never come down, and then I turned the corner and saw it being relevant again. And I'm still batting zero for racing TC on the green side. I think I've now been on 7 times total... 2 races on blue (plus one where we were about 1 train length behind), and none on green. What's the secret!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 And I'm still batting zero for racing TC on the green side. I think I've now been on 7 times total... 2 races on blue (plus one where we were about 1 train length behind), and none on green. What's the secret!?!? 200+ rides and luck, or say that when the other train is within 2-3 train lengths that it dueled. but seriously, i've been on a lot, and i've only dual dueled like 2-3 times. many kind of close, like a train length, but that's not a duel to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brneff99 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Why didn't six flags have TC simply stop a car before the second lift until a car catches up? Best way to get TC to duel I've asked the same ? each and every time I've been to the park since TC opened...I think I actually wrote it on a card during WCB but probably left before it was answered...I understand the capacity argument except they don't ever follow that same logic anywhere...ever...it also seems like a fix they could put into place now if they really wanted to and could avoid the endless complaints they must hear...(I know, they can't hear...)...sigh... I've been somewhat lucky on duels...but not of late...it feels as if they've given up on that concept which I believe was predicted almost one year ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 honestly, i'm just glad it's still running 3 trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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