Floorless Coasters: Just a gimmick?

[hemmy]

Floorless = gimmick. Standup != gimmick. A floorless is a sit-down. A stand-up is as unique as an invert.

 

Wow, I feel the absolute opposite.

 

Floorless no doubt made rides like Sheikra better.

 

Also, standup IS a gimmick because there are no really good stand up coasters due to many factors. Their freedom in element design is limited, and it adds nothing to the ride other than tired feet. No airtime, just crotch pain.

[Tanks4me05]

Floorlesses and Stand Ups are although technically gimmicks, so is S:ROS from SFNE because it is big and fast, but those aren't bad gimmicks. Floorless coasters and Stand Up Coasters really do have different experiences to the ride than normal sit downs. Floorless coasters have that sensation of basically having flying super powers because you are restrained so minimally (I know it's not a flying coaster, but still that's how I describe it.) Stand Ups are also unique as agreed with Mantis' first drop, it had HUGE amounts of airtime, and I liked being thrown around at the end.

[Tmcdllr]

They are all a gimmick of some sort that is why you ride them. I personally dont care as long as its fun.

[carolinacaniac]

The floorless aspect of Griffon helps make that ride. I can't tell you how cool it is to be hanging over the edge with only that shoulder harness holding you up at the top. It is something else. I also agree that the front row of a floorless coaster is fun because of that open feel, but other rows loose out on that feeling.

[FlyingScooter]

I like the open feeling you get from a floorless. Suspended's are nice, but i like floorless better.

(I'm gonna miss Dominator/BAtman KnightFlight.)

[sam06pr]

Here is my 2 cent

 

I think floorless coaster seem to enhance the ride more. let me compare:

Kumba is an amazing coaster but I feel compacted, whereas Kraken I feel free, the sensation seems better because the feet dangle over the tracks and you can just swing them around.lol. When Sheikra went floorless I felt it was enhanced a lot more. Especially on the first row. I felt vulnurable not having the bar in front of me...so yeah they might be gimmicks but to me they are fun gimmicks.

[christianscoasters]

If it has an OTSR, then it feels the same. So yes, in my mind, it is a gimmick.

[BeemerBoy]

If they're gimmicks, then why are they still in demand? Gimmicks die out. Floorless coasters haven't.

[kraxleRIDAH]

^ They're still in demand because the Floorless coaster has replaced the traditional sit-down coaster. Parks that purchase these are essentially installing a regular looping roller coaster, but just with minimalist coaches.

[lnkinpark2591]

no gimmicks

[BeemerBoy]

^^ Um, yeah. That was the point. They are not gimmicks. They have become extremely popular, whereas "gimmicks" such as X, Hypersonic, etc, etc, fizzled and died (the exception being the crazy Japanese who don't seem to care about shortlived American gimmicks).

[coastrfreak2000]

gim·mick –noun

 

1. an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, esp. one designed to attract attention or increase appeal.

 

Well, by this definition it is a gimmick. It's taking the sitdown trains and making them more appealing to people and the parks buying them, when the ride experience isn't exactly being enhanced all that much (IMO).

[edboxer]

IMHO, floorless are great. Stand-up are terrible. Both are gimmicks.

 

I love floorless coasters, you feel less confined even in the non-front row seats. In fact there are a few coasters I would love to see converted to floorless: MF would be incredible. So would TTD or Kingda Ka. I like the feel of my legs being able to dangle freely and not be jambed against the seat back in front of me.

 

Stand-ups on the other hand are pure torture devices for me. The problem: I have short legs and a long torso. I have yet to ride a floorless that had a crotch strap long enough that my privates were not squished. Makes for a very uncomfortable ride. In fact, I can't ride them unless I want to speak soprano for the rest of the day.

 

Both are gimmicks, but I love floorless! CP should convert Mantis into a floorless, that would make that ride so much better.

[FeelTheFORCE]

CP should convert Mantis into a floorless, that would make that ride so much better.

 

I completely agree. Too bad it will never happen, though. They would probably have to completely rebuild the station, making the process a LOT more expensive that it's worth.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Slightly to the side of this topic, somebody mentioned they like stand-ups. I do too, particularly some of the older variety (King Cobra, Extremeroller, Rail Blazer, Shockwave). The newer Intamins and B&Ms are ok, I just tend toward more what I grew up with as a kid.

 

Back on topic, floorless is cool, but it's a gimmick to me in that BGA ran the whole "Sheikra Goes Floorless" deal to keep from getting upstaged by Griffon which also had a major selling point of being floorless. Now, gimmick or not, after seeing Griffon and what it could do, I was impressed and didn't really think that much about it being sands floor. Guess you could say I was floored...(2 snares and a cymbol fall off a cliff)

 

I think somebody else said something like "if it's a good ride, who cares?". Agree with that the most.

[jten11]

I think somebody else said something like "if it's a good ride, who cares?". Agree with that the most.

 

Basically...and yes its a gimmick

[bgwfreak]

I also think so. I found the ride on Dominator pretty much the same as riding Hulk or Kumba (experience-wise). Not talking about the quality of ride.

[BeemerBoy]

Okay, after reading through this again, here's more food for thought. To those who believe it's a gimmick, does that mean inverts are still gimmicks? Rockets? Technically, anything beyond a traditional woodie could be considered a gimmick when you think about it.

 

In my opinion, once something graduates to a position of being considered somewhat of an industry standard, or a staple for a certain company, then it ceases to be a "gimmick."

 

Examples: When we start to see more Intamin "wingwalkers" or dare I say "Aquatraxes," then those too, will cease to be "gimmicks." I understand what you're all saying about anything but the front seat being no different from traditional B&M sitdowns, but with so many installations out there, I just don't consider it gimmicky anymore. Hope that makes sense.

[resonancej]

I don't know, now that I've ridden both floorless divers (sheikra and griffon) I can honestly say the only difference it makes is you have nothing under you on the first drop in the front row. That being said, it does seem to make a difference on Kraken, and I'm not sure why. It just seems to give the ride a different feel than, say, kumba or hulk.

[BeemerBoy]

^ Yeah, see I look at them the same way I look at inverts....they're designed to be a front row experience. That's what makes them unique from sitdown beemers such as Hulk or Kumba. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, they were once a gimmick, but no longer in my mind.

[bgwfreak]

But in my mind they don't make the ride any better or worse.

 

Your vision is just not impared so to speak on a floorless compared to a sit-down.

 

You don't have the lead car, which is cool and all, but it really doesnt' make that much of a difference.

 

Now Griffon is different since you are sitting off the track (if your seat is one of outside seats).

 

Then the exprience is totally different and it does add a lot to the ride experience.

[ginzo]

I think that floorless is more about marketing than anything else; a way to breathe some new life into the old sit down loopers.

 

Is it a radical departure from previous technology? Nope. But at least it doesn't suck like stand ups do.

[PURE]

I will say one thing...

 

I'd much rather have floorless seats than sitdown seats on almost any coaster, mainly because they give you more of a feeling of freedom.

 

Scream has numerous pops of air (first drop, zero-g, after brake run, after helix) that I really don't think would be there unless it was a floorless train.

 

So label it a "gimmick" or whatever you want to, but who cares if it improves the overall rider experience?

[elw81]

The great thing about floorless is kicking your legs. Like sitting in a high chair. Plus your legs can fly around with the turns. I think the only thing negative about them is that they are all close to the same. They haven't done too much with the actual design of the rides. But I'm a fan.

[jten11]

Okay, after reading through this again, here's more food for thought. To those who believe it's a gimmick, does that mean inverts are still gimmicks? Rockets? Technically, anything beyond a traditional woodie could be considered a gimmick when you think about it.

 

In my opinion, once something graduates to a position of being considered somewhat of an industry standard, or a staple for a certain company, then it ceases to be a "gimmick."

 

 

Being that a floorless is nothing but a variation of the tradition sit-down, that would constitute it as being a gimmick...I guess its more of a subjective matter if anything...depends on your perception.

 

As far as the invert, I would say at first it seemed pretty gimmicky, but later turned out to be a standard. (There are more inverts in the world than any other coaster B&M made)