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California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread


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Personally, I've found certain seats (should i call them that as you're standing?) smoother than others on Vortex, but the ride was never my cup of tea. A ride should be smooth no matter what seat you choose. Also I just don't really enjoy standing on a roller coaster, the strain you feel in your knees is way too much for me.

 

I'm very appreciative of this upgrade!

Edited by Living_Dead
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^^You're definitely right that many people don't notice or care. But if I was in the park's position, I think that it would be risky to assume that NOBODY knows better. I would hope that the park is considering all their angles.

 

How do we KNOW that the decision to install the BTR clone at SFFT was a good one? Every time I've been, it was a walkon when other rides had decent lines, but that's anecdotal. Are we 100% sure that SFFT got the same ROI on that as they would have for a totally new experience for the San Antonio market? It's actually a good comparison since that was a relocation, considerably cheaper than a new ride. The vortex conversion is obviously a lower cost move too, and I suspect it will work out fine for them, but the analyst in me is a little skeptical.

 

As for the quality of the ride, I'm still not convinced that the comparisons to Rougarou are going to hold up here. Mantis was a good ride layout that's visually enticing. Vortex is less than impressive, even in GP terms. I just hope this gives CGA the boost they're looking for. The park has a lot of potential that hasn't been realized in a long time.

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As you said, it's a much cheaper investment than a new ride so it seems like a pretty safe investment. If they didn't get the response they wanted from Rougarou I'm sure they wouldn't be doing this, and this is likely cheaper than Rougarou as they have 1 less train they need to buy.

 

I'm sure a new coaster would bring in more people, but it's also more expensive.

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Great improvement! As a few others have been saying, I think that Rougarou is a much better ride than Mantis. Whereas before my friends and I would always stay silent when walking by Mantis, now on our way to Millennium Force somebody always speaks up: "Rougarou?"

 

Something about this makes me feel wrong inside all of a sudden though. I really need to get this off my chest. I wish my parents didn't name me Will because it is already a commonly used helping verb and so many other people on this planet are named Will. It really affects me as a person and I just wanted to tell you all because you might be the only people who would show me some support.

 

Of course I'm kidding. And yeah, I think Patriot is a dope name for anything.

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I think this change is 100% for the best.

 

I know a lot of people are likening the transition to floorless to that done on Rogarou. Rogarou is better with floorless trains but it really wasn't that bad or rough with stand-up trains. Vortex, however, was as easy for me to name my most dreaded B&M as Kumba is to name as the most awesome B&M. Let's just hope the trains solve the problem, because the transitions on this ride were really terrible.

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I think Cedar Fair has done a good job naming their new rides the past several years. Gold Striker came when the 49ers moved across the street, Fury (with the hornet theme) came when the Hornets came back in Charlotte, and the new star flyer at Valleyfair is called North Star a nice tribute to the history of Minnesota. Patriot is a perfectly fitting name for a park called GREAT AMERICA.

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It's better to convert Vortex than remove it, IMO. Great America has seen too many coaster removals with too few additions. I'll probably still make fun of it but I'll maybe make fun of it a little less after this conversion.

 

Also, NorCal GP are probably the stupidest I've ever seen. They're really not going to make the connection between Medusa and Patriot, if they even realize that SFDK is a thing. A ton of people are gonna think it's a brand new ride and be like, "Why did they remove Vortex? I liked that ride." People thought Roar was torn completely down for Joker, I hear people compare rides that aren't similar in the least, and they have no awareness of any coasters outside of NorCal (except those who have been to Magic Mountain and are like, "Whoa, there's more than one Six Flags park?!?") Compare that to the east coast where people seem to have a much better understanding of coasters.

 

Seriously, this will make people notice Vortex again no matter what marketing they choose. CGA could be like, "LOL BLUE!" and the GP will be excited.

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Is Carowinds the only other park in the CF chain that still has a stand up coaster?

I think so. Hopefully that'll be converted next year.

Also, I wonder if this trend will start in the SF chain eventually?

That would be great. Green Lantern's layout at Great Adventure has potential to be an incredible coaster.

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