Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[eddie200330]

That hidden code under the logo isn't some sort of longitude/latitude code is it?? I really think imo that B&M is too bulky for that area of HP. It would just stick out like a sore thumb. I know GB is there, but to go @ sdL and Comet it would just be so out of place. Something sleek and thin needs to wind back through that space.

[QueerRudie]

Isn't the griffon the symbol in Tudor Square of something?

 

Besides, I'm thinking that there's something else to be found there- as in: Move along please, nothing to see on the Griffon...

[coasterfreak101]

The site says on 8/3/10 RIT wins new contract for construction in Colorado. According to RCDB the last coaster to open in Colorado was in 2007. If that has any significance.

 

8+3+1 = 12! I swear, this is like The Number 23 all over again.

[gci2011]

If the Colorado date is important, could it be:

 

8310 3162 2037

[Ccron10]

Reading through the Research section, I'm seeing mentions of topics that make a multi-dimension coaster come to mind:

GRAVITY MANIPULATION

Discrepancies in Newton's original theory of gravitation are currently being exploited by the researchers and scientists at RIT. Our advanced four dimensional analysis reveals numerous irregularities in the relationship between weight and mass, therefore offering avenues of opportunity through which increased human excitement can be generated.

Thinking back to my high school physics days, Newton's Theory of Gravitation deals with Earth's gravitation and it's magnetic field as well as vectors. On a coaster such as X and Eejanika, the way the seats spin is controlled by track and not gravity, weight, or mass.

 

Another interesting topic is mentioned in the Interdisciplinary Studies section. Gravity Manipulation, which I'm guessing is to defy gravity, is almost impossible to do. Thinking back to the preview site, Project Alpha dealed with this kind of thing (after searching on wikipedia for it).

 

As for Colorado, Wisdom Rides is located in that state, but i doubt that Hershey will be getting a 200ft Miner Mike. As for parks, Lakeside and Elitch and two or three other small parks are the only ones that exist there. I'd like to think S&S Arrow, and Rocky Mtn. Coasters but they're in Utah.

 

Just some thoughts.

[beatle11]

If the Colorado date is important, could it be:

 

8310 3162 2037

 

You may be on to something. Send them an email and mention that encryption key.

[Skycoastin Steve]

I got it. A 4th dimension coaster with 12 inversions that shares the track with Comet for a brief period before going under the 18th green and lighting the creek on fire.

[megalyte]

If the Colorado date is important, could it be:

 

8310 3162 2037

 

You may be on to something. Send them an email and mention that encryption key.

 

Already tried it, got the same response that was mentioned a few pages ago.

[PennStater]

Maybe the email itself actually needs encrypted with that 12-digit key. I think there's a way to do it with Thunderbird... I may mess with it if I have some time tomorrow.

[BRTeller]

What do you mean encrypted with the 12 digit key? I've sent it with the key, but haven't encrypted anything yet.

 

I noticed the date last night also, and that it equaled 12. Didn't send any email, actually didn't realize it was meant to be sent in email form till ten minutes ago. But I have been trying search entries, and rideinstitute.com/code seeing if that gets me anywhere.

[QueerRudie]

Encryption worked the last time around... but I think just to mess with all of us they're going to layer it a bit first- it's not going to be a 'poof' it's there sort of thing...

 

BUT...

 

I did try to send to the e-mail the coded number- and it responded back with the same number.

 

My gut is still telling me there's another code out there that we need to find/break first.

[BRTeller]

^What do you mean it sent back the same number? I sent it with the number, and just got the auto-reply.

[CoasterLine]

Well, I created a PHP script that will automatically generate every number 0000 to 9999, sum the digits individually, and if they add up to 12, then e-mail that number, concatenated with " 3162 2037" with a test e-mail account receiving replies...

 

After 415 e-mails, every single one that came in response was the same Auto-Reply... so I am guessing it isn't digits that add to twelve, unless it doesn't involve just "#### 3162 2037"

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Ummmm.....I hate to be the Debbie Downer in this situation and ruin all this auto number generating fun that's going on, but if the e-mail has an auto-reply set up, then that's all you're ever going to get when you e-mail it. But if it makes you happy, keep trying.

[CoasterLine]

Not really... You can set up various ways for e-mails to only get through, passed to another account, send a different message, etc depending on the contents of the mail sent, whether handled by a server or a 3rd party application or program. I've had to set up ones numerous times for clients or individuals looking to use them for contests.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Well then knock yourself out. That sound you hear will be me laughing when the 100,000th identical auto reply has been sent out.

[CoasterLine]

There are only 415 numbers between 0000-9999 that add up to 12, but regardless, it took me 5 minutes to set up the script, 2 to run, and 10 seconds for me to hit "sort by size" to see if there were any different emails other than the auto reply... I guess it wasn't that bad wasting 7 minutes.

[televisedconfession]

I think everyone is getting off track here......

[robbalvey]

^ Is that a clue?

[BRTeller]

The comet's track length is 3360', I'm sure everyone else can do the math.

[Ccron10]

There was a new story in today's paper about the Ride Institute game:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/04/hersheypark_uses_website_to_re.html

Hersheypark uses website to release clues about next mystery project, code named "Attraction 2012"

Published: Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 8:00 AM Updated: Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 10:03 AM

By NICK MALAWSKEY, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News

After months of silence, Hersheypark is starting to ratchet up the hype around its new project — code name “Attraction 2012.” Like a game of “Clue” for roller coaster fans, the park has once again started dropping hints around the Internet. Follow the clues, and they could unlock the mystery of the new ride.

 

It’s all part of an elaborate marketing strategy designed to generate buzz.

 

 

 

 

Hersheypark has been down this road before. When it announced Fahrenheit in 2007, it conducted a viral marketing campaign filled with twists and turns.

 

But what fans say is different this time around is the depth and detail involved — fake Web pages, hidden messages, foreign languages and symbolism abound.

 

The clues will also be coming more frequently. A website dedicated to the attraction promises to release four new “studies” every Monday over the next four weeks.

 

“Honestly, the idea of a viral ad campaign like this for a theme park ride is quite unique,” said Lance Hart, creator and operator of screamscape.com, one of the leading amusement park news websites. He’s been following the campaign since it started in the fall.

 

“The only other time I had ever seen one was as a lead-in to Hersheypark’s last big coaster, Fahrenheit, and that one was ... very mild by comparison to where I think this one is heading,” Hart said in an email.

 

Officially, the park has released few details about the ride since its initial discussions with Derry Township last fall.

 

However, earlier this month Hershey Entertainment & Resorts was required to file a building permit with the township. There were few details included, except for a map that shows a possible serpentine layout of the new ride in the Comet Hollow section of the park.

 

Hersheypark officials are staying pretty mum about their plans. They did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.

 

However, in an interview earlier this month, park General Manager Frank O’Connell chuckled when asked about the construction under way in the park.

 

“We’re building a slushy stand,” was all he would say.

 

Hart said that in the past, viral campaigns in which organizations drop hints piecemeal have been used to tease movies and video games to much success.

 

“I think people in general enjoy a good mystery story,” he wrote. “And the chance to be the one to solve that mystery is just too tempting to ignore.”

 

At the center of the game is the Ride Institute of Technology, a fictitious roller coaster think-tank.

 

In October, the Ride Institute was introduced to a trio of local fans who were visiting the park. They were directed to a website for the institute, which they believe contained clues about the park’s new ride.

 

But for the last several months the park and the RIT website have been quiet.

 

Not any more.

 

Just days after Hersheypark opened for the spring season, the institute is back with a new website and promises of more clues over the next few months.

 

“I’m actually getting more interested in the site than what they’re building,” said Chris Cronrath, a co-founder of Keystonethrills.megabb.com, a website where people talk about amusement park news. “It’s a fun read ... and it kind of reminds me of the TV show ‘Lost.’”

 

Like “Lost,” there are puzzle pieces scattered around for people to find. One of the most recent — three logos for the Ride Technology Institute that have appeared on three industry Web pages.

 

Stare at the images long enough and they flash four numbers, part of what appears to be a 12-digit series.

 

Finding all 12 numbers could be the key to a code, or lead to yet another riddle. The updated website also promises it will release four “studies” over the next several weeks.

 

The studies, purported to be about propulsion, gravity, materials and interdisciplinary studies, are expected to contain more clues about the ride.

 

There are also more direct links with Hersheypark. One of the website’s pages features “distinguished alumni” — some of whom are park employees, Cronrath said.

 

Meanwhile, within the park itself, construction has started in the Comet Hollow area.

 

The building permit filed by the park didn’t provide many details, since amusement parks are exempted from providing land development plans to local municipalities if they’re adding features within their boundaries.

 

However, the permit did include plans showing the location of the ride’s support foundations — and what appears to be a possible track connecting the dots.

 

Eric Geiple is one of the people following the project’s progress with the KeystoneThrills group. As clues have leaked out, he’s been mapping what could be the ride’s course through the park.

 

He found the building permit’s plans fascinating.

 

“You can easily see where the creek runs and where it runs around the Comet,” he wrote in an email. “It also looks to have a lot of low turns with some high air-time hills in the middle.”

 

That has him leaning toward an Intamin-designed roller coaster, the Swiss firm that designed Fahrenheit, he said.

 

Other fans are leaning toward the design firm Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, the designers of the Great Bear.

 

 

 

While it wasn't posted on the online story, an image showing a layout was pictured:

The photo was taken at a township meeting a week or two ago by someone at our site.

 

This seems to be screaming Intamin all over given the lack of supports for where the lift hill may be.

[andyuk200523]

I agree, the lift looks like an undersupported track (so new style intamin cable lift would make sense)

 

Not a massive length of track, so would assume nothing above 200ft (in my opinion, although I don't claim to be an engineer or anything)

 

Could we be seeing the first Megalite in the US?

[BeemerBoy]

Why hasn't anyone figured out the obvious significance of Colorado?

Colorado River = Aquatrax.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Definitely Intamin based on that blueprint, 100% sure of it. You can also see where all the airtime hills are. This thing just might end up being pretty good.

 

 

Edit: And to add on, it seems to have a lot of similarities to GeForce's layout. I'm going to go ahead and guess 212 feet for the height.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Skycoastin Steve

[Gerstlauer1]

^^^

 

Mega lite is a good guess. but i'm not sure about the size of the station compared to the massive lifthill supports, i would say a mega or i even a giga coaster from intamin..