How much Faster/Taller can we get?

[bill_s]

Just to throw out some ideas I've had: a slow-motion "floatline" corkscrew, think a big floaty hill except twisted. Emulation of suspended coaster movements with a conventional track, including exaggerated ones a real suspended couldn't recover from. So much is possible through simulation that would be impossible otherwise, imagine complete freedom of creation of movements.... Increased TOTAL heights, for example a 150' hill on a hill (ground), later going a valley, total 300'.

 

Like a zero-G roll and a bigger Phantom's Revenge?

 

The point I wanted to make is there's so many ways to mix it up, we're seeing more examples, maybe it will run out but there's lots more. As each limit is reached -- #inversions was one of the first -- a sort of liberation to go into diversification takes place.

 

The zero-G rolls seem only zero-G for an instant to me, there's still a centrifugal force or something usually too quick to even fully take in. I'm talking about something that would feel a lot different.... Phantom yes, but I'm thinking of different pacings, 2 climaxes to the ride or a way to build up the thrills.

 

I see the intertwined 2 contrasting coasters idea is done with Battlestar Galactica, except I invisioned an even greater contrast. But that too. Many parks rely on their older coasters for "intermediate" rides, in the future we will see more new rides in that category which will further diverge.

[alilstronger]

I do not think we need to go faster or taller. I think we need to think of more ideas for different kinds of coasters or variations of what we currently have on the market now. I would rather see a lot more smaller longer coasters then these huge coasters that go hundreds of feet in the air and then come back down and that is it. Kingda Ka could have been a lot longer of a ride. After that initial drop they could have made that thing have lots of hills and inversions due to all of the speed it gets going down. I say the same thing with Top Thrill Dragster and Storm Runner. They both could have been way better if they would have made them longer. Height and speed do not always make me want to ride a ride. I prefer rides with more inversions then speed/height combined.

[coastermaniac]

I think we are able to go taller and faster but I think, as many have already said, it's more or less just about cost. Sure we could build coasters taller and faster than TTD and KK but honestly what park has the money to spend for something like that. A chain lift hill might be cheaper to build than a launch but still, it'd probably get expensive quick. Also if it were a launch the amount of G's would be a lot, maybe too many for a person to physically handle.

[osm]

How about a 500-foot Intamin dive machine type coaster that drops, then immediately hits the breaks? Due to the short track length, it wouldn't take up too much space, the cost would be at least somewhat reasonable, and the forces wouldn't be too intense. It would be very gimmicky, but the GP wouldn't care, and if a park wanted to break the height record it would probably be the easiest way to do it. Like everyone else here, I definitely prefer smaller rides that pack more of a punch. Kingda Ka is only my fourth favorite ride at Great Adventure.

[PhantomNick]

^^^ Exactly. Shoot, I'll be the first to admit I'm a sucker for those insane height/high speed rocket coasters like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka (in fact, Dragster still sits in my Top 10 at #9), but there's no denying they're a "gimmicky" or "one trick pony" type of ride. I realize cost may prevent this from ever happening, but I'd love to see a ride that launches, goes up a huge tower, and then has a layout afterwards to bleed off all the massive speed. Kind of like how iSpeed looks, only making the elements/hills bigger. I'd be all over that!

[texcoaster]

Cost is the main factor in this, and it's why the big coasters like TTD and KK go up, down, brake.

 

I wonder if either of those parks has considered using one year that they planned on getting a new coaster and instead adding a full layout to the Intamin monster they already have?

 

Phantom's Revenge shows that it can be done...

[coastermaniac]

^^ I agree. Building a ride taller and faster than Top Thrill Dragster or Kingda Ka AND having a layout...would just get way to expensive. Also, with Cedar Point being as land-locked as it is I doubt they'd be able to add on a layout to TTD.

[alilstronger]

Cost is the main factor in this, and it's why the big coasters like TTD and KK go up, down, brake.

 

I wonder if either of those parks has considered using one year that they planned on getting a new coaster and instead adding a full layout to the Intamin monster they already have?

 

Phantom's Revenge shows that it can be done...

 

I totally agree with you here. Instead of spending millions on a brand new coaster why not re-invent/restyle Kinga Ka or Dragster?

[ectangelo]

I think that we can go pretty much as high as the body's limitations will let us. Though there are the wheels and the terminal velocity (already mentioned) to take into consideration. And 'tis true, if it were to be built, it shall be in the UAE (that rhymed)!