"Intense" vs "Aggressive" Rides

[A.J.]

Hey everyone!

 

So, I was thinking recently about Intamin coasters and B&M coasters. It eventually led to me comparing one coaster that I've ridden from each manufacturer, Skyrush and Nitro respectively.

 

Skyrush seems like a very aggressive ride. The airtime going over the hills is like being shot out of a cannon, and from the Stengel-divey-thingie onward riders are thrown around in the seats a lot. It's not very controlled, but I wouldn't call it super-intense.

 

On the flip side, Nitro seems like a very intense ride because it has lots of strong positive G forces, especially going around the spiral into the mid-course brake (I actually passed out there once). But, the transitions are very smooth and graceful so your body pretty much stays in the same spot for most of the ride. So, as intense as it is, it's not very aggressive.

 

Am I right here in saying that there's a difference between an "intense" ride and an "aggressive" one? I understand that a coaster can be both intense and aggressive at the same time as well.

 

If I'm right and there is a difference, which kind of ride do you like better?

[Angry_Gumball]

Trying to see how I'd differentiate "Intense" vs "Agressive." I see "Agressive" as a ride that flat out does not let up whether if it's that out of control feeling, or 1 forceful element after another. I see "Intense" as a ride that has its hot spots...with this said, I would say that you can have an intense ride that isn't too aggressive, or you can have both.

 

CGA's Flight Deck is one I'd consider an aggressive ride as each element delivers a good amount of force, one after another. The only 'breather' moment you have is the station flyby before whipping through the corkscrew and the lake helix finale. When we had Invertigo at CGA, I considered it to be intense but not really aggressive...I often greyed out in the loop and after 3 back-to-back rides I felt queasy.

[australianalex]

I definitely agree that there is a difference. I also think there can be coasters that are aggressive, but not intense - such as many wooden coasters.

[nannerdw]

From my home park:

Intense- Batman: The Ride

Aggressive- Georgia Cyclone

Just right- Mindbender

[Midgetman82]

I prefer aggressive over intense, mainly because I get a good laugh out of a coaster that has a great out of control feeling. My most recent example would be Rock Bottom Plunge. Super compact but throws you around so much! I find most coasters that are in a limited area tend to have more aggressive layouts, like spaghetti bowl launch coasters (Preferably Premier Rides lim launchers like FoF) or smaller Gerslauer Eurofighters.

 

Let's also not forget rough-aggressive, like a good ol' Vekoma coaster.

[robbalvey]

For the most part, when I hear someone call a ride "aggressive" my immediate response is "Oh, you mean it beats the crap out of you and pretty much sucks?"

 

Or in other words...

 

"Aggressive" is a ride that used to be "intense" but is now just rough as hell.

 

Websters tells me that "Aggression" means:

1 - a forceful action or procedure (as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master

2 - the practice of making attacks or encroachments; especially : unprovoked violation by one country of the territorial integrity of another

3 - hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior or outlook especially when caused by frustration

 

While "Intense" means:

1 - existing in an extreme degree

2 - marked by or expressive of great zeal, energy, determination, or concentration

3 - exhibiting strong feeling or earnestness of purpose

 

When talking about people, normally someone who is aggressive is not a pleasant person and you really don't want to be around them. An intense person can also be annoying, but intense doesn't always mean something negative. Think about it, usually when you hear "Wow, that guy was really aggressive" that usually isn't said referring to something "good", whereas if you hear "Wow, that guy is really intense" that could mean a lot of different things, and isn't always negative. An aggressive person is usually someone pushy, obnoxious and rude. And intense person could just be someone who is REALLY into something. "Wow, that guy is really intense about roller coasters!"

 

I would say the Voyage is "Aggressive", but El Toro is "Intense." I feel like I'm getting attacked on the Voyage, versus El Toro absolutely exists in an extreme degree! lol

 

That is my breakdown of the entire matter!

 

--Robb

Edited December 5, 2012 by robbalvey

[Angry_Gumball]

^That actually probably has a better fit for the whole 'aggressive' thing...one thing I'd consider aggressive as much as many see it as a kid's attraction are those wavy slides of death you find at the fair...About 1.5 weeks later, my butt is still hurting from the final thump from catching air...and that night when we rode it (like 10 times, lol) it beat the stuffing out of us until the cool night air produced moisture on the slide thus making it less slick (which my butt/tailbone was glad for).

 

With Robb's classification, I'd probably fit Hurricane at SCBB (or now NM) as an aggressive and intense ride. It was quite forceful, and had potential to beat you up pretty good...in fact my final farewell ride on Hurricane consisted of just 1 ride...which was enough for me.

[australianalex]

^^ I think that aggressive rides often are rough as you said, they throw you all over the place like they're trying to kill you. However, sometimes a non-painful ride with a ton of laterals and airtime can be called aggressive, such as Skyrush or Maverick, as they feel like they're trying to throw you out, without actually hurting you (not counting the random reports of thigh pain on Skyrush and head banging on Maverick).

[simon8899]

For me the difference is in parts not as put in the dictionaries. I put the Schwarzkopf coasters into the "intense" group due to the high positive Gs while I put the Intamin Megas into the "aggressive" rides as they pull high negative Gs. By the book both variants of Gs can be measured by intensity but the feeling of the ride is different making the grouping a more emotional thing.

[Ed Farmer]

I don't know that I'd say aggressive rides are strictly those rides that beat the hell out of you. They can be- an example being the twin Arrow megaloopers that used to operate at SFGAm and SFGAdv (most specifically the curved ascent into the MCBR taken at a high speed), but it's certainly not a requirement. The best example I can think of is Batman: The Ride. You're already halfway through the next element by the time you can comprehend the one that came before it. The earliest B&M coasters all have this quality.

 

On the other hand, I think of Montu as intense, but not necessarily aggressive. Kumba on the other side of the park is intense and aggressive. I prefer rides that have both, such as the afore-mentioned Batman and Kumba.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I think a better comparison for the original post, if we are classifying SkyRush as Agressive would be SkyRush vs. I305.

 

I305 is certainly intense but I find SkyRush to be much more "Agressive". Both are great though.

[thepoint4life23]

Im Kinda with Robb on this.

Aggressive to me would be something like Mean Streak That Kicks the Crap out of you the whole Ride,

Intense is a ride that you get off and just say wow, Like Sky rush or TTD

[Whodey]

I am thinking that intense and aggressive can be positive things. I hate to disagree with Robb since I am a rookie around here but I take them both as positive. I think it is similar to Sir Clinksalot. Millennium Force is very intense but not aggressive. Maverick is aggressive and if it had better restraints would be my #1 coaster ahead of MF. It seem to me with my limited experience that most of the giga or even hyper are more intense and less aggressive. While launch coasters are more aggressive.(at least Maverick and Flight of Fear)

[vacoaster09]

Aggressive would be Hades at Mt. Olympus (it even has a sign that says its aggressive)

 

Intense would be I305, Skyrush, El Toro, Hypersonic XLC, Dodonpa because of their intense forces. I prefer Intense!

Edited December 5, 2012 by vacoaster09

[LoneRider92]

'Aggressive' usually makes me think of a ride that takes a bit of a toll on your body (Hades in an excellent example, but we'll see if that changes after the modifications...). They might not even have the strongest forces; they are just the kind of rides that are almost more of a challenge to ride. 'Intense' brings to mind rides like I305 and the Edmonton Mindbender, rides that have a strong mix of speed and forces and have very few (or no) breaks in pacing.

 

I'd probably prefer 'intense' rides over 'aggressive' rides because (usually) there is a little less pain involved.

[caffeine_demon]

I wouldn't say that aggressive was always a bad quality to have in a ride - Skyrush, blackpools wild mouse, grand national are certainly aggressive, but still awesome!

 

but then we have rides like furius baco, mean streak, bandit (movie park), which are just awful!

 

I think a ride that's too aggressive would result in pain, and maybe bruising, but a ride that's too intense may result in BLEUGH!

[rollin_n_coastin]

Call me one who agrees with Mount Olympus and the Websters Dictionary. Hades seems to fit the definition of aggressive perfectly. It beats you intensely for no reason at all. You walk away feeling like you lost an unprovoked bar fight. If you won the fight as it was aggressive to a lesser degree, it would be rough.

 

I think of Hades, Voyage, Hurlers, Vortex at KI, Baco, Stampida and even Kingda Ka as aggressive.

Boulder Dash, Phoenix, El Toro, Millennium Force, Maverick, TTD, Balder, i305, Laser, Ride of Steel, Mind Bender, Titan, NTG, Kumba, Khan and Shock Wave are to me some examples of intense/ very intense coasters.

Wild Beast at CW, Mean Streak and The Boss I'd consider examples of rough coasters.

Behemoth, Nitro, Leviathan, Shambhala -- fun? Well-rounded? Mildly intense? Nothing wrong with that depending on what you prefer. I can ride them over and over without needing a break. On a truly intense coaster, I need to take a break after two or three rides.

 

I think what you're doing is maybe comparing levels of intensity when comparing a Nitro to Skyrush rather than intense vs. aggressive?

 

Great discussion!

[vacoaster09]

I just wish someone told me to avoid all rows except for the front this summer when I took my first trip on Hades. Assuming the ride was going to be like it looked in the initial TPR videos i rode the back seat. I got off the ride and cowered in a corner like a boy who had just been dragged to hell and molested in the darkness... wait!!!...... Hades did all of the above, Hades = Pedofile, an AGGRESSIVE Pedofile.

[no_brain_er]

From my home park:

Intense- Batman: The Ride

Aggressive- Georgia Cyclone

Just right- Mindbender

 

This guy has it figured out. Though the retracking they did on the first bit of GA Cyclone helped a lot.

(Also, we're home park bros.)

[Angle O. Descent]

In my opinion, when it comes to 'intense' vs. 'aggressive':

Intense = enjoyable

Aggressive = intense plus pain or blacking out

 

I think I305 and Millenium Force are aggressive because they are the only two rides that have ever made me black out, and any old Vekoma inverteds are aggressive because they are the only coasters that actually hurt me.

[ArizonaGuy]

So hmmmm

Original Texas Giant=Aggressive and New Texas Giant=Intense????

[A.J.]

Thanks for the opinions, everyone! Did I actually create meaningful discussion on the board?

 

I guess that it's one of those "subjective" things. I think that a ride being "aggressive" has to do with how fast a train goes through maneuvers and how quickly the transitions are between a ride's various forces.

 

Maverick and Intimidator 305 have those really quick directional changes that I would consider "aggressive". I would also consider corkscrews that are traveled through at high speeds "aggressive", like the ones on Fahrenheit.

 

Maybe Outlaw Run will be an "aggressive" ride because of its acrobatics and transitions.

 

I think that a ride can be aggressive and still have smooth track.

[dylanreich]

For the most part, when I hear someone call a ride "aggressive" my immediate response is "Oh, you mean it beats the crap out of you and pretty much sucks?"

 

Or in other words...

 

"Aggressive" is a ride that used to be "intense" but is now just rough as hell.

--Robb

Looks like Magic Mountain can claim another record: Most aggressive coasters in one park!

[larrygator]

IMHO, here are my PG reactions after rides in each of these categories

 

Intense - that was fun, let's do it again right now. No bruising after the ride.

Aggressive - that was fun, I'll ride it again later. I got tossed around, but I'm not in too much pain.

Rough - ouch, never again. There was too much pain or defensive riding necessary.

[cfc]

Rough - ouch, never again. There was too much pain or defensive riding necessary.

 

This brings up one of my pet peeves with some coaster enthusiasts: "So-and-so is OK if you KNOW HOW to ride it." Show we a ride where specialized knowledge or techniques are required for survival, and I'll show you one lousy, wretched ride.

 

Larry speaks the truth.