A.J. Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Typically, when parks release full animations of an attraction, you can usually safely assume that the finished product will look at least 80 to 90 percent like the animation unless something weird happens - such as California's Great America's neighbors forcing them to put tunnels over Gold Striker's hills. I would say that if a park produces high-quality stills (3D renderings) of an attraction it's also 80 to 90 percent there. High-quality stills and animations both take a whole lot of time and effort to produce (I know this from a lot of personal experience). Concept art, on the other hand, is a complete mixed bag. It really all depends on the design firm doing the artwork, and how far the attraction is in development. I would seriously only consider concept art to give viewers a general idea of what an attraction will look like, and not the entire picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Angkor is now open!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I can't wait till next season when the plants and trees have grown a bit more and actually make it look more jungly. Couple of things I've found out from reading about the opening day: - The effects of Tutuki Splash are back working again (the volcano actually has smoke coming out of it now) - Dragon Khan's MCBR slows down the train a lot more than it used to (the train used to pass straight through the MCBR with practically 0 brakes), meaning the second half of the rides is taken at a slower speed and is less intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I'm just a big fan of the new views of Shambhala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 - Dragon Khan's MCBR slows down the train a lot more than it used to (the train used to pass straight through the MCBR with practically 0 brakes), meaning the second half of the rides is taken at a slower speed and is less intense. That's a shame! Dragon Khan's second half especially the Corkscrews looks insane. Finger crossed this would only be a temporary thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I like splash battles in general, and I really love the look of this one! The only thing that I don't understand is why they went with sand color on the theming, the temples of Angkor clearly is not sand colored. Photo from Wikipedia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj-Javixxxxx Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 A few pics of Angkor opening event! Most evil element in a splash battle! Surprise! ... and the evil element in action Definitely is one of the best splash battle rides! Ride time is about 7~8 min, theming is a great addition, there is a lot of fun fighting with other boats, and it's also a great way of cooling in the hot summer days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 - Dragon Khan's MCBR slows down the train a lot more than it used to (the train used to pass straight through the MCBR with practically 0 brakes), meaning the second half of the rides is taken at a slower speed and is less intense. That's a shame! Dragon Khan's second half especially the Corkscrews looks insane. Finger crossed this would only be a temporary thing. I also noticed this but I will mention it in a moment. Just a few key points for the opening day: I went there with some of my schoolmates (who are not all exactly coaster enthusiasts) so I didn't do what I would have done if I was alone. We tried to hit all the main rides but had to leave at 5 p.m so all I got was one ride on each of the three big coasters, one ride on stampida (first time), one on tutuki splash and on sea odyssey (the simulator). So I didn't even try Angkor Our first ride was Furius Baco right at 10 a.m so there was virtually no line. When I realised I was going to have to sit in the back winged seat (as I always take those over the middle ones) I thought I was going to be shaken to death (especially after they added those weird pads to the restraints) but I was actually okay. In fact, more than okay as my head didn't really seem to hit the restraints (at least badly) at all but then I also felt that it wasn't quite running at full speed (probably because it was early). We then hit dragon khan, also with a small line. And now I can confirm that the MCBR was in fact braking the trains a lot more than when I first rode it in 2012. In that day (and, based on what people say, until now) you had to sit close to the back to actually hear the brakes although I couldn't really feel them. Yesterday there was significant trimming even though it still left the platform with some speed. I also noticed more weightlessness in the loops than had the other time, but then, once more, it was still early and maybe it wasn't running at full speed as I clearly remember, later in the day, noticing it went faster through the cobra roll. Still an awesome ride and still my favourite. After queueing for 1h30 min we got to ride shambhala and I have to say it felt quite a bit better than when it was two months old, with more sustained airtime and a slightly better pacing. I felt that the MCBR was also braking the trains more than last time as I remember feeling close to nothing back then. But this might have all been because while I managed to ride DK and shambhala 8 times on my first visit to the park in 2012 I only got 1 this time, and so I might have enjoyed the ride more because of that. Last ride of the day was stampida (blue side) and we lost No, seriously, I was expecting this ride to be awful and super rough but I actually got a great and really really fun ride in it. Okay, I know sat in the front and that might have influenced smoothness but there were still some nice pops of air and some serious laterals. A really pleasant surprise for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 My god, did they seriously neuter one of the best B&Ms out there? Hopefully this is just a temporary thing and they stop using the brakes again after a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 ^I didn't realise it was that bad when I rode it. But I did notice a moment of zero g at the top of that loop (which I had never felt). I too hope this is temporary. I thought a coaster like this that had been running for 18 years with the MCBR doing almost nothing every time would stay the same forever, but I guess I wasn't right . By the way, I did notice that the operations were rather crappy yesterday. Two trains running on shambhala and DK with over 1 hour long lines!? Come on! You could tell they were slow because with shambhala pretty much as soon as one left the station the other would arrive and with DK we had to sit on the brake run for quite a while before the other one was dispatched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 That definitely looks like more than a "little trim". Hopefully it's not permanent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'm just amazed because I never noticed how quick Khan flies in to its MCBR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I'm at PA now, just finished my first day. I'm not sure why, by they seem to be using all the brakes (whether its a trim or a block brake) on every ride, like the mcbr on Shambhala and DK, the trims on el diablo and Stampida, that pretty much never/barely used before. The neuter on DK is extremely noticeable. You get about half way through the mcbr then slam into the restraints as the brakes kick in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ^I had never ridden Stampida but, as I had already said, I also noticed heavier braking on shambhala's MCBR. Now I wonder how this is controlled: do they change the "settings" of the ride? Is it something that could happen without anyone doing it? BTW, on Friday there were quite a few closed restaurants. Is this normal for portaventura? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 The thing that made notice all the brakes was that they were using tbe trims on el diablo that practically never get used. I remember thinking "something isn't quite right" and began to notice the brakes on all the rides were getting used. As for the restaurants, they are only open between 2 and 5 -ish. Although it might just be too early in the season for them to open most of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Well let's really hope this is temporary, otherwise Dragon Khan may end up in the Worst ride "neuters" thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oriolat Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Well let's really hope this is temporary, otherwise Dragon Khan may end up in the Worst ride "neuters" thread. According to a very reliable park employee, Dragon Khan got an update on its sensors, control panel from B&M. So, unfortunately, I think that this neuter is for good. I am actually sad to see this, since I loved the second half of Dragon Khan with its snappy corkscrews and the insane curved drop after the MCBR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julioot Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Suprised this has not showed up here.. https://www.facebook.com/PortAventuraNoticias?fref=ts This FB page is talking about +100 meter and 0-200 km/h in 3 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 ^They say nearly 200 (which is still awesome) in 3 seconds. If this is accurate, the launch should be very forceful (more than kk and TTD). Also, given that speed, I think it is relatively safe to say it will reach the 400 feet mark Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 124 miles per hour...seems like you'd push it a little faster and break the height record while you're at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 ^What I find a bit strange is that although, for you, 123 or 124 mph is almost the same, for us in Europe going from 199 to 200 km/h is kind of breaking a barrier so I'm surprised that it'll be "only" close to 200 and not 200 or slightly more. Also I don't know how "close" they mean so breaking the height record could be not so easy because even though the difference in speed is not much, the height of the structure would be so that would mean more money. Of course I would love to see that, but, from what they're saying, don't think so (unless they're saving it for a surprise ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 The difference between 123 and 124 mph is actually bigger than the difference between 199 and 200 kmh . I do understand what you are saying, it just stuck me as funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 ^Yeah, I know. 1 mph is 1,6 km/h. Nice catch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Somebody please sneak into PA and uninstall the trims! You'll be admired by everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 ^I think I would just disable the MCBR altogether. Then it would be even better than before They were only running two trains anyway, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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