Your coaster ranking Hot Buttons?

[ejot]

My rankings basically reflect how badly, and for how many times, I want to re-ride. It really helps to have the opportunity to marathon with minimal crowds. There are coasters that are fun for 0, for 1, for 3, for 8 consecutive rides. They mostly all have a pretty specific point at which it's, "OK, next!" The ones that just keep getting better each ride, that I would want to ride for 10, 100, 1000 rides in a row .... those are the few at the very top.

 

Eventually, I hope to have ridden enough coasters like that, that deciding between the top contenders is essentially meaningless. For now ranking is still fun.

 

So I guess you could say I don't really have "Hot Buttons" for coasters with some particular trait to rank well. Who knows what really makes me want to keep re-riding one coaster over another? Probably some combination of just about everything mentioned in this thread.

 

I will say ... an unusually good, single ride will also move a ride up in rankings.

 

And ... yes, you read that right. 1000 consecutive laps on Skyrush, please.

[Password121]

How much I'm smiling when I hit the brake run. And that's what makes this hobby amazing.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

Here are the main ways I rank coasters:

 

-Elements. I usually obviously enjoy a ride that has elements I like the most. My favorite element is the classic airtime hill. I also really enjoy good, fast turns and forceful helices. I'm also a fan of inversions, and I really like it when coasters do a strange or unique inverting element. Such as Storm Runner with its weird zero-g-roll-into-a-weird-dive-loop-flying-snake-dive-thing, or Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop. And this is why I would love to get a chance to ride Cannibal because of its Lagoon Roll. But literally any element can be amazing if it's done right, which brings me to the next category.

 

-Intensity. Basically, I like it when coasters pull a log of g-forces, airtime, and/or laterals, and when they go through their elements quickly and forcefully.

 

-Originality. I usually rank commonly-cloned coasters a little lower. For example, Batman: The Ride clones are awesome, but it just doesn't feel right to me to rank them along with the other inverts I've been on like Raptor and Alpengeist. Speaking of inverts, Great Bear is a perfect example of a super-creative coaster. It starts off with a helix, focuses on blending both calm and intense elements, and it interacts with the terrain, water, and with other rides.

 

-Pacing/Element Sequencing. I like it when a roller coaster sort of "tells a story" with its layout. Weather this is starting out in an unexpected way and ending with a surprise while having a lot of variety in between, or getting more intense as the ride goes on, there are multiple ways to do this. If you check out Roller Coaster Philosophy's roller coaster sequencing theory, this might make more sense. Thunderbolt at Kennywood is probably the best example of this.

 

-Variety. Roller coasters with a lot of variety in the elements will be more likely to be ranked highly. El Toro and Maverick are great examples of this.

 

-Scenery/Theming/Location. Boulder Dash, Space Mountain, and Apollo's Chariot are all very different coasters, but they are great examples of this.

[Henry M]

For me I love a re rideable roller coaster which is fun no matter how many times you do it. Also, I like a terrain hugging ride. This is why I love Helix at Liseberg!

[RaceBoarder]

My rankings basically reflect how badly, and for how many times, I want to re-ride. It really helps to have the opportunity to marathon with minimal crowds. There are coasters that are fun for 0, for 1, for 3, for 8 consecutive rides. They mostly all have a pretty specific point at which it's, "OK, next!" The ones that just keep getting better each ride, that I would want to ride for 10, 100, 1000 rides in a row .... those are the few at the very top.

 

Eventually, I hope to have ridden enough coasters like that, that deciding between the top contenders is essentially meaningless. For now ranking is still fun.

 

So I guess you could say I don't really have "Hot Buttons" for coasters with some particular trait to rank well. Who knows what really makes me want to keep re-riding one coaster over another? Probably some combination of just about everything mentioned in this thread.

 

I will say ... an unusually good, single ride will also move a ride up in rankings.

 

And ... yes, you read that right. 1000 consecutive laps on Skyrush, please.

I can say that I'm basically the same way on the matter... If I want to spend an hour riding a coaster without getting up, it's gonna be at the top of my list... To score high, the entire ride has to be enjoyable... If just 15 seconds of a 2 minute ride are awesome, I'm gonna get bored eventually....

[grsupercity]

I like compact, intense rides with very quick transitions. Rides like Maverick that whip me left to right up and down before i can even blink. Rides that float through a long course of drawn out elements can be fun, but usually never get a second look from me.

[BuffaloWingRider]

I like a good balance of intensity, unpredictability, comfortable restraints, and fun. A bonus is good stats but the ride doesn't have to have them if it's amazing!

[SFOGdude25]

Speed and pacing are probably my biggest hot buttons for a good coaster. Sure airtime is nice, but things like quickly paced transitions, turns, drops, loops etc. are what really make me have a blast.

[Henry M]

I always follow the rule of RIDE. Basically it goes:

 

R: Roughness (1 being rough, 10 being smooth)

I: Intensity (1 being boring, 10 being really really intense)

D: Duration (The longer, the higher the score)

E: Elevation (1 being on the floor, 10 being on a mountain)

 

Note the last one is not height, it is elevation because there is something so fun about a coaster on top of a hill or mountain. Height does count towards elevation though.

[williamj2543]

I like compact, intense rides with very quick transitions. Rides like Maverick that whip me left to right up and down before i can even blink. Rides that float through a long course of drawn out elements can be fun, but usually never get a second look from me.

Same, people wonder how a ~100 foot coaster can beat out gigas and hypers, but maverick is just so fast paced and intense, so much better in my opinion.

[DefeatistNation]

Mine is pretty simple. I hardly ever reride stuff, so if it compels me to jump back in line over and over I know we got a winner

[LiftThrill]

I think would use an equation of sorts, (fun factor/section of track)*length.

 

New Texas Giant is my favorite coaster (for now) because every moment of it is fun and there's a ton of it.

[ImmelMatt]

The overall ride experience is the biggest sell for me. Airtime, elements, intensity, the whole shebang, and followed by that is re-rideability. Setting though will often get a few brownie points. I might consider a coaster that is merely a good experience on its own to be a great experience if it uses terrain or goes through the woods or over a lake, etc.

[boldikus]

I read through this thread and some of yall are getting really scientific about this but I just keep going back to simple fun. How much fun am I having. But that could mean something stupid that makes me giggle like Skull Mountain or a Flitzer or something thats trying to kill me like El Toro or Skyrush. I like all sorts of stuff. I just like to have fun.

[LiftThrill]

I read through this thread and some of yall are getting really scientific about this but I just keep going back to simple fun. How much fun am I having. But that could mean something stupid that makes me giggle like Skull Mountain or a Flitzer or something thats trying to kill me like El Toro or Skyrush. I like all sorts of stuff. I just like to have fun.

 

Pretty much this. I do have some level of formula to it (like I said earlier) but if I don't have any fun then there's no point in riding (i.e. Titan). Sometimes I'll look at my ranking and change something because a coaster is sitting really high on it and I just think, "I don't really feel like going and riding that right now" and I'll look at a few under it and have the urge to ride them, then drop the higher ranking one below them.

[DILinator]

For me, it's all about how much fun I'm having, or how much of a rush a coaster gives me! I don't have a formula, really. If I get off the coaster, and I can't wait to get around the queue and back on again, then it's a winner. If I liked it, but can live without another ride right away, it's not going to be a top coaster for me. Looking at my Top 10 below, you see high and fast coasters, mixed with short and intense coasters, along with insane wooden beasts, airtime filled machines, and coasters that are just fun in how they interact with their environment. No real rhyme or reason other than that they are all coasters that I could ride 20 times in a row, and not get tired of!