Are clones bringing future damage to Six Flags?

Ask SFGAm if any of their clones or cloned coasters is hurting attendance?

V2, Viper, Batman:TR, Superman:UF, and Deja-Vu(when it operates), all generate lines with guests quite pleased when they get off.

Another thing I get sick of hearing is that CF, Paramount, and Disney dont clone rides as much. Neither of these companies has anywhere near the amount of parks that SF has. If they did, they most likely would be cloning rides just as much as SF.

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Arena football has arrived in the Windy City. Go "Chicago Rush"
*** This post was edited by Chitown 6/28/2003 1:25:30 PM ***

I hate how parks make clones of rides. Although you make a point that rides that are cloned are more 'available' they are also less fun. Once you've ridden them once I don't feel any need to 're-experience' them at all at another park. Why couldn't Magic Mountain create a new floorless instead of an old, already used design. Just because they are fun is no reason to keep on copying. I think it is stupid and just a cheap gimmick to keep guests coming. Well, when parks do that it gives me no wish to go there or to the other parks with the same coaster. That is one reason I like Cedar Fair parks more, even though all they really care about is Cedar Point.

I just wish somebody would clone some of the old lost wood coasters:) Would be plenty happy to ride a clone of CB Cyclone or Aeroplane or Cyclone Racer or Puritas Springs Cyclone and too many to name other lost coasters.

Jim "trying to find a new angle on the whole clone wars debate but I'm sure even this angle has already been covered at some point in the past- oh well" Wolgamuth

I don't think it's even a debate whether or not clones are hurting Six Flags. They are not.

The only debate seems to be from an incredibly small percentage of coaster geeks - who are the only ones that even know they exist - and don't like it.

And even then, they will be the first ones to ride a clone to up their count. I was standing in that line at SFKK for around three hours with a bunch of geeks waiting for Greezed Lightnin' to open on the first day of SRM. Why? To add the thing to our respective counts.

And if there is a ride that should be cloned, it's S:ROS at SFNE. Put one of those things in SFWoA and I may visit more than once a year.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

When I was about 10, nothing NEAR an enthusiast, but loved rollercoasters, I remember noticing how SFOG and SFGam both had Batman:TRs. Did I moan out "What? The same ride twice at different location?! I HATE Six Flags!"? No. But this is an example of the GP noticing a clone.

The GP does not visit amusement parks as frequently as enthusiasts, so even if they do notice a clone, they wouldn't care because they don't ride coasters that much in the first place. On the special occasion they do get to visit a park, they'll ride any coaster they can, regardless.

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Tales for the L33t

It's amazing that McDonalds survive when all their restaurants (if that's what you'll call them) surve exactly the same thing.

As has been mentioned, Six Flags aren't destination parks such as Cedar Point, Disneys, Universals etc., they're not relying on people treking halfway across the country to ride them.

Back to my McDonalds parallel, Six Flags can really use this to their advantage given their target market. Say your cousin who lives in Georgia, rides S:UF in the opening season and happens to casually mention it to you one time, and how good they thought the ride is etc. Now, when you see the ads on TV for SFGAm's S:UF, you remember how much Cousin liked it, and you're that little bit more likely to visit the park that season as a result.

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Think of it this way-

Before the internet age came about, did any of you know about any of the the Six Flags parks that wasn't your "home" Six Flags park? I bet you didn't. I know I didn't.

Before the internet, I didn't even know what Six Flags was... ;) Anyway, my youth pastor hears me talking about coasters to my friends sometimes, and one day she asked if I had ever been to Six Flags. I replied by asking, "which one?" She was confused and said that she thought Great Adventure was the only one. Just proving that Jeff's post is right on target...

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If at first don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

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Jeff said:
Ask a local if they even know about other Six Flags parks and I bet nine times out of ten they won't know other parks even exist.------------------

You mean there's more than just the one in Atlanta?!? ;)

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It seems today, that all you see, are violins in movies, and sax on TV....lucky there's a Family Guy

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And even if you are an enthusiast like me with out alot of money, it's good to have some cloning at parks close by. Actually, I've been to SFGAM(1999), SFA(2001), PCar(often), PKD(often), and PKI(1996ish). I think the only coaster that I have ridden twice is the premier launch clone, but one was FoF @ PKD(not the PKI version yet), and one was Joker's Jinx @ SFA, and they give very different experiences. I'm glad that there are clones, otherwise I'd never have had the chance to ride B: TR, FoF, Mind Eraser, Two Face, S: RoS, etc., and I've only been on them at one park, not multiples:)

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President, C.R.A.P. (Coaster Rescurers And Preservationists).

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Ferrari4MeNotU04 said:
MOST DEFINATELY it will hurt them. Why should I got to differant Six Flags parks when all the rides are the same at them?

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Answer:Because each and every Six Flags park has a collection of there own which features atleast a few decent coasters that have not been cloned throughout the chain.

Besides, is it bad to have a semi-Goliath or B:TR clone? If you can take a reride on any coaster, what is the difference between ride a clone of the same ride? Unless you want to add in your sentimental values, for which you can stay at your home park for, then I frankly miss the case.

To put it simple: Say park A and park B have the same coaster collection. If you visit park A on day one, then what is the void or difference in revisiting park A or going to park B the next day?

EDIT:The only reason I knew of multiple Six Flags park is due to the fact that I have lived in multiple staes. I can say that riding Batman: The Ride at three different parks is nothing to frown upon. I ride batman all day. Mind Eraser wasn't bad to see once in awhile either because at that time, I had just ridden Konng and Mind Eraser at Riverside was a new attraction.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

*** This post was edited by Vertigo 6/28/2003 8:40:14 PM ***

I know a lot of people that have gone to both SFOT and SFNO and think that having a Batman at both parks is neat.

And to think we make fun of the GP...

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Am I really that shy?

I don't think clones have that big of an effect. I mean, look at Disneyland vs. the Magic Kingdom. (Not talking about California Advenure here) The parks are very similar to each other as are the rides (yeah, I know that there are differences between the rides in each park, but they really have no large effect, Pirates of the Carribean and Space Mountain immediately come to mind) Both parks seem to be always packed.

How can one coaster being the same hurt a company when Disney has two parks that are so similar, yet survive.

Now maybe its not the best comparason, but it really is enthusiasts who would not go to a park just because the ride is the same. And how many people with season passes even would go to another Six Flags park? Most of my friends say, "Huh? Theres a Six Flags in Mass." when I tell them I'm going to Six Flags New England. (I live in N.J.) Most of the GP doesn't even know.

Let's use the SFA example that someone brought up earlier. He (or she) said that they could ride those rides anywhere. Ok let's look at where anywhere is from SFA:
Two-Face the Flip Side-Face Off at PKI, about an 8-hour drive from Largo
Batwing-X-Flight at SFWOA, about a 6 to 7-hour drive
Mind Eraser-Serial Thriller again at SFWOA
S:ROS-S:ROS mirror image at Darien Lake, 6-hour (or more) drive?
Roar-SFA's was first, the other one is at SFMW, a multiple day drive or expensive airplane flight
Joker's Jinx-If you want to count Flight of Fear, I'll give you PKD, at about a 1-2 hour drive. Otherwise its direct clone is at SFFT, again a multiple day drive, or 3-hour plane ride

Read my signature people and wake up. If a ride is repeated in your itenerary, simply move on and get more rides on the other coasters and attractions. If you're simply riding to get a coaster count and then complaining afterwards, than who's problem is it really?

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If you have a problem with clones, the solution is real simple—Stop traveling.

Locally i think it doesn't do much harm because your bringing in guest and most people wont know its a cone, but if alot of clones are in a park that a family wants to visit, it may keep them away because you already have the ride there. So locally it doesn't do much damage, but when your talking nationally it may affect parks attendance

Look at it this way,aside from the coasters in a park what about the flats?most,if not all of them can be found in nearly every park from coast to coast give or take a few.

When we go to the parks we don't usually hear about everyone,GP & enthusiast alike complaining about that little fact & yet when it comes to cloned coasters we complain like it's the end of the world as we know it.

Without cloned coasters most of us would miss out on the chance to ride some of these coaster styles (ie floorless,hypers or flyers)& because of a certain park chain's unwillingness to add these types to most of their parks some of us who can't afford to travel long distances are still missing out on that chance.

Take S:ROS at SFA for example,so what if it's got a mirrored clone some 4 to 6 hours away?,at least by having it at SFA it saves me from having to make a 6 hour drive just to enjoy riding it & I'm glad to have it there because BGW's quite a distance to drive to every month.

So who really cares about clones? if your homepark has a coaster that has been cloned don't feel bad about it,just be glad you've got that B:TR,S:UF or any number of other cloned coasters nearby to ride.

Ok, maybe it's just me, but when I read the thread title I had visions of "clones" like in Star Wars Episode II attacking a Six Flags park. :)

Um, sorry, uh....to answer the thread -- No.

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SW:):)SH
The new and improved! MidwestInfoGuide.COM

I guess alot of you here are to young to remember when Marriott had his vision.

Build 3 "IDENTICAL" parks so people could experience the same thing. The California and Illinois Great Americas at one time were cloned all the way down to the restrooms.

If Marriott was still in the amusement park business, we might have seen 3 or possibly more Great America parks in this country that are completely "CLONED". This is also a company that built both of their parks from scratch.

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Arena football has arrived in the Windy City. Go "Chicago Rush"

I think the majority of people complaining are the ones that have SLCs and Boomerangs at their homeparks. Heck, I have a Vekoma Whirlwind at mine, I'd love to have an SLC or Boomerang! (How often do you hear that? ;))

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If at first don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

Actually, Intamin Fan, that was my post you were referring to(i think, since i mentioned those coasters), and my point was that exactly! I'm glad for clones, otherwise, a person with limited means(like my self), and a penchant for coaster riding would be outta luck on alot of really cool rides. all of the rides that I have ridden that are clones, heck, i've only been on one version of the ride, save FoF and Joker's Jinx, and as I said, totally different experience. I hope they keep cloning rides(not humans though, but that's a philisophical debate I don't want to be responsible for starting), cause everytime they put a clone closer to me, that's one more better chance I have at riding that ride:)

Edit-actually, you may not have been refering to my post as I though, but thats okay, I think we're still on the same level:)

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President, C.R.A.P. (Coaster Rescurers And Preservationists).
*** This post was edited by TeknoScorpion 6/29/2003 12:53:48 AM ***