Are clones bringing future damage to Six Flags?

Why would Burger King custom design Burgers for every franchise?
They don't expect people to travel... they bring the standard roller coaster to you, reducing the costs for coaster design and administration, allowing to make more money from the admissions.

Actually, I would like to have one of these cloned Sixflags parks closer to home. The closest is Six Flags Holland, and that doesn't even have a single B&M - it's mostly Vekomas.
The singular outstanding parks are cool... but only the hardcore would travel over 1000 miles just to ride coasters.

It's not the S:ROS or B:TRs' that are damaging Six Flags future.It's the crazy lesbians.;)
*** This post was edited by DirtyVern 6/29/2003 3:05:06 PM ***

Cherndog?! Since when did this Chernabog and Chaindog hybrid come about? Clones! ;)

Anyways, I don't mind clones and I love clones. If it weren't for SFGAdv (or SFGAm), I would have to go all the way back down to Atlanta again this year to ride one of my favorite coasters (SUF). Not that it's a problem with a collection including Mindbender, the Scorcher, GASM, and BTR (another favorite), but I was able to visit another SF park without having to go out of my way to a park I had been to the year before that didn't get anything new this season. But when I go back to SFOG, SFGAm, or SFGAdv, SUF and BTR will still be equally high on my list to ride and reride.

Riding SFGAm's SUF for the first time *will* be like riding an all new coaster. I won't be thinking about passing it up since I've been on it at the other parks. I'll be very interested and excited to ride a B&M Flyer! With the different locations, none of them are even the same experience. Even riding new-to-me Boomerangs and SLCs is a good thing. Some are actually better than others and some are extremely fun and thrilling (Serial Thriller SFWOA, Boomerang at Wild Adventures). I guess everyone will have their personal views on clones, but IMO it's a lot easier to accept them and just have a good time with them.

Most SF parks are so different from each other that I don't mind at all. As for my three closest SF parks, SFKK is nothing like SFGAm, which is nothing like SFWOA.

-Danny, who had heard of SFOG, SFKK, SFStLOMA, and "Wally World" before his enthusiast days
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Coaster Insomniacs

I guess I have mixed feelings about clones. On the one hand, I think its nice having versions of great rides close to home, but on the other, when the clones are Vekomas, I have little incentive to ride them.

I like about 20 minutes away from SFWoA, and over an hour away from Cedar Point. I have been to Cedar Point 7 times this year, and SFWoA only once. One of my problems with SFWoA is its Vekomas. Though I hear they are well maintained, they are not rides I am too interested in riding. And perhaps my biggest problem is the naming inconsistansies between SF parks.

If they would keep their naming consistant, and not have a boomerang at SFWoA called Mind Eraser, when other SF parks use that name for SLCs, I think the cloning wouldn't be that bad. Chains should at least be consistant in their naming, so that people don't get confused.

As such, I think some of the superhero names are overused, when referring to different ride types, and that if Batman is an inverted B&M, it should be an inverted B&M everywhere. (Too bad Paramount Parks does this too, with Top Gun as the example)

On a pro-cloning note, I would love it if SFWoA got a S:ROS clone, just because I think I would really enjoy an Intamin Hyper!

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Avalanch Run - My first Roller Coaster.
Magnum XL-200 - The BEST Roller Coaster!

I love it how 14 year olds with no training think they know what's good and bad for a multi-multi-million dollar company run by experienced and well trained businessmen.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

Ahh yes, and so the naming of the rides enters the debate... Sheesh, what next? Color schemes look too similar? ;)

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

Well most of sf's SLC's are painted the same...

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#1 Canobie Lake Park Fan!!! My top 7 coasters:
1. S:RoS @ SFNE 2. Montu 3. Yankee Cannonball 4. Kumba 5. Gwazi 6. Cyclone (SFNE) 7. B:DK

We have B:TR at SFM, which is blue and yellow.
El Condor at SFH, which is teal and white.
Can't forget Kong, orange and gray/black(?).
Mind Eraser at SFA is teal and red.
Mind Eraser at SFDL is the same, 'cept for reverse colors.
SFEG's is similar to SFDL, as is SFNE's.
Add the Serial Thrillers at SFAW and SFWOA to that list.
T2 at SFKK is black, and Vampire at SFB is teal/red.

I guess you're right, SF has 11 SLCs, and 6 of them are colored the same. You're right, but just barely... ;)

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

This whole discussions comes down to one main point: enthusiasts becoming very greedy. As was mentioned earlier, normal folk, meaning the general public, only visit their local park a few times out of the year. They dont travel all over. But you see, its the enthusiasts who do the traveling and feel that Six Flags is not meeting their needs. Remember, this is a business, Six Flags is in it to make money. Most enthusiasts have season passes, go to the parks a bunch of times to rides the coasters, then leave. They usually dont spend their entire visit buying souvenirs and such.

So next time you think that clones are going to hurt them. Think about it. Clones are an economical way to get people to the park. And the only ones who are complaining about it are the enthusiasts.

Remember, parks dont own enthusiasts anything. Should be happy that a park has all the great rides that they have, and are willing to put new ones in. If you dont like clones, then dont ride them. Otherwise, you shouldn't have anything to complain about.

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