BREAKING! The Bat Flies Again at Kings Island! IT IS A WING COASTER!

HamptonRoadsRider said:

If they just told us what the plans were, that would take away alot of our fun....If the first clue is "We are building an invert, here's the layout, It will be ready 3 years from now"...the major buzz would be over in two weeks. As much as i'd like to know what it is, some mystery is a good thing. Keep folks guessing and interested.

But this goes back to the idea that the enthusiast community is the center of the world. It's not.

Who cares if the coaster nerds are having fun? That's not 'major buzz' by the longest stretches of the definition. It's a niche community being entirely predictable. The only folks guessing are the folks that comprise the enthusiast echo chamber. There is no 'buzz' outside of enthusiast forums. The front pages of newspapers and top stories on the news aren't all about the amazing new addition to the park.

They got one day of real-world, tangible media coverage when they sent out the combs and teased an world record announcement. They'll get another one days worth tomorrow/Friday after they announce. Aside from that the average human being hasn't thought about this ride and they won't again until adveretising appears in the spring.

That's it.

I totally get what Rob is saying. Why do the parks feel the need to waste so much time with the games for the minority? It feels like something that's done just because "that's what you do."

Hell, even the leaked blueprints video only has 10,000 views and the comments are the same coaster dork rhetoric you can find anywhere. If any real-world 'buzz' existed, I would think that video would be wildly popular.

There's no doubt it's exciting for us. That doesn't translate to it being exciting for everyone. The same way a fake webpage generated 10 pages of discussion here, but it didn't make the news in any capacity. No one cares like we do.

I don't even know what I'm saying anymore...

There's a larger, encompassing theme here of the importance of the enthusiast community and why the parks bother wasting their time with us. No matter how I try to rationalize it, it doesn't make sense. I wish I could let it go, but it hurts my brain.

If I owned a park, I'd tell you all to go to hell. ;)

You would make a lot of folks here cry if you told them that.

Question: If a park was completely open about their future plans years in advance, would they lose business in the year(s) prior to the big project opening with guests saying "Let's skip the park this year and go next year when the new thing opens"? Thoughts?

I think parks do it for the reasons mentioned in the car example. In this case, though, it takes what, five minutes to think of a witty Twitter or Facebook post? If I were a PR person, you can bet I'd screw with all of you. ;)

Of that, I haven't the slightest doubt. :D

*edited for smiley inclusion.

This was posted on their twitter page!

In the shadows of falling darkness, wings of the night creature await their silent signal from the moon!!!

Text from one of the screenshots (OCR-ized from the screenshots so forgive any typos):

The new attraction was designed exclusively for Kings Island and includes the following succession of breath-taking thrills that have never been incorporated into a wing coaster before: 199-foot high lift hill and drop of 183 feet at a 55-degree angle, two vertical loops, two boomerang turns, and a 360-degree double helix turn at the end, all at speeds exceeding 70 miles per hour. Rides will swoop and dive as they travel around the 3,806 feet of track. Ride time is 2-minutes and 14-seconds.

I think The Bat is a real thing.

But it says the speeds will exceed 70 mph throughout these elements. How realistic is that? The height, drop and so on seems to line up with the leaked blue prints, no?

Inverted. Banshee.

gamerguy said:

SteveWoA said:

Some more detailed queue line and station plans were leaked on KI Central... Clearly an invert. No question.

What if its a floorless which the state of ohio doesn't have? :)

Given the blue prints showing the supports and heartlining of the track, it is not a floorless. It is an invert.

I think the real question is the bottom line, Attendance. Will a record breaking inverted coaster bring in more people than a record breaking Wingrider which is more intriguing to the gp since almost every park has an invert?

I don't think the type of attraction makes a difference - only the scale of the attraction.

Any major coaster addition would have the same effect on crowds.

^your thinking too much like an enthusiast lol

The height requirements for all B&M inverts is 54" and GK is 52" and wildeagle is 50" so which coaster do you think is more family friendly?

To me, the obviousness of the tweets is only more evidence that it's *not* a wing coaster. If it were, the clues would be more cryptic instead of saying "WING WING WING" in plain English.

James Whitmore said:
Question: If a park was completely open about their future plans years in advance, would they lose business in the year(s) prior to the big project opening with guests saying "Let's skip the park this year and go next year when the new thing opens"? Thoughts?

Yes, I think you have a point there. If I had to plan an entire trip and couldn't return to the park in the foreseeable future I would wait until the attraction was built before going. This might not be true for gp though because they most likely have no idea anything is coming. The best strategy in my opinion is to put your "teasers" around the park the year before the new ride opens.. enthusiasts want to see the hints and more importantly the gp who is already at the park will ask questions about the clues left around. For instance, things like the big noise making boxes placed outside the future locations of beast and prowler. I remember crowds of visitors going over to take a closer look at the boxes. It is naturally a part of human nature to be curious after all.

gamerguy said:

The height requirements for all B&M inverts is 54" and GK is 52" and wildeagle is 50" so which coaster do you think is more family friendly?

They're all equal. We're talking a huge multi-looper, cutting edge design. At that point it goes well beyond 2 inches of being able to ride.

No one is basing their decision to visit the park based on the height requirement of the new coaster...no one.

^your thinking too much like an enthusiast lol

Step from in front of the mirror. See? I'm way over here.

Im not saying that people will base their decision on height requirements i am referring to the park being able to market it as a family attraction. In business its all about money and they will make more money attracting families then they will thrill seekers. As i said take those rose colored glasses off and think like you owned the park! LMAO

gamerguy said:

Im not saying that people will base their decision on height requirements i am referring to the park being able to market it as a family attraction. In business its all about money and they will make more money attracting families then they will thrill seekers. As i said take those rose colored glasses off and think like you owned the park! LMAO

Not a ton of *Record Breakers* marketed as Family Attractions other than Water Rides and Observation Towers.

Yeah, you're not marketing this to the family in any way. Which was my point - it's about the scale of the attraction. This is a multi-looping, cutting edge design that will set records.

It's not a family attraction and 2 inches of access isn't going to change that. This is a big time ride. Doesn't mater if it's inverted, wing or lebanese thunder fist (one of those might be a sexual thing, not a coaster type) - it will have the same effect on the park based solely on it's stature.

913girl said:
If I had to plan an entire trip and couldn't return to the park in the foreseeable future I would wait until the attraction was built before going.

Kind of how I'm treating Knoebel's.

I really want to see you ride a Lebonese thunder fist.