jomo said:
I voted for the Addams Family verticle drop coaster. Italian Job did look cool, but the AF coaster and preshow sounded more entertaining to me, kinda sorta a modern twist on a fun/haunted house that PGA could sure use. And the coaches pretty much confirm they'd go with a B&M Dive Machine, heavily themed = sweet!
I wouldnt jump the gun and say B&M Dive machine since there are pretty much dead, but what i see is a custom Gerstlauer Euro-fighter with a VERTICAL (not verticle like i have been seeing around here) drop instead of the beyond vertical. Also this coaster could be at any paramount park not only carowinds, for instance if you take the survey and put in kings island as your home park they will ask you if it would be a great addition at kings island.
There are no bad coasters, only better coasters!!
thepinkdoomofmonkeys said:
Geez, who in the whole freaking world will really care about the name next year?
Maybe people entering the park, or seeing the commercials, and asking themselves what the HELL a Borg is?
I've never seen Outer Limits. I still get the theming...I've never seen Tomb raider. I'd still get what the ride is about.
But see, the names "Tomb Raider: The Ride" and "Outer Limits: Flight of Fear" clearly reflect the franchise they are related to. You can't hear/see those names without knowing they're based on the movies/tv shows. "Borg Assimilator", on the other hand, doesn't reflect anything clearly. If it was "Star Trek: The Ride" it would be a different story. But it's not, and that's my problem with the name. It'd be like calling S:ROS just "Ride of Steel." That's piss-poor name too.
"Tomb Raider: The Ride" is clearly a ride based on the Tomb Raider franchise. And if you're unfamiliar with the franchise then it's still easy to deduce that it's based on raiding a tomb. "Outer Limits: Flight of Fear" is clearly a ride based on the Outer Limits franchise. And even if you drop the Outer Limits part, as has been done, the name "Flight of Fear" is still sensible. "Star Trek: Borg Assimilator" (if that were the name) is still not a good name, but it does make it a heck of a lot more identifiable as based on the Star Trek franchise. But it's still not a good name because "Borg Assimilator" doesn't mean squat. Even for that portion of the population that knows what it means to assimilate something, what the hell is a borg, how does a borg assimilate something, and how does is the ride based on that? How does the ride reflect that?
Well, it doesn't.
-Nate *** Edited 1/20/2004 12:14:01 AM UTC by coasterdude318***
And the ride does reflect the name - go back and read the press release - The Borg crashed their ship, and are taking over the coaster and assimilating guests (Not to mention that the ride *might* have a pre-show to explain whats going on). It is that simple! :)
People have been complaining about coaster names for ages, it’s not really a big deal. When all is said and done, it will still be a fun ride.
ghettocoaster said:
It is 'Star Trek - Borg Assimilator'... atleast that is what it says on the Carowinds sign if you pass by the park.
Well, that's not what it says on the official site. But at least Paramount obviously recognizes the name isn't going to do anything toward recognition.
And the ride does reflect the name - go back and read the press release - The Borg crashed their ship, and are taking over the coaster and assimilating guests (Not to mention that the ride *might* have a pre-show to explain whats going on). It is that simple!
But what does that really mean? How does flying have anything to do with assimilating guests? You see, Flight of Fear is a good ride name all by itself. It reflects a space (or at least flying) theme, mixed with intimidation. If you just hear the name "Borg Assimilator" it means absolutely nothing unless you have any knowledge of Star Trek. The very fact that you need a bit of knowledge (either of Star Trek or whatever "preshow" there will be) to understand the name means its a poor one. It means that nobody will understand one thing about what the ride is until they ride it.
-Nate
And I understand the storyline - your making it more complicated than it needs to be! :)
AND I agree that it would fit a simulator or an indoor roller coaster like 'Flight of Fear' better, but I think it was clever how they tied it into this one. Arg, just wait until it opens! :D
YOU are the one who is making it more difficult by refusing to understand what I'm saying. No, I did not say that every ride with a preshow has a bad name. But every ride with a preshow has a name that reflects the franchise. The Carowinds ride does not.
I'm sure the ride will state what a Borg is. But how does that help people who are just entering the gates? How does that help people sitting at home and hearing about the ride via radio, tv, etc? How does that help anyone except those standing in line for the ride? Answer: it doesn't.
Themed rides, even those with a preshow, need a name that reflects the ride. This one does not. That's all there is to it.
-Nate
By the way, I said you implied that statement... I never said that you actually said that. *** Edited 1/20/2004 2:17:26 AM UTC by ghettocoaster***
Ackward name and theme for a roller coaster that rockets 42 stories straight into the sky, something a normal dragster could never do, but didn't stop it from being a huge hit with both the GP and coaster enthusiast, regardless of their knowledge of Top Fuel Dragsters.
First: the name graphics clearly shows the star trek logo
Second: im sure the park maps are gonna have something that shows either BORG's or star trek characters. Not to mention the brochures that will clearly state what the ride's purpose is gonna be. (did it for top gun, flight of fear, and tomb raider)
Third: the park is gonna market the roller coaster and im sure they are gonna use the pitch of it being the FIRST STAR TREK THEME ROLLER COASTER!!
Forth: the GP arent worried how aflying coaster ties into the theme. besides the last time i checked space ships do fly right...........
Fifth: word gets out. im sure people are going to be talking in the park and around the park about the new coaster and what it is.
There are no bad coasters, only better coasters!!
coasterdude318 said:
You can't hear/see those names without knowing they're based on the movies/tv shows. "Borg Assimilator", on the other hand, doesn't reflect anything clearlyWell, it doesn't.-Nate
See, that is where I disagree with you nate. First, Star Trek First Contact(very successful movie) Delt with the Borg. Anybody that knows the Next Gen knows Borg. Many people know the borg even without watching Trek.
Truthfully, No one is going to care about what the name or theme is. The GP don't care what the name or theme is, even if its a made up theme, they just came to ride coasters....isn't that what we all do?;)
ghettocoaster said:
I'm not making it difficult... When there was an article about the new ride in the paper, it stated the name and the fact that it is the first Star Trek themed roller coaster.That right there was a way for the public to know it is based on Star Trek.
Do you really think the majority of people who are going to visit the park next year actually read that article?
That is probably why they have 'Star Trek - Borg Assimilator' on the sign outside the park.
Perhaps, but does "Star Trek-Borg Assimilator" tell you anything about what the ride is? No.
You can, in a way, compare this to Tower of Terror. Thats the name it goes by, that is what it is recognized by, but I don't see the franchise (The Twilight Zone) in front of it unless I am in the park or there is an advertisement of some kind for the ride.
Sure, let's compare it to that and discuss why Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror is a good name. (1) Despite what you claim, the name of the franchise is in the name of the ride. It says it in all the brochures, all the literature, and in front of the ride. The official name IS "Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror." (2) It describes the ride in the name. You know it's a tower, and you know it's going to be some kind of terrorizing experience. You don't know *exactly* what it is, but nobody is sitting around asking themselves what the hell that means.
On the contrary, "Borg Assimilator" does not include the name of the franchise, and does not describe the ride at all. Period.
When you will look at Borg Assimilator, you may not know right away what it is, but you will know that it deals with space and maybe even aliens.
How so? If you don't know what a Borg is (which many people don't) then how do you deduce it has anything to do with aliens and/or space? Assimilate certainly doesn't evoke that image.
Coasterbruh:
1) Not everyone is familar with the Star Trek logo. Additionally, those who are may not even realize that's the logo. I know that when I went to look for the ride logo, and how it involves Star Trek, on first glance I couldn't figure it out. All I saw was "Borg Assimilator, Paramount's Carowinds."
2) So what if the park maps have Star Trek characters on them? Does that somehow imply a particular ride has something to do with Star Trek? I certainly don't think anyone is going to say, "OH, there are Star Trek characters on this map, that new ride MUST involve Star Trek."
3) Of course the park is going to market the ride. But if you're a good marketer, you pick a name where you don't have to worry about your public making connections about what your ride is. It should be clear from the beginning.
4) Is the ride supposed to be a space ship? See, already people are confused and it isn't even open yet. No, people aren't too worried about how it fits in when they ride it, but I'm talking about people who hear the name of the new ride. Again, what the hell does "Borg Assimilator" mean to anyone?
5) Your fifth point even strengthens the need for a strong name. Because when somebody hears about "That Borg Assimilator ride", well, that's just confusing.
Tekno: I never saw First Contact. Most of the ride's real target audience probably didn't either. Additionally, anyone who did saw the movie probably saw it quite awhile ago. Again, Star Trek hasn't been really popular in years. It hasn't even had a primetime network in at least ten years. So no, I don't think the majority of the population know what a Borg is. And even if they do, does "Borg Assimilator" mean anything to anyone? Probably not.
I didn't say that anyone in the GP would really care what the name is. I said that a strong name needs to reflect the ride in order to better target your audience. And this name does NOT do that.
-Nate
For the thousandth time, looking at the theming of the ride only helps those people who are standing right in front of it. How does that help anyone who hasn't yet visited the park and hears about the ride? How does "Borg Assimilator" bring aliens to mind if you have no idea what a Borg is?
-Nate
Without advertisements (and word of mouth - people who have seen the advertisements), no one would even know the ride exists in the first place. No one has seen the advertisements yet anyways... sorry, but you just can't jump to those kinds of conclusions!
*** Edited 1/20/2004 6:31:15 PM UTC by ghettocoaster*** *** Edited 1/20/2004 6:34:10 PM UTC by ghettocoaster***
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