Gatekeeper POV is up

Jeph said:

The one thing I'm worried about GateKeeper that will totally ruin the ride for me is whether or not it has any of that force-related leg pain I get on Mantis. I've only had this issue with B&M's, and the only 2 I can recall having it are Mantis and Batman (which I rode at Great Adventure). That sensation is just awful for me. Please don't have it, GateKeeper.

Jeph, I get the same feeling on every invert I ride. I wouldn't call it pain, but discomfort. It's not constant throughout the ride, so it's fine for me. I feel it more in my feet, though, not legs. I've not been on a wing coaster, so I can't speak for what that would be like.

Jeff said:

It is. I'll write more about it later... I don't wanna give it all away. :)

What could you give away that we dont already know? Can you tell us if the restraints are the pos ones like wildeagle uses that crush your shoulders throughout the ride?

Yeah Mike, now that I think about it, sometimes I'll get the leg/feet pain on Raptor's final turn. I can't quite figure it out...Raptor only seems to affect me when I'm tired and haven't had enough to eat.

The Mantis force pain is consistent from loop to about the end of the ride though, which is the main reason why I hate it. It's strange to me that some don't feel it at all. Those are older B&M's though, so I'm hoping advanced software will kill that issue for GK.

What could you give away that we dont already know? Can you tell us if the restraints are the pos ones like wildeagle uses that crush your shoulders throughout the ride?

Yeah I had that problem as well when I rode Wildeagle. I had to put my hands underneath the restraint and push it out to keep it from crushing my shoulders throughout the ride. I hope Gatekeeper's restraints aren't as tight.

Wild Eagle wasn't uncomfortable for me, but yes, of course they're the same restraints. Monty Jasper confirmed this way back at the announcement Q&A. Not sure why you would have any leg issues unless you're actively trying to keep your legs out when forces are pulling them down.

Yes, there are no bins, so it's like Millennium Force in that respect. They won't let you bring crap into the queue. There is a bank of lockers just opposite the entrance, to the left of the GateKeeper sign.

Wild Eagle has bins, and since you embark and disembark on the same side of the station, I didn't notice that they interrupted the flow much at all. Not that I ever have any loose articles though. Cargo Shorts are a must when attending a park.

Are you kidding me? The platform for Wild Eagle is a total cluster****. There isn't enough space, and people disembarking tend to linger and get in the way of both the oncoming riders and the operators. It's a total mess.

X-Flight at Great America has the same setup and the park has seemed to do a great job at getting people in and out. I figured the Dollywood crews would have gotten better reviews (historically speaking).

I haven't been on Wild Eagle, I wonder how things were different that caused such a problem. Cedar Point surely has taken all this into account.

Yeah, Wild Eagle's load/unload area did seem rather congested, between people putting stuff in the bins and taking their shoes off. Due to the narrowness of the space,* it was difficult for people leaving to walk by as others were using the bins. I just grabbed my sandals quickly and walked barefoot out of the station, then put them on out of everyone's way.

*Looking at pictures, it doesn't seem that narrow to me, so I'm not sure what the problem was. I just remember it being semi-chaotic.

As for restraints, the first time I rode it, gravity + taking a breath allowed the restraint to lock down tighter, which was annoying. On subsequent rides, I pushed forward on the black bars until we were over the lift hill, which made a happy difference.

Also, one time I rode on an inside seat in the front. Those shin bars are annoying on some of the more forceful elements.

Other than that, I found the seats/restraints rather comfortable, and I'm glad they achieved the "restrict arm movement" goal while keeping the over-the-shoulder part away from the face, unlike Maverick/Kingda Ka.

A lot depends on when the crew opens the safety gates. If they are opened too soon then there are too many people trying to both get on and get off. If the gates are opened too late then you lose the extra time people could be storing there stuff before boarding.

When I rode Wild Eagle I think they were waiting for everyone to clear the platform before opening the gates which seems to take too long.

RCMAC said:

But an on-ride right seat view reveals what looks like acres and acres of waiting space with row after row of metal rails between there and the ride itself.

Jeff said:

...I would describe the space as being about the same, if not a little less, compared to the space of the Millennium Force queue.

Seems odd that there's no covering over so much of the queue there. Have they covered it since the POV was shot?

I would guess that half of it will rarely be in the sun. Last week, at least, the sun was always on the opposite side of the building.

Busch (Tampa) has a bad set-up on SheiKra....the loose items bins are on the far side of the train, in a NARROW space. Exiting riders retrieving their possessions, along with those without losse items, all get clogged up between the train, the bins, and the exit gate. Throw in 24 riders trying to board, and having to deposit their valuables, and you have what my programmer refers to as a "kluge."

Gatekeeper looks really cool....maybe next year...

Well, another part of Sheikra's problem is it's 8 across, so you have to climb over 7 people to put your stuff down.

birdhombre said:

As for restraints, the first time I rode it, gravity + taking a breath allowed the restraint to lock down tighter, which was annoying. On subsequent rides, I pushed forward on the black bars until we were over the lift hill, which made a happy difference.

It wasn't bad when your riding it, but the part that got me was sitting on the brake run the restraints just kept crushing my shoulders. There's no reason anyone can give as to why they would need to do that. No other type of coaster B&M makes does that!

RCMAC said:

The actual ride looks so close to the animated renderings, which seem to have gotten better and better over recent years, well, starting with Maverick I suppose. I don't know anything about engineering or that type of modeling, but it always amazes me how they get it so right.

Most professional 3D animation programs are able to import almost every CAD format, Its as easy as taking all the track segment designs, constricting them to one another, and adding textures. The result is a 100% accurate model (+- any manufacturing errors with the plasma cutting, welding, and masonry work on the supports.)

Unless you're Hersheypark, which uses the SNES platform to create their new ride animations.

Gesundheit.

I'm very excited to ride this. In part because it is so different to THE SWARM and everything I enjoyed about that ride isn't really applicable to this one. Will be fun times no doubt.

I think the left side will be the best.