intamin rockets - reached their full potiential?

They don't own any part of Lake Erie. Technically, the ownership falls under the Army Corps of Engineers. Any land within an existing property line that is eroded becomes property of the Army Corps. When land is built-up through lake forces, it still remains Army Corps property, even if it falls within an original property line. I know several families who've lost siginificant property to the lake, and even if some of the soil comes back, it is not theirs anymore. To build a dock or any small structure into the lake, one must obtain construction rights and many permits from the Army Corps. While it's possible to build on the lake, it's costly and nearly uninsurable.

-seth

ApolloAndy's avatar
There's no difference between a rocket and a drop once the train disengages the launch. I mean, you could definitely launch a train up to 93 MPH and then into the MF layout, or a SD2K layout, or an S:RoS layout or rocket a train into a Colossus 10-looping layout or SFH's Goliath etc. etc. etc.

Basically, there's nothing fundamentally different about the layouts of the rocket coasters and complete circuit coasters, save the lift hill/launch (although I doubt we're going to see rocket coasters with 9 car trains, meaning the speed on rockets will drop faster).

On the other hand, it would be amazingly awesome to get rocket launched up MF's lift hill and crest the top around 80 MPH, before plunging off the 300' drop, although it would also be totally awesome to hit a standard 500' drop (both of which would give you the same final speed, and thus the same layout possibilities).

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
You must be this dumb to ride Viper. -SFGAdv.

*** This post was edited by ApolloAndy on 12/4/2002. ***

Lets see how fast they test dragster, that might be an Indication. They ran Xcelerator at 117 MPH, and it just flew through the top hat.

They didn't have to really build over the lake but there is still MF island. It easily could have gone up over the little moat thingy and plop down there and intermingle with MF before shooting back. There are many possibilities they could ahve done but the money it would envolve would have been extremely high. I'm sure over the years the cost of the "launch" (which in my opinion is driving the whole cost up) will come down and then parks would be able to afford more track length. Heck if CP really wanted to, 5 years down the road they could reprofile the ride. Take out the brakes (or move the pull out) and extend the track length.

And who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. (refering to the fact most people call this a "one trick" pony)

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Wood Rules!

*** This post was edited by BeastFreak on 12/5/2002. ***


Darth Saambe said:

Honestly, I don't think that rocket coasters will be built to their full potential because most parks now can't even build a ride as large as CP's new coaster. It's the money people, the money.


You took the words right out of my mouth. There's huge potential with rocket coasters, and they could likely do pretty much anything you wanted them to as long as you have 2 important things: space and money, space being something that Knott's didn't have much of for Xcelerator. As far as Dragster, CP possibly could've built over the midways and such, but come on, a 400 ft. launched coaster is no cheap endeavor. Will we ever see the limits of the rocket coaster? Not unless somebody comes along with whole lot of money to build one with.

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*** This post was edited by Travio on 12/5/2002. ***

Presuming 'Dragster' will be 400 feet? I thought we had that settled a long, long time ago? ;)

-mikey


Rctycoon2k said:

Rockets haven't reached there full potential, and there is something more than launch, top hat, brakes, to this coaster, and im talking more than the vertical heartline. Rocket coasters I believe will get bigger and better, but this coaster, although with a small layout, will be a big improvement, and this will get people 'to stand up and take notice once again'

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Are you insinuating that the "something more" is that Dragster is a stand up coaster?

Xcelerator is a fun ride, though I was not blown away by the ride. The launch is pretty mind blowing the first few times, then you get use to it and there isn't much else to the ride. Still fun for a few spins though.

CP's rocket will no doubt have a sensational launch and the intimidation factor of 400+ feet. But I'm wondering about the staying power of rocket coasters. After your body adjusts to the speed, will the thrill factor carry this type of ride for several years?

And why is it that I'd rather take a spin on the 20 year old Montezooma's Revenge than Xcelerator? They both launch and one is a shuttle. I've gotten to the point where I don't care much whether I'm going 45 miles an hour or 100, up 100ft or 300ft, those things alone don't change my preferences.

Your not going to get much higher than CP's rocket and I say good for them, but for me, the full potiential of the rocket coaster may still not be enough to make it my type of ride. I hope I'm wrong.

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Superman:The Escape(1997-2002) May he one day fly again.

(refering to Dale Picolet's post) I would seriously doubt that. That phrase was thrown around by many when Magnum and MF opened.

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- Peabody

*** This post was edited by Peabody on 12/5/2002. ***

If you ask me, I feel that many designs of roller coasters have not reached their full potential. Some of which include inverts, rocket coasters and flying coasters. I am a strong believer that bigger is NOT better and I feel that terrain coasters are superior to 200ft high, 80 mph 8 inversion roller coasters.

So what would I like to see implemented in some designs of roller coasters? Use the terrain to your advantage. Alton towers has done a very good job of this with Nemesis and AIR. But imagine a flying roller coaster that goes over water, through trees and brings you face to face with boulders? A rocket coaster that relys on trees and other objects to create an immense sense of speed and an inveted coaster that dives through many trenches and through lightning fast inversions. In my mind, designers can go so much further, too bad parks hold them back.

ApolloAndy's avatar
I agree with Blitzjade. Also, near misses (Montu's Immelman, Ice's Cobra roll and all the near misses on DD) are underused and add a lot to a ride.

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Blitzjade has a point, no coaster type has actually reached full potential. There is always something someone has not thought about that could be done, even with the classic woodie. Though being a good or bad idea is subjective (inverted woodie?) Steel has a lot of possibilities and this new little method of launching opens the door to more possibilities than imaginable by a sane person (rocket coaster....backwards?) As long as designers use their highly developed frontal lobes, we as enthusiasts will be entertained.

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Is it a dream or a memory? It's both, it's X

ApolloAndy's avatar
I also don't see why a rocket coaster is fundamentally different from a LIM launch. That isn't to say that LIM coasters have reached their potential, but I don't think Intamin is really exploring uncharted land here.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
You must be this dumb to ride Viper. -SFGAdv.

Well, the only difference is that you can much faster in a lot less time.

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The top 3 all time cobrarolls.

1)Raptor's
2)Deja Vu's (times 3)
3)Batman Knight Flight's

rollergator's avatar

Jeff said:

No, they can't build in the lake. For God's sake give that a rest.

Can't they just wait until Maggie sinks, pave over that, and use the space to build something else...;)



Blitzjade said:

In my mind, designers can go so much further, too bad parks hold them back.



Indeed, but not forgetting financial restrictions and human endurance - and thats enough humans to ride the thing and make it pay, not just all us freaks!

Give it a few years, the coaster war/boom is by no means over... dont ya think if it is possible to exceed dragsters statistics eventually it will happen. I can think of at least 1 park...with land... and no height restrictions... and a budget to cover it... and the desire to compete with CP for any record breaking coasters!

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Rctycoon2k's avatar
I will tell you for a fact, there is no way this is or could be a stand up...

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Sure, the designers are held back... Please people step away from No Limits and stop second guessing park's decisions.
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2003-Gotham City @ SFA presenting Bathroom the Ride-Please remain seated at all times
I heard something about a 150mph launch, not all at once of course. It would be a lim launch that goes over a hypersonic hill and then into a norm, rollercoaster. I've seen some drawings, it's pretty intense.

I think Blitzjade has a great point also. I have been finding myself enjoying rides like Kumba (see sig.) a lot more than rides like Raptor or Millie simply because of the terrain effects. Kumba doesn't have *that* many I realize this, but the dive past the station, and a few trees that are near the track (combined with the camelback) are what make this ride my favorite. And ever since someone posted the link to the music for Nemesis, I have done a lot of research on this coaster and am now dying to get over to England to ride it. Dueling Dragons also blew me away, and I think that goes for a lot of the GP too. Sometimes, not having mind-blowing speed, height or inversions, but mind-blowing special effects, scenery, near misses, storylines to coasters, and theming can make a ride pull away from the pack. Heck I've even mostly given up building regular above-ground coasters in RCT (still have yet to get RCT2 - don't feel its worth it since I don't have the time to finish all the RCT scenarios ... ) because I find them boring to create, they're way too easy, but creating a terrain-hugging inverter, or a flyer that intertwines with a few other coasters, and does the whole trench and tunnel deal, thats an interesting (albeit expensive) way to build a coaster (from the amateur perspective, but I don't think that's too far off real life - I'm sure it was a treat for B&M and Wardley to design Nemesis and now Nemesis Inferno).

I realize this is slightly offsubject, but it is an area of potential for rockets and all sorts of other coasters that has not really been tapped as much as it could be.

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1. Kumba 2. Millie 3. Mantis 4. Lightning Racer 5. Wicked Twister (Front Seat)
-- Brett

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