Kings Dominion's 2010 Coaster

ApolloAndy said:
That is some beefy track. Is there only one support for the whole lift or something?

I still think it's a vertical lift coaster. Now you can see the big square-pieces with lift track attached has a new section (which looks like the base). You can also see where the curved track piece would go for the lift approach. It's a bit of a stretch still, but I'm sticking with vertical lift.

^ I've posted some evidence over on the KDFansite thread point to a possible vertical lift as well.

People amaze me. They're pretty much told it won't have a vertical lift, yet they still claim that they are 100% positive there will be.

Pretty much told? By whom? Unless it's from a good source with a decent position in Cedar Fair/Kings Dominion, why should I believe them? Even then, could we trust they aren't spinning the truth? Until the official release, none of us have a 100% positive idea.

The people on this site could be just as right or wrong as I am. For you to make a claim that you are amazed that people are forming opinions that should be based on a select few is ridiculous. I very well might be wrong, but what you need to understand is, so could the few you speak of;)

::looks around for Moosh:: :)

Don't look at me...I'm just a very keen observer and good guesser.

I so very much enjoy and appreciate a retort that has a winkie at the end. That makes me smile every time! :)... er, I mean ;)

Note to self: get Carrie a winkie for her birthday :)

In any case, the day a contract is signed, there are quite a few people who truly understand the "I've got a secret" mentality. People talk, not always in obvious terms. I'm sure most everyone is reasonably careful about being completely blatant with information they're not supposed to share. There are always exceptions to that, LOL. Sometimes it's around the water cooler, sometimes it's over a nice frosty adult beverage. People knowingly and unknowingly drop hints, which vary from the amazingly subtle to the elephant in the room. People also put two and two together (every once in awhile, we can come up to five, but whatever) - inference and implication are what differentiates us from animals, no?

For instance, let's say I worked at Cedar Fair and noticed my bosses suddenly started receiving a bunch of faxes from Monthey or Wollerau or wherever - I might draw some non-specific conclusions. If I also knew of some legal paperwork for a height variance at a specific park in the chain, it starts to form a picture. Then again, the variance might be for a different ride already in the works, in which case I might have the right painting, but on the wrong canvas. It's more art than science I guess - but the guessing sure can be a lot of fun...and it's almost certainly more fun than actually knowing anything anyway. ;)

rollergator said:
inference and implication are what differentiates us from animals, no?

Well that..

Genetic Make Up.
Not able to hold a job
lack of higher order intelligence

...and then theres the animals.. ;)

Mamoosh said:
Note to self: get Carrie a winkie for her birthday :)

Can you at least tell me where you might get it from? ;)

And that's enough of that... I don't want to get banned. :)

Final Force 500 said:
Pretty much told? By whom? Unless it's from a good source with a decent position in Cedar Fair/Kings Dominion, why should I believe them? Even then, could we trust they aren't spinning the truth? Until the official release, none of us have a 100% positive idea.

Speak for yourself!

In the old days, I had a saying: "Those who know don't tell, those who tell don't know." Many years later, I have to say that the culture of secrecy isn't what it used to be. The particularly surprising thing around the former Paramount Parks is how many of their full-time people are in the know, and how freely they talk about their plans. I mean, I'm comfortable saying that because it's so widespread that it'd be pretty hard to nail down anyone for blabbing. I can only assume this would annoy people back at the mother ship. But on the flip side, given how few competitors anyone has anymore, does it really matter? Keeping the lid on things doesn't really create a lot of benefit.

I predict that in a few years, one park or another will actually experiment with a level of transparency that shows us what they're thinking about doing in the earliest stages of development. Imagine how engaged the core audience would be!

rollergator said: inference and implication are what differentiates us from animals, no?

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." — Clairee Belcher, "Steel Magnolias"

Jeff, you make a good point in terms of your prediction in future years. I think even the GP would enjoy knowing the process of the amusement park industry and the development of coasters, but I'm talking about "the now", I'm talking about Kings Dominion's 2010 mystery coaster.

The fact that you found how freely the "former" Paramount Parks does not really surprise me all that much. I just think the sooner people know about a ride/attraction, the less interested they may become over time. If I knew what KD was getting, I would probably never check this forum. Same with pointbuzz. Sure this is my preference, I think others do the same. This process is fascinating and fun. The speculation, guessing, comparing ideas, and so on. Handing out the presents early would ruin the excitement. If parks were to keep coaster fans and the GP in the know, how fun would these forums be;) . . . there's that darn wink again.

Awesome. :)

I recall that HW had signs up about Voyage long before ground breaking. I don't see why the parks feel the need to keep things secret. It is not like the competition can order a giga coaster and have it delivered next month.

If I were a park getting a new major attraction I would be talking it up in the park as much as possible. Although I guess I can see the flip side of this. We have held of going to US/IOA till they get the new land open next year.

I think another thing that has changed the dynamic a bit is the fact that construction begins so early now. It used to be that new coasters went up in the off season and the public didn't see it. Now they start before the parks close for the season and many people see things being delivered, land being cleared, etc.

True Carrie, with that said, I would rather get in front of the story rather then play catch up. When they announce official what they are building, none of us will be surprised or excited about the announcement.

No Carrie, your reply is wrong! ;)

That's too funny.

The biggest reason these days to keep new additions a secret is probably to create a little hype. Like exactly what's going on right now. KD could have spilled the beans as soon as the first piece of track was spotted, but that wouldn't have been as fun. A lot of talk is going around, and probably not from just coaster enthusiasts like us. Park employees are not keeping it a secret that they are building a new large coaster. The secret is the specifics.

DaveStroem said:Although I guess I can see the flip side of this. We have held of going to US/IOA till they get the new land open next year.

You and thousands of others, according to the last attendance figures I've heard coming out of Orlando (and my own obsevations). ;)