New Entries in the CoasterBuzz Top 100

So I see. Haven't ridden Wicked Cyclone so can't comment on it but on the subject of RMC, I am really surprised and disappointed that Iron Rattler, which I got to ride for the 1st time 9 days ago, isn't even in the top 100 - unless I'm missing something. I thought it was totally awesome. Was trying to decide which I liked better - that or New Texas Giant - and IR came out slightly ahead b/c of the barrel roll. Disappointed to see that Coney Island Cyclone - one of my all-time favorites - no. 100 last week, has been supplanted by Great Bear.

Imagineer Josh said:

This is how I would rank all the RMCs...

I want to be able to rank *all* the RMCs...

I assume IR isn't on the list because hasn't hit the threshold for experienced people voting. According to the current algorithm that threshold is around 34 or 35 votes.

I think IR is at the bottom of RMCs. I've yet to do Medusa, joker, cyclone, or wildfire, but the rest, all great, I've done, and IR is at the bottom. Still better than a lot of other coasters though.

...Iron Rattler is #3!

RMC! RMC!

Impressive debut.

There is no consensus that I've seen on which RMCs are the best - I've seen rankings from people who have ridden all or most of them that vary wildly - although most seem to put Lightning Rod at or near the top. I wonder if we're headed for a top 10 to 20 that's dominated by RMCs.

My top ten is dominated by RMC. Giant>Lightning Rod>Twisted Colossus>Storm Chaser>Goliath>Iron Rattler did me at this point. I should be getting Wiked Cyclone and hopefully Outlaw arum next year at least.

I only have 4 so far, but IR is not in the top half. NTG>Outlaw>IR>Joker. It's still a great ride and definitely the best in the park and I did give it 5 stars, but it ended with a whimper (the drop in the turn into the brakes).

It amazes me that NT(A?)G is almost always at the top of people's RMC list. RMCs are like movies, hard to top the original?

It's the longest (I think) and packed full of airtime. I have a feeling Cyclone may take my top spot tho.

Am I wrong in surmising that the Texas RMC's are the remakes that are closest in design to the original rides? NTG is missing the second pass around the lift, but otherwise it's the same footprint. That might stand to reason, since it was the first full scale remodel and most of the innovative elements we've seen from RMC are missing-as if they hadn't been invented yet. There's not a single outward banked airtime moment or an inversion. Yet it continues to rank high, and I know it's toward the top of the RMC's I've ridden.

Then you have IR, a ride that was of questionable quality in its original form, that also travels a little-altered layout. A saving grace is the 'return' of the spectacular first drop. The portion of the ride that rambles around the top of the cliff, which was always a Bad Idea, still seems like it may feel a little awkward even with a couple of RMC's more advanced elements. But apparently it's doing well on enthusiasts' lists. (I'll qualify my comments by saying that I've yet to ride Fiesta's coaster since the conversion.)

I have, what, five RMC's on my list? I'd put NTG and Outlaw Run in the top half, for sure, but my number one ride, without a doubt, is Lightning Rod. It's scary, thrilling fun, and even without inversions is everything a roller coaster should be. I'll never forget my night time rides on it. I'd reckon that once LR isn't so much of a tough one to catch and more enthusiasts get to experience it, that it will rank very high on our list of favorites.

Iron Rattler is one of the reasons I'd like to see a 4.5 star ranking added to the whole star rankings. Allow me to expound.

There are a lot of rides out there that are 4.5-star rides. The rides are better than most 4-star coasters but aren't good enough to be 5-stars. The issue is that when you're ranking these kinds of coasters you have to decide as to which end you think it's closer to. Iron Rattler, Goliath (Six Flags Great America version), Thunderbird, etc. are all coasters like this for me personally - they're all very fun coasters but don't deserve to be on the very top shelf.

I'm not advocating for half star rankings further down the list (i.e., 3.5-stars), but I think a 4.5-star ranking might present a more accurate picture as to how people feel about these good-but-not-great coasters. At the end of the day I think that many are only interested in the top 10 to 20 coasters anyway, and I'd bet the makeup of the top level coasters would look different with the introduction of a 4.5-star rating.

I see no need for any more than we have. If it's too complicated, people won't want to do it. (See Mitch's poll)

Yeah, I'm not interested in anything more granular. It's simple by design. We're not ranking stars, we're ranking broad categories. A 4 is "above average" and a 5 is "among the best roller coasters you've been on." I feel strongly that anything behind that is overthinking it for the purpose of averaging over a sample that's already a little on the small side.

ShaneDenmark said:

It amazes me that NT(A?)G is almost always at the top of people's RMC list. RMCs are like movies, hard to top the original?

Not sure it's really a "trend" - but Lightning Rod and NTAG are inversion-free, and seem to be the ones garnering the most accolades.

I will say this, I'm not an inversion fan, but the only two makers whose coasters I've lauded universally regardless of inversions are RMC and Anton. Because they know that rides with inversions aren't just about inversions.

As of October 3, Iron Rattler was not even in the top 100. And now it's no. 3? That's progress! Wonder what happened; maybe half the coaster enthusiasts who frequent this site went to Texas, lol.

It hit the minimum number of required riders. That's why it went on the list.

There's a minimum number of riders required for a coaster to show up in the list (can't remember what Jeff set it to). It was most likely just as highly ranked before it showed up in the top 100, but that one dude who just added it to his list caused it to show up.

Edit: yeah, what bigboy said.

It's not a set number... it's half of half of the most experienced riders, or something like that.