SFGAdv Media Announcement Sneak Peak?

Is it possible that Intamin have fixed the launch technology now? This is, after all, the fourth rocket coaster; maybe they've gotten it right?
-R

They have yet to correct all the problems with Dragster, how do they expect to go higher and faster without having more problems? If they have modified their launch system at all, I seriously hope that they have something that shields the public from where the cable is exposed because when that thing snaps it can kill someone...

Cedar Point is just tempting fate with an many times as theirs has snapped. Sooner or later their luck will run out, and it will snap with an employee back in the area right in front of the hydraulic building.

*** Edited 9/20/2004 6:41:32 PM UTC by CPgenius***

Ok, first off the Shockwave/Magnum and Raging Bull/Millennium are pointless comparisons because they're not the same ride. That's like saying when Ford comes out with a new F-150 they're copying Acura's NSX because they both have motors and wheels. The rest of your comparisons are legit except for one thing;

How many nationwide stories were run about TTD? I saw them for months after opening, as far away as California. Many people from all around the country know about the ride. They may not always know where it is, or what it's called, but they remember it exists.

Now, fast forward 2 years. That same person who saw a coaster that just went up and down and was over 400' and went over 100 mph (the only important things to them) sees a story about another coaster that's over 400' and over 100 mph being built (if it even gets that much media attention). What does that person think? Oh, it's just a repeat of the other one. In their eyes, CP's the innovator, GAdv is the runner up, even if they do one-up the height and speed.

The silliest thing I've read in a long time ... well ok, not so long, lest we forget RAZORE! ... is that you apparently believe that CP only built those rides to play catch-up with SFGAm? I don't know about you, but I know a lot more non-coaster-types across the country that know CP exists and have no idea that SFGAm exists ...

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Kris Wempa said:
Heck, even S:UF had loads of downtime and that's a near clone of the SFoG ride and it's a B&M too.

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Not sure which GAdv. you've been going to, but S:UF has been running extremely well all 9 times I've been to the park this year. The line may be long, and the ride may go down for brief periods (though I haven't seen it go down myself all summer), but I would *hardly* call it loads of downtime.

I've been there one day this year and it was down all day. Sorry man, just being devil's advocate ;)

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ApolloAndy said:

Not sure which GAdv. you've been going to, but S:UF has been running extremely well all 9 times I've been to the park this year. The line may be long, and the ride may go down for brief periods (though I haven't seen it go down myself all summer), but I would *hardly* call it loads of downtime.

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I had a season pass last year, which was S:UF's first year there. On the opening day, it got stuck on the lift hill in the late afternoon and remained closed the day after that. I returned to the park with my brother and it broke down twice while we were in line. Out of all the remaining times, I went to the park that year, only ONCE did it NOT have any problems. I also went once this year, and it AGAIN had maintenance issues while I was in line. From talking to other people who got season passes this year, they said that it's been having those same problems all year. So, my point is that if SFGAdv has problems keeping this ride running efficiently, how well do you think it's going to keep a TTD type rocket coaster running ?

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Impulse-ive said:
1) Ok, first off the Shockwave/Magnum and Raging Bull/Millennium are pointless comparisons because they're not the same ride.

2) The silliest thing I've read in a long time ... well ok, not so long, lest we forget RAZORE! ... is that you apparently believe that CP only built those rides to play catch-up with SFGAm? I don't know about you, but I know a lot more non-coaster-types across the country that know CP exists and have no idea that SFGAm exists ...

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1) Shockwave was built as the tallest coaster in the world in 1988 and Magnum took that record in 1989. Both are Arrows. Raging Bull, while not a record-breaker to my knowledge, was built as the tallest coaster in the park, included tunnels, built for good capacity, and was more of a twister layout. So was MF, but it went for the record of tallest in the world. This happening six or even *four* times seems a lot more like "catch-up" than Great Adventure, a park not only not in the same region but also with attendance figures already similar and sometimes more than CP, *seemingly* doing it a time or two.

2) Why is it so silly to believe that, especially when they both can draw from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio/the same region? It doesn't matter who CP is grabbing from Maine or Montana or Mexico. If CP had seen increases in attendance from GAm and had heard about what they were adding and figured they knew what they were doing, why wouldn't they look into getting a similar but bigger ride, especially if they could steal people from that region that liked GAm's ride but saw something else at CP as bigger and better?

I'm not saying you're wrong or I'm right in what people at CP or GAdv are thinking, but I think mine is a bit less silly. What you said makes sense, but if GAdv *looks* like they're doing something once, why not account for what it *looks* like CP has done with respect for GAm so many times before?

+Danny *** Edited 9/20/2004 7:43:29 PM UTC by +Danny***

It puzzles me how this coaster with a shorter track length could top TTD. Did Intamin somehow develop an upgraded method of propulsion or they are just way in over their heads? I am hoping for the best, and prepared 3+ hour wait times for this ride. Anyway, it wont stop me from going to Cedar Point next year.

^Maybe it's possible the rides length is longer than what they released at the board meeting. Always leave room for things changing.

JC

ok 2 things

1. There is no bigger statement that you can say about a ride to a non enthusiast but huge rollercoaster fan than It's the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. So here is what happens. Gadv's attendance will sky rocket next summer with all those people going to the park with their families. But will find the ride not open and the most ridiculous employess and all the rides shut down. They will experience Tragic Mountain on the east coast and in the summer of 2006 Gadv will turn into the tragic mountain of the East. Attendance will drop and never come back.

2. I wonder what Stan Chezettes( however its spelled) thinks about this. didn't he say he would get back the record for tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the world.

IMHO spending the money on this coaster when you have a huge debt, sagging attendence, and poor customer service is like discovering your boat has a leak and spending the money you would have used to fix the leak on a new motor.

Wow, I really can't believe how many people are looking and possibly even *want* Six Flags to fail.

Several of their parks have already proven that adding nothing doesn't help attendance and may even be a reason that leads to the park's end. See- Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Especially with the competition from Hershey and Dorney, what else could Great Adventure do right now to make their mark? It's not like they can add a Rockin' Tug and expect attendance to soar. Not that I expect this to make their attendance shoot up either.

I think the waterpark for Great America is an extremely smart decision if what has happened with attendance for PKI, HW, Silverwood, Wild Adventures, etc. says anything.

+Danny
Music: Failure's Not Flattering- NFG *** Edited 9/20/2004 8:27:24 PM UTC by +Danny***

I don't want them to fail. It's my opinion that they are not spending their money wisely.

More like finding a leak, buying a new motor and tossing that new motor through the hull to make an even even bigger hole.

It's called myopia. I think it is in part due to panic. They would need a lot of time to fix their problems...perhaps their investors are tired of the crud (or at least the management thinks they are) and they are hoping for yet another quick fix.

They needed some vision long ago.

Aaaaand...even if building rides were a good quick fix, they probably could have built 4 nice woodies for whatever they are paying for this monster.

Wow, I can't believe how many people are looking or even *want* to find people that want Six Flags to fail so they can get on their case about it. And let's not even go to the ever popular liking-CP-makes-you-stupid angle to things.

Hey, you want one? You found one. I want Six Flags to fail. I want the company to go the route of the floppy disk. But note, I want the company, not the parks. I think the company knows very little to nothing about how to run amusement parks, I think they're wasting shareholder money, and need to fail so someone (be it new entity, existing entity, whatever) new can come in and right the ship before 75% of the SF parks become strip malls and housing developments.

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GIGAFORCE01 said:
2. I wonder what Stan Chezettes( however its spelled) thinks about this.

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That's Stan Cheez-Its. He worked for Keebler before getting into coasters.

Four nice woodies... now THERE'S a concept. Except I'm willing to bet the number is more like 5 or 6. Think about it- for the price that SF is spending on this Intamin monster at their most attended property, they could have built new wood coasters at SFGAdv, SFMM, SFOT, SFAW, SFGAm and SFNO and seen attendande increases at ALL of those parks. Money spent on 6 wood coasters instead of ONE steel behemoth is money well spent. The Intamin monster will cause enough problems to void out the extra money that is needed to care for a wood coaster in the long run.

Should SF build new wood coasters considering how they maintain their current ones? Now that is an argument within itself.

Who said anything about wanting to find people that want SF to fail? There can be a case if you're looking for one and you can read between lines and even insert your own lines like so.

Have you ever been to SFGAm, SFOG, SFOT, SFFT, or SFKK? I've heard/seen for myself that they are extremely well-run parks and I can't even say anything bad about my last trip to Great Adventure. Those are the parks that make SF worth it. They have the atmosphere, they build incredible thrill rides, they have plenty for families to do, they usually operate as many trains as possible or as many as the park needs, etc. The only case I'd like to make is that not all SF parks operate poorly and not all make bad decisions.

Who said that liking CP makes you stupid? Or smart for that matter? The only thing that liking CP does for you is makes you happier than not liking it... Unless you get some thrill out of hating it "because everyone else loves it".

+Danny
Music: Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't- Brand New

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Rob Ascough said:
1) Four nice woodies... now THERE'S a concept.

2) Should SF build new wood coasters considering how they maintain their current ones? Now that is an argument within itself.

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1) While I strongly agree with that, Paramount should have done the same when they build SOB and I *want* to say that would have been a better decision to get new woodies instead of TTD at CP, Valleyfair!, Dorney, and WOF than just the one big steelie at CP. I'm guessing attendance would have gone up 1 to 2% anyways at CP, maybe even more, so why not have attendance go up at some other parks too? I don't know many parks that make the perfect decision every time they add/do something, especially when enthusiasts are the judge. I know many who are aching for HW and Knoebels to add their next woodies *now*. ;)

2) Good point Rob, but then again, should *any* major chain (PP, CF, or SF) build new wood coasters when coasters like Mean Streak, Psyclone, Son of Beast, Wolverine Wildcat, Rolling Thunder, Grizzly-PGA, Raging Wolf Bobs, Twister II, Hurler-PKD, etc. are parts of their overall parks line-up?

+Danny