Whatever happened to "vertical" coasters?

I'm referring to rides like Oblivion with the (almost) vertical drop. I think that's the only one I have seen or heard of, and am wondering if there will ever be any more.

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My K'Nex Coasters (update soon)

Coming to Wyandot Lake in 2003: Sea Dragon's Revenge

B&M made a second, G5 in Taiwan. Vekoma has a tilt coaster with a vertical drop, Intamin and S&S both have coasters with 90* drops, and of course X has a near-verticle drop as well. I suspect you'll see more on the way ;-)

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N.U.T.S. - National Union of Thrill Seekers! Be a member and tell everyone you're NUTS! [Brought to you by the maker of LoCoSuMo! NOTE: NUTS is not a real club; void where prohibited; your mileage may vary; where's the beef?]

We don't want them, they are one trick poneys.

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Can we change the name of Top Gun to your mom so no one wants to ride your mom?

How can you make that assumption without riding one? Don't judge something until you ride it. Many rides which look like a one trick pony turn out to be more.

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- Peabody

Actually it is, it has one vertical drop and thats it. You don't have to ride it to see that. Power Tower is a one trick pony but people still like it. Just because it has one good element doesn't mean it sucks

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"The opposite of war isn't peace, its creation," Rent.

I love how everyone forgot to mention Deja Vu. There's three more with vertical drops. And it has two!

Jephry, there is more than just the drop, not much more, but there is more. :)

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- Peabody

Probably because parks realized there is nothing more to them besides a drop and a turn. Just as Teenage Ninja said, they're one trick ponies. Yes, Power Tower is a drop, but then again, it IS a drop ride. Coasters CAN have more than one drop and a turn but the vertical dive machines don't (yet) which is why they'll never become really popular.

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.:| Brandon Rodriguez |:.
http://www.coasters2k.com

ALso I think vertical coaster like HS XLC, Deja Vu and others are not reliable for a park because htey break down so often.

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-Sean Newman
83 coasters in Track Record!! Hypersonic XLC # 100 in July. Waiting for the 305 foot drop tower in 2003. Thank you PKD.

Yup, G5 + Oblivion = One Trick Ponies. I like that word... Pony.

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Why do they report power outages on TV?

But Oblivion is still one of my favourites, it may be just one drop but it's the best drop i've ever ridden.

Like I said, there is nothing wrong with a one trick pony. It probably has a really great drop.

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"The opposite of war isn't peace, its creation," Rent.

Hard to tell from the pics, so can anyone tell me if Shaft of Terror is a one trick pony?

Is it a requirement that because Oblivion is a one trick pony, that all future vertical coasters be too?

Teenage Ninja said:
We don't want them, they are one trick poneys.

Speak for yourself, YOU don't want them. From the mouths of several people who *have* ridden Oblivion, it is Alton's best coaster. The drop may be just that, but it's pretty damn impressive. Look at it this way... Xcelerator has a vertical drop and a couple of overbanked turns. Everyone loves it. Impulses, TA2K's, they all have the same deal, and everyone loves 'em. I'm told B&M's holding brake at the top of that vertical drop does wonders. I'm sure that if an American park installed a clone of Oblivion everybody would be happy. NEVER judge a book by its cover.

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Formally Known as Ozzyhead.

*** This post was edited by Ozzy on 6/25/2002. ***

The problem seems to be not that they are one trick ponies, but that they are expensive one trick ponies. Adding more elements to them will increase the price tag of these already expensive rides (I'm talking about B&M dive machines). If a park wants one, it will get one, simple as that.

As far as coasters going vertical, there has been several (all mentioned above) built in recent years and I see no reason why they'd stop now. As far as Shaft of Terror goes, from the pics I've seen it also appears to be just the one trick. But it does appear to do more than the dive machines, just nothing special after the first drop. I think it's drop also twists, so does that make 2 ponies, or just 1 big one (or maybe it's a 1 trick mule).

Personally I want to ride a vekoma Tilt Coater, now that looks scary and fun. Plus it definately is not a one trick coaster.