The X-Factor

I'm not having a go at any theme parks here, but I want to talk about the gap between what they actually build and what truly excites people.

I'd like to highlight this with two coasters:

1. The Alton Valley Woodie
2. The X-Sector Floorless

The second was fake. The first was, unbelievably, real. The Floorless aroused something I haven't seen in a long time - passion - as did the woodie!

There have been a lot of intense coasters built over the past few years, but I truly believe it's not just about thrills and excitement - it's about scale and ambition. That's what gets people excited - the feeling that a theme park is bringing them something special.

Now, I want to make clear all theme parks are bound by reality - cost, planning restrictions etc - but I just wanted to point out the huge gulf between people's true desires and the confines of reality.