Year 12 Roller Coaster Design Project

People like a fast paced ride which is thrilling right until the brake run. In a film, the best bit is saved for last, the grand finale, but in a roller coaster, the big section is often at the start, when the coaster has the most speed, which is the OPPOSITE to how it should be. Nemesis is a good example (Alton Towers, UK) The top speed is just before the loop, halfway through the ride, and there is a final corkscrew hidden behind some foliage, which is exciting and whips you round for the grand finale! It is NEVER boring, and the force, speed and intensitity is kept up the whole way round. Also, theming is absloutely nessesary. The ride should use the same film effects used in movies (fog, build up, etc.). However, instead of being merely a narrator watching a film, you are PART of that adventure, you are in the experience. The ride mechanism should not stand out any more than your seat in a cinema, because that is simply what takes you around. The effects and theming should be the main feature and most obvious thing. I hope this helps!

Just realized this was a post in the European forum. Doh! Still applicable though.

Until I got older, I never realized how much I love the traditional lift hill, as opposed to launches or other gimmicks, although I still have a strong heart for any type of launch, especially those by Premier -- Jokers Jinx was my first real coaster with inversions that got me into this hobby.

For me, a ride has to have speed after the first drop and/or launch. I like inversions, but they have to subtle. I am not a fan of ones that jerk you or make their presence. To me, it's all about the smooth sailing after the first drop or launch. It's why I think I like the spaghetti bowls. You can tell you're in an inversion but it's serene.

Airtime hills are nice, if they are done well. I prefer ejector over floater, so a good airtime hill after the first drop is always a plus, if not a standard.

I'm not a big fan of mid-course breakruns except for those on floorless coasters -- I love the feeling of that small drop after it.

I'm also a big fan of theming as well -- I rode Space Mountain for the first time last summer and was mesmerized by the whole experience. Not so much Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I thought it was lame, even with theming. Theming is also why I love Volcano so much. The dual launch into the dark structure never gets old for me.

Some of my favorite coasters that incorporate some or all of these elements are Volcano at KD, Superman at SFA, Flight of Fear at KD, Millennium Force at CP, Skyrush at HP, and Griffon at BGW.

* This post was modified at 9/3/13 9:58:37 AM *