Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Hi guys. If you surveyed a group of coaster enthusiasts, I'm sure that most would agree that we are currently at the zenith of all-time roller coaster design. With manufacturers growing ever more ambitious in their layout design, and cramming airtime and wacky angles into places they've never been crammed before, the current wave of new coasters that have been built in the last few years are arguably some of the most revered coasters ever built. Most seem to agree that the average quality of new coasters built is at its highest ever and still growing, with newer coasters generally being more highly rated than their older counterparts. However, the ever-progressing nature of coaster design does raise questions (for me, at least) about some of the elements being left in the past. I do wonder whether some of these elements being left behind may actually be somewhat sad losses for the industry, and whether some of these elements being left behind had elements of brilliance about them that a newer counterpart doesn't quite replicate. With that in mind, my question to you today is; are there any "old hat" coaster elements that you're sad to see going out of fashion?
I'll get the ball rolling with my answer.
Off the top of my head, I can name one, perhaps two.
The main one I think of is hydraulic launches. Yes, they aren't as flexible as LSMs. Yes, they aren't as reliable as LSMs. Yes, LSM technology can still create a good, punchy launch. However, I do think that a good hydraulic launch provides a raw thrill that no LSM technology can quite match, from my experience. Hydraulic launches have a certain euphoria and raw feeling of limitless acceleration to them that no LSM I've yet ridden has quite matched. Granted, some of the punchier LSM launches like Blue Fire's don't do badly at all, but there's just something rather magical about a good hydraulic launch that an LSM launch can't quite muster, in my view. I'll admit to being slightly sad that hydraulic launches were consigned to being a 2000s fad rather than something with longevity, and while I'm very excited to see what Cedar Point do with Top Thrill Dragster, I'll admit to being gutted that I was never able to experience it in its original hydraulic form, and slightly sad that its hydraulic launch is almost definitely a goner.
Another one I think of is arguably not "old hat" per se, as plenty of rides still utilise them, but I'd also argue that large, straight, sustained airtime hills (camelbacks) are going out of fashion somewhat, and it makes me a little sad. Don't get me wrong, the outerbanks and stalls and such often replacing them look sublime, and are undeniably more imaginative, but from my end, there is still something truly euphoric about a big, straight, sustained airtime hill. B&M Hyper Coasters still do them in large quantities, but they are built somewhat less often these days, and while hypers from the likes of Intamin and Mack do occasionally still have a big camelback or two in their layouts, big sustained camelbacks are far less prevalent within Intamin and Mack layouts than they were a decade or so ago, with all the fancy new twisty bits and inversions taking their place. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the new fluid age of coaster design, and I think that the new funky elements look absolutely sublime in their own right. Nevertheless, I still think that a good old-fashioned big sustained camelback delivers a truly sublime sensation, and it does make me sad to see that the hyper layouts and such full to the brim with straight camelbacks appear to be dying out somewhat, or at very least decreasing in prevalence when it comes to new build rides.
But are there any "old hat" coaster elements that you are sad to see going out of fashion as coaster design progresses?
I'll get the ball rolling with my answer.
Off the top of my head, I can name one, perhaps two.
The main one I think of is hydraulic launches. Yes, they aren't as flexible as LSMs. Yes, they aren't as reliable as LSMs. Yes, LSM technology can still create a good, punchy launch. However, I do think that a good hydraulic launch provides a raw thrill that no LSM technology can quite match, from my experience. Hydraulic launches have a certain euphoria and raw feeling of limitless acceleration to them that no LSM I've yet ridden has quite matched. Granted, some of the punchier LSM launches like Blue Fire's don't do badly at all, but there's just something rather magical about a good hydraulic launch that an LSM launch can't quite muster, in my view. I'll admit to being slightly sad that hydraulic launches were consigned to being a 2000s fad rather than something with longevity, and while I'm very excited to see what Cedar Point do with Top Thrill Dragster, I'll admit to being gutted that I was never able to experience it in its original hydraulic form, and slightly sad that its hydraulic launch is almost definitely a goner.
Another one I think of is arguably not "old hat" per se, as plenty of rides still utilise them, but I'd also argue that large, straight, sustained airtime hills (camelbacks) are going out of fashion somewhat, and it makes me a little sad. Don't get me wrong, the outerbanks and stalls and such often replacing them look sublime, and are undeniably more imaginative, but from my end, there is still something truly euphoric about a big, straight, sustained airtime hill. B&M Hyper Coasters still do them in large quantities, but they are built somewhat less often these days, and while hypers from the likes of Intamin and Mack do occasionally still have a big camelback or two in their layouts, big sustained camelbacks are far less prevalent within Intamin and Mack layouts than they were a decade or so ago, with all the fancy new twisty bits and inversions taking their place. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the new fluid age of coaster design, and I think that the new funky elements look absolutely sublime in their own right. Nevertheless, I still think that a good old-fashioned big sustained camelback delivers a truly sublime sensation, and it does make me sad to see that the hyper layouts and such full to the brim with straight camelbacks appear to be dying out somewhat, or at very least decreasing in prevalence when it comes to new build rides.
But are there any "old hat" coaster elements that you are sad to see going out of fashion as coaster design progresses?
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