Thorpe Park 2015 Coaster?

[josht]

I'm going to predict that Thorpe Park will probably build another rollercoaster.

Build and never open, one step further than the smiler

 

[Nick]

The thing is, B&M's are always going to be a better investment for parks. They know what they're getting will be safe, reliable and will last for years and years. B&M have sticked with only a few designs, which means they're well practiced at building them, whilst Intamin build many very different types- wing coasters, pre-fab wooden coaster and water coasters to give some examples- so meaning they're less reliable when building them, and especially with new designs or systems. The general public do not tend to differentiate between different models, but can tell when there are huge heights, loops or high speeds, which both companies offer. Therefore, they don't really care, which is why B&M is the preferred choice for parks, in general.

Intamins, as well, have generally much faster pacing and transitions, which may be why people think they are more intense, when in fact, they are generally the same. For example, Intamin's have much faster transitions from an air-hill to a pull-out, which means the force is quicker upon the rider, and will feel more forceful. Intamin's being rougher also contributes, as well as the trains. As B&M trains are heavier, then the layout needs to be taken slower to not make the difference in seats too noticeable- such as ridiculous air-time in the back seat over a hill.

Just reading over the post, there's not much that's really relevant at all, but it was fun to write, I guess.

 

[Alastair]

I just hope they don't get the B&M 4D, let's hope Walter's saving that one up for Towers!

 

[CGM]

Intamins, as well, have generally much faster pacing and transitions, which may be why people think they are more intense, when in fact, they are generally the same. For example, Intamin's have much faster transitions from an air-hill to a pull-out, which means the force is quicker upon the rider, and will feel more forceful.

I'm not sure what is meant by this really. Modern Intamins are clearly more intense than their B&M equivalents for all the reasons you list above. So I'm not sure how you can say that and then claim that B&Ms and Intamins have the same intensity if that is what you're saying.

Where I stand on the matter is that B&M are the better engineers but Intamin make the better coasters. We know that B&M are a safer bet and a more sensible long term investment for any park. However, when Intamin are on form, their coasters eclipse anything else in terms of sheer thrill. It's true that they do make errors but I've always been impressed by the way in most cases, they work with the park to fix the problem and that this doesn't seem to put them off trying new ideas in the future.

There seems to be a lot of resentment towards Intamin for some reason. I think some of it's to do with the fact that we don't really have a good example of an Intamin coaster in the UK. If we did, I reckon that even some of the most die hard B&M fans could be swayed if they knew what Intamin are really capable of.

So in short, I would prefer Thorpe to build a really good Intamin coaster (Skyrush style airtime machine please!) but I wouldn't be at all unhappy with a B&M as they are still capable of great coasters.

 

[Bob]

There seems to be a lot of resentment towards Intamin for some reason. I think some of it's to do with the fact that we don't really have a good example of an Intamin coaster in the UK. If we did, I reckon that even some of the most die hard B&M fans could be swayed if they knew what Intamin are really capable of.

So in short, I would prefer Thorpe to build a really good Intamin coaster (Skyrush style airtime machine please!) but I wouldn't be at all unhappy with a B&M as they are still capable of great coasters.

I'd go with an Intamin for Thorpe. I don't think a B&M, even a B&M mega coaster would suit Thorpe in the way a ride like Piraten would. This is against my better judgement of course as a B&M would work reliably, would have less faffing around in loading procedures and would get through much more people per hour then an Intamin equivalent. That is where the decision may be made if we were ever to get a ride from one of those two manufacturers.

 

[Nick]

They feel like they have different intensities, but in terms of actual G-force, they are similar. A B&M hyper has a higher negative G-force at the crest of the hill, so on the pull-out, it's less of a difference, compared with the much higher negative G-forces on Intamins (often 1G lower). Therefore, to reach a standard 3.5G pull-out, the Intamin needs to increase by a whole 1G more, in the same amount- sometimes even quicker- time, therefore making it appear more forceful. The intensity is still the same, though.

 

[CGM]

They feel like they have different intensities, but in terms of actual G-force, they are similar. A B&M hyper has a higher negative G-force at the crest of the hill, so on the pull-out, it's less of a difference, compared with the much higher negative G-forces on Intamins (often 1G lower). Therefore, to reach a standard 3.5G pull-out, the Intamin needs to increase by a whole 1G more, in the same amount- sometimes even quicker- time, therefore making it appear more forceful. The intensity is still the same, though.

But intensity is not a quantifiable thing, it's entirely perceived. If something feels more intense, it is more intense. It's not just a term for how much positive G a coaster exerts on its riders.

Besides, there's so many more factors than simply the maximum force exerted on the rider that determines how forceful something feels. There's the time that the force is sustained for and there's the rate of onset as you mentioned. For example, Rita technically pulls higher positive Gs than Nemesis but it doesn't feel like it.

 

[Nick]

But I'm on my phone, it takes too long to write everything I want to.