Mitch Hawker Polls 2008 - Full Results In

[Mike]

Seriously, how can there be that much difference between the two?

X has recently had a lot of improvements, including new track segments (I think), new trains, a new sound system and general improvements to it's looks, whereas Eejanaika hasn't?
Fuji Q is quite well known for having lousy operations, which normally detract greatly from the whole experience of a ride?
S&S had Meisho as a subcontractor for Eejanaika, who are known for making some pretty shocking rides?

Other than these, I can't see too much difference though...

 

[trav]

Seriously, how can there be that much difference between the two?

X has recently had a lot of improvements, including new track segments (I think), new trains, a new sound system and general improvements to it's looks, whereas Eejanaika hasn't?
Fuji Q is quite well known for having lousy operations, which normally detract greatly from the whole experience of a ride?
S&S had Meisho as a subcontractor for Eejanaika, who are known for making some pretty shocking rides?

Other than these, I can't see too much difference though...

So basically, you're saying roughness can detract from a coaster that much?

I'm not buying it. Look at Furius Baco, and how rough that is. A respectable 76th place. Look at how Eejanaika is rated on CF - all the ratings are above 5, which, compared to a 0.2 rating on Mitch Hawker, tells me that something isn't really quite right.

You also say X2 has been renovated to look a lot nicer...but wait...hasn't it got the same colours as Eejanaika now? The trains might make a bit of difference, but again, 200+ places?

And how do lousy operations effect the coaster it's self at all? I think that's a pathetic reason to mark something down for. That is not part of the coaster, so why include that? That's like saying that you don't like a cake you bought because you had to queue in the supermarket for it.
I'm not intentionally having a go at TPR, I'm just saying the poll is blatantly influenced by them, which you can not disagree with.

 

[Snoo]

So basically, you're saying roughness can detract from a coaster that much?

Actually.. yes. Roughness on many rides I've rated have dropped significantly because they were rougher then a similar ride you just can't help but rate it against. Just look at Kingda Ka for example. I would have rated that bad boy much higher had I not gotten a headache in the last row.

As for everything else you said.. agreed to the fullest.

 

[Mike]

And how do lousy operations effect the coaster it's self at all?

I never rank coasters for just the coaster, but for the overall experience of a ride.
If you go on a ride where the operators are just intent on texting on their mobile phones, whilst stapling you in your seat (eg- Kings Dominion) and sending off a train every 20 minutes or so, then you are going to have a worse time than if the operators interact with you, send off trains in no time at all and make you generally have a good time (eg- Lake Compounce and Knoebels)

So basically, you're saying roughness can detract from a coaster that much?

Hell YES!

 

[Snoo]

^Now doing that is just plain retarded. Overall experience should include theme, not jack off ride ops. Who knows if you just hit a bad day to a bunch of people who didn't want to cater to someone like yourself... ie coaster nerd? That can take away from how good the actual coaster is..

But.. how could we forget.. no one cares about your opinion.

 

[Naemuti]

^Now doing that is just plain retarded. Overall experience should include theme, not jack off ride ops. Who knows if you just hit a bad day to a bunch of people who didn't want to cater to someone like yourself... ie coaster nerd? That can take away from how good the actual coaster is..

But.. how could we forget.. no one cares about your opinion.

I agree with this. The ride ops on the Coney Island Cyclone are horrible. It's on a street corner in a ****ty part of New York. The ops smoke in your face, don't pay attention half the time, and dress horribly. But I still love the ride. Bad ops might make me rate the park's OPERATION lower, but not the ride itself.

 

[Mike]

Overall experience should include theme

Seeing as it was a quote about operations, why the **** should I be talking about theming? :roll:

 

[Snoo]

I guess you are the retarded one and not your opinion.

I said.. doing what you do is 'just plain retarded'.. and said the 'overall experience' should include themeing... implying that you should include THEMEING and not RIDE OPS in your opinion if you are going that route.

Or what Pieman just said? Hmm..

Maybe you should just go put your helmet back on.

 

[Mike]

I can't be ****ed anymore in this conversation.
Whatever I reply with, you're just going to attempt to use it against me in your usual bigheaded, arrogant way, and how you can call anybody a retard due to their way in voting on an online roller coaster opinion poll is well beyond me.

Obviously, you will now do what you always do and start boasting in one way of another...

:roll:

 

[Snoo]

Nah.. I wasn't complaining about your voting.. as we need as many as we can voting in that poll.. especially someone who has ridden quite a few coasters like yourself.. more so about your retarded opinion.

That is all I complained about in the first place, then you fail to understand it even after I call you out and Pieman explains it even better.

Then you reply, in your normal annoying, ignorant way.. in a vain attempt to make me look stupid for calling you out.

Jesus Mike.. get a grip.

And you know what Mike.. I didn't have a problem with you until I became that 'black friend' of UC's.. then the fun started.

 

[ECG]

Well it's pretty obvious that ride ops don't affect the poll, otherwise S:RoS at SFA wouldn't be just a dozen or so spots behind RoS at Darien Lake. Lord knows there's a whole world of difference in the ride ops of those two parks. And it doesn't matter what kind of day you happen to be at SFA, the ops are either going to be bad or they're going to be awful.
I wouldn't necessarily knock the ride ops at Kings Dominion either, as I've was there on five different occasions this year and have yet to experience anything resembling bad ops. On the other hand, the ride ops running Montu the morning of the first day I was at BGA were the worst I've seen anywhere (safety ops chatting with each other in front of guests still locked in their seats wanting to exit the ride & the booth operator texting for so long that I had to knock on the window to get her attention that the train had been ready for dispatch for over 10 minutes), but when I went back that afternoon and three days later the ops were fine. I'd never give the coaster a lower rating because of what I saw that one particular morning.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

And I'm still not buying into people just blaming the TPR trips for any results they don't agree with. If it was that big a factor, Superman wouldn't have been at number one and Boulder Dash would have been above Toro...

Because, not to be rude, but most TPR members don't have minds of their own and are all followers of one another, which is one of the reasons I don't like that website. One person on that site doesn't like a ride (cough, Rob) then everyone joins in, and considering I'm sure most of them take the coaster polls, their opinions influence it quite a bit, so blaming them is pretty justified.

 

[gavin]

^Actually, a lot of people didn't take the poll at all. T Express only had 14 votes. One of those was mine, which means that a maximum of 13 people from the TPR trip took the poll. That's, what, half of the people from the trip?

Anyway, we can't really "blame" anyone for the results. I'd say that, for the most part, there's nothing completely unexpected there. I personally disagree with a few of the placings (Phaethon, Steel Dragon 2000, Fujiyama), but you have to expect that. No poll is ever going to be perfect, but this one is definitely the best there is.

 

[Anonymous]

^ 10 (maybe 11 since one vote didn't have a name) of the 14 were on the TPR trip to Everland.

 

[Ben]

Because, not to be rude, but most TPR members don't have minds of their own and are all followers of one another, which is one of the reasons I don't like that website. One person on that site doesn't like a ride (cough, Rob) then everyone joins in, and considering I'm sure most of them take the coaster polls, their opinions influence it quite a bit, so blaming them is pretty justified.

To be fair, having actually done a trip, I can safely assure you I had NO ****ing clue what Robb thought about 99% of the rides.

I'd actually LOVE to see some evidence for this, instead of just bitchin'. Because until I see evidence, that's all this is.

 

[marc]

Most people on coaster sites give their opinions on rides, a lot of people on here for example go on about how good the Ultimate is. Well having rode it this year I can say it was way below what people said its not even in my top 10.

I do feel though people have voted for coaster that they have not even been on, it happens on polls so it can happen on the main poll. For me I think the poll it totally floored and just gives a rough idea what is the best and worst.

People also said how good Tatsu and Sheikra were and again I did not rate them. Yes for me they are the best of that type I have been on but again both are not in my top 10.

I liked EGF I dont think its the best coaster in the world but I had to vote it as my number one as its the best coaster I have been on just for the first drop and the speed of it, but I do like other coasters just as much but I can only vote one as my number one.

But for the coaster that won the best wooden I find strange as I did not think that many people had been on it. So I think people voted on this by word of mouth and POV's. I would not blame TPR for these results, I blame people if they are not being 100% honest on polls.

A good example is Black Mamba. On the live most of us said it was better than Nemesis, but how many people followed this up in the poll? TPR did not rate Black Mamba as high as Nemesis so its lower in the poll. They have over 1000 members so of course their votes are going to count for more, more votes changes things simple.

I mean look how many people are saying how great Saw is, its not even open yet lol.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

To be fair, having actually done a trip, I can safely assure you I had NO clue what Robb thought about 99% of the rides.

I'd actually LOVE to see some evidence for this, instead of just bitchin'. Because until I see evidence, that's all this is.

I didn't say ALL members, but the majority, yes. And, just go on the site, and that is evidence in itself.

 

[Ben]

No, Taylor, it isn't.

 

[marc]

I have to agree with Ben here, I have been on the site and all it says is vote it does not say anywhere what to vote for.

I have seen loads of examples of where people have not agreed with Robb, he dont like like X2 yet others love it, so you tell me where people are agreeing with him then. I am no TPR fan boy I just hate people saying things about people when there favorite thing does not win.

He gave an example of how to fill in the form, if people have just copied down what he put then that is not his fault.

 

[Lain]

This years results are alright, I think.

I'm a bit disappointed that Black Mamba is way down in 35th, though, as I personally rate it higher than EGF, Nemesis and Dragon Khan - all rides which feature in the top 10.

Ho-hum.