Superman: Ride of Steel... 2?

[Crazycoaster]

^ Doesnt it still have a Superman theme? Just more.. Lex Luther-ee?

 

[Naemuti]

^ Doesnt it still have a Superman theme? Just more.. Lex Luther-ee?

Well, you know what I meant. Superman HIMSELF, not Lex Luthor.

 

[Hyde]

Because the roller coaster had a piss poor excuse for adequate restraints on the flagship attraction in the park, limiting the amount of people who are able to ride it. I can also garuntee you that because of the restrictive nature of the design, that it slowed down dispatch intervals significantly. Because of this capacity is reduced, resulting in complaints about long queues (refer to ECG's post as evidence). The extra stuff added to the revamp of the ride is there to give justification to the expenditure, much like X2 was for Magic Mountain. Rather than spending cash on something that isn't going to make the park a dollar in profit, they chose to use the opertunity to reinvent the attraction, in hopes of seeing another honeymoon period out of it.

So regardless of them reinventing anything, from an operational standpoint it was something that was needed. The previous restraint design was virtually a bandaid put on a problem that needed the time and care they're giving it now. It's not always about the aesthetics in projects like this, but more-so improving how the ride runs from an operational perspective. For a roller coaster that lacks a midcourse block, hitting dispatch intervals is extremely important to maintain capacity. Think about that...

I was not addressing the replacement of the trains, I was addressing the aesthetic side of this dumb-founded project.

As an amusement park operator your first and foremost job is to ensure every ride is running at the best capacity possible.

The current restraints stink to high heavens, so yes, new trains are a much needed addition.

What I question is the new paint job, on board speakers, and all the other bells and whistles that are being dropped in.

What's the point?

Superman: RoS wins every enthusiast poll, hell it even won first place in the steel category for the dumb-founded 2008 Golden Ticket Awards

So why the hell do you drop more money into retheming a ride that is already at the top of its game?

Re-themes can be great and have the potential to breath new life into a ride, but Superman doesn't need that.

This project is almost as pointless as giving Michael Schumacher advice on how to drive in a race.

This is a horribly timed renovation and a waste of money.

Replacing the trains I agree with. Improving aesthetics on an already 1st class steel coaster. No.

 

[MouseAT]

So why the hell do you drop more money into retheming a ride that is already at the top of its game?

It gives marketing something new to shout about, and brings more suckers through the gates to ride the "new, improved" version of the ride.

Which is precisely why this annoys me. It's being done because it's marketable, not because it's a good idea.

 

[Snoo]

Well.. Mouse.. you do realize this has EVERYTHING to do with money right? Who cares if it is a good idea to enthusiasts.. if it brings in more money, it was a great idea.

 

[MouseAT]

Yeah, I appreciate that my use of the word "good" was somewhat ambiguous. From the Six Flags' bean counters' point of view, it's probably a great move. In my mind, from a ride experience point of view, not so much.

I don't like the new colour scheme. The purple could work if everything was re-coloured with a suitably complimentary colour scheme, but with dark blue supports and trains that are the same purple colour as the track... nah, I'm not a fan.

Effects may or may not work, but mist fogs up my sunglasses, and if the effects aren't well placed and thought out, they'll just seem really random and out of place.

Onboard audio on a coaster like Superman strikes me as a really bad plan. Superman is great because of the forces - it's a ride that boils the experience down to the basics, but executes those basics amazingly well. The last thing I want is music blaring in my ears all the way around. When I rode, I was enjoying the view on the way up the lift, then enjoying the sensation all the way around the ride. In my mind, anything that distracts from what the ride itself is doing is a bad idea.

I'm getting a bit tired of potentially decent rides being compromised by stupid yet marketable gimmicks.

 

[Snoo]

You know.. you say all this.. but you haven't been on a coaster which all of these effects have worked to great success.. X2.

I thought they were a pathetic gimmick.. which didn't do anything to the ride.. but all of the above can change the atmosphere, the tension, the feeling (not forces) of riding the ride.

And.. funny thing.. all of those 'gimmicks' which worked on X2 are still working.. much to the surprise of even SFMM Fanboys.

Don't downplay this as foolish, even from an enthusiast standpoint, just yet. Let some people ride it first.

 

[Mike T]

Because the roller coaster had a piss poor excuse for adequate restraints on the flagship attraction in the park, limiting the amount of people who are able to ride it. I can also garuntee you that because of the restrictive nature of the design, that it slowed down dispatch intervals significantly. Because of this capacity is reduced, resulting in complaints about long queues (refer to ECG's post as evidence). The extra stuff added to the revamp of the ride is there to give justification to the expenditure, much like X2 was for Magic Mountain. Rather than spending cash on something that isn't going to make the park a dollar in profit, they chose to use the opertunity to reinvent the attraction, in hopes of seeing another honeymoon period out of it.

So regardless of them reinventing anything, from an operational standpoint it was something that was needed. The previous restraint design was virtually a bandaid put on a problem that needed the time and care they're giving it now. It's not always about the aesthetics in projects like this, but more-so improving how the ride runs from an operational perspective. For a roller coaster that lacks a midcourse block, hitting dispatch intervals is extremely important to maintain capacity. Think about that...

I was not addressing the replacement of the trains, I was addressing the aesthetic side of this dumb-founded project.

As an amusement park operator your first and foremost job is to ensure every ride is running at the best capacity possible.

The current restraints stink to high heavens, so yes, new trains are a much needed addition.

What I question is the new paint job, on board speakers, and all the other bells and whistles that are being dropped in.

What's the point?

Superman: RoS wins every enthusiast poll, hell it even won first place in the steel category for the dumb-founded 2008 Golden Ticket Awards

So why the hell do you drop more money into retheming a ride that is already at the top of its game?

Re-themes can be great and have the potential to breath new life into a ride, but Superman doesn't need that.

This project is almost as pointless as giving Michael Schumacher advice on how to drive in a race.

This is a horribly timed renovation and a waste of money.

Replacing the trains I agree with. Improving aesthetics on an already 1st class steel coaster. No.

Am I talking to a wall or did you completely miss the point of my post? The extra stuff gives them a way to find ROI (Return of Investment) on this project. Although from a marketing standpoint the idea is to completely rechange the ride to make it more exciting, the actual motive is to improve the operations of it. The Fire, the paint, the theme, the music is all an effort to give Superman another honeymoon period... IE: a period of time where park attendance projections are higher due to the premier of a new attraction. It's a smart business decision. Six Flags is making profit over something as miniscule as a ride upgrade.

 

[Thom25]

^ Mike, consider the source and move on. You are absolutely right - SFNE is my home park, and you know damn straight I'll be there for the opening and probably multiple times over the course of the Summer. I LOVE RoS, it's my #1 coaster of 459 riden and had pretty much stopped going to SFNE - the restraints they've been using over the last few seasons BLOW. I have no problem fitting into the ride at 160 lbs, and it was still uncomfortable as HELL. I love the ride, love fire, and with new trains with music - priceless - can not wait.

Pieman, Your top 3 are VERY close to mine and suspect you've never been to Cedar Point - GO !! Based on your top 3, I can assure you that you won't be disapointed with Maverick, TTD, MF, Magnum, and even Gemini.

 

[Naemuti]

^ Mike, consider the source and move on. You are absolutely right - SFNE is my home park, and you know damn straight I'll be there for the opening and probably multiple times over the course of the Summer. I LOVE RoS, it's my #1 coaster of 459 riden and had pretty much stopped going to SFNE - the restraints they've been using over the last few seasons BLOW. I have no problem fitting into the ride at 160 lbs, and it was still uncomfortable as HELL. I love the ride, love fire, and with new trains with music - priceless - can not wait.

Pieman, Your top 3 are VERY close to mine and suspect you've never been to Cedar Point - GO !! Based on your top 3, I can assure you that you won't be disapointed with Maverick, TTD, MF, Magnum, and even Gemini.

Ah, but the problem is not that I don't want to go; the problem is that I do not have a license/car or parents willing to transport me. I might convince them to go this summer, not sure.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm hopefully going to SFNE this summer and getting to ride this ride, and I'm excited for the new trains that won't have those ankle restraints. I'm not a big fan of the purple simply because when you think "Superman" you don't think purple, you think red and blue and it looks kind of weird with the blue supports. As for the onboard audio, I really don't care because I hardly notice it at all...even on the Rock'n'Roller Coaster the second I got off I couldn't remember what song had been playing.

 

[Uncle Arly]

So, are the blue supports staying?

 

[Thom25]

Pieman, I understand and figured it out that it wasn't you - no worries - you'll be old enough to go on your own soon enough. If you're trying to sell the folks, sugest staying at Lighthouse Point - nice cabins - outdoor deck and grill on the water - and they can walk around or go to the beach while you ride the best coasters on the planet. We're trying to get there in May (hopefully). Let us know what you think of the new RoS.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I honestly believe that everyone who works in the creative departments at SF are colour blind. Or maybe just blind in general.

 

[Snoo]

Why is that Joey? Not a fan of the color?

 

[Hyde]

The extra stuff gives them a way to find ROI (Return of Investment) on this project.

of course it gives them a way to find a better rate of return. Every business decision is always for a better rate of return.

Although from a marketing standpoint the idea is to completely rechange the ride to make it more exciting

To which I ask, why pour more money into unnecessary effects when you literally already have THE best steel coaster in the world?

the actual motive is to improve the operations of it.

Yes, which is why I said the replacement trains are a much needed addition. The other froofy effects have no bearing on operation.

The Fire, the paint, the theme, the music is all an effort to give Superman another honeymoon period... IE: a period of time where park attendance projections are higher due to the premier of a new attraction.

Will the general public view it as a new ride or simply just the same ride?

If they side with the later, that is money poorly spent on new special effects.

It's a smart business decision.

As you can tell, I'm not so convinced.

Upgrade the trains, great. But the aesthetic stuff, is it really necessary, especially for such a highly rated coaster?

 

[Snoo]

To which I ask, why pour more money into unnecessary effects when you literally already have THE best steel coaster in the world?

To get more people through the turnstiles, plain and simple. And.. while the coaster is one of the best in the world, many things about it could have been improved.. including the restraints, theming, and paintjob.

Yes, which is why I said the replacement trains are a much needed addition. The other froofy effects have no bearing on operation.

The rest are simply, as I noted before, another way to add an overall feeling of theme to the ride. If you've been on it before.. aside from the station and queue.. theme was basically non-existent. Nothing wrong with improving it.

Will the general public view it as a new ride or simply just the same ride?

If they side with the later, that is money poorly spent on new special effects.

I think it will tend to be 50/50.. but I do think most will agree it will improve the ride (maybe not in the RIDE ride.. but in all other aspects.) Asking a few people who had ridden (the GP) X2 before and after, they said it was drastically different. The ride was basically the same, but the whole AREA was different.. therefore, making the investment worthwhile.

Upgrade the trains, great. But the aesthetic stuff, is it really necessary, especially for such a highly rated coaster?

No.. but tbh, I don't think theming is necessary at all. BUT, from a business perspective, if it gets positive people through the turnstiles, that is all that matters. THAT is why it is a good business decision.

 

[furie]

I honestly believe that everyone who works in the creative departments at SF are colour blind. Or maybe just blind in general.

That'll teach them for hiring colour-advice-company_furie!

 

[Naemuti]

If the answer is no, then let me tell you - as others have done in this topic so far - that S:RoS was, in the past couple of seasons, no where near the coaster it once was. It was getting rough, the restraints were awful, and the ride just needed a good overhaul.

I don't care much about the fire effects and all that stuff, but the new trains are more than welcome. And I'm sure fresh paint won't hurt the tracks at all.

I actually completely 100% agree with this. While the fire and music are stupid, Superman was getting more pink every time I rode it, and so were my balls and shins from being smashed into the t-bar and shin pads repeatedly. The air time is only fun when it doesn't put you in pain at the same time.

It's like Six Flags forgot the ride was built in 2000 and just let it sit there, getting old.

 

[Hyde]

Matt, I think you need to lay off. Isn't this coming from someone who's home park decided to do a massive skimp job on their last major coaster's theme...?

Less a massive skimp job, more an unbuilt tunnel and failed fog effect.

Regardless, I am with you on the replacement trains. No, I haven't ridden RoS, but I have heard the negativity surrounding its trains. The trains will be well received.

I just believe the effects are an unnecessary expenditure.