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Universal IoA | Jurassic World VelociCoaster | Intamin Blitz | 2021

Wait, testing footage "looks slow"...

Isn't it a running joke with enthusiasts that thats always the statement at this point? Has no one learnt yet?

There are a few things to bare in mind here. Firstly, in this periods of testing, they do alter the speed, they will start playing around with weighting the trains, testing forces and the impact on maintenance. Launching at the minimum and maximum power. Of all the coaster models out there, these are the ones you would most expect to run a little slower initially. The new gen Blitz coaster trains are fairly light weight too which means the addition of guests will make a big difference in speed (notice how they're not using water dummies for some reason =/). EDIT: Just rewatching the videos, there are dummies, I'm blind. Some are empty though?

Then the other thing worth looking at regarding the first half - you're only really seeing snippets of the high-points of that sections, which will naturally look a little slow in isolation.

And lastly, Taron as an example falls massively foul to needing to warm up, it's especially noticeable towards the end of each half in the morning. Weirdly I never felt this with Taiga, but I rode it during some really hot days. There's a reason night rides on Taron are so highly regarded. (also side note, I do agree Taiga is a superior coaster if you just base your opinion of ride hardware...although I rate Taron higher for overall experience). It is abit frustrating when a ride doesn't always run at it's best though, I have to admit that.
 
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bob_3_ said:
Wait, testing footage "looks slow"...

Isn't it a running joke with enthusiasts that thats always the statement at this point? Has no one learnt yet?
Click to expand...

I understand that the coaster is still testing and the so many variables that can account for speed. All I'm saying is that the pacing still looks slow after 100's of daily videos from Midway Mayhem.

Having not ridden Taron I can't comment on its intensities, but if you were to compare this to Maverick where each transition is super snappy. I do feel like this might be a tamer coaster for the Florida audience.

And yes I understand that Maverick is a different coaster when it comes to overall experience. I just think enthusiasts will always compare any Intamin Blitz coasters to each other, and on this occasion VelociCoaster looks tame compared to Maverick, which I'm sure everyone is using as a reference point (Or have I been out of the coaster game for too long)
 
I don’t know - whenever I looked at videos of Maverick, both on- and off-ride, I couldn’t work out why it was so hyped and rated. Sure it has an obvious airtime hill and the launches etc, but the profiling didn’t look remarkable. It was only riding it that I thought - this is an absolutely astonishingly well-designed coaster, the airtime is immense, the transitions are snappy and it’s a real joy to ride.

Point is, at the speed that Velocicoaster will go, some transitions are going to feel much faster than they look, especially with those fully loaded full-length trains. That quick flip to almost outer bank in the middle of the turn near Hogwarts for example. Not only that, but as you say coaster design has come on a bit, and some elements are now designed to be more drawn out to give sustained weightlessness - the stall is the obvious one. It’s definitely going to be an amazing, top-tier ride, even without the great theming and location.
 
I think that Velocicoaster could look slower in this footage because compared to rides like Taron and Maverick, it has a lot more large elements with a focus on things like hangtime and sustained sensations than those rides do. A ride like Taiga, as an example, has a similar focus on these types of elements, and that gets rave reviews from many who’ve ridden it; I’d also say that that coaster doesn’t look especially fast on POVs, personally. As such, I wouldn’t necessarily be too worried about how Velocicoaster compares to these other rides because slower pacing does not necessarily mean a weaker ride experience. Besides, I still think that Velocicoaster looks pretty damn fast from the testing footage I’ve seen!

From my perspective; I haven’t ridden that many coasters, so if I like it even anywhere near as much as I like Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (my current favourite multi-launch coaster), I’ll be happy.
 
Anyone having flashbacks to that weird-ass testing footage video of Storm Chaser, where the poster sped up the footage?

Personally not reading too much into pacing on this until we're closer to opening. Anyways, also bear in mind it's ~62F in Orlando right now; hotter temps will also help. :)
 
We also have to remember that the heartline of the ride is of greater value. This means that the seats are higher up above the track than with previous models. They're also further apart.

This means that the relative roll degree/second change can't be as fast on previous models such as I305 and Maverick. This means, an element could be experiencing the same forces, but appear to be slower.


Think about how on B&M wing riders the transitions can't be as fast. Same thing here, but on a much smaller scale.
 
I never read too much into testing footage.

I do have a question for the technical guys and girls out there. How advanced are launch systems on these rides in terms of calculating the required speed?

I remember reading how Universal and B&M spent a small fortune on the system on Dueling Dragons that weighed the trains before dispatch and would speed up or slow down the lifts so that the 2 coasters would get the best timings on their dueling moments.
While that isn't needed here does the controller for the LSM launch have the capacity to take data from things like wind speed and temperature to make sure the ride will complete its circuit at the desired velocity and/or not stall on the top hat.
 
As far as I know (please note that I am neither an engineer, nor working with rollercoasters or similar equipment) the LSM technology is pretty accurate. There are plenty of sensors scattered around the launch track, which not only allow a precise location of the train, but also a speed monitoring. Technically, you should even be able to (roughly) weigh the train, using the energy you are putting into it and comparing it with the speed gain.
the big advantage of LSM is, that it can adjust very easy and on the fly to different conditions. The train is filled with heavy people? The beginning of the launch might be weaker, but it will pull stronger at the end.

I don’t think That Velocicoaster will try to weight the trains though. Thanks to the LSMs, the speed will always be quite accurate, and in case that a train is slightly too fast, the can even slow it down with the trims up there. Still not sure what‘s exactly the plan with those. They might be used for a short stall, they could be used for trimming or they could even be used to give the train a small push. Neither Taiga nor iSpeed feature such trims at their Top Hat, so I doubt that those are purely meant for trimming.
 
oriolat2 said:
*Furius Baco's roll at 60 mph joined the chat*
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I haven't ridden either, but the roll rate is definitely slower, than per say: Helix's.

Helix - Liseberg (Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden)

Looking for statistics on the fastest, tallest or longest roller coasters? Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database.
rcdb.com


I'm not saying this ride will be as intense as I305, I'm just saying that the trains are larger, higher up off of the track, and therefore the geometry of the shaping is different.
 
Jcoasters said:
I haven't ridden either, but the roll rate is definitely slower, than per say: Helix's.

Helix - Liseberg (Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden)

Looking for statistics on the fastest, tallest or longest roller coasters? Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database.
rcdb.com


I'm not saying this ride will be as intense as I305, I'm just saying that the trains are larger, higher up off of the track, and therefore the geometry of the shaping is different.
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Well, I have ridden both and I can guarantee Helix' roll doesn't hold a candle against Baco's or even Bluefire's...
 
Trax said:
As far as I know (please note that I am neither an engineer, nor working with rollercoasters or similar equipment) the LSM technology is pretty accurate. There are plenty of sensors scattered around the launch track, which not only allow a precise location of the train, but also a speed monitoring. Technically, you should even be able to (roughly) weigh the train, using the energy you are putting into it and comparing it with the speed gain.
the big advantage of LSM is, that it can adjust very easy and on the fly to different conditions. The train is filled with heavy people? The beginning of the launch might be weaker, but it will pull stronger at the end.

I don’t think That Velocicoaster will try to weight the trains though. Thanks to the LSMs, the speed will always be quite accurate, and in case that a train is slightly too fast, the can even slow it down with the trims up there. Still not sure what‘s exactly the plan with those. They might be used for a short stall, they could be used for trimming or they could even be used to give the train a small push. Neither Taiga nor iSpeed feature such trims at their Top Hat, so I doubt that those are purely meant for trimming.
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Essentially this; while a LIM uses a simple concept of creating an eddy current to brute force repel magnetic fins onboard the train (very much an on/off scenario), LSMs have far greater control by measuring the rate of magnetic flux as the train passes by each and every LSM (essentially the individual fins), and can increase/decrease speed by varying the strength of the magnetic field, so the train can achieve its target speed with far greater accuracy. Outside of coasters, this is why LSMs are so preferred for high-accuracy machinery such as coilguns, maglev trains, or electric vehicles (which is my profession).

To @roomraider's question, I’m not as familiar with how the launch system is designed to account for outside factors other than a simple weather vane to account for wind speed. With the trimmed top-hat, my guess would be Universal is airing on the conservative side, giving themselves more leeway to over launch, and then bring the train down to a controlled speed to complete the circuit. But to @Trax's point on weight, that is essentially accounted for by the LSMs and Newton’s second law (F=ma) - since the LSMs are trying to generate a force, they will produce more acceleration if there is more weight (since gravity is going to be a constant on earth ?).
 
oriolat2 said:
Well, I have ridden both and I can guarantee Helix' roll doesn't hold a candle against Baco's or even Bluefire's...
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You're missing my point.


The seats on Baco are so much further away from the track, that even if they were both designed to have the same forces, and enter the element at the same speed; Baco's would be far more drawn out.
 
Adding addendum on behalf of @Antinos because he's too lazy to type this up in the forum ;)

Antinos said:
Finally got a chance to actually read your post. Only thing though is that those aren't trims on the tophat - they're stators as well. So on paper, it actually gives them more control for speed following the tophat since they can effectively apply a PID control loop instead of just launching way too fast and scrubbing off a bit of speed. If the sensors read that the train launches too fast, the ride's control system will slow it down to where it needs to be over the crest, and vice versa...if the train launches too slowly, the stators can push the train the rest of the way over the tophat.
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Something I hadn't noticed yet: from the looks of it, these trains seem to have the same elevated seats as Taron has, opposed to the standard new gen Intamin trains used on Kondaa, Pantheon, Soaring With Dragon. If you look closely at the trains you can see that the seats are higher above the track than on the standard trains. It helps to look at the front angle of the triangular support with which the seat is attached to the train, on these and Taron's trains, the angle is steeper.
 
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Enil said:
Something I hadn't noticed yet: from the looks of it, these trains seem to have the same elevated seats as Taron has, opposed to the standard new gen Intamin trains used on Kondaa, Taiga, Pantheon, Soaring With Dragon. If you look closely at the trains you can see that the seats are higher above the track than on the standard trains. It helps to look at the front angle of the triangular support with which the seat is attached to the train, on these and Taron's trains, the angle is steeper.
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Pardon me?
 
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