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Crucial elements for fun.

Lofty

Lofty

CF Legend
Hi everyone.

I have just been thinking. What do you find are crucial elements in a coaster that makes it fun? This can be anything, from you lifthill enthusiasts to airtime junkies.

What makes coasters fun to you?
 
For me, the same as everything I enjoy really.

I have a very low boredom threshold. I need to be constantly entertained by something different, I just get bored very quickly.

So I can't race around the same track in the same car trying to improve my times on a racing game. I can't watch programs like Coronation street which are essentially the same story repeated over and over. I can't listen to music unless it has a lot of changes in rhythm, tempo, key or has a lot of "stuff" going on in the back ground I can focus in on.

Same for coasters and rides. I need to be surprised and I need to be kept on my toes. As much as I love airtime, it's no use on a ride like Balder. You know exactly when to expect it, and it comes too rhythmically. El Toro though mixes things up just enough to make it interesting for me.

So it's not just a case of inversions, or air time, or high g (though I love them all), but rather the way they're presented. I like to be disorientated and shocked. That's when a coaster steps out of being good into "great" for me :)
 
I'm a big first drop fan. Not necessarily vertical, and i'm less excited by beyond vertical, just a great thrilling first drop. It's a combo of the lift, cresting over the edge, acceleration and height.
 
1. Airtime. I absolutely love being out of my seat.
2. Being unique. X2 is a prime example of that.
3. Total and absolute fun from beginning to end. Maverick is prime right there.
 
Airtime is always fun, as are zero-g rolls and really big vertical loops.

For me, I absolutely love launches, especially Hulk's. It's always unexpected, and I love how you shoot from this tunnel into open air 100+ feet up.

And there's a 0-G roll and a really big loop. :p

So I guess it's rolling launches that I really like.
 
The first drop, the ultimate drop on the ride should be a good way to open.

Visual Cues. Theming/object intraction, Head Choppers. Physically seeing the track and train weave at a great pace. And directional changes. Lots of left, right, left, right. Not a drastic amount of repetition.

The G-Forces should not stick to one direction. A good bit of Vertical, Lateral or Linear all mixed up. Maverick is a prime example of this.

Sensory effects. Music. Use of lighting. Smells. Again the visual cues.

Fun Factor. For me this actually includes the pre-ride experience. If the queue is slow moving, dull, with a non-existant atmosphere then that would effect the build up to the ride itself. If the ride can for-fill some combination of the list above then the fun factor should be there.
 
I love launches and big first drops. Quick flies through tunnels are great too. I also love added effects and theming.
 
One of the biggest parts that I feel is a necessity is a flowing layout. There's definitely a natural rhythm and you can tell the difference between rides. I'm always critiquing a ride's layout, thinking about how the ride would be if the park used this element instead of the current one. Rides like Diamondback, Patriot, Fahrenheit, and The Voyage all flow extremely nicely, but there are rides like Wildfire, Raptor, Millennium Force, or Dominator, where they could have an element added, taken away, or replaced and the ride would be changed drastically.
 
Coasterforcers :p .

I dunno, I can't name one thing that makes a coaster fun. They're all fun, I just love the amusement park atmosphere in general. As far as being scared and having fun at the same time, I suppose launches and first drops. I don't sit there and critique layouts and crap like that like Antinos apparantly does :p . I ride coasters because I just think they're a good time in general.
 
I think X2 is just about perfect for what a ride needs. Amazing first drop, strong forces, and out of control feeling. Personally, I feel music on a ride is pointless. After the lift hill on X2, I don't hear the music, not at all. I have tried to focus in on it, but by the time I'm heading up the first raven turn, the ability to separate the sound of the speakers next to my head.

I love the out of control feeling some rides have, where you can ride it so many times, but still find the quick change of pace to be great each time.
 
I don't think there is any one crucial thing that makes a coaster fun for me, whether it's airtime, drops, inversions, launches, tunnels, themeing or some sort of unexpected surprise. However I can tell you that a coaster has to have at least something or you end up with a coaster like Falcon, which just makes your willy go limp. :(
 
I take back my comment, my favorite, or what I think is the most crucial part is the station. That's where I feel all the anticipation is. You can be looking straight forward at a launch track, or trying to turn your head to see the rest of the lift hill, but the anticipation to here "clear, dispatch" is probably my favorite part of the ride. Unless it sucks.
 
The aesthetics make a big difference for me, I can tell im going to have fun on a ride like El Toro because it looks well put together, it looks fun as compared to some cheap Pinfari you'd find on a boardwalk or cheapo park.

Next is the layout, I want a ride that packs a punch, and looks like unique, airtime and Gs dont make a huge difference to me, I mean look at Twister at Knoebels, it lacks a lot of airtime but still packs a damn fun layout which matters to me more.

I also like a little of interaction with paths and qs, weather im part of it (like waving to some kids on Storm Runner before the launch) or watching it (Kingda Ka launching past the Q) small details like that add something.

Finally, I love launched coasters, which is the only thing that keeps me riding Kingda Ka
 
Joey said:
Oh my god does Phil hate House?

As for coasters. I don't know. I like so many rides for different reasons.
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I do, yes :lol:

I actually enjoy the moments of brilliance from Hugh Laurie, but the rest of the show can go jump :)

I only watch it because it's one of the few programs both madame_furie and myself can tolerate enough to sit and watch together regularly (same with Lie to me)...
 
Theming's another big thing for me. While a ride can still be amazing without any theme, coasters themed really well, whether it be queue, layout itself, or both, I just enjoy.
 
I like tension and surprises.

On oblivion I'm like FUUUUUUUUUUUU- going up the lift then a different FUUUUUUUUU going down and stuff.

I also like the way the ultimate beats the **** out of me. Its fun somehow...
 
It's really dificult to say - I think it's more a case of execution over content - IMO nemesis has one of the best layouts of any coaster, so I love it for that, oblivion is only the one element - but it's done superbly and gets you every time, Collossos is just airtime and more airtime, and is just great fun, piraten is airtime, with a bit more character, yet not as much fun and Black mamba's first drop isn't up to much, but the rest of the ride is ace.

however - daemonen at tivoli gardens looks as if it has good elements, yet is a bit of a dull ride and kanonen at liseberg looked as if it was gonna be great, yet was just horrible
 
theRock-steel said:
#1. Long steep drops
#2. Airtime
#3. Fast speed
#4. Smoothness
#5. Long duration
#6. Large inversions
#7. Tunnels or trenches
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All that's been said there and interaction with people not on the ride like waving to random people going up the lifthill of Air.
 
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