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Has Alton Towers Benefited From its Height Restrictions?

mouse

mouse

Giga Poster
NOTE: This topic is not directly related to the Smiler accident, all the recent talk of Alton just made me think it. Apologies if it's seen as inappropriate to start a general discussion about the park at this moment in time.

I'm still not sure about this one, as I struggle to imagine what the park would be like without the restrictions.

I think Nemesis has definitely benefited as for me the main appeal is the fact it is set in a massive hole and is so close to the ground. Without the restrictions I doubt as much money/effort would've been spent on landscaping and integration, and perhaps the layout would not be as compact.
I'm not sure about Air, but I do think the closeness to the ground adds to the ride. Perhaps with a bit more height it would have a more interesting layout and length?
Oblivion is all about going underground, and despite the lack of height it is still very imposing to look at. So I think it has also benefited, although like Air maybe without the restrictions it could have a much longer and more interesting layout after the vertical drop.
Dunno how important height is with Rita, as it is about the speed and quick turns. Maybe with a bit more height it would be more than a generic launch coaster, and could have better elements such as a top hat...

I haven't ridden Thirteen or Smiler, so I wouldn't know how their ride experience is affected by the height restrictions. Thirteen doesn't seem to have been adapted to the restrictions, I think had it been installed in another park it would be the same. The same goes with Smiler, although maybe with more height the speed would increase which would reduce its problems with stalling.

Overall I think Alton's height restrictions have given the park its own identity and contributed to some pretty unique rides. The designs of the coasters have been cleverly adapted to the restrictions and they have all been largely successful in my opinion. However I'm left wondering what the park could have achieved without the restrictions? Perhaps their worlds first elements would be much more exciting as there would be more possibilities, and there would be less reliance on gimmicks.
So do you think the park would be any better without the restrictions or not?
 
I would agree- Alton has it's own unusual identity due to the height restrictions, I think it's great that you can't see most of the rides until you reach the particular area that they're in. It feels a bit more of a discovery when you see the ride for the first time when you move from area to area.

Also, as you say, the rides are more distinctive because of it. Oblivion would be far less exciting without the massive hole you plunge into!!
 
Yes, I definitely think so. Restrictions bring out the creativity in parks. Just take a look at Phantasialand, who has both sound and space restrictions. The park wouldn't be the way it was without restrictions. Restrictions made Black Mamba, Talocan, Winjas, River Quest and Mystery Castle as unique as they are. Pretty sure the same goes for Alton Towers.
 
Yeah, I'd say so. EXCEPT for Spinball. The only way Alton can get more Six Flags-esque is if they made the grass under the ride into a parking lot, and renamed it Goliath.

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How greatly do Alton Tower's height restrictions vary from those recommended by the manufacturer?

From what I've found (please correct too if wrong):

Nemesis - 55"
Oblivion - 54"
Smiler - 55"
Air - 55"
Thirteen - 47"
Spinball - 47"

These height limits seem to either match or vary by 1 or 2 inch to other rides of the same model (Except for Smiler):

Raptor - 54"
Griffon - 54"
Mystery Mine - 48"
Tatsu - 54"
Darkmare at Cinecitta - 49" (Weird restrictions on this however to how tall you must be to ride alone)
Laff Trakk - 42"

Granted these are not perfect comparisons in some cases, but there doesn't seem to be a significant variance in most cases of Alton's height policy versus other parks. There is indeed a manufacturer recommended height limit, and it would appear that while Alton notoriously has a stricter height policy, it's adherence to other parks' limits would suggest everyone works within manufacturer recommended specs.

That being said, there is definitely a case to be made that with taller height restrictions, or in some cases narrower height restrictions with a minimum and maximum, allows for layout designs with greater forces.
 
^I think we're talking about the treeline restriction on ride height, not guest height. :wink:

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Thanks Hyde.

During the 90s they used it in their favour to create some of the best coaster-landscape relationships. Their products of 00s were a bit shoddy in this respect. Air and rita could have benefited from being bigger, but also could have been conceived better even with the restrictions. Thirteen and the smiler could have been a step in the right direction if they weren't pulled off so poorly.

Without the restrictions Alton Towers would lose its magical aura, but I feel that having them is the main culprit for creating "world's first" gimmicks.
 
^To be fair, everyone was loving the Smiler until last week.

I do agree that the restrictions have benefited the rides, especially Nemesis and Oblivion.
 
GuyWithAStick said:
^I think we're talking about the treeline restriction on ride height, not guest height. :wink:

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Ah gotcha. Was reading that as height restrictions on rides.
 
^Would it have killed you to read beyond the topic title, where EVERY post made it abundantly clear what was meant?

It's only really true of Nemesis and Oblivion. Everything before or since has stuck within the restrictions without any extra landscaping, and most of those rides are a bit s**t if we're being honest.
 
I think from an enthusiast view it has benefited as its been forced to create some unique attractions which will always appeal to us however its my understanding that most don't even know about Altons height restrictions, this is certainly the case with non enthusiasts friends.
 
I agree with Gavin here, its only really Nemesis and Oblivion that are dramatically altered due to these height restrictions.

Without them, Rita could have had a longer, more imaginative layout perhaps? We could have actually seen more thrilling coasters than Spinball? Th13teen would probably stay the same as it's marketed to younger thrill audience too.

Who knows what Alton could have looked like without these restrictions.
 
From a design point of view surely any form of restriction can cause a little headache for designers and engineers. But I think AT have mastered the hight restriction problem pretty well... Dig a hole deep enough to allow you to get those lift hills you desire.

As others have said, those near misses to the ground and dives in to holes do make the rides a lot more immersive. Can't beat Nemesis :--D.
 
gavin said:
^Would it have killed you to read beyond the topic title, where EVERY post made it abundantly clear what was meant?
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Wow, shots fired. No, every subsequent post did not directly imply landscaping/restriction for coaster construction, and again I apologize for the honest mistake. Because clearly no one has ever misread anything ever.

Alton over time has certainly found a unique muse in its height limiting. They have been able to take good, original designs across a broad swath of available roller coaster genres to offer a world class lineup. And it's worked! There's a reason Alton has posted the top attendance figures for the U.K. over the last two years.
 
Id say that the restrictions that are there do make it interesting. The design of nemesis is pretty much perfect for where it is. but back in the build phase. maybe some thought it wasn't. due to the pit excavation and such.

air I like it but it is abit meh sometimes.

A friend asked me once why alton dont just plant some huge trees to gain tree line hight. That one had me stumped.
 
spacebum said:
A friend asked me once why alton dont just plant some huge trees to gain tree line hight. That one had me stumped.
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Seems like a good idea to bypass the rule, planting those giant redwood trees you find in North America that can grow up to 300ft. Problem is, they would take many many decades to grow to that height.
 
That's a point, does the park have a specific set height restriction or is it just the average tree height?
I doubt its practical just to 'plant some huge trees' but depending on the restrictions there could be a very slow increase in ride height as average tree height increases...
 
I am not sure but I think a some point. line of sight from areas near the park where mentioned. hence air lift hil top section is green/brownish.
 
^Same with the top of Rita's hills.

As for the taller trees, Redwoods took 2000 years to grow to the height they are now. And that's America. Even with the tallest in the UK, you can't even build a hyper(it's 144 feet). And like others have said, Alton likes to take the terrain to its advantage(well, at least with Nemesis, Oblivion, and maybe Air). The RMC that's been speculated could work really well if done right.
 
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