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What Makes a Coaster Good?

Edward M

Edward M

Strata Poster
I was thinking, what makes a coaster good? While airtime based coasters tend to be the favorite of most enthusiasts, some amazing coasters lack any element like that but are still favorites. Is the combination of elements or perhaps the pure thrill of it? Why is great airtime often considered better than great intensity or speed? This is all very subjective, so say your opinion in the comments.

I've always found roughness an off thing. For me, it adds some character to a ride. As a result, I end up enjoying rides generally hated like Ninja SFOG and Georgia Cyclone. Still, even people who hate these rides tend to love notoriously rough coasters like X2 or The Voyage. I guess my question is, when does a roller coaster get to the point of being so rough it becomes unenjoyable? Despite the fantastic airtime, at what point of roughness would The Voyage be just unpleasant? I guess roughness is just an odd thing that tends to destroy some people's opinions of coasters or not effect them at all.

Intensity is interesting to me. Some people rave about very intense rides like X2 but dislike something like Intimidator 305. At what point does intensity become a detractor to a ride? I personally don't like Batman: The Ride for how intense it is but love something like Afterburn for how intense it is. However, they seem to have similar amounts of intensity to me. What differentiates the two?

Another question is the importance of atmosphere. While Scream at SFMM is mostly disliked, Bizarro at SFGAdv is mostly liked. While I can't say which is smoother, I feel they must be similar in smoothness considering the recent refurbishment of Scream. I can't help but think the main difference is how awful Scream's location is awful. The same can be said for Beast at KI. It is a ride that really shouldn't be thought of as one of the best wooden coasters, yet it is by many, including myself. Despite having no airtime and lacking many forces, why does it get such praise? I can't help but feel that atmosphere is an underrated aspect of roller coasters; it is one of the main reasons that Kumba is in my top 10.

I guess, for me, it is some combination of at least two elements done amazingly. This can be like Kumba, with an amazing atmosphere and intensity, or Fury 325, with that sense of speed and intensity. Even Top Thrill Dragster, although very short, has the amazing launch and drop. I think my favorite coasters are when it has a combination of all my favorite elements. Lightning Rod, Outlaw Run, and Voyage are intense, airtime filled, very fast and contain amazing surroundings.
 
This is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but length is a huge factor for me. I just can't say I love a coaster that's over in 30 seconds. I'd rather ride a slightly better than average and lengthy ride than something that's amazing but terribly short. That's actually one of the reasons Goliath @ SFGAm is only my 3rd favorite coaster in the park.

I think speed is also a factor. I can't see myself putting Lightning Run (55 MPH) over Titan (85 MPH) despite Lightning Run probably having much better airtime. (For the record, I haven't been on either)

Atmosphere depends. If it's a world-class ride like El Toro, being in a parking lot wouldn't add anything to the ride, but it wouldn't take anything away either. If an average coaster, say, Nitro was in a parking lot, I think it might take a bit from the ride overall.

So that makes my top 3
1. Length
2. Speed
3. Atmosphere
 
You know what? I don't think I can put my finger on any one specific thing that makes a coaster 'good' or not.
Looking at my own list of favourite coasters doesn't reveal any patterns, trends or particular types of ride that emerge as a favourite, so just what is it that makes a coaster push my goon buttons? Truthfully, I'm not sure.
Whether it's a speed machine, an airtime machine, an inversion machine or a mixture of everything - I guess a good coaster is just a good coaster.

This might be one of the most vague responses ever to a forum thread and for that, I apologise.
 
What a tough question, but what a good question. I'm so glad you started this thread. What is it that makes a coaster enthusiast crave more?

All of the responses so far are excellent. The way I look at it, is that if a ride is good, it's good. Simple as that. So yes, Howie has a very valid point with that. I also agree with VTCGA5 on all of those reasons. However, I feel that even if a ride is short, it can still pack a big punch. There are many rides that lack in length, but still deliver an amazing experience. Just as there are rides that are really long, but aren't as thrilling. To me, length doesn't matter as much as other factors, because there are many coasters that have a short duration, but are absolutely crazy. Edward M summed it all up. There's just too many things that can make a coaster good.

For me, I feel it's the order of the elements and how they are executed. That is why some coasters can be so similar, but yet so far apart in terms of how much people like them. Atmosphere is big, and rides with heavy theming and extreme attention to detail are usually a win for me. It can also depend on what I'm in the mood for at the time. Some days are airtime days for me, and others I want to feel positive G's trying to crush me. And if for some reason I am craving both of those at the same time, I try and plan a trip to Hersheypark and ride Skyrush, because that thing delivers both in spades.

This is a very opinion based topic, and there will probably be a lot of different answers to this question. Everyone is different, and that is what makes this such a great discussion.
 
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There's not a huge amount of things in common with my favourite rides. Height, speed, forces, flow, all good things that help a ride be pretty good. But if I could pin down one thing that really helps a ride work for me, it's surprise. Not necessarily "not knowing anything," but little moments that catch me offguard. Sensations that are stronger than I expect. One reason I don't rate Nemesis as highly as some others is that I've ridden it so much, that all the forces come as I expect them to, until I ride in the front row, then everything's new again.

But as @gadv1000 said,
gadv1000 said:
if a ride is good, it's good
Click to expand...
If I enjoy it, that's all that matters.
 
jayjay said:
There's not a huge amount of things in common with my favourite rides. Height, speed, forces, flow, all good things that help a ride be pretty good. But if I could pin down one thing that really helps a ride work for me, it's surprise. Not necessarily "not knowing anything," but little moments that catch me offguard. Sensations that are stronger than I expect. One reason I don't rate Nemesis as highly as some others is that I've ridden it so much, that all the forces come as I expect them to, until I ride in the front row, then everything's new again.

But as @gadv1000 said,

If I enjoy it, that's all that matters.
Click to expand...
The element of surprise is definitely a huge thing for me as well. Being caught off guard with smaller elements that still get you when you least expect it. I also agree with you on the whole sensations being stronger then expected thing. I love when the element that I overlook the most or hype up the least, ends up being my favorite element once I ride the coaster. Two things I've learned through my years of being a coaster enthusiast:

- Never judge a book by it's cover (you have to ride it)
- POV's don't show everything (POV's are great to watch, and hype me up to ride coasters. However, they don't do a ride justice.)
 
As my variety of coasters have widened over time, I've evolved. As you can tell from my Top 10 below, wooden airtime is a severe preference of mine.. so much so nearly ALL of my top 10 fall into that spectrum. I will say that G's, speed, and atmosphere play into good rides for me as well, which is why I do still adore Maverick. My 11-20 is pretty indicative of that as well as the big B&M Inverts, big Intamins, and unique speed machines typically fall into that range.
 
To me, what makes a 'good' coaster is fluctuation in it's experience. So, I love a combination of airtime, positive G's, lateral G's and the illusion of grand speed - but if a coaster just has any one of them aspects and that alone, I don't really rate them high enough?

This is why I love Taron - it has great airtime, strong positive G's (especially in the second large overbook through the dragon's mouth) and has a bucket load of quirky lateral forces that make it different to most coasters. Alongside this, it also has a fluctuation in speed that's brilliant - the tamer section that's just before the second launch is obviously designed to make the second launch more impactful and meaningful. Not to mention the interaction with theming and atmospheric elements such as smoke etc. that are used to enhance every aspect of the ride.

Compare this to most Schwarzkopf coasters that offer positive G's and positive G's alone - whilst a lot like this, it just isn't for me and I find the whole process of riding one a bit mundane - the exception for this rule is Lisebergbanan that actually has other forces than just positive.
 
I think the number one thing that makes a coaster 'good' for me is that feeling that you have when you first get off of it. One underrated thing that a coaster can have that makes it good is a surprise. Like when I road Goliath the first time at Great America, I wasn't expecting anything too great about it. But the little air bump after the first turnaround caught me off guard so much that I just started laughing the rest of the ride. Something like that. Maverick's first drop, Banshee's last inversion, and The Boss's length are all great examples. The reason why I feel so highly of these coasters all has to do with some element of surprise, something I was not expecting.
 
Greatness for me lies in re-rideability; re-rideability being the urge to get back onto a ride after having gotten off. Some roller coasters have outstanding forces, but diminish over time. Others can be dependent on which seat you ride in. A truly good roller coaster will be a great ride, every ride. Ravine Flyer II, Maverick, and X2 are all top of my list, due to this trait.

I also really appreciate historic significance of roller coasters. The Coney Island Cyclone is great, most because of its history and endurance through the ages. Matterhorn Bobsleds is great, most because it was the first Arrow steel tubular coaster. Greatness, in these cases, goes beyond the immediate ride, and looks rather to the ride's perception.
 
To me, it's how fast it is. Height and inversion number is a big factor as well. Smoothness counts too.
 
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