Alton Towers | The Smiler | Gerstlauer Infinity

[Jarrett]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

EDIT: Didn't see that this had already been posted a couple of pages back, but I'm still a tad confused on the inverted drops that people keep talking about.

So it seems like this inverted drop (although I really don't understand what everybody means by this) is sort of confirmed in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmui8MfOu5A
(Skip to 0:26)

But I don't know what everybody means by an inverted drop. Do you mean your standard Eurofighter drop but upside-down? A thirteen-style VD element performed upside-down? I feel really stupid but I'm not clear what everybody means by this.

Also; that music in the video. NIGHTMARE FUEL!!!

 

[rollermonkey]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Why not just demo that building they are bridging, and build a replacement nearby?

 

[Gazza]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Best answer i can think of is that a new block of toilets would be more expensive than just building odd supports over it.
Either that, or there was some planning rule they could avoid by leaving the toilet block intact...who knows?

A precedent. At Wet n Wild Gold Coast they replaced the straight drop raft ride with a mirror image mammoth river type slide. But below it were all the parks coolrooms and maintenance areas, so they just built supports straight over the top: http://goo.gl/maps/EIv3w

 

[caffeine_demon]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

and of course

NEW FOR 2013 - MORE TOILETS

doesn't sound too impressive!

 

[Gazza]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

For the record, toilets are actually expensive to build and fit out.

 

[furie]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Soon as I read about the rumoured inverted drop I immediately dismissed it as bull as it wasn't on the plans. Yet there it is. What else could appear that's not on the plans?

Remember, the plans were just there "because Merlin wanted them to be", not because they had to be. The plans were for the building structures, but they were kind enough to also give the locals an idea of what the coaster would look like.

The key point there being "an idea". As was heavily discussed in the fantastic manufacturer discussion, the layout was a standard No Limits track. They've obviously been cunning and deliberately held back on a lot of the elements where you wouldn't notice them anyway.

There was a vague discussion over the length of the break run before the second hill, long straight break run, or inline inversion that just didn't need to be on the plans?

EDIT: Didn't see that this had already been posted a couple of pages back, but I'm still a tad confused on the inverted drops that people keep talking about.

The ride crests the top of the first lift hill, dips down and round to the right and then into the "first drop". It's going to look much like Air's to be honest.

Only, instead of doing a slight rise and dip into the drop, it rises and then seems to do an inline twist into the drop. So instead of a straight drop, you're rolling - a little like the rolls on Colossus at the end - only down the hill.

If the special thing about this is the inversion record (as Mushroom says, it was always the rumour he brought to the table), then that's going to be superb. I suspect it'll be like Colossus with a love/hate division wider than Margaret of Anjou's legs, but it's still pretty exciting.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

I'm impressed with this apparent deceit, but I have doubts that this is actually what's going on here.

Part of me questions why they didn't go whole hog and put something on the plans which was more different to the finished product?

And I question the effort that, at the end of the day, is just to shut enthusiasts up... Why? Does keeping things quiet, thematically relevant or not, really create better publicity when it's announced than the HERE'S THE LAYOUT WOO ITS GONNA BE GOOD approach American parks use? I'm GLAD they tried to keep it hush and have appeared to go to such lengths, but I just question the worth of it?

Which makes me wonder if the layout on the plans WAS correct, at some point? Whether it was correct by the time we actually saw it seems unlikely, but at SOME point early on?

Then I question what, if not the inversion record, was the premise in the design of this ride?

I'm confused. This is fun.

 

[furie]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

I'm impressed with this apparent deceit, but I have doubts that this is actually what's going on here.

Part of me questions why they didn't go whole hog and put something on the plans which was more different to the finished product?

I believe they always felt "obliged" to the locals to give them a very good idea of what to expect - as close as possible what they'd be in for.

All the high points are pretty much as seen on the plans, but anywhere under the tree line seems to be open to the now appearing changes.

I think it's a brilliant work of misdirection that has allowed Alton to keep up the "Secret Weapon" element hidden in plain site for as long as they possibly could.

Everyone is looking for a hidden drop or a washing machine, when in fact "BAM" it's a record holder (possibly) with the inversions which can't be seen from outside the park not put on the plans. It's stunning in its simplicity.

I think it's fantastic that, if this is right, the secret has always been there too. The very first rumours abound about this from Mushroom have all so far come true, the only one missing is the 14 inversions. If it DOES manage to fit in 14 inversions, then it's always just been there right from the very first pages of this topic and we've been completely blind-sided by Alton on this one :lol: It's brilliant.

The ride will be so disorientating too with so many inversions in such a small footprint. If they add on projections and other stuff, it'll be mind bending. Actually really looking forward to this ride now.

 

[Crazycoaster]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

I'm confused about what Tower Times was hiding before? Because even in their 'corrected' shots you could easily see the Barrel roll under the station. So I thought that it was something else they were hiding? Or did they just do a bad job of 'correcting' the image?

 

[Robbie]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

The ride will be so disorientating too with so many inversions in such a small footprint. If they add on projections and other stuff, it'll be mind bending. Actually really looking forward to this ride now.

Strangely, I'm a little worried they're piling in too much stuff. My favourite coasters work because there are brief moments to take in where I've been and where I'm going, to appreciate the twists and turns. Not sure I'll appreciate just being thrown around for a minute quite so much.

 

[furie]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

I'm imagining it to be more like a spin and spew flat ride :lol:

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

So the second half starts with an slight style of symmetry... Lovely...

 

[Nemesis of oblivion]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

While some say the inversion after inversion idea is boring (on other forums), i think it's awesome.

You can't compare this to colossus as it cheated with the 5 in-line twists. Starting of in an evil hospital/lab, plunging in to darkness with many surprises in store. Then going up the lift hill which may accelerate at some speed. Going through the inversions, having a break to recover before looking up at the sky then another bombardment of inversions. Im really looking foward to this

 

[Intricks]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Oh. Mah. Gawd.

2014* cant come soon enough XD

*I will be visiting next year with GOCC for a week in July if everything goes accordingly.

 

[rollermonkey]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

We'll know one way or another about these possible bonus inversions soon enough. I still find it incredibly odd that they didn't do all the footers at the beginning, or even work on footers while they were assembling the bat/cobra elements.

Could they have known that they wanted to tweak the design as they went along, and so delayed pouring footers as long as possible to permit?

 

[Crazycoaster]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

^ I doubt that, because the track would have had to have been fabricated ages ago surely?

 

[Kebab]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Haven't got a clue whats going on with the layout, but oh my **** God it looks good!

If this is Alton Towers saying sorry for the past ten years of mediocre progression, I already can't wait to see what they have next in store. I'm in love again!

And on second note, why the hate for Gerstlauer? I've never understood why the community frowns upon a coaster just because it is a 'Euro-Fighter' or built by 'Gerstlauer', they are 'in my opinion' the most innovative manufacteur in the industry today. It might not be the second-coming of Nemesis, but it certainly is the best looking coaster to come out of this country since 1994!

 

[roomraider]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Well played Alton... Well played indeed.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

And on second note, why the hate for Gerstlauer? I've never understood why the community frowns upon a coaster just because it is a 'Euro-Fighter' or built by 'Gerstlauer', they are 'in my opinion' the most innovative manufacteur in the industry today. It might not be the second-coming of Nemesis, but it certainly is the best looking coaster to come out of this country since 1994!

Have you been on Saw?


Although I agree, it seems Saw has certainly put Gerstlauer in the blacklist of coaster designers...

 

[marc]

Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

It's just the euro fighters that are rough, their other coasters are ok.