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Cedar Point | Valravn | B&M Dive Machine

The Today Show aired a segment this morning featuring Valravn. A lot of good on-ride footage.

http://www.today.com/video/valravn-roll ... 8447171772

Picture of the new Marina gate as well: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/Busines ... m&lp=7&p=1

CP-New-Marina-Entrance-04302016a.jpg
 
UPDATED

Interesting lighting! I love the crimson on the sign.
ChmMvSKW0AUhSkh.jpg


[tweet]https://twitter.com/COASTERnet/status/727784572885307393[/tweet]

The Iron Throne! Game of Thrones was clearly a big inspiration for the aesthetic choices. The raven's missing an eye :p
ChihLh3WIAI1M4H.jpg


EDIT:
I've only just realised the roof was supposed to symbolise the raven's wing.
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official pov
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEydyLJ-wjw[/youtubevid]
Lets hope there's some airtime on that hill :fadein:
 
Re: Cedar Point | Valravn | B&M Dive Machine

If it's anything like Oblivion The Black Hole's (which is looks like that's the case), it'll be great floater!
 
I had the chance to swing by the park today for Ohio State Day before the Season Pass Holder Preview Night.

First things first, this roller coaster has visually transformed the front of the park. Yes, we said that Gatekeeper did this in 2013; however Valravn sits more squarely in the middle of the sight line of the park, along the Main Midway.

I was also surprised to the lack of netting (there is only one set of netting under the first immelmann), which allows for great visuals of the coaster and easy viewing from guests.

The color scheme also translates pretty well in person. Especially at night - the roller coaster is underlight by white lights, which draws greater attention to the silver underbody for added emphasis. So no - it is not as readily apparent that a burnt orange coaster is sitting next to another orange coaster.

As to the ride, it is eerily smooth and forceful. The first drop provides great floater, however the first immelmann and turn into MCBR pack surprising positive g-force. The second drop has another good pop of airtime, with some hangtime in the dive loop and lots of hangtime in the barrel roll.

Rob Decker, Cedar Fair's lead designer, spoke to CF back during the Gatekeeper opening on the importance of creating sense of place for attractions. Valravn has accomplished this visually, and also packs an impressive ride.

Here is the Facebook live stream during our walk to Valravn this morning:

[facebookpost]https://www.facebook.com/CoasterForce/videos/10153506209093639/[/facebookpost]

And reaction video with walk around of the ride:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/CoasterForce/status/728625866335502339[/tweet]
 
This is more of a general physics question than a Valravn one but I saw a bit of the second video and noticed a big clanking sound at the bottom of each drop. Why does this happen? It's not a sound I've never heard before, I was just surprised it came at the bottom of the drop.

Also i think the surprise element is to do with photo opportunities with the Valravn throne.
 
Great, thanks for the coverage Hyde!
Pink Panther said:
This is more of a general physics question than a Valravn one but I saw a bit of the second video and noticed a big clanking sound at the bottom of each drop. Why does this happen? It's not a sound I've never heard before, I was just surprised it came at the bottom of the drop.
Click to expand...
My assumption has always been that it's the anti-rollback devices. The pull outs on these Dive Machines are quite tight, so I think it's just them 'dropping' back into place. I have heard it on other coasters, I'll try and find a video or something when I'm not on mobile.

EDIT: You can here the same noise in coming from Griffon:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCT23sVes0[/youtubevid]
 
Hyde said:
[facebookpost]https://www.facebook.com/CoasterForce/videos/10153506209093639/[/facebookpost]
Click to expand...
Wow, the immelmann loop looks absolutely massive. This coaster looks quite photogenic! So pumped!
 
^ It really is. As I mentioned during my live streams on Friday, the lack of netting especially helps open up great views of the track. Looking south towards Valravn from the performance stage gives a great vantage point of the dive drop and barrel roll as well.
 
The park uploaded a construction timelapse. I remember each of these times as if it was yesterday. <3

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfqYyi0qI_I[/youtubevid]
 
Just rode this stupid thing twice yesterday.

I'm not a fan of dive machines as we all know but I found this one considerably more enjoyable than the others. I first rode it on a drizzly morning in the back to the tune of an hour wait. I noticed it really nicely fills in that gap in the skyline and gives the (very nice new) marina entrance a coaster to guard it like the other entrances, not to mention how it really helps that lovely "constantly dwarfed by coasters" effect the park is known for. We walked in through the decorated plaza in sprinkling rain and found that it had a shorter wait. The first strength I saw in this coaster was the view from the top. It isn't as high as Millennium or Dragster but it stays up there for a while, allowing you to really take it all in, not to mention the gloomy weather really enhanced the themed experience. The first drop is okay and you get some substantial floater that goes on forever. The Immelmann is okay and there is some force going into the overbank. The second drop, as usual, was my favorite part of the ride and you really get whisked over that in the back. The inversion after is okay, the 270 roll after is my second favorite part of the ride due to the wacky Banshee/Thunderbird hangtime, and you get some floater over that hill. Got the final ride of the day in the front that evening and found that it isn't as enjoyable there, though I just about **** myself on the holding brake until it stopped tilting. So in a nutshell, front is a less enjoyable ride with a better view and a somewhat freaky moment, back will get you an almost equal view with a fair amount of floater for what it is.

Final consensus: Decent ride, welcome addition to the lineup and the skyline, but it's for the GP and naff CP fanboys.

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1. I never once said I was better than anyone. Not once in that post.
2. I'm sure if you took Cedar Point Paul who has CP stickers all over their car, thinks Millennium Force is the greatest invention since the wheel, and has conceived multiple children in Maverick's launch tunnel, and compare them to me, there might be some argument for me. I'm a vile human being but not that vile.
3. YOU, Mr. "I'm so well traveled and anyone less than I is a basic **** that deserves no food or water or love," of all people are going to call me out for making that statement. WOW.
4. Let me rephrase that: I enjoy it a small amount, but it isn't really an enthusiast coaster. It's targeted at people who are just visiting the destination, people who are more Cedar Point enthusiasts than full blown coaster enthusiasts (like the locals I met at CoasterMania that had never been to KI and had no knowledge of The Smiler crash but knew everything about the park), or locals who want a bit of incentive to renew their pass. I get off and think "K, not bad," the target demographic gets off and has to go change the pants they just creamed...preferably in the parking lot in full view of the coaster. /insidejoke
 
woah woah woah woah

Why can't we all be friends here? Jeez we're jumping down each other's throats over a coaster?
 
Re: Cedar Point | Valravn | B&M Dive Machine

Jarrett, you get a bit ridiculous when hours before riding you call it **** and then after you realize you were wrong but try to justify it by saying it's good for the peasants...essentially.

You did this with Storm Chaser too. You called it **** with the first pov, and defended it until a **** **** pov came out and claimed it was amazing. Man up and admit when you're wrong.

Got nothing against you but **** gets old.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
I think it looks fab. The general public will think it's fab.

Yet again, a coaster enthusiast making themselves out to be above other enthusiasts 'CP fanboys', so yeah, what a **** surprise somebody has posted **** like this.
 
1. 'It's for the GP and naff CP fanboys' is you implying you're better than them.
2. That person doesn't exist but if he did he would be better than you.
3. I don't say I'm better than people, just that I'm better than you. Which I am.
4. I've been on so many coasters but will still really enjoy it so your statement is wrong. Stop back peddling on what you said before.
 
^K...

*By saying this I am completely admitting I was wrong. It's not something I'm ashamed to do. I've admitted I was wrong on multiple coasters in the past. Sky Rocket, Thunderbird, Outlaw, now Chaser and Val. I make predictions under the understanding they might be wrong and if they are I completely accept it and know it's part of doing so.
*Not once did I say I was better than anyone. I was not trying to imply such a thing.
*I'm sure if you ran across one of the CP Fanboys on my Facebook I was referring to, you'd say you were better than them too and engage in all kinds of name calling. Stop trying to lie about being the bigger more mature person when you're the one that picks on people on the Internet for no reason.
 
Re: Cedar Point | Valravn | B&M Dive Machine

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...all of you?

But also, Valravn is ****. Even if it's not, it is, because I said so and because I'm right.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
 
Jarrett said:
it isn't really an enthusiast coaster. It's targeted at people who are just visiting the destination.
Click to expand...
This is a concept that comes up time and time again that I never understand. What conduces an "enthusiast coaster"? Large airtime hills, fun inversions, huge drops? So... a really big, cool roller coaster?

Or rather, let me posit this as another question: Is a roller coaster that is popular with a roller coaster enthusiast popular with the "GP"? If the answer is yes, then the concept of an "enthusiast" coaster is moot: sometimes, a roller coaster will be good, and sometimes a roller coaster will be bad. But the concept of "designing" a roller coaster for a certain demographic is something I never find evidence for. (Outside of general marketing tactics and branding)

It's important to emphasize how little coaster enthusiasts matter in park planning and design. CoasterMania at Cedar Point is the "hayday" of coaster enthusiasm, and attracts what, a few thousand attendees? Let's say 15,000. That is .5% of the total Cedar Point attendance in 2014 (3,247,000). No, roller coaster enthusiasts don't have deep market penetration, nor are we a group identified as serious revenue generation. It turns out amusement parks actually are for-profit companies that need to generate revenue with new attractions to build more attractions, expand, draw in attendance, and repeat the process!

We can think of ourselves as thought leaders in what it takes to design a good roller coaster. However, as is with the Cedar Fair process, plans are made five years in advance; with deep tactics on market surveys, consumer analysis, and planning for future attractions. By operating with a centralized planning office, Cedar Fair also plans new additions as integral to neighboring CF parks, adding further complexity.

Steve Jobs may have said it best: "But in the end, for something this complicated, it's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
 
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