Full potential

[Ingested Banjo]

Ok, so I actually got the idea from this topic whilst reading a new member's post about how he wishes more arrow suspended coasters had been built so that they could have reached their full potential.

So, has any ride today reached it's full potential? We still seem to be experimenting with the rocket coasters - first there was the top hat craze, now it seems to be fast turns and airtime and smaller coasters like the one at Tusenfryd.

Whilst there are plenty of new 'gimmicky' designs being made, why don't we improve on the layouts of established coaster designs? Do you think that some of the types of coaster, such as wooden coasters, have reached their full potential, or is there boundless new possibility in the prefab wooden coasters springing up?

Basically, do we need to throw all our money into researching new gimmicks, or just make existing designs look more impressive / think up new layouts?

It's also interesting that you see less vertical loops in ratio to newer twisty elements...

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Nothing has reached its full potential, I mean, you can always do something better even if the coaster is considered one of the best in the world.

Basically, do we need to throw all our money into researching new gimmicks, or just make existing designs look more impressive / think up new layouts?

That is kind of what we're doing. Like, look at Maverick, that is a good example. It was advertised as something different, probably as a gimmick (Terracoaster or something), but in reality, it was just taking a bunch of existing concepts, and putting them all together.

So no, nothing has really reached full potential.

 

[kimahri]

Nothing has reached its full potential, I mean, you can always do something better even if the coaster is considered one of the best in the world.

I agree.

There will always be better and there will always be worse.

 

[Anonymous]

Good point you bring up. I guess we can relate this to "what will we see in the future." I don't think we will ever reach coasters' full potential. Look how far technology has come in the past century, and it will only go further. We will see coasters in 10 years that nobody in today's time would even think possible. Just like technology, coasters will always change, improve, and expand further based on today's concepts.

I bet if you asked somebody back in 1950 if they would ever think that a coaster would go over 200 feet, they would think you're crazy.
If you asked somebody today if they would ever think that a coaster would go over 700 feet, they would think you're crazy...