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What makes a favorite coaster for you?

MestnyiGeroi

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
(I’m sure this has been done before on here but I haven’t seen it in the time I’ve been here.)


The more you ride roller coasters, the more and more clearly you start to recognize what tends to go into making your favorite coasters. You figure out what you like, and you realize that it may or may not be what others like best in a coaster.

So, if you had to pick a top three aspects (and rank them), which of the following most often makes for your favorite coasters?

1. Speed
2. Acceleration
3. Drops
4. Height
5. Airtime
6. Positive Gs
7. Laterals
8. Transitions
9. Pacing
10. Surprises
11. Theming
12. Uniqueness of the ride
13. Length
14. Helices
15. Smoothness
16. Comfortable restraints/seats
17. Inversions

I know some of these might blur into others, but I’m trying to see if people can break down what makes for their favorites. I’m deliberately not including “intensity,” because it seems to me that it’s a vague word that combines several of the above.

Let me know if I forgot an important category.
 
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I can't condense "goodness" down to one or three things, but out of your list, probably surprises. It doesn't have to be an obvious surprise. An element that comes out of nowhere or a hidden theming interaction is always welcome, but sometimes it can just be an airtime hill that is more powerful than it looks, or a drop that has to dodge a sudden headchopper (classic Blackpool loves these).

For contrast, take Balder and Wodan. Balder is a coaster filled with ejector, but everything happens exactly as you expect it to. Every sensation is great, but there are no surprises. Wodan is the opposite. It's jerky and rough and has sod all airtime, but kind of drags you through by the collar. I love how the first drop gets steeper and steeper and each transition takes you in a different direction. That's what makes it my favourite traditional woodie.
 
jayjay said:
I can't condense "goodness" down to one or three things, but out of your list, probably surprises. It doesn't have to be an obvious surprise. An element that comes out of nowhere or a hidden theming interaction is always welcome, but sometimes it can just be an airtime hill that is more powerful than it looks, or a drop that has to dodge a sudden headchopper (classic Blackpool loves these).

For contrast, take Balder and Wodan. Balder is a coaster filled with ejector, but everything happens exactly as you expect it to. Every sensation is great, but there are no surprises. Wodan is the opposite. It's jerky and rough and has sod all airtime, but kind of drags you through by the collar. I love how the first drop gets steeper and steeper and each transition takes you in a different direction. That's what makes it my favourite traditional woodie.
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Sounds like you’d love Boardwalk Bullet, if you haven’t already ridden it.
 
Based on that list, airtime is definitely my favorite aspect (not entirely sure what second and third would be, maybe transitions and surprises?), but what's really important is if the ride is good, regardless of what kind of aspects it has. I love airtime, but I won't necessarily like a ride that focuses on good airtime more than a ride that focuses on good inversions. Beast and Nemesis basically don't have any airtime, yet they're both in my Top 5 and placed higher than other airtime focused coasters.

So it's not about the kind of elements or moments that determine what coasters rank higher, it's the about the moments themselves.

So to answer the question, I'd look over what moments I enjoyed the most. When it comes to having a spot in the Top 10, the coasters may need to have some "holy ****" or "wtf" or "wow" moments that make the ride really special. The more of those special moments a coaster has, the higher it will rank for me.

Every element on Skyrush is a wow moment for me, which is why it's my favorite. Other examples for me include Nemesis's inversions, Phoenix's airtime hills, and Top Thrill Dragster's launch, and they're all in my Top 10. Storm Chaser and Wicked Cyclone are both amazing and pretty much every one of their elements has something good, but they didn't wow me, so they're placed at the bottom spots of my Top 10.

It's kind of like "Oh what coasters do you like more, wood or steel?". As long as the ride is good, the category doesn't really matter.
 
Right now, just define the qualities of Lightning Rod and there you have it. Over the years, solid ejector airtime has dominated my top few coasters. Combine that with a unique and unforgiving layout, you have yourselves one of the best rides not only for me but in the world.
 
Every single one of those minus Helices (which seem a bit out of place in the list).

Couple of ifs:
Smoothness depends on what it is.
Inversions if theyre good.
 
I hate to be Mr Vague, but for me it could be any or all of those things in your list. I guess it kinda depends on what the ride is intended to be, what its mission statement is.
One obvious quality that seems to be missing from the list is height. I know you've got 'drops' in there, but you can have great drops without the height, see. It's a pretty basic principle, but for me being waaaaay up the air always adds to the thrill.
But then I have things like Taron and Revenge of the Mummy in my top 10 too, so it's not all about how tall it is. I like RotM because of the dark ride elements, the effects, the immersion and all the fire. I like Taron because it's a hooligan. I like Helix because it has a bit of everything. And I like Nemesis so much largely for nostalgic reasons.
So yeah, could be all of those things, but I reckon height, speed and intensity would most likely be near the top.
 
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Howie said:
I hate to be Mr Vague, but for me it could be any or all of those things in your list. I guess it kinda depends on what the ride is intended to be, what its mission statement is.
One obvious quality that seems to be missing from the list is height. I know you've got 'drops' in there, but you can have great drops without the height, see. It's a pretty basic principle, but for me being waaaaay up the air always adds to the thrill.
But then I have things like Taron and Revenge of the Mummy in my top 10 too, so it's not all about how tall it is. I like RotM because of the dark ride elements, the effects, the immersion and all the fire. I like Taron because it's a hooligan. I like Helix because it has a bit of everything. And I like Nemesis so much largely for nostalgic reasons.
So yeah, could be all of those things, but I reckon height, speed and intensity would most likely be near the top.
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I've added height to the list.
 
Good topic!

Most important for me is definitely the quality (and quantity) or airtime. I tend to prefer when a coaster has varying types of airtime (such as on Boulder Dash, STR, Boardwalk Bullet, etc)
Atmosphere is probably next important to me. I consider atmosphere to be a combination of the terrain use, location, and theming. I think terrain can vastly improve a coaster. In the case of Boulder Dash it brings a well paced, great layout, airtime-filled ride into my number one spot.
Third is pacing. I love for a ride to not have dead points and be consistently thrilling throughout. I hate when a ride coasts through the last elements without adding any value to the ride, such as I have felt with the end portion of El Toro (after the Rolling Thunder Hill).
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Also want to include laterals and comfort as other important aspects for me. At the end of the day it's impossible to say for me which three are most important as it can depend on the ride. Some rides are just pure fun without having some of the criteria that I look for.
 
Snoo said:
Right now, just define the qualities of Lightning Rod and there you have it. Over the years, solid ejector airtime has dominated my top few coasters. Combine that with a unique and unforgiving layout, you have yourselves one of the best rides not only for me but in the world.
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Essentially this.

I want out of control, relentless, oh sweet baby jesus what have I gotten myself into level of insanity. There's a reason X2 is top 5, because after as many rides as I've had on it, it still scares the **** out of me.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Great topic!

1. Pacing
2. Airtime
3. Speed
4. Smoothness
5. Length

Might also add location to the list, I’d say it influences a good portion of my top ten.
 
Jarrett said:
Great topic!

1. Pacing
2. Airtime
3. Speed
4. Smoothness
5. Length

Might also add location to the list, I’d say it influences a good portion of my top ten.
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To be honest, location shouldn't be that large of a factor. You're essentially dumbing down your favorites from what you're saying because the ride may not be at Cedar Point or Kings Island or a major park. Not a good thing IMO.. unless I'm misunderstanding what you're meaning.
 
Snoo said:
To be honest, location shouldn't be that large of a factor. You're essentially dumbing down your favorites from what you're saying because the ride may not be at Cedar Point or Kings Island or a major park. Not a good thing IMO.. unless I'm misunderstanding what you're meaning.
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No not that at all. I mean like I much prefer a ride that runs through a heavily wooded valley or gives you a gorgeous view of a lake or mountain range before dropping you, as opposed to plonked in a parking lot or gravel pit. Part of it is mechanical, part of it is aesthetic.
 
Jarrett said:
No not that at all. I mean like I much prefer a ride that runs through a heavily wooded valley or gives you a gorgeous view of a lake or mountain range before dropping you, as opposed to plonked in a parking lot or gravel pit. Part of it is mechanical, part of it is aesthetic.
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Scratch that then. :D

And I would agree as well. A parking lot is not as great as lets say Boulder Dash or Lightning Rod.
 
Snoo said:
Scratch that then. :D

And I would agree as well. A parking lot is not as great as lets say Boulder Dash or Lightning Rod.
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For me it’s mostly bonus points (Wicked Cyclone’s location is hideous but I have it in my top 5), but it’s gotten me to like some coasters I probably otherwise wouldn’t have. Like Beast, I think it’s garbage mechanically but I still love it because of the terrain, hence why I’d still be in favor of RMCing it hypothetically. Another reason why I’m so excited for Iron Rattler in a month!
 
The more I think about this one, the harder I find this to answer, at least in terms of box ticking.

See, there's a whole bunch of different elements that I really like, and all of my favourites seem to combine a mixture of different elements in ways that somehow make the whole experience more than just the sum of its parts. For example, like most enthusiasts, I really like long, sustained ejector airtime, yet I'd still take Nemesis with it's insane positive Gs, relentless feeling of speed, and awesome location over some of the pure airtime machines that just somehow feel like they're going through the motions.

There's also a whole bunch of things on the list that I'd classify under a broader category of "rider comfort", which can impact on a ride in a positive or negative way, but not necessarily a predictable one. Example: I don't mind the Intamin OTSR on Rita or Stealth - it's far from perfect, but I don't find it unpleasant on that ride. Similar restraints on iSpeed and Storm Runner caused me a great deal of discomfort and made me detest the rides. SLCs with massive ear-bashing, or Gerstlauers with horrific jolting and/or brain rattle are vile, in spite of otherwise awesome experiences, yet I'll happily marathon The Ultimate despite the insane jolts, laterals and attempts at breaking my kneecaps because it's awesome in many other ways, and the discomfort isn't unpleasant enough to make me detest the ride.

I suppose it's all about trade offs. If a ride does only one or two things, it had better pull them off incredibly well, otherwise it'll be eclipsed by rides that manage to bring together many awesome elements in a manner that completely blows me away.
 
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