ethancoaster

I wanted to bump this after the announcement of TT2. I think if it turns out to be a success, a Zamperla launch like this could be a good replacement for Vortex. They also released this animation of their lightning model recently:

I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to bring this concept to life in Planet Coaster, and here it is! The ride entry plaza pays homage to Vortex, with the ride's station being themed to the fictional "Vortex Vehicles" auto shop. Not stopping at Vortex, the ride's paint scheme also pays homage to the park's original Demon coaster with an alternating yellow-orange-red color scheme, with all of the visible inversions being red. The queue borrows some inspiration from Lightning Rod at Dollywood, with guests walking through the bottom of the auto shop: The boarding station has some light theming, with license plates displaying the different states Cedar Fair properties are located in: I made a few modifications to the layout, so it is actually a 10-inversion coaster. This would give it the record for the most inversions of any coaster in North America in addition to the previously established launch coaster inversion record: Riders park in a launch tunnel while engine-revving sound effects play, with lighting effects at night: The ride launches into its first element, a 16-story sea-serpent roll: After exiting, the ride travels over a brief ejector speed hill before flying into a twisted reverse cobra roll: After exiting that maneuver, the ride flies into a zero-g stall near the entry plaza: The ride rounds a low-to-the-ground turn filled with positive g's, before ejecting riders sideways into a wave turn: The ride travels over another speed hill and into an underground batwing maneuver, paying homage to Vortex. The ride exits the batwing and coasts over an off-axis airtime hill before climbing into the midcourse brake run. The MCBR slows the trains enough for riders to enjoy a hangtime-filled station fly-by, exciting guests in line. The ride rounds one final turn and goes into an in-line roll above the ride's entrance. Here's an overhead view: This ride was designed with Vekoma in mind, but I think if Kings Island were to actually build something like this, I think Zamperla would be an interesting candidate. They're rumored to be working on Dragster a few hours north, as well as providing the two rides in Adventure Port next year. I'd be interested to see what they could do with their overhauled coaster division. What do y'all think? Comments, criticisms, concerns?

I see what you mean by saying that it could be redundant, but I also think having three car-themed rides actually allows for a gradation in the intensity of the rides as well as a consistent theme throughout the land. Area 72 has two space-themed rollercoasters right next to each other, but the way their theming is executed makes them feel like distinct experiences. I feel like the same could be done with this hypothetical 50’s section. I think the rock and roll theme would actually fit better with a BLSC retheme. You could name it “Hot Rod Highway” and theme the billboards and set pieces to reflect local southern Ohio towns in the 50’s, and add some music and lighting effects to the tunnel synced with music.

Thank you! I’ve still been trying to think of a name that would work. Something like “Vintage Valley” or “Vintage Village”.

I think Vekoma would be the best choice since of the options mentioned above, their coasters tend to have the lowest height requirements. It could have a 48” restriction similar to Vortex. If not Vekoma then I think Gerstlauer would make a good choice.

So while looking at google maps and trying to think of a replacement for Vortex, I came up with this concept: transforming the back of Coney Mall into a 50's themed section, similar to Jukebox Junction at Dollywood. There are already a couple of attractions back here that have a vintage aesthetic/name: Shake, Rattle & Roll, Antique Autos, and Jukebox Diner. I think expanding upon those attractions to make it a fully-fleshed out land similar to Adventure Port would really enhance the area. It would also allow for Backlot to be rethemed. It could retain its car chase theme, but with aesthetic upgrades and a name change to match the new area. The centerpiece attraction would be the replacement coaster for Vortex, tentatively titled "Demon Rod". This would be a launch coaster that would pay homage to Demon, but with a hot-rod theme. Essentially, it's themed to a classic car that is possessed. The layout is designed to have nine inversions, which would give it the record for the most inversions on any launch coaster. One of them would be an in-line roll station fly-by.

I think this makes the most sense, and as someone whose home park is Carowinds, I really hope the Action/Thrill Zones get gradually phased out at the former paramount parks. With the direction Cedar Fair is moving in, those sections feel the most generic and lacking in cohesion, so incorporating it into Oktoberfest makes the most sense to me.

Now that Zambezi Zinger has been announced at WoF as a GCI with Titan Track, I’d like to make somewhat of an out-there prediction for what I think could be replacing Vortex. I think we could see a massive GCI coaster (150+ feet) placed on that plot of land utilizing Titan Track to do some extreme maneuvers. I think it makes sense as Mystic Timbers was a fairly successful ride, Cedar Fair has a good working relationship with GCI, and it would be more cost effective than a brand new steel coaster. I also think we could see Titan Track used to do a vertical loop as a throwback to SoB as it would be the only element of its kind on either a hybrid or wooden coaster. I’m not up to date on park rumors so I could be entirely wrong, but that is my prediction.

Theming is giving me some Hyperion vibes. Looks pretty good!

Makes sense. Especially if the rumored deadline for Orion's track completion is February 1st. That would still give them two months to demo Vortex (though I doubt they'd need it).

It’ll look even better than this. While it’s not the Weber group doing the theming this time, Cedar Fair additions have exceeded expectations recently in terms of theming. Mystic Timbers’ shed is pretty effective at creating an unsettling atmosphere, and Copperhead Strike’s barn has even more detail in real life than in the animation.

That speed hill is the thing I envy the most for not being on Fury. That thing is going to be super cool.

Go right ahead!

Glad you guys like it! Here it is in video form: I really hope they do some kind of on-board audio for the lift hill.

I made a lighting package for Orion in Planet Coaster based off of Fury's: