Diamondback's second train is being put together right now. Only 24 more days!

Anyone know if Banshee's trains have been put back on?

Yes. Banshee has been testing for a couple of weeks.

Apparently "the future of KI games is here."

I can't really be sure but it looks like the front of the Coney Mall games building (like down from the classic football throw game).

https://twitter.com/kigamesdept/status/711312143380041729

I originally thought it was related to the soccer game until I looked again at the picture. Now I have no idea.

Could this mean a ball inflating station? http://i.imgur.com/0vRoAgt.png

 

Picture from Kings Island games twitter

 

Photo just posted by a friend on Facebook (not sure of his source) (EDIT: malem found the source, which is the Kings Island Games Twitter account):

 

 

Looks like games workers will no longer be handling cash. Of course, for the cynical, this is also a way to encourage people to load a bunch of money at once, thereby trapping them into having to spend that money on games and being unable to spend it on anything else.

Looks like the whole parking lot is getting a make over. Trucks everywhere. Cleaning up and getting ready for paving. Looks like new signs will be going up for each parking row too.

Thanks for posting those pics!

 

You know you've got it bad when you're glad you renewed your Gold Pass just so you can drive through the new entrance.  I've come close to making the 2.5 hour round trip to drive by and check out the construction, but I didn't because the money I'd spend on gas can go towards another trip during the season.

^^^ Park-provided photos need to be linked back to the original source, even if you found them somewhere else unsourced.

 

That photo of the game card station was posted via the official KI Games Twitter account. https://twitter.com/kigamesdept/status/712702542682202112

^^^ Park-provided photos need to be linked back to the original source, even if you found them somewhere else unsourced.

 

That photo of the game card station was posted via the official KI Games Twitter account. https://twitter.com/kigamesdept/status/712702542682202112

 

Thanks! I didn't know whether it was an official photo from the park or not, and a quick check of the main Kings Island Facebook and Twitter pages didn't show it. I forgot about the KI Games account.

Judging by those pictures posted, where would you get your game cards as well as recharging them?

Probably the game rooms. They already have machines that will process credit cards in return for tokens, or take tickets and return vouchers (receipt-sized pieces of paper that show the number of tickets). I don't know if either of those may be replaced or adapted to deal with the game cards as well.

...from those machines by the games outside (just like a Metro card).

See the side and top of that machine in the picture by the basketball game above:

"Get Game Card Here"

It sells cards. It recharges cards. (It cuts costs, reduces theft, reduces cash and credit card handling and eliminates jobs.)

For more, see: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31860-kings-island-2016-new-game-cards/

There was a video of KD opening day somewhere on here where they showed off the game cards.

...from those machines by the games outside (just like a Metro card).

See the side and top of that machine in the picture by the basketball game above:

"Get Game Card Here"

It sells cards. It recharges cards. (It cuts costs, reduces theft, reduces cash and credit card handling and eliminates jobs.)

For more, see: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31860-kings-island-2016-new-game-cards/

The main line there is "eliminate jobs". I can see both sides of the coin. 

 

I hate it for the employee, though. Gotta love technology sometimes.

 

Helps the company, starves the family...........

There will still be a need for game attendants with merely adding a card system. Sometimes an employee will monitor multiple stands already on slower days. In this case, I don't think it hurts the employee staff that harshly.

Luckily, a theme park will likely never be completely replaced by robots.. as long as robots aren't able to move and act like as humans.. I suspect I'll be dead by the time that is possible AND they are cost effective to adopt.

There was a video of KD opening day somewhere on here where they showed off the game cards.

The video I think you were referring too 

^^Yea, I wasn't really talkin about KI.

Just business in general, I guess.

My dad, god rest his soul, would have been

Replaced by a computer. Had over 25 years

In. How do you start over after that long?

I'm just using that as an example. Sadly happens

To people all the time. And it is just crippling

To them and their family's. Sad.

Think of all the employees ride sensors and computer operation have already replaced...

Yea, and the more it happens with entry level

jobs, the worse it is for the kids.

Hard to build a resume, or "move up in the world"

With no job experience.

Yea, and the more it happens with entry level

jobs, the worse it is for the kids.

Hard to build a resume, or "move up in the world"

With no job experience.

Speakin of technology, sorry for the double post

Don't know how to delete one of em

Without specific workarounds, unrelated job experience will have to suffice.. or working internships will have to suffice.. which.. is useful, but it sucks that you are giving free labor or often under-minimum waged work or sometimes fully paid internship.. As if your investments in classroom education isn't enough

Soo.. then i have NO idea what you do when you're decades in and then suddenly let go...

...and then can't find a job as they are "overqualified." (or, secretly, not hired as seen as too old or would likely get hurt and file worker's comp).

Terp, glad to work for an employer that offers a broad range of experiences in a large geographic area, and who not only allows career diversity but encourages it.

Fortunately, with architecture, I had co-ops, which were paid and helped me graduate with less than $10,000 in student loans with my Master`s degree.  I have since paid them off.  There are days where I question why I went into architecture, but that could just be related to my current position at a very small firm.  If given a choice between a full time job in architecture and a full time job at an amusement park, all other things being equal, I would totally ditch architecture.

 

Amusement park jobs, especially the front line jobs, are typically people`s first jobs that they get in high school.  From the company`s stand point, it makes sense to stream line things with this card.  They are still going to have games employees, but with less work needed to oversee the cash and collect it from all the game locations.  

 

As an aside, speaking of amusement park workers, at the end of last season at Coney, we were hard pressed to find enough workers to staff all of our rides.  And we couldn`t pull more applications and bring people in as there simply were any new applications coming in at the end of August.  We are hoping to get enough employees in the department this year.  If anyone is interested in working in the rides department at Coney, please let me know.

And on the flip side of it, there are alot of people out there that don't wanna work.

 

Sadly, they'll have a very hard road ahead of them.

 

Besides saving a company money, I think that's part of the whole movement to use computers for anything they can.

 

Darned if ya do and darned if ya don't

...from those machines by the games outside (just like a Metro card).

See the side and top of that machine in the picture by the basketball game above:

"Get Game Card Here"

It sells cards. It recharges cards. (It cuts costs, reduces theft, reduces cash and credit card handling and eliminates jobs.)

For more, see: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31860-kings-island-2016-new-game-cards/

I do believe they always have a shortage of workers anyway. So maybe redirect some of those would be workers to somewhere they are needed.....food service.

They need waay more people to perform as the entrance gate photographers too

They need waay more people to perform as the entrance gate photographers too

 

I'd prefer fewer of those. They're very annoying. Who wants a picture with the dark entryway in the background anyway? Most of them don't even have the sense to turn the group around to put the fountains in the background.

No, they're the best aspect of the park! It's really easy to miss getting a chance to be asked for a photo.

...really? I'd prefer to be able to enter the park without being immediately pestered to stop for a photo that I'll never buy, especially when I already have a destination in mind (e.g. ERT) that I want to get to quickly.

I'm with jcgoble3 , it's very annoying. Right when you walk in the park they're all over you. Besides I can just get my iphone and have someone take my picture then add stuff to it , for a low cost

Exactly. In this age of nearly everyone having a camera in their pocket, having teenagers pester you for low-quality pictures is obsolete. There's a case to be made for something like Disney PhotoPass, with actual professional photographers scattered through the park to take unique shots (like in front of Vortex's batwing), so that Dad can be in the photo as well. But why should I pay for a single low-quality shot when I can take dozens of low-quality shots myself?

It will be a sad day when you can walk through Kings Island's entrance and not be asked to have your photo taken.