Do Cloned rides bother you?

[SonofBaconator]

If they’re flat rides, no. I don’t even mind cloned coasters if it’s a few and they’re a certain size. For example: I don’t see the harm in 4D freespins as they’re the boomerangs of the 2010s.

[Tr0y]

I don’t mind cloned things so much as far as flat rides go. When it comes to coasters it’s more situational for me. I would say no for the majority of coasters but if it’s something small they should at the very least be themed and called something entirely different. 

[TombRaiderFTW]

I don't care, as long as they're good.

Good clones: Premier Sky Rocket II's, KI's Bat and Wonderland's Vortex, Racer 75 and Thunder Road, the B&M Batmen, the Hurlers (fight me), KD's Grizzly and Wonderland's Wild Beast, and more.

Bad clones: Vekoma Boomerangs, Vekoma SLCs, the B&M Supermen, etc.

[silver2005]

I think a potential different role clones play is familiarity.  Some normal guests may chalk up similar rides at, say, newer parks to possibly thinking 'hey, I saw something similar at this really good park, this newer/smaller park could be kinda good'.  I also feel like the S&S 4D was a much needed simplification of the original Arrow 4D concept which made them not exist.  I'd even argue that having a cloned coaster or 2 may be chalked up as psuedo-staple rides. 

I do wish we saw more variations off of clones.  For example, I would be interested to see something like a normal Vekoma Boomerang with different elements.  Vekoma is starting to do that with their Jr Boomerang model at least.   

I do think we'll see a move away from clones a bit since the internet exists and normal guests are starting to get privy to clones a bit, at least from my experiences with normal guests pointing out they've seen multiple Boomerangs before and so forth.   

[johnjniehaus]

Clones don't bother me but I find them to be more easily skipped seeing as I can technically ride that somewhere else. However, some rides were so good, they deserve to be cloned. Some of my favorite clones are PTC Woodstock Express clones, B&M Batman clones, Coney Island Cyclone clones, Hurler clones, B&M Superman clones, vekoma flying Dutchman clones, and premier spaghetti bowl clones. Obviously as mentioned above some rides such as bat KI and Vortex CW are nearly identical clones or Grizzly/Wilde Beast are as well and most any rides like that both rides are pretty good (one may run smoother/better than the other) Clones I'm not a fan of are 4d freespins (too short), wild Mouse clones (don't do much for me), vekoma SLC (painful), vekoma boomerang (most are painful and unoriginal), premier stunt car clones (don't do much), premier skyrocket 2 clones (not my fav), and Intamin Impulse clones (kinda boring to me)

[silver2005]

I think the good Boomerangs and SLC's are underrated.  I like the Boomerangs with the newer trains (I've been on Jolly Rancher Remix and Flying Cobras) and restraints and Thunderhawk at MIA is VERY underrated.   Invertigo can be good at times as well IMO.  

[Tr0y]

I would’ve preferred a cloned Fury 325, compared to the “giga” we received. 

[Shaggy]

2 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I would’ve preferred a cloned Fury 325, compared to the “giga” we received. 

I prefer Orion.

I was expecting Fury to take my top spot when I rode... but it underwhelmed me.  Sure Orion is shorter, but its elements are much more intense, and better choreographed than Fury.  Orion's first drop, no matter the ridiculous debate of it's height, is far superior.

3/4 of Fury is high speed, yet drawn-out elements.   I actually find Intimidator to be the more thrilling coaster at Carowinds.

Now, if you took Fury's length and coupled it with Orion's intensity - you'd have a pretty close to perfect coaster.

 

As to the topic at hand...

I carry a chip on my shoulder when it comes to clones at KI. 

Firehawk was an abysmal coaster - sorry, but it was.  It was beneath KI to install a second hand coaster that wasn't even good to start with.  Relocating that coaster to KI ranks up there with removing the original Antique cars as one of worst decisions ever made at KI.   If they had installed a custom B&M Flyer, it would still be there as a marquee attraction. 

Invertigo is currently the worst coaster at KI.  There's zero novelty, and hasn't been an enjoyable ride for decades.  I assume its still there because of its "curb appeal,"  but it needs scrapped and the land put to better use. 

For all intents and purposes, Top Gun/Flight Deck/The Bat was (is) a clone - and is the exception.  I think its location (which gets a lot of crap) is actually what makes it feel unique compared to its Canadian counterpart.

If you look at the list of best coasters at KI - past and present - not one was/is a clone of a pre-existing ride.  The Racer, Beast, The Bat (original), King Cobra (later cloned), Vortex, Adventure Express, Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers and Orion are KI stars...  and each one of those was built uniquely for the park.

[PKIDelirium]

The “it’s not really a giga” claims drive me nuts. Apollo’s Chariot is an undisputed hyper, but with a sub-200 structure and terrain first drop. KI building a giga that way is a very KI way of building a giga because of our history with using the available terrain in ride designs.

[SonofBaconator]

1 hour ago, Shaggy said:

Firehawk was an abysmal coaster - sorry, but it was.  It was beneath KI to install a second hand coaster that wasn't even good to start with.

Would you have thought differently if we received, say, Dominator? It seems we were destined for a GL relocation in some form or another.

[BeeastFarmer]

24 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

Would you have thought differently if we received, say, Dominator? It seems we were destined for a GL relocation in some form or another.

I think Dominator was destined for KD, the name is perfect.

 

[Shaggy]

51 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

Would you have thought differently if we received, say, Dominator? It seems we were destined for a GL relocation in some form or another.

Although I would have found Dominator to be a much more palatable choice, I still would have considered it a used, hand-me-down coaster. 

It has obviously proven to be the better choice of the two.  It's still operating, still enjoyable, and still draws lines with little downtime.  Cant say that for Firehawk.

Frankly, I prefer KI wait further between coaster installs if it means the outcome will continue to result in a custom design/layout each time.

[disco2000]

4 minutes ago, Shaggy said:

 

Frankly, I prefer KI wait further between coaster installs if it means the outcome will continue to result in a custom design/layout each time.

Like what they should have done for our giga LOL 

[DJSkyFoxx]

X-Flight/Firehawk may not have been a brand new unique star attraction for KI, but I was happy to see it live on for awhile within our park. It was not the most intense ride, but I always loved diving head first through the vertical loop. Such a cool sensation. I was sad to see it go, but I could also understand why it was time. On the note of Vekoma Flyers, I would really love to see one of their new gen flyers make their way over to the states. F.L.Y looks incredible. Imagine having something of that sort racing through the woods at KI. I know the likelihood is practically 0, but hey, it would fit into the unique one of a kind experiences. 

[PKIDelirium]

I wouldn't say no to a Manta-style B&M flyer, either as part of an Area 72 expansion or maybe even in Vortex's plot.

[jsus]

9 minutes ago, PKIDelirium said:

I wouldn't say no to a Manta-style B&M flyer, either as part of an Area 72 expansion or maybe even in Vortex's plot.

So long as it's a launched flyer!  ;)

[TheBeast54]

I don't mind cloned rides so long as they are unique on their own or memorable. However, if not properly maintained or cared for, it can degrade and become bad. Flight of Fear at KD is a very good example of this. From what I remember, most of the theming of FOF is gone; but also the fact that it is in an awkward area thematically. The only thing I know of that stays themed is the music. I don't remember however if the lights work, and I've heard that the TVs no longer play the pre-shows but rather FunTV. Contrast this with FOF at KI, where it is well integrated into the area both location and theme wise, and the theming on it is spectacular. The park still maintains it and even more theming was added along with Area 72 in 2020.

As for memorable rides, Italian Job is a good example. Very amazing theming, spectacular effects, and all around immersion. Though, with the buyout from Cedar Fair resulting in loss of the IJ:ST title and theming, Backlot has become a husk of itself. There are many threads about this topic but in short: it's either completely retheme or overhaul the ride, or demolish it entirely. Personally I'm on the retheme side, but there are people who would rather see it go; as they consider it to be an eyesore and a husk of itself (which I don't completely disagree with sadly).