Gazza

So again, it could be summed up as a low capacity version of an existing ride concept.

This one seems to have slipped through the net (Dreamworld_Rulz has really dropped the ball in terms of copying this up) but has anybody been into Imax since they introduced the 3D system in August? Apparently they are showing Space Station 3D http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/stand...name=LatestNews which is not a bad film actually. I dont really blame anyone for missing this, the Imax has only ever shown older films that are rarely interesting. Is it comparable to what is on offer in Sydney and Melbourne?

Just a simple track split, the path you take is dependent on the score you get.

Yeah Derwan has probably hit the nail on the head as to how it would have been done. I did notice the break, but since the camera moved again after that I reasoned they still must have been standing and had not affixed the camera to something, I hadn't considered them sitting down pointing it backwards, but yeah that would have to be it.

But by that same notion, since would the people at DW let you tape a mobile phone or whatever to the ride for the sole purposes of making a 'fake' to publish on youtube? Maybe next time I'm at DW I can ask if they will let my camera take a solo ride on GD. Seems like something someone from operations would do when nobody is around (hence it being nighttime with no visible guests wandering around) , interesting nevertheless.

That right there is the most dangerous thing you could do on a ride.

You didn't, but clearly that is what you were alluding to, I mean what else would you be looking out for? Frosts? Fog? Dust Storms? Tornadoes?

Agreed, why is rain a problem in a Water Park? All it would do would make things a little bit cooler....though then again this is the Queensland summer, so it would be humid anyway and rain wouldn't make a difference.

Skipping Tornado seems to be a common thing for a lot of visitors....how full was that circular queuing area? (The bit where you wait to pick up a raft) Once you get through that things get faster, from memory to get through the whole part of the queue that goes up the stairs takes under 10 minutes. No matter what the queue, I think this ride warrants at least one ride on your visit...I cant stress enough that people should go straight to the H20 Zone and go on Surfrider and Tornado first. Though at the same time, this highlights the need for WnW to keep on doing big expansions like the H20 zone simply to keep up with demand.

How can he be 'forgetting' it if he doesn't own one? Anyway, I just own a Wii, and my thoughts on it are here: http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/in...ost&p=38868 Personally, I think people are better off if they get a Wii60 rather than a PS3, virtually the same price, but the first option gives a greater variety of experiences and better value.

No they aren't, the one at SFOG was still SBNO by the time it was closed for good.

They should buy both of them, that way at least one of them will be open.

Seems a bit silly to me, why waste the 7 or so hours your ticket gives you in the park on something that you can do at plenty of other places on the Gold Coast? Perhaps even in the evening after your day at the park. While arcade games are also something I don't do, they aren't so bad since you can play for as little or as long as you want, Bowling on the other hand is more involved. If the costs to play were lower than centersoutside the park It could be worthwhile for obvious reasons, but of course we could probably expect the exact opposite. Hey GoGoBoy, looks like another sports related attraction for ya

They have lowered the thrills a bit though....that's what this year has delivered with rides, and lets not forget the Hot Wheels show, which is also a non intense attraction. I'd have no problem with another thrill ride in the line up, they still are in a competitive market with DW. Another killer coaster would really establish MW as a viable alternative to DW when it comes to thrills. I think maybe a year or two after install a major family attraction. I've said this before but a modern river rapids would fit the bill, not too expensive, very high capacity, wide thematic potential, would take some of the pressure off WWF on hot days, and are just plain popular....I have yet to visit a theme park where the rapids aren't a popular ride. You worried about riding a big coaster or something ?

Yeah, I think the key with big coasters is just to direct the majority of the theming budget into the queue and station areas, and the slow moving portions of the ride (eg in the lead up to the lift) With a Woodie for example you could get away with minimal theming considering most of the ride is fast, or simply within the support structure (eg Balder) I think if they just did something like horizontal beams over the track with mining lanterns hanging off then that would be adequate. As for the queue, well simply repeating the style and level of detail in the wild west falls queue would be adequate (with a railroad theme...perhaps move the steam engine near police academy to wherever the wooden coaster's entrance is) Re the Wild Things idea, I think having a wooden coaster as the base ride system is a bit misdirected, its a children's book/movie so its too intense of a ride for the target audience. And please Pixelpushed, watch your spelling and grammar: "more scarier", "environent", 'jusr", "Extreemly","has like backward drops"....sounds like your post has been written by a seven year old.

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head with your assesments of them, you aren't really whingeing. The log ride obviously could be improved with effects or whatever. Motocoaster, well lets not go there, just a plain stinker of a ride. The Rapids i dont have any problems with, but it could do with some fountains so it is somewhat wet....A drop like on Grizzly River Run at California Adventure is a bit out of the question since the Dreamworld ride was built back in 1986, and drops hadn't been developed yet for rapids, and building one now would require too much effort. Cyclone is an average ride, its not terrible, but the park relies to heavily on it as its flagship thrill coaster. A park with the attendance that DW gets shouldn't rely on just one big coaster. What were your thoughts on the other parks on your trip?

Hmm, if the only thing you do at SW is ride the rides then you are bound to come away disappointed. If you want to get something out of your day then you really need to take some time to see all the shows (They are good) and spend some time at each exhibit (Shark Bay takes a bit of time to work through). If you spend an hour or two in the water park you can have some fun there, plus its nice to relax on some of the slower paced stuff (SW eye, Monorail, Skyride) as they are good for taking photos. After all, all of this stuff you have paid for, and even if it isn't your specific interest its not going to hurt to give it a go, considering you cant do it elsewhere anyway. It really has a different focus to the other parks, after all, it is called Sea World. That said it should get some more rides in the future, but If you chose to only spend 2 hours there then you have sold yourself short.

Did you see any of the shows, or check out stuff like Shark Bay or Polar Bear Shores?

I personally don't have any real issue with International coverage now actually, so long as it doesn't displace Australian coverage (And Richo has said it won't) If anything it makes things easier since Parkz will be more of a one stop shop, and I wont be forced as much to deal with other sites. Just another little point though, what will happen with Total Thrills, that is basically a gallery site, and the photos in there will fit into Parkz anyway....will it die a quiet death? But still, seeing the world is a lot of fun and opens you up to new ideas, and lets you do things you simply cant do here, plus the Australian dollar is going strong, so its purchasing power parity means places like America end up having lower expenses during your trip. And anyway, if we don't visit other countries, then why should foreigners visit us?

The Hysteris (degree of tolerance with the brakes) is set too low so they stop and start as the computer tries to keep the train very close to the set speed. Yeah, but the ride is designed with a re fit in mind, so its not impossible, from an engineering point of view it would be quite simple. The point is whether DW would spend the money. How would you theme a circular ride to a mine shaft? Its a bit of a stretch since mine shafts are vertical structures. Anyway, I think DW has enough crappy carnie spin and spews in Ocean Parade, I'd rather not see more to be honest.

Surfrider is not like the Claw, the rotation point for the seats is slightly off center, and the seats spin freely (Like the cars on Crazy Coaster) and aren't motorised at a set velocity, so it all comes down to chance.

The seats spin remember So to answer your question, the best place to sit is on-board.

Yes, they fire early so you only pass through a fine spray by the time you come past, going through when the jets are actually firing would only be painful.

I'm glad you brought that up, the European sites are a sort of hidden gem, content wise they are unbeaten, and they too have a very factual based and professional style of reporting (impressive considering they are often the site teams second language) You really could make waves with your style. The community style photo galleries are something unique too, the way it is with most coaster sites is that you would have to go through the admin if you want to add to the galleries, this way its easy for anyone to do it, and people would upload theme park photos on here as freely as they upload videos on youtube. Re the concern about Australian coverage, maybe have a couple of columns with headers of news, one Australian and one user selectable. I don't really know much about web design or whatever but that is what i was sort of thinking...its a bit like how in some newspapers they have a 'quick read' page with headers like state, local, international news.

I might clarify what I meant about the ratings. All it would involve is people rating a ride out of 10, and then the average score would be shown on the rides' database entry. At least that way there would be a simple way of determining 'top rides, top parks etc'. Because of the International focus people might be interested in getting a rough idea of how good these overseas rides are they are yet to ride, and likewise overseas members could get an idea about our rides. If you felt really inspired, have a little graphical gauge to go along with the ranking.....paint splats instead of stars?