Matt N

Why do we think they’re not aiming to get back to the 2009-2011 peak? Did the park experience any significant problems during this period or anything? Also, great to hear about Slammer potentially getting removed; I reckon they might put a new flat ride in there!

Building upon what I said within my ridiculously long ramble (once again, I'm incredibly sorry about that...) about how I predicted that B&M wouldn't necessarily have pulled off anything any better than what we're getting had they been given the same site and brief to play with, I decided to have a go at building a similarly specced B&M Hyper within a site similar in size to what Mack had to play with for Exodus, to give you guys some idea of what I feel B&M might have come up with within the brief that Exodus seems to have followed. I apologise for the slightly shonky trackwork in places, but it was something I cobbled together quite quickly to show a basic idea of what I feel B&M may have done with the brief; I know the profiling isn't the funkiest or most adventurous, and B&M's actual work would have been far more fun and interesting, this is just to offer you all a basic idea: To clarify a few things that I can sense may be asked: The bit I left blank was supposed to represent the bit they've left for the plaza within the real proposal; I tried to make this ride fill as much of a similar area to Exodus as possible. I built the ride to a height of 236ft, the exact same as the real proposal. Track length is 3,310ft, top speed is 82mph, and ride duration looks to be 30-40 seconds from lift to brakes, so broadly similar to what Thorpe are proposing. The bit with the water splash rings and trim brakes is supposed to represent a splashdown; sorry if it's a bit clumsy-looking, but PlanCo doesn't do real splashdowns with water brakes, so it's the closest thing I could pull off. In terms of the deceleration rate in this section; I went for 4m/s^2. The ride has 2 trains with 7 rows/28 riders each. I don't know about you, but as much as I would have loved a B&M Hyper at Thorpe, and I think a big, sprawling out and back would appeal to me a fair bit more than Exodus looks to, this makes me pretty glad they went for the ride they did instead of trying to cram a B&M Hyper into a brief that's not overly suited to one. I could only fit one singular speed hill into this layout (no full-size parabolic hills), and the rest of it mainly consists of drawn-out, high curves (I can sense Thorpe would have wanted a visually impacting ride regardless of whether it had high inversions or not, so I purposely didn't go for low elements like B&M may have done if left to their own devices) in a similar vein to Thunder Dolphin if it didn't have the building. While I wouldn't say something like this would have been a poor ride by any means, I suspect that had Thorpe come out with something like this, people would have been somewhat disappointed, and it would have made people gaze longingly at foreign B&M Hypers thinking about what could have been; it looks to have less airtime than many UK coasters. In that regard, it makes me all the more chuffed that Merlin and Mack pulled off what they have within the plot, because as I said, I think we have the best possible outcome we could have gotten from a hyper built within the project's constraints, personally. TL;DR: I had a go at building a B&M Hyper within the brief that Exodus had, and it had very little airtime, instead looking more like Thunder Dolphin sans the building. This makes me very happy that Thorpe went for the ride they did instead of trying to cram a B&M Hyper into a brief not overly suited to one.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Burger King getting demolished in favour of the ride maintenance shed?

Thank you; I'm glad you liked it! And with regard to the comments I noticed you added about Exodus after I initially wrote this comment; I completely agree! I do apologise for what a long, rambling mess it is, though; I'll admit that the length of my post is perhaps ironic given the length of the ride I'm talking about... I just timed myself reading my post, and I took approximately 6 minutes and 54 seconds to read it in full (I'm so sorry...). For some perspective; assuming a full ride duration of around 1 minute and 30 seconds (based on what people have said and various NL2 creations I've seen), the ride would have done approximately 4.6 full cycles in the amount of time it took me to read my post... if we're going with the lift to brake run duration of approximately 40 seconds (at an optimistic guess), the ride could have negotiated the main thrilling body of its circuit approximately 10.4 times...

WARNING: This post ended up being longer than I expected, so I apologise in advance for its length. I also apologise if I repeat myself a bit in places; concise writing isn't my strong point... I apologise in advance for the long ramble, but I have a potentially controversial opinion; the proposal is really growing on me quite strongly, and I have to say that after a bit of thought, a bit of hindsight and perspective, and a more detailed look at the layout, I'm now really quite impressed with it and in genuine awe of what Merlin and Mack have pulled off here! I think this ride, although not what I was expecting, is actually a true stroke of genius on Merlin and Thorpe's part when viewed in context, and is something to really be proud of and get excited about! I won't lie, my original hope was for something with a greater focus on airtime. Prior to Thursday's consultation, my fantasy for Thorpe's next coaster was a sprawling out and back B&M Hyper, or given the site, perhaps a B&M hyper twister. (A typical out and back would be easier said than done from Old Town for sure, and would certainly have required Thorpe to think outside the box). Upon the Mack hyper rumour beginning to circulate after Thursday's consultation, I then began to have visions of a Mack hyper twister with loads of twisty airtime hills and fun turns; something akin to an upscaled Alpina Blitz, or perhaps a twistier DC Rivals. So in that regard, I'll confess that I was certainly torn when I initially saw the layout, and not instantly enamoured like I'd perhaps hoped. The layout isn't what I was expecting, nor what I was personally hoping for or what I would have chosen; it doesn't look to have much of an airtime focus on the face of it, and while I'm sure it will have airtime (and quite strong airtime at that) in places, I maintain that it doesn't look like an airtime machine per se in the same way that many other hyper coasters are. However, when I took off my B&M Hyper airtime goggles and saw this ride for what it is, I grew more and more impressed by it, and more and more excited to ride it. Yes, I do feel that like many of you, I would probably have vastly preferred British Shambhala or British DC Rivals to this coaster if based purely on personal preference, but looking at things with a little hindsight; within the space, and within the tight budget that Merlin/Thorpe had to work with, I'm convinced that this is just about the best outcome we could have hoped for. I actually feel it's a genuine stroke of brilliance from Mack and Merlin, because it looks like they've managed to fulfill the basic criteria that I felt Thorpe's next coaster required (a ride that makes a statement, is fun and rerideable, and is easily marketable) with not a ton in the way of resources with which to pull off such a beast of a ride. When you're sat at home on Google Earth looking at Thorpe Park and scoping out coaster options, it's very easy to say "I think it'll be a 250ft B&M Hyper like Shambhala, that will have a big row of airtime hills going either over the lake or around the back of the park. Or it might be twisty with a load of twisted airtime hills, like the Hot Go hyper". Believe me, I know that... because that's exactly what I spent the bulk of the rumour phase doing! However in hindsight, I think things like this should be viewed in context. In terms of the site; they simply wouldn't have fitted a big old out and back coaster in there without some serious outside the box thinking. Sure, it could have been done, but it would have been tough. If I'm being honest, I don't think Old Town was the ideal site for a Thorpe hyper, and I think putting the station on the island next to Swarm and having it run round the back of Swarm towards the front of the park would have been a far more ideal fit for a hyper, but that's for another time. In terms of budget; as much as I was one of the keenest advocates for British Shambhala, I simply don't think Merlin has the cash to build such a ride, in hindsight. With that context in mind, my point is; if you look at the space, cost and length Exodus had to work with, as well as the height they had to build to, I'm really, really impressed with what Merlin and Mack have pulled off here, personally. While it doesn't look to be overtly packed with airtime as such, the airtime potential is still there in places, and the ride looks to have some elements that could ride very well; for instance, I can't wait to experience that first drop, or that overbank that rolls into an inversion! To put it simply; while Exodus doesn't have a huge amount of elements, the elements it does have look like they could be pretty incredible, in my opinion! Not to mention that I also think it looks about as dominant as a hyper this compact could have done, which will really help with marketing and making it look impressive; great move, Thorpe! Also, as much as I was initially hoping for a B&M Hyper Coaster; when putting aside all fantasies of British Mako or Shambhala and looking at things through the same brief that Exodus had to work within (in terms of the restrictions in space, cost and length, as well as the minimum height to build to), I'm not necessarily sure that B&M would have come up with anything more highly received. Don't get me wrong, I love the B&M Hyper I've done to bits, and I think under ideal circumstances, they could have done a terrific B&M Hyper at Thorpe that I and many others would have adored, but based on what I know about B&M as a company, I think they would have really struggled with the Exodus brief, particularly in the context of the B&M Hyper Coaster, a ride type that traditionally thrives when working with a large amount of space, a long track length and a large amount of money if wanting to build a ride of any significant height; although it's a tall ride that on paper would have worked perfectly at Thorpe, the ideal brief for a B&M Hyper Coaster is almost the polar opposite to the brief Exodus had to work with (minimum height aside, of course). And if you look at the site they're using, the length they were constrained to and the type of layout Exodus has, favouring big, dominant elements built for sheer visual impact... speaking realistically, I'm honestly unsure if a B&M Hyper would have lived up to expectations. Imagine for a second that this had been a B&M Hyper. Assuming a ride of the same height and length and utilising the exact same footprint, I imagine that it would have struggled in a number of regards. For instance, I don't see B&M doing some daringly twisted drop like has been done here, so a decent bit of your track length would need to go towards some giant 180 degree turnaround directly after the drop, probably going about where the huge overbank is on Exodus; if the ride is dropping from a height of 236ft, it would probably need to be close to 200ft tall to be vaguely rideable in terms of forces, so a lot of track would be needed for this. After your turnaround, you could maybe fit one parabolic hill in at a push, but looking at Exodus, I'm honestly unsure if the site length would be long enough without extending the footprint... so you'd have to do another giant u-turn. Maybe repeat this pattern once more, do the splashdown to shave off speed, and then you're hitting the brake run, which would probably have necessitated a fair bit of track to get it high enough off the ground based on recent B&M creations and how I know B&M doesn't like to brake too forcefully at the end of a ride. No space at all for any of those brilliant parabolic floater hills within that footprint and length constraint. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this ride would have been excellent, even if only for the raw speed of it, and B&M would have done something crafty with the turnarounds to make them really fun, but rightly or wrongly, I feel like that would have had enthusiasts gazing longingly at B&M Hypers abroad and tutting about what a rubbish example of the ride type it was, which Thorpe certainly wouldn't have wanted. With Exodus on the other hand; the ride looks so unique, and so creative and daring in terms of its elements, that it looks like something really special that can't be compared with anything else. They've utilised the space and length phenomenally and pulled off a genuinely excellent-looking coaster, in my opinion; while not the longest of rides, some of the elements look like they could be absolutely sensational, and it's actually turning heads around the world and making people abroad jealous, which I think is a surefire sign that they've done an excellent job, personally. I know I've rambled on a bit here (sorry to waste your time...), so I'll wrap this up. In conclusion; my stance on this coaster has changed considerably since yesterday, and after a bit of thought and reflection, I can't wait to see this take shape, I'm absolutely pumped to ride it, and while I know it sounds overly sentimental, the creativity and innovation shown in this ride makes me really quite proud to be British. I understand why people might be disappointed, but viewing this ride in context, I'm absolutely chuffed with what I'm seeing! Bring on opening day; I can't wait to try Exodus out, and I'm confident it'll be a huge, huge hit!

If you're disappointed in the length of this ride as well as the element choices compared to a "regular" hyper coaster, I've got a potential comparison for you that I'd say shows promise; I actually think that in many ways, Exodus is quite comparable to Goliath at Six Flags Great America. Now I know that Goliath is an RMC woodie, a totally different kettle of fish to Exodus, a steel coaster that's looking likely to be a Mack Hyper Coaster, but I think that the two actually share many similarities with one another: Both are fairly large rides; while I know Goliath is only 165ft tall with a 180ft drop, that height is still nothing to be sniffed at, in my opinion, particularly for a wooden coaster. Exodus, on the other hand, is 236ft. Both lack "traditional" airtime elements in stark contrast to others of their type. Both rides' layouts consist primarily of a few big, high elements strung together in a "bam, bam, bam" type pattern, with no low elements in between. (Isn't Goliath primarily the big u-turn, the dive loop, the zero-g stall and the smaller u-turn before it hits the brake run?) Both rides have length cited as a key con; the main thing I always hear cited as the main drawback of SFGAm's Goliath is how "cripplingly short" it is, and similarly to Exodus, it motors at pace into a very long brake run. In fact, as a point of reference, Goliath actually has no more "main" elements than Exodus does, if not slightly less. The reason I bring Goliath up is that in spite of its length, Goliath is often rated very highly. Many members who've been to the USA and ridden Goliath cite it as among their favourite RMCs due to how strong its pacing and individual elements are. Yes, it might not be the longest RMC on Earth, but I've heard that it really delivers in a big way on a pound-for-pound basis; the elements it has are apparently incredible! And if you look more widely; Goliath certainly holds its own over on Captain Coaster (https://captaincoaster.com/en/coasters/goliath-six-flags-great-america)! It currently ranks #51 in the world, with a score of 94.5% (meaning an average rating of around 9.5/10, or somewhere between 4.5/5 and 5/5), and if we compare it to European coasters and UK coasters, Goliath would rank #18 in Europe and #2 in the UK; it's only 4 spots lower and less than 1% lower than Nemesis, for reference. In terms of the UK, Goliath is certainly far closer to Nemesis in rating than it is to the next highest ranked UK coaster (Icon, at #98 in the world and #28 in Europe, for reference). So my basic point is; length and different element choices may not let this coaster down as much as some think. I know that comparing Exodus to an RMC woodie may seem like a moot point, but if the ride is anything like Goliath in how that ride is shorter and lacking in "traditional" airtime elements, but packs a huge punch on a pound-for-pound basis and delivers huge thrills within the elements it has, then I think we could be in for a real treat here!

I've got to admit, the more I see of this coaster, the more it grows on me; some of those elements look like they could ride excellently, and I think we could be in for something special here, even if it might not be an airtime machine per se!

OK, so I've had a chance to have a look at the plans, and here's my honest reaction. Is it what I was expecting? No. Is it exactly what I wanted, and what I would personally have gone for? No. Do I think it has the potential to be an excellent ride, and is it something I'm excited to ride? Definitely! Do I think this will be a great, successful investment for Thorpe, and really give them the new zap of momentum they arguably need? Almost certainly! If you want specifics, some initial thoughts of mine include: The UK height record finally being broken is huge news, as is Thorpe Park finally getting a new coaster; put those two things together, and I can't really complain! I'm extremely grateful to Merlin that even one of those things is being done, let alone both, so in that sense, that renders any complaints I have overly nitpicky and totally pushing my luck! There are elements on this that look like they could ride very well; the drop looks superb, as does the big overbank! As much as this isn't a B&M Hyper like I was hoping for, Mack build some excellent stuff, and when taking target market into account, I think most of the new-gen Mack coasters I've ridden have been excellent rides that I've thoroughly enjoyed, so I don't see why this shouldn't be the same! I've got to say, as much as this won't sprawl and dominate over the entire park in the vein that an out-and-back hyper would have done, I do think this will still look very impressive on the skyline; a 236ft lift hill is nothing to be sniffed at, and I think those big, tall elements will make it look very impressive indeed! I said previously that I felt Thorpe needed a ride that sells itself and makes a statement, and even though it isn't some big, sprawling out and back coaster, the visuals make it look very dominant indeed, and based on that, I think this looks to tick those boxes perfectly! As I think I said before during the rumour stages; even though I was predicting a B&M Hyper, I'm not sure that Old Town is the ideal site for a Thorpe hyper (for a hyper, I would have used the island behind Swarm for a station and had an out and back layout wrap behind Swarm and work its way towards the front of the park, personally). With that in mind, I think they've done extraordinarily well with the space and Merlin's budget; they've packed a lot in to that site (which is quite small by hyper standards)! The length doesn't bother me; it looks to have a fair amount of elements, and the ride duration doesn't seem obscenely short to me by any means based on renderings (it's about 30-40 seconds, isn't it?). If it was like Stealth or Oblivion and literally did one hill before flying into the brakes, I would perhaps identify with the criticism a little more, but as it is, the length of this doesn't bother me; I don't even think it seems overly short myself! If I'm being completely honest, I'll confess to being ever so slightly disappointed that they haven't built something with more of an airtime focus (as much as I'm sure this coaster will have airtime, it looks to be focused more on big inversions and hangtime); the UK lacks coasters that focus strongly on airtime, and this doesn't seem to fill that void based on the layout we have. I think a hyper was the perfect opportunity to give the UK a true airtime machine and I don't think this looks like an airtime machine per se, but in Merlin's defence, I'm admittedly unsure in hindsight if they could have even pulled off such a ride within the site being used and the limited amount of money that Merlin have to work with. Also, that is me being unfairly nitpicky, and I don't know how much the average visitor would really crave a huge airtime machine, so in that regard, it's a moot point; I am completely insignificant in the grand scheme of things, so who cares what I think? I'm sure most people will absolutely eat this up regardless of how much airtime it has! Controversial opinion; I'm not sure if this will be as intense and relentless as some are making out. Most of the elements look very big and drawn out; at first glance, it gives me strong Steel Curtain vibes, and while that ride has been received well, I'm led to believe it's not especially intense. Pair that with the fact that Mack coasters don't generally tend to be obscenely intense anyway (this is based off the ones I've done, though; I don't know about the newer stuff like RTH or Hurricane), and I'm not sure this will have the strongest positive g-forces, nor will it have nutty pacing; I think the sheer size of the elements could mean that the focus is more on hangtime and sustained floaty sensations as opposed to spine-separating positive g's and relentless pacing, and it's worth noting that the only real low elements on the ride will have had some speed shaved off of them by the water brake (don't get me wrong, I'm sure the ride won't limp through those elements by any means, but it will certainly be slower than if the splashdown wasn't there). I'm not making that out as a bad thing by any means (in fact from a personal preference point of view, I actually think Thorpe could do with something a little more rerideable as opposed to out and out intense, so I'd be pretty happy with that!), but I don't personally think the ride will be phenomenally intense like some are making out. I'm open to being proven wrong here (and I'm sure some of you will prove me wrong on this, as I seem to be in a minority predicting this!), but that's just my initial thought based on what I'm seeing. That's just a few honest thoughts that leap to mind for me; I apologise if I come across a bit ungrateful and nitpicky in places, but I wanted to provide a balanced opinion and be completely honest with you all, providing both my pros and cons. But to sum it up; exciting stuff, and while it's not what I personally had in mind, I'm sure it'll be excellent!

So, what are our final predictions the day before we find out what's in store? My final prediction is: B&M Hyper Coaster UK's tallest coaster (unsure on exact height, but my personal prediction is that it will break Big One's park-billed height of 235ft as well as RCDB's figure of 213ft) Opening in 2024 Let's see how much of that, if any, I get right...

On a different note, it looks as though very little has happened in Old Town since the season ended; Platform 15 is still fully intact, as are the kids' rides. The source for this is Jack Silkstone's recent Thorpe Park winter update: (The Old Town section is towards the start, and takes up the bulk of the video) Also, for some idea of how huge the plot of land they have to work with here is, it took Jack around 3.5-4 minutes to walk the entire length of the potential plot (from Old Town Burger King to the CCR train shed)! This video has also made me guess that this coaster could well end up being one of the most heavily covered UK coaster projects in terms of construction updates; I can sense that the combination of the coaster site being directly next to Monk's Walk and Jack Silkstone's appetite for filming frequent Thorpe Park updates could lead to some excellent coverage of construction!

Hi guys. Ever since Disneyland first opened in 1955, the idea of "magic" has been a cornerstone of much of the theme park industry, and over the years, theme parks have become almost intrinsically linked with the concept of "magic", particularly in the case of parks that err more on the family-friendly and/or heavily-themed sides. Nowadays, "magic" is quite possibly one of the biggest marketing clichés in the theme park industry; many, many theme parks use magic as a key selling device within their advertising and propaganda. Building upon this, my question to you today is; what are some of the most magical theme park moments you've ever experienced? What are some of those moments within theme parks that actually gave you goosebumps, or actually made you feel like a child on Christmas Day, instead of merely promising these emotions to you in an advertising campaign? When have theme parks lived up to the magical propaganda and really made you feel like you're experiencing something special? Let's spread some positivity and magic this closed season by reminiscing about some of our fondest theme park memories! I'll get the ball rolling with some of my answers. There are many, many moments I could have gone for here, but a few that come to mind are: Stepping into Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida for the first time (August 2014) - Now I admittedly think that both Potter areas could have qualified for this, as I adore both and both felt pretty special when I experienced them for the first time, but I have to say, stepping into Diagon Alley for the first time and experiencing Gringotts for the first time when I was 11 years old has easily got to be one of my fondest theme park memories even 7 years on; admittedly, the 3 hour queue wasn't too fond, but the land, the main indoor queue section of Gringotts, the Gringotts ride itself and the overall experience of Diagon Alley left me genuinely speechless in a way that very few things have since. Admittedly, I'm unsure how the land and ride would stack up for me now, but even having already experienced it before in 2016, I remember the whole WWOHP experience feeling like true theme park magic at its finest! Riding Mako at SeaWorld Orlando (current #1 coaster) for the first time (August 2016) - You all know my opinion on this coaster very well by now, so I won't bore you with details of my first ride, but even though this isn't magic in the sense you're probably all thinking of, I couldn't not mention it; the raw euphoria of experiencing that insane first drop and those phenomenal sustained airtime hills for the first time back in 2016 still sticks with me 5 years on, so in that sense, I'd certainly say that my first ride on it and it becoming my #1 is one of my most magical theme park moments! Watching Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom (April 2019) - As much as I'll admit that the Magic Kingdom didn't quite live up to the hype for me when I first went in April 2019, and that I'm also not huge on shows in theme parks in general, I have to say that my first and only time watching the much hyped night-time spectacular at Magic Kingdom was quite something; I don't know quite what it was, but this show really was brilliant, and something about it really felt magical and gave me goosebumps! Watching Happily Ever After was the very last theme park thing we did on that trip to Florida, and as much as I'm not usually a show person, it really was the perfect way to end the trip for me; it definitely meant that the theme park element of the trip ended on a high! (I'll conveniently brush over the last day, where our trip ended with a mad rush off of the Fantasia mini golf course to the airport when the mother of all storms abruptly began to soak us...) Riding Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios (April 2019) - You know those times where an attraction's been really hyped up and you worry that it won't possibly live up to the hype? My first ride on Florida's Tower of Terror was one of those times for me, but I needn't have worried, because I exited that attraction genuinely awestruck! For me, it was one of those rides where every little bit of it felt absolutely perfect; for starters, the entire queue and pre-ride experience is phenomenal, being crammed full of little details, while also carrying a rather brilliant ambience about it the whole way around that really gave me shivers! The dark ride portions carried on this brilliant ambience, but the icing on the cake was the drop tower itself; I was shocked at the raw strength of the airtime, and I couldn't stop laughing the whole time! Overall, my first and only ride on ToT was a genuine magical moment for me, and I certainly regret only doing it once! Islands of Adventure in general (Various) - I know this is quite general, but on both Florida trips where we've visited Universal, Islands of Adventure has always had this wonderfully magical vibe throughout the entire park that no other park I've ever been to has; it just makes me incredibly happy every time I go, and the combination of that and the park's amazing ride selection and theming are what make it my #1 park of all time! IOA is the absolute pinnacle of fun and magic for me, and I'm gutted that I haven't visited in 5 years, because it holds a very special place in my heart! Pre-entry/entry experience at Alton Towers (Various) - To be honest, I think the whole park at Alton Towers has a certain aura of magic about it, but for some bizarre reason, I've always found the build-up to a day at Alton Towers to be quite possibly one of the most magical parts (Not my favourite part by any stretch, but certainly one of the most "magical"; it's a very different type of magic to the others in this list!)! Even the drive through the Alton village and along the country lanes still gives me this child-like feeling of excitement all these visits later, and when you combine that with a ride on the monorail (or walk down the golden path) and the walk down Towers Street facing the ruins themselves, I really think Alton Towers' entry experience really stirs up feelings of magic for me! So, those are just a few of my most magical theme park moments! As I said, I could have picked loads, but I decided to limit it down to a select few that came to mind at the time of writing! But what have been some of your most magical theme park moments?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t the Octopus Gardens rides likely be long gone by now? I could have sworn I read that Merlin either sold them or relocated them to a different Merlin property (I think I heard SeaLife Oberhausen thrown around, as that one has/had a theme park section?), and even if they had been retained by Thorpe, surely they wouldn’t have been retained for 11 years (or at least, not retained well enough to be in a usable state by 2021)? I’m not saying that it’s not possible by any means, as the likes of Flying Fish returning have shown that there is a precedent for Thorpe keeping old rides in storage for at least a short period, but I’m not personally too confident in the possibility of the Octopus Gardens rides returning, personally. I think they’ve simply been gone too long, and may not even be at Thorpe anymore.

Is this a teaser from the park that you’re relaying or something?

Out of interest, what do we feel the plan could be for Old Town as a themed area when this new coaster opens? Personally, my suspicion is that whatever this ride is, it will likely see Old Town replaced by a different themed area with a totally new theme. With Rocky Express and the two kids’ rides gone, as well as Loggers, Canada Creek Railway and Slammer, that leaves Old Town with only Black Mirror, Samurai and Saw, all 3 of which are quite debatable in terms of whether they properly fit into the Old Town theme or whether they’re even within the main body of the area at all; Black Mirror is a more technological theme that I wouldn’t say is overly Western at all, Samurai seems more like a Lost City ride (and I’ll admit I’m always surprised that it isn’t classed as being within Lost City given its proximity to Colossus et al), and Saw has always felt quite standalone to me (in fact, didn’t they actually used to say it was on “Saw Island” as opposed to in Canada Creek?). To me, it seemed like Canada Creek/Old Town as a themed area had a dagger through the heart when they removed Logger’s Leap and Canada Creek Railway, and I’d argue that the removal of Rocky Express put the final nail in its coffin. Admittedly, I didn’t first visit Thorpe until 1 year before Logger’s Leap’s removal and 3 years after CCR’s removal (it was 2011, wasn’t it?), but from what I can tell, those 3 rides were what made Old Town/Canada Creek in the form that most are thinking of what it is/was. I’m assuming that with Rocky and the 2 kids’ rides now gone, they will close off the main part of Old Town that really made it what it is and make that part of the construction site. Never say never of course (they could well retain the Old Town theme, for all I know), but with 2022 Old Town due to consist merely of 3 attractions whose link to the area is somewhat spurious, in terms of both location and theme (the actual Western/Canadian village bit will presumably be closed off entirely), my personal suspicion is that they’ll kill the theme off in favour of a new theme for that section of the park to suit whatever the new coaster is. Merlin have never traditionally tended to integrate new coasters/major investments into existing themed areas anyway, from what I can tell; when coasters are built on land already in use, they usually either opt for the area retheme route (e.g. Thirteen seeing Ug Land get turned into Dark Forest) or the standalone attraction/theme route (e.g. Wicker Man, Saw, DBGT). The only time I can think of where they did go with an area’s existing theme was Smiler. And with Old Town as a themed area kind of lacking its main body from next year, I’d personally guess that the chances of an area retheme for the new coaster are quite high.

Hi guys. Just as a heads up, I'm not posting anything I've created here yet, but I just wanted to let you all know that I am still working on stuff in Planet Coaster, and I've created this thread today to introduce you all to a park concept I'm working on that I'm very excited about; I would be really keen to hear your thoughts on it. After I finished Worlds of Globala a few months back, I started to ponder what I should tackle next in Planet Coaster. While I know I'm still working on Newman's Pleasure Gardens, my vintage park (I am working on that too, and more content will hopefully be coming soon from that one), I wanted a different park project to sink my teeth into when I finished Globala. And I thought that an interesting one to try would be an entirely horror-based theme park. It is pushing me out of my comfort zone a bit, as the game doesn't have tons of horror scenery aside from the stuff in the Spooky Pack and I'm not a horror aficionado in the slightest (I've never watched a proper horror film and don't especially like Halloween in the parks), but I feel that there's a gap in the market for a full-on horror park, both in terms of Planet Coaster (I've never seen anyone do one before) and in real life (I can't think of any real-life precedent for this kind of park, off the top of my head), so I thought it might be fun to give it a go. So with that in mind, let me tell you a little bit about my latest Planet Coaster pet project... Sinister Springs, the land where your worst nightmares come alive! Sinister Springs, as I implied above, will be a horror park, with each area telling a different scary story within the overarching theme of horror. It will very much be a thrill park aimed at older guests, with big roller coasters, as well as some other types of ride (for instance, I'm looking forward to exploring the dark ride possibilities that the horror genre has to offer). I don't know about you, but I think that the theme and subject matter of Sinister Springs would likely put families off straight away by its very nature, so I wasn't sure it was worth targeting families a huge amount. But you as guests aren't just coming to Sinister Springs for a fun, horror-themed day out, oh no; there's a full backstory as to why you're there in the first place, and it is as follows: "You got up this morning in pursuit of thrill and excitement to spice up your pitiful excuse for a life. In your search, you encountered the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. Like many before you, you were drawn in by her stunning looks and charming advances. She promised you the thrill and excitement you were seeking. But little did you know that you'd been yet another to have been lured in by none other than Sinistra; the goddess of horror, the very embodiment of fear and torture itself. And now she's got you under her spell, she's ready to reveal her true colours. In reality, she is an evil temptress who has thrown you head-first into a trap; she wants to play a game with you, and it's your move. Laying ahead of you are many challenges concocted by Sinistra herself to induce ultimate terror and test even the most hardened adrenaline junkie. Each one tells its own unique story, and contains its own unique traps, with tests of both physical and psychological strength alike laying ahead. If you brave the challenges ahead and win the game, Sinistra will grant you your life. But if you lose... she will make sure that you rot away like a fly, and become nothing but a memory. So, it's time to show Sinistra how much you truly value your existence. Live or die... make your choice." (I know that's pretty heavily inspired by the Saw films, but as I said above, I'm not a horror fan myself, so the one horror film that has a coaster themed to it seemed like a fair source of inspiration...) So, I hope that's given you all a brief explanation of what Sinister Springs will be, and built the hype a little! While I've got nothing to show off in this post, I will leave you an image showing part of what I've done so far, just to give you a little morsel of what's to come: While the park (heck, even the initial entrance area I'm starting with) is far from finished, and this is only showing a very small section of the entrance area, this picture gives away more hints than you might expect if you look closely... So, that's a basic introduction to Sinister Springs, the horror park I've started in Planet Coaster! I apologise for the lack of any actual content in this post (I know you probably don't like that I'm being a tease, so sorry about that...), but I'll admit I'm very excited about the concept and couldn't wait any longer to tell you guys about it; I was very keen to know your thoughts! In terms of when I'll be posting content from this park; I wouldn't like to put a date on it, especially considering that I'll admit to being in a bit of a creative block in PlanCo at present, but I'm hoping it will be fairly soon that I'll be showing off Sinistra's Lair, the park's entrance area! What do you guys think? I'd be really keen to know your thoughts on the concept, or any ideas or suggestions you might have for the park!

Perhaps surprisingly given the events of the last few months, the bosses have confirmed that they intend for the park to start construction next year, in anticipation of a 2024 opening: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/uk-disneyland-go-ahead-next-25603300.amp I must admit, I’m slightly surprised that they’re still pressing ahead what with the major setback of the SSSI designation, but I must admit that their resilience does give me a sense of optimism that they’ll get it off the ground! Being realistic, though, I’ll admit that a 2024 opening seems like an extremely tough target to meet at this point, and prior to today, I genuinely thought that they’d delayed it to 2025/2026 (I’m by all means open to surprises, but I’ll say that they’d have to be phenomenally quick to get this thing open in 2024 given that it’s nearly 2022 and the council haven’t even started assessing the application); assuming everything goes smoothly from here (and that’s far from a given, what with the last few months), I could maybe see 2025 or 2026, but 2024 seems like one heck of a tight deadline to meet. They’re going to have to get a real wriggle on to meet 2024; that’s only a little over 2 years away. Assuming examination starts in 2022 and the application is approved in 2023, 2025 would fit with their previous construction timescale, but I’m unsure whether the SSSI designation means that they’d have to follow different construction methods (more sympathetic to the wildlife) that slow the process down, thus making 2026 a more attainable target? I’m certainly cautiously optimistic that this thing could eventually happen, though… I’ll admit I’m perhaps less confident than I was a year ago when stuff was progressing so well, as something like an SSSI designation is a pretty big hurdle to overcome, but I do remain cautiously optimistic!

Part of this is going to sound like a strange request, but the simple thing that I hope for from this ride is that it's fun and rerideable as opposed to out and out intense, and for the strange part, I actually hope it's something smooth. I feel that something that's just pure fun and easily rerideable is something that Thorpe lacks at present. Something that's smooth, nice and floaty (or just airtime-filled), thrilling but not too intense, and just purely fun as opposed to some brain-draining out and out force machine. That's why I would love for this to be a B&M Hyper; I remember Mako ticking all of these boxes, hence why it's still my all-time #1 5 years on! I used to think that Swarm filled this void, but a few things have happened with that one over time that have made it lose this status for me; the sustained g's in that helicopter helix are beginning to make me grey out for a sustained period of time most times I do it (which I don't especially enjoy), I'm growing to not be too keen on the restraints, and I also think it's getting a bit rougher. Not rough by any means, but in September, I had a back outer ride that really juddered quite a bit, and even the inner seats are beginning to develop a bit of a grind/rattle that the ride never used to have; it certainly seems to have lost that silky smoothness it once had for me. (Has anyone else found this, as I feel like I'm going insane here; most others still refer to Swarm as silky smooth and not intense in the slightest?) Don't get me wrong, I still like Swarm a lot; these are quite minor niggles in the grand scheme of things, and I think the ride's high points are still amazing enough to keep it in my top 10 (I do love its sensation of speed, and the speed of that first drop and huge negative g's of that final inversion are just absolutely spectacular!), but it's certainly becoming less my kind of thing, and is slipping down the top 10 for me (it's #8 currently, whereas it has been as high as #3 within the last year or two, and I reckon Europa next year could well move it out of the top 10 entirely, what with their big 3 aligning directly with my current top 3 in terms of ride types; we'll have to wait and see on that one. To be honest, based on my rides last September, I'm quite tempted to push it down to #9 or #10 and consider Inferno my favourite Thorpe coaster; Swarm currently just edges Inferno, but to be honest, I'm reconsidering that, in hindsight... Inferno has grown on me a lot). Before I go off on too much of a Swarm tangent, I was going to lead on to say; the reason I'd like something smooth is because I actually think that Thorpe has a surprisingly rough (or at least, not smooth) selection of coasters given that none of them are that old. From my experience, while Swarm and Inferno are not especially rough by any means, none of their coasters are nice and silky smooth in the way that I personally really like in a coaster; Inferno is probably their smoothest, and Swarm isn't a rough coaster by any means, but Stealth is feeling quite jolty these days (the ascent in particular really bashed me around a fair bit and gave me a headache on my rides in September, and the descent also bounces you about a fair bit towards the back... but again, I never hear this brought up about Stealth, so I must ask; am I the only one who's noticed this?), Saw, while it has been feeling smoother and growing on me a bit lately, is still quite rough in places, and Colossus... I don't think that one warrants an explanation from me based on many comments about it in the community. Let's just say it's among my least favourite coasters and keep it at that... I should preface the above by saying that my roughness tolerance is quite low, but my point still stands. Of the 3 major UK thrill parks (Alton, BPB and Thorpe), I'd say that Thorpe is the only one that doesn't have something that fills that fun, floaty/airtime-y and effortlessly rerideable void. From my perspective, Blackpool has Icon to fill this void and Alton has Wicker Man to fill this void, and both of those coasters are in my top 3. From a personal perspective, I really hope that Thorpe's 2024 coaster, whatever it ends up being, fills this void for them.

Interesting... are there any local enthusiasts living near enough to Thorpe to qualify? I do understand why Merlin want to limit it, though; locals might feel a bit intimidated and unable to raise their genuine concerns if it's overrun by enthusiasts. This is all very exciting, though; feels great to be discussing a new major investment at Thorpe again! Even though it was only in 2014, DBGT's early planning stages feel like such a long time ago!

Question; is it known whether Thorpe are holding actual in-person meetings for this consultation where the plans will be formally revealed, or are they merely dropping the plans onto the website when the calendar hits 10th December?

Right then, globetrotters; our expedition draws to a close here! 8 countries and 46 rides later, we've explored all that Worlds of Globala has to offer! Let's take a brief moment to summarise the park and our expedition together... Firstly, here are two aerial overview shots of the entire park in its finished state. The first is a daytime shot: And the second is a nighttime shot: As well as two video overviews of the entire park (these were filmed on my new PC, so have notably improved FPS!): https://youtu.be/GjA-ezmVB3U https://youtu.be/d5HSYma11NE In summary, the finished Worlds of Globala park contains 8 countries, with 46 rides overall. These include 11 rollercoasters, 5 dark rides and 4 water rides. In terms of the operational side of the park, I decided to opt for opening hours of 9am-11pm, and I decided to go for a full entry price of £40 (£5 per country), with a family ticket costing £20. If you feel that the opening hours are too short, or if you feel that the entry price is too expensive, do tell me; I'm not great at the in-game economics & operations, I'll admit! Also, do you feel that there's anything that the park is missing rides-wise, or more generally, for that matter? I can sense the park will probably be a bit too barren on dark rides and a bit too heavy on coasters and flats for the liking of many, so I apologise for that, but I guess I just love building coasters, so they're what I usually reach for when building major rides; I was personally quite pleased to have built a full park with 5 dark rides, as the most I've managed before is 1! I tried to make the lineup fairly rounded in terms of different thrill levels & ride types on offer, but do you think I've succeeded there? But in conclusion, all I can say is; thank you for reading, members of TPM! I hope you like the finished product, and I would very much appreciate any feedback you have, good or bad! I have uploaded the park to Steam Workshop as an unlisted park (I was unsure whether to go fully public with it), so if you want to download it, play it, or build anything within it, then feel free! Here's the link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564868607 And if you want to look back on our adventure in one quick hit, here's the entire WoG playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYhVl5AToqbgmS3ic4UgaQpYpG_KDnQIX I really hope you've enjoyed our global adventure together! I hope to bring you some more Planet Coaster content soon, but that's goodbye to Worlds of Globala; I really hope you like the completed park! I know it's not overly impressive compared to some people's creations in game, but I'm personally very proud of it, and I really hope you guys like it! As I said above, any feedback you may have would be much appreciated; do you have any major gripes with the park, or anything you really like? What are some of your favourite rides and areas, or rides/areas you don't like so much? Be completely honest with me here; anything at all is hugely valuable to me! P.S. Sorry if this huge content drop is a bit much to digest in one go; on TS and CF, I did this park over a year and 3 months as opposed to a couple of hours, so I sincerely apologise if the whistlestop tour approach doesn't work well for you!

Well, globetrotters; it’s been an amazing expedition, but we’ve finally reached the end of our global adventure, as the 8th and final country of Worlds of Globala is on the horizon! In terms of where in the world this country is, we’re returning to Europe for this final country; welcome one and all to Germany: In terms of what kind of vibe I went for with this area, I did use the Bavarian buildings within the World’s Fair pack, but I’d actually say that a number of different styles are present within the area. I tried to make the vibe of the central section of the area be that of Germany in the midst of Oktoberfest, with lots of banners, festival tents, and a couple of singers around, but the area also has a bit of a steampunk vibe in some areas, as well as an almost fairytale-style vibe in others; basically, it embodies a number of different styles that all fall under the overarching theme of Germany! In terms of rides, the area contains 4 of them, and they are as follows (I should clarify that the ride shots of Oktoberfest and H&G were shot prior to the area's completion, in order to try and get my computer at its maximum FPS): Oktoberfest: Brewery Bonanza, an enclosed Mack spinning coaster that is 77ft tall, 2,941ft long and reaches a top speed of 44mph. The ride features two lift hills, some dark ride sections and various helixes and turns to induce spinning, as well as triggered effects that trigger when the train hits certain areas of the layout. I'll admit that when I created this ride layout, I hadn't actually ridden a Mack spinner, so I'm unsure how realistic the ride looks; I watched a few POVs of Mack spinners to gauge an idea of how the ride type rides, but I'm unsure how realistically I've made this Mack spinner compared to some real examples. In terms of the style of ride I was going for theming-wise, I was kind of going for something akin to Professor Burp's Bubbleworks, but in coaster form; you may even recognize the Bubbleworks music in the POVs! The ride’s storyline is as follows: "From the exterior, the Bavarian house you see in front of you may look fairly normal, but it is actually the home of Poppington's, one of Bavaria's finest family breweries! Its current owner, Augustus Poppington III, has opened the brewery to guests for the first time because he needs your help to get the drinks out on time for Oktoberfest. Augustus has calculated that adding your mass to the Barrelator 3000, his amazing new drink-making machine, will make for the optimal blend, so hop on board and help Augustus make some drinks!": I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/-DhzlrxkpBE https://youtu.be/dqAVrsJST9o As well as a queue line walkthrough, as I tried to go for a rather in-depth themed queue for this ride (I apologise for the length; I wasn't anticipating a 30 minute video when I started recording!): https://youtu.be/CsOCZdVcELU Hansel & Gretel's Hunt for Crumbs, an interactive dark ride themed to the Brothers Grimm fairytale Hansel & Gretel. At 1,154ft long, the ride is the park's second longest dark ride, and it's actually the first interactive dark ride I've ever built in the game. The basic premise of the ride is that it takes riders through the story of Hansel & Gretel while also giving them the opportunity to "collect crumbs" (shoot targets) as they go round the ride. The storyline is as follows: "Cast away from their home by their stepmother, Hansel & Gretel have found themselves in the clutches of a bloodthirsty witch who wants to eat them whole! To help them find their way home, Hansel & Gretel have laid crumbs throughout every stage of their story, and your job is to collect those crumbs. Will you collect enough crumbs to help Hansel & Gretel escape the evil witch and find their way home?": As Hansel & Gretel's Hunt for Crumbs is an interactive dark ride, I filmed a non-shooting POV so that you can take in the ride's scenery & story: https://youtu.be/8k4ZCHsDDaI As well as a POV of me shooting the targets, so you can get an idea of how the interactivity element works (as well as to feast your eyes on how dreadful I am at interactive dark rides...): https://youtu.be/tRAsOpv4tGc Kraftwerk (German for "power plant" or "power station"), a suspended top spin adorned with steampunk theming and special effects including fire, smoke bursts and electricity. I apologise if the premise for this ride sounds a little odd, but I've basically themed it to an Oktoberfest ride that doubles as a power generator for the event, with riders' screams & laughs providing the necessary energy. The storyline for this ride is: "Hans Kraft has invited you to try out his newest invention; a power generator that doubles as the perfect Oktoberfest thrill! That's right; while you ride his awesome new ride, all of your laughs & screams are generating enough power to power the entire Oktoberfest! Don't mind the odd pop or bang here and there while you're riding; they're just the biproducts of converting scream energy into electricity, so there's nothing to be worried about! So hop on board Hans' new ride and have fun; every bit of fun you have helps to power Oktoberfest!": Oompah Express, a caterpillar/musik express style ride themed to German dancing. The ride is encased within a canopy, and features an animatronic band playing beside it as well as a number of different musical instruments & Oktoberfest stalls. The storyline is as follows: "That time has come again; it's time to dance! Every year during Oktoberfest, the locals take one day of the year to simply dance to their heart's content, and this year, they're inviting you to do the same! So hop on board the Oompah Express and show off your best Oktoberfest dance moves!": I also took overview shots of the area in the daytime: And at nighttime: As well as a video overview of the entire country: https://youtu.be/CaHSWweWVQk So, that's Germany! I really hope you like it, and I hope it serves as a fitting conclusion to our global expedition! I will shortly be dropping a post summarising the park and concluding our global expedition together...

Right then, globetrotters; the 7th country on our global expedition awaits! And this one is our first Latin American country; welcome one and all to the mystical land of Mexico: https://I.ibb.co/zfDwSFt/Mexico-Area-Entrance.png Now, in terms of where I wanted to go with this land, I thought it might be quite fun to build upon the country’s rich Aztec heritage, as well as focusing on the more traditional Mexican town-type vibe in places. So quite a few of the rides in this area (actually, it may quite possibly be all of them to some degree) utilise the Adventure Pack and the relevant scenery. In terms of rides in Mexico, there are a total of 6, and they are as follows: El Conquistador (Spanish for “The Conqueror”), a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster that stands at 217ft tall, reaches speeds of 75mph and has 6,006ft of track, making it the park’s longest roller coaster. The ride also has 9 inversions, making it the coaster at the park with the most inversions, a vertical lift hill, a beyond-vertical drop, 3 launches (well, one proper launch and two that are just boosters to give the ride a little additional oomph), and numerous dark ride sections. In terms of how I’d describe this coaster, the best way I can think of to describe it is the love child of Takabisha and Karnan, but I’d say it’s possibly one of the most grand-scale themed attractions I’ve ever built in this game, in spite of it being a massive thrill coaster. Let me tell you; I'd like to think there's more to this ride than meets the eye from the exterior. In terms of the storyline for this ride; “You’re going on an archeology tour with Aztec Adventure Tours, to the legendary Temple of Imota, which has lain undisturbed for thousands of years. However, just as you enter, Imota (the Mexican conqueror who once ruled the temple) awakens once again and possesses your ride car, taunting you in all kinds of ways, and trying to get you to join him, or face his wrath. Will you escape from Imota’s clutches?”: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/2O9dgHvtpAQ https://youtu.be/fYwc9vDSoZI Expedition Yucatan, a motorbike coaster that stands at 54ft tall, reaches speeds of 47mph and has 1,944ft of track. As the name implies, the theme of this ride is that you are escaping from the ancient temple city of Yucatan: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/guw6bM_NPrg https://youtu.be/q-L6q8gymQM Doomsday Temple, a Tower of Terror-style drop tower dark ride. The storyline for this ride is as follows: "Marco De Rico has been Mexico's most successful antiques seller for years, but he wants to get his hands on the priceless treasure that allegedly lies within the Doomsday Temple so that he can make even more money. However, he is not the first to try and get his hands on this, and reports of disappearances have left him too scared to explore the temple himself, so he has enlisted volunteers to go on his behalf; you. Your job is to explore the temple, and find the priceless treasure that Marco De Rico wants so badly, but be warned; the temple has numerous mechanisms in place to fend off those in search of what doesn't belong to them, and its inhabitants will go to any lengths to protect the temple and its assets, so getting this treasure won't be easy. Will you get the treasure, or join the long list of those who died trying?": I also filmed a POV; due to the very FPS-sensitive nature of the triggers on this ride type, I pasted the ride into a separate map and redid the triggers in order to film this, which is why the FPS on this video are markedly faster than on all of the others. I also apologise if some of the triggers are slightly off: https://youtu.be/pAn2YGe-QBs Azteca Explorer, an aerial track ride. This is a similar sort of thing to Squirrel Nutty/Get Set Go (it'll always be Squirrel Nutty to me...) at Alton Towers; a gentle, panoramic ride for younger guests. The theme of this ride is that you have hired a truck from the Azteca Archeology Company, and are going on an adventure to explore all that Mexico has to offer: I also filmed a POV: https://youtu.be/R3znl4Z8anA Totem Twister, a second-generation Huss Condor similar to Fatamorgana at Tivoli Gardens. Totem Twister is 30m (approx. 98ft) tall and has two different types of seating; floored or floorless. The theme of this ride is that the Mexican townspeople have repurposed one of the old totem poles in the town, alongside some of the old archeology equipment (hence all of the cogs and machinery around) into a homemade observation tower-style device (with a bit of a twist) that offers views of Mexico and the surrounding area, and have opened it to you as tourists to try it out: Mayan Time Warp, an enterprise named to reference the Mayan calendar: Finally, here's some area overview shots, both at daytime and at nighttime: As well as an overview video I filmed: https://youtu.be/o85_oDGKSBM So, that's Mexico here at Worlds of Globala! We're now rolling towards the end of our global expedition together, with only one country left to visit that will be dropping shortly... to end the expedition, we'll be returning to Europe, where we started...

Aloha, fellow globetrotters! We meet again, for the 6th country of Worlds of Globala is on the horizon! And this one is another Asian country; welcome one and all to Japan: Now, Japan has 5 rides on offer, and even though elements of it may look very similar to China, I tried to make them as different as possible. So, without further ado, the rides in Japan are as follows: Sakura Falls, a Mack Rides water coaster. This coaster is 88ft tall, reaches speeds of 47mph and has 3,438ft of track, and it is themed as though you are on a shipping boat with the Sakura Shipping Company, but the journey goes a bit wrong, and as such, you are taken on a wet and wild journey through Japan! Have a few pictures: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots; in a first for my Planet Coaster videos, the POV is shot at nighttime due to the ride's dark ride sections: https://youtu.be/dy4JVpahdWo https://youtu.be/-0EYLhaVzQE Izanagi's House of Beasts, a dark ride themed around some of the various mythological creatures in Japanese folklore. In terms of size, this is the smallest dark ride at the park, with 671ft of track, and I was sort of trying to make it akin to something like Snorri Touren or Gangsta Granny in terms of size. The reason for it being so small is because I actually built it on top of the indoor sections of Sakura Falls in order to save space (which is also why you may notice a bit of light and scenery bleed in between the two rides; in hindsight, putting Izanagi on top of Sakura Falls perhaps sounded better in my head than it turned out to work in reality). In a first for this park, I actually aimed for this ride to be a little bit educational as well as fun, with the theme being heavily rooted in Japanese folklore; in case you're wondering, the ride is named after Izanagi, the creator deity in Japanese culture: I also filmed a POV, but before watching, I'd advise that you read this link for some context on my theming choices, as some of them look very bizarre without context: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZIv2IwjF6HcXye9APEslaj6E8S8V7wIIVw9nKAZZZT0/edit?usp=sharing POV: https://youtu.be/jh4i5E3BtJg Furaribi, a Gerstlauer Sky Fly themed to a different Japanese beast; this ride is themed to Furaribi, "a creature engulfed in flames that flies around aimlessly" (as pulled from Wikipedia). There are some triggered fire effects on this, but I'm not sure whether or not they show in my photos or videos: Views from Mount Fuji, a flying island: Swirling Sushi, a waltzer/tilt-a-whirl style attraction. As the name implies, it is themed around the Japanese fish delicacy sushi: The area also contains the final station of the park's Globetrotter monorail system. That's all on offer in terms of rides in Japan, but I did take day and night aerial views of the area: As well as an area overview video that I filmed: https://youtu.be/Hsm_1mgPH9I So, that's Japan! As with China, the area was very much open for business when I filmed these videos; I did have trouble baiting the guests round there before I fully connected up the loop around the lake! I really hope you like Japan, and the next country is dropping imminently... this time, we're exploring our first Latin American country...

Right then, globetrotters; who's ready for some more global exploration? Because the 5th country of Worlds of Globala is now on the horizon; without further ado, may I give you all a very warm welcome to China: Now, China is quite a large country again, with 6 rides on offer in total. They are as follows: Inferna, a B&M inverted coaster that is 154ft tall, reaches a maximum speed of 62mph and has 4,035ft of track. The ride contains 6 inversions; a dive loop, two vertical loops, a cobra roll and a corkscrew. I also tried to put in a few little pockets of airtime, as well as triggered effects, near misses with theming and interaction with the area, as well as a Nemesis Inferno-inspired pre-lift section. In terms of theme, it's themed as though you are riding on a fire dragon named Inferna: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/Gxb09lu47UU https://youtu.be/m4DuGyKe-wc Flight of the Fire Dragon, a B&M family inverted coaster that is 73ft tall, reaches a maximum speed of 40mph and has 1,736ft of track. The ride contains various different drops, helices and turns, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out as far as family coasters go! In terms of theme, it has a very similar theme to Inferna: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/dneBTu3gFBk https://youtu.be/x-D2v0D8g-4 Fire Dragon's First Breath, a kiddie coaster that is 17ft tall, reaches a maximum speed of 16mph and has 487ft of track, although the ride does two laps, so traverses 974ft of track in total. I admit that the layout isn't the greatest, but this ride was very much intended for the very smallest guests, and I found it quite hard to build a layout that made it the entire way round on that sort of scale. The ride is themed around riding a baby fire dragon; I admit that my coaster storylines are not the most creative in this country: I also filmed a POV and cinematic shots, although I merged them into one video for this ride as it does two laps: https://youtu.be/PU6cEH729Ao Force of Feng Shui, a pendulum ride themed around the Chinese belief of feng shui, which is apparently the belief of making you at one with your surroundings. This ride does also contain some triggered fire and water effects during the cycle, but I'm not sure whether they're shown in any of the videos: Boating in Beijing, a small family boat ride themed as though you are taking a sedate cruise around some Chinese sights. The ride is 839ft long and contains various triggered effects and pieces of Chinese-themed scenery; think of it sort of like the Chinese equivalent of Britannia Tours, but replace taxis with boat cruises and make the "sights" less specific and you've got the idea: I also filmed a POV: https://youtu.be/TMQ_39w9B68 Now, I've purposely saved the ride that I'm personally most impressed with in this area until last, as I feel that it is potentially the most complex attraction I've ever built in Planet Coaster, and it is also the ride in the park with the highest Prestige rating according to the game. I tried various times to build this ride type before, but this was the first time I've ever succeeded in finishing one. So, without further ado, may I present Zodiac Palace, a trackless dark ride. This dark ride is 1,995ft long, lasts just over 5 minutes (according to the game) and has 33 different trigger points, with 623 different triggered objects (I did tweak it slightly after taking these shots, which bought it to 35 trigger points and 631 triggered objects). Some of you may remember that I built a dark water ride called The Tales of Arthuria earlier on in the project, however there are certain things that I feel I improved upon from this ride, most notably in the area of lighting, as I added triggered lighting within Zodiac Palace following feedback on The Tales of Arthuria. Now, I must admit that in the POV, some of the triggers did not work quite as I'd intended, and I did later go back through and change those. Before I show the ride off to you, I should probably explain the plot, as some of my theming choices may look peculiar without context. Basically, the ride is themed as though you are on an archeological expedition through a Chinese palace, but things are inexplicably going wrong, and strange things are happening. The cause is discovered to be down to the dragon statues dotted around the ride, and it's discovered later in the ride that the statues have actually come to life and begun wreaking havoc (hence the dragon animatronics). But some helpful spirits come along to tame the dragons in the nick of time and all ends well: I also filmed a POV, which I should point out is filmed in night cam in order to show off the triggered lighting I put in: https://youtu.be/54NwOOAPF48 That's it in terms of rides here in China, but I also captured some aerial views; one in the daytime and one at night in order to show off the area's lighting: As well as a video overview; I should apologise in advance, as I don't think this one is quite as good as the others due to the fact that I could not bait any lucky guests into China in order to get their viewpoint! I tried a number of tactics in order to try and lure people into the area, but none worked, and unfortunately, you cannot drag and drop guests as you could in RCT3: https://youtu.be/mUlCtijNzUA So, that's China! I should point out that the area was open, even though it looks like a ghost town in all of my shots; for some reason, nobody wanted to go into China, no matter what I did, which is also why I had to run all of the rides in testing mode in order to film the ride footage! But aside from that, I really hope you like China, and the next country will be dropping shortly! This time, we're visiting another Asian country...

We meet again, globetrotters, for the 4th country of Worlds of Globala is on the horizon! And for this one, we're jumping across the Atlantic Ocean to an expansive land of liberty; welcome one and all to the USA: Now, there are many different theming routes I considered taking for the USA, however the style I ultimately opted for was a New York City-style theme, with lots of skyscrapers, city theming and landscaping throughout, with quite a few items from the Studios pack coming in handy. Some of the rides take a more central city theme, whereas others have a park-style theme and take on a more general USA theme. In terms of rides, this is the park's largest country, with 7 rides on offer in total. They are as follows: Skyline Screamer, a B&M hyper coaster that is the tallest and fastest coaster in the park. In terms of stats, the ride stands at 250ft tall, reaches a maximum speed of 83mph and has 5,537ft of track, and its layout has plenty of airtime and thrills throughout, while also speeding through a bustling city landscape, with various pieces of theming scattered about, huge skyscrapers and effects! In terms of the theming for this ride, I actually got quite heavy inspiration from the Manhattan Express in Las Vegas, with the huge skyscrapers that the ride intertwines its way through: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/FiYrKCwaUBE https://youtu.be/KyxTBemeows Empire State Thriller, an Intamin gyro drop tower. This is the tallest ride in the park; I built a coaster station next to the top of the tower to see how tall it was, and it's 332ft tall! You can also see Sunnyside Diner, a restaurant themed as a diner that sells quite simple American food: Washington's Dipper, a family coaster. This is just meant to be a nice relaxing family ride through some nice landscaping, and in terms of stats, it's 33ft tall, reaches a maximum speed of 27mph and has 827ft of track, and it also does 2 laps of this track in total: I also filmed a POV and some cinematic shots: https://youtu.be/IL_Wr0l1DhU https://youtu.be/Ec08Yk0FDOE Central Park Tornado Chaser, a Zamperla Disk'O Coaster themed around a group of scientists who have noticed strange weather occurrences in New York, and have set up shop in Central Park to investigate: Wagon Wheel, a mini ferris wheel: Liberty Flyers, a flying scooters ride: Great American Auto-Rama, a dodgems ride themed as though you have been invited to test drive some classic American cars: That just about covers everything in terms of area rides, however the area also features the 3rd station of the Globetrotter monorail system as well as the other station for Globala Lake Cruises: There are also numerous relaxing city street areas within this country in order to add to that New York-style vibe, as well as a more upmarket American restaurant named The Skyliner: Another thing that makes the USA unique that I'd like to show you all is that it was the first country for which I really put a focus on nighttime lighting; I focused on this more in the park's later countries: And finally, as with every country I've built, here's an aerial view: As well as a video overview: https://youtu.be/d0I-bLwtpGg So, that's the USA; I really hope you like it! The next country is dropping shortly, and this time, it's something a little more oriental...