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[Joy]

When you said vertical drop, in my mind I was seeing one of those drops where you tilt over, like this coaster -- http://rcdb.com/1357.htm?p=0 -- and was wondering how exactly FITH could be altered for something like that.

But that drop on Verbolten seems like something that could actually be put on FITH. And ha! The look on that guy's face when it drops! LOL!

[chittlins]

When you said vertical drop, in my mind I was seeing one of those drops where you tilt over, like this coaster -- http://rcdb.com/1357.htm?p=0 -- and was wondering how exactly FITH could be altered for something like that.

But that drop on Verbolten seems like something that could actually be put on FITH. And ha! The look on that guy's face when it drops! LOL!

Thanks for linking that, never seen it.

I still like the alton towers one best considering its got the wooden floor theming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgHMgJPtg4E

I've put this in this thread before. Another idea of mine is when Thunderation comes to its end or they give us a Mystery Mine like ride is to make an elevator shaft feature where you go down to the loading platform for the actual coaster. Here's the catch, it's like a shot tower without the the actual rise. The same amount of folks get into an evevator buckle in and you slowly start the descent. Once gone from visibility of the loading platform, the cable breaks and you freefall like a drop tower, an employee at the bottom goes on about how he managed to engage a fail safe and you board the train for the coaster.

I still want an indoor or indoor/outdoor spinner themed like an Icehouse cause you slip, slide and spin on ice

Hey look here's one is the snow, can you say OTC!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2et2ZOSTr_I

[Joy]

YES. A spinner themed to an Icehouse would be perfect!

[Saaam!]

The only thing I'm not big on of renovating Fire in the Hole is the fact that some of the classic figures of it would be taken away and replaced with spangled new  stuff. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but one factor I love about that ride is the outdated animatronics that make it cheesy, but very "SDC-esque".

[chittlins]

The only thing I'm not big on of renovating Fire in the Hole is the fact that some of the classic figures of it would be taken away and replaced with spangled new  stuff. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but one factor I love about that ride is the outdated animatronics that make it cheesy, but very "SDC-esque".

It's endearing to us who remember that that stuff was once state of the art but my kids are bored with FiTH considering the other rides they have been on Universal and Disney. I don't think anyone is proposing changing the theming and they can still use the entire storyline but the scenery and figures could be so much more these days.

I'd love a couple more dark rides that are enclosed so when during OTC, there's more to do ride wise when it hits 38 and lower.

[Swoosh]

I think FITH and Flooded Mine are two attractions that you just don't touch.  You can "refresh" but the suggestions on how to "fix it" are out of line.  If you want something like what you are suggesting, then build a new attraction all together.

Also I don't care if your kids are bored with it or not.  Kids are into instant gratification nowadays and no matter what changes you make they'll get bored with it.  Shoot they'll probably get bored with OR too after a few circuits.

[Gilligan]

I think FITH and Flooded Mine are two attractions that you just don't touch.  You can "refresh" but the suggestions on how to "fix it" are out of line.  If you want something like what you are suggesting, then build a new attraction all together.

Also I don't care if your kids are bored with it or not.  Kids are into instant gratification nowadays and no matter what changes you make they'll get bored with it.  Shoot they'll probably get bored with OR too after a few circuits.

I absolutely agree!  I don't want modern technology - I want it the way it used to be or better.  It can't be that tough to spruce it up and fix broken parts. 

[Joy]

We do have to think about the next generation, though, because they're the future of SDC. Without something to keep their attention grabbed, attendance will drop a couple decades from now.

And honestly, the mannequin things in both FITH and Flooded Mine are just... wow... so below the standard of all the other major parks in the world. No one's suggesting changing the theming or anything; just get some theming that actually doesn't look severely out-of-date.

[chittlins]

I think FITH and Flooded Mine are two attractions that you just don't touch.  You can "refresh" but the suggestions on how to "fix it" are out of line.  If you want something like what you are suggesting, then build a new attraction all together.

Also I don't care if your kids are bored with it or not.  Kids are into instant gratification nowadays and no matter what changes you make they'll get bored with it.  Shoot they'll probably get bored with OR too after a few circuits.

I absolutely agree!  I don't want modern technology - I want it the way it used to be or better.  It can't be that tough to spruce it up and fix broken parts. 

\

Problem is, they don't know what's broken or gone, Those kids are future parents and patrons of the park and if they thought the ride sucked they will not bother with them. One kid refuses to ride it and other does it just for Daddy. They'd rather ride Powder Keg or lost river over and over and are not yet bored with those after a couple of years now. Eventually things have to get overhauled but you try to remain as true to the original as possible, you see this with historical homes all the time but like the flushing toilet, sometimes  you put new fangled things in.

[Swoosh]

You see there are gaping holes in your theory there.  IF that were the case, attractions like Great Moments with Lincoln, the Hall of Presidents, the American Experience, the Tiki Room, etc would all be gone at the Disney parks.  They're not.  Sure the tweenagers don't care for those attractions, but guess what, they're not for them.  The same is true with Fire in the Hole.  That attraction is not for the tweenagers.  It is for the older folks who remember it as the "big ride" at the park.  IF it was such a problem of being "boring" it wouldn't have a line and there is always a line for it.  Even on days when the park is dead.

Sure they might think it is lame now, but when they get older they'll take their kids on it telling them how it was one of the first rides they were able to ride at SDC. 

[shavethewhales]

I agree with Swoosh, FITH and Flooded Mine have a timeless quality in my mind that will always be part of the integral SDC experience for me. There are always improvements that could be made, but any talk of bringing them up to some sort of worldly "standard" is almost blasphemous to me

Not everything should be designed around keeping the kids attention with the latest and greatest flash of technology. Many of the things that made these rides timeless and great have to do with the way they take you back to a simpler time and relax you so you can truly enjoy them together as a family.

I mean, everyone complains that when they throw pop-country or whatnot on the park speakers it ruins the park's special ambiance, but I'm sure the justifications are the same. Someone thinks they need to "update" the park's appeal to a new generation...

[Joy]

Yeah, but those Disney attractions have all had overhauls to update their technology.

I'm not talking needing flashy things; just having animatronics instead of lifeless mannequins would go a long way (granted, Flooded Mine does have a bit of movement, and that keeps it more interesting).

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

I dont think they need animatronics in FITH. Not only would it loose some of its specialness, but ya buzz by so fast anymore that one doesnt seem to see things anymore.

[Hollwood]

I'm sure we can meet half way way on this FITH subject... Lets look at Blazing Furry, Dollywood's version of FITH. It has an almost identical layout (after the FITH revamp of 1982)  and theming, but is a much better ride IMHO. A couple of things give BF an advantage. The first and foremost thing is the fact that it was built 6 years after FITH (1972 & 1978 respectively), so there was time to work out the kinks. BF was a shorter ride with larger capacity due to the third car on each train. The second thing that gives BF an advantage is the fact that it is much smother. The first drop on BF is large enough to get the train to the other side where FITH has to use an accelerator belt (1972 version of a launch!). This not only creates a rough ride for the passengers, but tears the trains apart, which is why they are always overhauling one in the maintenance area. The third advantage is all the MOVING figures. Not quite , but not stone cold, lifeless mannequins. In no way do these take away from the charm and uniqueness of this ride, and it actually enhances the story. Let me paint a couple of pictures for you... What if the man carring the lady could actually barge out the saloon door and "run" in between the saloon and the jail to escape the fire and the gunfire? (This and any other "running" motion would be created by simply mounting the figures to a cart on a small gauge track that could be electronically powered to run its course as trains pass. this could be triggered by the trip wire sensors already in place throughout the ride). At the same time the new addition of the lady chasing the baldknobber with the frying pan could be fashioned the same way. Most people would have to choose what scene to look at since they are right next to each other, making the ride repeatable in the first ten seconds! The next "motion" scene could be the wagon next to the bridge. Does anyone know what they are doing to the captured folks in the back? Well I do! They are taking them to the be hung in the next scene... How cool would in be to be ridding next to that wagon as it comes out of the old volcano scene, rounds the bend, and takes a shortcut through the woods as you plunge down the bridge that they burned! And that "same" wagon could pull up next to the lynching post in the next scene. It's almost like a action scene out of an old western! The wagon could be fitted with spinning wheels and everything, maybe even some new gunshots aimed at the volunteer fire fighters (the riders for those of you who might not know the actual story line of FITH). This could be capped off with a heroes welcome at the splash pool. DW has taken out their water and is slowing down their trains with magnetic plates and if FITH stands the chance of making it another 5 years, SDC will need to do the same. The trains carry water all over the building and the water finds its way out through various places in the train causing the building to rot. before they can put any big money into FITH they will take the water out. So you can use this as a tool to speculate any further FITH development, if the water disappears, big things are to come! The last thing that gives BF an advantage is its location. They built it into a culdesac, this allows the theme to encompass you and your perifials do not catch another rides theme. Don't get me wrong, I love FITH, but it could learn a thing or two from it's younger sibling.

[Swoosh]

Considering almost all of the effects on Blazing Fury were broken in November and not a single animatronic was moving -- it sort of makes your post null and void