BGW

[RCT2head]

hey, I was just wondering...
you know when they took down Drachen Fire @ BGW?
why didn't they get rid of the loading station, and maintenance shed? I would have thought they could have actually kept the Wilde Mause, dismantled Drachen Fire, and use the remaining space for Drachen Fire; so why didn't they do that? Then, I could understand if they tore down the maintenance shed, and kept the loading platform for that crappy thing they call a haunted house during Hallow-Scream, except they either renovated or built a giftshop and still have a basic layout ready for a coaster. My question really is: Is BGW going to put another ride there, or were they just waiting for the off-season to demolish they rest of it? If they were, they could have done it on the off-season before.
Does anyone know what the plans are for that area?

[RTCnoob384]

nothing back there..... i think the planted trees or something but i dont know....

[Squid2]

Okay, the current rumors are that they're keeping that area ready to install a new country there in 2006. (I am prone to doubt the date, however.) This is why the station has been maintained. On top of that, if they do decide to add a new country, they're going to add a new train station in that country, near the old Drachen Fire station.

I can't see any other reason than a new coaster would be being built there... maintenance is expensive and there's no reason to keep a building maintained for so long.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

but they r keeping the Drachen Fire train maintenance shed, tho, which i can only see as able to serve 1 type of ride

[alpengeist04]

I can see them adding a new country next year, but we may have to wait till 2007 for a coaster. With Darkastle and Sheikra(BGT):D they may wait a year to add a new coaster to BGW. I don't know the cost of Darkastle, but I'm sure it's alot more then any coaster.

[RCT2head]

that's only depending on whether DarKastle really is the 1st of it's type or not

[alpengeist04]

A link to a few pictures of Darkastle with the lights on.;)
www.buschgardensnews.com/Darkastle_Progressive_January/default.html

[RCT2head]

that's awesome, but it that the inside or out?

[alpengeist04]

It may be the queue line inside the building.:confused: Looking at the pictures closer it may be part of the ride. I really can't tell.:)

[Squid2]

I believe, strongly, that those pics are from the inside of the ride itself, not the queue line. I saw those objects in the video they released, and from the video, they are located inside the ride. I can't wait for this ride!

Squid2

[RCT2head]

me niether... though i would like soemone to answer my original question about the possiblity for another ride

[RTCnoob384]

all depends. We don't know what Busch is going to do, they are normally tight lipped about these things even during construction.....

[alpengeist04]

My guess would be a new ride in 2007, but I hope I'm wrong.

Does anyone know the offical date when Darkastle opens to the public? I'm heading to BGW on May 13th, Friday the 13th.;)

[RCT2head]

i'm not totally sure, but i thought DarKastle opens with the park

hey Noob, why do u hope u r wrong?

[alpengeist04]

Hey RCT2head, if your talking about my post I should have made it clearer. What I should have said was I hope I'm wrong and we get a ride in 2006.

[RTCnoob384]

yeah well, i would like to see a new coaster or something but BGW needs to make sure that KoD is a sucess and gets them money.... remember coasters are multi million dollar investments......

[alpengeist04]

If you're talking about investments, Darkastle is their biggest investment to date. That's why I think we won't see a coaster in 2006.

[RTCnoob384]

exactly!this thing is like a coaster money wise.....

[alpengeist04]

It wouldn't shock me if Darkastle is more than twice the price tag of any other coaster in the park.:eek:

Edit: I was thinking maybe they should look into rebuilding the log flume in 2006 or 2007. Make it more like a Dudley Do-Right style flume. Of course with a BG theme not IOA.

[RTCnoob384]

i like le scoot, it used to be worse...... Nestea....

[RCT2head]

i was thinking a total festhaus renovation, along with redoing most of the wood used in the park if it hasn't been redone in the last 4-5 years. that, and everything to get pressure washed, sanded, puttyed, painted, and resealed. and redoing the pathway, enabling access to the low bridge to wheelchairs easier. but, as BGW is backed by Anheisuer-Busch, getting the money isn't very hard to do. it's the question of if it's going to promote something that negates it's 'family values'. i'm pretty sure that's why they got rid of 'club busch gardens', because local parents used it as a baby-sitting service, while the kids came and broke 1/2 of the rules in the park (line-cutting, screaming obscenities every word, flicking ride-cams off, etc....)

[alpengeist04]

I agree, the pressure washing, sanding, painting etc. should be done on a yearly basis.

[RTCnoob384]

alpengiest, they do all that on a yearly basis.... also here is a bit of news: in the England area they are converting a candy building to a coffee, ice cream, and candy place so you can go and sit inside out of the weather.....

[Squid2]

During my last visit, I spoke at legnth with one of the engineers for the train. According to him, they tear down Le Scoot every year during the off season and rebuild it from the ground up. Supposedly this is done to help preserve the ride, and to protect it during the winter.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

somehow, i don't believe it, unless u mean that they take down the flume itself, and not the supports and catwalks and stuff... it's put into too much frest for them to really be able to afford to do that, plus all that concrete stays the same, and having to break it every year would eventually disrupt the ground underneath

[Squid2]

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the flume itself, not the supports or concrete. Perhaps even the water pumping system... after all, they do get freezing rain, ice, and snow often during the winter. I don't think SFoG does, as I've never seen any real evidence of it... but then again, we rarely get snow or ice. Does anyone know anything about this?

Squid2

[BorisTheFish]

they used to dismantle a log flume in a local park near me every winter too.

[Sixty0neBones]

Does any one know why they took down Drachen Fire to begin with? I've heard a lot of rumors, but I never heard anything official.

[BorisTheFish]

one of the ones i heard was sinking supports, another was it was too rough...

[RTCnoob384]

both really, many people got headaches from it....

[RCT2head]

i was told that drachen fire was closed because they couldn't fix the whiplash problem, and dismantled it because nobody wanted to buy the track.
dismantling the track seems too hard, plus the fact that the ride would have to be tested for the minumum of 100 hours, unless there was some special permit that could waive the need. i could understand disconnecting parts of the piping to keep the pipes from cracking from ice inside, or maybe taking the conveyor belt out, and draining the resevoir underneath, but not actually taking the track off, because that'd require probably too much, as they'd have to remove most of the ride system to get to the track, which would have to be cut from itself and the supports, and stored somewhere where other operations could damage them. and, they'd have to replace bad parts, and re-weld and paint everything.... i think that's cost way too much to really have to bother with every year... it'd be like having to buy 2 new jumbo carnival rides every time they do it, money that could easily go elsewhere in renovations. sure use some to replace bad pieces/ parts, and to repaint/repair, but not to redo the whole thing every year

[wickedfan07]

That would be cool if they built a new country where Drachen Fire was; however, it would probably suffer from the lack of customers like Drachen Fire did. (And what country would it be??) Drachen Fire was partially cursed from the start because it was located in the back corner of the park, in addition to transitions being bad and the cars making people claustrophobic (sp?)(so I have heard). If they were to build a new country there, they would need to have a lot of stuff back there in order to get people to walk back there. Also, who thinks that Ireland needs a coaster? As for Le Scoot, I have no idea what they do to it in the winter. Dismantling the track seems kind of weird to me...maybe the winterize it in some other way?

BGW opens on March 19th:D

Happy gaming:)
wickedfan:cool:

[RTCnoob384]

eh, its abit small for one, corscrew hill is good enough....

[RCT2head]

LNM is too close, unless they combine themes and interlock track
well, from what i noticed during Hallowscrem was that the largest line was for the haunted house in the Drachen Fire Station. If they were to build a country, they could make Spain, or Russia.
With Russia, they could make a small bobs ride, which would be a 1st for the Busch parks. Spain, they could make spanish food, or Mexican, or something close to a cross between the 2. As for rides, they could make a kiddie ride or 2, a ferris wheel, and make a virtual rollercoaster, or a woodie. As for the train the people would see the area coming off the tressel, and would want to go. They could also find a way to connect it to the bridge, or to find a way to snake a path around the backside of the Festhaus, and maybe make a nature trail along the way with maybe a ride or 2, and shops/stalls, that connects somewhere in the vicinity of the train station, or the nature preserve.... maybe changing the station layout and make a double sided station and permanently using all 3 trains.

[wickedfan07]

I was thinking Spain as well...Russia isn't in Western Europe, so it wouldn't stick to the theme...those are some good ideas for a new country....../thinks/:p You might be right about Ireland being too small for a coaster, but there isn't anything major on that side of the park past LochNess...but then again that's not too far from Ireland anyway...something to think about.

Happy gaming:)
wickedfan:cool:

[RTCnoob384]

never expect awooden coaster at BGW, noise restrictions.....

[alpengeist04]

How about dueling flying coasters.:D

[RTCnoob384]

that would be awesome!!!

[Squid2]

You could easily place a kiddie coaster in Ireland... just have the station built behind the castle, and have the coaster track go over Ireland... say, over the rooftops. It would circle the country, and either go over or under the bridge.

The last I heard, they were thinking of a wooden coaster, probably a GCI Millenium flyer. The land would be an additional German area. They would also add in a German station in this land, increasing foot traffic. There was also talk about running a bridge around the edge of the park to the new land and making another nature preserve out there.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

wow... if u r right, then i wonder how i was able to come up with their general plan? the thing with that train station is that it might totally screw up timing for the trains, and they might need to shorten the trains and add a new train to compensate. the ireland rooftops don't look like they'd be able to support the weight without some type of structur re-creation, and that would take way too much resources to bother.

[wickedfan07]

oo dueling flying coaster would be fun...what could they be themed as? A wooden coaster would be cool as well, seeing as BGW doesn't have one. I think they should add a new country, like Spain, not expand on Germany or Oktoberfest...there are already two German areas...why would we want another?:weird: I think a new themed country would give the park even more possibilities, instead of making it Germany with a side of the rest of western Europe.

Happy gaming:)
wickedfan:cool:

[alpengeist04]

Well, Spain is know for their bullfighting. Too bad Six Flags has already named one of their coasters Raging Bull.:haha:

[wickedfan07]

My idea for a Spanish section built next to Oktoberfest, where Drachen Fire used to stand.

Barcelona, Spain would include:


Either a wooden coaster or a pair of dueling steel coasters (possibly flying as mentioned earlier)
some kind of water ride
Ferris wheel (light blue oval on map)
Spanish-themed shopping center/food court; could include a bullfighting show (could be set up somewhat like San Marco’s Ristorante della Piazza) (Map #1)
"Conquistador's Shipyard" flat ride area, spanish/mariner themed (much like "DaVinci's Garden of Inventions" in San Marco.) (Map #2)
Nature preserve and trails (Map #3)
Bridge to Festa Italia over Rhine River. Path on other side of river would parallel Roman Rapids and connect near Turkish Delight (possibility for new Italian ride near Roman Rapids off of new path)
The white line on the map is the train. The red oval on the line is the new Spain station.

http://img212.exs.cx/img212/1498/bgwspain2lj.th.jpg (http://img212.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img212&image=bgwspain2lj.jpg)

Any comments or suggestions? Sorry about the bad quality of the map...Paint can only do so much!:p

Happy gaming:)
wickedfan:cool:

[RTCnoob384]

there can be no wooden roller coaster!!!noise limitaions wouldnt allow it, unless they made it quieter.....

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RTCnoob384
there can be no wooden roller coaster!!!noise limitaions wouldnt allow it, unless they made it quieter.....

thats why I said there could be a wooden coaster or two dueling steel coasters:)

-wickedfan

[RTCnoob384]

yeah, but anyway isnt that Kings Mill resort thingy close to BGW?

[RCT2head]

woody is possible, i believe Kingsmill is a couple of miles down the road on the other side. that, and they could make it a steel track woody, where the ride is less noisy, but it would sacrifice the woody feeling.

[wickedfan07]

what do you guys think of the map i made?

[RTCnoob384]

very nice but you have to put Big Bad Wolf into the mix... that puppy takes up space!(no pun intended)

[Squid2]

It's a good map. I may print it out and take it up there with me when I go this year. (Only a month till opening day... grrrr.) They should also consider adding in a new station for Up, Up, and Away... or whatever they call the Ski Lift ride. The more ways they have for foot traffic to enter that section of the park, the better.

And what is this about noise levels? I haven't heard anything about BGW having noise concerns.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

the skyride, 'Derigible Landing', is all ready permantent, as they'd have to buy, beyond a new station and trains, an entire new cable and supports, and modifications to 2 of the old stations

[alpengeist04]

Hey RCTnoob384, what do you mean we have to put BBW into the mix?

Btw, nice layout wickedfan.:up:

[RCT2head]

i believe i can answer that one, alpengeist.
the path ideas u all have mentioned could work, except they'd all have to go through BBW at one point or another. when those paths or rides go through the general area of another ride that has had a distinct look forever, it's hard to put the path or ride into perspective to keep the same look and feel. in other words, a path or skyride would ruin the atmosphere BBW gives, as the course of the ride/path would run under/over/through the ride area of BBW. That, and the fact that a lock-out is req'd for that entire area, would make it unsafe to put a path/ ride. and, on top of that, the new country's entrance is right next to the ride area, so it would be inevitable that a path or ride would go across it.

[Squid2]

You're forgetting one thing.... the land where Drachen Fire was had pathways already built into it. These paths went around BBW without crossing over or under it. Why couldn't they just use these paths again? If I remember correctly, one of them was right next to the Festhall. And any bridge from the new land to Italy would also avoid that general area.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

i know the one by the festhaus, but that was it, i believe.
the italy bridge is right next to BBW, so to tie that together would require that they put the bridge basically alongside the train tressel, and then to the bridge, and when they do that, they spare 1 ride and spoil another.

[wickedfan07]

By spoiling anohter ride do you mean spoiling Roman Rapids or do you mean spoiling the railroad. Whatever paths near Festhaus could be used for access to this corner like they were originally intended w/ Drachen Fire.

Sadly I have only been to BGW once and had limitations while I was there (school trip w/ a time schedule) so I have not been on Big Bad Wolf. Given enough trees between BBW and the new section, would there still be a problem with the atmosphere on BBW? In my plan, (see post a while back) the majority of the land next to BBW is devoted to nature trails. There would be no other rides nearby. The trail could be buffered from BBW by trees and whatnot, and the most the people in the trails would do is hear the coaster, if that. Would the flat ride section be a problem for BBW? Is this new map a slightly better idea?
http://img144.exs.cx/img144/4159/bgwspainrev6iq.th.jpg (http://img144.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img144&image=bgwspainrev6iq.jpg)
1. food/shopping center
2. flat rides
3. nature trails
(for more details see my other post above.)
**Instead of or included with the nature trail could be a mini-golf course...just a thought.

Comments?

-wickedfan:cool:

[RCT2head]

ok... lemme straighten this out...
the paths that r there were designed to not interfere.
what u r proposing is a new bridge to festa italia, which would be built parallel to the existing tressel and bridge. that would be fine except for 2 things:
1. in between those 2 bridges and the track on land is BBW, and the old DF space. in case u don't remeber, BBW and its buffer takes up all of the space until 1/2 way across the bridge, so there's no way to build a bridge across there. to get the bridge to festa italia would have to go into ride space at one point or another. and if u were thinking of making the bridge cross the river on the other side of the tressel, then you'd have find a way to make an uboscure path crossing to get it across.
2. once across, where's it going to go? to get it to festa italia, it'd have to basically go through the employee cafeteria, and the employee entrance. those sections can't really be modified, and they also shouldn't be seen by the general public. Even with those areas not there, it'd have to cross the train tracks and the horse pasture to get to somewhere, and it would connect with roman rapids, which does not have space for expansion without the rides in the area being ruined. the onliest way for busch to do that is to build a bridge over the train station there and remove a few of those shops outta the way, which would also mean that there would be bridge supports in the way of most of the scenery, ruining the area around the bridge.

[RTCnoob384]

here is the 2003 map: http://www.themeparkbrochures.com/maps/2003/bgw2003.html
i think you can stil see the old drachen fire starion.....

i think i remeber what they did with the area!!!!it think they made it into a small catered restraunt that you must have a reservation for.... i forgot the name of it now but its like Dark Forest something.... i will try to remeber....

[wickedfan07]

Black Forest picnic area? I think that is behind Festhaus, not where Drachen Fire was.

RCT2Head, what to do you mean about BBW and its buffertaking up halfway across the bridge? TThe bridge is going over the water. The bridge to Festa Italia would be directly next to the train tressel on the inside of it, meaning its closer to the rest of the park. I have been on the train and the train tressel seemed to be pretty far-removed from BBW. BBW doesn't take up all the lake front from the train to the San Marco-Oktoberfest bridge...I'm not sure I understand what you mean. For the employee sections in Festa Italia, I don't know. Why couldn't the path parallel the train all the way into Festa Italia and cross near Turkish Delight? The whole thing isn't going to be above the ground, the brige would only be over the water, not over anything else.

-wickedfan:cool:

[RCT2head]

do u personally think that in a park that relies on its appearance, putting in a path that would run against a themed train ride would be ethical... on top of that, it'd run right next to the horse pastures, which would not be good for the scenery and the horses. on top of that, there is still the fact of where that path would connect to. right outside the train station is the turn to head toward the tressel, and on the other side is roman rapids. no space/scenery/shop space is really available, and adding a path right next to it would be unsafe. in my next post, i'll have an accurate diagram of what i am talking about, and will show u what the problems with such a path could be. (ok... i know it sounds like i'm po'd about this, i'm just trying to show that it just won't work)

[wickedfan07]

I understand that you aren't po'd.:cool::)

Is there any other way to have a second foot entrance to this section other than through Oktoberfest? If Busch was to create a new country here and built a new train station, guests in Italy could take the train over the water, but leaving the country would be difficult because you would have to walk all they way through Oktoberfest or take the train all the way around to New France, which could potentially be a turn off to visitors, unless they planned their day around the transportation systems, which isn't likely. Perhaps this is why Busch hasn't re-developend this section yet: its a transportation nightmare!

-wickedfan:cool::)

[RCT2head]

yeah.. actually i figure out that if they had a wide buffer zone behind the festhaus, they could snake a trail around it and connect with the wildlife sanctuary. the problem is the train ride cuts right up next to it, making a path there a bad idea.

[wickedfan07]

If they pushed the train ride as transport to the other side near
New France, they wouldn't necessarily need a path. Unfortunately, there's no way to get towards the front of the park quickly and easily in the absence of the bridge discussed earlier. Thats the biggest problem.

-wicked:cool:

[RCT2head]

actually, if the major ride was at the end of the path, they could use the single path already there, and then just maybe make a second paththat splits off of it and turns towards the bumper cars after it's clear of the BBW area. i bet you, walking, that to the front of the park would only take about 10-20 minutes. for running, in the case of an emergency, it would take about 5-10 minutes, depending on how much people, if the staff was helping show the way out, or what areas had the disaster.

[wickedfan07]

So in other words, in addition to the old DF path have one that comes up behind the bumper cars? I didn't even think of an emergency situation. If something happened that they needed to get people out of there, I don't think they would have a problem with letting people out of the employee entrance...they would rather keep their repuation for safety than their reputation for pretty things at that point.

But safety would be an issue there...

-wicked

[RCT2head]

well, not a path physically behind the bumper cars, as that cuts into BBW area. but, one that basically cuts a small corner and is aimed at the path that connects the bumper cars. As for emergency, the main pathway 'street' would be wide enought to accomodate over the capacity of itself and the buildings that connect to it. what would need to happen is that all staff in the area would need emergency training, whether it be medical or physical. the staff should also know were to send guests, and instill calmness among the people, as there won't be a chaotic mob of people to possibly hurt/trample anyone trying to escape the park. but, there is one problem: the train. if a train was approaching, there would be no way for the people in front of it and the people on it to escape, unless the rows of the cars were widened to allow for people to walk across and off the train. from their, there'd have to be a defined path to follow out of the park, and back towards their vehicles, or shuttles. so, there could possible be a train stop where, on the other side of the tracks, is a wide slab of concrete funneling into a path that leads to a large waiting shelter that has at least one long tram reserved for its use only, and a first aid station with easy access to the nearest hospital.

[wickedfan07]

lets hope they never have to use this stuff! Also, what do they do w/ the DF station at Holloween? Do they have a haunted house?

-wicked:cool:

[RCT2head]

yes, they do, but if they were going to put in a country there, they could either demolish or convert the building

[Squid2]

Well, last I heard, the intention was to use the station for a new coaster. After all, that's what it was built for, a roller coaster.

Any word on how the construction on Curse of DarKastle is going? We're about three weeks away from opening day, and not much has been said. Any info floating around out there?

Squid2

[RCT2head]

last i heard, it was either ahead of schedule, or on time

[wickedfan07]

It seems to me that Busch has always kept their plans under wraps for a long time before releasing details. Maybe they are planning to do something w/ that old Drachen Fire land/station and just aren't saying anything yet. Maybe coming soon for 2007 or something?

-wickedfan:cool:

[RTCnoob384]

yeeah maybe, they do need another coaster.... what kind of park only has 4 coasters?!a really poor park!

[alpengeist04]

I'll take quality over quantity every time. Thank-you very much.:)

[wickedfan07]

Exactly. I was surprised they only had four coasters. Last year when I went I almost thoought that the park was on its way to closing becuase of its lack of coasters. (I'm glad I was wrong.) A new coaster (I wish it would be a wooden one) is definitely needed.

[alpengeist04]

BGW has never had a lot of coasters. Before Drachen Fire they had only two for a decade and did just fine. The park is more than just rollercoasters.(aka IOA) I rather have them have 4 and take care of them then have 12 and have them rusting.(aka alot of SF parks)

[wickedfan07]

Of course they should go for quality over quantity. Its not what I was used to to see a park with only four coasters...I hadn't paid much attention to BGW and any other park I knew of had more than four coasters. BGW is still an awesome park nonetheless.

-wickedfan07:cool:

[RTCnoob384]

yeah, best scenery ever!an the coasters look nice, not all pavement like some i have been on!

[RCT2head]

and a brewery for a very rich beer company right next door to boot!
yeah, BGW doesn't need alot of coasters, though they have space for them, and that'd be cool, they can't exactly fit them into the western europe theme unless they were trying to have the park work its way from medeival ages to the industrial revolution

[wickedfan07]

I still don't understand how they got New France (Canada) into a Western European themed park...its just very out of place.

-W:cool:

[RCT2head]

exploration theme, i believe.
Land of the Dragons is kinda outta place too,
but, i understand why it's there

[wickedfan07]

Yeah, I didn't even think of Land of the Dragons. BGT has Land of the Dragons too and its out of place there since thats Africa. You would think they could come up with a more fitting name for the kids area rather than somerhting that has nothing to do w/ the eneral theme of the park. Is there a story behind that section that I'm missing??

-wickedfan:)

[RCT2head]

probably not...
and up until 2-3 years ago, they also had a Festhaus in Tampa.
but, LotD in Tampa was much more developed looking, though i'm not sure if they had the same amounts of rides and stage facilities, seeing as i've only been there once.

[alpengeist04]

I know that this thread is a little old, but I didn't want to open a new one. Anyway, I was at the park yesterday and I thought I saw a sign heading into the parking lot that said DarKastle opens May 1st. Does anyone know for sure? Also it appears they have painted Apollo's Chariot and it seemed to be running a little faster than in previous years. Any thoughts?

[Squid2]

Apparently they made a press release that states Curse of DarKastle opens to the public on May 1st. Unfortunately I won't get to ride it until early June, so I envy those of you who live up there... let us know how it is, okay?

Squid2

[alpengeist04]

I'm heading back up on the 13th of May. Can't wait!!! I'm going to try and get to DarKastle first thing.;) I was first in line for Alpengeist yesterday, so I'm pretty sure I'll be on DarKastle's first car that day.:D

[Squid2]

Just while I'm thinking about it... when do they open the park to the public? I've heard they open the English section at 9:00 am and let guests come into that section, and then open the rest of the park at 10:00 am. Is this true? If so, it would help out my planning for my June BGW trip.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

They do... in previous years, they either only had the front section open and the others blocked off by gates, except the way to ireland, because they figured that by the time u actually get around the park, they'll have opened the gates so u can line up for a ride to open... all the ride open @ 10, so if u were 2 bother going early, my suggestion is to show up ther around 9:30, so u can buy tix and line up for AC, because LNM's line is usually not very long... my suggestion is to work your way around the park, starting @ AC and working around towards BBW to DK to Alpengeist to LNM stopping and doing whatever... i've found that in 5 hours, i was able to do every ride except either BBW or LNM, because of the lines and breakdowns... if u r there for 12 hrs, u should be able to do every ride in the park, including the coasters, carnival rides, the water rides, and everything else... that estimate excludes DK, but i think that even though to the community it's a big event, it's not going to be a highlight of the average person's trip... i remember that's what happened to Ireland... most people thought it had been there, and the lines were about the same for the shows... and the lines for the Beemers for the 1st 2-3 years weren't longer than 1:30 wait, not filling more than the queque limit.

BTW: If u r going to BGW, can u please send me pics of Alpengeist from the bridge over the log flume, the back section of the queque line (near the entrance to the queque house), the bridge of the queque for the vintage cars, the to of the drop of the ride (looking downat the layout, if u think u can get it), and any other angle u think u can manage... my e-mail is RCT2head@hotmail.com

[Squid2]

Okay, due to size restrictions, (not to mention the risk to myself, others, and my $300 camera,) I have very few, if any, onboard pictures of any coaster. Mind you, I haven't ridden Alpengeist yet, so there's no chance of pic from the trains. However, I have plenty of pics of Alpengeist, including from all the land based angles you mentioned, plus several more. (I've got several from onboard the vintage cars, Le Mans, and several from the Sky Lift buckets.)

Now, about the pic at the end of the queue line... are you talking from directly under the lift hill, or up in the queue line itself? I don't have any from the queue line, but have plenty of the station and the lift hill.

I've also got several pics of BBW, LNM, AC, (just a few of that one,) and even a few of Wild Maus, before it left. If you're interested in those, I could send them as well.

And, of course, the offer is open to meet up at the park when I come up there for the vacation... that offer is open to anyone who would like to meet me!

Squid2

[RCT2head]

i don't have season's passes again, so i can't get them myself...
but the queque line shots i'm looking for are of the inline twists and the turnaround... u'd have to go to the queque house, and along the way, it's at the turnaround into it... if u want, i can e-mail a simple map that should explain better what i'm trying to see... thanks alot!

[alpengeist04]

I was at the park this past Sunday and they didn't let you into the parking lot till 9:30. I went and picked up my summer pass and entered the park by 9:50. Italy was blocked off till 10:30 and Germany till 11:00. I went through Ireland around to Alpengeist. I was the very first person to get in line at 10:01. I rode Alpie 4 times by 10:30 and then walked around to Italy. I rode Apollo 4 times and then went to BBW and LNM.(in that order) By 12:15 I had ridden Apollo 4 times, Alpengeist 4 times, BBW 1 time and LNM 2 times. I ended up riding Apollo 9 times that day.:D

BTW, all they have left to do on the outside building of DarKastle is a little piece of the roof.:up:

P.S. Squid, let me know when your planning to go. I pretty open except the first week in June. I'm heading to SF Great Adventure and Dorney Park.:D

[Squid2]

Uh.... Alpen, the first week of June is when I'm coming up! Course, I probably won't be hitting the Virginia area until Tuesday or Wenesday of that week, and I won't be leaving until Sunday or even the following Monday.

I'll work on the pics, but I'm working a double tomorrow, so it's going to have to wait until either Thursday night or the weekend. If I can get a free pic hoster, I'll upload them and let everyone see them. And if anyone's interested, I've got enough pics of rollercoasters to fill up a couple of cds... mostly they're pics off the web, but several are my personal pics... especially BGW, PKD, Lake Winnie, and SFoG.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

thanks alot!

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by alpengeist04
BTW, all they have left to do on the outside building of DarKastle is a little piece of the roof.:up:

P.S. Squid, let me know when your planning to go. I pretty open except the first week in June. I'm heading to SF Great Adventure and Dorney Park.:D

Where exactly is DarKastle. Yeah its in Oktoberfest, but near what? Also, could anyone recommend someplace online for me to find pictures of BGW? I would like to start working on my recreation again but my memory is trememdously limited. I would defintely need pictures of things other than coasters.

Off-topic: Yay for Dorney Park!

-wickedfan

[RCT2head]

remeber wilde mause?
DarKastle is in the aree where that was, except ibelieve the entrance is closer to the festhaus... oh, btw, though u said u don't need pics of coasters, i have made all the current rides except alpengeist, which is why i requested those pics... oh, btw squid, have u got them yet?

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RCT2head
remeber wilde mause?
DarKastle is in the aree where that was, except ibelieve the entrance is closer to the festhaus... oh, btw, though u said u don't need pics of coasters, i have made all the current rides except alpengeist, which is why i requested those pics... oh, btw squid, have u got them yet?

I need pictures of coasters, too. But I assume I'll be able to find enough of those at places like RCDB...but not necessarily pictures of buildings like the Festhaus or Ristorante Della Piazza (San Marco).

And no, I don't remember Wild Mause...I think I missed it by a year.:( So CoDK is near the Festhaus?

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

wilde mause was also named izzy, and it was basically a mack wild mouse ride... i guess it was a temp solution for having a ride in the area, as it wasn't really heavily BGW themed for its area... anyways... if u were to go to the festhaus from the land of the dragons area, it will be on the right, but as far as i could tell last year, they were building a warehouse over it, so i couldn't be very accurate where the line is, but i'm guessing it's in the vicinity of near the games... probably, if i remeber right, about across from the arcade

[RTCnoob384]

its to the right if you face the FestHaus directly...

[RCT2head]

but there r 2 paths to the feathaus... the one i mentioned above, and the one from festa italia

[alpengeist04]

If your coming from festa italia the festhaus would be to the left first and DarKastle would be to the right straight ahead. If your coming from Alpie its to the right before festhaus. I'm not 100% sure where the entrence will be, but it should be facing toward Land of Dragons.

[RCT2head]

well, if u were coming from the festa italia bridge, then that'd mean that u would have to either go through that gift shop for it to be on the right, or you would have to go up and next to the festhaus, where the entrance would be on your left, unless they pulled a RCT2 and buried the queque under the path, where the entrance is on the other side

[alpengeist04]

Actually, if you go through the gift shop it's right in front of you. The entrance should be right there.

Edit: I'm heading up to BGW on May 8th. I won't know for sure till then.

[RCT2head]

yeah... i meant that it'd be on the left if u don't go thru the giftshop... that was the only point i was trying to make

[Squid2]

Anyone know what the Media Day for DarKastle is? Assuming the ride is still opening on May 1st, that would make the Media Day within the next week. Just curious!

And does anyone know what the restraint are going to be like, if any?

Squid2

[RCT2head]

probably a lap-bar type harness, and media day is probably may 1st also, as it usually is with the opening of their rides

[alpengeist04]

I agree, it will be lap-bars. As for media day I'm not 100% sure. They were going to open DarKastle on the 30th, but decided to stay with the May 1st. I heard April 29th for media day, but again I'm not sure if thats correct.:confused:

[wickedfan07]

I REALLY wish I lived closer to BGW...but Pennsylvania is still somewhat of a trek...especially when you're 15. :( I can't wait to get back and go on DarKastle. You people who live nearby have no idea how lucky you are.:p

Happy gmiang
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

even if i live like an hour away, i'm about as lucky as u, as i don't have passes to BGW this year, so i probably won't be able to go

[alpengeist04]

I'm 3 hours from BGW, so I'm not that lucky.:( BGW is tied for my favorite park, so I make a point to visit once a month. (April thru September);)

[RCT2head]

so what's it tied with... PKD?

[alpengeist04]

Heck no!!!lol I like PKD, but it's not even in my top 5.
My top 5 are:
1a.BGW
1b.Universal/IOA
1c.Cedar Point
4.BGTampa
5.SFGrAdv.

[RCT2head]

good list
since i've only been to like 3-4 parks , i can't really have a list

[alpengeist04]

Originally posted by RCT2head
good list
since i've only been to like 3-4 parks , i can't really have a list

Thanks, I'm hoping to hit all five parks in the next year.
1a.BGW- each month this season
1b.Universal/IOA-Oct. or Nov. of this year
1c.Cedar Point-May 2006
4.BGTampa-Oct. or Nov. of this year
5.SFGrAdv-June 7th&8th of this year

I've already been to PKD and of course BGW.
I'm also visiting Carowinds, Dorney, Seaworld, and Silverwood this year.:D

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by alpengeist04
Thanks, I'm hoping to hit all five parks in the next year.
1a.BGW- each month this season
1b.Universal/IOA-Oct. or Nov. of this year
1c.Cedar Point-May 2006
4.BGTampa-Oct. or Nov. of this year
5.SFGrAdv-June 7th&8th of this year

I've already been to PKD and of course BGW.
I'm also visiting Carowinds, Dorney, Seaworld, and Silverwood this year.:D

Have fun at Dorney! You'll be like an hour from my house.

Wow. That's a cool list.:D

Happy parkhopping
wickedfan

[alpengeist04]

Originally posted by wickedfan07
Have fun at Dorney! You'll be like an hour from my house.

Wow. That's a cool list.:D

Happy parkhopping
wickedfan

I'm looking forward to Dorney. I haven't been there in 15 years. I do remember riding Hercules,(RIP) but I'm looking forward to riding another great B&M invert.:D I'm also looking forward to Hydra and Steel Force.:D

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by alpengeist04
I'm looking forward to Dorney. I haven't been there in 15 years. I do remember riding Hercules,(RIP) but I'm looking forward to riding another great B&M invert.:D I'm also looking forward to Hydra and Steel Force.:D

Geez, you rode Hercules when it was new! I really need to get back to Dorney...hmm...how to convince parents? What's even harder is trying to convince my parents to take a family vacation to BGW this summer:rolleyes: :D

EDIT: Out of everyone on this thread...is anyone else attempting a BGW recreation?

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[Squid2]

I'm not attempting any recreations... probably won't. They're very difficult and time consuming, and I simply have too many things going on to even attempt one.

For those who care, I am definitely coming up the 1st week in June. I should be in the Williamsburg area on June 6th and be there through June 12th. We're planning on being at BGW on Friday, June 10th, and Saturday, June 11th. (Btw, does anyone know if Imaginque is running this year?)

Call this our itenary:

June 4th - Leave Atlanta for Dollywood.
June 5th - Dollywood. Depending on how we feel, either spend the night or drive on to Williamsburg.
June 6th - Arrive at Williamsburg and settle in.
June 7th & 8th - Paramount King's Dominion
June 9th - Colonial Williamsburg
June 10th & 11th - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
June 12th - possible 3rd day at BGW and travel back to Atlanta

Squid2

[wickedfan07]

Wel, if either alpengeist or RCT2Head are doing recreations, I was able to find topographic maps on Microsoft Terraserver. Sorry if this is old news to you.:)

http://terraserver-usa.com/

Use the search feature on the left side of the page.
Street: Busch Gardens Blvd
...and you know the rest... When it comes up, since BGW is the only thing on Busch Gardens Blvd, it should be the only thing on the list of results. There is a topographic map as well as an aerial photo. You can click on the photo to zoom in and out but I don't think the map does. The map is from 1982 and the photo from 1989...so its not recent, but you can get the basic elevation changes from it.

Hope this helps any recreators out there.

Happy gaming
Wickedfan

[RCT2head]

i was trying to re-create it in 2, but in 3, i wanna team up with someone to do it... oh, btw, i have made an almost complete set of BGW coasters, minus Alpengeist because of the track structure limits... they are currently being hosted at RCT3X (http://http://rct3x.simgames.net/downloadrides.htm). but, they forgot to make it a download pack, so the rides are LNM, BBW, AC, and WM... they are spread out over the page, so look for them... oh, and i made 2 more high excitment rides that were pretty cheap for me to make: Triple Threat and Nullified... so check it out

[wickedfan07]

Is your recreation in RCT2 hosted somewhere? I originally tried recreating it in 2 but I used the park map only...and that messed everything up becuase Busch's maps suck...

Happy gaming
wickedfan

P.S. If you want to team up for a recreation in 3, let me know! I'd be happy to team up with you. I had one going but it went sour so I'm restarting it.

[RCT2head]

sure, send me an e-mail @ RCT2head@hotmail.com.... but my recreation sucked becasue of terraforming and the scales were all messed up.. and then 3 came out, so i stopped trying, but i have made ride recreatios, like the ones above... i'm just waiting for the chance to make myself alpengeist

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RCT2head
sure, send me an e-mail @ RCT2head@hotmail.com.... but my recreation sucked becasue of terraforming and the scales were all messed up.. and then 3 came out, so i stopped trying, but i have made ride recreatios, like the ones above... i'm just waiting for the chance to make myself alpengeist

I'll have to send one later...I'm in the middle of a bunch of school work right now.

[RCT2head]

ok... so when do u think u got time?
oh, and i don't mind anyone else tagging along into this project, as long as u don't either... i figure the more people we have, the more we can do and the better it'll turn out

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RCT2head
ok... so when do u think u got time?
oh, and i don't mind anyone else tagging along into this project, as long as u don't either... i figure the more people we have, the more we can do and the better it'll turn out

Only 32 more days and this school year is over! Erm...I might have time after Wednesday?:rolleyes: Teachers are having a free-for-all with my brain this week.:cry:

Happy gaming
Wickedfan

[Squid2]

Just asking a favor here... but could you take the BGW recreation to another thread? It's kinda hijacking this one.

Btw, any more word on DarKastle?

Squid2

[RCT2head]

no, no word yet
and i don't think that talking about a recreation here is really hijacking it, because, afterall, it's a thread about BGW, not just a specific part of it

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RCT2head
no, no word yet
and i don't think that talking about a recreation here is really hijacking it, because, afterall, it's a thread about BGW, not just a specific part of it

I will try to email you later tonight, RCT2Head. And my apologies to Squid2--I'll try to keep this to e-mail/PM only.:)

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[Squid2]

It's not that big of a deal... I just have this thread subscribed and I get an email every time you post! :D I do want to see the recreation when you're done... I am interested in it! (I'll even help if I can, but it would probably have to be with photos and layouts.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

i think any help you give would be greatly appreciated

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by RCT2head
i think any help you give would be greatly appreciated

:up:

I have this thread subscribed too (just remembered) but I never check that email address so I didn't think about it! :haha:

RCT2Head, I'll TRY to Email you tonight but I have a Jazz Band concert to play at so it may be a little late.:)

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

that's cool... i did a jazz band in middle school... we played a musical... i think it was The Music Man, with one of my friends as Prof. Harold Hill... it was actually pretty good, more than enough people showed up, and it was pretty fun

[wickedfan07]

I would keep this to PM, RCT2Head, but I don't know how often, if at all, you check your PMs...so...

I'm finally getting a chance to e-mail you about the recreation. Just to you don't think you're recieveing a strange e-mail, my e-mail address is lemoncurlystraw@yahoo.com .

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[alpengeist04]

It's finally here.:D DarKastle will open to the GP tomorrow.:D I'm heading over next Sunday. I can't wait.:D

[wickedfan07]

Originally posted by alpengeist04
It's finally here.:D DarKastle will open to the GP tomorrow.:D I'm heading over next Sunday. I can't wait.:D

Now DarKastle = open!

HAve fun alpen!

[RCT2head]

yeah, send some pics and stuff

[alpengeist04]

Here's something to wet your appetite.;)

www.themeparkinsider.com/columns/blog/198.cfm

P.S. Warning, possible spoilers.:eek:

[RCT2head]

thanks... i'll read it when i get a chance

[wickedfan07]

Cool article, alpengeist. Thanks!

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

so now that DarKastle has been open for about a week, how was it?

[alpengeist04]

I heard it was a 3 hour wait last Sunday for the opening. I hope it won't be so bad this Sunday, with it being Mother's Day.

[wickedfan07]

Okay alpengeist, we all expect a full report on Monday! :p

RCT2Head, anything new on the recreation front?

[alpengeist04]

What a great ride!!!!:D I was able to get on Darkastle twice by 10:45. By 11:00 it was a 1 hour wait, and by 12:00 it was approaching 2 hours. All 4 parking areas were full by noon.:eek: I will try and answer any questions tomorrow. BTW, I was still able to ride Apollo 7 times.:D

[RCT2head]

lol... sounds like usual operations...
about that re-creation, i'm kinda waitin for some help on the topography, cause i can't do anything without that done first

[wickedfan07]

Topgraphic map (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=11&Z=18&X=885&Y=10304&W=1&qs=1+Busch+Gardens+Blvd%7cWillimasburg%7cVigrinia%7c&Addr=1+Busch+Gardens+Blvd%2c+Williamsburg%2c+VA+23185&ALon=-76.6413614&ALat=37.2358349) of Busch Gardens Williamsburg taken 01 July 1984. From that link you can also access a more recent aerial photo.

When I get time (hopefully sometime this week or at worst this coming weekend) I was planning on trying to terraform some on my non-Beta install (my other computer). Does anyone happen to know how many square feet one grid block is in RCT3?

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

probably 1 yd per square

[wickedfan07]

1 yd = 3 ft. So a normal sandob park (128x128) would be 128x3 ft, or 384 ft by 384 ft. If that's meant to be the equivalent of the average theme park...something seems wrong.

If each square was 10 ft, then a sandbox park would be 1280 ft by 1280 ft. Could this be more realistic?

[RCT2head]

well, by yardage as 1 block per square yard, it would be most logical because the rides wouldn't be that wide (10 feet wide for square occupied... unless it's a 4-row seater with a catwalk, i don't think so)

[wickedfan07]

Lets just say that RCT3 isn't to scale (which it should be!) and just guess at the correct park size..we could make up our own scale or something. But I understand what you mean about rides and coasters.

[RCT2head]

ok... but i suck at judging distances and stuff in that game... and now without that permanent grid, i'm even worse... that, and there are alot of chances to mess up the topography by bare mili-units, i think i'm better suited to scenery and pathways... if u let me, i'll do that

[wickedfan07]

That sounds fine. :) I will try to work some this weekend. Did you want to post screenshots on the exchange for eyes to oogle at or did you just want to do it for the sake of doing it, without ever "releasing" it?

Happy gaming
wickedfan

[RCT2head]

i just wanna do it to say we did it, with everything very accurate as possible, and then maybe we can put it up on the exchange...
oh, and i have made accurate re-creations of AC, thoguh it's a little smaller scale than i want, BBW, LNM, and WM... alpengeist is a pain to do however, so i'm spending some time on making that

[RCT2head]

so, how's it comin? and r pics of darkastle up anywhere?

[Squid2]

There are several pics of the exterior of DarKastle up on the web. The problem is that there are dang few of the interior, with good reason. Because most of the effects are 3D projection screens, cameras can only make blurry pics of them... hence, interior pics are pretty useless.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

what... if not the ride then not the queque or the trains and station?

[Squid2]

Okay, the vast majority of the pics up are of the exterior, the queue line, and the stations. There's very little up dealing with the interior of the ride, for stated reasons. There's a few of the preshow, but the camera doesn't usually pick out the preshow very well.

Squid2