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*pretends to be shocked by your predictable smart ass responses*

Most if not all (some early electronic controls used relay logic) run off Industrial PLCs(programmable logic controllers). Roller coasters have more more in common with your standard automated assembly line in a factory than anything else when it comes to control systems. Many manufacturers use Allen Bradley/Rockwell Automation as their preferred brand of gear. You'll find most coaster manufactures use a preferred sub contractor for their controls. For instance Intamin use Inautec. RMC often use Irvine Ondrey, S&S actually do their own. Disney also build all their own control systems for their rides regardless of who supplies them. They em are all programmed in simple but highly dependable Ladder Logic with each manufacturer of equipment, AB, Siemens, Mitsubishi, etc, having their own proprietary software to do so. Previously coasters would use multiple PLCs wired together for error checking and redundancy however recently most people have changed over to using a single Safety Rated PLC as these have become more economical and flexible. A dark ark ride will typically operate the same for vehicle control (basically anything that can kill you) and a seperate system will control the show elements. This may include more PLCs but also likely audio, video, lighting controllers as well which usually come out of the theatrical/entertainment industry.

These containers have Mack crates in them, crane is moving more supports onto site. Couple smaller supports behind fence installed for lift hill

@jack.c I would recommend you go to an optometrist.

The 2 cranes are back on the non-inverted loop today.

brb buying a VIP pass

I'm currently in California and visited Magic Mountain yesterday (Wednesday). While I have no idea what it might be like to visit the park in August, I couldn't do the whole park in one day - and I had the platinum flash pass with X2 added, but I also rode some rides several times. Some of this is what the previous posters have already mentioned but I recommend - - Get there really early. I was there at 1000 for a 1030 open and while I got a decent park, there was a huge crowd already waiting to get in the gates. - Download a park map and familiarise yourself with the layout. Man I wish I had done this! There is a reason why it's called magic mountain. I consider myself physically fit and taking the left path is a killer. You definitely don't want to be doing this multiple times because you're not sure where you're going. - Download the app. This will give you approximate wait times for each ride. - If you have the cash, get a flash pass. Not only does this awesome device let you jump the queue but it also tells you if a ride closes and opens!! - If you do get a flash pass know that most of the rides have good signage as to where to queue. Twisted Colossus has nothing. I walked all over looking for any sign of that little symbol and nadda. I ended up asking somebody waiting in line. You go down the disabled access just FYI. Green Lantern was a bit confusing too. It had signs and then an arrow that pointed to the right but that just led to the main queue. I had to ask about it too and you go left and take the furtherest set of stairs (which you may not see until you're halfway up the second last set ) - I wasn't impressed by Green Lantern First Flight. It looks like it might be thrilling and fun. It's not. And I whacked my head something fierce on the second drop and had an awful headache for the rest of the day. - There are ride lockers on a few of the rides but you only need a locker for X2. For all the other rides you can leave your stuff in bins or off to the side of the station. If you decide to ride X2 don't stress if you've made the hike all the way to the front of the queue with your belongings. The lockers are on the ride platform.

These guys are really active in the coaster community and have some good shots of systems in their page https://www.facebook.com/IrvineOndreyEngineering/

Further to the block ladder logic I posted above, heres some additional info on translating it: CRxxxx is a coil reference - which are outputs. INxxxx are inputs. So for example: this ladder logic says if coil 133 is on and input 41 is off and input 47 is on then turn on coil 129 a coil being a relay coil, relay contacts would switch the load, like the lift motor, air valve etc...

A lot of ride manufacturers just use the Allen-Bradley computer systems. They can control everything from theming cues to brakes and safety. Google 'Rockwell Automation'. It makes sense for Manufacturers to use an industry-standard system, because it means the park's in-house maintenance staff can maintain the rides and trouble-shoot any issues because everything is compatible. B&M uses Allen-Bradley PLCs.

I guess it depends on the age of the attraction, and the complexity of the ride control system, as well as what safety features are built into it as well. For example, this is the block ladder listing from a 1984 family woodie, operated by a westinghouse numa-logic PLC controller. Naturally more modern rides would have more modern features, and probably be driven by a lot more complicated systems as well - especially since they do much more than just roll, and coast these days. I'm not sure if he's still around, but at one stage, one of the forum members here was involved with the relocation of the boomerang from Wonderland to Alabama Adventure, and knew alot about both that at the SP7 (giant drop) ride systems. Can't remember who it was though...?

You finish university exams awfully early... unless this is a midsemester break?

Better go practice then:

This is something I've been quite interested in - but never really have looked into it. Coasters obviously have some sort of software behind it to keep track of all the ride's systems, but what level of complexity is it? Do coasters run off small microcontrollers, or are the computer systems behind them a lot larger? Do manufacturers hire programmers to create the software for the coasters, or do they use external companies to do this? Are the software systems for different coasters very similar, or very different? What are the typical languages behind a coaster's software? How does the software for a coaster differ from say a flat ride or dark ride? You'd think the software would have to be pretty efficient to constantly keep track of everything the ride is doing and find any faults as they rise. Where else is software used heavily from within a theme park? But yeah, does anyone know anything about this? I'm currently studying software engineering, so I would love to know a bit more about this side of coasters.

Had a pleasant afternoon at The Maze. They were testing the water for Outback Splash. It seems that there are no plans for the water park extension for this summer. The park is looking very green and pretty at the moment. Also caught the 'meet the joey' session. Scoopon has $12 tickets at the moment.

https://themeparks.com.au/box-office/vip-magic-pass/renewal.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=SFMC&utm_campaign=MW-HeroesVVillains&utm_sitecore=&utm_content=Hero-Link&utm_term=170530-MW-DC_SH_SV-RENEWAL VIP Pass holders will get first access to ride the new coaster

The coaster already looks awesome in that first shot even without the loop

It doesn't need to, but if Green Lantern and Superman Escape match their known colours than one would assume the trend would continue.

From movie worlds latest Facebook post. Colours look familiar?

Superman Escape is now closed from 5 - 24 June and 10 - 24 July.

I would certainly expect Fright Nights to be on the 27th, 28th being the last Friday and Saturday evenings of the Halloween season. Either night will be very busy.. maybe consider taking the Terrror Tour? Never done it before myself because I always visit FN with a group of people making it difficult to get them to commit to spending big $$. For that reason I think I might just go with my other half this year so we can enjoy the experience. As far as timing/crowds go, I would expect weekends to be significantly busier than normal with annual passholders saturating the Park to ride WW😆 According to the MW maintenance page Justice League will be closed however this is the only major attraction currently scheduled. All in all, it will be a great time to visit with high capacity (all but 1 ride open), perfect weather, no School Holidays and Fright Nights in full swing. Plan to visit Wednesday and Friday. Stay back for FN Friday night. Good luck with your exams😀

Looking great! Loving all the developments in our Victorian parks

^This one is significantly longer than the one at WnW Sydney. It's got an S-bend mammoth section, and also a double downward helix before the drop and wave element. Plus the slide finishes with a drop - which i would assume will give some good airtime. Layout found on the Funfields website - http://www.funfields.com.au/rides/gravity-wave-victoria-biggest-waterslide

Funfields officially announces 'Gravity Wave' Waterslide for 2017/18 Season - Opening OCT 2017 It will be the world's longest Proslide TornadoWAVE

Road Runner and Wile.E were only in the parade for a little while after the 4D movie was introduced. Foghorn comes out every now and then. I've only seen him in the parade twice.

At the risk of derailing the thread, and hoping that perhaps one of the mods might split this off separately.... The best source of info for SP7 is actually the Wonderland History group on facebook - find them here

The space probe campaign started LONG before the ride opened. It was an ultimate teaser campaign. The fact that the ride was sponsored by ch 7 and the initially teaser featured their logo meant nobody new if this was a new show, a movie, or what it was. Later into the campaign there were hints this was a ride or something. Once major hype was established the Wonderland logo FINALLY appeared. Safe to say we all couldn't wait to ride!!! Nowdays campaigns are very literal and they can't help but splash the park logo on from the get go so there is much less mystery and hype. Fun fact, Lynton Harris was responsible for Space Probe.

As I said... 'almost a daily basis'. Those characters you have listed are not main daily characters. Willy Wonka does not come out anymore.

This sounds more palatable, thanks @ShaneW and welcome to Parkz 😃

I don't know if you can call Wonder Woman an uncertain theme though. Even if the movie was a dud it'd still be a safe theme. I've been saying since the start a big DC hero, either Wonder Woman or Flash would've been perfect, the fact that against the odds DC have turned out a good movie for a change doesn't change affect whether a character is timeless or not.

Yeah.. better stick with Suicide Squad instead then huh? Or maybe something like Bizarro, a theme that nobody has heard of? Meh.

It would be a shame if MW didn't take advantage of the WW hype that is about to descend. 97% critic positive on Rotten Tomatoes, I'm at least feeling releaved that DC have FINALLY achieved a Masterpiece to challenge Marvel.

@Reanimated35 I thought I had escaped the clutches of Smash Mouth

For what it's worth we were calling Motocoaster for what it was well before it opened too. No doubts in my mind where this new ride will sit in Australia and where it deserves to sit on the world scale. No one could ever claim that I've ever gone easy on our parks or lowered the bar because it's Australia. I'd take this hyper over everything on that list @Santa07, with the possible exception of the RMCs. @rac2703 simple... because magic and now, not magic and whenever-you-get-around-to-it. Yeah, this was an unashamed puff piece. The working title was "putting the hype in hypercoaster". If VRTP can't or won't do a hype/teaser campaign then we might as well fill that void. But I'm pretty confident that the tone of this article will be vindicated once reviews start rolling in for this thing...

I prefer my pancakes at 1 am. Why isn't Dreamworld fulfilling my pancake needs? But for real, I wonder why they'd only have a menu for two hours. Seems a little strange to me. Looks like I'm going to have to be at the park early to get my fix

Looks like we're getting quite mixed reviews on this one. I remember as a young kid being asked if I wanted to ride the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and all it took was one look at the surroundings to tell me exactly what I need to know. It was ominous, mysterious, and looming over almost all of the Anaheim skyline. From sight alone, it set up the story. Walking throughout the desolate gardens and the lobby only helped emphasise this. Every interaction was set up in such a way that I was walking into my own episode of the Twilight Zone, and that scared me because it felt, in a way, so real. Then I take a look at what it's become... The footage of the ride certainly looks like an enjoyable experience, let me clear that first. What I think is missing is that sense of journey and adventure. The original incarnation had a sense of progression, from empty rooms, a journey into another dimension, all the way to the very climax at the very top as you take in the view of the Disneyland resort. Mission Breakout feels very much to me like a quick comic book romp featuring Star-Lord and the gang. Does it suit the personality of the franchise? Well, in a sense, yes. Everything I love about Guardians of the Galaxy is present in this ride. The humour, the characters, the music. I just think that it's missing that sense of story. Rather than building its way up, it appears that you just board the elevator before getting right into the action. At the end of the day, I shouldn't complain too much. It still looks like fun and I'm not going to act as if I won't ride it multiple times and enjoy my experience. I just don't think it's at the level of the original, where I would go to the park, out of my way, just to experience it. If DCA was a festival lineup, Mission Breakout would be a sideshow rather than the headliner that it used to be.

The whole area has been cleared and grass has been put down.

I think the stage is actually being removed. They will be using the area for something else.

Who bought Area 51? I bet it was Scully and Mulder...

Movie World has also already done The Walking Dead.

And remember the IP's were locked in last year. As with the Conjuring, the Head of Entertainement had to actually go sit and watch the movie, take notes and make little drawings as research beforehand. Seeing the movie helps to have a better understanding of the story and of how they can pull it off. I don't think they have had a maze based on a movie without the movie having already been released.

Not including the one time they did one based on a game,

As far as we know the 2 new IP's have already been locked in for this year as well. They could have even been locked in last year some time. Unlike last years FN when we went on the first Star Tour and they were still waiting for the last one to be confirmed. I don't have a lot of experience with Fright Nights as I have only been in the country long enough to attend the 2015 and 2016 events. But is it common for them to have IPs confirmed for something that hasn't yet been released? If not then it rules out quite a few that are coming out this year.

Here's my thoughts on the matter… Psycho is one of my favourite movies of all time, so I'd love to see it be done. Can I see it as a fully fledged maze? Not really. I feel it's better suited to a single scene within a larger "compilation style" maze rather than being a standalone attraction. I wouldn't cross out Halloween so soon. It's still a well known franchise that they haven't really used beyond a single precinct. For all we know, last year's precinct could have just been testing the waters and seeing if it has any audience recognition Child's Play could be interesting. Certainly still seems to be popular today, and has the potential for some really different and imaginative scares compared to the bog-standard zombies that we seem to get every year Texas Chainsaw Massacre is also interesting. A little bit similar to what we've seen in the past, yet still different in it's own way. I'm personally leaning towards this IP more than anything, but then again that judgment is based on extremely limited knowledge Universal fought tooth and nail for the rights to the Exorcist the other year. Might be a negative standpoint, but I feel that if one of the world's biggest and best Halloween events struggled to get this IP then we would too. I love Alien. It's just a scary good time. Only problem is that it would take a lot of work, and I mean a lot. The Xenomorphs look so detailed that I'm sure most of the potential budget would go on costuming or puppeteering before anything. Scream would be nice as well, but I have heard that in the past the licence owners have been pushing to promote the tv series rather than the original film. Would prefer not to have it at all than to be in a similar situation to Halloween Horror Nights 25 The Shining is another good option, but I have heard word that Stephen King is extremely protective of his works. I'd love to see a maze based off "The Birds" but I feel it'll just be the average magpie mating season Wouldn't the Blair Witch be hard to pull off? It's not exactly the type of franchise that we've seen MW execute in the past...

Take into consideration how Tempesto wasn't even the countries, let alone the parks, most expensive rollercoaster. This is like Disney leaving all marketing of Expedition Everest up to a few weeks before opening

I disagree. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Haunted Mansion both had me dumbfounded and believing in ghosts as a kid. I didn't have to actively imagine anything, as the rides themselves provided a tangible version of exactly what I envisioned a situation like a haunted house would be like. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is also a prime example of not having to use your imagination. The attraction provides an almost exact representation of the typical Spiderman comic but in a physical experience. It may take "one little spark" to create and envision the attractions and experiences, but the guest shouldn't have to fill the gaps in any regard. I don't go to the places "where dreams come true" to simply continue dreaming.

It's been a while since I was here last but I managed to dig up a few photos of Peppermint Park, found some of fantasy glades too. Peppermint Park, 1993 It's such a shame our kids can't experience this too

We know...