Is Tower of Terror a roller coaster?

[Jakev8]

You would think TOT would be classed as a rollercoaster cause, when it first open' wasn't it the fastest, tallest rollercoaster in the world at the time?

[rappa]

Vekoma Mine Train... Screws all systems up

[zacsta_1997]

You would think TOT would be classed as a rollercoaster cause, when it first open' wasn't it the fastest, tallest rollercoaster in the world at the time?

Yes it was. It held this record for a few months before 'superman escape from krypton' at six flags was built. SEFK matched the height and speed of TOT. But the thing I hate is the fact that when SEFK was constructed, americans labeled it the 'tallest and fastest in the world' when in fact TOT beat them by a few months with the exact same ride. It's kind of unfair if you think about it.

[Richard]

Six Flags Magic Mountain's Superman: The Escape/Superman Escape From Krypton was built and planned to open in mid-1996. Dreamworld's Tower of Terror was planned later and meant to open in late-1996. Both were delayed but TOT got over the line first in January 1997, owing to mistakes learnt from the delayed Superman: The Escape. Tower of Terror as such broke the world record for fastest and tallest roller coaster. When Superman finally opened two months later it and TOT jointly held the fastest roller coaster, and depending on how you look at it Superman broke the TOT's tallest record by virtue of the fact that it's built on the side of a hill with a taller support structure.

While Tower of Terror was a world's first and broke the record, Superman was clearly also tallest and fastest in the world when it opened.

In 1999 Dreamworld issued a bizarre press release (Dreamworld Disputes Claims Made by US Theme Park) that accused Six Flags Magic Mountain of being misleading by saying they have the fasted ride in the world, firstly stating that both rides are identical, which would mean that both are the fastest in the world, and then stating that Dreamworld chooses not to match SFMM's speed for safety reasons.

[Flea]

I think the ride vehicle is throwing a lot of people off with the coaster vs. non coaster debate. If it doesn't look like a traditional train or car people are reluctant to define it as a roller coaster. Classic example - someone said Surfrider isn't a roller coaster. Would you then consider Wicked Twister a flat ride too? Two near identical ride systems only that one doesn't have a traditional train.

[Gazza]

Another way of looking at it, tower of terror is like a shuttle loop without the loop http://rcdb.com/798.htm?p=1283

[Cactus_Matt]

Sorry to resuscitate an ancient topic but it's exactly the topic I wanted to talk about and I didn't want to make a new one and invoke the ire of some of the residents here. Anyway, seems like most agreed that Tower of Terror is a roller coaster, as do I, but while I was making a list of all the coasters I've ever been on in a word document for my own bored amusement (and giving them a score out of five) I came upon one I do ostensibly consider a coster but for some reason isn't listed on RCDB as one. Journey to the Centre of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea, wikipedia calls it a 'slotcar ride' which I get as that's it's technical designation, but you go over that drop at the top of the mountain and try telling me this isn't a roller coaster. I'm sure some would argue its design is akin to a ghost train/dark ride, but come on, it has multiple rises and falls and goes 70+km/h that's totally coaster territory. What say you Parkz folks?

[joz]

It's not about the speed and if there are drops.  It's about rolling under the power of gravity.  Basically, Journey the cars on Journey have their own motor on board to get them around the course.  Take out the hills and the speed and you're pretty much left with something not much different to Justice League.

 

Put simply, it doesn't coast, it's not a Roller Coaster.  There are a lot of rides which blur the lines, this isn't one of those rides.  It's not up for debate, to the point that anyone arguing that it IS a coaster may well cop a 24 hour ban for trolling.  

[jake_hunt]

I'm a credit counter, and these are the rules I use:

Rule ONE: Does it roll?
The roller coaster must consist of a dry, elevated track on which "carriages" or "trains" roll. This, however, could make up only one portion of the ride - for example, Storm Coaster.

Rule TWO: Does it coast?
The roller coaster must be at least partially powered by gravity alone. It can have an initial launch, like Tower of Terror, but it cannot be fully powered for the duration, like Shockwave.

[Santa07]

Rule THREE: Is it on RCDB?
If it is, it's probably a coaster, so just count it even if it isn't (because that's what credit whores do right?)

[New display name]

@joz The Dragon ride at Tops.  Yes/No

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by YLFATEEKS

[Theme Park Girl]

Of course it's a rollercoaster lol. It's just a different style of one (ie. reverse freefall). I'm surprised this is even being debated! It's widely addressed over the net and by most theme park related websites as a type of rollercoaster, including as the fourth fastest and tallest in the world etc. statistic wise ☺️?

Eta: thanks @AlexB for bringing it to my attention that I misread the bump post lol, missed the part where it said it was about the 'Journey' coaster, not ToTII. On that note, I'm extremely sleep deprived and off to buy some caffeine ??

Edited February 9, 2017 by Theme Park Girl

[loki75]

23 minutes ago, Santa07 said:

Rule THREE: Is it on RCDB?
If it is, it's probably a coaster, so just count it even if it isn't (because that's what credit whores do right?)

 

16 minutes ago, YLFATEEKS said:

@joz The Dragon ride at Tops.  Yes/No

Based on Rule Three it is albeit a Powered Coaster.

From RCDB.com

Definition: a roller coaster that is electrically powered throughout the entire ride.

https://rcdb.com/2383.htm

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^and by association, this is i think why there is a questionmark over Journey. I'm not familiar with the ride system, so i'm making some assumptions here, but I can understand why people would see something like the dragon ride, and then assume that something like Journey must fit too - but by extension that should mean that Shockwave should fit it too, and then we all start getting carried away.

I've always worked on Rule 3 as being the only determining factor - if Duane has listed it, it's a coaster.

[jake_hunt]

As a "credit whore", I do use RCDB as a guide, but I prefer to have my own definition. There's some entries on RCDB that I don't count, and some that aren't there that I do count. I think as long as it rolls on an elevated, dry track and is at least partially gravity powered, it counts.

Tower of Terror easily fits both rules.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I'm curious Jake - what isn't on RCDB that you count?

[Richard]

Based on that definition, @jake_hunt, Wild West Falls would be a roller coaster. It rolls on a dry, elevated track in the backwards section after all. 

Not saying your definition is wrong... but there's no shortage of murky grey areas anytime this comes up. 

[Theme Park Girl]

1 minute ago, Richard said:

Based on that definition, @jake_hunt, Wild West Falls would be a roller coaster. It rolls on a dry, elevated track in the backwards section after all. 

It can't be classified as both a water ride and a rollercoaster? It does feature elements of both. It's like a hybrid lol. 

Although I can see why it would be considered as mainly a 'water ride' , since that's what the bulk of it is, and more so that the brief coaster aspects. 

[jake_hunt]

12 minutes ago, AlexB said:

I'm curious Jake - what isn't on RCDB that you count?

There's a small "coaster" of sorts at Green Valley Farm in Tingha. That's one example. It's self-lifted to the top of the hill, but fits my criteria exactly. I'd have to go through my credits to find any others (and I'm not sure there are any others), but that's one.

6 minutes ago, Richard said:

Based on that definition, @jake_hunt, Wild West Falls would be a roller coaster. It rolls on a dry, elevated track in the backwards section after all. 

That's what I didn't mention - I do include for myself a level of subjectivity. It depends on the style and experience of the ride. If it's obvious to me that the ride shouldn't count as a "coaster", I won't count it. Likewise, if it's obviously a coaster, I don't bother going through rules or checks.
My "rules" are there as a guide for the kinds of rides that I am unsure of. For example, I don't count Shockwave because it doesn't fit Rule 2. But it does fit Rule 1, and it wasn't 100% obvious to me at first whether I should count it or not.
There are times when rides fit in that probably shouldn't - but if in my mind it obviously isn't a roller coaster, I won't even bother checking.

[New display name]

There must be a percentage of the ride that must be “coaster like” to be a coaster.  The percentage of what is “coaster like” I think might be the murky part.

Storm Coaster & Wild West Falls both have free falling track and both have water.  What percentage of the ride must be on rails to become a coaster?

[themagician]

WWF isn't a coaster, it's a log ride. Storm coaster isn't a traditional coaster, but a water coaster, so I wouldn't class it as a roller coaster. I personally think a roller coaster is a track ride which uses gravity as it's main form of movement, and it doesn't matter how it moved from the station, whether it's with tyres, lift hill or launch.

I would say TOT2 is a roller coaster (steel shuttle roller coaster to be specific). It may not be the traditional styled roller coaster, but I'd say it is a roller coaster.

[Cactus_Matt]

I guess I can understand the gravity argument, makes me wonder though, if a park made a slot car style ride that was powered throughout (i.e. not utilising gravity) but had it follow a track identical to a 'typical' coaster track, (lift hill, main drop, inversions, etc.) and presented it as a 'typical' coaster (minimal theming) would that blur the line enough for the people at the RCDB to consider this type of ride as a roller coaster? 

[BNErider]

For me personally, I say if it travels along a track (that is banked or has a hill/drop etc.) with a similar design to a 'typical' coaster track, and is not 100% powered along a continuous powered track, then it a coaster. I'm sure there are a few special cases out there, but that's my basic rule.

Edited February 10, 2017 by ash.1111

[Reanimated35]

You all missed one critical point. RCT3 defines TOT2 as a coaster, so therefore it is. 

[Richard]

I realise I'm basically rehashing the same thoughts I had 2.5 years ago back on the first page of this thread, but it's still an interesting concept to me...

9 minutes ago, themagician said:

I personally think a roller coaster is a track ride which uses gravity as it's main form of movement, and it doesn't matter how it moved from the station

Flume rides are track rides that use gravity and are moved from the station with gravity-fed water. What about that definition of a roller coaster -- or even a water coaster -- does a flume ride like Wild West Falls not meet. But Storm does?

If it's about how much of the ride is mounted on a track @YLFATEEKS, then what do we make of something like a bobsled roller coaster?

My only real point in this is that most people seem to fall back to textbook definitions to declare rides either a coaster or not, but the amount of grey areas means that even these don't hold up to scrutiny