Honestly, I think a great way to go at building a coaster with the communities help is that they could make multiple( 2 or more) ride layouts and have a vote on which layout should be used for the ride.
Project 2017: InvadR
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CarterGee said:
I don't think anyone is saying that it will make it a world class coaster... but I don't think anyone was expecting a world class coaster to begin with...?
The Wolf showed that surroundings can seriously change a ride (the village). Do I expect anything like that from InvadR? No. But I do think it is reasonable to think that surroundings will make some difference.
I think family coasters can be world class. I expect that from Busch. I'm not saying it has to be an i305 or something. I'm just saying basically what you are, Zachary: this layout is drab.
Has anyone ever considered there could at least be some decent theming surrounding the ride that GCI isn't going to show in their POV?
James said:
I was thinking the same thing. I'll take incredible theming over maneuver elements any day. Although, I doubt that's what we're getting. But here's to hoping.
My biggest issue with the ride is the length and duration. I was really hoping for a woodie at least on Grizzly's level, but it's more on the level of Woodstock Express. I'm a thrill enthusiast, I like roller coasters like I305 and Top Thril Dragster, but I also don't have any issues with fun laid back rides. InvadR looks VERY laid back, but I'm sure it will be fun nonetheless.
Another issue I have so far is the marketing and hype for this ride. I love the direction they're heading with marketing strategies, but like everything else, they have hyped up this ride and posted teasers like it's about to top Fury. IvadR is going to be a kiddie/family friendly roller coaster, and it needs to be treated as such.
Another issue I have so far is the marketing and hype for this ride. I love the direction they're heading with marketing strategies, but like everything else, they have hyped up this ride and posted teasers like it's about to top Fury. IvadR is going to be a kiddie/family friendly roller coaster, and it needs to be treated as such.
redsoxfan787 said:
Do you all not understand what marketing does? The whole point of marketing is to get people to the park and one of the easiest ways to do this is by promoting a new roller coaster because it is exciting and new. They are not going to downplay the fun of the ride just because it isn't the flashiest more exciting ride around.
Even if a person gets off the ride and thinks, "man I thought that would be more intense based off of the marketing", very few people come to a park JUST for one ride. They go for the whole experience and the promotion of a new roller coaster is frequently the tipping point that convinces a guest they should go ahead and come (especially if they are a repeat guest).
Because I haven't pissed off enough people today....
Busch Gardens is no longer a world class theme park. That's not to say that I hate it, but it no longer has the financial freedom it had. The conditions which allowed the park to get masterpieces like Apollo have passed. The last true coaster was a flop while Tempesto managed to bring in people. This alone makes me breathe a huge sigh of relief that we're not getting another shitty off the shelf model.
The park is no longer in a position to be able to sustain itself on hype alone. The park needs to bring in more people with a ride they can afford before they can even consider begging corporate for real funds for a ride. I've heard rumors of GCI doing this at a huge discount due to Gwazi's failure. I get the disappointment that this isn't (insert exact coaster you want here), but the park is in a recovery stage and I think that expectations should be tempered. Whether we like it or not, the intensity level fills auch needed niche at the park. The GP is also going to eat this up and the marketing for this ride is already on point. This coaster makes sense from the company's POV in so many ways that I'm not going to fault the park for doing this.
Please direct any nasty messages to my PM so I can print them out and line a cage with them.
Busch Gardens is no longer a world class theme park. That's not to say that I hate it, but it no longer has the financial freedom it had. The conditions which allowed the park to get masterpieces like Apollo have passed. The last true coaster was a flop while Tempesto managed to bring in people. This alone makes me breathe a huge sigh of relief that we're not getting another shitty off the shelf model.
The park is no longer in a position to be able to sustain itself on hype alone. The park needs to bring in more people with a ride they can afford before they can even consider begging corporate for real funds for a ride. I've heard rumors of GCI doing this at a huge discount due to Gwazi's failure. I get the disappointment that this isn't (insert exact coaster you want here), but the park is in a recovery stage and I think that expectations should be tempered. Whether we like it or not, the intensity level fills auch needed niche at the park. The GP is also going to eat this up and the marketing for this ride is already on point. This coaster makes sense from the company's POV in so many ways that I'm not going to fault the park for doing this.
Please direct any nasty messages to my PM so I can print them out and line a cage with them.
CarterGee said:
I honestly have no idea what you are arguing with, but I am getting a bit tired of defending myself against things I never said.
Once again, I will not judge a coaster until I ride it. I am not "grasping at straws," as you so charmingly characterized my thoughts. All I did was express disappointment that we couldn't see from the video how the hypothetical track with hypothetically interact with the existing terrain and surroundings.
Just because that isn't what you care about doesn't in any way diminish the value of the question.
I see no point in watching a video game representation of a ride and drawing any kind of conclusion about it.
Go back and look through this thread and find anywhere that I have said whether I think it will be good, bad, or indifferent. Find anywhere that I have expressed an opinion about any coaster that doesn't yet exist. I can't actually recall ever judging any ride that I haven't been on ever on this Forum.
You may feel free to talk all you want about what you expect from InvadR, but I would appreciate your showing me the same courtesy and recognize my right to post about things that interest me.
EDIT: And for the record I am probably the last person on this Forum who would claim that theming or paint or any other decorative element can substantively change my experience, when I do ride a roller coaster. I am on record as liking faded Apollo just as much as painted Apollo. So, no, I don't believe that interacting with Le Scoot will improve my ride experience, although it could be independently cool. I was simply curious about it, which I believe is valid.
As someone who has an Associates Degree in Business Admin, and currently at ODU majoring in Management and minoring in Marketing, I do know a thing or two about it.Username said:
They can promote a new roller coaster all they want. They can put it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and have billboards everywhere. Great.. people are aware of your brand new roller coaster. After months and months of hyping it up, and getting everyone excited for something BIG coming, the announcement turns out being yet again, a disappointment. InvadR isn't going to draw a larger attendance. People aren't traveling hundreds of miles for this type of coaster. People will ride it because it's there. You want to build rides that will continue drawing people back for years and years, not to come just one time. As diminishing marginal utility states that each additional unit of a good (in this case rides) the added satisfaction you receive decreases. So you want to build an attraction that people will want to continue riding for many years. You don't want going through the minds of guests, "man, I thought that would be more intense based off of marketing." Otherwise, you have accomplished absolutely nothing. The majority of social media is not impressed, the majority of thise site is not impressed, and why? People are getting fed up with mediocrity from this park. We know they are capable of far much better. But "what have you done for me lately?" applies here, and the answer to that is not a damn thing. Verbolten was supposed to raise attendance numbers, it didn't. Tempesto was the "thrill" ride we got. We were all hoping for something great, and thought we were finally getting the coaster we've been waiting for and yet, we have been let down again.
Busch Gardens doesn't have to market but so much, they're already a major theme park and have a large fan base. All Busch Gardens has to worry about is continuing to deliver great products to their guests and they have been lacking in the ride area immensely. Too much marketing, and hyping up a product to be bigger than what it really is will leave people irritated and could result in ruining your reputation.
clearly faded Apollo is rougher, slower, more uncomfortable, and a shadow of of a fully painted Apollo...
/me ducks
/me ducks
Maybe the park is too focused on adding new coasters, when was the last time they added a ride or set of rides for kids, 2009?
I'm gonna say, they need to be focused on this. Frankly they need to focus on a true adult ride. To hell with the kids, they have their elmo or whatever.
redsoxfan787 said:
So your argument is all over the place. First you say you love the new direction of the marketing strategy but you think it is not portraying the ride appropriately. Now you are saying they can promote the ride all they want but people are still not going to come because the ride isn't worth it. So are they not supposed to advertise the ride at all? And how can you think the new direction of marketing is efficient if you think it accomplishes nothing. That is the opposite of a good marketing strategy.
You can disagree with the ride that was chosen, but at the end of the day, we have NO idea why the final decision was made to add this particular roller coaster. And it is completely bonkers to expect Marketing to not hype it as much as possible because guess what guys, theme parks add rides to draw people in, not because they just want to add a ride for funsies.
As someone who ACTUALLY works in marketing for a major entertainment site and who is responsible for admission sales quotas, there is a huge difference between brand recognition and actually converting sales. People may know about Busch Gardens but they need a compelling reason to visit. Many people from across Hampton Roads have probably been to BG and are quite fond of it, but if you live in Norfolk or VA Beach, you may not be willing to trek across the tunnel and pay $70 per person to visit a theme park you have already heard about. As long as the base product is highly valued, anything new is just the tipping point that forces the sale (because nobody is spending that much money JUST to ride one ride). This is why Kings Dominion for years had a new ride every year, even though half of them were shit. Repeat guests have a reason to come back, new guests have a reason to choose BG over another theme park.
Hell, there is an industry term that I hear all the time when people talk about the promotions of the year, "What is your new roller coaster?". Doesnt matter what the new thing is, a good marketing department knows how to frame up an experience that you can't miss and convinces you to give them your money.
I stated that I liked the direction their marketing strategy is heading because they are doing things they have never done before. They aren't keeping this ride a secret like they would have in the past, but instead being very open and letting the guests have a say in certain aspects of the ride. Of course advertise the ride, I never said don't. But they can't advertise a family roller coaster like it is going to be a major thrill ride. They hyped it up, and made it sound like a major coaster was coming to the park and it was far from it. I suppose I'm criticizing ride selection more so than marketing, but building rides like this will add to the overall experience, but it's not the ride that's going to raise attendance numbers.Username said:
I'm not critiquing you, obviously you know a lot about it since you work in marketing. I just disagree with this ride being the reason why more people are going to attend, even though it is a new ride. People won't bust their tails to get to BG to ride a family coaster. That's why I was saying they can advertise it all they want, but people aren't very impressed with the product being advertised.
When an NBA team adds a bunch of role players, it will make the team better but won't necessarily raise attendance at games unless they're winning. But if you bring in Kevin Durant, everyone is coming to the games to see him play and attendance will definitely increase. InvadR is one of the role players, and Kevin Durant is the massive roller coaster increasing attendance.
Well, the coaster has given me a reason to renew my pass next year. I am very excited to have another coaster to ride with my 5 year old daughter. There are many things that draw people to rides. It's not necessarily the 'bad ass' level that creates a draw. I don't believe that BG has mislead anybody with the marketing of the ride. But that's like my opinion man.