From: wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie)
Subject: Re: A simulated coaster ride
Originator: wjf@rs2
Organization: Harris Controls
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 12:33:50 GMT


In article <1992Oct8.182727.15657@sei.cmu.edu>, mapike@sei.cmu.edu
|> (Mary Ann Pike) writes:
|> In article <1992Oct8.113756.7144@ccd.harris.com> wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie) writes:
|> ***all of the quite thorough discussion deleted***
|> >simulator on the market.  Just like the Yogo was consider inexpensive
|>                                          ^^^^ (Yugo)
|> >   Bill "this sure did take up a lot of my time editing this" Figie
|>           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> And you still managed to miss one ;-) No offense intended, I'm a
|> writer/editor by trade, and I still can't seem to proofread my own
|> material.
|> 
|> Seriously, I much appreciated all of the simulator discussion. I didn't
|> realize there were so many different types. The only one I have seen is
|> this portable one they bring to the malls. Where are all of these good
|> simulators that you're talking about? I've never seen one in any of the
|> amusement parks in the North/East.
|> 
|> Even though it is not too highly thought of, I'll probably try this one
|> next time I see it, but only if they're running the Beast. At least I
|> can compare their film footage to my memory of the ride. But I can't
|> imagine that the helix is anywhere near as fun in a simulator.
 
Mary Ann, 
   I have noticed several times in the past several months that you said
you were a tech writer.  Have you contacted Nancy McGrath about helping
out with the editing of RollerCoaster! Magazine.  I don't know if she
has enough editors or tech writers but if you feel like you would like
to help in the production of our magazine, perhaps a letter to her would
get you in.  

   Back to simulator talk, I had no idea that there were as many ideas
out there for ways to create a simulator.  I listed some of the names of
companies that produce them last time.  Three different concepts or
should I say mechanisms are used in three of the bigger simulator
companies.  The Showscan mechanism puts people in a row of seats with
about 8 to 10 in a row.  The whole row of seats are attached to a floor
in a trough and the whole row moves in unison.  What this does is the
end seats move more then the middle ones.  The Omnimax people have
something similar but their seats are independent of each other.  They
have some sort of leavers and stuff like that which moves each seat by
itself but equivalent to the seat next to you.  This means that a ride
in the middle is basically the same as a ride at the ends.  The third
mechanism is found in the Iwerks company.  They have a separate device
for each set of seats.  That is each pair of seats is joined together. 
When riding this one, look away from the screen for a second and watch
another set of seats.  Boy do they really move to the left and right and
up and down.  It is kind of funny to watch this.  The other mechanisms
out there that I know about are the car idea and the platform idea.  The
car idea is like the Doran SR2 and the Star Tours, Body Wars, Questor,
and Mission Bermuda Triangle.  They put you in a vehicle and project a
video/film on the screen and the whole vehicle moves in conjunction with
action on the screen.  The final idea I know about is what I call a
platform.  I think Universal Studios Florida uses this idea for its two
simulators.  Like I said before I have not ridden Back To The Future but
I  have lots of video on tape of it in operation during opening
ceremonies.  I think the Hanna Barbara ride is the same mechanism.  They
put a set batch of people either in a car or a section of seats  and
then drop the floor around it and move this batch of people around
together.  This is similar to some of the other ideas except the people
are not in a line like the Showscan and I suspect they all feel
approximately the same sensations.  Again, it is fun to look around at
what the other people are doing and the expressions on their faces.

    The only good simulator I know about in the North is Questor at
Busch Gardens, Williamsburg.  Does anyone else know of any more?  Anyone
going to IAAPA in Dallas will probably find out more about the different
simulators in production.  This is one of the reasons I like going to
the IAAPA, to ride the various simulators.  

    		Bill "this space for rent" Figie   
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster