SDC's 2013 Project

[shavethewhales]

It's over and done with now, and it's not like we had any rules on the books about it before this, so I'm not really mad at anyone. I just would have preferred that the person who found it had not posted it and instead had contacted the park about it... oh well, hopefully everyone learned something.

What makes this different than in other cases is that the park has been working on their own way of revealing the big secret, and they've invested a lot of time and effort into it, and I'm sure there is a lot of marketing dollars tied into it all in ways we can't see. Also, in this day and age it's not just the enthusiasts who are seeing it. It's being posted all over FB/Tumblr/Pinterest/Reddit/younameit, so a lot of the GP are hearing about it and spreading it. It's nice that it's viral, but at the same time it's going viral without a lot of the advertising effects that would actually benefit SDC.

Oh well, we'll move forward. Still lots to be grateful for, and a lot to still get excited for like I've said. Lets just think about helping the park out more in situations like this from now on.

[BackInTime]

Take it for what it's worth, but I exchanged emails with someone high on the chain at SDC this morning, and extended my apologies (I was not the culprit) that the word got out in advance of next week. They didn't seem overly concerned about it.

That said, let's keep something in mind. I am the furthest thing from a theme park expert, but the entire process of this project seems pretty a-typical and almost the polar opposite of how most parks handle new attractions. If I'm not mistaken, most parks generally seem to announce a new ride or attraction before they even break ground on it.

We must remember that the majority of this ride was constructed without an official confirmation or announcement about it. That's only fueled speculation and buzz about it from day one, and certainly opened the door to allow a leak that wasn't necessarily intended to go out in advance of the official unveiling.

The probability of not being able to keep something under raps for the duration increases exponentially when you're practically through with constructing the ride and haven't even announced it yet. On one hand it's a genius marketing move, but as we've now seen, it bears risk.

It may not be technically ethical, but I can't say I fault anyone for wanting to share info about an upcoming attraction, once that information has become public domain – whether it was intended to be or not. We are after all, enthusiasts. And this is exactly the type of thing we discuss and speculate year round. We yearn for anything remotely concrete that could confirm our best guesses, or steer our conversations in a totally new direction.

The bottom line is, someone presumably screwed up in not protecting the beta site. And when another enthusiast happened to drop by SilverDollarCity2013.com, the entire curtain had already been pulled back. I can't blame anyone for wanting to give us the heads up about it. The only difference is, we suspected something was amiss knowing the official announcement was still little more than a week away.

It's not as if someone was taken aside by a park employee and shown the layout maps with all of the ride details and decided to snap a photo and post it here for the world to see.

Pardon the long-winded post, I just wanted to offer my two cents. At the end of the day, I think all is well and we're still getting a ride that will put SDC on the proverbial map.

[mammalone]

So did the park have a problem with creating this thread in the first place way back whenever? I love SDC just as much as all of you but in my humble opinion some of this is being taken a little too seriously. As far as I saw no one on this forum posted any pictures or links to the leaked site.

Anyway back to why we are all here: was at the park today and boy, seeing this thing in person again and further along in construction, it really is going to be a fast, wild ride. Seeing the layout and now seeing it in person makes me appreciate it even more. Like shave had said before, the way this thing moves through the terrain is incredible. It's going to fly and be a ride experience unlike anything anywhere else. Thank you SDC!

[shavethewhales]

...
It may not be technically ethical, but I can't say I fault anyone for wanting to share info about an upcoming attraction, once that information has become public domain – whether it was intended to be or not. We are after all, enthusiasts. And this is exactly the type of thing we discuss and speculate year round. We yearn for anything remotely concrete that could confirm our best guesses, or steer our conversations in a totally new direction.
...

I don't really fault anyone either. A year or two ago I stumbled across some concept art for a renovation of CC and I had a real moment of confliction over whether I should notify the park that the info was out there or follow my fan instincts and post it all over the forums. I ultimately decided to contact the park first and found it was nothing more than someone's pitch that was not pursued and is now nothing more than a portfolio piece. I know it's a tough choice to make as a random fan on the internet, any many won't think about it the way I do, but at the end of the day, the park made a serious goof and I know for a fact that they aren't happy about the leak.

Anyway though, enough of all that for now, there's nothing more we can do or say about it really.

I do find it interesting just how critical people have been of the layout. I guess it is just like when Intimidator 305 was announced and all the fanboys complained about the lack of overt airtime hills. A lot of these armchair enthusiasts will never be happy.

[chittlins]

Where do you guys think all that buzz will be in a week from now when the park has all the media gathered for the originally specified announcement date? How many people do you think will tune in to hear the rest of the details about the park, the ride, and any offerings the park might be trying to push to increase sales?
o
Having a leak and creating some buzz isn't all bad, but in this case it isn't nearly as good as if it hadn't happened. I'm peeved that SDCFans was apparently the first place where the leak was blown. I know it would have been found and posted somewhere else eventually due to the fact that it ended up on google and was unprotected, but still...

I'm officially going to make a rule against posting "secret" park information on here. As fans of the park we shouldn't be trying to circumvent their multimillion dollar investments and planning. Rumors are one thing, but taking advantage of an oversight on their part, however large, is just something fans shouldn't do.

Shave, the media blitz on the ninth is for trade publications and the video and print media outlets like our local news in targeted markets. None which has been spoiled one bit by it. It's like getting two big big bangs out of it. I'm tellin ya I'd take credit for it.

[Junior]

It's only about 8 days until the announcement. Maybe we could suspend some of the chatter about specific plans and layouts and wait until the official word comes out. Everything I've read says this is gonna be a whopper of a ride. I'm satisfied with leaving it at that for now.

[BackInTime]

I definitely expressed some disappointment about the lack of length with the layout, but I also think the art is terribly deceiving with respect to the terrain this coaster utilizes.

It's also very easy to be critical of an illustration that lacks any real detail, if you haven't yet seen the ride in person. I am definitely one of those people. It's cliche', but pictures hardly ever do the real thing true justice.

I can't imagine how impressive and extreme Outlaw Run looks right there next to the tracks, but I'm certainly looking forward to that first experience of total awe.

[mammalone]

Backintime9 you will be in awe. It's awesome. ^^ suspending the chatter is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. Let's just enjoy the next couple of weeks. It's not like KY3 is gonna run with the story tomorrow. 

[Major Havoc]

I just got home from a two day visit to the park.   Sorry...I am not sure how to post photos of "The Outlaw" here, but you can check out a few pictures on my Twitpic account: http://twitpic.com/photos/Majrhavoc

[Colby Cox]

Thanks for the pics, Major Havoc! They're pretty cool:D

[shavethewhales]

Thanks for the photos sawblade5 and Major Havoc. The double down/up section looks pretty sweet. The train will be flying over those little hops, just like we hoped to see with this layout. Just look at the height difference from the drop to the little hill next to it.

[joshblakebran]

I'm so excited about this project...I can't wait to ride it...also, thanks to everyone on this forum for all the thought provoking comments and pictures that are posted on a variety of SDC topics...You have made the whole SDC experience even more sweet than just simply visiting the park itself...I guess what I'm saying is thanks for the added dimension you've made and thanks to Shave for making the whole thing possible....

[KBCraig]

It's funny that I'm a fan of SDC, and I'm also a fan of Apple, and both treat announcements the same way: not until they can show off the real thing.

And of course, both have fans who speculate, rumors fly, and there are the inevitable leaks. Both know the leaks will happen, and even count on them to generate buzz.

I'd say in this case that if the test pages of the website hadn't been left unprotected by accident, someone would have had to do so on purpose. 

[oldsdcer]

Junior! Did they have this much commotion when the Diving Bell was opened?

[Junior]

Frankly, I don't remember. I was 15 years old at the time and lived in southeast Missouri. I did visit the park twice that summer, and was very impressed with the ride, as I had never experienced anything like it. Little did I know that in two years time, in the late summer of 1979, I would be playing JUNIOR at the ride. A strange twist of fate. I do remember the TV commercials for the park that year touting the new Deepwoods area (Riverfront now) and the diving bell attraction. I remember seeing the ads in newspapers and magazines with the diving bell featured. Today with the Internet and with specialty groups like SDCfans, Screamscape, and Midwest Information Guide (just to name a few) there is much, much more buzz among theme park enthusiasts than there was during the mid 1970s.