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So obviously I missed my own deadline again, mostly because I decided to take a trip this past weekend instead of finishing the new forum install. I did get a new hosting package, but haven't moved the site over yet. The bandwidth spike issue is still concerning to me, and I don't know if changing hosts will fix that or just cause it to spike further and be even more expensive to deal with.

I've downloaded the new forum software and need to get it set up on the new host this week to try it out before moving everything over. It looks good so far, but there are some drawbacks since it is a less-used software and isn't maintained as much as SMF or PHPBB.

With the big announcement coming up on the 14th, it's a bad time to be switching over, but at this rate our bandwidth may not even last to the 14th so it is what it is.

So as you guys have probably seen, we went down once again due to a bandwidth overrun. The last time this happened, I actually increased my hosting package for the first time in 19 years to accommodate. We are actually at the top level package for the small host that I use, and it should be more than plenty for a small site like this. I don't know what is causing the massive bandwidth spike that we have been dealing with this year, but I suspect it is AI bots scraping the site for content.

This forum has been having issues for a long time now anyway due to legacy problems since our software is a hodge-podge of 20 years of tinkering and updates. I have been meaning to work on it more for months, but I am incredibly busy at my actual job, and I just don't have the time to mess with code like I used to, especially with how much more complex things have gotten over the last two decades.

I think my last solution is this: I'm going to archive these boards and then install a fresh new forum. Everyone will have to sign up again, but it should run much smoother, and hopefully be easier to manage on my end. I think I am going to go with ElkArte, but if that doesn't work then it will be phpBB.

The amount of footers at the top of the hill is insane. I would think this thing would launch upwards through the mine shaft tower, then go backwards down the hill and swoop back around to launch up past PK. Doesn't look like the footers go through the structure though, looks like it curves around it? I guess we'll see.

The footer layout doesn't lend itself to anything massive. There appears to be one long straight section running parallel to the PK launch/first hill, then a swoop down the hill, but other than that there are a ton of tightly spaced footers up the hill between AP and PK. Seems like it'll have to be something with tight turns and compact track. Also, the station is fairly short. All of that lends to the stryker idea.

I guess we only have to wait a couple more months to find out. I wouldn't be surprised if supports start going up before then though. Not sure how much more foundation level work they need to do, but it sure seems like it could go vertical any day.

^I don't see them trying to cram a coaster in the old FITH space. I also don't think they are short on BOH space in the area where TNT sits. I do think they want another ride near where TNT sits, because they don't want the coaster seeking crowds bunched up in the NW corner of the park.

Family launch coasters are still all the rage. I was always surprised we never got our version of firechaser express.

^^That speculation on TNT being a 'surprise' closure is kind of what I've been thinking. I think after the incidents it has suffered with trees falling on tracks, an employee death, and just general age and maintenance concerns someone finally threw a fit about it at the corporate level. Probably saw the bill for replacing a large section of track and just didn't see the ROI in keeping it around another decade.

Realized yesterday that I never posted the photos I took a week ago of the construction progress: https://imgur.com/a/nTq5yd7

I would be surprised if this is a high thrill coaster, just because that means the park basically will be truly dominated by what most people would deem high thrill coasters. It seems like an odd choice for a place geared towards families. Also, why would you need another looping thrill coaster right next to Wildfire? Then again, why would you need another family launch coaster right next to PK unless it was a lot smaller?

There's not a lot of room to work with, nor are there many good records left to easily break, unless they are going for something incredibly niche. Knowing SDC, that might be exactly what they are doing.

I finally made it to the park for the first time this season over the past weekend. I was surprised at the crop of footers between the PK launch area and AP. Seems like a lot of track will be bunched up in that area somehow, while there is obviously still a large sweeping turn and straight section going past the PK launch/first hill down the valley.

The station looks so small right now, and it is so oddly positioned. The supports sticking out of the top may just be for something architectural or thematic - they seem small for coaster supports, but it's hard to tell at this stage.

Yeah, I doubt they went to much effort to smooth out the bumps, whether it be wheels or track issues. By the end of the season, people will be less likely to complain about it leaving...

I think this is a real person, I just don't think they understand how these old-style internet forums work. Modern sites like reddit and facebook force you to repost if you want something to stay visible. We don't do that here.

Something odd has been going on where we are getting massive bandwidth usage every month now. Like 10x what we would commonly see in a month a couple years ago. We are using more bandwidth per month now than back in the 2010's when this site was hopping. I am assuming it is AI/bot traffic. Not really sure how to handle it yet.

This one hurts. Losing the original FITH was bad, but they built a new carbon copy so it lives on in spirit. I know they are building a new coaster, but I guarantee it will be nothing like TNT. This thing was a classic in many ways.

It also sucks that we are losing a high capacity ride, a ride a wide range of ages enjoy, and a ride that stays open near freezing temps. It will be replaced with something that probably has more limited appeal, breaks down constantly, closes every time it gets a bit chilly or wet, and has half the capacity leading to hour long lines for years.

I'm guessing they received some sort of engineering report outlining their options for maintenance. There was probably a fault found somewhere in the track or structure and it needed a million dollar repair. Someone decided that it just wasn't worth it any more with the new ride coming.

They have historically been pretty conservative with their investments during downturns, but then lately they've been spending wildly on all the new acquisitions. What is probably really biting them is that people are starting to react to inflation and pull back on things. Less park outings, less in-park purchases, etc. I rarely eat more than a snack when I visit anymore, and I used to love eating at SDC. I doubt they are selling as many of the upper level passes anymore either. The whole BAF pass thing has turned into a confusing debacle at this point and that seems to be the main selling point of the higher level passes.

It could have been something else, but I could have sworn I saw some steel supports behind the maintenance area when I rode the barn swing back mid December. They were bulky and square looking, but they were all in a pile. Could have been steel for a new maintenance building or something else, or even staging for the new resort.

So the mugs announcement yesterday was pretty clearly the first actual teaser for the new ride. I'm glad they are still using the home-grown themes instead of another time traveler...

I remember her from the ACE Christmas events over the years. Always was a great representative of the park and just a nice person in general.