Screamscape

Ya know, I don't think Screamscape should've posted what they received, but I think whoever took that picture should be the one getting the majority of the blame. I mean, they're the ones that took the unauthorized photo. They were obviously trusted to see the ride imagery and someone told them the specs. So, that's the person we should be all over. Granted, Screamscape published something they knew they shouldn't have. But, its not like they took the information CP trusted them with and published it early. That would be a different ballgame altogether.

Meandering slightly off topic, I wonder how the video got leaked last night?

Someone likely received their press information, and wanted to be "cool".

Screamscape officially sucks. I used to go there ocassionally, but I won't go there now. I would love to see him try and schedule an event at any park anywhere. No one is going to have anything to do with him now.

Jeff said:
Comparing the auto industry to the amusement industry is like comparing fleas to elephants.

Well i guess I know what im talkin about then. I actually own an elephant. (NO BS, Check my site)

You'll never see a legitimate car magazine/website release images that haven't been released, just the guy whose website averages about 30 hits per day (mostly him checking to see if his hit counter went up). Its the same with the amusement industry.

You must not know the auto industry very well. Pick up this months Motor Trend, Car & Driver or any other legitimate auto magazine.

I love Cedar Point just as much as the rest of you. But seriously, some of you need to chill with the ass kissing!

MT, C&D show pictures of vehicles that were snapped in public, or from public vantage points. You will not see a picture posted that was taken from private property. The recently leaked '08 Dodge Avenger photos are a perfect example.

I know I'm not kissing their arses. My home park is Kings Island and always will be. I wasn't happy when they spilled the beans about Tomb Raider either. I just figured he had learned his lesson. Obviously not.

^^ and if Dodge wanted to keep it under wraps, they do have locations available for testing that are not visible from off their property.

Jeff said:
The problem is that for every step parks take forward with sharing information with our community, they take one step back when people post junk like this. Those of us who have been in this Web space this long don't really like to see our relationship building undone by people who do things that piss off the parks.

Yeah, that sounds like ass kissing, Tmsnake. Not that I'd expect you to understand.

Well, Dodge did want to keep it under wraps, but someone took illegal photos from within the proving grounds, which is about as illegal as it gets. Up until now, the only pictures that have been obtained have been of the vehicle heavily camoed, either doing real World testing while on DCX property or out in public. They don't let those cars out of the building without plenty of camo. Ever.

Then I'd be surprised if any of the major mags would touch them. Printing illegal pictures is the same as accepting stolen property.

Trust me, I'm aware that they don't let them out with camo. Which is why it was fun being around GM Tech Center growing up. Every so often you'd see a car with more leather on it than a fetish convention.

Since we're on the auto proving grounds tangent... I grew up in Milford, MI (home to the GM Proving Grounds) and have seen quite a few incredible cars rolling around town or inside the proving grounds. On the southwest corner of the grounds they have a speed track that does a highly banked turn at the perimeter and it's very easy to spot cars when they're running. Whenever there's a bad storm that takes out some of the pine trees that line the grounds, there are photographers snapping shots at the fence.

My dad and I saw 5 new Corvette's driving on Hickory Ridge Rd (just outside the grounds) before it was unveiled at the NAIAS. The only camo they had was a small cover accross the headlights and front fascia.

</tangent> ;)

Yeah, being near the GM and DCX centers definitely has its advantages. I actually got a tour of Chrysler World Headquarters (while it still was) that was absolutely awesome. That place is like a mini city.

I worked at the GM Proving Grounds for a short period of time on a robotics project and I was completely blown away by how big and complex the area is. I found out that most of the center is actually below the ground. Employees communte between buildings via underground moving sidewalks - it's crazy!

I find it entirely ironic that the moderators and many on this board are attacking Screamscape for "leaking" information. Essentially, there have been two arguments against this "leaking".

1. It's a douchebag thing to do. Okay so perhaps nobody used the word 'douchebag' but you get the point. The argument seems to be that this site just flat out shouldn't have done it because they knew better than to do it. They knew CP didn't want the information out so they should have kept it a secret as a matter of respect.

2. "Those of us who have been in this Web space this long don't really like to see our relationship building undone by people who do things that piss off the parks." The moderators of this board want to keep their elite status of being more informed than the rest of us. They have spent a lot of time in the past working on a relationship with the park allowing them to gather information before us and thus would prefer not to ruin that relationship.

So let's address the first argument.

1. Why would a website leak information when they know they probably shouldn't?

• Because they know people will read it
• Why do they know people will read it?
• Because on sites like this, members and moderators have spent the past year trying to gather every single detail possible about the new ride going in at Cedar Point, though admittedly the moderators have had to do much less searching as they are "in bed" with the park.

The point is, we have spent a lot of time on these boards and on the net trying to find anything new about this ride. We come here to discuss our theories about it and what new information has been found and what it could possibly mean because we want to figure out what it is before the park officially announces such. We are criticizing this site for releasing the very information that we sought. If we didn't seek this information there would be little need to release it and thus, we are equally as responsible for this leaking. We are a society of wanting to be the first to know everything. We have to know something the second any information is released on it, regardless if that information is useful or not. 'A flower died on Frontier Trail! Just thought I would let you guys know!' The ironic part of this all brings me to the second point. The moderators on this board are the guiltiest of this.

The moderators of this board have spent a lot of hard working building a relationship with this park and have done a fantastic job of it. I truly believe that they build this relationship to act as liasons between the fans of the park and the park itself and their work is greatly appreciated. But let us not be naive to think that with this relationship doesn't come great rewards. I would guess that the mods of this board are some of the first people in the public to know anything significant about new happenings at the park. The park utilizes them as a marketing tool essentially and they are happy to be that tool. Who wouldn't be if you got to know the big to-do's before anyone else? They have all the information that we seek and understand that they seek this information just as much as we do, they just don't have to go through the waiting and guessing and torture that we do. Sure, they get their own sort of torture of not being able to spill their guts but it's not the same. So I guess I just see it as the ultimate irony. The people are complaining about a website releasing the very information they seek. The moderators condemn this website for releasing this information and shattering their relationship with the park and thus jeopardizing their ability to get this information that was leaked in the first place.

Where is the gold!?
I FOUND IT! IT'S RIGHT HERE!
Members: How dare you tell us where the gold is! We were looking for it!
Mods: Hey, how dare you tell them where the gold is! If you keep doing that then in the future THEY won't tell US where the gold is before anyone else!

I think the mods ought to be deemed henceforth, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern...which is which is both debatable and yet irrelevant.

Guildenstern: I think I have it. A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself.
Rosencrantz: Or just as mad.
Guildenstern: Or just as mad.
Rosencrantz: And he does both.
Guildenstern: So there you are.
Rosencrantz: Stark raving sane.

My first and last post.

MrInk -
Yeah, I did some electromagnetics work at GM Tech in HS, and also was amazed by its size, especially because it doesn't look nearly as big from the outside.

BlcknGldHwk -
ORLY?

DJ - I got that same tour. My Uncle works for DCX and they had a thing where they could bring in family to get a tour. I think it was 97 or 98 that I went. That place was absolutely unbelievable. Just all the testing facilities that they have in there is crazy.

Oh, and my brother wanted to become head of DCX. Until he found out that the CEO's office isn't behind the big giant pentagram at the top of the building. That's just a lobby. (Yes, his sole reason for wanting to be CEO was so that his office had that for a window.)

And numbnutz ^^ - thanks for saying you won't be back, that'll save the time of proving what an idiot you are.

*** Edited 9/7/2006 5:40:05 PM UTC by JuggaLotus***

I thought the pentastar window was part of the cafeteria. Regardless, we never made it that high. But we were taking our tour in 97 as well - summer of, I believe - thanks to my friend's uncle.

Awfully odd place for a cafeteria. It was my bro who said it was a lobby, so he may be wrong as well.

That was such a cool tour. Highlight - sitting in a Viper (I'm still going to own one someday). And the big "pointy" room for testing electronics.

Thank God that's your last post. I don't think I could stand to read another.

Let me be as transparent as possible about my personal relationship with the park. Yes, I've worked for them on a contract basis. Certainly that puts me in an awkward position because in this case I knew what was going on many moons in advance, and at the same time I have to help maintain a site that is all things to fans of the park I'm contracting for.

I don't get my jollies from knowing stuff I can't tell anyone anyway. That's not a perk. It's a condition of getting work, and little more than that. You know how much it sucks when you can't even participate in discussions on your own Web site?

As for PointBuzz, which is more of its own entity than "Walt and Jeff's site," our access is limited if we don't play by the rules. This is even more true for me operating CoasterBuzz, because it covers the entire industry. If I did things like that, good luck getting to talk to anyone at IAAPA. Good luck calling in favors for comp tickets too. Yeah, there are personal perks.

Web media has fought for the perception of legitimacy for years. I've been fortunate enough to network to a great many CEO's, presidents, managers, etc., of parks and vendors. When I started out, I couldn't get anyone to return my calls because I was just from "some dumb Web site."

The point is, working with people in the industry by their rules isn't just self-serving, it serves my audience too. Because it's a relatively small niche, and because not everyone can differentiate my properties from stuff like Screamscape, it's easy to get thrown in the mix. It's like generalizing that all teens are trouble makers because they smack your mailbox in a drive-by.

If you can't see the difference, or don't care, then the problem is with you, not me.