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Description
The park is classic SA, only modernized in RCT2. The themed area approach is a given, and just like some of his other legendary parks (the Legends series and Clockwork Dreams spring to mind), it uses the four-themed area formula to perfection. The first themed area is the Tibet-inspired Lhasa. A themed area based on Buddhist culture and principles, it features a terrific atmosphere, some completely exclusive ToonTowner custom theming, and flawless execution. It is here you'll find "Lotus", a B&M Flying Coaster themed to hang-gliding in the Himalayas, created in a dual-effort by SA and Joe Holland, each creating one half of the ride. The next area of the park is fittingly, Babylon, the entrance area of the park. This area of the park was completely re-modeled after SA pre-released this park long ago, so those that downloaded that version have nothing to worry about. "The 7th Wonder" coaster is a Drachen Fire clone, a SA trademark, and "Eden" is a truly beautiful rapids ride that takes up almost the entire center of the park. Next up is possibly the greatest themed area of all time (and definitely one of the largest), Lemuria, an interpretation of sorts on Atlantis. In actuality, it's the sister island of Atlantis, and although the themes are somewhat similar, there are some very obvious differences as well. My favorite ride in the park, "Eversio Lemuria", the newest in the line of classic SA Beemers (joining the two Leviathan coasters and Phoenix) is featured here, and is most probably the single best RCT2 ride created to date. This area is far from a one trick pony though, as you'll also find the beautiful "Flood" log flume, themed to the great flood of Biblical times. Not to mention, the best architecture and theming in the entire park is here. Finally, the Tulum area of the park, of Mexican inspiration, which features three coasters. First off, "Kuxan Suum" (or 'Road to the Sky' in english), a classy wooden coaster. There's also "Kukulkan-The Serpant God", a marvelous suspended coaster and even a ride for the kids, "Tecote", a Family Coaster.
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Well that's failed logic, since England is like 1/3 the size of Texas and practically half the parkmakers are English types.
I don't mind so much the blue entrance. It stood out nicely IMO. What I do mind is the overuse and incredibly distasteful placement of the "handrail fence" thingies. I absolutely don't get that. They are ugly and don't belong on architecture. They are ugly and don't belong on top of other path fences. They are used in excess on the rapids ride. They're fucking handrails, people! Freak and OZONE take note as well. STOP FUCKING USING THEM ON ARCHITECTURE!!!
Then again, no one else seems to be complaining.
Other than that I thought it was definately nice. Too big not to be considered a masterpiece. I loved how you were able to produce it without excess of custom scenery. The Flood is my favorite flume ever. That's the flume I've always wanted to make, man.
More later.
Well probably not actually.
Great job anyway.
Anyways, beautiful job. I loved how you themed the B&M, and that Log Flume is the best one ever built. Great job on everything. I can't wait to see what you do in the future.
Corkscrewed Offline
Anyway, this is my new #1 park. The best RCT 2 park ever made, with the best RCT 2 coaster ever made and possibly the best RCT coaster ever period (at least for me).
I promise I'll get a review up for this park! Honest!
Corkscrewed Offline
The notice had indicated two open slots available for me to fill. Remembering the great time we had at Magic Mountain over Labor Day weekend, I decided to contact my good friend and fellow alum, Andrew “Coaster†Ed, as well as my animation-infatuated, Orange County living chum, Chris, also known as Blitz-sama.
The three of us arrived at LAX for our flight to a location I cannot disclose at the moment. After enduring a good two hours waiting in line and being checked airport security, we found ourselves waiting for the plane to finish preparing for takeoff. During the time, Ed showed off a new video camera he had purchased—a Sony MiniDV digital camcorder that he would be using to tape our fun at the new SACF park. Two hours later, we were taking off from Los Angeles International Airport.
The flight was uneventful, save Chris’s constant flirting with the stewardesses—a motion that only received him two red palm marks on his cheek. It was a funny to see him embarrassed, to say the least. Ed, as usual, didn’t talk much, instead preferring to brood over philosophy and architecture.
Fast forward to park arrival. We were met by a dashing (and by dashing I mean stoned, and by stoned I mean smiling) young man dressed in a T-shirt in slacks. Odd combination, I noted. It was SA himself. Welcoming us to his humble completed project, he wished us a great day and added that several other well-known New Element members had been invited. He also noted, with a certain somber tone, that three people had drowned in a freak accident related to the testing of one of the water rides. Something about an Andrew, a Matt, and an Angel. I didn’t really pay attention to any of it… I was so excited to enter that I literally ran toward the entrance, with Ed and Chris chasing after me.
At the entrance gate, I found myself face to face with a face I hadn’t seen for quite a while. Quite enthused, I shook the hand of the gentleman working the booth.
“Goober! Long time no see!†It had been quite a while, as I’ve mentioned. I remember the first time we met, at Canterbury Falls, had been over potatoes. Or rather, another friend and I had thrown French fries at him off the Ferris wheel. Though we hadn’t specifically meant to hit him at the time, he had wound up the unfortunate victim. Goober would eerily end up visiting the theme parks that I visited on the exact same day as I visited them after that incident. Eventually, we became good friends, but not before he got some revenge over the fries.
We chatted for a brief moment. Goober had managed to snag a lucrative position at the park. The pay was decent, but the benefits—free lifetime admission to Rivers of Babylon—were too good to pass up. Before we finished, Goober did make sure to inform me that several trespassers had managed to sneak into the park. We would probably recognize them from their sheer idiocy, and if we did spot any, we should alert the proper authorities.
Finally, we stepped through the gates and entered another world. Babylon served as the entrance portal to the other themed lands, but that didn’t mean that Babylon received lesser treatments. Strolling under the blue walls of Ishtar Gate, Ed, Chris, and I were in total and utter awe at the immersive atmosphere of the place. Tall, lush palm trees and green, verdant shrubs dotted the landscape, sprouting amongst the authentic architecture that would be a prime feature in the park. To the right, the roar of an Arrow steel mega looper rattled the still morning air. Some buildings boasted beautiful hanging gardens. In front of us, a magic carpet ride rotated through the air, and I could hear the distant splashes of the park’s famed rapids attraction, Eden.
Chris and I agreed that it would only be fitting to start the day off with a bang and ride The Seventh Wonder (7.8/10). This roller coaster had been salvaged from Busch Gardens Williamsburg and transplanted to this park after an extensive paint job and renovation to improve the steel track quality. I was thrilled to find that it had been restored to its original glory, with six inversions instead of only five! We all but dashed through the line, but that didn’t stop us from noticing the delightful details and theming ever-present in any SACF theme park. A staple in his works, the queue line was long and beautiful, winding under and around the coaster and navigating past serene ponds and lush landscaping. Being that the park was only open to a select few, there was no line, naturally. Yet, the ride operators were still pretty friendly and enthusiastic in helping us into our seats and checking the restraints. Call it first day happiness, I guess… before we knew it, we were climbing the purple lift hill.
A cool breeze prevailed from the East as the morning sun shone lazily. Before long, we were cresting over the hill. Chris and Ed had chosen to sit in front, but I had elected to take my favorite spot on Arrow loopers—the back. This resulted in no lag time over the hill. Instead, I felt myself yanked over with more force that I had anticipated, cruising down the gentle first drop before snapping into a half Arrow boomerang and then changing direction. Barreling down the drop, we hit a surprising camel back hill before engaging the boomerang element. It was surprising because I actually received a decent amount of airtime. Rattling through the next two inversions, the train rocketed around a sloping turn with little wasted speed, hitting an abrupt mid-course brake run in no time.
Much to my delight, however, the brakes hardly had any effect as the train lurched through the trims and through an intense corkscrew. We then swung to the left and rammed through a vicious cutback before turning around over the queue and winding through the final inversion, another corkscrew, over the line. A very tight spiraling helix rounded out the trip before the coaster sprinted back to the final course brakes and returning to the station.
We came out a little dazed but thoroughly satisfied. Ed agreed that this was one of the smoother Arrows that he’d ridden, though that didn’t exactly amount to much. Still, it wasn’t too rough. I just fear what will happen as it wears on and eventually deteriorates due to age.
We decided to hit Eden for our next attraction, agreeing that a morning plunge would be pretty refreshing. During the walk toward the queue, Ed constantly peppered me with questions about Babylonian architecture. Was this really how it was? What did I think about the use of these buildings? Was it all merely decorative, or did they serve a purpose? I admit I was at a loss for words. Too bad I fell asleep during the lecture on Mesopotamian architecture. Oh well.
Eden was a themer’s dream. It was like a paradise reborn, which was excellent, considering the name. The flowers and bushes seemed to unfurl out of the water itself, and the rapids provided some great moments of drenching and splashing. Fountains and waterfalls certainly helped, and through it all, Ed emerged with some great video of Chris trying in vain to dodge water—and getting swatted with waves. It was great fun for all us, especially the spinning drop, which drew shades of Grizzly River Run. How the builders had managed to implement this much detail into a simple rapids ride was beyond me, but the efforts were well worth it.
Coming off the ride, we noted that the sky way was running. I questioned Chris about the practicality of having one. After all, with the pods gliding over part of the rapids circuit, I could just imagine a mischievous child spitting a wad of gum or throwing other reviling things down below and possibly hitting some unlucky rider. As if to answer my thought, a moment later, I heard a curse emanating from a raft. Looking up, the three of us saw a child wearing a Miami Hurricanes sweatshirt bent over the side with his mouth in prime loogie-hurling position. I immediately notified the nearest employee, and the last I heard of the case, the kid had been caught and banned from the park, though I hear he eventually was allowed to return ten days later.
We stopped by a Coca Cola station, where Blitz accidentally bought two Cherry Cokes (so I took one), then made our way to Tulum, the next themed section. Shades of Mayan civilization flooded our senses, from the fresh greenery to the wafting scent of torches. After a quick swing on Itzamna, a swinging invertor ship, we hit Tecate (6.0/10), a Vekoma family coaster. The coaster itself was nothing too special, just a romp through thick foliage. It was a very nice attraction that the whole family could enjoy.
After that, however, it was time to tackle the park’s towering woodie, Kuxan Suum – Road to the Sky (9.1/10). Wow, was this one behemoth! But unlike some towering wooden monstrosities, this one provided an amazing experience. Nestled behind the ruins of an ancient temple, the coaster carved its way through dense underbrush and thick jungle foliage. We had to make our way into the temple to reach the station, and the path taken blew Jaguar’s (at Knott’s Berry Farm) line out the water. The coaster itself was equipped with simple but comfy lap bars, and all three of us picked the last car in which to ride. It was the best seat, of course. After giving the clear signal, the operators dispatched us, and we were on our way.
Rolling out of the station, the train took a small dip before turning around and ascending the mammoth lift hill. As we proceeded higher and higher, I took a moment to sample a delicious view of the park from this unique perspective. Ed made sure to get plenty of panoramic vistas on tape. Simply put, the view was stunning.
All this was quickly forgotten as the train crested and dipped, freeing itself of the rackety chain dog, before proceeding to barrel down the first drop at breakneck speed. We dived under a section of coaster track, ducking under the head hunter effect, before climbing the first hill, which gave some nice floaters. Another plummet led to the turnaround, where the coaster eased into a curving turn to the right before jackknifing down and around some rocks and back toward the lift. Up and down the coaster went, giving some fabulous airtime, before hitting the mid-course brake run. The slowdown here was less due to the brakes and more due to simply how high it was, but the pause allowed us to catch our collective breaths before this baby REALLY picked up…
In a tribute to The Beast, the train began a slow, curving drop around to the other side of the station, gaining more and more speed as the elevation fell. By the time we were at the bottom, it felt like we were blazing at 50 miles per hour! Galloping under some stray branches, the train plunged into a tunnel underneath the line, temporarily swamping us in darkness. Emerging into light on the other side, the train retraced the circuit we had made only a minute ago, this time at a lower elevation. Weaving through and around the dense trees, we wound our way to and around the far turnaround and then back. Another couple of hills later and we were back at the station—our breaths still running after us from the mid-course brake runs. The three of us agreed: we HAD to ride this again. So we did—three more times. One time was in the middle, another in front, and the last in back again, which provided the best ride by far.
It was around 11:00 when we finished our mini-marathon, and we took a brief break before making our way toward an interesting suspended roller coaster near the edge of the Tulum section.
Kukulkan - The Serpent God (9.5/10) was everything I look for in a suspended roller coaster—speed, intensity, incredible integration with the natural environment. From the first glance, I could tell this was something special. It was larger and more sprawling than any suspended coaster I’d ever seen!
The line apparently reflected the mood to get you on as soon as possible to experience this masterpiece. It was short and sweet, and so we wasted little time racing to the station. Naturally, we chose the front car, with Ed in the front seat and Chris and I in the row behind him. The clears were given and our ride began.
We dipped a little before turning to the left and beginning the ascent. The placement of the lift hill was really neat here, directly over pathway. It would be awesome to ride this on a busy day and see the crowds of people meandering the paths or just relaxing and having a great time. After about half a minute the train crested over and took a slight turn before beginning its descent. It started off gently enough, but the train soon gained some pretty swift speed, skimming over some ancient ruins and around the overgrown plants. Pulling up over another buried temple, the train seemed to relax a bit before diving toward the approaching water, turning suddenly to angle the trains sharply against the vertical. Past the water, the train briskly navigated a rocky ravine before pulling up at a set of brakes and cruising through a slow helix to its second lift hill. Again, here was the spot carefully placed to allow a brief catch of breath.
The second lift hill was strictly over trees. A bit shorter, we hit the apex a little faster, and began a slow and gradual drop that picked up speed like a runaway freight train. Swinging around a turn at an impossible velocity, we hit another drop before diving under the station! I could hear Chris yell out “HOLY SHIT!!!†as we made a blind turn underground to the right before jumping back up and shift right again. The rest was a blur, really. All I know is that the coaster seemed to accelerate rather than lose speed, and the near misses were in great supply. Careening against this tree and that, the coaster wove a net of curves and helixes that just boggled the mind, and by the time the madness had ended, I was out of it.
The feeling coming off of this was incredible. We wanted to ride again, but after already partially marathoning one ride, a reride here would have knocked us out for a good hour or two! On the other hand, we did make it a point to come back after sunset and ride this beast at night. That proved to be even better and solidified this attraction as the second best ride in the park! If only the coaster had floorless trains, it very well could have been perfect.
We made our way over to Lhasa, the next themed area of the park. Interestingly, while passing by some sweepers, we overheard a conversation about rumors that Adam Malawista had come to the park. Chris, evidently entranced upon hearing the name “Mala,†immediately ran off screaming “MY FANTASY GOD IS HERE! MY FANTASY GOD IS HERE!†and was not heard from for the rest of the day. Ed and I looked at each other, shrugged, and continued on our way.
We dined at the Lhasa Café and browsed around the marketplace for a while afterwards before working our stomachs to the point where riding a B&M Flying Coaster would be okay. Then we entered the Lotus (8.9/10). The line was beautiful, though the station itself seemed pretty small. However, all that didn’t matter once we rode the coaster, which was a page out of my dream ride for Six Flags Magic Mountain.
I’ve often said that SFMM needs a terrain flyer that weaves around Samurai Summit and takes advantage of that hill. Well, this ride is what I’m talking about. The lift over the cliff houses gave a fantastic foreshadow of what was to come, and the first drop into the cliff itself and out the other side was probably the best of any flying coaster. The one flaw came at the camel back following the tunnel, where the coaster slowed dramatically, but turning around and passing my more cliff houses made up for it. A few turns and more cliff houses later, the fun really began. A dive sent the coaster perilously close to the ground and took it up to its top speed. The helixes and curves that followed were pure genius and took full advantage of the flying coaster design, teasing collision with the surrounding cliffs and playing dangerously with the surrounding plant life. The run under the bridge provided a great spot for picture taking, and the final helix was intense and fulfilling. Truly, the ride ended too soon, but that was because it was so good! My only suggestion is that one or two inversions could have been thrown in, but I understand the purpose, and Lotus definitely works the way it is.
By now, it was nearing mid-afternoon. We took couple of rides on the S&S Combo Tower before heading taking a ride on the Rivers of Babylon Skyride back to the Babylon area. Ed and I explored Babylon a little more before heading toward the one area we had not yet explored: Lemuria. Yup, we were saving the best for last, and as we crossed the bridge to this sister of Atlantis, our collective mouths dropped. The detail here was simply unbelievable. The ruined aqueducts, the running cascades, the stonework, the trees, flowers, and architecture… everything was just so… perfect. This looked like it could have very easily existed! We actually stood there for a moment until some Black kid who looked like a young Alex Rodriguez stopped and asked us what we were doing. It was then that I realized Stefon “Fatha Grinch†Deajon (sorry if I got the spelling wrong) standing next to me.
“Hey! How are you doing? I thought you disappeared off the face of the Earth!†I exclaimed.
â€Nah… just taking in the sights,†he replied.
“Great park, isn’t it?â€
“It’s pretty good… but my Ports of Call is like 1000 times better.†He smirked before dashing off.
I mentioned to Ed that what we’d just witnessed might be called arrogant.
“It’s okay. Same old thing anyway,†Ed replied tersely. Double meanings rule.
Before riding the towering B&M looper to our left, we decided to sample The Flood, the log flume to our right. In a day of new favorite rides, this became one of my favorite log flumes of all time. The theming was just incredible here, and the various drops sure didn’t hurt. It also proved to be quite effective use of space, restricting a great and exciting thrill ride within what wasn’t really that large of a space.
With that done, it was time for the hyped ride of the day: Eversio Lemuria (10/10). Passing by one of the many Kodak Picture Spots for the ride (the waterfalls by the batwing), we were simply in gaping awe of this magnificent creation. Ed and I actually walk around the entire ride before we hit the entrance, just because it was so beautiful.
The line provided even more photo opportunities as it wound its way around the ride. We took our time this time, with Ed pausing to change batteries before resuming filming. By the time we made it to the station, we’d probably logged twenty minutes of film on this roller coaster alone!
The ride itself was just flawless. A flywheel launch hurtled the train straight into a corkscrew dive element similar to that on The Incredible Hulk Coaster, except this was one was into a tunnel chiseled through solid rock! Coming out the other side, we launched into a massive cobra roll over water before reversing our direction and flying back through the cliff and into an awesome floater hill. A giant vertical loop and turn later, we were at the mid-course brake run, which hardly subtracted any speed from the ride.
A straight drop led to a turnaround over the waterfalls and some more landscape interaction before the train sped through a batwing. Reappearing after yet another battle with the vegetation, the train hit a small vertical loop before a bunny hop and brakes finished off the ride. With no flaws and nonstop action, this coaster was just perfect, and Ed and I rerode it many times later on.
We did ride Escape from Lemuria, but really, aside from exploring and filming the lands again for more detail, we just rode Eversio over and over again.
At the end of the day, we left Rivers of Babylon knowing that we’d just visited some place special. I have no doubt that many people will now be calling this their favorite park ever, or at least have it on top of their lists. It certainly is for me.
RATINGS:
Theming - 9.9
Coasters - 8.8
Buildings - 9.7
Naming - 10.0
Environment – 10.0
OVERALL - 9.6
:: RATINGS formula: Theming = 35%, Coasters = 28%, Architecture = 17%, Naming = 10%, Environment = 10%, Overall = 100% ::
And I'm not trying to be an ass, but I honestly didn't really like the flyer that much at all. It didn't really have any of the B&M flyer properties.
Cheers! :scarface:
What I really liked about the park:
- it's beautiful
- the Lhasa sign has a smily face at the end [-:
- the coasters are even better than all your other brilliant ones
- the aquaduct type things in Lemuria are...astonishing?
- the burnt/metallic bit of the suspended's transfer building
- toys of the ages has glass windows
- The Flood
- this list could be really really really really long
- the next list is really short, and even so is made up of useless comments
What I didn't like so much:
- Lhasa was too small (i liked it too much for it to be that small)
- the odd missed thing, which i'm not going to go into because it's pointless in the face of such beauty
- I don't know who Rodney King and The Man are
- my inability to write any more about the park because I don't want to swamp it with useless cliches
So I liked it a lot. I'd return the birthday favour, but you probably wouldn't be interested =P So well done on making such a beautiful park, and yes you are mad to make another one, but to be that good at something you HAVE to be mad.
PS Corky - your walkthrough made a great accompaniment to the park. I enjoyed reading it as I looked through.
OH
MY
FUCKING
GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Corky....
I am seriously.....
seriously....
going to kill you.
I spent 4 hours typing up a fucking review of RoB yesterday. Fatigue hindered me from posting it, since it was going to be in my new article....
Now I have to throw it away because people will think I copied...
I fucking hate you.
Raven-SDI
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J/K...
I don't hate you or want to kill you, but I really did write a 4 hour review that just went to shit.
Not much can be said that hasn't been said already. My complaints are few and irrelevant, so I won't pick nits. Instead, I'll just list my favorite aspects:
- loved the multicolored Asian rooftops
- what little custom scenery there was was mostly non-architectural, an amazing feat
- arches, arches, arches!
- the flume environment was some great use of elevation and multiple levels (both ride and paths)
- the broken aquaducts, nice!
- every queue and exit path connected in a very realistic way to both the main path and the station, something I plan to study.
I was also chagrined to see that the nice lift support structure on the beemer (w/ the arches) was quite similar to ones that I'm constructing on a current project. I guess now I'm ripping off SA.
Personally i'd LOVE to read more than one review, because it's really interesting to see what different people think of the same park.
So finish it and post it, cos god knows you need some credibility at the moment.
Corkscrewed Offline
(Post it anyway.
To CoasterkidMWM:
Iknow it doesn't looklike either of the TWO B&M Flying Coasters out there, but that's part of why it's so good. AIR is really a family coaster and isn't too intense. S:UF has a great first half, but almost everyone I've talked agrees the second half blows. Lotus was just a bit sluggish initially bit quickly started hauling ass.
Least favorite area = Entrance - Well, that's not to say that i didn't like it, it's just that it wasn't as beautiful as the rest of the park, and so detracted from the overall look. The Drachen Fire clone was nice, especially the corkscrew into overbanked turn. Very lovely.
Next = Tulum - The suspended coaster was special, and i can't believe that more of these aren't built. Undoubtably you will start a craze here. The wooden coaster was quite good, but a bit large i thought. Still, beautiful stuff.
Next = Lhasa - It is very refreshing to see an old theme completely revamped and improved. The Flyer was amazing for what it was meant to be, ie - not big on inversions and thrills, but a fantastic layout, and wonderful interaction with the landscape. I loved all the little barrels and such like, and the architecture served it's purpose without being groundbreaking. Atmospheric i think is the word.
Favorite = Lemuria - Dare i say it, the best themed area ever? I know other people have said this, probably without thinking a lot, but after searching this area for about 2 hours, and not finding one major flaw, i believe this is one of, if not the best area ever. Large enough to be imposing, small enough not to crowd, and everything fitted in wonderfully. Beautiful theming, amazing mixing of different architectural styles, height variation, lush foliage, and a trademark B&M to boot. The aqueduct-type things alone are truly perfection. The way they seem to crumble before your eyes, you can easily see just how each stage of ruin has occured. The arches and white portcullis doors all add up to a truly epic sense of atmosphere, and that's before i have even started on the coaster. Masterpiece. Layout is not flawless, but it fits the area best, and that is something i admire.The colour scheme is great, and the speed throughout the ride is very good indeed. I can't even find words to describe how much i love this area. I haven't seen genius on this magnitude since Moonlight Magic.
All in all, not a perfect park, by any means. However, with areas like Lemuria, i wish you all the luck in the future. Truly a masterpiece.
I would have written more, but i only had five minutes.