RCT Discussion / Leviathan

The queue takes you along a garden-lined path, with glimpses of half-hidden inversions and the towering lift hill. The enclosed station is a combination of the regular and irregular: evenly spaced columns contrast with the angular roof. The white marble and brickwork speak of impeccable class, but there is a hint of the ancient - compounded by the deadened trees and austere statues.

The ride itself begins with a tight turn into the lift hill. This is exemplary of the compact layout - the brake run, station, queue and lift take up hardly any space. The lift also leads up into the corner of the map - a great tactic for leading the viewer's eyes. Why do most people build coasters in the corners of maps? It's aesthetically pleasing - just take a look at the framing of Timber Wolf by the void that surrounds its apex. The 90 degree flat-turn into the first drop is slightly offset from the map corner - the pattern is pleasing to the eye, but not unnatural.

Unusually, the first inversion is...unusual. Fashion dictates that large loops unravel toward the viewer, creating a larger 'loop' and appearing smoother. Leviathan's first loop arcs away from the eyes, creating that awkward squashed-ellipse that I so despise. However, here it is not only unexepected, but essential. The train dives behind the building framing The End Of Atlantis' queue line, into a brief but (I expect) thrilling tunnel. This is framed by the opposing rise of the brake run, although we will get to that later. The next hill, again, is unorthodox - the single section of flat track actually aiding the layout as it mirrors the aforementioned brake run (as well as the single flat track on the dip directly visible through its supports). The trees here are sparse, drawing attention to the swathe the layout cuts along the map's top-left edge.

The dive loop forms a distinctive turnaround - a kind of 'G' shape, enhanced by land sloping toward the viewer (which also indicates the future of the track) and framed by what seem like half-buildings...ramshackle structures that give the impression of buildings without distracting too much from the coaster element itself.

Then comes the most iconic of all coaster elements - the cobra roll over the path. The grey rocks accentuate the uncompromising inversions, with the grey faces being broken up by the inclusion of a (slightly surprising) tropical tree. The following rise that bisects the dip before the dive-loop is as effective as Quake's cobra-roll entry/exit combination - neatly breaking up the linear section of the ride by adding another dimension, as well as returning the train to the very same initial map-edge backbone.

The brake run is strange. I personally favour the two-brakes-one-normal-two-brakes symmetry. No matter. The brake run sets up a speedy turn under the initial drop, leading into the 'cove' section of the coaster - the final run that is embraced by the lift hill/drop. In fact, you couldn't hope for better framing of the small loop by the lift hill. There is even a slightly larger gap in the lift hill's supports, drawing attention to the loop, which, in this case, is a pleasing 'towards' loop that dominates the area with its more circular perspective.

If I have one criticism of the final corkscrew/helix it is that it comprises only right turns. If possible, it would be nice to have a right-hand turn/corkscrew followed by a left-hand helix (ie figure of eight) leading into the final right-turn into the brakes. However, the right-hand helix allows for framing by the water and columns without any awkward crossovers in between. The half-enclosed corkscrew is at once quirky and believable. The final turn over the rocks, passing the small loop, is possibly my favourite part of the ride. The landscaping bulges to meet the track, framing it from behind. The unexpected dip before the brakes is partly hidden by another half-building.

The transfer tracks nestle tidily between the lift hill and brake run. This is possible because of all that has gone before.

i am just a little confused...

what


um...what coaster are u talking about?
most definately not the one i built...lol...but the description sounds similar...

um...what coaster are u talking about?

hmm, yeah, i wonder that myself...

very nice, joe.

Are me gonna be able to see something from mantis soon?

what the fuck are you people on about?
he is making love to sa's leviathan.

i mean, thanks that there's someone with sensibility and taste still around.

Well than. I should have known. Please excuse me for my stupidity.

I assume it was me you were talking about, posix?

;o to all.

what the fuck are you people on about?
he is making love to sa's leviathan.

i mean, thanks that there's someone with sensibility and taste still around.

sorry sorry, bow bow. i am not always in 100% awareness about all that is the rct greatness.

Much as i'd love to have sex with a computerised rollercoaster, i'm afraid i'll have to correct 'making love' with 'expressing my love for'...although that still sounds slightly dodgy. Anyway, I was just saying what thought-processes I go through when I look at that coaster.

it is a pretty amazing commentary on a coaster, if only more people could think about that when creating.

I guess this is a "bump", although it's still pretty high up on the page. I just read this, uh, right now. You should write about RCT more, Mantis.

It makes me sad that most people don't know about Leviathan . People shouldn't be allowed to build parks without having seen Legends at least once! It's no wonder there's so much crap these days.

But part of that crap is from people ripping it off as well. I do think that everybody should see it though, but even moreso be aware of when it was made.

I was actually talking about the one in Legends West but nevermind. I've always found more of a link with LW than with the original Legends, mainly because LW was closer to the time when I joined the community.

I wrote that right before bed. I should stop doing that. What I meant to articulate is that nobody should be allowed to build parks without seeing both Legends parks. Oh well.

PS: How do you make a plural of a plural?

I wrote that right before bed. I should stop doing that. What I meant to articulate is that nobody should be allowed to build parks without seeing both Legends parks. Oh well.

Well I think they should be allowed to build parks, but i'm also sure they really would be missing out. I think I learnt the most about how lovely RCT can look from LW and MM. I think I learnt how to let myself get involved in parks from ALE, though. RCT for more is partly about what it looks like, partly about what the guests would enjoy. But it's predominantly about how I can pour myself into a park and enjoy the experience. I gain far more pleasure from making something that is inextricably linked to a theme that means something to me than I do from making something that just looks kinda nice.

lol, that coming from you.

Uh yeah that's why I just posted it...