MTTM-Guidelines

Guidelines For Realistic

Welcome to the Guidelines section. Here you can see some guidelines on building realistic and fantasy coasters which our members have agreed apon. These are not set in stone, but you will find for purposes of rating coasters fairly, and building coasters accuratly, most members use these guidelines.

~~~~~~~~~~Preface~~~~~~~~~~

Since the inception of Ultimate ride , there has been a lot of controversy on what exactly is the field of reality in the game, although any coaster you create with one of the many sim coaster programs is by definition a fantasy, you can create coasters within a realistic constraint, a few tried to build within the editor, keeping the G forces below the red out limit in the stats bar in the upper right corner of the builder and ride mode screens, this however proved to be too low for the graphics of the game to look real ,if you build within these limits then your coaster will look slow and unexciting ,it can be done and you can get a reasonable effect but you have to be really, really good. For this reason the coaster building community started to build with higher and higher G limits, This as you might guess got completely out of hand , lets face it ,you can only build in terms of G limits as to what the human body can endure. Race car drivers, fighter pilots and astronauts can withstand many times the G force that the average public can not, this is done through many years of practice and training and should not be compared to the coaster riding public in general. A call went out to all the realistic builders to see if we could come up with a set of realistic constraints that would satisfy the thirst for excitement while staying within the real world numbers. So with that let's start shall we?

~~~~~~~~~~Realistics, Fantasies and Recreations~~~~~~~~~~

Fantasies ,are just that, no rhyme or reason, an open build, perhaps at a later date we will discuss this but not right now, Recreations ,are those that resemble as closely as possible to an actual real world ride , this style of building is extremely hard to do , you need to first research the ride and design, through internet sites, blueprints, pictures and any other media you can find on the coaster you are building and if you are real lucky, maybe even an engineer that helped design and build it. ;) Realistics are those that can be built in UR, URCD and URDC within a set of limits to mimic as closely as possible a coaster that could actually be ridden. For the purposes of this article we WON'T touch upon track technique (how to make smooth track ,realistic elements or building tips) this will be left up to you and your own building style. (*Note: Friction must be enabled to be considered realistic, non friction coasters are fantasy*)

~~~~~~~~~~The G table~~~~~~~~~~

After great investigation and research these numbers seem to be the accepted g's one can use for building a realistic coaster, These are max's, not to be exceeded , yes there is a FLYING coaster that does +6.70 vertical. but you are laying down and there are other factors involved, the amount of time spent at the g, angled of attack, speed and other g forces present at the time of such a high g, it is not suggested to exceed the recommended Max's set fourth herein.
Vertical
+6.0 Vertical.( top to bottom , north to south, the amount of force that keeps you in your seat) it is recommended to stay below +5.25 for prolonged or sustained force and between +5.25 and +6.0 for things like inversions , dive exits, etc. Think of it this way, every +1 g is the equivalent of your body weight pushing down on your upper body, +6.0 is your body weight times six.
Negative
-2.0 Neg.( Bottom to top, south to north, the amount of force that lifts you from your seat) anything above this has shown to injure and kill riders ,another thing to take into consideration in a - g situation is the amount of force applied to the shoulder restraints, -2.0 although great air time is also pushing you into the shoulder restraints or lap bars at twice your body weight, also horizontal g is a consideration which will be discussed further down the list.
Lateral
+ or - 3.5 Lat.( Side to side) The most abused and misunderstood g, with older train and car styles this g was very important ,as with the other g's it is the amount of force applied to your side( +1=your body weight) and in older trains the amount of your neighbors weight times his or her g, so in a +3.5 g lat. it was possible to be squished by your own weight times 3 plus the weight of your neighbors times three plus one (body weight plus the g) ouch! With the innovation of highly designed cars and trains this g can hardly be felt in most instances However for purposes of the game this g has been set to +or- 3.5
Horizontal
+ or - 3.0 Horizontal. ( Front to back, back to front) This g is tricky, as with any g the amount of force applied is you body weight times what ever the g is, so if you had a +4.0 Horizontal, It would be very difficult to breath, in the game if you use a default booster as a LIM, from the station you pull a +1.71 Horizontal. G that means you are pushing your riders into the seat by 1.71 times their body weight, the opposite holds true in a braking situation only in reverse.
The G table for Flying style
A flier is very different and should be treated as such, it is assumed that the restraint is a full chest restraint ( meaning no bar) the whole trck behind a flier is to keep your riders in a constant state of 0 g ( or as close as you can get) to float them between the restraints rather than slam them around. so the closer you can keep the Gs to 0 the better.
+ or - 5.0 vert and neg, + or - 3.5 lat. and + or - 3.0 horiz

~~~~~~~~~~Speed~~~~~~~~~~

+141 mph in an open train the amount of pressure applied creates a situation where you can not exhale and thus suffocate, without a wind screen i.e. an enclosed car, a helmet or oxy(o2) this is not at all recommended, so to keep this from being a concern that a rater may bring up remember that for a steel coaster the current world record is 106.9 mph Dodnopa at Fujikyu Highland, with that in mind and to allow a bit of leeway 110 mph sustained and brief bursts to 120 mph, MAX Think of it in terms of a motorcycle rider without a helmet or stick your face out of the car window at 80 mph this is the same force applied to riders, so watch your speeds.
The current record holding WOODEN coaster is Son of Beast, Paramount's Kings Island, at a whopping 78.4 mph Track design is radically different and not actually made to hold the train to the track, so to give a bit of leeway with a wooden coaster in the game 85.0 mph is the max, any higher and not only is it very unsafe in a real world situation but in the game the faster you go with a wooden track the less realistic it appears. a good rule of thumb is to never go any slower then the slowest lift. on LIM style any slower then 10 mph is the limit.
"One does not need to go fast to be exciting" (Note: Subject to change in the future.)

~~~~~~~~~~Track Elements~~~~~~~~~~

Anything that could be or has been used on a real world coaster. It is better to stay with true inversions, These are quite difficult indeed to master and build, but if you design your own elements try to base them on real world forces ( g forces, speed, inversion time etc.) Wooden inversions: only one wooden coaster at present has an inversion (Son of Beast) it was constructed by using a steel style spine which means it is a steel element, although available in the game not all inversions are for wooden tracks, a wooden track depends on the weight of the train and g forces to keep it on the track, if done correctly a loop is possible and so is a corkscrew , but the correct forces and angle of attack have to be present in able to do this.( these are the only two inversions allowed for wooden to date) Things like batwings and cobras just don't have the physics present for wood.
*Note you should stay at about 25 mph in an inversion on any track, any slower and it becomes increasingly more uncomfortable for the rider*

~~~~~~~~~~Height~~~~~~~~~~

Although in real life the height of a coaster is limited to construction and design , in UR, URCD and URDC these constraints have been waived. However to be realistic they must stay within a set height. (WOODEN: Son of beast, is 218 feet tall so 300 feet is the limit as to what wooden supports can handle without any mishaps any higher with the structure that the game has provided and the frame work would collapse in upon it's self by shear weight alone not to mention forces caused by a moving 2,000 lbs train.) (STEEL: Superman The Escape , is 415 feet tall so 425 feet is the limit for realistic steel, the same holds true with the steel supports the game has afforded us as wooden, remember realism sure you can build higher in the game but the higher you go the more fragile and unsafe it looks, with the steel supports if you were to build higher then the forces of gravity, motion, weight, and others, would cause a catastrophic failure of the materials resulting in disaster.) in an environment such as cayon or frontier the height starts at the flat top of the land mass that you are building on.
Remember realism , a series of inversions above any great height may look and feel unrealistic for construction concerns i.e. supports or structure stability etc.

~~~~~~~~~~Lift Chains~~~~~~~~~~

A lift chain is the device that pulls a train to the top of the lift hill, the train attaches by use of a ratcheting chain dog( a piece of metal that rides ON the chain) although it can bow over an arch and it can also be bent to travel a wide curve ( it should not looked kinked in any way) you can not twist it to follow an inline twist, they must stay on fairly level sections of track. Vertical lifts(straight up) are allowed but be carful of the train type, a flying style coaster can use what is called an inverted lift , which is when you ascend on your back, Also lift chains should not be used just before or after a booster or in combination with any other lift device on the same lift hill , remember realism.(URDC are ADJUSTABLE SPEED) Try to keep the chain speeds and horiz g the same between linked sections

~~~~~~~~~~Boosters~~~~~~~~~~

UR,URCD and URDC (URDC are ADJUSTABLE SPEED)gives us boosters to be used in the game they are based on the LIM style or magnetic strip style launch or boost device that are rigid in conception, although the game allows you to curve them or use them in a tight corner or inversion, they should only be used on straight pieces of track.

~~~~~~~~~~Brakes~~~~~~~~~~

A brake in the right spot can add loads of excitement if placed in the right spot, it also slows the train down to enter the station, or just before a LIM style piece of track to add anticipation. Brakes are rigid in conception and should be used only on straight pieces of track. *Note a real world coaster is known to use a large radius curved brake but as to date We are still researching this to find out which coaster and to what degree of radius was used*(URDC are ADJUSTABLE SPEED)

~~~~~~~~~~Retarders~~~~~~~~~~

In URCD and URDC they gave us what’s called a retarder, the name inffers that it is to slow the speed of the train as it enters an element, in URCD (URDC are ADJUSTABLE SPEED) they stay at a constant speed of 40 mph and have other uses such as a speed lift, a prelaunch constant for LIM style tracks or a dive restraint. Be aware that if used incorrectly you can sustain very high g's such as -27.0 and thus will take your realistic into the fantasy realm or dock you severely for technique. In the game the retarders are represented as swiftly moving chains and as such should be use the same as lift chains in respect to those restrictions.
(Although retarders do not exist in reality we believe they are based on other slowing and prelaunch devices such as tire brakes and lifts etc.)

~~~~~~~~~~Number of trains and stage timing(URDC)~~~~~~~~~~

This is a bit more tricky then you would think, When setting more then one train on a track at a time you should keep in mind, in real life it can take up 2 mins. to load and unload trains, for purposes of the game 30 to 40 seconds is realistic between train launches, when building try to keep the trains from colliding in any given element and your last train should depart the station before your first one comes slamming in. There are several ways to stage trains, trim brakes and different speed elements.Try timing train meets ( any point where two or more trains meet ,intersect, cross or pass each other) this can add loads of excitement. If for any reason a train touches another train,support,track or prop it is considered instant death.

~~~~~~~~~~Invisible track(URDC)~~~~~~~~~~

URDC gives us the ability to make the track disappear however a really cool trick it is not realistic, it is suggested that if you use an invisible track on a realistic design it should be labeled as a SIM ride or Fantasy.

~~~~~~~~~~Themes and environments~~~~~~~~~~

There are many different environments for the ur games and any of them can be used for realistic, as with environments there are many themes and all can be used for realistic alone or combined with other themes, be creative, use them all , there are some incredible things that can be built by combining themes. Track effects are tricky also in the fact that you can have a solid track effect and get docked for a collision or burning your riders to a crisp, be careful.

~~~~~~~~~~Please Keep In Mind~~~~~~~~~~

Smoothness of G transition, if a coaster jumps from 0.50 G's to 3.5, it may be real by the numbers but not by a real world design. Ride times, a good rule of thumb is to stay around 2:30 to 3:30 minutes for steel and 2:30 to 4:00 minutes for wooden. Although no constraint is given to this factor , it's better to stay within a real world time and length frame, unless you can woo your riders with effects, props, music and track design.(Racing designs may take up to 5:00 minutes)

(When building all types of coasters please keep in mind what it might feel like if you were actually riding it sitting up, laying down, standing, all of these have different inherent properties but are all governed by the same: jerks, pulls, pushes and compressions, these should all be taken into consideration. When rating realistics you should ride and rate them as if you were actually on the ride)

We as the coaster building community hope that this helps with any misunderstandings or misconceptions about realistic building and rating.

*Contributors and Sources*

Various senior members of ALL the Ultimate Ride communities Vekoma, B&M, Thrillrides Inc., RCDB, Rollercoaster Enthusiasts Magazine, Avery Safety Consulting Inc. (AIMS) and many others too numerous to mention Thank you.