Originally posted by SFMM homie
Well I wouldnt say it that exact. Can I Make a 20,000 feet long woodie with 4 lifts lasting 14 minutes and have it be realistic?
I shouldn't have worded it exactly like that, but I think the length of a coaster similar to your example being realistic or not is a moot point. Right now I would say that something that long is unrealistic, but I'd have to think about it more.
Originally posted by dcs221
I disagree with Intaminfan to an extent. Yeah it can be done theoretically, but considering most rockets are very short as noted by Iron Man. I think that's one of the defining features that at least generally shape the Rocket Coaster style, therefore to be as realistic as possible one should try to keep the track length within certain bounds near those set by real rides. Would you consider a 10000 foot 20 lift kiddy coaster realistic? I *guess* you could (and that's an extreme example, much more extreme than this ride), but more logically speaking it's not exactly realistic.
So yeah, length generally affects realism for me, but isn't everything when trying to determine whether a ride is realistic.
I think there are two different ways to look at it:
1) It is realistic as long as the design is statistically within the "boundaries" set by real coasters of the same style.
2) It is realistic as long as it's something many could see being built in real life by the manufacturer.
I think the latter is the only one that should be taken into account when designing a coaster with the goal of achieving realism. Trackwork, shaping, supports, and layout are all key factors also.
So in terms of this coaster, I would say the length is definitely realistic.