February 2006 Unofficial NoLimits Contest

**Erik Leppen** · #1 02-01-2006, 09:35 AM

To start off the 2006 season, many parks want to welicome their future guests with something new and original. Using ThrillNetwork as their target site, they announced a coaster design contest. Coaster manufacturers have already been informed and are preparing to build some layout designs they haven't seen ever before. Now this is your challenge: design a coaster which is not only a big thrill, but also a bit novelty in coaster world. Beware this is the shortest month of the year, giving you the least time to think of something and work out the design. A list is made to guide you through the design process, here it is.

Vertical G's must be between -2 and +5.
Lateral G's must be between -2 and 2.
Track must be steel, you can choose any track type: sitdown, hyper, standup, inverted or anything else you can think of.
Multiple stations and dueling coasters (Mobius coasters) are allowed
Both lift and launch is allowed, or a combination. Due to running costs, you can not have more then 300 ft = 91,44 m of lift + launch track. If you use a launch, there is a accelerational force limit of 2 G.
Minimum total capacity (trains x cars/train x seats/car) 56 riders.
Must pass E-stop.
Terrain is allowed. Due to high construction costs on soft land types, supports cannot land into the water.
Trees are allowed, but will not be judged.
3ds are allowed, but will not be judged and the ride should work without them (i.e. not depend on 3ds for supporting).
Must have something non-standard (innovative layout, new element, etc.) and this fact must be mentioned in the Track Info, in case judges might not find out what it is.

The parks will judge the ride on

Building Technique such as G-forces, smoothness, blocking, supports, track shaping.
How fun the ride is.
Original or unique ideas.

This is an unofficial contest, there is no prize.
The deadline is February 28, 11:59 Eastern Time (US). Let your creativity flow and make something of it. In the first week of March, we hope to get decided which of the coasters will be the most innovative design for the parks to build and surprise their guests with, and which came close.

Use this thread for questions.

jimths08 · #2 02-01-2006, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Track must be steel, you can choose any track type: sitdown, hyper or inverted.

So is it any steel or one of those three? I'm in, and tools are allowed correct?

PKIDelirium · #3 02-01-2006, 11:14 PM

I'm in. Stupid minimum 10 characters per post.

**Erik Leppen** · #4 02-02-2006, 02:32 PM

jimths08, I wouldn't know a coaster which is not one of those three. Motorbike is sitdown. Floorless is sitdown.

dukeandPCfan · #5 02-02-2006, 07:03 PM

^ lol.. its called a standup

**Erik Leppen** · #6 02-03-2006, 09:14 AM

Standup is allowed too of course.
EDIT: I changed it.

bigboy_1234567 · #7 02-07-2006, 05:17 PM

I think I'll try.

Worm · #8 02-12-2006, 01:11 AM

I've already entered mine, a terrain floorles with a new element. i really hope i win!

**Erik Leppen** · #9 02-12-2006, 09:52 AM

Okay, I got it.

Medusaboy · #10 02-12-2006, 11:20 AM

I'm in! Where do we send our coaster once were done?

willski2002 · #11 02-12-2006, 11:54 AM

Just post them up to SpeedZone and check the box that says "No Limits Contest". That should enter it in.

**Erik Leppen** · #12 02-12-2006, 12:31 PM

Willski is right. Email problem is solved, so wjhenever you do that, your ride will be found for judging.

B & M Freak · #13 02-12-2006, 11:10 PM

I've enetred mine up, its a B & M Twister with custom & Prefab supports. Not so much of B & M Launches anymore so thats one special thingf about this ride and there aren't too many overbanks like this. I hope i'll will. Just clearing this up, tools are allowed right?

Matt M · #14 02-12-2006, 11:44 PM

Well I'm making a B&M invert, I hope it ends up unique enough to qualify. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this up.

**Erik Leppen** · #15 02-14-2006, 09:41 AM

Tools are allowed. AHG, smoothing tools, support tools, anything. The only tool not allowed is letting some one else make your track.

vekoma freak · #16 02-15-2006, 12:33 AM

ive entered myn its a b&m standup coaster goes thruogh two over banked turns and 7 inversions hope i win but i think i broke some of the rules but never got to cheak if i did so if u want to comment my ride it is called "canyon runner"if its no following the brules then it shud be still enjoyable exept for the start of the drop(o well)

**Erik Leppen** · #17 02-15-2006, 02:12 PM

We are only halfway February, if you know it is not following the rules, I strongly advise you to do something about that.

Matt M · #18 02-25-2006, 09:31 PM

I managed to actually finish something that meets the criteria, so enjoy!
http://www.thrillnetwork.com/speedzo....php?file=1886

**Erik Leppen** · #19 02-26-2006, 05:11 AM

There are only three days (including today) left, so if you want to enter the contest, then don't hesitate and be sure to finish off your coaster in time.

vekoma freak · #20 03-18-2006, 08:54 PM

Where are the results for the february contest? It's been awhile now.

Worm · #21 04-01-2006, 02:01 AM

Yeah! I want to know who won!

**Erik Leppen** · #22 04-03-2006, 12:52 PM

Hm I thought I did post it but I seem to have not... I'm so sorry guys to leave you without the results of this contest! It won't happen again next time! Here are the results. Some were very, very close to each other, but there was one winner which wasn't. Since I did already judge and did not post, but I did write down in my judge form, I have here the results and am not going to rejudge. I will open the tracks in the Editor, take a look and write a short comment on each ride. The order in which I discuss them is from last place to first place.

Tidal Blast at 75 points
The idea was original, the coaster was fairly smooth, but many of the supports would fail, making it impossible for this coaster to even work. Therefore, this coaster does not qualify for the contest, because no coaster should collapse. Disqualification. Work on your supports a little more next time: they aren't to look cool but to support the track. But as for the rest of the ride, it was surely well done.

Bigger Thunder Mountain at 79 points
The island idee was surely cool, but it was the unsmooth track which kept this coaster from having a higher score. Also, the ride was too long. Supports were not a lot more than clicking the Build button in the Wood Magic support builder. Further, I just notice now while looking at the rides in Editor again, the lift hill is unsupported, which does officially disqualify the coaster.

Beans at 69 points
Layout was okay, would not cost too much space because tracks were above each other. Smart thinking. Big complaint of this ride was a lack of custom supports where this would have been better, and a boring end part: after breaking there is a lot of time spent returning to the station, this could have been a high-speed end helix but was a gentle car ride instead. Positive point: finally this was a coaster without a nearly impossible 3G launch.

Tiger at 80 points
I won't disqualify for the tunnel, there is a tube around the track and therefore it is NoLimits' fault the terrain is not removed. Supports were okay but nothing special. For a coaster this small, prefabs do fine for the most parts, where needed, customs were built. Very smooth. Not very original: actually just a coaster with a tunnel.

Canyon Runner at 81 points
I notice a lot of Vertices, making the coaster smooth and the heartlining perfect. The elements were cool, and the layout was okay. Supports were kinda blah: only prefabs. While the coaster is not very tall, on the higher spots they don't really look realistic. Terrain did not cost a lot of time and attention to make. It was smoothness which made this coaster came out just a bit higher than most others.

Ozric at 93 points
There is only one winner possible, and there was nearly only one choice. It set me thinking what to think whether the "specialties" were special enough, and this is a typical example why putting it in the Track Info was good for. Not a lot of people did that. I have eventually chosen for not disqualifying the coaster because of a lack of specialties, partly because there were more coasters not having a stunning specialty. I noticed use of auto-heartline tools or that kind of things also on this ride, making it slick smooth. Realistic supports! Very well done. But keep in mind that Auto Flanger does not check Fundament Node elevation: check flanges on non-vertical tubes connected to Fundament Nodes.

Congratulations on the winner, and of course to the other participants. I'm sorry to let you down for so long time, I did forget about it because of other things taking time.

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