Sheepie
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Posts posted by Sheepie
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I believe the confusion is coming from the fact that it seems Swarm has TWO block sections after those initial set of brakes. The set after the turn and then the set just outside the station. Whereas Raptor has the those first set and then the set outside the station.This is of course, assuming that they are both Block sections, they may not be!
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I hope to see you at any potential Swarm preview days then! I'm relatively confident that B&M won't disappoint us with ride down-time, unlike another certain manufacturer.
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I noticed that too, Ricky! I guess the jury is out on whether this will be the final block set-up from B&M. I realise this has been discussed a lot, but it does seem strange for B&M to have it set-up this way. From Raptor, we know that it keeps a free block between the train in the station and the train in the brakes. Swarm looks to have two free block sections, although it could be possible that one isn't a block section.As long as the throughput doesn't suffer, then I'm not really fussed. A theoretical throughput of 1260pph is looking very promising based on dispatches being made every 90 seconds.
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From the top of the lift, to the brakes, we have a ride time of 32 seconds. So shorter than Inferno. A very short ride, but my does it look amazing. It seems to take its inline twist much faster than Raptor does.The roar sounds immense, as does how graceful the train looks gliding around that beastly track. As from the beginning, my only negative comment is just how flaming short this ride is.
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Hey Saz, welcome back to the forums. :)Hope you decide to stick around with us in what is set to be a very exciting time here!
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Jack, that's what he's saying. From what I understand, Irishman has changed his mind and is suggesting that having a wind effect would be pointless because you wouldn't feel it.I think it'd be a cool idea to have the damgaed rotor blades slowly roatating as though the crash has recently happened. You could have smoke and other environmental effects, too. I think people are just expressing their excitement and are chucking out ideas. Nothing wrong with that!
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I'm geuinely very sorry Irishman, but I'm struggling to understand what you mean! You never imagined wind in the middle of a helix? Wind clashing with rotors?
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^ With that question in mind, remember, it's not going to be the next Nemesis. From previous B&M coasters and Raptor, it will certainly be graceful but pack a punch at the same time. I'm thinking a mix between Air and Manta type thrills.
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I would imagine you'd be travelling at such a speed that any wind effects would be completely useless to the riders, who will already be feeling a lot of wind! :PAlthough that's not to say that one of the water effects won't be placed here. You could be right Irishman!
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Ahh Stealth. It is indeed one of Thorpe's best attractions. Pure thrill and adrenaline. Sadly for me, it represents a lot of the negative things about the late Tussauds under the DIC ownership.At the time, I was disappointed by Stealth's ride time, however, now it doesn't bother me as such. I think what is there captures the essence of the Rocket Coaster perfectly and any extra track, whilst yes it would have added to the experience, I don't personally feel as though we've lost much of the experience.The Steatlth DJ when the ride opened was genius, along with a very expensive sound system and design, allowing for unique interactivity with the guests in the queue and around the plaza. Sadly, a lot of the sound equipment left with the DJ and now we're left with a sound loop that frequently dips in and out due to the parkwide link.Stealth's theme is shoe-horned in with the rest of Amity. It waters down the amazing Tidal side of Amity Cove. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of the racing theme itself, but the area just feels so barren and not in a good way. The area consists of mainly painted walls rather than any interesting set pieces.The ride's queue leaves a lot to the imagination in terms of theme. Much of it winding its way around a grassy bank and a stagnant pond. I'm afraid some sea shells does not equate to good theming!
Aside from that, it also fails to interact well with the ride at all, with the exception of a segment that goes underneath the ride.The ride station, whilst fitting that it's outside, it's literally scaffolding supports with a tarmac platform at the top. However I feel that special mention needs to be given to Stealth's trains, in which they're incredibly gorgeous. Loading procedures are efficient and the queue can move very respectfully as a result.The ride itself though, shall remain one of Thorpe's star attractions purely for it's bold statement of height, speed, acceleration and the amazing rush it produces! -
Let's not forget, people do withold the power to not follow the project if they want to remain surprised- it's your own fault Ryan!
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This is a fantastic sight to see! Thank you Marc (I assume) for taking the pictures and making the effort. If anyone is taking a trip down there in due course, please could you take some video for us? How exciting!B&M trains on B&M track is a very beautiful thing.
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http://newsplusnotes...ol-present.htmlFantastic blog about B&M track fabrication process!It also confirms that Anty Eyre is nothing more than a troll- the assumed picture of Swarm's track being fabricated is in this blog was was posted in December 2008. Oops!
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How dare you lot not wish me happy birthday last week, on MY BIRTHDAY! You Terrapins!
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After a lot of thought, I'm going to express my thoughts about the proposed plans for SW7.I first glanced at them last week and was absolutely shocked when I saw the proposed layout and the general scale of the attraction they're aiming to build. That is quite a lot of coaster! Apart from that, there isn't really much else to go by. I noticed a lot of discussion about ride manufacturer and ride types, track in the station building, possible World's First elements and also the throughput of the attraction.At this current moment I await the finalised proposals for thematic style, scenic elements and general renderings of the surrounding buildings with quiet apprehension. There is a part of me that does feel as though this project is rushed. Sometimes when large scale projects such as these are rushed, the quality is compromised. What makes it so evident that the project has completely taken a U-turn is the apparent lack of any scenic drawings. From reading various forums, it seems as though the project was previously stated to be in a totally different location and presumably a different experience to what is being proposed now. Not that it I'm being negative, I just hope that appropriate care and pride is taken in the design, regardless of the project change.Throughput- like I said, that is a lot of coaster, with their current Euro-fighter design and 4 wide, 2 row cars, Alton will have an absolutely abysmal throuhput that is just not acceptable for any modern ride, let alone a major addition such as this. I know we cannot comment on what is inside the building, although, regardless of that, we're looking at large chunks of coaster without any block sections in between. Possibly in excess of 40 seconds. Therefore, I am convinced that we're to see a variation of ride car from Gerstlauer. As a complete and utter hypothetical situation, based on dispatches being made every minute (theoretically) A ride vehicle containing 16 people will provide a theoretical throughput of 960 an hour. Reduce that to every 45 seconds, then you have around 1200 an hour (quite resonable).The ride building itself has come under a lot of speclation about extra track and special elements. Just to continue the speculation, that building also needs to contain the ride shop, baggage rooms and from the looks of it also contains the maintainance area. It'd be a cool extra if there was anything inside here, however, I'd quite easily be happy if there wasn't. With a budget of £20M, this is a lot of cash to splash on a coaster from one of your cheaper companies. I hope the cash is spent well; possibly on an X-Sector refurb and also working with the right people to really give SW7 the great theme and story it deserves. It has the potential to ultimately explore X Sector's even more and be totally sinister. If done right, this will complement Oblivion perfectly and the two rides shall sit harmoniously in their area.The only really passing comments I have is that from the plans, it does look as though the layout has been slapped together as if you were having a funny 5 minutes on RCT/ No Limits and also I'm disappointed by the cattle-pen layout of the queue. This is where I feel extra care to the design could have been given. However, I do agree that the layout of the ride will be extremely intense and is a bold statement for Alton Towers to make, I hope it pays off for them! I'm hoping for some amazing interaction with the area plaza and this ride. There is certainly a lot of potential which hopefully with this ride's budget, can be executed with the amount of justice it deserves!
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Point taken Fred! My reasoning behind it was because people sometimes don't want to read the entire thing and get bored/ intimidated by the amount of content. Post edited just for you!
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Hmm, so there's something after the last corkscrew and the turn before the inline over the station in this time lapse footage from Ride Guide (well done guys!)- look very closely! I'm not sure what it is, I shall look at the plans. :)Hmm so after checking, it's the fire engine! I fail.
http://ride-guide.co.uk/theswarm/Fantastic footage!Edit: Glad to see you back Jake! Hope you manage to re-kindle your fanboyishness! 
To the 50 guests browsing the forum: register and take part in our discussion in what will be a very exciting time for us! -
My favourite Disney Park, stunningly beautiful and just the absolute definition of escapism and adventure. That is at least, in the park's more "permanent looking" areas. This is definitely a park of two halves, one of which areas of the park have had the absolute heart and soul of design invested into it and the other in areas faced with destroying budget cuts and slapped together in a quick fix... a quick fix that has remained that way for 14 years!
This park has a long history with people who have followed the park since construction. A history of constantly being plagued with budget cuts, cuttings major attractions and areas from the park's line-up, resulting in disappointing attendance figures, resulting in drastic and rushed ideas of rectifying the problem. What is so evident though, is where the real money has been spent by chief Imagineer Joe Rhode.
I consider Joe a hero, his approach to theme park design ticks all the right boxes in terms of what I'm looking for: the ultimate in story-telling and an unprecedented amount of richness from every single angle. You can imagine his upset and discontent, then, when a large majority of the proposed attractions for Animal Kingdom were cut. Fourteen years after Animal Kingdom opened, areas such as Camp Minnie Mickey, Dinoland USA and Planet Watch remain substandard compared to the areas around them, often rushed and slapped together with minimal budget in an effort to offer extra to the park line-up.
If there was one positive that came out of the budget cuts, it has to be The Festival of the Lion King.
When the Entertainments Team at Disney took over the development of some of the park's areas, the idea of a show was brought to the table. The Festival of the Lion King is moving, elaborate and a fantastic experience for fans of Theatre and the Original Lion King Movie. I look around during the performance I saw and it is clear to see that the audience are so invested in this show; from the performers, to the story itself. Musically, it is a faithful tribute to the original film score, it had several audience members, including myself, getting teary- eyed at the beauty of it. This is a show not to be missed during a visit to the Animal Kingdom.
It is hot during our visit today, to be honest, it's absolutely unbearable. Yet that does not stop us from enjoying our visit around the park. There are vast amounts of shade and undercover areas at the Animal Kingdom, including queue areas and eateries. I'm not sure what it is about this park, but it seems to feel hotter than the others.
Not many theme parks would create fictional villages and places to host their attractions. At Animal Kingdom's two feature areas, they do just that. Africa- the village of Harambe features several details that give the impression of it being a community. Every facility, including toilets, food and beverage and retail units are presented to be an extension of the story for the area. The star attraction of Harambe and the one of which the local community is most proud of is Kilimanjaro Safari's a major source of tourism for the village!
Kilimanjaro Safaris is phenomenal as an attraction from every angle. From the experience to the guests... and then looking deeper behind the design and layout of the attraction.
You can invest hundreds of millions of pounds into technology for state-of-the-art attractions with special effects to blow your socks off, however, some of them just will not recreate the feeling of being able to see these animals up close in an environment such as this. I believe this was one of the most magical experiences of the entire Florida Trip. On our goes through the animals were moderately active; particularly the elephants. We got to see a baby elephant take a drink from the watering hole!
Outside of the Safari, there are several exploration trails which enable you to discover countless animals, ask questions and also experience several presentations regarding the animals. Of course, only Animal Kingdom can do this in a way that just throws you into this amazing environment.
One of my favourite theme park areas of all time, in fact, on par with the Wizarding World is Asia.
From the Exploration Trails, to the two stunningly themed rides in the area.. there are just no words to really describe it. I almost feel slightly spiritual in this area, which is a credit to the Imagineers behind it, who have captured the culture and the essence of this part of the world, perfectly, in their fictional village of Anandapur.
I'm just going to slip right to Expedition Everest. Mainly because I can't wait any longer. I love this ride. Although, it is not simply a ride, it is an entire experience that cannot be defined by the transit system which acts as the climax of the attraction. Indeed, take away Everest's queue and the entire attraction has lost meaning, put this in another area; again, the attraction loses meaning. This is what we just don't do very well here in the UK, though at times, I don't blame our parks, I shall explain later.
There are countless reviews and descriptions of Everest; none of which can do the attraction justice, including my comments. It is a masterpiece of theme park story telling which starts the moment you walk into Asia. It is overwhelming; yet so rewarding if you care to absorb all of the story.
The ride queue moves ridiculously quick; so much so that you barely have enough time to take in all of the props in the queue. Even at the entrance, we queued a maximum of 40 minutes. Such is the nature of this attraction which can easily process 2000 guests an hour. It is disheartening then, when you hear fellow British people complain that they have to queue. You know what? It's a difficult one, you could view it as to why theme parks bother spending millions of pounds investing in such rich detail when their guests just don't appreciate and want their next big thrill. Yes, you could perhaps see why our UK parks do not invest in such detail, which no doubt, will be destroyed by the public.
However, I believe there is another side to it. I believe the average UK theme park goer has lost what the term theme park is supposed to mean. It is really, genuinely an elaborate piece of promenade theatre. The park is a stage, the rides are areas in the audience can explore and even interact with "ride". Therefore, the queue becomes part of the performance. As a UK culture, we have forgotten the story aspect to it, we just want the next big ride, we want the thrill and we have lost the sophistication which overtones everything. Our theme parks (especially the Merlin company) have the power to be able to help change this culture. Marketing, more emphasis on an experience, more sophistication will make the attractions much more rewarding for their guests. It is no coincidence that Disney Parks have become notorious for being the best in the industry. Even if the majority of the public do not consciously know this, but it is due to the amount of care and attention to detail on the experience of their attractions, operations, marketing and the overall theme park packing. The quality speaks for itself. That is why they're the best. I hope our UK parks can continue to invest more money into these details and continue to play catch up in this respect.
The fruit bats on one of Asia Animal Exploration Trails.
There's nothing quite like a gorgeous water fountain to quench your thirst on a hot, hot day at Disney's Animal Kingdom....
"Wait a minute, it isn't working!" "Oh hang on, your's is stealing all of the water pressure! ". Haha!Notice even areas such as a water fountain are just themed down to the absolute finest detail.I think it speaks volumes that on our last day, over every other park, we chose to revisit Animal Kingdom. Such a great, re-visitable park!Been looking forward to doing this one! If you're still interested, please catch the full article on my blog- it's a biggie though.http://cheekysheepsk...animal-kingdom/ :)Also, check out http://www.allears.net, who are fantastic at going into great detail with Disney attractions. Take a look at the blogs! -
Just to clear a few things up, the heliopter rumour has come from Facebook, on the Swarm's Developer Diary. Anty Eyre (the person who posted the Swarm's track being fabricated), confirmed that it had been cut.However, after a little more digging, this person also said that the trains are for certain not on-site yet- they are!
Also he's very close to a certain person who was convinved that sw6 was B&M, awkward. Just take it with a pinch of salt. I'll be upset if it's been cut though! -
It'd be a missed opportunity from a Marketing point of view for Ents to not do something this year regarding Swarm. It'd be great to see some street theatre/ roaming actors and I'm sure there will be, however I just can't see them lasting sadly due to budgetary reasons.Just a quick one on Ents in general- Alton's Ents department I would say is the absolute minimum of what a theme park should be striving for. It's been mentioned many times, but it's just not up to standard from what you'd expect from any other European park. As for Experiment 10, subsequent to my big review on it last year, I found out that it was created by a freelance design company who had no experience of previous Scare Attractions. So it did pay off but the attraction, sadly, was not mainly the work of Thorpe/ Merlin.
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I was a bit diappointed when I realised the openness of the station as well. I guess that's where a lot of budget was saved!
If it came down to, say, having a roof over the station or sacrificing a scenic element outside. Horses for courses I guess! -
I guess you didn't get the tongue in cheek nature of my post, ah well! :PI reckon these pictures don't do the ride justice either. I can't wait for the first time I walk into the area and just take everything in. Love that part!
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^ The ride will be officially open to the public in 10 weeks and 3 days, and no doubt there will be media previews and annual pass previews before that! /pendantic.
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Sheepie, I have to agree to an extent....The landscaping however is on another level, and is what really generates a world class ride experience.
I agree, some people do not differentiate between hard/soft landscaping and actual themeing, such as themed objects, signage... Nemesis is very well landscaped, but it's pretty modest when it comes to themeing - this isn't an attack against Nemesis at all! Ideally you want both the landscaping and the theming to work in synergy.Great progress on such an exciting development for Thorpe Park! The decayed and crumbling façades of the church remind me of Chessington for some reason? I would love to see some wild vegetation around the plane wreckage, it's the little finishing touches which I think will make this ride!
Yep, just to clarify, I'm talking exclusively about scenic elements. I agree Nemesis' landscaping is phenomenal, but, apart from a gret station exterior (which is needing a serious refurb) and a few props scattered about, Nemesis isn't really that well themed of a ride. Saying that, it still remains one of my favourite coasters I've been on. Alexander, I totally agree with you!Sid, I think Alexander was talking about the bare brick/ distressed plaster scenic effect that is seen around several of the rides. Particularly Wild Asia and Forbidden Kingdom.Ooft... right where it hurts.
Cheetah Hunt is another good example:
It's a popular scenic effect representing a distressed feel. I think it looks great! But I agree, it does look lightly "exotic"!
THE SWARM: Construction Updates
in The Past
Posted
For anyone that does not wish to download the video, here it is uploaded to youtube.