TraX

Damn technicality! ;-)

Hello Vampire.

I'd say it's going to be a new credit for sure! :-)

I'm not having a go. As you say it's the same thing year after year, I'm just surprised anyone still goes until the park can get the rides open. I won't waste my precious time until everything is operational. That includes Towers, so no trips for me this year. It's always annoying when these things happen, but it's Merlin and as you said, it's been going on for well over 10 years.

Don't know what all the fuss is about. Thorpe is notorious for ride downtime. Just wait until May for DBGT and everything will be running. Why go if you are annoyed about it? I'm not.

Why do they muck about with stuff that used to work? So many small touches that take away the drama and theatrics of a ride. Infernos dispatch used to be awesome.

It's very hard not to be negative when you've been an enthusiast for a long time and you've seen the decline in Merlin parks.

Well to be fair, look what they've done to Nemesis under TLC in just a few months, it looks fantastic. So in an entire season and with another closed season ahead, imagine how great Hex and Charlie will look (and who knows NST might not continue to injure people). Alton Towers have just demonstrated what they can do in a closed season, and TLC have even longer to work on all these closed rides, they're going to look like new. Assuming they're not using TLC as an excuse to close rides (which is exactly what they are). LOL The positive spin about painted mushrooms and shutters on closed shops is shocking and all done to prepare for this news. Very calculated as we knew these rides would be closing LAST year, the gate map has been altered, yet Towers delay the bad news train. I can't wait to see what bin or door frame they paint next. How lucky are we in the UK that the park is being maintained.

Not seeing loggers on the new gate map. It's the end of an era.

I think it's such a shame that a lot of enthusiasts are celebrating what is just park maintenance. Nemesis looks amazing yes, but the rest is pretty insulting.. Well embarrassing imo

Seems a shame to loose that awesome view of Nemesis below you.

Is there an opening date for this yet?

Or make the area look like a dark forest, rather than a branch of Travis Perkins or a garden centre.

Yes it's usually F&F day, so this isn't a surprise. Additionally, it's *usually* done right towards the end of the day. Just get inside basically.

Regardless what investment it is, in 4-5 years when they have opened a few more 'World's First/fastest/longest/heighest/most terrorfing' attractions and its popularity fades in favour of those (assuming it doesn't fade straight away), the budgets will be cut and the first place the cuts come from will be entertainments. That's how it has always been at Merlin. Whilst we're discussing something we don't really understand yet in regards to its 'live action', I'm surprised so many of you think it would ever continue to operate in the same way as it will operate this season. It just won't, no matter what hype marketing come up with. Remember the Project Stealth construction blog? 'Stealth will never operate on one train.' It was all the hype. Everyone was hyped for it and ran to it every day in 2006. Whilst I get so many of you are hyped up for this, my point is that you will be hyped again over the next big thing and suddenly this will just be another attraction. For anyone who has ever worked on a new ride for opening will know, the excitement and expectation of the new attraction it's very exciting and all the park will be focusing on. That will fade. So sorry to be sceptical, but IF this is actor heavy enjoy it this year as it will change over time and there is no question about it.

If they include actors in the attraction which operate from the entertainments department, I can assure you they will be cut in the future. Ride staff in costume would be a very different matter.

So you think any actors will stay at the attraction? I assume you're joking?

Just because it's 'suspended by a few chains' doesn't mean that it actually is. I can think of 100 ways to make that illusion to guests that I assume will viewing it from the same angle. Following the the VR 'show' in the carrage, I expect actors will lead you out of the carrage and into the ride (Immesrsive Tunnel) section, allowing the next group into the carrage/VR 'show' behind you. Seems the likely way to keep things moving across various scenes. @Will, the immersive tunnel cant be a train coming to you. You have to be on a vehicle that moves into the screen area that was visable during construction. We know there's more to this attraction, yet everyone seems totally focussed on the VR bit.

Surely it's likely to be the pre-show scene, sitting in carnage VR scene, somekind of transition/actor led scene into the final immersive tunnel scene? That would keep guest flow.

Does anyone remember the first time Thorpe Patk opened a VR attraction next to the Magic Mill in 1993 (I do)? Judging from the MMM VR screen shots that were posted the other day it does look exciting, if a little 'fright nights' for a year round attraction. My biggest interest in this attraction is the transition into the Immersive Tunnel section (better not be a mirror maze)

Thank you.

Didn't one of the now removed photos from MMM show a gantrie style walkway leading straight into the raised carrage?

It's certainlly the most interesting of Merlins recent projects, although I wonder how much of the GP will know what it's all about? Ghost Trains are a very well known ride type and I wonder how much confusion this will create.

Nick Varney stated in a staff Q&A that Paramount will fail and that any small dip in attendance to the Merlin parks, would return to the brand they know and feel comfortable with.

Not *always* the case at Alton. For example a TL blew all the service breaks on Oblivion by putting it into engineering/manual mode, without an engineer being there.