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JoshC.

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  1. Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon

    in The Past

    Posted

    Very weird video really.

     

    Nice to have the ride captured in a good quality video, and to be able to relive the VR, if for nothing else other than just archiving / documenting it. Obviously no dark ride is shown in a better light in a video compared to experiencing it in person, so it's a bit of an odd move from a Thorpe / marketing perspective (and with Jack effectively being an extension of Thorpe's marketing, it makes sense).

     

    But to not include all the VR is weird and odd, especially to skip over some of the better bits. The video really highlights how bad scene 2 got, and also how worn the scenery is there. The extreme darkness in the finale is obviously there to hide the fact the demon costume doesn't exist properly, but makes it come across even worse. And whilst a solo POV is easier to record and makes sense from a practicality perspective, it really does make the experience feel even more awkward. 

     

    Nice idea and all, but what this really does is highlight many of the issues with DBGT and little else.

  4. Ghost Train - NEW for 2023

    in General Discussion

    Posted

     

    1 hour ago, Benin said:

    I mean they can't do any worse? But if it's going to be actor led again Metlin don't have the best record of the quality or consistency of those.

     

    To be fair, compared from the 2017 version (ie when they needed more because of the new ending), the actor and staffing levels in Ghost Train remained pretty consistent.

     

    In 2017, there was:

    -Staff member at entrance

    -Staff member at batch

    -Staff member for pre show

    -Staff member for load room

    -2 staff members (ride hosts) per train (3 trains in operation)

    -2 staff members (ride operators) operating the ride

    -Staff member for VR goggle cleaning

    -Approx. 3 actors in train crash scene

    -2 actors in finale

    Total: 9 ride staff, 5 actors

     

    Last year, there was:

    -Staff member at batch

    -Staff member for pre show

    -2 staff members (ride hosts) per train (2 trains in operation)

    -2 staff members (ride operators) operating the ride

    -Staff member for VR goggle cleaning

    -Approx. 3 actors in train crash scene

    -2 actors in finale, when in operation

    -Actor in load room, sometimes

    Total: 7 ride staff, 3-6 actors

     

    The load room actor seemed to be chopped and changed and wasn't necessary. The finale was skipped sometimes over FN if there were actor shortages. So whilst there has been staffing reductions on Ghost Train, it's not as dramatic as some may think. That at least suggests the park can keep a level of consistency with actors and staffing for Ghost Train.

     

     

    I have several thoughts regarding the development. Firstly, it's good that they're doing something with this. DBGT could not continue to operate in the way it did last year, especially towards the end. Literally having it SBNO would be better than the embarrassing state it was in over Fright Nights.

     

    The story idea sounds solid enough, and works nicely with what they have.

     

    No VR is a double-edged sword. Obviously the VR was outdated, temperamental and a faff. But there was potential with it, which was largely unfulfilled. But the bigger thing now is what do you do without the VR? The 'ride' portion is very much just the train moving a bit, stopping for a few minutes, and moving again. The park have said they expect the attraction to last about 15minutes, which is the same as DBGT. That would mean each train portion of the ride is about 4 minutes. 

    Now here's the thing, how do they plan on keeping a train carriage full of people entertained for 4 minutes? Putting screens in the windows could work, but watching a screen entirely for 4 minutes in a train carriage full of people is going to be a bit awkward, no? And would also mean potentially halving the capacity of each train. Entirely actor based sounds impractical given the set up of the trains. A blend of the two is probably the best way forward, but difficult to execute.

     

    There's talks of extra / new special effects too. With no VR it may be easier to introduce / maintain special effects, such as smoke, leg ticklers (which were planned but never installed), or bringing back things like rocking the train carriage. But how much do those things truly add.

     

    The best bet for Ghost Train, in my opinion, is to go 'full Dungeons' on it. The Dungeons are, in essence, actor-led, interactive scenes, with a loose narrative linking it together, and some ride elements. If the park can recreate something like that, then it will be fairly good. Whether they can is a different matter. And if that's what they go for, they need to ensure that it's marketed as such. Setting suitable expectations for guests is perhaps the biggest challenge for this attraction right now.

     

  6. 2023 Trip Plans

    in Your Planned Trips and Reports

    Posted

    Very fluid-looking year for me at the moment.

     

    UK-wise, I'll hit up the Merlin quartet as ever. Blackpool is an outside possibility too. Maybe Pleasurewood Hills and the parks that sorta way too.

     

    My main hits abroad at Asterix, Madrid, Port Aventura and Walibi Belgium. Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm are potential short trips too. Also considering Gardaland/Movieland Italy as well. It all very much depends on finances and timings at this point now. No chance will all of these happen, but if I tick off a couple of them, I'll be happy.

  9. Thorpe Park 2023

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 minute ago, MattyMoo said:

    We need a new thread now to discuss the secrets as we are now allowed to speak about them, if the mods could please assist.

     

    Has your account has been hacked by @StevenVig?

     

    I am under the impression that the new attraction will actually be called Not Derren Brown's Ghost Victorian But Actually Tube Carriage Train: Death of the Demon Turned Coughing Person - Venture into the Tunnel Which isn't a Tunnel (Revenge of the Buckwheats Against Project Exombus).* Unfortunately, that name is too long to fit into a thread title, so no new thread or renaming of threads will occur now. 

     

    I look forward to riding NDBGVBATCTDotDTCPVitTWiaTRotBAPE this year.

     

    *The short form of the title, more to be revealed soon!

  10. Thorpe Park 2023

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Surely not. Just, no.

     

    I know they've been looking at changing the logo for a few years now. I'd hoped that every time they have looked into it, they've realised they don't need to fix something which isn't broken. But who knows...

     

     

    In other news, Thorpe have confirmed in their Annual Passholder Facebook group that they're removing the Saw Alive queue line, and turning that area into a picnic area. They're also looking at moving the Saw Alive boat (a task which is easier said than done). Would be a very nice area if they could do that.

     

    Also, the removal of that queue line creates a nice space for a tent / shipping containers for Fright Nights and a new indoor maze to replace Creek Freak; just saying...

  14. The Curse at Alton Manor - NEW for 2023

    in Alton Towers

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Benin said:

    Towers might need to get a priest in soon though. 3 cursed rides now. Plus an alien with a clutch of eggs. Plus In The Night Garden. Horrifying.

     

    You don't find cursed rides at the UK's thrill capital for this exact reason...

    https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/nostalgia/opening-day-stealth-rollercoaster-thorpe-23115667

     

    Father Michael Hereward-Rothwell blessing his parishioners before they took the first ever ride on 'Stealth'

     

    That was a really humdinger on a marketing stunt, left everyone on the edge of their seats.

  17. 2023 - World of Jumanji

    in Chessington World of Adventures

    Posted

    All for rows facing the other way, but having one is just very odd.

     

    The choice of mandrills for a winged coaster is still taking some getting used to. I get the idea, but I guess I still have the preconception that if a winged coaster has an animal theme, an animal with wings would make sense.

     

    1.2m rides all round is good. The concept art looks good, and is something that feels realistically achievable.

     

    I'm still concerned about the throughput and how this will cope in terms of popularity, especially at first, but we'll have to wait and see on that front.

  19. Hyperia - New for 2024

    in The Future

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, MattyMoo said:

    Is that sarcasm m8?

     

    January 2023 plus 15 months = mid April 2024?

     

    I am clearly not with it.

     

    I did 01 (January) + 15 = 16. 6th month of the year is June, so June.

     

    *goes to hastily edit a Facebook post I may or may not have made*

  23. Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon

    in The Past

    Posted

    11 hours ago, StevenVig said:

     

    That, has to be a mistake. All things related to the Derren IP have been ripped out.

     

    I love how you say ripped out as if there is anything to rip out. 

     

    All stuff specifically related to Derren is digital, or simply the ride's signage.

     

     

    In any case, the ride has been receiving its winter maintenance, which suggests that - in one way or another - the physical hardware will be operational this season.

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