JoshC.

The IMA Score disliker club seems to have a loud voice at the moment... It's fair to say that some of the audio they've produced is very similar. Galactica definitely seems inspired by Helix for example (though I don't see how people are saying Smiler and Helix are similar?). And even the short snippet that Thorpe released of the entrance / dome music sounds like Taron's theme out of the Klugheim soundtrack. But as a whole piece, the entrance music sounds very original - certainly different to most things IMA have done.

It's been revealed that because NeuroGen has such a low throughput, you can reserve a place online for a 5€. If there's spaces on-the-day, you can experience it for free. For some comparison, The Clinic cost 15€ outright. Bit of an odd system, and I assume it means it'll be a time-slotted attraction. But if this is as scary as they say it will be, I guess it's only going to appeal to a small market, so having the lower throughput and upcharge to reflect a higher quality experience makes sense.

https://www.thorpepark.com/blog/what-is-the-sound-of-the-island Thorpe have confirmed that IMA Score made the new entrance / dome soundtrack, and have hinted that there is more to come! Exciting times for our ears!

In my experience, Chessington has been awful to visit on busy days for the past 4-5 years. Even if operations go well, their attractions can't cope with the demand they receive. Though to be fair, given it was the opening weekend of their new ride (and a pretty big new ride all things considered), I guess I've should expect things to be busy and get a lower ride count than normal. Though 6 rides in a potential 7 hour day is a bit of a joke.

^Doesn't seem to be a bad shout... http://www.looopings.nl/weblog/7254/Walibi-Holland-geeft-kijkje-achter-de-schermen-bij-nieuwe-attractie.html A brief 'look at how we're shooting the VR' style video has been released. Shows a 360 degree camera strapped to a body on a gurney. Video also has scenes of partying and what could be a car crash scene. So like yeah, could be: put VR glasses on, go partying, get high, get involved in a car crash then you're awake during your life saving surgery. Or something.

Timber Tug Boat will be opening in Easter, as revealed by this sign that has a snazzy logo for the ride...

Few photos from TPM's FB of today, so they're all on here... Admissions hall: New Dome sign: The Island Shop: New signage: (There's one in every themed area) Some nice refreshes - pictures don't do justice to how nice the Island Shop is!

NeuroGen update, thanks to Looopingsssssssssss Still no word on what this is beyond the VR, nor if this is an upcharge attraction like many people think.. Speed of Sound update: The park posted a photo of how Speed of Sound is currently looking following its repaint: For reference, this is how it looked: Can't deny that it does look good, and the blue supports are nicer than the purple. Still an odd decision mind.

^Wickieland is a bit of a weird one for me. It IS good, but parts of it feel...not right? I like it, but something just doesn't quite fit for me, and I can't put my finger on it. Anubis is fab though. On Heidi-related news, it's be revealed that Heidi can't run past 7pm at any time (due to noise restrictions / environmental permit). The park is only open past 7pm on 7 days this year, but it closes at 7 pretty much all of summer. Don't know how much of a problem it'll cause long-term, but it's a shame that the chance of night rides on it are now basically zero.

New map! As noted on TPM's Facebook, the following new things: Updated artwork for Derren Brown's Ghost Train New for 2017 - Timber Tug Boat, located by the old CCR station Amity Beach is now just Amity. New logos for themed areas The Island Shop - A new shop in the dome replacing Sweets and Sounvenirs The Coffee Shack in the dome is now 'Proud to serve Costa' The Donut Factory - a new food outlet near Storm Surge The Hub - a new Events space

Plopsa have uploaded some new photos of Heidiland... Work is progressing on the small children's ride nicely. Goato love their work! Personally I'd say this seems to be their best theming to date; definitely looks like there will be a lot more smaller details here than anywhere else in the park.

Getting back to this year, and it seems like the Cartoon Network contract is up, so Ben 10 has been rethemed and renamed as 'Accelerator'. (photos by Adam on TTSP) It's a shame as the queue line for Ben 10 was awesome all things considered, so it'll be interesting to see if they can replicate that quality. There were also rumours of Hot Wheels being bought in to act as a sponsor which could have worked well, but alas it seems to have no happened.

Efteling have revealed what the ride cars will look like..

Noticed signs around the park saying Gruffalo was opening at 12pm on the 18th, if anyone is keen enough to be considering going on opening day...

The Adventure Tree does look very nice, but something about it felt a little...off when I saw it in person. It was like the tree was a little too short and stubby, and needed to be taller. I thought it might look better when you see the bottom half, but looking at photos, it seems the 'tree stump' on the carousel half is a lot thicker. so it just feels a little bit weird and unnatural. It still looks decent and I'm sure when it's operating it will be fine, and I don't like to complain about something that does look good. But it just looks a bit awkward.

If it's a cred, then I'm buying a VR headset and a desk fan - I'll overtake Benin in no time...

From Alton TLC.

We've recently had to remove some posts on this thread. As I'm sure many of you understand, during the closed season a lot of work is done across the park, and those who have access to the park during this time aren't allowed to share photos of this work online. Due to TPM's close relationship with Thorpe, we don't want to encourage the sharing of these posts and pictures. We hope you all understand. If anyone has anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM myself or any team member.

Whilst Dodonpa is out of action, the park have decided to offer a VR experience recreating the coaster to compensate... And, because Japan, desk fans are provided to help simulate the launch. Just wow.

I've made my views on TLC clear in the past, but on a positive note, it is really good to see that Towers have spent the money to get scenic artists in for the likes of Hex and Nemesis. It's easy to forget that that costs a lot of money and isn't really something we've seen in a very long for general upkeep of rides at Merlin parks.

The park have announced that the name of the coaster will be Red Force. Leaks a few months back suggested the name was originally going to be Red Giant, but I guess they decided to go for 'force because Ferrari' idea.

I don't think we'll ever see a buzz like the one Ex10 created again. Ex10 did something completely different and out there, offering something that never really had been offered in the UK scare market so easily. It received such a buzz from those within the industry, abs genuinely shocked and scared the general public because it was so unexpected. These days, the sort of style and experience Ex10 offered is much more normal, and offered by many more places. Look at Sub Species at Towers, that's arguably more intense and more groundbreaking than Ex10, and whilst it received awesome reviews, it never really created the same buzz as Ex10 did in 2011, all because it was more of norm. Of course, this doesn't mean we won't ever see something great or as well received as it ever again. But to create a buzz anywhere near that level, they've got to do something extremely original, out-there and truly special, which is easier said than done. IPs are always doubled-edged swords. They bring with them a huge appeal (if the right one is chosen), and create an instant buzz and level of expectation around them. But they can also be quite restrictive, especially if the people behind the IP have a certain way they want things done, which is particularly noticeable in a maze environment. One would hope that given Thorpe have had experience with IP mazes now, they've learnt what works and what doesn't, and how it is best to proceed. In particular, the lifespan of mazes needs to be taken into account - Cabin worked brilliantly in its first two season but failed to reach similar heights thereafter. MBV struggled through its 3 years. Blair sort of worked, and it did grow (quite literally!), but it was very actor dependent on the quality of the maze. Saw has stood the test of time quite well, even if people find it a bit stale now. From this experience, and lessons they've learnt from their own in house mazes, I'm confident they know how to make things work.

Update! Images from Parc Asterix and PA Fans respectively. I really like the colour; quite refreshing in some ways!

Nice article. First time we've ever really had an article closely linked to Thorpe saying how they can make tweaks and introduce new journeys over time, which has some promise. The paragraph about shooting on the ride itself is interesting. If they're able to use footage of the train itself in the VR world (rather than a similar-looking CGI train), it might be able to add to the aimed 'blurring the lines between what's real and what's not' motive, which is only a plus in my books. Find it interesting that the park are trying to drop in 'we've got a new IP for Fright Nights' at every possible moment too. Though that's for another thread I s'pose...

Here's the thread for reference: