Everything posted by JoshC.
-
Step 1: Rename "Chessington Resort" to "Chessington World of Disappointment featuring an alright Zoo and nice-looking hotels". Step 2: Sit back, have a cup of tea and revel in a job well done. -
I don't think we should necessarily rule out another launch coaster. Stealth is a coaster that is all about the launch, but I don't think that should rule out a ride which incorporates a launch into its layout. A ride like Helix, for example, could fit into the park well enough, especially if they didn't focus on the launch so much during marketing. Dive Machines and Flying coasters shouldn't be ruled out either of course, but it's hard to see either them going to Thorpe in my eyes. Wood and just a full out airtime machine are what the park really lack in their line up.
-
-
-
Whilst I haven't done all the mazes for FiA, I'd say Saw I'd a good shout; it was apparently the most extreme last year. However, I'd recommend just choosing your favourite maze / the maze you like the look of best. They're all pretty extreme and fun of its your diet of thing.
-
-
You see, I can totally understand this point of view - and given how badly the ticketing process was handled with The Passing, I think in hindsight that could have easily be a free attraction - I'm all for this. Escape attractions are becoming all the craze, and it's great to see Thorpe and Alton joining in and keeping up with the industry. There's no way this could not be a ticketed attraction for logistical reasons, and having a charge for it is pretty fair in my eyes. It'll be interesting to see whether it's worth it or not. For a bit of perspective though, Towers are charging around £8 for one of their mazes. So, in theory, this is decent value for what is a more unique experience.
-
For those who are interested - the plans were approved today for the Air enhancements.
-
Containment sounds fun. For £10, a 10 minute escape experience isn't too bad. It suits a theme park environment, where you don't want it to be too long so that you can't do other things / you get enough people experiencing it, but you still want it to be a suitable length. I guess it's possible that it will be longer too (it's split across 2-3 shipping containers I believe, so you could feasibly have 2 groups in there if the timings are right). Will definitely be giving it a go for £8. Also, for those interested, I've heard there's going to be a slight change to Face it Alone this year, whereby you don't get to choose your maze, but instead your maze maze is chosen for your on the night in a carnival-like game. Quite a cool idea, and should help spread the numbers more evenly across the mazes.
-
-
They created a very strong brand with Smiler. That's possibly why Swarm didn't draw in the crowds as much as Thorpe would have liked; the brand was rather weak and bland. The actual marketing and promotion for the ride was fantastic and spot on for the most part (I can't remember anyone faulting it at the time), but tbd overall brand fell short. That's why IPs are seemingly the answer. Pick the right one and you've got a pre-established brand to work with and it makes things easier. Creating a new brand requires more work and can be more "risky", but can end up being so much better (a la Smiler). With what we've seen so far, the park could easily take things further and make a 'Big Brother' style brand, with the idea and watching you and the like. Mix it in with recruiting minds or whatever and they could create a strong - albeit not necessarily original - brand; regardless of any IP.
-
I'm guessing the maze set up depended on the actor, but on my go, the story was set up as "You're visiting Studio 13, where you get to go on set of our latest film, The Motel." They'd then point out the posters plastered on the wall saying how they were other films made by the Studio. I don't think that there was any more story to it than that was there? The theming made sense - you first go through the studio / backstage areas, where there were editing and make up rooms, and naturally some plain corridors, before you went onto the set of The Motel, which featured motel things. You'd then leave the set into the exit corridor (again, just "film posters", so presumably a backstage studio area) before the fictional "film" bled into reality and it turns out the characters in the film are actually trying to kill you. Maybe I just put too much thought into it, but everything just worked for me whilst I was in the maze. My guess is that the park are combining AP night with media night again, and 6-8pm is exclusively for media people.
-
I certainly think that was rubbish. It suggested that a focus group had taken place to gather views on the ride and the ride's theme, after they had been decided. Basically, it was apparently a session where people were told all about the ride and asked what they thought of it. In reality, focus groups are there to pick up ideas and see what might or might not work. Not to see what people think of pre-determined rides before they open.
-
ha, knew someone would mention it. To be honest, I'm expecting some similarities between the two mazes to a degree, and some will probably say the whole maze is a rip-off too I bet, but that's because CoS did the carnival / clown theme well, and the fact that it's quite a common theme. I do doubt it. They look different in terms of sizes (it's hard to be sure based on the photos of course) and it just doesn't seem to make sense to change something so much when they could get a new bit of theming for a similar cost. I genuinely think the CoS entrance feature is probably either destroyed or gathered dust in a warehouse. Interesting view. Whilst Studio 13 didn't have in-your-face, high quality theming from top to bottom, it did all fit in with the story of the maze.
-
I *think* the HSE investigation will be made public to some degree, and so that will be reported on. Given how open and honest Towers and Merlin have been about the situation, I'd be surprised if they didn't make some form of closing remark about what went wrong.
-
-
Probably in the contract somewhere that they can't mention it until a certain time. Although, I don't think manufacturers announce projects they've worked / are working on until after the park have announced the manufacturer anyway?
-
Could an immersive tunnel be a possibility? Chuck in a couple of pre shows and then you have a decent family ride. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of the ride hardware, the overall experience could be pretty good, especially for a Lego park.
-
To be fair, Merlin's marketing has improved a lot since then and the silly campaigns are few and far between these days.
-
-
If I bought Thorpe Park I would ensure that anyone on TPM who even jokingly suggests about the park getting a topspin is banned from the park for a season.
-
Have you tried contacting Thorpe over Facebook / Twitter / email? They'd probably be able to clarify it. I think it only works with tickets that you've purchased, but not entirely sure.
-
World's first DIY roller coaster?
-
Obviously means a Konami game IP!!!! There's a YuGiOh film coming out next year, so it must be YUGIOH - THE RIDE. Case closed. Next.
-
Wouldn't be surprised if loads of these clues end up being totally ambiguous and could lead to several different outcomes, but the Doctor Who theory is actually pretty good.
