MattyMoo

I should be OK for 18th!
 
I'll train it up there and back unless Smidget and Ian fancy giving me a lift back again (Thanks muchly for that last time!)
 
PRO TIP: If we are going to go for a meal in the evening, we should ring at lunch time to book for the evening. That was fun last year, trying to get 13 of us in to any of Guildford's restaurants last minute

And his name is LC, I think you're on to something...
 

Lol this thread made me laugh, great entertainment for a Friday night...
I have this image of LC stood outside Pizza Pasta next year with a placard stating "Bring back Pizza Hut, Merlin suck" whilst having paid for his MAP and entered a place he seemingly hates...
There are plenty of rides better than what you get at Thorpe over in Europe, in parks that provide a better overall experience... Save your money, don't buy a MAP, go to these other parks and then everyone's happier...

I wonder if there'll be anything new next year?

I seriously find it hard to believe that it's not butter!
 
But in all seriousness you need to invest in some Rose-Tinted glasses.

I'm not sure I quite understand either, when Domino's is clearly much better

Merlin have purchased Tussauds debt as well as their rides. That level of investment was never going to continue, no matter who owned it.
 
If you don't like the food, don't buy the food. Simple. If others enjoy it, let them. I'm not quite sure I understand the point of your crusade, are you a Jehovah's or something? I expect to see you knocking on my door thrusting a pizza hut menu into my hand.

Also, you moan that the cost of eating there is too expensive for a student. If you have money worries about eating there anyway, why don't you bring your own packed lunch and then you won't have to salvage Thorpe's apparent '****ty' food, as well as not wasting money on food you obviously don't want.

I should be able to attend because work should be dead so I (hopefully!) won't have to worry about that. As usual I'll let ya know nearer the time (or like, the same week. Maybe the day before. Whenever).
 

We've just worked it out - Pizza and Pasta Buffet in place of Pizza Hut

Thorpe are not happy that enthuiasts are not excited for the 2015 wooden coaster ahh well topspin it is

Angry Birds was done in about 5 minutes, so you never know...

That poor boat

I was on one in this pic...
 

 
I can't imagine why the thing decided not to float at the bottom of the drop with us 4 in there! But as has been said, it is possible to lift your feet and avoid the worst of it in a log in but not on SS. And the boat drains quickly so it's never really a problem.
 
 
So Thorpe are well aware there is a pretty serious problem with the ride and has been for FIVE seasons, and those guys are STILL doing nothing about it.

Yup funnily enough I would! Thanks for asking.

I imagine it's a portal into the fifth dimension. 

Oh, thanks! It's pretty scratched as you'd expect so it was hard to make out what it is. I'll be able to sleep at night now.

Queuelines in Britain are a totally overlooked but crucial point in the ride experience. They are actually quite hard to get right and require a lot of technical and imaginative thinking. That sounds utterly ridiculous - what could be more boring than a queue, right? But it's true and makes a huge impact on the experience, sometimes without the riders even knowing.

When theme parks first came to Britain the queuelines were directly inspired by the detailed film sets that the designers had worked on previously. Without going into depth about the world of set design and stuff, this meant there were very elaborate and progressive queues for even the simplest of rides. Runaway Train's original queue is the strangest and best example, totally unnecessary in hindsight and very impractical to maintain, but cleverly designed. Almost every queue for a Tussauds ride constructed in the 90s was designed to show off the ride or surrounding areas in some way. Views and tricks of perspective don't happen by accident, every pathway and viewpoint is engineered on purpose.

But years later, now that the entire industry in Britain is now much bigger and more expensive, Merlin do silly billy things like not even surface a queueline until the day of opening (Thirteen) or create impossible-to-correct situations like The Smiler's shockingly overlooked labyrinth of hell.

Anyway, I could go on forever. Any experienced architect/planner would find a better way of using the SPACE around the show building and queue area much better, but clearly compromises have already been taken to spend as little money redeveloping this space as possible. Shortcuts, and the ride hasn't even started construction yet!
 
I think you've completely misinterpreted my sentence? I'm not even talking about the roof.
 
I'm very sorry to sound cynical and dump this negativity on what should be an exciting project. Perhaps I shouldn't have posted all that, as actually I want this story to be a success. However as I say it's my enthusiasm for dark rides, experience working with rides and the dark ride industry in Britain that leads me to believe this won't be a positive project.

And that sounds better to you?
Shock: I will be judging this ride right now a whole two years before it opens, because I'm familiar with the industry, am studying architecture design and I'm stubborn like that.

Having looked properly at the plans I'm very critical of this dark ride project. Britain grew an astonishing dark ride/themed attraction industry all by itself in the 80s/early 90s, it's a shame the current generation hasn't retained the innovation, genius and will to entertain as those before.

I think it is sad how they are making more mistakes than those learnt by Tussauds back in 1987 when the first major dark ride opened in Britain. Except, unlike 5th Dimension, the few thematic details shown on the plans suggest this project has little originality or flare. Merlin - the public don't find grotty buildings entertaining! They don't!

The area of the park in which the show building is being created needs a total redevelopment in terms of architecture and landscaping. It's ugly, closed off and, together with the badly located X building, creates an illogical path around to the back of the park. Nemesis Inferno's drop are is the only open space with a good atmosphere because Phantom Fantasia/Magic Mill happened to burn down, otherwise that whole section of the park would still feel dated and cramped. Yet, instead of sorting this area out by reworking the entire flow of people through the surroundings, the new dark ride will be restricted to the current arena footprint with no change to surroundings. The cheapest option they could have taken.

Years ago the designers would be clever and use forced perspective and facade systems to melt a huge show building into the surroundings. There is no way this building's ugly metal walls can be hidden. This is not necessarily a detrimental thing but the awkward shape causes a disruption to the flow of people; if it's going to be an obstacle it ought to look good.

I can't help but giggle at the 'covered queue line' shoved round the back and disguised by some bushes. Merlin have learnt nothing from the Smiler just 2 years back, let alone the flaws of the 5th Dimension 30 years ago, when it comes to making guests uncomfortable and with the wrong expectations for the ride. The queue is a crucial point of a dark ride, especially the first major one in a decade, in selling the experience to visitors. I won't be surprised if people come off this ride with completely the wrong impression of what a dark ride is, disappointed, even if the ride inside is decent. Because it looks to be set up catastrophically.

I have spent ages hands-on researching dark rides in Britain, have got to know the original designers of very influential projects and hopefully got into the mindset of what makes a dark ride concept really effective. It's very timely that Merlin Studios should be creating a dark ride project and I've heard it's been coming for a while, although very little existing industry expertise is being used. This should be a great turning point for UK theme parks, but unfortunately I believe this will be no fun for either the designers or the riders.

Please prove me wrong.

So it's now technically closed season. Here's some original conversation points to make this closed season fly by:
-Will Logger's tunnel be rebuilt?
-Colossus needs repainting.
-Inferno should be repainted.
-Was this Slammer's last season?!?
-Intamin ZacSpin.
-Rush needs some extra work done to it, it was disappointing this season.
-Rumba Rapids retheme plz.
-This should go on the Fungle Safari.
-Intamin Aqautrax.
-X should be re-rethemed.
-*Insert old shipping container jokes that stopped being funny a year ago here*.
-Will Tidal Wave's fireball return.
-TPM awards ceremony controversy.
-*Pictures of a snowy Thorpe Park from years ago so that we're not so disappointed by lack-of-snow this winter*.
-"It looks like we're getting nothing for 2015, we know what's happening for 2016, so I've decided to start a 'New for 2017' thread".
-Fright Nights 2015 thread.
-And, of course, WHEN ARE THORPE GETTING A TOPSPIN?

Potentially unpopular opinion ahead...
 
When I was at school, going to university was a big thing; something for the elite, the very best, not everyone who didn't fancy going out and getting a job yet. The way it is now seems like madness to me, it's like it is a right for anyone and everyone to go to university as standard, regardless of having any sort of ability or even desire to apply them themselves to anything. People who are startlingly unintelligent (including people lacking even basic literacy or reasoning skills) are able to just pick a few uni's and one will be desperate enough for students that they get accepted.
 
Why? What is the point of it? What do you need from uni to go out and get going in a 'normal' career? Yes it can be fun, especially if you don't plan on doing any of that tiresome studying between the parties, but then a couple of years later you are saddled with a massive debt and a qualification that gets you nowhere. It's a wasteful drain on us all.
 
This isn't aimed at anyone particular on here, there are clearly some rather brilliant minds among us. I just think it would be a very good thing if the number of people able to go to uni was drastically reduced to those who can prove themselves to be able, who are the best, rather than those who just fancy it. Ability, not funding, needs to be the limiting factor, and that can be done if the spend is concentrated on fewer students.
 
If you know you're not too bright do yourself a favour, go out and get a skill or a job instead.

When is TPMCopter1 going to be flying over for some spy shots and the censoring of photos to cover up the "Telephone box element"?

It's the announcement of rising ticket and car park prices

Along with Vengeance appearing & Tidal Wave's fire