MikeyT

Just have to say that I'm loving Colossus this year, had a brilliant ride on it yesterday, the new wheels make the ride a lot quieter, and it now seriously flies around the track, which you can really notice going through those heartlines- I felt like a bullet going through a rifle!Although the station music and announcements were not working (instead- the Heide Park version of the soundtrack was being played) it's great to see that the Medusa water feature is still working, it looked brilliant.

Had a few rides on Saw yesterday, effects were hit and miss as always, but overall I really enjoyed my rides on it. I think I may prefer the back now, I find it slightly smoother than the front, though I still come off the ride with that trademark headache that quite a few Eurofighters seem to have.

There will more than likely be a couple of meets over the summer, so don't worry too much if you're unable to attend this meet. Is anyone up for a meal after the park?

When they changed the colour scheme, they wanted the ride to look like some kind of machine- a device that Rameses looks you into, and well... gets his revenge. Of course there's the whole backstory about Moses/ the parting of the Red Sea.

Well it's obviously more important that you get yourself sorted out. Need to take care of your health, mate

Steve can you please put a shirt on or change your display pic, nobody really wants to see your nipples, as lovely as they are

Just to reiterate exactly what has already been said, all members are welcome to attend the meet if they wish. However, members who have become banned may not attend.It's nothing new or strange to ask, members become banned for a reason. Of course people may visit the park when they wish, with who they wish, but we kindly ask that you do not bring along banned members to the actual meet.If anyone wishes to discuss this further, please contact any member of the team who will honestly be really happy to explain further. Please keep it off here though, this is not the place to discuss forum politics, any further posts about the matter will be deleted.

I would advise people in future, if you do happen to get hold of any media from the parks, that they kindly keep quiet about it and respect the park's wishes. Stating on a public forum that you've aqquired a piece of music, but not allowed to share it never creates a good impression of yourself, no matter what your intentions are.

Benin that is absolutely fantastic! I'd love for that to come true, there are parts in there that genuinely made me laugh. Such a joy to read.I've come up with a brief backstory for my idea, which I'll post now, and add other bits as I go; I don't have the energy to do a scene by scene ride through right now (and plus I haven't completely worked out what I want in each scene )Remember this is a backstory, most guests won't ever read it, and it doesn't need to be read to understand the story, but there are elements throughout the ride that suggest certain aspects to it. Here goes:An impressive clock tower stands proudly above all, marking the entrance to a delightful Transylvanian village. Beyond the light- hearted ambience that fills the air, something terrifying lives. You can sense it behind the eyes of everyone that takes residence there... lives led in fear, the unknown... who will be taken next?One village resident, certain not to become a victim himself has not taken a step outside his home for decades; not since his daughter was taken. Oh, the many faces of a broken man...Dr Chessington is a wonderful man; skittery, odd and bubbly on the surface; with years of emotional torture only making him kind, caring and considerate to others. Quite a genius he is, too, responsible for many inventions such as the Garlicator - a device that gives the whole body a fragrant smell of garlic.For years, the concept of time has troubled and intrigued Dr Chessington. Inventing the time machine has become an obsession. Turning his home into a research facility, with an array of obscure and strange experiments attracting many local residents, eager to discover exactly what Dr Chessington is up to.And of course, not wanting to seem arrogant, Dr Chessington has now opened his home to the residents of the village who wish to find out for themselves. Setting up an elaborate tour, all who have the pleasure of experiencing it will get access to all areas and gain a better understanding of Dr Chessington.

Aww Michaela! Are you able to borrow somebody's Merlin magic pass? If not I'm sure someone will be able to team up and usea BOGOF with you

Wahh I want to come;)

Wahh that image will constantly play on my mind Mark! So creepy!

Fixed :angry:Haha really though, people have met some of their best friends from here, and we all love meeting new people, it's good for the community and it's great for you to spend some time with people whom of which you share a common interest.

Jumping on the Doctor Who bandwagon, I loved yesterday's episode, hopefully The Moff can follow through next week and deliver on the fantastic story he's set up.I had a nightmare about it last night, as did my brother, he couldn't sleep. He loved it though, he's watched it 5 times now. See children really do love being scared

I'm currently being a geek and trying to redesign Bubbleworks. Trying to keep it as realistic as possible in terms of budgets. I'm imagining the station as a pulsating laboratory full of strange contraptions, erupting and giving off strange and wonderful smells. Theme of the ride starts off as the factory tour thing, but instead, it's home to an odd character who is inventing the time travel machine.As you travel around the ride you accidentally get dragged in to an experiment that goes wrong, dragging you into different places in time. I've come up with the basics for a short preshow just before the station. Space is an issue though,

Looking forward to this! Can't wait to see people again and everyone please urge newer members to come, you'll all have a great time, I promise

I agree with Benin on this, the ride needs to be totally gutted and they need to start from scratch. That way no comparisons can be made to the previous incarnations. I would perhaps keep some of the props if they are relevant to the story, but it needs completely different set design, colour palette, a darker atmosphere.I do have an idea that I think would just do wonders for Bubbleworks, I'd love it to have an atmosphere that's somewhere inbetween a Rhoad Dahl novel and a Tim Burton film. Something a bit fairytale, and strange. Also I think it should have nods to Professor Burp, playing homage to the history of the park.

Yeah, from what I've seen the outside queue and ride area does look a little disappointing. Ride area should improve in a few years, and small things in the outside queue make a huge difference. The biggest flaw for me, from the pictures I've seen is the tarmac exit path- not very spooky is it?

So after my Vampire post, it's got me thinking about Th13teen a bit. I've read a lot around the internet commenting on the theme's target audience in relation to the actual ride experience, some saying that the fun, family coaster does not marry up with the edgy, sinister theme for the ride.Well, I think, as mentioned earlier, children absolutely love being scared. I'll use Doctor Who as an example- in which I'm not ashamed to say, has really freaked me out at times, (thank you The Moff ) but it also turns out, they're usually the favourite episodes from each series. Now, it's a family show, meaning children and adults can sit down together and enjoy it.That sounds pretty much like Th13teen to me. I haven't ridden it yet, but from everything I'm hearing, it sounds like a cracking family coaster, with a sophisticated theme, which doesn't patronise children or the family audience with bunnies, rainbows and clouds (though Cloud Cuckoo Land is fantastic ).I also think not having a cohesive story works for this sort of theme. Which has come under fire from various people, saying the story doesn't go deep enough. I think what's there is there but leaves things open for interpretation, letting the guests make up their own minds about what's really going on. I think that has much creepier connotations than any storyline could deliver on.

Well I think the Vampire and in fact the whole of Transylvania was a fantastic addition and truly saw the concept of the theme park coming to Britain. It brought together the fantastic atmosphere of the theatre and put guests in the middle of it.There is an image knocking about somewhere (which may actually be posted whilst I'm writing up this post- got a feeling it's going to be a long one!) but I can't for the life of me find it. It showed the station at its prime, in my opinion. The biggest changes to the station were of course the gauze that covered the ceiling and draped over lights. Then there are the air gates which replaced the big, imposing, coffin- like loading bays from before.I think Health and Safety may have had something to do with the removal of the gauze in the station, and also with the extra lighting at the entrance to the narrow corridor that leads to the station. Lighting is a big issue for me, it has improved greatly this year, with lots of eerie green. It did, at one point, look much like a disco, with lots of multi- coloured lights, not really fitting in with the "Vampire's Lair" themed station. It's still something I think can be greatly improved on- having a spooky blue on the exit platform rather than the red they have currently. Blue and green create a real spooky atmosphere when put together.Regarding your question about children finding things scary; here's my thoughts. I would argue that on the whole, it takes more to scare children now than it did, say 20 years ago, mainly to do with the way our culture and society has changed in the past two decades.I do remember being terrified of the station at a young age, and I imagine a lot still are now. But with anything like this, I turn to things like Doctor Who- children love being scared. Actually, not just children: secretly, we all love it, although people cope with it in different ways. This is why Scare Attractions are so popular, we love it. Vampire is not intended to be a sinister attraction, it's very tongue in cheek in terms of its execution, but thinking back, being terrified is what made me love Vampire from so early on, and is one memory I'll never forget.This also applies to the theme of Thirteen to me, but that's for another thread, in which I feel inspired to write in....

I agree with you to an extent Dan, and I bet Mark does as well, although there are some rides that are more suited to it than others. Bucaneer, Runaway and Rameses for example, are absolute dreams for that cheeky, guest interaction. Vampire has such a dramatic atmosphere ready that it doesn't particularly fit with the ride. I think that's what people are saying.

Themed uniforms are awesome. It's a no brainer really, everyone says how the staff at the parks make a big difference to a guest's day; the relevant uniforms help to make staff even more part of the experience. Guests love it, and I rekon they will be more reluctant to complain to staff and causing problems whilst they're trying to help guests on and off the ride.