pluk

I love dodgems rides. I don't understand why they are not installed more frequently in themeparks, it's one of the few rides that are not essentially a swing, a spin or a set track. And wherever they are they always attract a big crowd.Shame these ones are quite slow though, damn target audience.

I didn't even know it was based on a book series! They weren't around when I was a kid, all my school books seemed to have been written a hundred years before by a man who wanted to put me in a coma. I've missed out there. Things seem to have moved on, these look great!

I remember a Noels House Party / My Blooby attraction at Pleasurewood Hills. A semi interactive show film shown in a castle.It was AWFUL!!!

The worlds 3rd 4d coaster, going up in China.http://vhcoasters.com/2011/07/25/vertical-construction-of-new-4d-coaster-continues/the lucky buggers.

Comparing such different offerings is going to be really hard, it's like me choosing between a week on my skis and a week on the beach - they are both holidays but but so different it's pretty much impossible to decide what I enjoy more.The overcrowding problem has very rarely affected me - I do not go when I expect it to be busy. Simple. I guess I'm lucky not to be tied to weekends and school holidays like a lot of people; I will now not be going anywhere near a themepark until September. But going on a summer Saturday and your asking for problems tbh.Overall I probably favour Alton, I find it more of an experience and a lot more of a relaxing place to be with a greater variety of ride styles. In general I find I get loads done at Alton, usually start at Oblivion and by lunch (13.30ish) I'll have done everything on that side of the park and forbidden valley too. Lunch at Katanga, the more relaxing rides in that area down to mutiny after lunch then back to whichever side of the park I feel like doing again. I'm not rushing about either. At Thorpe I'm usually a lot more aimless because everything is so close so I will flit about avoiding any waits and probably end up covering more ground than a day at Alton.Where I do occasionally have to queue I find them less arduous at Alton than Thorpe, just because it's a nicer place to be with generally nicer people and also because on quite days Thorpes attractions seem to be having a 'how low can we get the throughput down to?' competition between themselves whereas Alton make an effort no matter how busy it is.

Me too. I like the idea of pop/chart music in the carpark/entrance area, then a change across the bridge into the proper park music - like your leaving reality and into fantasy world and staying there all day.I've not heard the in park adverts though. If they are cutting across the ride music that's really bad. If they can afford/be bothered to make them 'themed' into where they are playing it's not to bad, but just blasting out generic ones would sound awful.

It may be a kids program, but horrible histories is flipping brilliant. I am a grown man watching CBBC!

and a rita one too

To be fair I fastforward the ads 90% of the time and I've still managed to see the tv one a few times. Slots are quite specificity chosen for target audience I guess, think it's been on during Chris Moyles Quiz Night a few times. I don't listen to commercial radio though, don't know if they are even running a campaign on there or not.

Hex behind the scenes..... Geek porn!

I don't know about that model, but when I plug my camera in to the computer to transfer the pics it charges the battery in the camera. Slowly, but it does do it. If you've still got the usb wire that might work?

Listen to that safety announcement ..... "Guests must have...... at least two functioning legs..... in order to ride"Clears up any confusion for all those three legged park visitors we're always seeing. Stupid Americans.

Want

I'm always amazed by the amount of people who try it - and the amount of people who let them get away with it. When I'm in the queue NO ONE gets passed. Those who try are told politely to do one. I've never had anyone try and start on me about it but I guess it's just a matter of time. Glad to hear staff did kick them out, I've never seen them do it even though it is threatened everywhere so nice to know they will act on their warning.

Oh, you know what I mean!! Tired typing makes for bad post.Still, the jinx will happen. It's like saying the word 'quiet' at work. It will only end in disaster!

...and there's the jinx. Half of it will burn down again tomorrow now!!

Oh, it is. Mostly. Some of it hurts like hell instead, but the bits that flow well are just beyond awesome. But with true 4D the designers do fully control all aspects of the ride experience - the twisting of the seats is designed into the ride and controlled by the extra rails along the track, it's not spinning at random. And that's why I think B+M could excel with a design like this if they can put their smoothness of engineering into the seat control. I hope that one day we will see.The shortness of the track is one of my concerns with the design too. But I think I might be underestimating the scale of it all in my head - it is hard to visualise the size from the plans, can't wait to see it go up now.

Hi, I think the oracle that is the amazing Mr Pritchard is best to answer this, but I think (in order).... *It ran out of CCR station. Queues did not happen, old Thorpe was very different!! *The whole thing occurred on the train. Once it was a short distance passed Thunder river the train was 'hijacked' and took a branch line to the right, which I would imagine was fairly close to the back of Thunder river. *I don't remember anything like that, but like I say this is REALLY sketchy in my mind. *There was only one scene where the train was taken to, everyone sat on the train (except the selected kiddies) while the pirates did their thing. *I remember it feeling really secluded in the trees, as if you had been taken miles from anywhere. *I think the driver mainly spoke to express his 'surprise' at the hijacking. I wish I could remember it more clearly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X%C2%B2_(roller_coaster) EDIT - and these Intamin zacspin things are in no way a 4d coaster, they are barley even 3d. But I digress.

Feel for you, was the same for me 15 years ago when I was your age. Funnily enough I was a lifeguard for a while too, didn't stick at it though as there just was not enough going on to keep me interested. MILF watching is not healthy as a full time sport! One thing my sister did - do you know if you have any local or county swimming clubs nearby? They usually hire the pool from the council unmanned and it is their own responsibility to hire a lifeguard, they might employ you directly. It would mean early starts and late finishes for shifts that are only a few hours long because that's when they train, but it is a step into the place - and then you'll be that staff friend that gets the next proper job! Find them and approach them.I would say just get ANY job no matter if it is what you want to do, and then start looking for what you really want. I got a Saturday job in Sainsburys which I thought was short term, ended up there 10 years as a manger and mostly loved it. But now I've Ieft that and do my dream job (police) which I'm sure I wouldn't have got without the supermarket management experiences behind me. If you've tried that many places without success maybe you CV needs a bit of work.There is nothing worse on a CV than a big gap of unemployment time - fill it with something, even if it is a McJob!!

I'm not so sure. If they can get the actual motion of the seats to work smoothly, and I'm sure there is a way they can, they may well try it. By turning the seats to counter the outward forces of the track you can get in the most comfortable and floaty positions imaginable, as x does manage on a couple of fleeting occasions. It's getting the seat rotation smooth that's a massive challenge, but I think it would be well worth them giving it a go.

The first two inversions do look great, but after that it all looks a bit aimless to me. Obviously I don't know this as we can only imagine the experience from the plans on paper. X is insane, it is quite horrible and quite brilliant in equal measures. No, a B+M 4D isn't the be all and end all. But there hasn't been one yet, and I want one. Whats wrong with that?

No, I want to believe!! I'm 99% sure it won't be too, but really? You seen the plans down to the detail of train mechanics design? No. When exactly did we get passed this? I don't remember that confirmation being made by Thorpe.BTW, I know you are right, I just don't want you to be. I think the layout seems somewhat uninspiring as it stands, where as adding the 4d element could make it stunning.

I think I'm still convincing myself the ride will be a 4d b+m prototype, and am preparing myself to be massively disappointed when it inevitably isn't!!

The only time I've seen 'linear' near 'coaster' would be the launch system of something like Superman escape which refers to the synchronised motors powering the launch. But it is not called a 'Linear coaster', I don't think it is likely this is what it stands for.