Jump to content

SteveJ

Members
  • Posts

    1476
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    33

Everything posted by SteveJ

  1. Animal themed boat ride? Maybe they are already ........... boring
  2. SteveJ

    Th13teen

    The bouncy drop track and tunnel trick is the best fun in the land. The coaster is a bit random and weird. The theme is really thinly spread too which looks pretty embarassing 7 years on, but is a lovely concept. Wouldn't it be great to blow up Rita and put the coaster in a proper place with more space to play with, keeping the trick ending?
  3. My sister who rarely visits theme parks but went to Thorpe with her friends (with me having never spoken about the Ghost Train to her) came back saying it was one of the most naff non-entities she'd been on. Usually she loves theatre type things! But even then I wouldn't take one newcomer's reaction as whole. But excellent to hear somebody enjoyed it as was intended. :)I think it very easily could have offered far greater response though, had it been designed with guest experience as the priority, rather than the novelty of heavy handed VR and sidelining the original intentions.
  4. I wouldnt put it past them to end up doing something like that, considering how understaffed/underbudgeted the parks are all the time, but probably not out of direct choice, just general disorganisation really in my & other people's expeirences? But if it was between all the major rides, then likely just coincidence or stretched technical assistance.
  5. SteveJ

    Logger's Leap

    Don't like to be negative but last I looked most their UK attractions looked like this. They don't budget for any maintenance other than H&S critical. This is the result - closed attractions and terrible presentation.
  6. SteveJ

    Wicker Man

    Unfortunately most the Flume site couldn't be used due to tree roots and protected trees. The original Log Flume's layout was pretty much dictated by what the tree roots allowed for even back in 1980/81 I reliably hear that the ride will not actually be called Wickerman or be an IP but take it as you will
  7. Dont know about others but I hadn't "assumed" it, I had reliable reason to say it, though of course he would say only positives about something with his own name on in interviews, etc. I don't think there was any discussion that he was pointing blame as such, just distancing himself by omission, which he certainly did do all last year with his media presence around the project during its delay and opening. His actual design involvement in the project was largely at the beginning stages and (in an overseeing position) the final completion stages. Very large portions of the attraction's design he was not involved in (other than peripherally), and he was certainly disappointed by the outcome last year from what I reliably know, which factored into its delay. I'm sure he pushed for changes this year though and they did something about it, so that's a positive. It's disappointing to see recycled parts from other attractions dressed up as 'easter eggs', whatever that is meant to be! In reality it was done purely to save money on recording/creating anything new and because they had the Sub Terra tracks & Hex artwork already lying around on their servers. The audio is generic so it easily fits anyway, which I think is telling of how formulaic Merlin's horror attractions are now, but nothing wrong with it being used in DBGT really. It's a quick simple solution on their part. "Easter eggs" mean nothing anyway and easy to do, but as long as Merlin don't end up like Doctor Who or something (caught up in one big game of dull fan in-references without actually delivering any fresh story or drama), then I'm happy!
  8. Did this really happen or is the advert-laden article in a local newspaper just another Merlin PR stunt? Likely, but I can't tell.
  9. This is in an-house fix up job without a proper budget spent to redesign the ride for the 'Old Town' branding they've got going on. It's terrible standards for such a big park and attraction operator, it shows how little money the park get to spend on the guest experience if it's not rebranded a 'worlds first'. It's desperately needed on Rumba Rapids regardless of how good the ride is. No design direction or entertainment here, just a DIY retheming using an ancient prop from Magic Mill, some simple lights and sound. Sad to see really, but at least it's only Rumba and not a bigger casualty.
  10. Are you the garden centre person?
  11. I am not suggesting construction planning takes "a few months", I meant by my comment that Kent was so incomparable to Thorpe Park redeveloping their entrance because the years of planning needs to come from the corporate side and the business interest moving in and out, including working with the planners during this process, whereas the actual council planning process does not as long as you suggest. No comparable on the scale to Thorpe Park building a new entrance. Again these are all just standard construction situations that get considered with any project. If the things you highlight are such a "huge feat" then how were they able to submit and construction Derren Brown within just a year or two, right in the middle of the park requiring lots of excavation into a brown field site, or Chessington's Azteca hotel costing millions of pounds but being green lit with ease - or Legoland's new hotel for which the park's core vehicle access route had to be severed and vital underground infrastructure carefully avoided . It's perfectly possible if the company sees that it will make them money. By "green lit" I meant Merlin approving a plan, instead of cancelling plans like they do year on year. There had been plans to rebuild the entrance before I recall, but as always - it got denied by Merlin's senior board because, well, the other option was to just not bother and save all that money. I don't feel like encouraging this kind of practice, because it happens all the time. There's a lot wrong with Thorpe Park's entrance, for a theme park run by such a large company. Take a look at other amazing park entrances around Europe, at parks run by companies not a fraction of the size of Merlin. Not only do they look great, but they are the right size, have good facilities for guests and staff, efficient, and have no shoddy temporary fencing in sight. Thorpe Park is still using its basic infrastructure from when it was a small water sports park and exhibition in the 70s - 80s. Really, and their solution is to paint it blue, add wood, add a big screen and this music like it's the greatest sight you will ever see. Also the bridge is a terrible piece of infrastructure for what it now has to serve too, it can't keep going forever. Its absolutely possible, not a simple job by any means, but no obstacle stands in their way on developments like this except for their own capital expenditure policies.
  12. Sub Terra will never use its audio again, and since Derren Brown is literally Sub Terra On A Train it fits it fine really!
  13. SteveJ

    Logger's Leap

    ha ha ha goodness me. Cutting the grass is NOT a sign of anything. No wonder people will believe anything the park say when they cling on to such arbitrary things. I'm sorry everyone, Loggers Leap is almost certainly dead, like all the other SNBO rides or poorly maintained classic rides at Merlin.
  14. You're not wrong, but I study construction planning & strategy and know how much of a task it is, from what I understand I'm sure it could be largely done in 4 months. Planning permission would obviously be done way in advance, in fact I'm sure Thorpe Park have outlined their entrance redevelopment proposal to the council in the past? (but its never gone ahead) Part of the task would be to find solutions to minimise operational impact over winter and alternative access, (which ought to be available anyway in the case of a bridge closure). It's perfectly possible and no different to many similar projects that happen all the time. Merlin could easily afford it and they construct all the time at lightning fast speed whenever they send up a new hotel. Independent owners abroad of a similar scale to Thorpe Park construct like this often. Merlin, one of the biggest & richest attraction operators in the world, simply don't spend the money because they'd rather recycle the inadequate entrance from the 80s, from when it was a much smaller park. The Kent thing is an entirely new corporate development on a new site and of a totally different nature, the reason that is taking so long would not solely be due to planning either but a whole number of things. Building a new entrance would take no time at all. All you have to do is look at the massive hotels Merlin builds every year, the speed at which they get designed, green-lit and constructed around the world. If it's in their company interest, they'll do it easily. But they dont see properly renovating their aging theme park infrastructure as their priority 90% the time. Just add some wood cladding, IMAscore, etc. 'Job done'
  15. Whilst standing on a tarmac soup going through some turnstyles. Not being cynical, that's often the brief they ask for "we want guests to feel like theyre about to have the greatest time of their life (without actually designing the new entrance the park badly needs)", and you get a massively overproduced track oddly matched with the area as a result . Does it at least sound descent coming through the speakers? If this park were owned by a more independent company who truly valued the customer experience then they'd have demolished the original entrance and built a new area long ago, renovated the whole park instead of just changing the style of their signs & graphics, and commissioned sympathetic new audio setups as necessary. The music sounds generic to me like they're quite desperate to go after universal or 'that modern trailer sound' whether it has anything to do with Thorpe Park or not, but it's on par with the Ian Habgood track used last decade and a good atmosphere at least. Also you can't judge until its at the park I suppose. What sounds one way on YouTube will sound completely different in person depending on what they've done there, whether better or worse. Everyone initially loved Chessington's new theme in 2010 for example, but after a while I thought it was pretty awful & cheesy coming through their tinny speakers around the entrance, and guests often comment how tacky & forced it sounds.
  16. This is funnt to be honest if it's as true as all the social media comments suggest. They were so adamant their IP would be a smash hit because its "beloved by children" that they'd not have to worry about anything else, and now it's supposedly scaring them all. But I doubt that's the wider picture though - and its nothing particularly new to hear of very young kids being mistakenly scared of a friendly dark ride. To overcome this, all that the studios would be able to do is tone the ride down more, and I think that would be a shame because it's already quite sleepy as is. Standard tweaking like adjusting light levels (without ruining the low level effects in general) and improving sound would be good though. Proves that the devil is always in the detail and IPs don't just 'buy' you instant success for the park, without needing the right time, money and freedom to perfect things too.
  17. It's a dark ride, it's just lit theatrically so isnt any darker than it should be (maybe too dark in places to hide the fact not much is really there anymore). That kind of low lighting and sound effects is what a dark ride is, Prof Burp's used to be louder and I loved that aspect as a child. Not every kid will like it I suppose but that's not to say its too dark or too loud overall, would be a shame to see these things toned down once again.
  18. That exterior track was also added by the park's entertainments department I think . Originally the only audio queue-wise was in the crypt (now demolished) it had fluttering bat sounds and in the dark corridor it was a choral ambiance with creepy bells and laughter. The main outdoor queue we know today was not part of the ride when it opened.
  19. Yes! And look what you've done No just kidding, all commercial cassette recordings sound like that, I didn't mean you recorded it wrongly or anything. It's just so weird that years later it would actually replace the proper version on the ride itself... really bad standards from the park
  20. I think a completely fresh approach could have been taken throughout the ride for a true brilliant, timeless experience. It needn't have the story, the poor scripting and the reliance on actors. I feel honestly that if you were lost in those tunnels on your own, with nothing but pure theatre and effects unfolding all around you (as in Universal's type show attractions) while the 'demon' attacks or whatever happens, then it would easily be far more dramatic than having some staff members shouting and spelling out this infection story. Proper amazing theatrical effects - there needn't be a huge change to the theme itself - just paced better, dressed better, immersive effects and trickery, with the group (seemingly) lost on their own down the tunnels. There are many ways you could make it work. I still think the tube stations where you get off have no atmosphere too, static white lighting with mostly flat sets. Since you're supposed to be questioning what's real and not real, wouldnt it be brilliant if it used lighting or strange dressing to create surreal surprises/reveals? For example, once Scene 2 happens and all hell breaks lose - you get back on the train and now the station looks like the upside down from Stranger Things or something (to that effect). It would be a great illusion, but the station change is left as another missed opportunity. It's all about constant dynamic and surprise, keeping you on your toes about what you think is happening and what actually happens next. It could have been the greatest illusion & special effects ride in the UK. But they have still sidelined that opportunity, in favour of actors telling you "there are people infected, it's something to do with the drilling and gas". Is this really what a great show is made of? It's not a patch on one of Derren Brown's real shows. Remember how Hex was redesigned too. In fact Hex has enormous parallels with DBGT. When Hex first opened, it got so caught up in its story and forgot to deliver the drama, and people came out divisive much like DBGT last year. They were able to see the ride had brilliant moments yet it just wasn't delivering. And so they took a whole new approach, cut the characters and cut the scripting about guests getting stuck in the Octagon because of the lightning and all that - rewrote the whole show as a theatrical progression, showing not telling, and it worked so much better. It was wonderful and made the attraction so seemless, subtle, dramatic & fun, just by swalling their pride and taking a good new look at how the story thread unfolded. I appreciate that DBGT now has a much better ending, excellent. I hope it is the most Derren Browny twist ever, that would be a great way to finish. But what the ride really needed in my experience was a brand new approach to make DBGT more entertaining, more frightening and the potential to make it a masterpiece. I echo the appreciation though that, for what it was last year, it is now a much better experience.
  21. Spoiler free thoughts. Just interested, was the train definitely not working then or is that a roundabout guess? I would have been disappointed if they'd removed the train in favour of that, but if what I saw was a planned improvisation then that's a very neat solution, it still managed to be theatrical. I don't feel keen to visit anymore and so watched the videos. I recommend that anyone who plans to go on the ride should not watch anything - pixelated, grainy naff videos will not be a patch on actually being there in person and will give the game away. But since I won't be visiting, got to admit I was disappointed to see the ride still shuffles along without much real drama or theatre, still lots of am-dram actors speaking in your face trying to 'explain' the plot to you. I had truly hoped they'd done away with the Wikipedia-style 'backstory' and focussed on sheer dramatic fun and fear instead, taken the attraction in a totally fresh direction, truly playing with your senses, without letting the boring 'Sub Core Energy' wordiness get in the way. The scripting is such a shame and very unimaginative. Having said that, the parts that have been properly redesigned seem much improved. With the element of surprise brought into the attraction more, it looks like it is much more entertaining overall. I still think it needs a completely new approach from a dramatic perspective, because the majority of the ride is still a missed opportunity, but at least the second half sounds like it delivers a lot better. I will keep those particular surprises intact for if/when I do ride it, but the whole thing still seems so lacking to me that I won't be visiting for the sake of seeing what's new. Don't get me wrong, I am usually very enthusiastic about dark rides & themed attractions, but the Ghost Train, once its novelty wears off, still feels like your average Halloween scare maze - with sit down VR sections added. As long as those who went had a genuine fun time today, and I hear the new ending was a great touch.
  22. He moves quite badly to how he was designed and sticking the station theme outside on cheap speakers, with a tinny downloaded transfer of the music, sounds so tack and un-atmospheric, robbing it of any interest. You get far better sound design / setup at your average temporary scare maze, let alone a permanent queue at a high-priced theme park. The music doesn't even loop anymore, it has a gap every minute like 2006 Bubbleworks all over again (which would be so easy to fix). By the time you reach the station, you've heard it over and over. Remove the theme music from the queueline speakers Chessington. If you understand anything about themed audio, why was it not instinctive to create a basic ambient track for use outside? A quality ambient track could be knocked up using a professional royalty free sound library in 15 minutes, if you have some understanding, ability and imagination. Terrible standards at this park.
  23. The license ran out after 10 years and the Dahl estate disliked the ride, so did not want to renew it.
  24. Doesnt mean it has to be a bad ride, yes. But it is done purely for commercial reasons and is basically a business-led project rather than anything creative-led, so the process is quite different and very different priorities in what gets produced. I dont think you see how an IP completely changes the design process then, and that the IP owner becomes the design client, the design team essentially have to strictly stay within their representation all design is done to appease the client. The majority creative process is gone and it becomes a case of just fulfilling the existing brand as accurately as possible, by contract. It is a commercial cop out in every sense of the word. It makes more business sense, for a company that'd care only about profit intake, to pick whichever IPs are available and then get their revolving door of design teams to produce it as automatically as possible. The entire ride also then depends on the success & characteristics of a completely separate entity. It waters down the entire attraction design industry, which pretty much doesn't exist in the UK anymore, as just churning out franchises for other industries in a very mechanical way. It's an entirely different process to the design that goes into an original concept. The Gruffalo is much of a nicer IP because it has freedom to play with, and theyve worked nice touches into it, but its still so limited compared to what's possible with an original concept. Merlin don't seem to do original concepts very well though, and the company approaches design very formulaically, so of course they'd prefer IPs - it suits their business structure better. Unfortunately. I dont think anyone misses the ridiculous "soap factory" theme over this. To this day that the "soap factory" idea actually happened amuses me no end. Remember the soap factory idea was done purely to satisfy the sponsor in exactly the same way, except much much worse and no budget, at the cost of all the ride's fun. It was never done by design, it was done out of business only.
  25. Professor Fart's Stock Exchange confirmed
×
×
  • Create New...