planenut

Today whilst on Stealth, having ridden with a lady to whom I was making comments during conversation about the speed and height she said to me, "you sound like a bit of an enthusiast, you know all the statins", I think she chose the wrong word.

I certainly agree with some of those points, and the remarks from various members proves how different we all are, physically as well as emotionally. I've given up wearing earings so my six or so rides on it this year have proved fine, and I love the front and back as much.

I know it was quite a while ago when I went to Six Flags, but my brother has just finished editing a video made up of shots he took at the park which has just been uploaded.
 

I'll keep my eyes on that then............I drink Scotch!

I'm going to be the oddball here and put forward the opinion that not only do I believe Galactica is far better than Air, but it also offers a superior virtual reality experience for riders compared to Ghost Train.
 
Haven ridden both Galactica and Ghost Train approximately 10 times each over the course of 2016, there has never been a moment where I am worried or concerned I will get a bad experience with Galactica because it all boils down to two simple words - reliability & re-rideability.
 
To me, I have seen a far more complete and enjoyable experience with Galactica for a few reasons. Not only do I believe the footage used is more fun and even thrilling, but the quality of it too. Far more exciting things happens with Galactica when you fly through the portals to 4 different worlds, the audio is loud enough so you can hear the brilliant music and voiceover in perfect synchronisation with the visual content making it more exciting, and I have had no glitches occur on my screen out of all the 9 times I have ridden it. I don't know if I have been incredibly lucky having no issues, or I'm not seeing the problems other people are having.
 
Compare this to Ghost Train where the content begins well with human characters interacting and talking to you, but it falls flat very quickly in the second half where simply put, a few creatures simply stare at you so you can admire the incredibly low resolution textures used on their faces, aliasing that makes my 14 year old PS2 system look impressive and then some lovely green smoke to fill in the waiting time whilst the system breaks down on a daily basis. And to top it all off, to be thrown into the ground filled with fire and magma which is not convincing one little bit and finishes the ride rather boringly.
 
Not once have I had a single issue that is hardware related to the Samsung Gear VR headsets used for both visual and audio wise on Galactica, mainly because I believe there is only a single cable providing the headsets and headphones power that is not as susceptible to wear and tear compared to Ghost Train. There are no extra cables needed to sync the headsets to the control unit to keep the content in sync with the movement of the train, all of this is done via the units in-between the seats and is communicated to the headsets via Bluetooth. Not only does this ensure there are less cables, but it makes the system more reliable for long-term use.
 
Again, look at Ghost Train. How many cables power these headsets alone? 5 or 6 isn't it? And when you use them, almost every time there is a hardware issue somewhere; whether it's the connection between the headset and the black lighthouse box on the ceiling becoming weak resulting in a glitchy as hell visual signal, audio being too quiet through the headphones, or the left and right channels getting mixed up, or even not working at all and is covered in a bag.
 
Lastly, the biggest advantage with Galactica over Air and Ghost Train is that the VR experience is optional. People who are complaining about wanting Air back and Galactica's VR removed, all I ask is currently, what has been lost or taken away from Air that you want back so badly? Sure, the queues might be slower, there's no longer a single rider queue and the faff involved with the headsets might be a nuisance to some. But honestly, is there anything else that has been taken away?
 
The fact the experience is entirely optional (from June onwards) is a selling point for Galactica. You can still have the same old experience of Air if you choose without the headsets with the same track layout, the same scenery (plus the portal), the same speed, the same beautifully themed concrete tunnel and the same experience if you choose. But for those who want to try something different and immerse themselves in an entirely new environment in space or want to see what VR on a coaster is like, this is the ideal ride that suits both audiences. Ghost Train is entirely dependant on using VR and that's a big problem I see with the experience, because you are forced to wear them which narrows down your market to a selected group of people who will ride it only for the VR experience, nothing else which sadly over time the popularity will diminish for it. So I honestly don't see what the fuss is over with wanting Air back over Galactica except for betting back a slightly quicker queue.
 
To conclude, Galactica is a great example of what VR can be when done (for the most part) correctly and I will stand by this until I am proven otherwise. I'm not saying Galactica is perfect in anyway and it does need some enhancements made to make it even more enjoyable for riders, but it's a vast difference compared to the frankly abysmal experience you could sometimes get with Ghost Train. Also, when you consider Galactica and the Rollercoaster Restaurant combined is an investment that is under £2M with generally quite favourable reviews from riders and guests in comparison to Ghost Train which cost over £13M (projected) that has opened up to generally very negative reviews due to reliability, quality and hardware issues, this is a perfect example of how money is not everything when it comes to who can provide the better experience.
 
As I said at the beginning, Galactica wins hands down as a better experience compared to both its predecessor and its rival and I hope the virtual reality stays with minor enhancements made to make it even better, because feedback has been considerably more favourable compared to it’s “future for theme parks across the world” rival embarrassment and I would recommend Galactica over it to anyone who has never experienced virtual reality before.

Remind me not to sit with you anymore.
 
For me, X - No Way Out when it opened in 1996, yes I'm an old ffffffffffellow. It was great and totally disorienting and my son and daughter (aged 19 and 17 at the time) thoroughly enjoyed it.

Down to what you interpret a ride to be also; a person last week on Stealth informed her group that the worst part of it was going "upside down"!

Though it's nice to have effects working each time, since they changed the countdown intro for Stealth, the smoke from the "squeeling tyres" doesn't work ,and I have heard many people comment that it worried them when not seeming to have a relevence.

Not many calls for the Croydon Tram Link to be closed yet!

Not many calls for the Croydon Tram Link to be closed yet!

I like the bit where it flies off the top and the parachute opens!

Not many calls for the Croydon Tram Link to be closed yet!

A master of his craft, who, in a word, has probably touched all of our lives.

Not many calls for the Croydon Tram Link to be closed yet!

A master of his craft, who, in a word, has probably touched all of our lives.

Down to what you interpret a ride to be also; a person last week on Stealth informed her group that the worst part of it was going "upside down"!

Gosh, makes you furious doesn't it?

Good to see yourselves and other club members about the park today. Quite a few youngsters on the park when I thought they would be at school.
Last day of the season, unless one is at a corporate event over the next few days. Luckily got the last ride of the season on ............ Stealth.

Was lovely to see fireworks as a backdrop of Thorpe Park. Brings back memories.

This will not be the case, you have my word.

Good to see yourselves and other club members about the park today. Quite a few youngsters on the park when I thought they would be at school.
Last day of the season, unless one is at a corporate event over the next few days. Luckily got the last ride of the season on ............ Stealth.

As always, nice to see you - and at Steath! What are the chances!
 
I think we got last ride of the season on DBGT - technically rode it 3 times today as it broke down on second VR section so we got another go

Good to see yourselves and other club members about the park today. Quite a few youngsters on the park when I thought they would be at school.
Last day of the season, unless one is at a corporate event over the next few days. Luckily got the last ride of the season on ............ Stealth.

Speaking to the engineering team, and luckily for me, they confirm that we will have at least another ten years of it, the ride that is. The work done on the catch car has actually created a stronger unit than it was originally. Hopefully next year the now planned modifications will not interfere with the season.