Project LC

I have gone and bought the early bird edition so I can have access to the Alpha where I will be doing videos on it. While it was very expensive all I can currently think about is this game so I feel I will get my use out of it. The fact that on release this will have up to 20,000 people in a park is incredible. The alpha has about 40 rides and coasters at the moment in time with more to come. Also the developers talking about having dark rides there is very little this game doesn't have.

With more information being released and the alpha being released before the end of the month I thought I would breath some new life into this thread. Currently planet coaster is doing an hour live stream every Wednesday. Not sure how long this is going to last for. The last one was with the lead art director where it showed some pre-alpha footage including an air race and a B&M floorless. Defiantly worth watching if you are interested in the game. The next one on Wednesday 9th at 7pm is about the rides in the game and will hopefully show off the coaster builder. Its with the lead person on rides who is a massive nemesis fan so I expect great things.

The second half seems like a slow boring mess. It just looses all its speed so quickly.

That makes it sound actor heavy

If there are going to be around 200 people in the building at one time then that means there is going to be 3 trains or perhaps even just 2 if the preshow (presuming there is one) is included in that figure.

VR just like any ground breaking tec in the computing world will age horrifically. Moores law stating that processing power will double every 2 years. The resolution of screens doubling every 3-6 years. These are the first headsets available and while best on the market now they wont be for very long. Over the years they will show there age. To keep this ride up to date is going to need a lot of investment. Its not the case of buying 180 new headsets every couple of years but also updating the animation every few years as well so its compatible. Screen based rides don't have this issue as much as its just a projector on a big screen where the resolution isn't critical as its far away. On VR its a few cm's away where you will notice low quality images, the high latency in movement ect. To have a ride which seems to depend on a brand new technology (in the computing world) is risky to say the least.

The gaming crowd are really not hyped enough to go to Thorpe just to try out the vive. A few will but the majority will not travel and pay to get in then wait 1-3 hours to experience a few minutes of a headset. This will draw crowds on the entire appeal of its new and big with Derrens name slapped on the side. The struggle this ride will have in drawing the crowds is that it is not a coaster. It's Thorpe's job to convince the public it's worth while.

What is interesting about some slogans we have already seen which are now written in a circle?

Well that explains the slow acceleration. That's going to use a lot of power for a launch. I prefer the hydraulic cable launch. The faster acceleration and the way the acceleration is not consistent.

Yeah let's hope it's really intense as that appeals to the mass family market. I have very low expectations for this and throughout the construction they have been getting lower.

If you are a Premium MAP they will store your over priced headset for you until the end of the day (£5 for standard pass holders). Oh and bags cost 5p.

Yay lets all celebrate at the removal of something that should never have been there in the first place and it only took them years and years to remove it because this is the new standard we have come to accept. Yes its good its gone but it counts for nothing as they are the ones who put it there. Towers are a joke.

Hmm I wonder how much Mako will be to buy when seaworld go bust.

Well I would be highly surprised if the events over the summer ran at a profit. They focused the advertising on the concerts that very few were interested in which presumably they were expensive to get. As a result people only thought island beats were on and very few knew about summer nights. So as a result they got few people through the door.

Merlin need to stress the economic benefits to the local council better and in exchange they will get planning permission. It is pretty much the same process for any large project. If you are able to make it appealing to the locals then it is fine. That could consist of bringing in more tourists for local B&B's/Hotels or resurfacing a road for them. For merlin the park to invest in is obviously Thorpe. Its the park they can do the most with. Close to 2 motorway junctions, relaxed planning permission, close proximity to London and Heathrow. If they can solve the space issue then it would be a no brainer.

Well it was originally created to improve guest satisfaction scores while making a little bit of money on the side. The whole summer nights last year was ruined by the concerts and very confusing ticket system. It just wasn't worth the hassle to go. It was poorly managed and while a shame it its going. Sacrificing guest satisfaction for more profit is fine by me seeing as I no longer value the continued existence of merlin in any way.

Seems that Thorpe is getting a nitrogenie for all your ice cream needs.

3d and VR are very different. 3D uses bipolarised light so each eye sees a different image while VR is just a screen really close to your eyes.

I'm very much against VR for theme parks. VR will be good fun in the gaming scene. However like everything in that sector it will age horrifically. 5 years down the line and it will be outdated. Yes Merlin may update the tech but they sure won't pay for the new animation/film every 2-6 years for the better resolution.

Looks like shipping containers are about to get a new friend called VR. VR for everybody!

Raptor is a trademark of Merlin's for European attractions.

They have to reveal the clues as the gp (me included) just don't care enough to spend more than 5 seconds on it. An abandoned railway station just doesn't grab the public's attention. Everyone knowing nothing about it makes the hype train even harder to get going.

Selling a second hand top scan for £278,000? I highly doubt they got near that for it. While I imagine it helped it won't be the main reason. Weather was good last year and the family entertainment industry increased a lot in general.

When it comes to these sorts of launch coasters size is a major factor as well as the speed. 0-111mph in 5 seconds seems rather slow compared to its US counterparts. I'm starting to think all the odd things about this coaster are coming down to one simple reason of cost.

The media team are trying their best. How else do you sell a closed ride as a good thing. Your blame is on the wrong department in this case Jamie. Corporate cutting budgets is hurting operations which mean media have to come up with nonsense like that.