tomglazed

I do really like the new changes but I'm a little confused what Thorpe are really doing with the ride: is it staying with the Computer theme or is just going to be a rave ride?I do like the new music but I think a track like Skrillex - Kill Everybody would be really effective in the ride to tie in the best of both "themes".

Having heard B&Ms which aren't filled with sand, it really is a little bit of a shame that the sound has to be reduced; the roaring really is a brilliant effect, especially with monster themed rides like KUMBA. The sound really would have added to the effect on Swarm but I'd far rather have a quiet ride than no ride at all.Edit: I was going to put Kumba but opted for Kraken because it sounded equally loud from memory.

I was about to post saying that considering the cannons do feature in promo art, it'd be stupid not to put them back but then again, I'm still waiting on those tilting water buckets that are meant to pour down onto riders according to the promos

Looking awesome; initally the whole THE swarm thing made cringe a little but as previously mentioned, people will soon enough just be calling it Swarm anyway.Concept Art really does look great as well. It would be awesome if the "Swarm's eyes" lit up red during dark hours like Fright Nites but guessing the cost of having such a feature would far outweigh the times it would be effective; the technology is there, it's just also whether the trains will allow it to happen.

That does sound quite painful, especially if you've just jumped off the seat and have been pinned up against the bit between your legs!

It did make me laugh that when we splashed down, my friends said "we didn't get wet at all" and were begging people in the queue to use the cannons Wishful thinking would be they are going to be repaired and put back; when I was there I thinking one had it's handle broken off.

Looking at that snapshot from Google Earth, it does look a little snug but I'd presume all this kind of stuff would have been looked at during the planning permission stage. It might not be as wide as a lot of paths in the park but isn't as if it's a one person wide dirt track. Just have visions of it becoming like Rollercoaster Tycoon now and alot of the guests start to think "it's too crowded here" Just wondering though, do you think that this ride will become their new icon ride or will that title still stay with Stealth?

Good point, but there is another way which would make the pods centrally controllable without complex wiring.I noticed on a new S&S Air Swing in Dollywood, they have a sliding metal plate mechanism beneath each swing. I'm not quite sure what these are for but I'd assume it's either a way of locking the swings down during boarding or activating the locks in the restraints. It would probably need too much modification to use this kind of technology on Samurai but just an idea.EDIT: What Peter said...

Unless I'm seriously missing where these big leaks are, I didn't see any leaks that aren't perfectly normal for any water tube type ride. And when it comes to the boats getting stuck, I'm kind of stuck on that one (no irony intended ). One solution I guess would be more water or just increasing the pressure to make the water run faster down (reach more parts of the tube). Only reason I can think that the boats get stuck is boats being slowed down by the dry parts of tubes; I might be wrong but I'm not sure the spin pads can be added or removed and are so I wouldn't think it is a case of Thorpe adding too many to the point it causes boats to stop.

I can totally understand the whole negativity towards sponsorships but I think if a balance is kept between ride and brand then it's okay. I mean, sponsorships give the park extra money to work with and to produce the experiences that the public but mostly enthusiasts demand; it takes alot of money so it's another source of income which must be very handy.I guess what I'm trying to say is If a ride can generate an income with a sponsor without making the ride feel like a giant piece of ad space then go ahead. Dr. Pepper on Tidal Wave I'd say is fine; some would say the brightly painted roof of the bridge is a little out there but let's face it, it'll be left to rust soon enough. Original Source on the hand was a little overboard.

Just putting it out there but I think it would be a wasted opportunity if the next sponsor for the ride wasn't Drench.

Oh I have no doubt that the ride is safe with or without them; just looks strange. Probably going to sound strange but the wheel covers on B&M inverters almost made the trains look like they were gliding along the track, as if there aren't any wheels, being moulded around the rails and consieling the wheels from most angles; it's a great effect for me.

Noticed that Nemesis Inferno trains were running with one or two of the black fire wheel covers off. Looks extremely odd; it isn't the first time I've seen this but there were a few more missing than last time. Could this be so they can get to certain wheels easily for maintenance or are they easily damaged? They do look quite plasticy

My mistake, post edited. So yeah, it was hardly headline news but was just wondering how often people think this occurs?

Was at the park today and the park music was suffering issues in several areas all day. Flying Fish would play the flume tune a few seconds and then stop and restart, Saw would occasionally play Rush sound effects, Slammer was playing Lost City music, Nemesis Inferno's station music had a habit if stopping and restarting, X queue line was in silence except for one corner in the corridor (even the ramps were silent, and the bright white light bulbs extinguish any possibility of an atmosphere).

First ride on storm surge and was pleasantly surprised at the spinning speed you get.We were involved in a boat stall; A raft some how had become stuck mid way round the last corner before the drops, we came round the corner and gave them a considerable shove down the drops with us very quick to follow. It wasn't as if we got severe whiplash from it but we did give them quite a big shove. Didn't warrant us complaining though, we saw the funny side in it.

Went on it today and the music and lights do improve it slightly, if only to make it a mini roller coaster rave; hardly linked to computers and the name is loosing all meaning now.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think what happened in the time you asked is:Samurai moved to Thorpe 2004 Rush and slammer opened the same year, can't remember when Can't quite remember what else happened then :/

Good point; would probably require a lot of CCTV dotted around the platform and end up making the ride platform looking more like an extension of Jigsaw's lair as opposed to...a loading platform.

Maybe Thorpe should consider making some short yet forceful settings for peak times? Like people have seen, it isn't like the ride has become too old to do it anymore; especially with the refurb.Can understand why they can't use the longer settings for busy times right now; not only would the ride be longer but add on the already long loading process, it will probably get a little silly. Have there been any new top scans built recently which don't need each individual pod to have their restraints lowered, and just have a central control in the cabin? Or do you think there is a specific reason the ride hasn't done this?

People that feel the need to overstate something clearly are compensating for something. Just saying

I love that in the advert it makes the movement when you are released look very slow and drawn out. I know that some people appear to prefer a shorter time before being dropped (Jord is impatient ) but it seems Alton Towers may have just accidentally added a new dimension to the ride: how long will you car be held at the top? No one knows

Going on from what Mer said, about the siblings being compared, I hated watching that happen to people around me. Their parents would place such an expectation on them to do well if a brother or sister had already gone through that level of education and passed with flying colours.The main gripe I had about exams at GCSE and A level and no doubt it'll come up again in my first year degree exams is that no matter how much the teacher says "they aren't there to trick you" or "they just want to see your knowledge of the subject"; that's rubbish. I remembered getting an A2 report mark back which had to be written in exam conditions and I got an E and it really did get me thinking: doing exams really is like playing a game, you can have all the moves and tools to win but if you don't do them at the right time and in a certain way then you lose. Exams are exactly the same: if the exam board just said "tell me what you know about......" then no doubt people would be fine, but because they expect you to go through all these different stages and basically jump through hoops, it becomes that bit harder; and if you don't, you don't get the marks.Anyway, resat the geography report exam and got an A woop woop!

Yeahh, I'd say the lesser amount of storm surge there is the better. A tunnel would just add extra bulk onto the ride; if they extensively themed it on the outside it would be less of an issue but even then I'd be on the fence whether it would be good or not.

Can't believe I forgot those :/ !I guess our only hope now is that the contract is short. Fanta is a sub brand of cola so can only hope that the cola company sponsorship will end point blank or it will be reverted back to coca cola at some point.