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Fred

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Posts posted by Fred

  1. When did Dragon get all that sexy lighting in? That certainly wasn't there when I worked there!

     

    They got rid of the audio when they upgraded the audio systems and the music card was no longer compatible. Don't think they had it available in any other format, and didn't think to ask the original composer for the track?

  2. My main issue with Express Pass was, I did not see the value in spending extra for Express Pass when I had bought a 7 day ticket, and I was not able to use it over the 7 days...or at least I did not think I could do that. 

    Ah sir, you went wrong there!

     

    Know on my visit I'm just gonna get an Express Pass mental thing as it's for the entire stay and sod the main queue if they're all queue jumping.. and hope not many queuejump me on Express Pass! :)

  3. Why should VIP holders be grumpy? They've only paid to use the fastrack queue regardless of queue length.

     

     

    As for fastrack being incorporated post I made.. I meant you had to buy fastrack through reserve'n'ride which was the original idea. But it seems they used the normal fastrack instead and allowed for complaints ;)

  4. I don't think the end goal will be to completely eradicate it now.

     

    Unsure if they'll continue down the route though. I can't help but think, no matter how well managed they think a Qbot mobile system will be, that they'll lose heavily from fastrack sales when they could just put a better allocation at higher prices in the current system (all revenue through mobile system will be split between thorpe and accesso).

  5. Think what oblivions line is made by - it's very very very easy to enter the main queuelines, particularly as you have stations either side!

     

    A properly batched line, which is consistently properly batched and not open to abuse or slowing down in any way is a good system. It's just rare to see one.

  6. On those occasions it won't affect throughput, but that'll be extremely rare. For every 10 good trains, you'll have about 12 slow trains. Also depends purely on staff, and you won't always get amazing staff (or enough staff to run it). Nemesis is another one where you have a host *purely* for single riders.

  7. Not a sweeping statement, speaking purely from experience.

     

    The Smiler is the closest to perfection that they have for Single Riders, yet they still have people going up Singles steps to then run down and join the main queue. Aggro, which is not needed. Then if there's no empty seats they become *very* aggressive with the loading host.

     

    ThorpeAddict - The throughputs are being decreased through having to manage the system correctly. The Smiler when run efficiently doesn't have time to let singles through and then start loading main queue through without running out of main queueline in the station. Air only runs to one station and requires more staff to run it efficiently. Oblivion runs awfully as guests queue jump.

     

    Nemesis it decreases *massively*. Massively. The 10-20 seconds extra it takes to load a single rider every single train adds up over the hour (when you can dispatch 50 trains on Nemesis). That's without any complications such as needing to put bags away, going to the wrong row, making the main queue confused, trying to get their mates to join them etc.

     

    Talking from experience.

  8. Oblivions throughput is 1900 but it wont be achieving that so it will be around 1500 on a bad day so to claim no ride in the UK gets near is a bit of an odd statement. Also Rita is the worst throughput of any coaster at Alton (not including the RMT and sonic as I don't count them as coasters more hyped up park bench's) so claiming it can achieve 1100 is also very odd. It barley scrapes 900pph.

    Average for Oblivion is 1000pph - they used to be able to get 1500pph before they allowed bags into queuelines.

     

    Average for Rita is 650pph. On a good day it'll get around 900pph at the moment

     

    There's a big difference between about 7 years ago when they pushed throughputs and how they run their attractions nowadays.

     

     

    Actually, as you've added in Mine train and Sonic - Mine Train gets 700pph, Sonic gets about 600.

  9. Single Riders don't really work at Towers either - it's just the people who are using them (or more likely abusing them) who think they're a great idea.

     

    They slow down throughputs insanely, Single Riders are literally the worst complainers in the world and out of anyone are most likely to be threatening.

     

    Thorpe didn't even have proper SR queues so that would've made things even worse - literally they're not worth the extra money, time and aggro just to fill a measley few seats.

     

    Thorpe could do better with their wording (they're awful at wording things.. read everything they write on Twitter and you'll see), but I completely stand by them on this one. Particularly when some moron was arguing with them on Twitter about it the other week.

  10. The only people who defend thorpe and say that are the ones who work there and somehow think they need to protect what is obviously an issue ;)

  11. Yes, and even though I'm an avid fan of baggage holds I honestly think they should scrap it on Swarm and get something like both heide and garda has which works so well!

    ef1d498776.jpg

    Although that's not complete - put your bags in (2 peoples worth obviously) then it rotates so its hidden away whilst other is loading! Very cool indeed.

    Then all you need where the baggage point is is a merge point and left and right queue (where people decide). Then batch exactly 14 people each side each time a train goes out, and boom!

    Well, that'd be perfect if they didn't have backwards facing seats.

  12. Out of interest, why don't Thorpe use the main theme anymore?  It's such a good piece of music and created a good atmosphere when it was played across the whole queueline, rather than some racket with a monkey sound effect!  I mean how does that even suit Inferno?

    They've gone back to how it was originally devised - the main music never played in the queue. It played in surrounding area and main entrance.

    The queueline itself was always meant to play sound effects.

     

    The the station was only meant to play the dispatch (with silence between loading) but now they've brought back that 07 load theme.

  13. In thorpes mind it is cheaper to hire less staff and have the bags suffer. Yes its annoying but to the general public they care more about the ride and will be excited to get on the ride so they wont care if it takes a minute or 2 to put the bags away. Just becuase it took slightly longer than usual to get a bag will not prevent them from coming back. So it works out to be more efficient and cost effective.

    Someone hasn't worked at theme parks very long to realise this is not the case then :D.

     

    General public quite enjoy being able to smoothly put their bags in and go on a ride in a quick orderly fashion filling majority of seats so they know they haven't wasted queueing time because the company they've parted money with cannot do their job properly :)

     

    Any decent member of staff can chat and do bags. Don't come up with stupid reasons to prevent it.

  14. There's no space to go past anyone wanting to put bags in, the baggage hold is in awful location.

     

    Answer? Two hosts. One for entrance, one for exit.

     

    Shutter Swarms baggage hold  and use those staff... oh wait they never staff that properly/its closed on offpeak anyway.

  15. You also need two people on the current one, otherwise the ride goes with empty seats and you build up a massive queue onto the offload platform.

     

    What is it with thorpe and it's ridiculous obsession to completely understaff and therefore stress out the hosts in baggage holds?

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