Merry-go-girl Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 All very unfortunate really, Swarm Island is actually a masterpiece in theming. huzzellio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I hate the 'must be an instant success' expectations of corporations. The only thing wrong with Swarm Island is it could do with a second entrance/exit, one that takes you over to Stealth directly, instead of having to walk back the way you do, oh and the track could be longer as I said, I'm sure in the years since the ride has more than paid for itself in gate fees, I've never understood a bean counters mind, they always seem to set their expectations so high that they are almost guaranteed to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hutson Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Well, this is a business. They have to see a return for their investment. If you spent money on a meal and it took you years to stop you being hungry - you'd think it was a bit of a waste of money. I know it's different - but that's sort of how this works. The sad case is - the ride SHOULD have been a hit, but the elements were against it (bad weather, olympics). The ride theming is good (though I do wish Merlin would build more indoor queue lines) and the ride is of decent quality. I think the dark ride will bring people in as it's something the whole of the UK has been crying out for - especially Thorpe where there aren't many places to sit dow and have a relaxed experience (apart from The Flying Fish ;-) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 More plans have come to light today, and it seems the codename for the project is WC16... http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/07-04-2015/Further-Plans-for-2016-Attraction-Released Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 WC16 = Wooden Coaster 16. Yessss, We'RE fInALlY GeTTiNG a WOoDiE! PS. InB4: Disused theme AGAIN Thorpe? Kerfuffle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 More plans have come to light today, and it seems the codename for the project is WC16... http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/07-04-2015/Further-Plans-for-2016-Attraction-Released Could also be new toilets for 2016. TPJames, Celia Mae, BenC and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Could also be new toilets for 2016. That's the world first - the seats for the ride are actually fully functional toilets!! Kerfuffle and Matt 236 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Another derelict building theme? Thorpe is going to look so depressing soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Users Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 WC is not Whitechapel. Who thought that was a likely IP?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 WC is not Whitechapel. Who thought that was a likely IP?! Well LC12 obviously stood for Lez Cougan 2012. I just hope Thorpe aren't bringing this sort of marketing stunt back for another project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Wez Cougan, his brother Kerfuffle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Would it not make more sense if WC stood for 2 words rather than 1. Something tells me Whitechapel isnt the IP they have gone for. The last series only got 4 million viewers, not exactly the people puller they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Would it not make more sense if WC stood for 2 words rather than 1. Something tells me Whitechapel isnt the IP they have gone for. The last series only got 4 million viewers, not exactly the people puller they want. Well it might not even be an IP. You never know if Merlin have turned to The Dungeons and devised another Jack the Ripper experience for Thorpe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I would like it not to be an IP. At this current moment in time the buildings are too generic to really tell what the the theme/IP could be. I can see Jack the ripper being a good theme that would attract guests but is that really the market they are after and is it not a bit to obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Wez Cougan, his brother Does that mean I have to change my member title to 'I am Wez Cougan' now? --- As for the whole Whitechapel thing - the plans give two 'codenames'. The plans showing the site plans have 'Project Whitechapel' written on them (and one of them has it written in a very Whitechapel-esque font). The construction method statement refers to the project as 'WC16'. If you put all that together, it does suggest Whitechapel as the IP. But I'm not taking it as confirmation by any means. The park have been so careful with keeping this as much a secret as possible. Rumours of a dark ride didn't seriously come about till July last year at the earliest. The location wasn't really known till plans were released. The main wave of plans gave away very little about the attraction. The park wouldn't be so careless to let it slip in my opinion. Also, Whitechapel (as has been mentioned) isn't a particular well known IP, or particularly family friendly (I watched a trailer for it on Youtube earlier; sounded very graphic and gory!). It doesn't add up. Could it be a hint as to what's to come (Jack the Ripper-esque maybe)? Could it be a massive curveball secretly aimed at throwing us off the scent? Who knows. But I don't think we'll be seeing 'Whitechapel - The Ride' opening in 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Project White Chapel definitely sounds an interesting code name for the project. Whilst I doubt it'll be based on the programme Whitechapel, it does hint to me the ride will be based on a theme or location within London. I think it's safe to say the IP (if there is one) won't be Hunger a Games. This is because of the project title, Lionsgate are after their own park and some sort of hunger games attraction is opening in Asia somewhere. As for the look of the buildings, I like the Victorian-esque look of them, but am a little concerned of the derelict/run down appearance they so far retain which seems to becoming bit of a cliche since we already have Saw, Swarm & Tidal Wave (as run down areas off rides) where rides such as Baron, Chipas & even Merlin's latest coaster in Garda are examples of rides having great themes that aren't either happy land, lost Abandond setting & derelict building concepts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Ripper Street is based in Whitechapel too, the building also looks like the Signal box oppersite the police station in the series. Has this been confirmed to be a rollercoaster? I do hope it's not another maze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Ripper Street is based in Whitechapel too, the building also looks like the Signal box oppersite the police station in the series. Has this been confirmed to be a rollercoaster? I do hope it's not another maze. The ride type hasn't been confirmed, but it's definitely not a maze! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 You hope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabbygrace Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Glad I'm not the only one who thought of Ripper Street.....but I don't think it's right....Ripper Street was cut by the BBC after 2 series and is now only owned by Amazon Prime....but yet everything at the moment, to me, screams Ripper Street.....weird. MattyMoo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's stupid that they are going for another depressing theme. Theme parks are supposed to be vibrant, fun, aesthetically pleasing and create a happy mood! One or two derelict themes are okay, but Thorpe already have Saw, The Swarm, Tidal Wave, Storm Surge (which is themed to look like it's falling apart, and genuinely looks like it as well), plus another two rides that look that way due to not looking after the surrounding areas. Why can't they do a good theme without having to make it run down? Are they not capable? Look at what other parks are putting in - Critter Creek, Wallace and Gromit, Skull Rock, Valhalla (although the last example is not recent it's an example of how to do a scary theme without looking dilapidated). It's all vibrant, not just depressing, dull and falling apart. If I wanted to look at buildings falling apart I'd go to a run down city, theme parks are supposed to be an escape from reality, and "fun." It seems to me that they like doing these themes because it means they don't have to keep the area looking nice. Saw is overgrown with weeds for example, and The Swarm's island is starting to collect mould, moss and dirt in places (which doesn't make sense seeing as the alien attack is supposed to have just happened). Thorpe is starting to look dismal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-S Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's probably cheaper, or someone at Merlin has a thing for this kind of theming. BBC still own Ripper Street BTW, it's just funded by Amazon who have first airing rights and produced by Tiger Aspect, but the crux of it is still owned by Auntie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's stupid that they are going for another depressing theme. Theme parks are supposed to be vibrant, fun, aesthetically pleasing and create a happy mood! One or two derelict themes are okay, but Thorpe already have Saw, The Swarm, Tidal Wave, Storm Surge (which is themed to look like it's falling apart, and genuinely looks like it as well), plus another two rides that look that way due to not looking after the surrounding areas. Why can't they do a good theme without having to make it run down? Are they not capable? Look at what other parks are putting in - Critter Creek, Wallace and Gromit, Skull Rock, Valhalla (although the last example is not recent it's an example of how to do a scary theme without looking dilapidated). It's all vibrant, not just depressing, dull and falling apart. If I wanted to look at buildings falling apart I'd go to a run down city, theme parks are supposed to be an escape from reality, and "fun." You see, I wouldn't call Tidal Wave a 'depressing' / dark themed ride. Yes, it's themed around destruction, but it comes across as a very light hearted theme; comical almost. Together with the audio, whilst on the surface it seems like a 'depressing' theme, it is far from it. And it doesn't feel particularly 'derelict' either. Storm Surge has no theme really, so it seems like a bit of a non-point to argue that here in my eyes! Swarm is slightly similar to Tidal Wave in some ways as well. It's themed around destruction that is 'happening now', but has a strong sense of irony about it - a flaming fire truck, emergency services destroyed, a church (a safe place) taken over, a plane taken out of the sky now ruled by The Swarm. Yes, it's not a particularly happy / comical theme, but I don't think it's really all that comparable to this project. Only Saw has a similar look to it in my opinion, with the abandoned warehouse, which is becoming derelict and run down. It's the only one which feels "dull" (which is arguably the point, though I agree not the best thing for a theme park environment!). The thing is, I do want to see a major ride at Thorpe which is a lot more light hearted in nature, that is more upbeat and a bit more of a laugh. But, other than Saw's exterior, I don't think the park has any 'dull' or 'depressing' ride themes which fail to help you escape from reality! --- Also, on a different note, the ride's building has been reduced in size a little (by just over 100sqm). Essentially it seems like the building has been squashed back a bit. I don't think it's anything to worry about (possibly just making the shop a bit smaller, or that they've put some out of bounds areas onto two floors), but why they've done isn't mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graw Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 If I wanted to look at buildings falling apart I'd go to a run down city If I wanted to look at grass I'd go to a garden center. MattyMoo, JoshC. and Kerfuffle 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 It's stupid that they are going for another depressing theme. Theme parks are supposed to be vibrant, fun, aesthetically pleasing and create a happy mood! One or two derelict themes are okay, but Thorpe already have Saw, The Swarm, Tidal Wave, Storm Surge (which is themed to look like it's falling apart, and genuinely looks like it as well), plus another two rides that look that way due to not looking after the surrounding areas. Why can't they do a good theme without having to make it run down? Are they not capable? Look at what other parks are putting in - Critter Creek, Wallace and Gromit, Skull Rock, Valhalla (although the last example is not recent it's an example of how to do a scary theme without looking dilapidated). It's all vibrant, not just depressing, dull and falling apart. If I wanted to look at buildings falling apart I'd go to a run down city, theme parks are supposed to be an escape from reality, and "fun." It seems to me that they like doing these themes because it means they don't have to keep the area looking nice. Saw is overgrown with weeds for example, and The Swarm's island is starting to collect mould, moss and dirt in places (which doesn't make sense seeing as the alien attack is supposed to have just happened). Thorpe is starting to look dismal. There's no written rule as to what a theme park is supposed to be. They can be fun and vibrant like Chessington or they can be dark and scary like Nemesis and Oblivion. Besides you've focused on just the dark and depressing things at Thorpe, how about the comic attitude of Stealth, the humour of WWTP radio at Tidal Wave, the bright tropical paradise of Inferno or the pastel colours of Lost City. Aside from Swarm and Saw, Thorpe's a far brighter place then people give credit for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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