Marc Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 I think people need to remember Universal etc are not the parks which Thorpe / Merlin are trying to compete with here... I got to ride it without VR to take some pictures last night - I saw adults riding it cowering into the side of their seats scared out of their lives - it's not often you see that sort of reaction other than a few screams on a coaster. I don't think it's for everyone - but reaction from the public in general is said to be very good and ultimately that's the most important thing when building a ride - pleasing your core audience! JoshC., 400400 and planenut 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Who are Thorpe/Merlin aiming to compete with these days? Just curious is all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 3 minutes ago, Benin said: Who are Thorpe/Merlin aiming to compete with these days? Just curious is all... I'd say tourist attractions within the UK (admittedly some of their own too) - that said there is still plenty of entertainmenty things to do in and around London what they are up against which are not Merlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L7123456 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 15 hours ago, ThorpeAddict said: The doll is making an appearance tonight so it seems... Still very confused as to why the doll was there as it had absolutely nothing to do with the story or theme whatsoever.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Or that bloody mechanical monkey used in a teaser! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Han30 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 4 hours ago, MilesK said: Still very confused as to why the doll was there as it had absolutely nothing to do with the story or theme whatsoever.. That doll is freakin' terrifying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jart Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Full POV - needless to say, MASSIVE SPOILERS: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hutson Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Ha. The chap opposite in red is Paul Kieve - the ride's illusion designer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Who knows, maybe it's what you find in the elusive second ending? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 If this has came from staff I'm not so sure seeing as other are ademant they saw them during staff testing, I'm not sure either way (the above post wasn't too serious) so I'll take any information as a pinch of salt. However, I can see the attraction getting more and more different endings and story lines over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project LC Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 There is no financial sense in spending hundreds of thousands on poor animation to add to a ride where doing so would bring in almost no new guests at all. Meanwhile filling up hard drives of the tech and making the VR even more complex. Either it would be a full update to the entire attraction or nothing at all happens. Animation is expensive, that's why it looks so poor. So unless Thorpe in the future want to spend the amount of a new attraction on an attraction loosing appeal I don't see it ever happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 If this were the case then it wouldn't make financial sense to change the films in 4D cinemas such as Angry Birds 4D, yet they do this. I can see your point but you forget Merlin can market anything... 400400 and Matt A 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornflakes Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 They could literally market improved VR as an entirely new experience, they could even dedicate a low investment year to it - this is the same company who marketed a repainted ride as being "New" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Coar, imagine the wage you must get to come up with the illusion of the interior being different to the exterior... I want that job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Presumably things like the dolls, clapping monkey and such are there for the Victorian vibe. I imagine the Victorian stuff is there to juxtapose the modern day underground stuff, and thus create a 'Woah' effect on people riding. Unfortunately it seems to have been lost a little. Cian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Would've probably been better if the Victorian theme was kept throughout, and the second vr section didn't exist... Cian and 400400 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 On 21/07/2016 at 6:24 PM, Owen said: Why is it when someone has an unpopular opinion they have to be wrong? I personally prefer the effort put into Ghost Train as opposed the other two attractions that seem to rely on one element and then lack in others, with Ghost Train I don't see this in terms of theming. Despite disagreeing with the poster (I'm not a big fan of Ghost Train), I fully agree that people should be able to voice their opinion without being ridiculed which seems to happen a lot on here. Owen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Isn't the crux of discussion that you can't truly judge dark rides unless you've physically been on them? Dark rides, especially good ones, will never have their true justice served to them by POVs and pictures, but instead only ever by actually experiencing them. Benin, Ryan and Morgan.B 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 2 hours ago, Benin said: Would've probably been better if the Victorian theme was kept throughout, and the second vr section didn't exist... You mean the section which generates the most scares for the majority of riders? (for what it's worth I also think the 2nd VR section is the weakest part of ride but it clearly works well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hutson Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 3 hours ago, Benin said: Coar, imagine the wage you must get to come up with the illusion of the interior being different to the exterior... I want that job! You and I both know the illusion aspect is a lot more than that in this attraction. PJ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Scariness is of course a factor that cannot be directly measured, but it seems to be the one part of the ride that is being panned across the board... Confusing finales never help dark rides... Even Hex suffers from that if you take the reaction of guests straight afterwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Please let us know of all the illusions then (I've got a list below so just add onto it): Pepper's Ghost, a few mirrors and chains for the levitating Victorian train shell, the VR with staff touching your knees and the train crash element on top of the changing interior? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hutson Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 I wouldn't count the VR elements as illusions. However, Peppers Ghost can't be bought "off-the-shelf", so that whole scene had to be conceived; Paul would've worked on the lighting and the screen angles, as well as the train that looks to be part of the set in the room but is actually a hologram. He'd have advised on where the audience have to stand (ever notice wherever you stand in the room Derren is looking at you?) The "few mirrors and chains" is a bit more complicated than that... again the room had to be designed and lit to make it seem like it was hanging by chains. Illusions are all meant to seem simple - but under the surface, there's always a lot more going on. The illusion of space in the tube station is also a clever use of mirrors, too. Paul is a pretty talented guy... he's just done Groundhog Day in town, Matilda, Ghost, Lord of the Rings, live tricks for the Harry Potter films, Svengali and Miracle for DB, most of Dynamo's tricks and the new magic show at Disneyland Paris that's just opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 To be completely honest, the only illusion that truely impressed me was in the main warehouse, other than that I thought the others were really quite simple. Not to say that simplicity is bad as such, but I must admit I was expecting something a tad more exciting based on how much the 'grand illusion' aspect was pushed. Nick Hutson and Islander 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hutson Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 I think the issue is the reveal happens so quickly you don't really realise what has happened. I do look around when you get off the tube and some people who have got it have a genuine look of shock on their faces! It's great! Owen and Matt A 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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