Posted October 21, 20177 yr comment_253506 Something new is coming to Thorpe Park in 2018. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159652058415624&id=283706330623 Some form of 'world first' (of course, it's Merlin ), though no other indication as to what or where though. No idea what this could be, but suggestions welcome (anyone who suggests a top spin in any way will be banned forever though )
October 21, 20177 yr comment_253509 Wouldn't surprise me. Such a disappointing move in my opinion if it turns out to be this. They have a VR attraction and don't need another! Plus it will make what's currently (most of the time) the ride with awesome throughput and quick dispatches suddenly become dreadful.
October 21, 20177 yr comment_253510 VR loggers leap brave it backwards!! ”Worlds first backwards VR log flume new for 2018!!”
October 21, 20177 yr comment_253511 Thorpe Park, I hope you read these words if it's what I suspect it to be: LEAVE. SWARM. ALONE.
October 21, 20177 yr Author comment_253513 I assume the Swarm VR rumour has come about because the merch was reduced during the summer? I noticed that come September, the merch was back up to normal price, which would just indicate that it was a just a summer special offer or similar. So it would be weird to see Swarm get VR and not retheme / rename it, as you lose out on a big marketing opportunity. One would hope that after the trouble they've encountered with all their VR stuff (Ghost Train, Galactica and Shaman at Gardaland all suffered major delays and technical difficulties at one point), Merlin would want to steer clear of integrating VR into rides. If they really wanted to go down that route, a VR 4D cinema, or even AR show, would be something different enough to be...interesting I guess, whist more manageable from a technology viewpoint. Merlin's use of world firsts is so vague and downright silly at points it's hard to know what this could to be honest. And to highlight this point... 3 hours ago, Benin said: Will this be like the one for this summer? After The Walking Dead announcement, Living Nightmare was being called "the world's first Walking Dead maze to feature scenes from Season 7 of the show". As Thorpe's Facebook post said they were "dropping a world first in the summer", I guess the idea might have been they were going to announce Living Nightmare as a world first during the summer and hype up from there, but things changed and they announced it a bit later / decided not to focus on the silly world first..
October 22, 20177 yr comment_253538 I don't know whether to get excited or not, Thorpe have got my hopes up and dashed them to many times before, although they surprised me with the walking dead being not as lacklustre as I expected.
October 22, 20177 yr comment_253541 I think we will have to wait and see on this one. With track history, it could be anything.
October 22, 20177 yr comment_253543 Slammer replacement? Hope this isn't Swarm with VR but it would make sense as being a world first I suppose
October 23, 20177 yr comment_253549 Thorpe did say they would replace Slammer for 2018 but I don't think we've heard anything since then.
October 23, 20177 yr comment_253562 I'm hoping for a flat ride for next year as Slammer's space could easily fit in a decent sized flat ride. I really hope they don't go down the "VR route" as we already have DBGT, and look at the nightmare that caused on its opening year.. I hope next year we just get a decent ride that is fun and reliable, not some over-hyped marketing mess that will probably close in 5 years time..
October 23, 20177 yr comment_253566 Well the IAC stuff is on sale so maybe they are going to get rid of it? I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has. VR on The Swarm would be a terrible idea IMO - they've already slowed down the throughputs on GalacticAir (and that's when the VR actually works) and it would make the near misses on Swarm damn pointless and ruin the ride.
October 23, 20177 yr Author comment_253581 The queue board for IAC did say 'Returns 2018' when it.it closed (same as Rush and Rumba), so I could see that returning next year. Not to say it couldn't receive work or something, but I think that'd have a low chance of being replaced for now.
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253591 Yes agree on IAC - queue times app says Returns 2018 (unfortunately ) As much as I'd like a Slammer replacement, thinking about it, that's unlikely as it would have to be a "world first" flat ride to replace it! All things really would point to Swarm VR or something changing on an existing ride to make it a "world first" so therefore I am putting the idea of making Rumba a world's first rapids ride with laser guns a la Tomb Blaster into the hat. You're welcome.
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253592 The whole worlds first nonsense has to end. If Merlin actually surveyed people I'm almost certian they would find no one cares if its a worlds first when the first it is on about is something stupid. I'm assuming its not the marketing team that decides to use the Worlds first slogan all the time and is actually something Head office makes happen because no marketing expert could possibly think at this point that the worlds first slogan is effective. I'm sure it worked on the smiler (although I think they used world beating) and possibly Saw but everything else they have made it has been completly irrelevant or in 13's case damaging to the rides reputation. This new for 2018 "world's first " I'm almost certian will be just a stupid tag line like worlds first horror maze themed on season 7 of the walking dead. This is either going to ruin some existing ride, be a overhyped flat ride with some IP tagged onto it or some new VR sequence on DBGTROTD that gives it a really obscure worlds first.
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253593 It's a marketing thing, and it's a peculiar angle to take (although many other park operators are following suit, Six Flags' claims are about as equally ridiculous) considering you could literally build anything and people would visit it because it's new...
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253594 18 hours ago, BaronC. said: The queue board for IAC did say 'Returns 2018' when it.it closed (same as Rush and Rumba), so I could see that returning next year. Not to say it couldn't receive work or something, but I think that'd have a low chance of being replaced for now. Yeah I forgot about that ? Damn there was me getting my hopes up that we'd have a worlds first soap opera themed maze - Coronation Street The Maze ?
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253595 Rameses revenge goes to Thorpe Park!!.... with VR!! WORLDS FIRST VR TOP SPIN!!
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253596 Something like X being rebranded as TOWIE’s Sugar Hut The Ride, with added VR of wannabes
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253597 I'd like to see Loggers Leap reopen and a replacement flat for Slammer in 2018. Surely they wouldn't put VR on Swarm considering how much effort went into the "near-misses" - and in addition, the park needs more rides not gimmicks added to existing ones!
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253598 Come on, surely everyone knows that it’s simply The Walking Dead being opened all of next year.
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253600 My thoughts precisely, Mark. It could also potentially be Containment returning year round with the addition of AR? I recall that being rumoured not so long ago.
October 24, 20177 yr comment_253602 DBGTROTD2 - world's first ride to have 2 extra endings tacked on in subsequent seasons after opening
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