The Walking Dead: The Ride - Speculation and 'Construction'

[Stuntman707]

I do want Thorpe to pull this off, have extensive theming and a thrilling experience on and off the ride. No doubt this whole walking dead season will put off families with younger kids so if the new ride is a flop then I think it will really hurt Thorpe. But I want them to prove they can do something as well themed as Living Nightmare on a bigger scale. X may finally have a proper theme for once and I'm curious more than anything to try the ride with the brake runs. They are really going to have to do something special for Fright Nights though. 2 mazes (Big Top & Platform 15) isn't going to be enough.

[Mark9]

It takes some effort to make storm surge look good but this has done it with flying colours. At no other point in thorpes lifetime has the park looked completely directionless.

[CWOAFan]

Another Magic Making visit to the local Junk Yard for 'Theming' then... that's if there's anything left, it's all on park already.

[onair]

What an absolute joke Thorpe Park have become. One bad decision after another  with their new investments.

The place is a total dump and this new run down addition just tops it off.

The amount of money they waste on rubbish temporary attractions like this  could have been used to tidy up the decaying park.

 

Thinking back through the years when there was Colossus > Nemesis Inferno > Samurai > Slammer and Rush > Stealth > Saw.

 

They were really heading somewhere and now look. I blame too many young inexperienced managers. Pathetic Thorpe Park ! 

[RobF]

Just now, onair said:

What an absolute joke Thorpe Park have become. One bad decision after another  with their new investments.

The place is a total dump and this new run down addition just tops it off.

The amount of money their waste on rubbish temporary attractions like this  could have been used to tidy up the decaying park.

 

Thinking back top the years when there was Colossus > Nemesis Inferno > Samurai > Slammer and Rush > Stealth > Saw.

 

They were really heading somewhere and now look. I blame too many young inexperienced managers. 

You also have to think those high investment periods were

A)  when the park was in rapid growth in attendance which has reached its new peak. The attractions were needed to give the park a name and grow admissions.

B ) pre merlin, pre before everything must be a worlds first or gimmick to get off the table.

C ) the uk part of the group has had a rough couple of years so dividends and investment slow.

D the group focus on opening and purchasing new parks rather than look after what they have with quick bucks investment because the market research may have suggested a walking dead ride for 1m vs a woodie for 15m would have the bigger affect on return on investment and attendance.

 

ultimately were left with brewers that can brew a beer in control!

[Marc]

45 minutes ago, onair said:

What an absolute joke Thorpe Park have become. One bad decision after another  with their new investments.

The place is a total dump and this new run down addition just tops it off.

The amount of money they waste on rubbish temporary attractions like this  could have been used to tidy up the decaying park.

 

Thinking back through the years when there was Colossus > Nemesis Inferno > Samurai > Slammer and Rush > Stealth > Saw.

 

They were really heading somewhere and now look. I blame too many young inexperienced managers. Pathetic Thorpe Park ! 

 

Investment as you mention like that was never sustainable long term, it was obviously great but I think everyone knew they wouldn’t keep that up long term.

 

As for tidying up the park, new investments will come from a totally different pot, on twitter there’s some pictures from monks walk suggesting has Rush been repainted - so fingers crossed we will see more

 

[Kerfuffle]

Observing all the moaners in this thread like

[Flipper]

My my my, you guys, you made me swim back with your comments! Okay. So. Things to consider, some has been touched upon.

 

New director of Thorpe in the last year or two, so that brings a new opinion, view and strategy of the direction they want the park to go into.

 

Comparing this to DBGT is a bit stupid to be frank. Okay it’s opening year wasn’t great, and then, the creative team seemed to change slightly (I'm not speaking any names in my posts) and suddenly the experience was significantly improved. It’s the same team behind this, and to be honest from a theming and concept side, following on from DBGTROTD and Living Nightmare I think this could be a pretty well thought out and produced project, despite the IP/horror/height restriction change.

 

Someone touched upon Old Town kids rides and Slammer. Firstly, the Old Town rides were in Weymouth Sealife. Why put them into storage if they can be put into an area. Without them that corner of Thorpe would be Rocky on its own. And Slammer, well it’s still standing. It might not be set to run again, but we don’t know what’s happening there; let’s be honest.

 

Someone touched on budgets. Yep. Bang on. Merlin’s had a tough year in the UK and yes, as many know anyway, LEGOLAND parks and midways are where the money is. Hence why they’ve not bought or opened any theme parks without a brand. Even the rumours of SeaWorld/Busch have an element of brand identity within their sale. The company has spent a lot of time growing Heide Park and Gardaland to push them in their local rankings; and has invested as needed into the UK parks as they’ve gone along (Thirteen, Smiler, Wicker Man, Swarm, DBGT...) unfortunately there’s gonna be a cross of budgets. Thorpe is doing satisfactory for the company so much like CWOA and LEGOLAND the money is invested at present at Towers to try and regain footfall.

 

And finally, bearing in mind people know full well where I stand on TWD (even the mazes) TWD did unfortunately do amazingly well last Fright Nights. And whilst people look at this year as ‘X Retheme’ to the general public it’s the year of TWDTR, SAW: Alive, Late Nights etc. It may be a small investment but my god, they’ve been clever. To a paying customer there is basically the Fright Nights appeal (to a degree) for most of the year with the 10pm closes and scare mazes.

 

I think don’t knock it until you try it. And even then just be patient. There’s a lot more behind the scenes than ANYBODY could truly understand I’m sure that swings these decisions; and have trust in each individual that they want the best for the park the same we do. And for the love of god just try and be polite. Positive criticisms and all that; as these teams work damn behind the scenes I bet to bring things like this to reality; it’s not REALLY fair for people to rip it to shreds before they’ve even physically seen the entrance, let alone ridden it.

 

Flipper, out.

 

PS Flying Fish is a family ride. Could suit a non-rider parent, a disabled adult, a young child. You can’t tarnish it as a ‘baby ride’ when actually it can cater to many more than you may initially think.

[JoshC.]

18 hours ago, spoonablehippo said:

Gutted. My little boy loves X, one of the few rides there he could go on. He's 9 and under 1.4, and even if he was tall enough, the theme would scare the life out of him :-(

I think this is a point which can't be stated enough.  X was a ride which could be enjoyed by children pretty much from 3-4 upwards.  That has now been taken away, and actively replaced by something for 13+.  Even during Thorpe's thrill capital / fathead days, things which were for the younger audience remained, it was just the less important attractions that remained.  X is a huge ride for the younger audience, so having taken away is more damaging than any previous investment that knocked the younger audience.

15 hours ago, RobF said:

From the art this may have new trains, the style looks similar to thirteen from the artwork. As this is enclosed and the work has all taken place behind closed doors we cannot tell the extent of works that have taken place. A brake section could have been replaced with trick track ect or even retracking ect.

The plans said there would be no changes to the roller coaster inside.  So there'll be no retracking, trick track or anything like that.  We might get new trains, or at the very least a new design to cover the existing trains, but that'd be it.

 

15 hours ago, Project LC said:

The year of the walking dead is hardly a sustainable business model for the park.

The Year of The Walking Dead is there to encourage people to visit multiple times, what with the combination of special events and super cheap Thorpe Annual Pass.  If it gets more people buying Annual Passes this year, a percentage increase in visitors that is better than, say, 2010->2011 or 2013->2014 (the year after the 2 year push of a major addition has finished), then it's been successful.

 

If so, it then gives Thorpe more leverage to say "look, having special events and later openings at the park works - we need more money for this!".  If that's how it plays out, I'd see that as a good thing in the long run.

 

14 hours ago, JoelAllen said:

Your not wrong there. My family don't like X at all, infact, they refuse to go on it. 

I think this is also another issue which people here seemed to forget.  In its X incarnation, there was no clear market for the ride.  It had a 1m height restriction, which instantly meant to the more thrill-oriented people dismissed it even before riding it.  But the loud music, the lack of explanation as to what it was made families more cautious of taking younger visitors on it.  Many people had no clue what it was at all, in a bad way.  Though it was an 'all ages' attraction, there was a lot of reasons why anyone of any age would be sceptical or avoiding of the attraction, especially as a first time visitor.

 

There's potential for this to be a good experience for the scare seeking market.  X:\NWO was designed as a 1.4m attraction which had multiple sections to it, including pre and post ride experiences.  The roller coaster was only ever meant to a part of that.  By bringing in other experiences to the ride, even if it's just a pre show and special effects on the brakes, they could create something which brings the ride more in line to its first plan.  Of course, that does nothing to help the fact it reduces the family line up, but it could still be good in its own right.

[StevenVig]

21 hours ago, Marc said:

 

The press release suggests the stops will be back “The ride itself will travel through darkened tunnels and shudder to unexpected halts to ramp up the terror.”

 

Also suggests we could see some tunnels within the ride area its self, theres potential there they could add some theming to the animations. Also from the concepts I wonder if "Loading Zone" is what the station will look like.

 

I love how this concept art makes it looks as if the train has just come out of an inversion, oh how disappointed the unsuspecting will be ?

[Matt 236]

I think it’s safe to say this announcement has been very divided.

 

Whilst some dislike the market and direction, others are without doubt dead excited.

 

I will leave now

[1729]

I say pretty guaranteed the block sections are back on the coaster track maybe even the shuttling up and down the sections.  since the promo art shows the train with its "brakes" throwing sparks as it grinds to a halt.   who knows maybe they will make the pyramid pitch black but enclose the block sections with theming (a hospital ward or somthing) with curtains similar to the entrance and exit of the ride vehicle. 

new trains (if the promo is acurrate) would be good the lights on the front would make a good effect in the pitch black and they have a more boxy design which fits the escape vehicle aesthetic and also allow people to fit better I remember when riding X being tall my legs would hit the front and curve inwards as the front of the car would move into a rounded point

[StevenVig]

It's just going to be a TWD poster and old theming from Loggers Leap and the carousel poorly placed in the queue and ride area. Maybe a new light too if we're lucky. 

 

This is Merlin after all

[Portvls]

I hope this is well done. If so, it has a lot of potential theming wise, but you cannot escape the fact that X had a tame layout. This is advertised as a thrill ride but it is a family coaster. Personally I would much rather have seen X remain as it was and instead have a new flat installed to fill the space of Slammer. This is a short term investment that won’t have much impact on the park at all.. And how much life does TWD franchise still have in it anyway? 

[JoshuaA]

7 hours ago, BaronC. said:

There's potential for this to be a good experience for the scare seeking market.  X:\NWO was designed as a 1.4m attraction which had multiple sections to it, including pre and post ride experiences.  The roller coaster was only ever meant to a part of that.  By bringing in other experiences to the ride, even if it's just a pre show and special effects on the brakes, they could create something which brings the ride more in line to its first plan.  Of course, that does nothing to help the fact it reduces the family line up, but it could still be good in its own right.

X No Way Out wasn't exactly a good or popular attraction though.. From what I remember usually it was walk on and the whole ride usually was 3 minutes of chavs talking about how "dark it was" with the occasional painful backwards jolt that would bruise your legs..

 

Plus the ride even in the dark and backwards was tame and generally more painful and boring than actual fun.. X as a family coaster was easily the most popular and meaningful time of its life..

The ride as a thrill attraction really was a joke- hence why they changed it to market to family's which actually gave  X somewhat of a purpose..

 

I hope Thorpe do the best with a bad situation here and theme it really well but overall I think by Fright Nights this will be a walk on ride that families can't go on (too small) and if the ride is standard Merlin last minute theme job (too dull and tame for teens/adults)

 

 

 

[sully1311]

On 26/11/2017 at 10:44 PM, StevenVig said:

The Walking Dead was a FRIGHT NIGHTS IP only. 

 

X will not be rethemed as a permanent The Walking Dead attraction.

Famous last words

[alexander]

40 minutes ago, sully1311 said:

Famous last words

Is it really a permanent attraction when it’s likely to be closed by next season, OR only open on selected dates throughout the year  

[StevenVig]

1 hour ago, sully1311 said:

Famous last words

Even I could not predict the ridiculous decision made by the park, to try and make this a permanent thing.

 

I shouldn't be surprised though. 

[3Dimensions]

1 hour ago, sully1311 said:

Famous last words

New for 2019: My Chemical Romance: The Ride! To celebrate their long awaited and obvious reunion, the island transforms to celebrate the incoming Black Parade - the bleak progression of the dead take over the park and infest their souls into the pyramid (another obvious horror theme, maybe Merlin should hire me (I really hope they do I heckin' need a full time job)). 

[Graw]

12 hours ago, BaronC. said:

 

There's potential for this to be a good experience for the scare seeking market.  X:\NWO was designed as a 1.4m attraction which had multiple sections to it, including pre and post ride experiences.  The roller coaster was only ever meant to a part of that.  By bringing in other experiences to the ride, even if it's just a pre show and special effects on the brakes, they could create something which brings the ride more in line to its first plan.  Of course, that does nothing to help the fact it reduces the family line up, but it could still be good in its own right.

I only ever went on X:NWO about twice, and this was just before it changed to it's current form, so there wasn't many pre or post ride experiences. I'm aware that there used to be fake lifts before the station, but just out of interest - what were the original pre and post ride experiences?  

 

(also the post above me if is incredible)

[ProudToServe]

On 20/02/2018 at 6:50 PM, Stuntman707 said:

They are really going to have to do something special for Fright Nights though. 2 mazes (Big Top & Platform 15) isn't going to be enough.

That'll be one problem they haven't thought of yet. If everyone has visited during the summer and done two mazes, whos going to pay the extra on FN days to do 3 attractions, compare to the previous year of 5.

 

I feel like Thorpe have boarded the Walking Dead train a few years too late. re-theming an attraction on a dying IP that needs to be around for 5 years easy, is a bold move. Yeah, it'll be alright, people will like it, but feels like the park's direction has no GPS signal. The money could have been better used on a new flat to replace the lost attraction count when slammer went, and 60-70k or so spent on making X a better experience of 'light and sound'. No IP costs, actual identity for X and new ride instead of a re-theme. Of course, this is all subject to how much money there is to spend, but I think it's got to be around the "I'm a celeb" mark?

[daboywunda]

Just having a think on this one.. Could this possibly be the "last horah" for X? I mean, it's billed as a YEAR of walking dead... so what happens next year? Will they continue to have a disjointed Walking Dead Ride or does it return back to X? Or..... Does it pave the way for X Removal and redevelopment of that and Slammer's site?

[pluk]

1 hour ago, daboywunda said:

Just having a think on this one.. Could this possibly be the "last horah" for X? I mean, it's billed as a YEAR of walking dead... so what happens next year? Will they continue to have a disjointed Walking Dead Ride or does it return back to X? Or..... Does it pave the way for X Removal and redevelopment of that and Slammer's site?

I think the 'year of the walking dead' stuff is more to do with the events scattered throughout the year, rather than the ride. I see the ride as a permanent addition, and the events a one off celebration (commiseration?!) of that. I'd hazard a guess that the rights are for a few years to make spending the money on the theming worth while.

 

Considering X was for sale a couple of years back it was clearly their intention for it to go, but money was spent on it to keep it open instead when no one bought it. I suppose the overlay could extend its life a bit, but it'd be no massive suprise to see it removed relatively soon.

[MattyMoo]

Even Thorpe wouldn't have XNWOTWDTR open for just 1 year and then bin it... probably.

[yeah]

The funniest thing about this is, I told my friends (who would, actually go on TWD) and not one of them reacted positively. Most said they'd prefer X and two thought it was yet another Derren Brown retheme