The Swarm

[Benin]

I don't have an issue with the billboard addition...

I have a problem with the awful photoshop image...

[NickD]

Wow never thought id see the day people moan when the park are ADDING MORE theming to what is already the best themed ride in the park...

I made a post some time back. Enthusiasts are never happy. They look to try and find the negatives otherwise they have nothing to talk about.

[SteveJ]

I would be happier if it was necessary theming or creative theming. 'Theming' alone is not why I like theme parks, hence a billboard does not excite me.

Whatever, I quite like the idea really, I'm just questioning their rather bland thought process.

[daboywunda]

Not sure if it's mentioned yet... but, why are the rails of the track red? Some-thing we've not been told, or just an Alton Towers style false imagery (ie Oblivion's track being red and clearly Vekoma)

[Marc]

I think it will be a good addition, of the near misses I dont find any of them that great, I think this will probably be the best near miss on the ride!

[JoshC.]

Out of all the objects they could have used... why a billboard?

A theme is supposed to be enticing and fun, not... bland and boring. I don't understand all this huge praise for The Swarm's theming anyway. Yes, it's good simply because there is theming, but there are more creative ways to have a "devastation" theme than just plonk old vehicles around. It's not as if people have always wanted to fly around a junkyard. The most interesting part is the church station because of the religious connotations with the 'end of the world' concept, and the irony that the swarm has devastated the building.

The Swarm is a favourite of mine because the ride itself is a new experience, but why some people argue it has the "best theming in the UK" I don't know. And this billboard is another example of thinking firmly inside the box.

Just out of interest, if a new near miss had to be added this year, what would you have liked to have seen?

The way I see Swarm's theming is that it shows nowhere is safe. We have the crashed plane, showing that this 'flying creature' known as The Swarm have taken over the skies. We then have a variety of emergency services, ambulance, fire, coastguard, which have all been attacked. Emergency services are seen as safety, and we also have the irony of a fire engine on fire. Throw that in with the church, again something seen as safe place, and have this alien race take over it, like you say. All of this added together tells me that this place is not safe. It has been clearly and cleverly thought out the way I see it.

The trouble as it stood last year was that the area was sparse, hence the additional theming. But then, we still have this island with a church and a phonebox, then loads of emergency services chucked about. One thing about Swarm is that it's set at Thorpe Park; it's not like we're meant to feel like we're in a secluded town somewhere in the UK - we're meant to feel as though we're at Thorpe Park and we're being attacked by aliens. The way I see it, by having the church creates irony, as earlier said, and can easily be explained as something that was at the park before it opened, for example. If we have a billboard, then it could further add to the feel that we're at a theme park (billboards = advertising), but also that it's under assault. The emergency services are there because, of course, help was needed, but the Swarm took them out.

I do think that Swarm's theming can be judged on different levels, which is another thing I like about it so much. It's hard for me to say whether it's got the best theming in the UK, but from what I've seen and experienced, I think it is.

Not sure if it's mentioned yet... but, why are the rails of the track red? Some-thing we've not been told, or just an Alton Towers style false imagery (ie Oblivion's track being red and clearly Vekoma)

Probably just to do with the track being designed in No Limits or something I think.

[SteveJ]

Just out of interest, if a new near miss had to be added this year, what would you have liked to have seen?

I would like something both beneficial to the ride experience and a spectacle to look at from the ground. A billboard by its very nature is flat, and (according to the concept art) boring feature to look at, unless people find advertising fun. I would suggest a small semi-demolished building of some sort, which somehow relates to the church and gives a greater impression of what the area was before the Swarm landed. Even better if it extended into the path.

One thing about Swarm is that it's set at Thorpe Park; it's not like we're meant to feel like we're in a secluded town somewhere in the UK - we're meant to feel as though we're at Thorpe Park and we're being attacked by aliens. The way I see it, by having the church creates irony, as earlier said, and can easily be explained as something that was at the park before it opened, for example. If we have a billboard, then it could further add to the feel that we're at a theme park (billboards = advertising), but also that it's under assault. The emergency services are there because, of course, help was needed, but the Swarm took them out.

You are not at all wrong in thinking those things, but does any of that actually matter to the ride experience itself? The various vehicles lying about act as descriptive devices to superficially convey the 'destruction' theme, but they don't combine to give a strong overall impression. The connection between the intention and what was actually built is not apparent when at the park. And if a theme ever needs post hoc 'explanation' to make it effective, then you know there is inconsistency somewhere.

Basically, the Swarm fails to make me feel like I am in an area being attacked by aliens, even with great suspension of disbelief. Judging from recent developments, it seems many other people also failed to connect with the theme.

Now I don't necessarily think the theming is weak: in my opinion the problem is down to the way the island is landscaped. It's a sparse, flat plaza, with the ride placed right on top of it, resulting in obtrusive safety nets and tall chain link fences obscuring guest interaction. The area was not designed from the perspective of the guest. Every item of theming was plonked somewhere behind a tall fence, or poorly integrated into the area as a whole (the airplane wing is supported by a conveniently located pile of dirt, for example). The opportunity to actually involve the audience/guests in the theme is missed in several places; this is especially disappointing considering they built the island from scratch and therefore had no physical limitations to overcome.

For comparison, look at a ride like Oblivion. There are minimal fences, and the whole area has been designed to allow the guest to view the symbolic drop from every angle - with the elevated surrounding paths acting like a viewing gallery. You can also physically walk down into the pit and get within a metre of the ride cars as they fall into the hole - brilliant. The ride is not positioned to the side of the path, hidden behind a fence and out of reach - if it was then Oblivion would lose half its impact.

With the Swarm, features like the helicopter, inverted drop and the firetruck just don't fulfil their potential and seem strangely distant, stuck behind their fences. Likewise, the queueline is boring because of its poor landscaping. Remember when queues used to take you up a hill, through tunnels, down into deep pits and let you get great views of the ride as you walked through? The Swarm just contains you in the same flat area as you walk back and forth.

It seems Thorpe Park recognised these problems when they installed the upturned ambulance, which both fills empty space and allows guests to get up close to the theming. It may not sound so important, but it makes a whole lot of difference to the area and the guest experience. Well done.

___________________

I have no problem with the ride itself, and this new near miss will only improve the ride experience. I hope I'm not coming across as just another moaning enthusiast nerd who complains about everything. Really, when I actually rode The Swarm it left a big impression on me and I had great fun. But I can't help but recognise the inconsistencies in the theme design, which detracts from my enjoyment somewhat.

[Inferno]

I love the Swarm, but I know exactly what you mean about rider interaction. I think this applies to the Station as well, there's just no atmosphere in there. Really I would have liked that to have a closed roof.

this is especially disappointing considering they built the island from scratch and therefore had no physical limitations to overcome.

That's actually a very good point... It is actually a shame that the queue is so bland and boring, and the helicopter is in such an odd place, right out of the way. You could easily miss it if you weren't looking out for it... Also considering that they had a blank canvas to work with, the queueing/bagdrop/frontrow system is terrible.

It's very easy to sit here and complain though. Yeah it has it's down sides, but to be fair to them The Swarm is still amazing. We could pick fault with any ride if we tried hard enough.

I can't see the problem with this new billboard tbh. Yeah ok, a small building or part of the church would have been better, but hey, I'd rather have a Ferrari than my clapped out old Golf, but it achieves much the same thing, and is fit for purpose. I reckon the billboard could be the best near-miss on the entire ride. It will light up at night too, which will make the island look even more spectacular in the dark. Hopefully some of the lights will flicker as well.

[Mr. Fish]

It looks really good and I think its good that merlin are continuing to improve the swarm rather then just build it and leave it to rot

[Stokesyboy]

I actually really like this, I can't wait to see what it'll be like when riding it either, should be great for photo's aswell

[RideAddict]

Wow never thought id see the day people moan when the park are ADDING MORE theming to what is already the best themed ride in the park...

Yeah, I have to agree, I can see this billboard ruining the ride theming personally. It's not going to fit in very well unlike some of the other theming features.

I have no problem with the ride itself, and this new near miss will only improve the ride experience.

For me these near-misses don't really work, I feel quite far away from them!

[Ricky]

It will be the only near miss that actually engulfs you 360 degrees, I'm sure it will be good.

[holtjammy16]

Yeah, I have to agree, I can see this billboard ruining the ride theming personally. It's not going to fit in very well unlike some of the other theming features.

For me these near-misses don't really work, I feel quite far away from them!

Your post isn't agreeing with Marc at all You're doing exactly what he's pointing out.

I really don't see how a billboard with the track smashing through it will ruin the theming at all?

[Doc]

While the near miss could potentially be more interesting than a simple billboard, I'm just glad they are still investing in the ride. In a perfect world I think the apocalyptic theme would be far better executed on rough, uneven land with ditches and banks integrated into the ride and its themeing elements. Unfortunately due to lack of funds and/or inability to excavate the land, this couldn't happen. With this in mind, I think they have actually done a pretty good job with what they had.

Ideally yes, it could have been better in terms of the queue and themeing placement, but to be honest as somebody stated above, we could point faults at anything if we wanted to. It is still a ride that has had alot of time, money and effort poured into it.

On a side note. I think people are being slightly too picky. They are investing more themeing into the park and yet, there are still complaints. What's done is done.

[TPJames]

Guys on the topic of the billboard, does anyone know who has won the slogan competition yet?

[EC!]

You know with the red track rails on the promo image, if they actually repaint them red, but don't bother doing Colossus, nemesis inferno or even stealth I would be pied off because it doesn't need plus I wouldn't be surprised if they did this because why would they just put the red rails on for the sake of it?

[Ricky]

That wont happen, why on earth would they decide to paint it red!?

[EC!]

FOR THE SAKE OF IT ,probably like I said why would they do it in the promo if they weren't doing it in the actual ride ?? plus red is sinister and is the colour of blood and devastation

[JoshC.]

As I said earlier, it could well just be something that's occurred on the No Limits edition they have. It's not exactly a brilliant image, so don't read too much into it.

If they were to paint any rides at this stage, Swarm would be near the bottom of their list.

[ham22]

I went past today and nothing is red and nothing has been painted from what I could see

[RideAddict]

Your post isn't agreeing with Marc at all You're doing exactly what he's pointing out.

I really don't see how a billboard with the track smashing through it will ruin the theming at all?

The phrase "over-egging the pudding" comes to mind. The phonebox and ambulance additions fit in well and were a great addition. Or more like the finishing touches. This is just an add-on that won't look right, too much of these extras and Thorpe will ruin it and be counting their chickens.

Riders want some airtime!

[Ricky]

Riders want some airtime!

Erm, what? The ride isn't changing, a billboard will not affect the physics of the ride.

[JoshC.]

You are not at all wrong in thinking those things, but does any of that actually matter to the ride experience itself? The various vehicles lying about act as descriptive devices to superficially convey the 'destruction' theme, but they don't combine to give a strong overall impression. The connection between the intention and what was actually built is not apparent when at the park. And if a theme ever needs post hoc 'explanation' to make it effective, then you know there is inconsistency somewhere.

I guess this is where our opinions simply differ. I do feel they combine to give a strong overall impression; it is striking and a complete spectacle for the eye. The moment you walk onto the island, you're meant to think disaster - and that's exact what happens. As for the post hoc explanation, I do agree, but what I was saying about the church was more a possible explanation for those who want it. As amazing as it would be, every detail cannot be explained; people aren't going to have the experience ruined when they think 'Why a church?'.

Now I don't necessarily think the theming is weak: in my opinion the problem is down to the way the island is landscaped. It's a sparse, flat plaza, with the ride placed right on top of it, resulting in obtrusive safety nets and tall chain link fences obscuring guest interaction. The area was not designed from the perspective of the guest. Every item of theming was plonked somewhere behind a tall fence, or poorly integrated into the area as a whole (the airplane wing is supported by a conveniently located pile of dirt, for example). The opportunity to actually involve the audience/guests in the theme is missed in several places; this is especially disappointing considering they built the island from scratch and therefore had no physical limitations to overcome.

...

With the Swarm, features like the helicopter, inverted drop and the firetruck just don't fulfil their potential and seem strangely distant, stuck behind their fences. Likewise, the queueline is boring because of its poor landscaping. Remember when queues used to take you up a hill, through tunnels, down into deep pits and let you get great views of the ride as you walked through? The Swarm just contains you in the same flat area as you walk back and forth.

Whilst you're correct about the physical limitations (bar, of course, going underground), there's the unfortunate other limitation that comes into affect here - cost. I'd assume that creating hills and such is going to add to the cost, and it would seem that, in this case, they've gone for themed features than an intricate landscape. It's certainly something Thorpe needs to explore again; Colossus does achieve this to a degree, and that has a fairly surreal feel to it I find. The flat terrain is unfortunate, but I think the only thing which really suffers from it is the queue line.

As for the area being poorly integrated, I disagree. Whilst there is not a chance to intereact with the large themed items, I still feel a part of it all. When the fire effect goes off, it doesn't really matter where you are on the island, you feel a part of it. The inverted drop is a key highlight of the ride - by having it feel distant, it means that you feel the need to look at it in a way. If it's not distant, it is just sort of there, whereas the way it works is as something to look at, to keep you interested; it's the beginning of the end if you will and that needs to be poignant. The helicopter is unfortunate really; the origin plans did show a rickety jetty that would allow guests to go a lot closer to it, and not be behind a chain link fence. It would have been great for for turnaround as well. Unfortunately, it was taken out of the plans a few days before they were approved. Not quite sure why, but whatever the reason, it is a shame, as the chopper was designed and placed with that in mind. The plane wing on a pile of dirt doesn't bother me in the slightest - yes, I've noticed it and yes it's convenient, but it's just one of those things which I think is being a bit too pedantic to be honest.

.

I have no problem with the ride itself, and this new near miss will only improve the ride experience. I hope I'm not coming across as just another moaning enthusiast nerd who complains about everything. Really, when I actually rode The Swarm it left a big impression on me and I had great fun. But I can't help but recognise the inconsistencies in the theme design, which detracts from my enjoyment somewhat.

It seems as though you're a bit more of a nit pick than me. I'm not saying that in a bad way whatsoever; I do notice some of these inconsistencies as well, but they're just little issues in my mind which, whilst it would be great that they weren't there, won't bother me in the enjoyment of a ride. That's certainly a general case as well. Again, I guess it boils down to the difference in opinion of 'judging' rides.

[SteveJ]

Thank you for reading my whole post, and taking the time to respond. It's interesting to hear somebody else's point of view.

As amazing as it would be, every detail cannot be explained;

Good point, but a ride doesn't even have to be explainable to be amazing. What I like about a good ride is noticing more with visit, or being able to interpret a theme. Like Hex - there are always new subtleties to discover and the ending is left totally unexplained, but this works to its advantage. The more you think about Hex, the more interesting it becomes. Whereas with the Swarm, it has a good first impression but when you go into details you realise it doesn't have much more to offer.

The inverted drop is a key highlight of the ride - by having it feel distant, it means that you feel the need to look at it in a way. If it's not distant, it is just sort of there, whereas the way it works is as something to look at, to keep you interested;

I agree the inverted drop is visually impressive by its very nature. But it could be so much more of a spectacle if they tried. Again you could compare it to Oblivion - the vertical drop would still look cool wherever you put it, but by having it tower above you the impact greatly increases, dominating the area like an enormous monolith whose view is inescapable wherever you are in X Sector. The Swarm's first drop is not presented with any such drama, though it is unfortunate that Depth Charge's mouldy submarine obstructs the view as you approach. At least they partially built it over a pond instead of just a dirt floor, and it is still an exciting element when you are actually riding.

Also, interesting to hear about the helicopter. That was one of my favourite things from the plans, and I admit I was a bit disappointed to see how it turned out. This may be improved when they connect the second island, as it would allow you to see it from a different angle.

I do notice some of these inconsistencies as well, but they're just little issues in my mind which, whilst it would be great that they weren't there, won't bother me in the enjoyment of a ride.

I agree completely. I still think The Swarm is great and when I am actually riding these issues don't bother me at all. I just feel in retrospect that it could have been more amazing if they tried, hence it detracts from my potential enjoyment. I only bring it up because people often say how brilliant its theming is and I don't see that. Maybe they are excited just because the Swarm has theming, after a decade of Thorpe Park lacking in that department.

Within a few years I think the novelty will wear off, and The Swarm will settle in as just another ride at Thorpe Park (though one of the better ones!), rather than the amazing world-class experience some people suggest it is. But anyway, thank you Thorpe Park for giving us The Swarm, it's a very good ride.

[Pickles]

The novelty will wear off no matter what gimmick the ride has. It becomes familiarity,