TPJames Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 And the winner of the competition to come up with a slogan for the new billboard on THE SWARM is Kirk Armstrong with his slogan "WAR HAS EVOLVED." Congratulations Kirk!We received so many awesome entries it was hard to choose just one winner, but we hope you'll all visit THORPE PARK in 2013 and take on THE SWARM! Don't want to be rude or anything but I thought my slogan was better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Don't want to be rude or anything but I thought my slogan was better Well you would, obviously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jom222 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 What was your slogan?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Still think mine should have won: Put your hands down chav MattyMoo and Cornflakes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJames Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 What was your slogan?? I posted 9, however I really liked this one 'Challenge THE SWARM Before it REFORMS!' I thought that one was one of the best I posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 JoshC and pluk: I still regard it as 1 ride, but with 2 different experiences. After taking another look at the aerial photo from yesterday, I've only just noticed the lake by the helicopter has been drained. Bit of surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Why? No doubt after using lake water for 7 months that they would need to be cleaned from algae or something. If we want to go into technicality's Swarm will now offer 4 ride experiences: Front Left Back Left Front Right Back Right Or am I being pedantic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Maybe I'm just thinking about this in a stupid manner then. The way I see it, we have 5 major coasters - Colossus, Inferno, Stealth, Saw, Swarm. However, with Swarm, it's got forward rows and backwards rows - whilst it's the same track and the same ride, there's a lot of emphasis (naturally) on the backwards part, so much so that it's could well be seen as a 'different ride experience' in itself. If you wish to be pedantic, last season, Swarm offered plenty of different experiences - front, middle, back, each side, etc., but they weren't marketed any differently. This year, we have two differently marketed ride experiences on the same ride. Let's consider some theoretical situations. You have 1100 people the in queue, 300 odd want to go on the backwards rows, 800 odd want to go on the forwards one. All well and good - it should work out nicely that the 1100 people will all have gone on the ride in an hour, which is what the theoretical throughput would suggest. But then, say, 500 people want to go on the backwards rows, and only 600 forwards. Now what will happen? Are some people who want to go on the backwards rows going to have to change their mind, go forwards and leave themselves disappointed? Whichever way I look at it, I just can't see a nice and easy way that this will work out. It's just a huge headache of a situation. I can see guests leaving disappointed at not being able to experience backwards rows and it being a headache for for some staff members. I just hope I'm proven wrong... Adam P, pluk, holtjammy16 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Or am I being pedantic? Yes. Billboard is bulky, isn't it? So much so it doesn't actually look like a billboard! Well, not an English one, but then it probably wouldn't be safe having the coaster shoot through a massive but thin lump of plywood, as Gordon Kaye (obscure 80's reference) would agree. I can't decide how well it will work as a near miss though, the important thing being the section of track immediately before needs to twists on its axis, so when you are quite close the hole will look to be in the wrong place, there is a twist right before this but that levels out and I think this is a bit further down the track so it might be a bit of a non event. Hard to tell without actually riding. One thing is for certain though, looking at the amount of materials, work and equipment those pics show has been used the cost of instillation is not insignificant and that money would have been put to better use sorting absolutely anything else in the park. Anything. Stupid Thorpe. Grumpy pluk. SteveJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 The way I see it, we have 5 major coasters 6 - you forgot X:\. Why? No doubt after using lake water for 7 months that they would need to be cleaned from algae or something. If we want to go into technicality's Swarm will now offer 4 ride experiences: Front Left Back Left Front Right Back Right Or am I being pedantic? Kind of. The way I judge ride experiences does not take into account from where I sit - for me it's the same, with the only obvious difference being that if you sit at the back you feel the drag more (on all big coasters). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Kind of. The way I judge ride experiences does not take into account from where I sit - for me it's the same, with the only obvious difference being that if you sit at the back you feel the drag more (on all big coasters). Swarm and the B&M WingRiders are a different kettle of fish in regards to different experiences per seat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 If you mean that Swarm is so much smaller compared to others, then yes, I know what you mean, although I've never rode any other wingrider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Not what I meant at all... I meant that WingRiders do not conform to that whole "back against front" as 'normal', the two sides also provide a massive difference to ride experience as each one has it's own path and hence unique forces in comparison to the other... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 But regardless of front, back, left and right relatively subtle differences, most people who have sat in any one of the seats will consider they have ridden what is on offer. Turn some seats around though and forwards v's backwards is a whole world of different, and that is before they've gone and marketed it as such, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenC Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Throughput wise, from a guesstimate if they send 320 trains a day 2560 of them seats will be backwards whilst 6400 will be normal. I dont think thats a bad ratio atall, considering the amount of people who will not bother riding it backwards, wont want to etc. I'm glad there doing 2 rows and not the originally rumored 1, as I could see that being a nightmare! I agree with JoshC and pluk here. The way I see it is, people largely return to Merlin attractions because of the "new thing" for that season. Merlin's growth strategy has been built with this in mind (continual investment in new attractions, marketing heavily leading on the "new" big thing). The marketed "new thing" for last year was riding Swarm; for this year, it's riding Swarm backwards through a billboard. So, using Marc's guesstimates above, on a busy (15,000 guests) day: % guests that could ride the "new thing" in 2012 (Swarm) = 8,960 / 15,000 = 60% % guests that could ride the "new thing" in 2013 (Swarm Backwards) = 2,560 / 15,000 = 17% Methinks there could be some disappointed guests this season... (Billboard looks good though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJames Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 I think that people will be ver disappointed by THE SWARM- if you go backwards you are going to want to go on the very back row - people will be disappointed they have to go on second back and many people who want to go on back row will end up going forwards because the back row queue is too long. As far as I see it, thorpe will have to put up another queue time board especially for the back rows so when you get to the backwards queue area, there will be a display board telling you how much longer the wait to be to ride backwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holtjammy16 Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 I think the best thing to do to guarantee we get to sit at the very back will be to peg it to the ride as soon as the park opens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 It's MEANT to be the back two rows which are backwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 6 - you forgot X:\. I wouldn't exactly call X one of the park's major coasters at the moment. As far as I see it, thorpe will have to put up another queue time board especially for the back rows so when you get to the backwards queue area, there will be a display board telling you how much longer the wait to be to ride backwards... I think that could prove very difficult to achieve. I assume that, at best, the 'splitting area' for backwards anf forwards rows will be where the front row queue was (and the front row queue gets scrapped / moved inside the building, though I hope they just scrap it). So it's going to be difficult or not sigificant enough to justify doing. No doubt we'll just see a sign similar to front row queues saying 'Please be aware that the queue time for backwards rows will be long than that of forwards row'. I think the best thing to do to guarantee we get to sit at the very back will be to peg it to the ride as soon as the park opens. And if they haven't learnt from last season, they'd open it on one train and you'd still be waiting ages... holtjammy16 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Can I just say I don't think it will be as much an operational nightmare via statistics you posted earlier in the topics, it will be the exact same as a front row queue, lots of people want to ride the backwards row but it's up to them much the same as front row queue. Graeme 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 As above...exactly what I was going to post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Until Fastrack gets involved (which is likely, since they did front row fastrack)... And I get the feeling they'll still someone incorporate a front row queue... AND it still won't solve the poorly designed bag drop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 But it won't be similar to a front row queue system; the backwards rows are something new and different. The fact that the reason the park are (likely) doing this is because Swarm wasn't seen as thrilling enough and needed to become more thrilling means that they're reacting to public demand. It's like what Ben was saying, only a small percentage of people will get to try the 'new thing', leaving people disappointed. It's not like with other coasters, a year after they open, the park advertise 'NOW WITH ADDED FRONT ROW'. There's going to be a much bigger demand for these rows, and I fear it will be a logisitical nightmare for it to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideAddict Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 I meant that WingRiders do not conform to that whole "back against front" as 'normal', the two sides also provide a massive difference to ride experience as each one has it's own path and hence unique forces in comparison to the other... But regardless of front, back, left and right relatively subtle differences, most people who have sat in any one of the seats will consider they have ridden what is on offer. Turn some seats around though and forwards v's backwards is a whole world of different, and that is before they've gone and marketed it as such, OK, I see what you guys mean - in theory The Swarm or any other wingrider is one of very few types of coaster that can offer the widest selection of experiences, unlike Vampire, Colossus or Nemesis Inferno. At least that how's I see it, now I wait for someone to challenge that. 6 options here on The Swarm - I can't think of any more possibilities, but again feel free to challenge this: back left forwards back right forwards front left forwards front right forwards back left backwards back right backwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 It's not like with other coasters, a year after they open, the park advertise 'NOW WITH ADDED FRONT ROW'. There's going to be a much bigger demand for these rows, and I fear it will be a logistical nightmare for it to work. Yes, this is what I'm thinking. People 'treat' themselves to a front row if the wait doesn't look too long for them when they get to the split. If this is going to have the effect Thorpe hope then people are going to the park in the first place to get on one of those four seats. That is a very different thing indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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