JoshC. Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 45 minutes ago, StevenVig said: Guarantee the fire will be broken on opening day Quoting this so we can bathe in Steven's wrongness in a little over 3 weeks' time. Kerfuffle, Ringo and PJ. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 https://twitter.com/attractionimage/status/966708790304395269?s=20 A photo of staff on ride has been leaked by Jack Gater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Doubt he'll be working for Towers much longer... The pre-show has been making the rounds (a verbal description, not a vid/pics), all seems a bit of an attempt to give it a story or something... Certainly going to have to be something to judge upon viewing (but it has to beat Baron 1898)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDan Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Doubt he'll be working for Towers much longer... The pre-show has been making the rounds (a verbal description, not a vid/pics), all seems a bit of an attempt to give it a story or something... Certainly going to have to be something to judge upon viewing (but it has to beat Baron 1898)... I sense you are pretty negative about this. Even if the coaster isn't the be all and end all, what is evident is the theming/experience element of this ride appears a step up from previous MMM installations. Whether it compares to Baron or not - which thematically it's not likely too. But ride wise, I would hope so... Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 I get the feeling this will surprise a few - seems it was written off pretty early on in its construction, but as each update has come out its looked better and better. It’s not likely to be the best coaster at towers, but looks very well themed and will be a good edition to the lineup. Glitch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 54 minutes ago, AstroDan said: I sense you are pretty negative about this. Even if the coaster isn't the be all and end all, what is evident is the theming/experience element of this ride appears a step up from previous MMM installations. Whether it compares to Baron or not - which thematically it's not likely too. But ride wise, I would hope so... Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Problem is we've seen it time and again with Merlin's attempts of theming/experience attractions, and I speak as someone who likes Sub Terra... There's always that ONE mis-step made that stops them from being that high quality they do strive to be... I've still not bothered with DBGT, but that it itself has been high evidence of the difference between theory and practical in terms of experience attractions... Given rides a story for the sake of having a story does not work, bigger parks than Merlin have buggered that one up enough times... And tbh I don't think being to the level of Baron 1898's pre-show is actually that far beyond MMM; given that it is just well designed projection mapping, but the devil is in the details... Would Merlin add a little hatch that opens up when the ghosts appear, or have the physical scenery move when they fly off? As I say there's always that one step they miss that prevents them from going from good to great... Kerfuffle, JoshuaA and Ringo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDan Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Well it's Holovis doing the preshow, so let us live in hope. Scruffy Dog, Universal Rocks, a local craftsman, GCI - thankfully this isn't just MMM. So... we can hope it doesn't fall apart after 13 months. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 This is just my personal view but usually an immersive story can be there when multiple rides within a themed area basically tell the same story but from different perspectives. While I agree with preshows a lot, this can also be indicated through various references to the other attractions associated with the theme. Now this is all pretty hard to put into words I know, so I'll just point out that one of the best examples of an entire themed area telling one story is DLP's version of Frontierland. They literally took the Haunted Mansion and deliberately redesigned it with a Western theme purely for the purpose of storytelling. As a result, Big Thunder Mountain, Phantom Manor and the rest of the area all form together into one massive ghost story of the Ravenswood family and the rise and fall of Thunder Mesa - Big Thunder Mountain acting as the source of the wealth gained and Phantom Manor of course being the home of the mine's founder - Henry Ravenswood. I mean for god's sake, not many people know of the secret tunnel the miners used to remove gold from Big Thunder for themselves, knowing Henry Ravenswood was taking most of it. The entrance to this "tunnel" is apparently located in the gift shop. And wasn't one of the purposes of the BTM revamp so that it fits in with Phantom Manor a bit more? I haven't been to DLP since 2004 so I wouldn't know if Henry, being the owner of Big Thunder Mining Co, is mentioned somewhere on the ride, namely in the queueline. Even Phantom Manor has the obvious touches like Big Thunder Mountain looming over in one of the scenes, as well as some hidden ones such as, from what I've heard, a small portrait of Henry Ravenswood himself. It's the little hints Disney either hide away in a dark corner or even have right in front of your face that can really bring a story to life. So the question is, why can't Merlin do this? Or indeed when have they done this, even on a smaller scale? Well to answer this, let's just refer back to some past attractions. If we're only talking UK rides, Scorpion Express is probably the only Merlin development that has "story" written before you in big bold letters from the moment you enter the queue...in a real way. Given that the queue is littered with proclamations which CLEARLY narrate past events of Scorpion Valley right before you, as well as the Governor also telling the same story through a mock radio station, the story here is easy to understand and, through a kid's point of view, probably turns a simple mine train coaster into some kind of adventure. However, the missed opportunity here is one that lies only around the corner. While Rattlesnake doesn't exactly have a story (because let's face it, it takes 5 seconds to get the slightest image of the silver mine being abandoned due to the threat of a venomous snake in the tunnels), since Scorpion Express' opening, it's had a little potential for expansion. It's difficult to explain and put into action, but it's nothing more than a gut feeling that SE and Rattlesnake could become connected if the work was put ever in. Also while many others have been thinking the exact same thing for the past 7 years, I'll just say The Swarm could've easily been designed to fit in with Amity Cove. Tidal Wave's audio DOES include some nutter warning of the invasion of an alien race. Well considering Lez Cougan was also portrayed as a nutter, the buildup would've been similar, however with a completely different outcome. The Forbs anyone? Anyway, staying on the topic of Wicker Man, while we're obviously not 101% aware of the story it's going to tell, whether it has one or not, just out of opinion it's obvious the ride could've easily had a loose Pirate theme, ultimately giving much deeper meaning to Mutiny Bay as an area. References could've included something along the lines of a hostile mob of pirates arriving at the Bay in a torrent of cannonfire (*cough* Battle Galleons *cough*), various other past events transpire...and then the coaster would expand the story even further by moving onto present and future events of the story. Saying that, the theme for Wicker Man is still very interesting at the end of the day, I have nothing against it, and I am anticipating on how Towers are going to pull this off. pluk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert.W Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 PJ., onair and Marc 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 22 minutes ago, Robert.W said: Looks really good - one thing which is abit of a shame is the lack of evening openings till October- would be good for towers to experiment with some late nights in summer like thrope are again this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onair Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Can't deny it looks great. It's definately going to be a night coaster and one to ride in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 Thirteen V2.0 - Fire edition. JoshuaA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPGG Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 Reckon it's high risk planning a trip on the Sunday of opening weekend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 39 minutes ago, TPGG said: Reckon it's high risk planning a trip on the Sunday of opening weekend? If you mean in terms of whether it'll be open, I see no reason why it wouldn't be. Project seems to be on or ahead of schedule and could probably open to the public tomorrow if they wanted. Of course, still expect the odd teething problem as with any new thing, and expect it to be busy and swarming with enthusiasts. But I'd be very confident of you being able to go and ride it and enjoying a day at the park.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 Saturday is the day to avoid. Sunday should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 I am led to believe that there was a press / media event planned for this Wednesday for Wickerman, which would have included riding off the coasters, etc. However, due to the forecasted snow, this has now been postponed/cancelled. Presumably means the ride is literally ready to open in its complete form though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 2 hours ago, BaronC. said: Presumably means the ride is literally ready to open in its complete form though! Is the queue finished though? We don't want another Smiler moment now do we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 19 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said: Is the queue finished though? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Excellent. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be trudging on over to google images to make up for my unobservance... Anyway stupid question and sarcastic comment aside, I can safely say I'm hyped for when this opens! Hopefully Towers surprise me this year. (Bonus points for wishful thinking...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert.W Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Seabrook Crisps have revealed their new Wicker Man flavour, Fiery Woodsmoked BBQ! https://mobile.twitter.com/ministryofjoy/status/968161000263438336 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatever Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 4 hours ago, Robert.W said: Seabrook Crisps have revealed their new Wicker Man flavour, Fiery Woodsmoked BBQ! https://mobile.twitter.com/ministryofjoy/status/968161000263438336 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Lovely marketing stunt. Reminiscent of the Nemesis drink campaign. I like it; good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 On the topic of park branded snacks, It would be nice to see more premium original snacks and stuff like you can get at Universal and Disney. I don't mind paying a bit more for something unique as a treat. However I do mind having to pay more for bog standard snacks you can get in the supermarket like pringles and Cadbury's for example. Ryan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L7123456 Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 As expected, IMAscore have created the soundtrack for Wicker Man. https://www.imascore.com/imascore-produces-soundtrack-alton-towers-resorts-wicker-man Marhelorpe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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