Communicore Information

[lilredfoxie]

Does anyone have a map or remember how communicore was arranged?

I was very young when I went to WDW in 1993 and dont remember much of it if anything.

It seems like it was on multiple floors from Martin Smith's video of Backstage Magic, when they revamped it for Innoventions, what happened to the second floor, did they just remove it, and what about the theater for Backstage magic, was that just torn out?

I also could have sworn there were Sega arcade macine in Innoventions a while back, im guessing they bit the dust a long time ago as well.

Also, what was in that mystery hallway by the Nestle sponsered cafe thing and Epcot Character connection back in the Communicore days?

One more thing, over by Journey into Imagination, what was there before they made the figment character greeting room

 

[ag2000]

Does anyone have a map or remember how communicore was arranged?

I was very young when I went to WDW in 1993 and dont remember much of it if anything.

It seems like it was on multiple floors from Martin Smith's video of Backstage Magic, when they revamped it for Innoventions, what happened to the second floor, did they just remove it, and what about the theater for Backstage magic, was that just torn out?

I also could have sworn there were Sega arcade macine in Innoventions a while back, im guessing they bit the dust a long time ago as well.

Also, what was in that mystery hallway by the Nestle sponsered cafe thing and Epcot Character connection back in the Communicore days?

One more thing, over by Journey into Imagination, what was there before they made the figment character greeting room

the first time i went to wdw in 1995 i remember sega genesis and 32x systems set up all over. i can remember my parents saying we didnt come all the way here to play video games!

 

[maelstrom]

I wanna know too!

 

[Xadllas]

The area in which Backstage Magic was used is still there but its not used by Innoventions today. The second floor, I think they tore it out with some of it still there but the walk ways/stairs removed. The Backsatge Magic computer central is the large outreach in front of UoE. Not all official info but thats what I've found. As for the Sega game demos they were removed around 96-98. There was a Kodak store in the space where Figment's Place is now. The hallway I believe had the Expo-Robotics show and later in 94-95 had the Imgineering Labs: Disney Vision Adventure which you can find the finished version at Disney Quest.

 

[marni1971]

lilredfoxie, so you`ve seen my vid :wave:

Communicore only had 2 upper floors - the mezzanines (on 2 different levels) in Centorium, and the viewing balcony / backstage/VIP lounge in Computer Central. There was a story of an upper level in the Stargate Restaurant but it`s not on the original plans. The Electronic Forum had an upper level for projection equipment, and there were also catwalks/service corridors all over the building (guess there still are) Centoriums upper level was ripped out for Mouse Gear, and as posted above Backstage Magic could still be there (the area anyway - it was part of DACS and had no reason to be removed. Of course, onstage access (ramp, stairs and escalator) are long gone.

The layouts in my video are based directly from guidemaps etc. so are faithful to how the buildings were laid out. Innoventions totally changed the traffic pattern of the buildings; what were guest corridors and access areas are now exhibition space. Even the external doors mostly changed position. Also, the NW section was extended for Innoventions; as per the original specs for outward expansion - during the Communicore era this was a grassed area.

 

[Horizons1]

The Sega area, which opened with Innoventios in July '94, covered a large part of Innoventions West. From opening to about '97 or '98, it had the Genesis, Game Gear, Saturn, 32X, CD, and Pico. The games were switched around and updated from time to time. There were also 8 F-1 Cart Racing cabinets hooked up in the back (think Daytona USA). You could also order Sega merchandise in Innoventions.

Then about '98, Sega now had the Dreamcast coming and had a huge preview section. Whenever they started getting Innovetions ready for the Millenium Celebration, the whole Sega section was scaled back immensely and only a small section was left in the very back of Innoventions West, which had playable Dreamcasts with several launch titles from Japan. Sometime in
'99, that little area was closed down and it was transformed into the Videogames of Tomorrow for The Road to Tomorrow (Innoventions then and current theme). It was pretty much the same thing as when Sega first started out in Innoventions, a whole area with games to play, only smaller and more compact. You could just play regular games, you could play people online over Seganet, or you could watch demonstrations of the Dreamcast hardware on the monitors overhead.

Sega's contract ran out in 2001 and with them falling out of the console race and becoming a third party developer, there was no need for them to continue their exhibit at Innoventions. So, sadly, sometime toward the end of 2001, the Videogames of Tomorrow section closed up and gone was Sega from Innoventions after 7 years of showcasing there.

After Sega left, the Videogames of Tomorrow section became an area for Disney Interactive. It had various systems with Disney titles hooked up. Then sometime, the whole area closed down again but didn't come back as a gaming area. Its now Rockin' Robots, it is something to do with robots making music (Im not sure on what it really is, it never really got my attention).

There are still videogames in Innoventions, but all they are now are Disney movie games (Finding Nemo, Cars, etc). Its a small section against the back wall, kinda boring actually.

 

[marni1971]

I never got to see the Sega section myself, but my father got a lot on video from January `95. It`s in my Spaceship Earth `94 / Innoventions video (as are both versions of Global Neighborhood; theres also a panorama of each in my WDWMagic photo album)

Here`s the original layout of Innoventions 1994; Sega actually had 4 stands in the Northwest Building - B7 on the left, halfway up.

 

[cmatt]

i loved the sega stuff! from what i can remember i ran away from mumsie and got onto a megadrive - only to be pulled off kicking and screaming (this was in sept 1994)

the innoventions today rocks also however i took great delight in beating mrs cmatt on the robot racing.

Allthough a (slight) topic drift... in the house of tomorrow does anyone know what speaker system they use which is sunk into the wall...?

i also liked the media centre setup - which i incorporated when i got home (well not as such - just an xbox360)

 

[maelstrom]

Now I need to watch Marni's Communicore video again. Do I watch it before or after Horizons? Hmm, decisions, decisions.

I had to get a 250gb external hard drive to keep all these videos on, you know!

 

[cmatt]

Now I need to watch Marni's Communicore video again. Do I watch it before or after Horizons? Hmm, decisions, decisions.

I had to get a 250gb external hard drive to keep all these videos on, you know!

heh im tempted too - i remember those pedal cycle things (im not too sure where they were located mind you?) that let yuo cycle through magic kingdom at variable speeds..... and some baseball thing - but lets just say i prefer cricket :lookaroun

 

[hrcollectibles]

I miss communicore

 

[Horizons1]

I never got to see the Sega section myself, but my father got a lot on video from January `95. It`s in my Spaceship Earth `94 / Innoventions video (as are both versions of Global Neighborhood; theres also a panorama of each in my WDWMagic photo album)

Here`s the original layout of Innoventions 1994; Sega actually had 4 stands in the Northwest Building - B7 on the left, halfway up.

I'll have to check it out. Odd but I dont think I've ever seen your SE '94/Innoventions video.

Good map, I hadn't realized Sega took up almost the entire left side of the NW building.

 

[Skippy]

heh im tempted too - i remember those pedal cycle things (im not too sure where they were located mind you?) that let yuo cycle through magic kingdom at variable speeds..... and some baseball thing - but lets just say i prefer cricket :lookaroun

Are you thinking of the Wonder Cycles in Wonders of Life, which unfortunately did no open with the pavillion this year?

 

[the-reason14]

This is kinda off topic, but its still a question regarding innoventions. Did the doors on the side ever open for easy entry/exit. You know the ones under the shed thingy kinda by mousegears and that electric umbrella restuarant.

 

[lilredfoxie]

lilredfoxie, so you`ve seen my vid :wave:

Communicore only had 2 upper floors - the mezzanines (on 2 different levels) in Centorium, and the viewing balcony / backstage/VIP lounge in Computer Central. There was a story of an upper level in the Stargate Restaurant but it`s not on the original plans. The Electronic Forum had an upper level for projection equipment, and there were also catwalks/service corridors all over the building (guess there still are) Centoriums upper level was ripped out for Mouse Gear, and as posted above Backstage Magic could still be there (the area anyway - it was part of DACS and had no reason to be removed. Of course, onstage access (ramp, stairs and escalator) are long gone.

The layouts in my video are based directly from guidemaps etc. so are faithful to how the buildings were laid out. Innoventions totally changed the traffic pattern of the buildings; what were guest corridors and access areas are now exhibition space. Even the external doors mostly changed position. Also, the NW section was extended for Innoventions; as per the original specs for outward expansion - during the Communicore era this was a grassed area.

Yea I have quite a few of your videos, they bring back so many memories, Ive only really seen the 'classic' epcot once that I can remember, and that was in 1993, watching some of your videos I was like, oh yea I remember that, especially with World of Motion and Horizons, which I only remembered very little from. Its a shame they couldnt have kept that computer central thing in Innoventions, perhaps updated it with more modern computer things because Innoventions badly needs some sort of show based thing, currently its just a crowded post-show type of area, from what Ive seen in your video (since I dont remember Communicore at all from when I was there in 93) it seemed like there was actually a good variety of things to see and do there.

 

[cmatt]

Are you thinking of the Wonder Cycles in Wonders of Life, which unfortunately did no open with the pavillion this year?

thats the one!

 

[hiroaki]

in regards to the "sega" games, I have an old planner tape from '96 that makes a rather big deal about the "new innoventions plaza in the E.P.C.O.T. center" and the "Sega entertainment center with too many sonic games to count, says a young guest" and is really quite amusing, but it makes me long to return to the parks and for the 1990s of my youth. In conclusion, Yes, there were a whole ship (ha! you can't bleep me!) load of sega games in communicore back in the day.....

*sigh* i miss the good ol' days............

 

[marni1971]

The SEGA area of Innoventions was huge... it seemed wherever you looked you`d see full size, full motion arcade racing units hooked up in rows, sega signs, Sonic the Hedgehog.... I only hope they had OutRun somewhere

 

[hiroaki]

The SEGA area of Innoventions was huge... it seemed wherever you looked you`d see full size, full motion arcade racing units hooked up in rows, sega signs, Sonic the Hedgehog.... I only hope they had OutRun somewhere

oyea! they had outrun. that game r0x0r'd!!!!!

 

[v_misses_epcot]

Ah, it makes me happy that wdwmagic is talking about innoventions. A lot of adults don't like it much but it's all about the children and the children LOVE IT!! I enjoy innoventions so much I'm going to miss it. The second floor is still there and the computer area where they'd show guest is now a hallway I pass every single day for the last 8 months. The "Exit" Sign is still even there.

This is kinda off topic, but its still a question regarding innoventions. Did the doors on the side ever open for easy entry/exit. You know the ones under the shed thingy kinda by mousegears and that electric umbrella restuarant.

Those little doors lead to our backstage. =D They're very helpful when I need to run down to the restroom. XD! Or did rather u_u since yesterday was my last day of work.


LilRedFoxie: Innoventions is in no dire need of a show-based thing. We already have shows. Innoventions already has Fantastic Plastics, House of Innnoventions, Where's the Fire? Play it Safe, Segway Central and The Great American Pizza Game are all shows. =D

And to answer your question CMATT:

Allthough a (slight) topic drift... in the house of tomorrow does anyone know what speaker system they use which is sunk into the wall...?


http://www.soliddrive.com/ are the speakers you're looking for.