-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Dark PerGron’s Manor of Mysteries [Game Thread] {Finished}
- Thread starter PerGron
- Start date
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
Well that removes all doubt--Bigfoot exists! I like your ride vehicle choice (I'm surprised those haven't been used before). You put in a good effort to try and steal 1st place individually this week!
Dark PerGron’s Reviews
Alright, so I’ll be honest with you all, this round had me worried about both teams. After a ton of participation in the last round, both teams dropped to very low activity due to various things. Obviously real life comes first, so we ask all teams to be respectful of one another and be patient as well with both your teammates and the judging team. With all that being said, this wasn’t an easy round, especially for our newer players. We’ve been doing a lot of lands where everybody has their own piece, so the challenge of all working together on a single attraction was definitely daunting and I can see that for a lot of people. However, I love these challenges where it makes everyone step out of their comfort zone, so just remember that going forward. Prepare for anything and everything!
Now, please don’t take this critique seriously at all, I just had to say it… I offered y’all any and all legends and myths and we went Greek Mythology and Arthurian Legend? That’s like doing Disney and Universal for a Blue Sky park… Oh wait. No, but seriously, I loved the brainstorming and wish you all had selected something a little bit more out there, but c’est la vie. You all at least picked more interesting stories from your respective decisions, but again, don’t be afraid to get weird with it.
With all that said…
Team Lore- Quest of the Questing Beast
First off, I absolutely love the name. The redundancy adds to the humor and I definitely feel like its something SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment would implement into their parks. I also think Busch Gardens Williamsburg was an inspired choice, especially with their focus on European lands. Choosing the Questing Beast as the main focus of the attraction is also an inspired choice when it comes to Arthurian Legend. While clearly just a bastardization of a giraffe, the Questing Beast is a formidable creature in English legend and one that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the modern day.
I appreciate the inclusion of Camelot as a surrounding area and I also appreciated that they didn’t detract from the overall point of the project being the attraction. Supplemental material is always great and helps flesh out a project, but it’s also easy to get bogged down in all of the extra stuff that the main focus of the project falls by the wayside. That is not the case here, instead we get a single restaurant, a few small shops, and some entertainment. King’s Hall sounds like a scaled down Medieval Times and I absolutely appreciate that. The entertainment also deserves a mention as I found the inclusion interesting and helped to flesh out the mini land.
I also appreciate the simplicity of the queue. When we do Disney or Universal projects, there’s that temptation to put in a ton of pre-shows and details and animatronics and whatever else, so the simple sets and beautiful gardens were nice here. When it comes to ride system and layout, it was in the Star Wars project for Team Legend where @JokersWild mentioned that a unique ride system isn’t always necessary, but this project made great use of a unique ride system. I’m not really a coaster person and I’m definitely not a water ride person, but the pure intrigue of this ride system would have me in line just to see what it’s all about.
Now, jumping into the attraction, I think it pretty faithfully tells the story of the Questing Beast and that is to be commended. When I first read through the attraction, I did find it a little bit story-heavy with a lot of characters and moments that could probably be cut, but upon my second read-through, that list definitely dwindled down to just a few scenes that were maybe a bit much, like seeing The Lady in the Lake. That just felt like you were trying to insert a bit more into the attraction than was really necessary, but honestly, upon reading it for these reviews, I didn’t feel that way, I think it just added to the attraction.
I would absolutely love to see this Questing Beast animatronic and I loved your interpretation of the creature as huge and dangerous; it feels very Roaring Rapids. My only real concern here is kind of a nitpick but I did think about it a lot. I know in the story the beast is killed, and I know it was a heroic moment in this attraction for Arthur, but something about a Busch Gardens park, a park owned by SeaWorld and who houses animals, killing the creature as blatantly as the cutout being sliced in half, it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t really know how I would’ve changed it, but I do think taking some creative liberties like maybe having Excalibur’s magic cleanse the creature instead of killing it? The ending does a good job of bringing it back with the creature that would become the beast being safe and whatnot, so maybe it’s just me, but that segment being so blatant just didn’t sit right with me. It’s kind of like other rides with scary monsters like the Yeti on Everest or Carnotaurus (though I guess it does die immediately after…) where they are escaped but not blatantly killed by the riders or main characters. I guess I’m just finding issues with death this season lol.
A final thing I must commend you on is the artwork. Obviously @MonorailRed is incredibly talented, but the picture of the Questing Beast is genuinely phenomenal and I gasped when I first saw it. I also think that you all did a great job including solid reference images as well, beyond the original artwork. Thanks for not making it all blocky text!
I think, in the end, you guys created a completely safe attraction, one that was done well and realistic, but I could tell there wasn’t a ton of passion behind it. You all seemed more or less disinterested in the concept once it was decided and did it because it’s what you chose over wanting to really explore this idea. It created a solid attraction that lacked the love and care behind it I know this team can provide.
Team Legend- The Labyrinth
There’s only one Labyrinth that matters to me…
Anyway, Team Legend was definitely the team I was most worried about this round, as were members of the team themselves. While we were definitely in rocky waters there for a bit, you guys pulled this one out and should be super proud of the work you all did. Sometimes a 48-hour hail mary is all it takes to crank out a great project!
Lore-wise, ironically, I think you guys provided more lore than Team Lore did. I am not super familiar with the Labyrinth beyond like the minotaur lives there. I never had my Greek Mythology phase that all the other kids got in middle school, I was stuck in Ancient Egypt personally, so having the refresher at the beginning was nice. Including a Greek-based attraction in Mediterranean Harbor is fine and makes sense, but I found it kind of funny you all brought up specifically that the land was Italy based and that Italy was once Rome, neither of which are Greece haha.
While I do think it made the most sense to do a walkthrough labyrinth, I do think you guys got a little too big for your britches. Three separate sections with bonus subsections and chambers and all of the setpieces just felt like… a lot. This reminds me a lot of the Nifty Fifties project of a lot of ideas just being tossed in despite it being pretty unrealistic when it comes down to it. I totally respect that you all took the idea of the labyrinth and really really ran with it, to the point I fully imagine just doing this attraction would take a full day at Tokyo DisneySea. I know we say get weird with it, and we do mean it, but at the end of the day, I struggled to wrap my head around a lot of this stuff. Had it just been cut down to one of the three sections, it would’ve made more sense. Or hell, it could’ve been a dark ride going through some of the sections and playing around with the ideas you had without cramming it all into a walkthrough.
What I did love here was taking the changing walls idea from Behind the Attraction. When he said that, I definitely thought of how it could be used and I think these elements being added to ONE of these sections and calling that the attraction would’ve been brilliant. However, adding those plus the numerous separate experiences, a full bar, and everything else you all put in here, it added just too much. A great addition that you should be proud of, but maybe a bit too much.
While I appreciated your originality, and I mean it, I really do, I think it just ended up being too much when it came to what you all did. Remember, this was one attraction done by the whole team, I feel like you all tried to all do your own attractions and skate by calling it a single walkthrough. This round was about teamwork and coming together to create a single piece and I don’t really think you guys did that. The single elements worked really well, but you all just didn’t coalesce like I was hoping to see and left sort of a befuddled mess of an attraction.
Picking a winner will definitely be a challenge this round, not because either attractions were bad, they weren’t, but they were both totally and entirely different in tone and in execution. One was safe and seemingly done out of necessity more than love, the other was seemingly done out of love, but was a lot and confusing and unrealistic. Either way it goes…
Uh, hold on. Something’s at the door. What is it? It’s… It’s the project I forgot to review before posting!
Team AceAstro- Finding the Legend: A Bigfoot Adventure
I almost posted my review without doing this one so I have to fix that. This was a bonus challenge issued solely to AceAstro due to some sort of infliction from something or other. Anyway, this was a phenomenal attraction! The idea of making a Ride and Go Seek type attraction with Bigfoot is next-level and I’m genuinely super impressed by what was done here.
Not specifying where this attraction was going to go is definitely a choice, but it’s not one I disliked. Fitting this into one specific park wasn’t necessary and I liked how rather than doing the placemaking with that, you just jumped into the ride. It’s a simple choice that made it so the do’s and don’t involved with a specific park isn’t necessary to be included.
This is a simple ride, and I mean a really simple ride. But sometimes simple is the way to go, and on a solo project, it usually just makes the most sense. I think the story-based work here was fun and I enjoyed the jokes and humor, especially the end with the repeated blurry bigfoot photos. I was hoping that’s how the ride was going to end and I was absolutely not disappointed. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a successful attraction, sometimes all it takes is a simple dark ride with a compelling element.
Oh, and a top notch presentation. I’m glad I waited to do this presentation on my computer rather than on mobile because it added a ton to the experience. I don’t know how you did it as I’m very technologically illiterate, but I’ll tell you, I was damn impressed by this (probably simple) addition to plus up your attraction.
Great job with this attraction and great job taking it in stride!
Alright, now I’m done. @JokersWild and I have confided already, just waiting on @mickeyfan5534 so we can finish our judgements and get results to you. Even if the results aren’t out tonight, you will be getting the next prompt soon. Great job everyone!
Alright, so I’ll be honest with you all, this round had me worried about both teams. After a ton of participation in the last round, both teams dropped to very low activity due to various things. Obviously real life comes first, so we ask all teams to be respectful of one another and be patient as well with both your teammates and the judging team. With all that being said, this wasn’t an easy round, especially for our newer players. We’ve been doing a lot of lands where everybody has their own piece, so the challenge of all working together on a single attraction was definitely daunting and I can see that for a lot of people. However, I love these challenges where it makes everyone step out of their comfort zone, so just remember that going forward. Prepare for anything and everything!
Now, please don’t take this critique seriously at all, I just had to say it… I offered y’all any and all legends and myths and we went Greek Mythology and Arthurian Legend? That’s like doing Disney and Universal for a Blue Sky park… Oh wait. No, but seriously, I loved the brainstorming and wish you all had selected something a little bit more out there, but c’est la vie. You all at least picked more interesting stories from your respective decisions, but again, don’t be afraid to get weird with it.
With all that said…
Team Lore- Quest of the Questing Beast
First off, I absolutely love the name. The redundancy adds to the humor and I definitely feel like its something SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment would implement into their parks. I also think Busch Gardens Williamsburg was an inspired choice, especially with their focus on European lands. Choosing the Questing Beast as the main focus of the attraction is also an inspired choice when it comes to Arthurian Legend. While clearly just a bastardization of a giraffe, the Questing Beast is a formidable creature in English legend and one that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the modern day.
I appreciate the inclusion of Camelot as a surrounding area and I also appreciated that they didn’t detract from the overall point of the project being the attraction. Supplemental material is always great and helps flesh out a project, but it’s also easy to get bogged down in all of the extra stuff that the main focus of the project falls by the wayside. That is not the case here, instead we get a single restaurant, a few small shops, and some entertainment. King’s Hall sounds like a scaled down Medieval Times and I absolutely appreciate that. The entertainment also deserves a mention as I found the inclusion interesting and helped to flesh out the mini land.
I also appreciate the simplicity of the queue. When we do Disney or Universal projects, there’s that temptation to put in a ton of pre-shows and details and animatronics and whatever else, so the simple sets and beautiful gardens were nice here. When it comes to ride system and layout, it was in the Star Wars project for Team Legend where @JokersWild mentioned that a unique ride system isn’t always necessary, but this project made great use of a unique ride system. I’m not really a coaster person and I’m definitely not a water ride person, but the pure intrigue of this ride system would have me in line just to see what it’s all about.
Now, jumping into the attraction, I think it pretty faithfully tells the story of the Questing Beast and that is to be commended. When I first read through the attraction, I did find it a little bit story-heavy with a lot of characters and moments that could probably be cut, but upon my second read-through, that list definitely dwindled down to just a few scenes that were maybe a bit much, like seeing The Lady in the Lake. That just felt like you were trying to insert a bit more into the attraction than was really necessary, but honestly, upon reading it for these reviews, I didn’t feel that way, I think it just added to the attraction.
I would absolutely love to see this Questing Beast animatronic and I loved your interpretation of the creature as huge and dangerous; it feels very Roaring Rapids. My only real concern here is kind of a nitpick but I did think about it a lot. I know in the story the beast is killed, and I know it was a heroic moment in this attraction for Arthur, but something about a Busch Gardens park, a park owned by SeaWorld and who houses animals, killing the creature as blatantly as the cutout being sliced in half, it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t really know how I would’ve changed it, but I do think taking some creative liberties like maybe having Excalibur’s magic cleanse the creature instead of killing it? The ending does a good job of bringing it back with the creature that would become the beast being safe and whatnot, so maybe it’s just me, but that segment being so blatant just didn’t sit right with me. It’s kind of like other rides with scary monsters like the Yeti on Everest or Carnotaurus (though I guess it does die immediately after…) where they are escaped but not blatantly killed by the riders or main characters. I guess I’m just finding issues with death this season lol.
A final thing I must commend you on is the artwork. Obviously @MonorailRed is incredibly talented, but the picture of the Questing Beast is genuinely phenomenal and I gasped when I first saw it. I also think that you all did a great job including solid reference images as well, beyond the original artwork. Thanks for not making it all blocky text!
I think, in the end, you guys created a completely safe attraction, one that was done well and realistic, but I could tell there wasn’t a ton of passion behind it. You all seemed more or less disinterested in the concept once it was decided and did it because it’s what you chose over wanting to really explore this idea. It created a solid attraction that lacked the love and care behind it I know this team can provide.
Team Legend- The Labyrinth
There’s only one Labyrinth that matters to me…
Anyway, Team Legend was definitely the team I was most worried about this round, as were members of the team themselves. While we were definitely in rocky waters there for a bit, you guys pulled this one out and should be super proud of the work you all did. Sometimes a 48-hour hail mary is all it takes to crank out a great project!
Lore-wise, ironically, I think you guys provided more lore than Team Lore did. I am not super familiar with the Labyrinth beyond like the minotaur lives there. I never had my Greek Mythology phase that all the other kids got in middle school, I was stuck in Ancient Egypt personally, so having the refresher at the beginning was nice. Including a Greek-based attraction in Mediterranean Harbor is fine and makes sense, but I found it kind of funny you all brought up specifically that the land was Italy based and that Italy was once Rome, neither of which are Greece haha.
While I do think it made the most sense to do a walkthrough labyrinth, I do think you guys got a little too big for your britches. Three separate sections with bonus subsections and chambers and all of the setpieces just felt like… a lot. This reminds me a lot of the Nifty Fifties project of a lot of ideas just being tossed in despite it being pretty unrealistic when it comes down to it. I totally respect that you all took the idea of the labyrinth and really really ran with it, to the point I fully imagine just doing this attraction would take a full day at Tokyo DisneySea. I know we say get weird with it, and we do mean it, but at the end of the day, I struggled to wrap my head around a lot of this stuff. Had it just been cut down to one of the three sections, it would’ve made more sense. Or hell, it could’ve been a dark ride going through some of the sections and playing around with the ideas you had without cramming it all into a walkthrough.
What I did love here was taking the changing walls idea from Behind the Attraction. When he said that, I definitely thought of how it could be used and I think these elements being added to ONE of these sections and calling that the attraction would’ve been brilliant. However, adding those plus the numerous separate experiences, a full bar, and everything else you all put in here, it added just too much. A great addition that you should be proud of, but maybe a bit too much.
While I appreciated your originality, and I mean it, I really do, I think it just ended up being too much when it came to what you all did. Remember, this was one attraction done by the whole team, I feel like you all tried to all do your own attractions and skate by calling it a single walkthrough. This round was about teamwork and coming together to create a single piece and I don’t really think you guys did that. The single elements worked really well, but you all just didn’t coalesce like I was hoping to see and left sort of a befuddled mess of an attraction.
Picking a winner will definitely be a challenge this round, not because either attractions were bad, they weren’t, but they were both totally and entirely different in tone and in execution. One was safe and seemingly done out of necessity more than love, the other was seemingly done out of love, but was a lot and confusing and unrealistic. Either way it goes…
Uh, hold on. Something’s at the door. What is it? It’s… It’s the project I forgot to review before posting!
Team AceAstro- Finding the Legend: A Bigfoot Adventure
I almost posted my review without doing this one so I have to fix that. This was a bonus challenge issued solely to AceAstro due to some sort of infliction from something or other. Anyway, this was a phenomenal attraction! The idea of making a Ride and Go Seek type attraction with Bigfoot is next-level and I’m genuinely super impressed by what was done here.
Not specifying where this attraction was going to go is definitely a choice, but it’s not one I disliked. Fitting this into one specific park wasn’t necessary and I liked how rather than doing the placemaking with that, you just jumped into the ride. It’s a simple choice that made it so the do’s and don’t involved with a specific park isn’t necessary to be included.
This is a simple ride, and I mean a really simple ride. But sometimes simple is the way to go, and on a solo project, it usually just makes the most sense. I think the story-based work here was fun and I enjoyed the jokes and humor, especially the end with the repeated blurry bigfoot photos. I was hoping that’s how the ride was going to end and I was absolutely not disappointed. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a successful attraction, sometimes all it takes is a simple dark ride with a compelling element.
Oh, and a top notch presentation. I’m glad I waited to do this presentation on my computer rather than on mobile because it added a ton to the experience. I don’t know how you did it as I’m very technologically illiterate, but I’ll tell you, I was damn impressed by this (probably simple) addition to plus up your attraction.
Great job with this attraction and great job taking it in stride!
Alright, now I’m done. @JokersWild and I have confided already, just waiting on @mickeyfan5534 so we can finish our judgements and get results to you. Even if the results aren’t out tonight, you will be getting the next prompt soon. Great job everyone!
While we await the next project and the results, I wanted to reveal a decision that we made based on this round's activity and goings on. We have decided to make a minor team swap.
@Chaos Cat will be leaving Team Legend and going to Team Lore
@OSUPhantom will be leaving Team Lore and joining Team Legend
@Chaos Cat will be leaving Team Legend and going to Team Lore
@OSUPhantom will be leaving Team Lore and joining Team Legend
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Two- we cut it since we only had three members actively working. Our presentation kind of jumbled our idea- it was really only on the scale of Alice in Paris- two sections, one easy, one hard, thirty minute run, (and a interactive mode for die hard fans) with a post attraction “castle” with views and interactions rewarded for the journey. I guess that didn’t pull through with readers
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
I’m just going to post the completed Legend of the Wendigo here in keeping with Challenge 4’s theme. Hope you enjoy it, including the custom concept art I did!
The Legend Of The Wendigo
A Trackless Dark Ride By Cdunlap Based On The Mythology Of The Algonquian Tribes Of North America:
Guests enter a longhouse located to the left of The Haunted Mansion belonging to a local Algonquian tribe. Behind the longhouse is a forest of pine. (In actuality, this serves to hide the show building.)
Guests queue through the longhouse as a loop of traditional Algonquian music plays. Guests load their vehicles, themed to look like they’re made of birch bark or buckskin, in a dark forest as the Algonquian tribe’s medicine man delivers the safety spiel, “Kwe-kwe and welcome to the land of my people, the Algonquians. I am the medicine man and I shall be your guide through these woods. We ask that you keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times. We also ask that all parents watch their children. Finally, beware of the Wendigo. It is greed and corruption incarnate and it hungers eternally for human flesh. The Wendigo attacks any who call its name. A man can transform into a Wendigo if they get too greedy.” With this warning out of the way, the vehicles slowly glide into the first show scene, a dark forest filled with hooting owls, considered omens of death in many Native American cultures including the Algonquian cultures. The medicine man says, “The owls are here, so death must be near!” The vehicles spin and run through this forest.
The next scene is the Algonquian’s village, where the Medicine Man can be seen performing a ritual in a wigwam located besides a few longhouses.
The next scene is the first encounter with the Wendigo. The medicine man says, “Oh no! I sense corruption, greed, and a hunger for human flesh. The Wendigo is near!” Guests then witness the Wendigo, concealed in shadow, transform into its latest victim, an Algonquian hunter. There are some inhuman qualities to this man, such as his pure white eyes and blue veins that show through his skin. He continues into the woods and soon we come upon the Wendigo in his true form. Guests see an evil spirit with dark blue skin, black fur, an exposed ribcage, a tail, a deer's skull and legs, glowing red eyes, and a heart of ice. Vehicles make a quick getaway.
The next scene, in an homage to 1971’s Snow White ride, features trees with evil faces attacking guests. The medicine man says, “The Wendigo’s influence has corrupted the trees!”
Guests then see the Wendigo being pursued by Algonquian hunters and their wolves. They hold the Wendigo at spear point and try to attack the Wendigo but their attempts are futile and they are implied to be dead. The medicine man says, “The hunters cannot capture the Wendigo for he is too powerful!”
Guests then enter a room where lightning bolts are flashing and thunder is roaring. Guests encounter the Wendigo one last time and he swipes his claw at guests as the room fades to black.
Guests unload in the dark forest and exit through the same longhouse they entered from.
The Legend Of The Wendigo
A Trackless Dark Ride By Cdunlap Based On The Mythology Of The Algonquian Tribes Of North America:
Guests enter a longhouse located to the left of The Haunted Mansion belonging to a local Algonquian tribe. Behind the longhouse is a forest of pine. (In actuality, this serves to hide the show building.)
Guests queue through the longhouse as a loop of traditional Algonquian music plays. Guests load their vehicles, themed to look like they’re made of birch bark or buckskin, in a dark forest as the Algonquian tribe’s medicine man delivers the safety spiel, “Kwe-kwe and welcome to the land of my people, the Algonquians. I am the medicine man and I shall be your guide through these woods. We ask that you keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times. We also ask that all parents watch their children. Finally, beware of the Wendigo. It is greed and corruption incarnate and it hungers eternally for human flesh. The Wendigo attacks any who call its name. A man can transform into a Wendigo if they get too greedy.” With this warning out of the way, the vehicles slowly glide into the first show scene, a dark forest filled with hooting owls, considered omens of death in many Native American cultures including the Algonquian cultures. The medicine man says, “The owls are here, so death must be near!” The vehicles spin and run through this forest.
The next scene is the Algonquian’s village, where the Medicine Man can be seen performing a ritual in a wigwam located besides a few longhouses.
The next scene is the first encounter with the Wendigo. The medicine man says, “Oh no! I sense corruption, greed, and a hunger for human flesh. The Wendigo is near!” Guests then witness the Wendigo, concealed in shadow, transform into its latest victim, an Algonquian hunter. There are some inhuman qualities to this man, such as his pure white eyes and blue veins that show through his skin. He continues into the woods and soon we come upon the Wendigo in his true form. Guests see an evil spirit with dark blue skin, black fur, an exposed ribcage, a tail, a deer's skull and legs, glowing red eyes, and a heart of ice. Vehicles make a quick getaway.
The next scene, in an homage to 1971’s Snow White ride, features trees with evil faces attacking guests. The medicine man says, “The Wendigo’s influence has corrupted the trees!”
Guests then see the Wendigo being pursued by Algonquian hunters and their wolves. They hold the Wendigo at spear point and try to attack the Wendigo but their attempts are futile and they are implied to be dead. The medicine man says, “The hunters cannot capture the Wendigo for he is too powerful!”
Guests then enter a room where lightning bolts are flashing and thunder is roaring. Guests encounter the Wendigo one last time and he swipes his claw at guests as the room fades to black.
Guests unload in the dark forest and exit through the same longhouse they entered from.
Last edited:
"Thank God that round is over!" @TheOriginalTiki says, taking a seat in a leather chair by a bookshelf.
"You're telling me." says @Miru. "I could barely work anime into that one!"
The cast chuckles as they look around the room at the various artifacts that make up the room's collection.
"Woah, no way, look at this y'all" says @Tegan pilots a chicken, picking up a strange metal badge. On it is a single letter "S" and a few smaller runes or figures carved between the loops, though they're too faded to make out what it says. "Looks familiar, I'm not sure from where though."
The rest of the cast comes over to look until a book suddenly falls off a shelf across the room, knocking over a vase that shatters on the ground. A sudden shriek is let out, though the culprit is unknown. On the floor, amid the shards of the vase, sits two envelopes.
"I know what that means!" yells @Architectural Guinea Pig, charging for the envelopes, grabbing them off the floor. As expected, one envelope reads "Results" and the other envelope reads "Next Project."
"Well, Dark PerGron did say results would come later but the next prompt would come tonight regardless," begins @spacemt354 "Maybe we mix it up and open next project first?"
"Nah!" hollers @MonorailRed, taking the results envelope from AGP and tearing it open.
Results
"You're telling me." says @Miru. "I could barely work anime into that one!"
The cast chuckles as they look around the room at the various artifacts that make up the room's collection.
"Woah, no way, look at this y'all" says @Tegan pilots a chicken, picking up a strange metal badge. On it is a single letter "S" and a few smaller runes or figures carved between the loops, though they're too faded to make out what it says. "Looks familiar, I'm not sure from where though."
The rest of the cast comes over to look until a book suddenly falls off a shelf across the room, knocking over a vase that shatters on the ground. A sudden shriek is let out, though the culprit is unknown. On the floor, amid the shards of the vase, sits two envelopes.
"I know what that means!" yells @Architectural Guinea Pig, charging for the envelopes, grabbing them off the floor. As expected, one envelope reads "Results" and the other envelope reads "Next Project."
"Well, Dark PerGron did say results would come later but the next prompt would come tonight regardless," begins @spacemt354 "Maybe we mix it up and open next project first?"
"Nah!" hollers @MonorailRed, taking the results envelope from AGP and tearing it open.
Results
Team Lore AND Team Legend
Both teams had their strengths and their weaknesses, and it really led to a difficult decision here, but in the end, neither project really stood out as a clear winner. We went back and forth on it, but we couldn't reach a consensus as both teams were equally as deserving and equally as undeserving as one another.
Both teams had their strengths and their weaknesses, and it really led to a difficult decision here, but in the end, neither project really stood out as a clear winner. We went back and forth on it, but we couldn't reach a consensus as both teams were equally as deserving and equally as undeserving as one another.
@AceAstro
This was not planned, I promise. However, despite being separated from their team, Ace brought a really unique and exciting presentation with a strong and clear attraction that had equal parts love and originality as well as keeping the attraction realistic and streamlined. Overall, great job, and while this is a single player win, the records will reflect both an AceAstro win and a Team Legend win by proxy. Great job!
This was not planned, I promise. However, despite being separated from their team, Ace brought a really unique and exciting presentation with a strong and clear attraction that had equal parts love and originality as well as keeping the attraction realistic and streamlined. Overall, great job, and while this is a single player win, the records will reflect both an AceAstro win and a Team Legend win by proxy. Great job!
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Congratulations echo throughout the room as @AceAstro receives many celebratory pats on the back. The teams all mingle for a few minutes until a thunderclap from outside catches their attention.
"I hate thunder" says @Mr. Tux
"Me too, but at least we're in here." says @Chaos Cat
"How about to take our mind off of it, we open up that next prompt?" suggests @spacemt354
"I agree" says @Tegan pilots a chicken taking the envelope off the desk where @Architectural Guinea Pig set it.
"I say we let Ace do the honors" says @OSUPhantom
"Very well," @Tegan pilots a chicken says, passing the envelope to Ace who tears it open and reads it...
"I hate thunder" says @Mr. Tux
"Me too, but at least we're in here." says @Chaos Cat
"How about to take our mind off of it, we open up that next prompt?" suggests @spacemt354
"I agree" says @Tegan pilots a chicken taking the envelope off the desk where @Architectural Guinea Pig set it.
"I say we let Ace do the honors" says @OSUPhantom
"Very well," @Tegan pilots a chicken says, passing the envelope to Ace who tears it open and reads it...
The Study
Challenge 5: Design FOUR new experiences, one for each WDW Park, to tie into the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
S.E.A. is a beloved (if not slightly overused) element in Imagineering and armchair Imagineering especially. We've all put our own stamp on an attraction with this moniker.
For this round, teams will be asked to visit all four WDW parks, (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and add one experience to tie in with the society. These can be something as big as an E-ticket or something as small as a gift shop, it just must tie in to S.E.A. comfortably.
All four experiences should also be given equal time to shine. Don't do a 12-paragraph E-ticket for Epcot and a two sentence gift shop for Animal Kingdom, give them all equal footing!
This Project will be due Thursday November 16 at 11:59 EST.
Each team will also be gaining a guest reviewer with Team Lore hosting @cdunlap and Team Legend hosting @Disney Warrior. @Disney Dad 3000 will be added to both groups for potential reviews as well!
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
As resident SEA scholar these projects will be scrutinized to the fullest extent. I’m very interested to see your projects.
Disney Warrior
Well-Known Member
Team Legend, I’ve been busy lately. There may or may not be a review tonight
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Team Lore, your review will be short but sweet, as they say. I have always loved the Arthurian Legend and I always will, especially the stories about the Holy Grail, which is why I like Last Crusade and Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, and the Questing Beast. 10/10 Great retelling!
Last edited:
Disney Dad 3000
Well-Known Member
Had hoped I'd have my reviews up last night buy it was a crazy day at the house and only got halfway through. I'll try and get them up Sun/Mon. @Dark PerGron hit a solid chunk of my thoughts.
That said, just landed at MCO and going to be at AK, Epcot and DHS today if either team needs a specific reference photo or something while I'm out today to help with projects. Just shoot me a DM.
That said, just landed at MCO and going to be at AK, Epcot and DHS today if either team needs a specific reference photo or something while I'm out today to help with projects. Just shoot me a DM.
mickeyfan5534
Well-Known Member
Ditto. Just really busy with life. I will say y'all did a wonderful job with them and they are projects you all should be proud of.
Disney Warrior
Well-Known Member
Review time!
- The labyrinth is a well known myth, this is a logical choice
- Tokyo is a good location because they have room (as opposed to Epcot)
- I don’t have much to say here because I don’t much about the original story
- It‘s impressive you guys made something despite some periods of inactivit
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
JokersWild's Cool Reviews
Challenge Four
Challenge Four
Guess who's back. Hopefully more consistently.
To address both teams, I'm not sure what's going on, but there's been an increase in inactivity. While it's totally valid and real life comes first, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad with how strong the first few projects were. While both of these projects had a lot of strengths, there was also something missing.
Team Lore - Quest of the Questing Beast
Arthurian legend is a respectable choice, and I love your location. I grew up going to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, so it's great to see you guys not only working with the park, but actively the land that needs help the most. I've always been confused by the Banbury Cross hamlet. It's obviously meant to be a Main Street equivalent, but setting like England screams for a proper attraction. So, great job finally giving this area a proper attraction, even if it is technically in its own subland.
I also really love your choice of ride system. While Busch Gardens isn't lacking in water rides, a water coaster is a classic SeaWorld ride system that fits right into this coaster park. It'd make for a great thrilling family attraction, and is honestly just a unique pull for a King Arthur attraction.
The actual attraction, however, is a little less solid than its technical aspects. I'm conflicted over if you should have increased your story's scope to cover a few legends, or if this one very specific story was enough. As it is I think you got bogged down a bit in trying to tell one story. Like, we didn't really need a scene of King Arthur having a nightmare. Maybe taking an approach similar to DisneySEA's Sindbad would have allowed you to tell (or rather SHOW) more of Arthurian legend in a looser way not tied to any one story.
That being said, the setpieces and art were all on point. I really enjoyed your climax, and the coaster sections all flowed very nicely. This is a really solid attraction bogged down by a few (admittedly minor) things. Really solid effort!
Team Legend - The Labyrinth
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum we have Team Legend. Where Team Lore presented a safe straightforward thrill ride at a classic park, Team Legend had a risky, immersive, and genuinely bizarre experience at one of the world's most unique theme parks.
First we have to talk about location. Now, of course, most of us haven't been to DisneySEA, but I think you could have done a touch more research into the area. First, Soaring is the park's most popular attraction by quite a wide margin. Throwing another attraction, especially a pretty large experience right on top of it really doesn't make sense. Furthermore, Soaring is in a pretty tiny corner near the front of the park. I'm genuinely unsure if there is even room for it between backstage areas and Hotel Miracosta. I was trying to figure out where else this could go, but the park's expansion pads are all in pretty thematically unfitting spots around the park. Ironically, your attraction would probably feel most at home at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Not to pile on more, but I also would like to mention the theming of the outside of your attraction. I don't think it fits in Mediterranean Harbor at all. To go from Tuscany to a small sliver of the Greek Isles and back to Tuscany is really jarring. I know you tried to wave it away with justifications of the story being popular in ancient Rome, but I don't think that's enough justification to make it feel natural.
Onto the attraction, while I'm not sure everything was successful, I really love how out of the box this project is. Everything about this is wildly unrealistic, but I still had a ton of fun reading it. Ignoring the realism, my biggest critiques would be to fully commit to your story, and to really reflect on what elements you think are necessary and when your ideas become too much to feasibly include. I would have loved some more SEA stuff. As it is it's a bit half-baked. It's mentioned, but only in passing and even then it feels like an afterthought. To my second point, there is a lot here that I think just isn't feasible. The first half is fine, but then the second (lower?) level becomes a bit of a kitchen sink hodgepodge. I appreciate the app integration, but it's not something that Tokyo Disneyland has AT ALL. I can also see a lot of operational and safety issues with forcing guests to use their phones to navigate the shifting chambers and secret rooms of a near pitch-black labyrinth. The most egregious addition was probably the secret bar. Secret bars just aren't really a thing in Japan and hiding one in an already confusing space just makes the addition even more baffling.
I was really conflicted about this project. I loved your attitude in getting weird with it and really trying something. And honestly I was prepared to give you guys the win based on that alone, but there's just too much here that leaves me scratching my head. I REALLY like what you were going for. You were just going in too many directions at the same time. Like a labyrinth.
Team Ace - Finding the Legend - A Bigfoot Adventure
Thanks again for doing this, entirely of your own volition and unprompted. I appreciate the direction you took, focusing on folk legend rather than the epic legends the others went with. I'm going to keep this short, but overall I really enjoyed this. The premise was simple, but it seems like a great way to do a cryptid attraction. Also, really amazing job on the presentation. It was a lot of fun to read.