E.E. Grade?

[CHAPPS]

No disagreement on the bird, but who in the world is looking at that? There are the Yeti footprints in the snow, the sounds going on all around you, and if you sit towards the front of the car you have the most amazing view at WDW.

Not to sound nitpicky, but the fact that you didn't really come up with very much in addition to the bird, kinda proves my point. The only thing you listed, besides the bird, that everyone on the train can visually appreciate were the Yeti footprints. That's hardly an "effect". Also, I think the bird is primarily what you're attention is supposed to be drawn to, as it's right in front of you and it's the only thing that's moving. There is so much more they could have done at that point, including giving you at least a glimpse of the Yeti. As far as the great view, the only people who get to appreciate that are the people sitting near the front of the train. And again, that's not an "effect". That's something that you get have seen even if this ride was nothing more than a big roller coaster.

I will disagree about the projection though. I thought it was an amazing effect because it looked so good. It is hard to try that argument when you've got the non-moving warriors and the cardboard cutouts from ROTM. Universal is certainly capable of doing more than that as well (Just look at all of the great effects on Spider Man for crying out loud).

I don't know how you can say that cheesy projection was "amazing". It is an animated projection that looks really fake in my opinion. This would have been the best opportunity, in my opinion, to showcase the supposedly "advanced" animatronic of the Yeti. They could have essentially put it in the exact same spot as the projection. That would have been really great and I think it would have been impressive (assuming this AA actually is as advanced as it has been billed to be). As far as the non-moving warriors in ROTM, those aren't supposed to be living, moving warriors. They are statues. The Yeti, by contrast, is supposed to be a living animal. And what "cardboard" cutouts are you referring to?

 

[Damien666]

^I would be wondering what works better, a projection or a advanced AA?

Now imagine if you had a long time to see the AA. It would look great if it was working. But if it breaks down...that's a LOT worse then seeing a projection.

 

[jedimaster1227]

I was at UO last summer and when I rode ROTM they were running it at full capacity and it felt like you were being rushed a bit in the ride. For example, in the scarab room, before you go backwards, you could see the fire from the treasure room to your left. And in the fire room, you started moving for the drop as soon as the fire started. It was like that when I rode it all 4 times that day. I don't know if it is like this all the time now or not, but if it is, you DEFINITELY see the Yeti longer than you get the fire.

You only miss the end of the fire scene if you are sitting in the front two rows. From the back two rows on ROTM, you can see the fire get put out (as long as it isn't a day where the ride is running more than four trains.

The farther back you sit on the Steam Donkey, the longer you get to see the yeti. Back row rocks!!!

 

[dxwwf3]

Not to sound nitpicky, but the fact that you didn't really come up with very much in addition to the bird, kinda proves my point. The only thing you listed, besides the bird, that everyone on the train can visually appreciate were the Yeti footprints. That's hardly an "effect". Also, I think the bird is primarily what you're attention is supposed to be drawn to, as it's right in front of you and it's the only thing that's moving. There is so much more they could have done at that point, including giving you at least a glimpse of the Yeti. As far as the great view, the only people who get to appreciate that are the people sitting near the front of the train. And again, that's not an "effect". That's something that you get have seen even if this ride was nothing more than a big roller coaster.

Who said there had to be a ton of effects in a ride segment for it to be effective?

I don't know how you can say that cheesy projection was "amazing". It is an animated projection that looks really fake in my opinion. This would have been the best opportunity, in my opinion, to showcase the supposedly "advanced" animatronic of the Yeti. They could have essentially put it in the exact same spot as the projection. That would have been really great and I think it would have been impressive (assuming this AA actually is as advanced as it has been billed to be). As far as the non-moving warriors in ROTM, those aren't supposed to be living, moving warriors. They are statues. The Yeti, by contrast, is supposed to be a living animal. And what "cardboard" cutouts are you referring to?

The AA works best as being the big finale. It works better by only getting a few seconds to look at him.

Statue warriors? It sounds to me like that is an excuse for not putting in real AA's

The warriors during the coaster portion appear to be carboard cutouts with flashing lights. I don't know if that is really what it is made out of or not, but it looks that way.

 

[CHAPPS]

^I would be wondering what works better, a projection or a advanced AA?

Now imagine if you had a long time to see the AA. It would look great if it was working. But if it breaks down...that's a LOT worse then seeing a projection.

If that is true, then this is a change in mindset for Disney. Imagine if they had always thought that way. Instead of a sophisticated Wicked Witch AA in the GMR, we'd have a projection instead, for fear that the Witch AA MIGHT break down sometimes. Instead of the dinosaur that chases you in Dinosaur...a projection (or no dinosaur at all). After all, gotta play it safe because something MIGHT break down. This didn't stop Disney from putting sophisticated Jack Sparrow AAs in Pirates. And thank goodness Universal doesn't seem to have this mindset. Spiderman has to have everything working perfectly, in sync with one another, in order for the illusions to work. I'm glad they didn't chicken out and cheat us out of some great effects just out of fear that things MIGHT break down on the attraction.

Sorry, but that just seems like a silly reason for not giving your audience a better show. You may very well be right, but if so, that's really sad IMO.

 

[CHAPPS]

Who said there had to be a ton of effects in a ride segment for it to be effective?

I'm not asking for a "ton of effects", just more than one plastic bird. And no, currently this ride segment is not effective (lot's of people have complained about it, including me). It needs more.

The AA works best as being the big finale. It works better by only getting a few seconds to look at him.

Why does it work better? Would you like Haunted Mansion better if you only saw one brief glimpse of a ghost during the ride? And if it does in fact work better to only show the Yeti for a second, then why did they bother making it such an "advanced AA" as they claim to have done? Doesn't make sense at all.

Statue warriors? It sounds to me like that is an excuse for not putting in real AA's

During the development for ROTM, I don't recall reading any articles saying it would have "incredibly advanced warrior AAs". Universal didn't promise anything and then not deliver on it, so there would be no need here for me to "make an excuse" for them. Additionally, the warriors are not the only thing in ROTM for guests to see. ROTM, unlike EE, is loaded with effects. EE has a plastic bird, a cheesy projection, and a lightning fast sighting of the Yeti. Other than that, it's a mundane roller coaster set in and around a structure that looks impressive from a distance.

The warriors during the coaster portion appear to be carboard cutouts with flashing lights. I don't know if that is really what it is made out of or not, but it looks that way.

I'd say its a safe bet they are not constructed out of cardboard.

 

[dxwwf3]

During the development for ROTM, I don't recall reading any articles saying it would have "incredibly advanced warrior AAs".

There's a reason for that.

Universal didn't promise anything and then not deliver on it, so there would be no need here for me to "make an excuse" for them.

Disney didn't promise anything and fail to deliver either....unless we are talking about the 0 G on Mission Space :lol:

Additionally, the warriors are not the only thing in ROTM for guests to see. ROTM, unlike EE, is loaded with effects. EE has a plastic bird, a cheesy projection, and a lightning fast sighting of the Yeti. Other than that, it's a mundane roller coaster set in and around a structure that looks impressive from a distance.

You're forgetting the waterfall, landscaping, and overall views of the mountain as well. You wanna talk about cheesy projections? How about the scarab room and the turntable room of ROTM?

 

[Damien666]

Looking more into the ride, if they had a yeti AA in the middle of the ride I don't think it would be good IMO. With rides like EE, you gotta take it like a good horror film. Don't show the monster till the very end.

 

[dxwwf3]

Looking more into the ride, if they had a yeti AA in the middle of the ride I don't think it would be good IMO. With rides like EE, you gotta take it like a good horror film. Don't show the monster till the very end.

Exactly. It is all about what is best for the story.

 

[CHAPPS]

There's a reason for that.

And that reason is...?

Disney didn't promise anything and fail to deliver either....unless we are talking about the 0 G on Mission Space :lol:

Disney promised a "close up encounter with the Yeti". They also promised this Yeti would be an incredibly advanced AA. If that's true, wouldn't they want to showcase it more by allowing you to see it for more than 2 seconds?

You're forgetting the waterfall, landscaping, and overall views of the mountain as well.

I'm not forgetting those things. To quote my post from a few moments ago...

Other than that, it's a mundane roller coaster set in and around a structure that looks impressive from a distance.

But again, that's landscaping. That's not "effects". A waterfall and a bunch of trees doesn't compare to the special effects INSIDE THE SHOW BUILDING of ROTM. The inside of EEs show building is supposed to be pitch black, and they didn't even get that right. You can see metal beams everywhere, which totally blows the illusion that you're supposed to be inside a mountain.

You wanna talk about cheesy projections? How about the scarab room and the turntable room of ROTM?

This is the exact identical effect used for the bug cave on Indiana Jones Adventure (at DL) and no one has ever complained about that. In fact, Indiana Jones would be another attraction that I'd give an A+ grade to.

 

[dxwwf3]

Disney promised a "close up encounter with the Yeti". They also promised this Yeti would be an incredibly advanced AA.

And they delivered.

This is the exact identical effect used for the bug cave on Indiana Jones Adventure (at DL) and no one has ever complained about that. In fact, Indiana Jones would be another attraction that I'd give an A+ grade to.

How much older is IJA than ROTM? Close to a decade, I think. That is probably where the difference is.

 

[CHAPPS]

Looking more into the ride, if they had a yeti AA in the middle of the ride I don't think it would be good IMO. With rides like EE, you gotta take it like a good horror film. Don't show the monster till the very end.

But they don't "show the monster at the end". You get a brief glimpse of the "monster" at the end. Most good horror movies show those brief glimpses at various times throughout the film and then at the end, you get a full fledged lengthy encounter with the monster. So really, the end of EE is more like the middle of a good horror flick. That's disappointing and frustrating. It is NOT good storytelling.

 

[CHAPPS]

And they delivered.

The Mummy at the beginning of ROTM is what I would define as a "close up encounter". You actually have a chance to really look it over and be impressed by how cool and realistic it looks (by the way, I'm glad Universal didn't keep that out and replace it with a projection for fear it might sometimes break down). You don't go flying past it so fast that you barely get to see what it was.

 

[CHAPPS]

How much older is IJA than ROTM? Close to a decade, I think. That is probably where the difference is.

If an effect works, it works. Most of the effects in Haunted Mansion (such as the Pepper's Ghost illusion) were already more than a century old when Haunted Mansion opened. That doesn't mean they aren't great show elements.

 

[dxwwf3]

If an effect works, it works. Most of the effects in Haunted Mansion (such as the Pepper's Ghost illusion) were already more than a century old when Haunted Mansion opened. That doesn't mean they aren't great show elements.

That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that is why there aren't any complaints about the effect in that ride. I'm sure using those projections were great back then and to be honest I haven't seen IJA in person yet. However, the scarab room is a real disapointment in terms of quality. The screens always tend to move and that sort of ruins the thought that it was a "wall". Even if they just added a water effect over the top of the car, it would make the scene better.

 

[CHAPPS]

However, the scarab room is a real disapointment in terms of quality. The screens always tend to move and that sort of ruins the thought that it was a "wall". Even if they just added a water effect over the top of the car, it would make the scene better.

You said earlier (post #33 of this thread) that you were there last summer and rode it 4 times. So how can you really say what the screens "always" do? Personally, I've not seen this flaw, so maybe it was something that wasn't working that day. If so, then I'm sorry the illusion was spoiled for you. While it is certainly not the best illusion in ROTM, it is better than any of the effects in EE.

 

[dxwwf3]

You said earlier (post #33 of this thread) that you were there last summer and rode it 4 times. So how can you really say what the screens "always" do?

I've probably been on the ride a total of 30+ times and THAT has been like that everytime I've seen it. The speed through the attraction was only last summer.

After you see something happen that often, you would think it is like that all the time.

 

[NemoRocks78]

I would give EE a C/C+.

 

[Damien666]

There's just no pleasing everyone I guess. The yeti is a tale that is shrouded in mystery, thus Disney made it so the yeti is still shrouded in mystery by only having a glimpse of him at the end. If you were to see the yeti in real life I can imagine it being a brief encounter, not a meet and greet.

I think one reason people don't like EE is they expected TOO much from Disney, I just went in with a open mind and had a blast. Besides, I think if you kept seeing the yeti over and over on the ride it just wouldn't have the magic it has now.

 

[dxwwf3]

Expedition Everest - A / A+
Revenge of the Mummy - B- / B

EDIT: Taking off two capital letters in a row automatically is very annoying