Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

[_Scar]

I was answering you And thanks for the screamscape link.. (and sometimes I pop in late at nite or early AM PST.)

lol, I can't believe I didn't realize you were answering me :hammer:.

I don't even think I can brave the HRRR. I was terrified of going on the Kraken, and I would never do that again... . This coaster makes Kraken look like Goofy's Barnstormer :lol:.

What do you think about the rumors of Speilberg (Dreamworks) talking with Disney? I'd like to see Disney do the jeep ride that was planned for IoA before WWoHP came along. :drevil:

 

[beyondyou]

to be honest, i dont think most people undetstand the theme of HRRR at all. they just feel it is a coaster in the middle of the park. Now i am not taking away from how amazing the ride really is.

another take on what i've heard people say is that it is way to scary for them. now while this might only apply to a certain number of people it still does a(e?)ffect the rides repuation if there are people walking around the park saying how scary the ride is and other guests hearinig this.


i for one, cant wait to go down there and ride(IMO) the 3best rides in Orlando, and maybe the world. Spiderman, The Mummy, and HRRR

 

[Fade_to_Blah]

Wouldnt trackless dark rides create a problem with the themeing?

I mean, basically with dark rides as they are now you get to direct a guests attention to exactly where you want. With the trackless rides, you never know which was the car is going to be facing. Themeing will have to be top notch in every inch of the room / area that the trackless vehicles will be moving around in.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Wouldnt trackless dark rides create a problem with the themeing?

I mean, basically with dark rides as they are now you get to direct a guests attention to exactly where you want. With the trackless rides, you never know which was the car is going to be facing. Themeing will have to be top notch in every inch of the room / area that the trackless vehicles will be moving around in.

Good observation! (but you do know which way the car is facing because you program it ). And you are right, we did have to do top notch theming. TDL Pooh had to have sets that looked right from more than one angle and we did the first room (blustery day) with dimensional sets and theatrical lighting, not black light flats. But we did map out what all the points of view were and made sure they worked in sequence even if they were different. Another difference in that scene is that the characters were all engaged in a continuing peril in the windstorm so you could see them in any sequence and they never reset. Toward the end (of the scene's timing cycle) as everyone would gather to leave, we'd trigger the "payoff" to some of the gags as you rode out (Pooh flys over and topples Eeyore's house) and Tigger pops up at the exit to introduce the next scene to all cars as they ride by. Very unique set of issues to solve. Transitions where the cars all went single file into another scene could be finished more simply to address that forward motion. In our finale scene (heffalumps) where up to 6 cars spin and "dance" together, the sets were on the perimeter so we could go with mostly flats in black light as you never went behind them. So we did a combination of things. GREAT technical question. Thanks!

Here's some links so you can study the interior pictures and see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLydMX_r_Gg&feature=related

http://www.tdrfan.com/tdl/fantasyland/poohs_hunny_hunt/index.htm

 

[Eddie Sotto]

another take on what i've heard people say is that it is way to scary for them. now while this might only apply to a certain number of people it still does a(e?)ffect the rides repuation if there are people walking around the park saying how scary the ride is and other guests hearinig this.

If it "seems" too intense it can backfire on you as you basically limit the audience to brave teens even if the ride is awesome. If I was them, I'd be a bit concerned about that.

 

[Jasonflz]

Judging by video's of HRRR I am not impressed. The ride feels like a letdown, especially after all of that trouble getting it open.

I do like the trackless dark-ride idea.

 

[_Scar]

Judging by video's of HRRR I am not impressed. The ride feels like a letdown, especially after all of that trouble getting it open.

I do like the trackless dark-ride idea.

If you see it in person and see it ride, it seems like the smoothest ride. But I do think HRRR doesn't belong in Uni. They should of show for another indoor roller coaster like Mummy.


From vids, the rid would only be scary if you were prone to motion sickness. It seems no worse than Tea Cups!

Here's a chilling challenge for you: would you rather have Tokyo's JTTCOTE come to DAK complete with full volcano and 20k OR have a trackless state of the art Lion King dark ride come to Africa.

 

[Pete C]

HRRR is more intense than any coaster at WDW, end of story. I rode it this weekend, and it has loads of positive G forces and steep drops that would scare the pants off of many a Disney guest.

 

[wserratore1963]

Who knows? but I think, like most technologies, free ranging vehicles have evolved alot since TDL Pooh, so the experience may be different.

What do you think of the idea of the new "rip ride rockit" Coaster at Universal?

This looks really cool and fun; but seems a bit herky, jerky. Tough to tell without experiencing it first hand; which I hope to do this week if it's open. Comming down for a little trip.

 

[Pete C]

This looks really cool and fun; but seems a bit herky, jerky. Tough to tell without experiencing it first hand; which I hope to do this week if it's open. Comming down for a little trip.

Unfortunately, I have to say that there is roughness on this coaster. It's not bumpy, it's like...the transitions are not smooth. It is downright unacceptable for a brand-new steel coaster to feel like this. I still have no idea why Universal contracted a small coaster builder like Maurer Stone to build a massive coaster that will run 365 days a year with a high capacity. I had a feeling these small coaster trains would not succeed in a big track format in some way.

Uni has had success with B&M before with this exact same type of coaster. Hollywood Dream at Universal Japan is an awesome, ultra-smooth mini hypercoaster with loads of airtime, positive Gs, and a selectable soundtrack! The lighting on Hollywood Dream is even better than HRRRs. Why they didn't just take that proven formula and repeat it at Universal Orlando is beyond me. Did they HAVE to have a vertical lift? A B&M hyper is still missing from Florida...that would have been a 'first' right there, been smoother, and probably more reliable than HRRR.

 

[_Scar]

Unfortunately, I have to say that there is roughness on this coaster. It's not bumpy, it's like...the transitions are not smooth. It is downright unacceptable for a brand-new steel coaster to feel like this. I still have no idea why Universal contracted a small coaster builder like Maurer Stone to build a massive coaster that will run 365 days a year with a high capacity. I had a feeling these small coaster trains would not succeed in a big track format in some way.

Uni has had success with B&M before with this exact same type of coaster. Hollywood Dream at Universal Japan is an awesome, ultra-smooth mini hypercoaster with loads of airtime, positive Gs, and a selectable soundtrack! The lighting on Hollywood Dream is even better than HRRRs. Why they didn't just take that proven formula and repeat it at Universal Orlando is beyond me. Did they HAVE to have a vertical lift? A B&M hyper is still missing from Florida...that would have been a 'first' right there, been smoother, and probably more reliable than HRRR.

Why not? And have you even rode it? Some myths are that some cars are smoother than others. Thus, creating a 50/50 reaction... :shrug:

 

[WDW1974]

I hadn't thought about the potential to give the vehicle a personality. A Love Bug ride? The appeal of the trackless system to me was the ability to create an attraction with massive re-rideability potential - a ride where you couldn't see everything in just one trip.

This is one of the tragedies of losing Mr. Toad in Florida; its twin tracks allowed for different experiences and having multiple vehicles in the room at once. Now with the trackless cars, you can do this again without having to design two complete, separate sides of an attraction or faking it a la Indy. The potential is fantastic...

It is an amazing technology and it's sad that it hasn't made it to the states when Tokyo has had it for almost a decade now.

Now it'll be in Hong Kong and Paris (and Shanghai, although I can't tell ya how), but still nothing in the states.

What's great about it is that it truly makes every ride different ... even if in small ways. It certainly aids in repeatability ... something that was used as a selling point of other technologies at WDI. Some like simulators clearly were all talk (one change in two decades sure ain't what was sold to management and later fans) and some like LCI are in a 'it's too early to really tell' state ... although I do think once again the tech is more impressive than its applications in the parks have been thus far.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm imagining an Alice in Wonderland ride with this system! Imagine going through the labyrinth and being chased by the Queen or going down the rabbit whole or wandering through the field of flowers singing....

WOW!!! Honestly, that's a great idea ... and with the new film coming out, very timely.

I'd hope that WDI has already thought of this or will 'borrow' the idea.

Alice would be a perfect use of it. A modern Mr. Toad would too, but would never happen simply because the source material might as well be Song of the South to most people.

101 Dalmatians and Mary Poppins would also be great 'classics' that could benefit from this type of trackless tech ... Aladdin too ... endless possibilities really!

Is HKDL for sure using this technology in their Manor?

Yep.

 

[MiklCraw4d]

Without getting into a creative session which I like to avoid (for legal reasons),
I think you totally get the point of how huge these technologies can be when applied properly applied to a story.

Haha I'm willing to sign a waiver if necessary. WDI certainly won't be hiring me anytime soon, anyway...

to be honest, i dont think most people undetstand the theme of HRRR at all. they just feel it is a coaster in the middle of the park. Now i am not taking away from how amazing the ride really is.

I haven't really been paying attention, so I didn't know it had a theme. It just seems odd to me from the pictures I've seen - like someone dropped a coaster track out of the sky and it fell all over Universal.

Wouldnt trackless dark rides create a problem with the themeing?

I mean, basically with dark rides as they are now you get to direct a guests attention to exactly where you want. With the trackless rides, you never know which was the car is going to be facing. Themeing will have to be top notch in every inch of the room / area that the trackless vehicles will be moving around in.

As Eddie said, WDI can still control where the vehicles point, but WDI did actually have this problem with the Roger Rabbit ride in Disneyland. Those cars spin at the guests' discretion, so WDI couldn't predict where they'd be facing. So, theming everywhere!

This is what I love about the trackless idea, though - the fact that the immersion will feel more complete. I mentioned Toad before; the reason I loved that ride so much was because it felt like its own little world. The two tracks allowed for different experiences, and even when the tracks were in the same room they allowed for two different perspectives of the same show scene. With trackless tech, the various permutations and combinations could be near-infinite. So many perspectives on the same attraction would send re-rideability through the roof.

I also love the potential it provides for guest interaction - imagine the end of Horizons but with real, meaningful differences in the ride path. Choose your own adventure!

 

[WDW1974]

This looks really cool and fun; but seems a bit herky, jerky. Tough to tell without experiencing it first hand; which I hope to do this week if it's open. Comming down for a little trip.

I've heard it's very rough, which ain't what I like in a rolley coaster. And if it's like that when it's brand new, think what it will be like in 3-4 years.

I don't need brain damage of back pain when getting off a coaster.

That's why I love rides like Manta, Kraken, Dueling Dragons and Everest. You can get thrills and not need an MRI when you exit.

 

[WDW1974]

Here's a chilling challenge for you: would you rather have Tokyo's JTTCOTE come to DAK complete with full volcano and 20k OR have a trackless state of the art Lion King dark ride come to Africa.

Well, neither are gonna happen, but I'd prefer the latter, believe it or not.

Fanboi drooling aside, I don't think the whole volcano deal belongs in DAK ... and certainly not themed to Journey and 20K. They'd both be a stretch to me. LK is toony, but already has a presence and the story works.

 

[_Scar]

Hulk is 10 years old.... that ride is very smooth still. If the rough rumors are true, then I predict they change cars within a year.

The trackless system could really work for ANY ride. I was trying to think of a specific movie that it would be great with and it really all seems incredible. Speaking of Incredible, Incredibles could get some love with with this ride system. They need some love and attention!

 

[MiklCraw4d]

It is an amazing technology and its sad that it hasn't made it to the states when Tokyo has had it for almost a decade now.

I feel like there's a lot of good tech going untapped. Heck, I think they've only cracked the surface of EMV potential. I'd love to see EMV combined with a coaster-type track, just to see what could be done (and not necessarily for an intense thrill ride. Really, IOA's Spiderman ride has yet to be topped for the creative combination of ride tech.

I know there's stuff out there that most of us still think impossible. I remember years ago coming up for a ride system idea for my pet obsession - a Rocketeer ride for D/MGM. I thought it was silly because it could probably never be done, but they did; it turned out that my idea was an extremely primitive analogue of a KUKA robocoaster. My idea to achieve the same effect was much more low-tech; it used variations in the distance between the track rails to pivot the ride vehicle at various angles in show scenes. I was floored when the KUKA system came out - as far-out as I thought my corny little idea was, the real tech wizards were able to blow it out of the water. So I don't think any crazy idea is impossible anymore - one of these guys will eventually make it work.

Now it'll be in Hong Kong and Paris (and Shanghai, although I can't tell ya how)

Let me guess.... something Pixar related

A modern Mr. Toad would too, but would never happen simply because the source material might as well be Song of the South to most people.

But *I* would like it! And that's what matters!

Anyway, if it was an awesome ride people wouldn't care. And we'd get to go back to hell! What ride can promise that??

You mention a Mary Poppins theme and I think that would be a great use of this. I still can't believe that they've never had a Poppins attraction. I always thought it would be great to have a circular loading area, a la the WEDway, surrounding a carousel. You'd get on a horse, and after you got towards the end of the turntable you'd break away and go into the show building. It would be impractical, but it sure would be cool...

 

[MiklCraw4d]

Well, neither are gonna happen, but I'd prefer the latter, believe it or not.

Fanboi drooling aside, I don't think the whole volcano deal belongs in DAK ... and certainly not themed to Journey and 20K. They'd both be a stretch to me. LK is toony, but already has a presence and the story works.

I wouldn't mind the volcano, but I certainly have been hoping they wouldn't drop in JTCOE or 20K without a major change in the theme. Like you said, it'd be too much of a stretch. Now if they used "Mysterious Island" as some sort of lost continent... heck, it could be Doyle's "Lost World"... and have it be some isolated, remote island or place where these supposedly mystical creatures still lived. I think that would be dandy.

 

[Pete C]

Why not? And have you even rode it? Some myths are that some cars are smoother than others. Thus, creating a 50/50 reaction... :shrug:

I guess you missed my post right before that one that said I rode it this past weekend?