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So, You Want to be an Imagineer Season 14: Greatest Hits (Official Hub Thread)
- Thread starter TheOriginalTiki
- Start date
Basketbuddy101
Well-Known Member
Ladies and gentlemen, judges and fellow players alike, I proudly present two distinct attractions based on characters and settings from 'Super Mario' and 'Pokemon,' beginning with...
Super Sunshine Soakers
'Super Sunshine Soakers' have been described by Universal Creative as one of, if not the most exciting flat ride they've ever worked on. The classic flat ride has always been entertaining, and to some extent, engaging, but not to a point where the guest feels fully satisfied with their role in the attraction. In other words, more often than not, the ride is in control of guests, not the other way around. 'Super Sunshine Soakers' goes out of its way to change this. Guests aren't just riding this attraction—they're assuming an active role as members of the 'Super Mario' universe.
Story:
It's a beautiful day at Isle Delfino, and Mario is enjoying his vacation, but there's trouble in the air! A shine sprite, one of the sources of power and sunshine for the island, is loose inside one of the resort pools. The only way to retrieve the shine sprite is to collect enough gold coins. Guests, or 'players,' must hop aboard Gadd Science, Inc.'s latest iteration of the F.L.U.D.D. water pack, dubbed "F.L.U.D.D. 2.0," and help Mario retrieve the sprite by collecting the gold coins swimming in the pool. Players will compete against their friends and family for the highest score, tallied by the number of coins they hover over and "collect."
Ride Technology:
Prior to the construction of the attraction, Universal Creative admitted that out of all the flat rides they had attempted in the past, this would be one of the more challenging. The challenge was not only making guests feel as if they were on a working water-based jetpack, but combining that experience with a functional system of gameplay. The vehicles themselves are designed after F.L.U.D.D., a character/device from the popular 'Super Mario Sunshine' video game. While the technology within the video games makes the experience of hovering in the air via a jet of water look seamless, in reality, such a feat is a little more difficult, especially in terms of making it look convincing. The solution? A hydraulic system hidden beneath the surface of the water. Once guests board the vehicles, they rise several feet in the air, suspended by a stream of powerful water blasts, at least that's what it looks like to guests. Attached to the bottom of the rocket nozzles are translucent rods that propel the vehicle upward and downward. When the blast of water releases from a separate pipe system on the jetpack, the illusion comes full circle—the vehicles appear to be floating over the surface of the water by means of the water stream itself!
It's an effect that is almost laughably simple yet extremely effective, and will almost certainly leave most guests scratching their heads. As far as the gameplay is concerned, a separate mechanism below the surface of the water holds the gold coins in place. The mechanism has the coins moving around the pool at random. When players hover directly above a coin, the water will trigger a sensor on the coin, causing it to glow and spin quickly. Players will hear a familiar jingle, and receive 10 points; they can keep track of their score via onboard monitor. Throughout various points in the 3 1/2 minute ride, a special blue coin will emerge from beneath the water, and players who manage to successfully hover over the coin will receive 30 points rather than the traditional 10 points; this adds an element of luck to the gameplay, meaning that guests who happen to be skilled at the game will also need a bit of luck to attain the highest scores. Much like Hollywood Studios' 'Toy Story Mania' attraction, ride scores will be recorded and displayed via nearby monitor by "Best This Ride," "Best This Hour," "Best Today," and "Best This Month."
Ride Queue and General Experience:
Universal Creative made an effort to cram as much detail and authenticity into the attraction as possible. Naturally, the experience begins when guests approach the entrance to the attraction. A static figurine of Mario himself can be seen "jumping" against the edge of a building , with F.L.U.D.D. strapped to his back. On the surface of one of the buildings at the entrance, familiar 'Gadd Science, Incorporated' crates are arranged neatly beside each other. The buildings themselves, which are designed after the distinct tropical aesthetic from the video game, appear smooth and colorful, exactly as one would expect in a theme park setting. Even the trees are true to the video game. Rather than scatter real palm trees throughout the attraction, Universal Creative instead opted to 'create' the trees, modeling them after the palm trees from the game, reasoning that while 'real' palm trees are nice, they don't do very much in the way of shading guests from the hot summer sun. Instead, these trees have a full, spacious design that cover a great deal of the sun. In that respect, these trees are "something of an upgrade," jokes Shigeru Miyamoto, a creative consultant for the attraction.
Guests continue under an arch where the attraction's marquee displays 'Super Sunshine Soakers' in bright blue letters. After proceeding under the archway, players will spot crates stuffed with succulent tropical fruits and fishing supplies, along with a crate topped with Mario's hat. Players will then curve around an Isle Delfino boat docked nearby, which rocks calmly above the water. On occasion, players will hear a Pianta, one of the residents of the island, muttering to himself in his native language. Similar details include 'Wanted' posters of Shadow Mario pasted to the stone walls throughout the queue, along with a single painted "M" on one of the walls near the second half of the waiting area. While guests wait in line, they'll hear a mix of songs from the Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack.
Queue Music Loop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el_r5y_AcrE
As players proceed through the shady queue, they can take a moment to review the attraction's instructions, which are presented in such a style that emulated Nintendo video game manuals. The instructions offer guests valuable insight as to how they can control the vehicles. Guests have two levers, one on each side. If they pull the proper lever on each direction, they can make the vehicles move left and right. If they pull the levers forward, the vehicles will move forward as well. If guests have no interest in participating in the gameplay element of the attraction, they can opt for some additional movements, specifically having the vehicles spin by twisting either of the levers in any direction. The movements allowed to players is fairly wide, and makes for an exceptionally fun and memorable ride experience. To top things off, guests searching for relief from the hot summer sun will be pleased to learn that if they approach any of the opposing vehicles, the strong water blasts from their jetpacks will spray them, even soak them depending on the temperature. When asked about how far they can push the level of wetting guests, Miyamoto responded by saying that if they were so inclined, they could drench guests from "head to toe," but they haven't "let [him] try it yet."
Pine Pointe: Featuring 'Pokemon: Master Quest'
It isn't very often that one could expect to physically step into a video game, or rather a fully-immersive, tangible video-game based experience. For Universal Creative, it was only natural to bring one such experience to life for the first time. While Pokemon has, to some extent, been represented in a theme park setting (i.g. PokePark, Japan), never before have guests felt truly immersed in an environment that felt authentic to the Pokemon lore; Pine Point changes this.
Pine Point: Mythos
'Pine Point,' as it is officially known, represents a quiet and out-of-the-way, previously unknown little town in the Pokemon universe. Pine Point is a relatively-new yet almost unrecognized town in the Kanto region, somewhere in between Vermillion, Celadon, and Saffron City. The town consists of a single Pokemon Center, PokeMart,and unopened bike shop and gym, which have yet to open to trainers, although judging from the visibly-complete exterior, both establishments are exceptionally close to being finished. Perhaps most interesting of all, Professor Oak himself is said to have established his own laboratory in the town to bring his research closer to the major cities. Unfortunately for the town, business isn't exactly booming, and trainers refuse to make the trip over to Pine because neither the bike shop nor gym have opened yet—that is until now. At last, both the gym and 'Pine Point Bikes' are open for business, and trainers are flooding to the town, especially because of all the wild Pokemon inhabiting the surrounding areas. Players might even get the chance to meet Professor Oak and exploit his great knowledge of Pokemon. Only one way to find out…
Pine Pointe:
The town itself has a distinct 'video game' feel. It truly feels like something out of the more modern Pokemon video games, what with the sleek yet blocky modern architectural elements. Light hues of red-orange, blue, and turquoise make up the town's color palette, and the golden-brown undertones give the town an altogether inviting, familiar appearance. Upon entering the land, guests find a pool at the center, complete with Magikarp animatronics swimming stupidly in the water. The water is dyed a dark blue, and thus, guests are able to see the Magikarp 'swim' freely around the body of water via hidden mechanism under the water. Additionally, guests will notice that the Magikarp are capable of using 'splash attack,' as they often splash nearby guests with water. To the left of the pool is a Pokemon Center, complete with a standard design. The building is merely a façade to hide the show building behind it. Beside the Pokemon Center is yet another façade: Professor Oak's lab, a quaint, inviting building whose address reads "1996 Pine Point," a subtle nod to the release years of both Pokemon 'Red' and 'Blue.' Guests who stand near the building can actually hear Professor Oak have a discussion with his Pokemon companion, Mr. Mine from 'inside' the building. At night, guests can even see their silhouettes walking around the room from the upstairs window.
Ambient Conversation Script:
Oak: Yes, yes, Mr. Mime, it is a lovely day out.
Mr. Mime. Mime! Mime!
Oak: Of course. I think the trainers will be happy to visit Pine Pointe now that the gym and bike shop are open. But, eh…
Mr. Mime: Mime?
Oak: Oh, it's nothing, just rumors and things of that sort. I hear Team Rocket has been causing trouble at Silph Co. again. Those crooks. Haven't they anything better to do than to terrorize all of Kanto?
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime!
Oak: That's right, Mr. Mime. They should be brought to justice, but I'm certainly not the one to do it.
Mr. Mime: Mime?
Oak: That was a long time ago, Mr. Mime. Too old for that now, but maybe if I just…oh, never mind.
Mr. Mime: Mime. Mime. Mr. Mime!
Oak: You took the words right out of my mouth, Mr. Mime. We certainly can place our hopes in trainers. Why, I'll bet there's some right outside our window as we speak!
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime.
Oak: Let's just hope they're up to the challenges that await them.
Mr. Mime: Mime!
Oak: No! Now, Mr. Mime, you put that Pokeball down right this instant!
[Guests listen as the Pokeball is dropped to the floor, releasing, by the look of it, an enraged Tauros, which proceeds to violently charge across the room]
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime! Mr. Mime!
Oak: That was a tauros, Mr. Mime, not an Eevee! Get it back in its Pokeball before it brings down the entire building!
Pine Pointe Gym & Pokemon Traders
Across the Pokemon Center is 'Pine Point Gym,' which, like the Pokemon Center, is merely a façade to envelop guests and make them feel immersed inside this universe. The building does have an important purpose with respect to the nearby attraction's story, but much like the Courthouse building in Cars Land, the structure is there for aesthetic purposes—mostly. The left side of the building houses a bathroom and shady courtyard area. Here, guests can relax and enjoy a snack beneath the tall pine trees that tower above them. 'Pokemon Traders,' on the other hand, is a fully-operational gift shop that sells exclusively-Pokemon themed merchandise, ranging but not limited to clothing and general apparel, plush toys, video games, etc. The very experience of walking through the town and hearing the familiar tunes from the video game presented in fully-orchestrated form will be an incredible experience for guests, but not nearly as incredible as taking an active role in the world of Pokemon as a 'trainer' on a familiar mission.
Pokemon: Master Quest
'Pokemon: Master Quest' is perhaps the most complex attraction that Universal Creative has ever attempted in that it makes use of a ride system that is still, for all intents and purposes, a new system. For this project, Universal enlisted the help of ETF Ride Systems, the same company responsible for producing the vehicles for the popular 'Toy Story Mania' and 'Mystic Manor' attractions at Disney Parks. This attraction, however, is slightly more complicated. Mark Woodbury describes it as a "living video game," complete with "more ride scenarios and combinations than any theme park attraction of this magnitude and scale." The attraction features several dozen combinations, consisting of various environments, opponents, and most importantly, Pokemon. Guests will assume the role of Pokemon trainers who are quickly caught in the middle of an adventure after casually visiting the local bike shop.
Pine Point Bikes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxU2UjAjN24
The attraction's entrance is located through the doors of 'Pine Pointe Bikes,' which proudly sells 'Mach' and 'Acro' style bicycles, for an obscenely-expensive price, that is. Guests wander through the bike shop, a faithful recreation of what the bike shops in the video games look like. Bike supplies and parts are scattered about the light-green colored store. On average, guests will wait in this room for about half an hour on busy days, wandering through the switchback queue rails. Soon afterward, trainers are escorted to the backroom/pre-show room, where crates upon crates of bikes are stored. Suddenly, the room's lights begin to flicker as two men in black suits emerge from behind one of the crates. The men, presented as stylized animatronics, are members of Team Rocket. "Yikes, I didn't think the shop was open yet!" The other grunt shakes his head. "You idiot. Now they're onto us. Uh, there's nothin' to see here, folks. Just keep moving!" With that, the presumed bike shop owner, a bald old man, emerges from one of the crates. "What's going on in here?" he asks the grunts angrily. The two grunts look at each other, dumbfounded.
"Err, nothin', we were just having a look around." The other grunt chuckles. "Forget the pleasantries. Haven't you forgotten we've got Pokemon on our sides?" With that, a bright flash of red light emerges from a pokeball in his hand. A thick fog surrounds guests as (via hidden trapdoor), an Arbok and Koffing appear in full animatronic form. The lights quickly zap off, and before guests know it, the Rocket grunts, along with their Pokemon, are nowhere to be found. The shopkeeper emerges from the crate. "Goodness, what just happened? W-wait! My Pokebike! Dear gracious me, they took one of my four prototype Pokebikes! They're one of a kind. Unavailable in stores. My plan was to sell them to Silph Co., but without the 4th generation prototype, I'll be ruined. What's that? You'll help me? Well, I don't know. How do I know I can trust you? Heh? Aspiring Pokemon trainers? Bah, that doesn’t mean you'd be able to…(sigh). What've I got to lose? Fine, fine. Take the earlier prototype bikes, but be careful with them. You'll have to learn to use them on the fly, but don't worry! It's easy enough to follow. There's an old man with a lab next door. Claims to be a Pokemon professor. Maybe he can help you on your journey. Well, what're you waitin' for? Get goin!"
With that, guests proceed into another backroom and into the loading area, where they board one of three bikes. These bikes are highly-sophisticated trackless ride vehicles that move seamlessly across the ride space, perfectly balanced and in perfect synchronization. Even though the "vehicle" technically consists of three bikes, at multiple points in the attraction, the bikes will split up and go off on their separate paths, if only for a few moments. The ride itself begins with brisk race to Oak's laboratory. The bikes swerve out of the bike shop and into Oak's lab. Professor Oak is resting in a chair near his computer. "What the…? Hey, you can't ride bikes in here! This isn't the time to use that! What's that? The bicycle shopkeeper was robbed? Ah, so you're budding Pokemon trainers, eh? Well, I'm always glad to help someone in need, and so are my Pokemon for that matter. Go on then, pick one, but choose wisely, now. Pokemon are not to be taken lightly."
At this point, guests are assigned a Pokemon draft pick at random. The computer monitors attached to their bikes indicate their position in the draft. Once the computer assigns them a draft pick, all guests must do is press the icon of their desired Pokemon on screen. Naturally, their choices consist of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. If guests should decide not to pick within the 20 second grace period, the ride's computer system will decide for them. The bikes then split up into separate chambers, where their Pokemon appear as animatronics. Guests can practice their projectile attacks by having the Pokemon shoot at moving red bullseye targets. The Pokemon here are in animatronic form. Guests will feel strong blasts of air as Bulbasaur uses his razor leaf attack, an effect achieved by projection mapping, to send projectiles at the moving target. Actual water will splash and wet guests as Squirtle uses water gun to hit a bullseye practice target in front of him, and guests will feel a hot wave of air as Charmander uses flamethrower to hit the target of his own. Guests control the Pokemon of their choice by a physical joystick attached the console in front of them, a simple yet effective choice for the attraction.
The attraction format consists of a visit to Oak's lab, then a three-way split between the three Pokemon of choice, then a four-way split between a cave environment (zubat & scyther), forest environment (beedrill & scythe), lakeside environment (golden & staryu), and open field environment (pidgeotto & farfetch'd). This is the 'meat' of the attraction, and will have guests pitted against various Pokemon contingent on the terrain. Afterwards, guests will find themselves inside the town's Pokemon gym for a battle against either Team Rocket members Cassidy and Butch. It is worth noting that during the majority of the attraction, guests will be 'on their own,' so to speak. In other words, the vehicles split up into singles, but for those guests looking for multiplayer action, they'll be happy to know that the ride's climax, an encounter against the evil Giovanni, who is hell-bent on stealing the latest prototypical Pokebike to sell for profit, will be a group effort. Guests will be pitted against rhyhorn, Persian, or nidoking at this point.
As far as the ride mechanics are concerned, the Pokemon in the attraction are brought to life via state-of-the-art, "realtime" musion technology: in-game actions yield realtime physical effects: i.g. wind, heat, water. Charmander, squirtle, and bulbasaur will appear in front of guests using a separate layer of musion projection space, similar to the way guests battle in the once-popular 'Pokemon Go' mobile game. The battle sequences in that game are similar to the ones in the attraction, just on a much less complex and less realistic scale.
While guests battle against the digital Pokemon, animatronic Pokemon react from near the scene, growling at guests as they do battle. Various practical sensory effects will be utilized, including but not limited to water, heat, wind, and even smell. When guests find themselves in the forest, for instance, they'll smell the fauna similar to the smell in 'King Kong: 360 3D.' When guests enter the open field sequence, they'll smell berries in the air, and when they enter the lakeside sequence, they'll smell a fishy yet pleasant aroma in the air. As far as gameplay goes, guests have one joystick: Left to right (dodge attacks), top button utilizes direct attack (scratch), fire button utilizes unique projectile attack (flamethrower, water gun, razorleaf) The goal is to dodge as many attacks as possible to conserve Pokemon's health and "level up" by hitting the opposing Pokemon, which are constantly moving. Each hit equals 1 point, and the points are tallied up at the end of the attraction. It is possible for players' Pokemon to 'faint,' but the consequences are not game-ending. The Pokemon will be revived in the following scene(s), albeit weaker and slower, thus equating to less points for guests in the end. The attraction is an altogether memorable and game changing theme park experience, a faithful theme park representation of the classic 'Pokemon' video game and cartoon series.
Super Sunshine Soakers
'Super Sunshine Soakers' have been described by Universal Creative as one of, if not the most exciting flat ride they've ever worked on. The classic flat ride has always been entertaining, and to some extent, engaging, but not to a point where the guest feels fully satisfied with their role in the attraction. In other words, more often than not, the ride is in control of guests, not the other way around. 'Super Sunshine Soakers' goes out of its way to change this. Guests aren't just riding this attraction—they're assuming an active role as members of the 'Super Mario' universe.
Story:
It's a beautiful day at Isle Delfino, and Mario is enjoying his vacation, but there's trouble in the air! A shine sprite, one of the sources of power and sunshine for the island, is loose inside one of the resort pools. The only way to retrieve the shine sprite is to collect enough gold coins. Guests, or 'players,' must hop aboard Gadd Science, Inc.'s latest iteration of the F.L.U.D.D. water pack, dubbed "F.L.U.D.D. 2.0," and help Mario retrieve the sprite by collecting the gold coins swimming in the pool. Players will compete against their friends and family for the highest score, tallied by the number of coins they hover over and "collect."
Ride Technology:
Prior to the construction of the attraction, Universal Creative admitted that out of all the flat rides they had attempted in the past, this would be one of the more challenging. The challenge was not only making guests feel as if they were on a working water-based jetpack, but combining that experience with a functional system of gameplay. The vehicles themselves are designed after F.L.U.D.D., a character/device from the popular 'Super Mario Sunshine' video game. While the technology within the video games makes the experience of hovering in the air via a jet of water look seamless, in reality, such a feat is a little more difficult, especially in terms of making it look convincing. The solution? A hydraulic system hidden beneath the surface of the water. Once guests board the vehicles, they rise several feet in the air, suspended by a stream of powerful water blasts, at least that's what it looks like to guests. Attached to the bottom of the rocket nozzles are translucent rods that propel the vehicle upward and downward. When the blast of water releases from a separate pipe system on the jetpack, the illusion comes full circle—the vehicles appear to be floating over the surface of the water by means of the water stream itself!
It's an effect that is almost laughably simple yet extremely effective, and will almost certainly leave most guests scratching their heads. As far as the gameplay is concerned, a separate mechanism below the surface of the water holds the gold coins in place. The mechanism has the coins moving around the pool at random. When players hover directly above a coin, the water will trigger a sensor on the coin, causing it to glow and spin quickly. Players will hear a familiar jingle, and receive 10 points; they can keep track of their score via onboard monitor. Throughout various points in the 3 1/2 minute ride, a special blue coin will emerge from beneath the water, and players who manage to successfully hover over the coin will receive 30 points rather than the traditional 10 points; this adds an element of luck to the gameplay, meaning that guests who happen to be skilled at the game will also need a bit of luck to attain the highest scores. Much like Hollywood Studios' 'Toy Story Mania' attraction, ride scores will be recorded and displayed via nearby monitor by "Best This Ride," "Best This Hour," "Best Today," and "Best This Month."
Ride Queue and General Experience:
Universal Creative made an effort to cram as much detail and authenticity into the attraction as possible. Naturally, the experience begins when guests approach the entrance to the attraction. A static figurine of Mario himself can be seen "jumping" against the edge of a building , with F.L.U.D.D. strapped to his back. On the surface of one of the buildings at the entrance, familiar 'Gadd Science, Incorporated' crates are arranged neatly beside each other. The buildings themselves, which are designed after the distinct tropical aesthetic from the video game, appear smooth and colorful, exactly as one would expect in a theme park setting. Even the trees are true to the video game. Rather than scatter real palm trees throughout the attraction, Universal Creative instead opted to 'create' the trees, modeling them after the palm trees from the game, reasoning that while 'real' palm trees are nice, they don't do very much in the way of shading guests from the hot summer sun. Instead, these trees have a full, spacious design that cover a great deal of the sun. In that respect, these trees are "something of an upgrade," jokes Shigeru Miyamoto, a creative consultant for the attraction.
Guests continue under an arch where the attraction's marquee displays 'Super Sunshine Soakers' in bright blue letters. After proceeding under the archway, players will spot crates stuffed with succulent tropical fruits and fishing supplies, along with a crate topped with Mario's hat. Players will then curve around an Isle Delfino boat docked nearby, which rocks calmly above the water. On occasion, players will hear a Pianta, one of the residents of the island, muttering to himself in his native language. Similar details include 'Wanted' posters of Shadow Mario pasted to the stone walls throughout the queue, along with a single painted "M" on one of the walls near the second half of the waiting area. While guests wait in line, they'll hear a mix of songs from the Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack.
Queue Music Loop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el_r5y_AcrE
As players proceed through the shady queue, they can take a moment to review the attraction's instructions, which are presented in such a style that emulated Nintendo video game manuals. The instructions offer guests valuable insight as to how they can control the vehicles. Guests have two levers, one on each side. If they pull the proper lever on each direction, they can make the vehicles move left and right. If they pull the levers forward, the vehicles will move forward as well. If guests have no interest in participating in the gameplay element of the attraction, they can opt for some additional movements, specifically having the vehicles spin by twisting either of the levers in any direction. The movements allowed to players is fairly wide, and makes for an exceptionally fun and memorable ride experience. To top things off, guests searching for relief from the hot summer sun will be pleased to learn that if they approach any of the opposing vehicles, the strong water blasts from their jetpacks will spray them, even soak them depending on the temperature. When asked about how far they can push the level of wetting guests, Miyamoto responded by saying that if they were so inclined, they could drench guests from "head to toe," but they haven't "let [him] try it yet."
Pine Pointe: Featuring 'Pokemon: Master Quest'
It isn't very often that one could expect to physically step into a video game, or rather a fully-immersive, tangible video-game based experience. For Universal Creative, it was only natural to bring one such experience to life for the first time. While Pokemon has, to some extent, been represented in a theme park setting (i.g. PokePark, Japan), never before have guests felt truly immersed in an environment that felt authentic to the Pokemon lore; Pine Point changes this.
Pine Point: Mythos
'Pine Point,' as it is officially known, represents a quiet and out-of-the-way, previously unknown little town in the Pokemon universe. Pine Point is a relatively-new yet almost unrecognized town in the Kanto region, somewhere in between Vermillion, Celadon, and Saffron City. The town consists of a single Pokemon Center, PokeMart,and unopened bike shop and gym, which have yet to open to trainers, although judging from the visibly-complete exterior, both establishments are exceptionally close to being finished. Perhaps most interesting of all, Professor Oak himself is said to have established his own laboratory in the town to bring his research closer to the major cities. Unfortunately for the town, business isn't exactly booming, and trainers refuse to make the trip over to Pine because neither the bike shop nor gym have opened yet—that is until now. At last, both the gym and 'Pine Point Bikes' are open for business, and trainers are flooding to the town, especially because of all the wild Pokemon inhabiting the surrounding areas. Players might even get the chance to meet Professor Oak and exploit his great knowledge of Pokemon. Only one way to find out…
Pine Pointe:
The town itself has a distinct 'video game' feel. It truly feels like something out of the more modern Pokemon video games, what with the sleek yet blocky modern architectural elements. Light hues of red-orange, blue, and turquoise make up the town's color palette, and the golden-brown undertones give the town an altogether inviting, familiar appearance. Upon entering the land, guests find a pool at the center, complete with Magikarp animatronics swimming stupidly in the water. The water is dyed a dark blue, and thus, guests are able to see the Magikarp 'swim' freely around the body of water via hidden mechanism under the water. Additionally, guests will notice that the Magikarp are capable of using 'splash attack,' as they often splash nearby guests with water. To the left of the pool is a Pokemon Center, complete with a standard design. The building is merely a façade to hide the show building behind it. Beside the Pokemon Center is yet another façade: Professor Oak's lab, a quaint, inviting building whose address reads "1996 Pine Point," a subtle nod to the release years of both Pokemon 'Red' and 'Blue.' Guests who stand near the building can actually hear Professor Oak have a discussion with his Pokemon companion, Mr. Mine from 'inside' the building. At night, guests can even see their silhouettes walking around the room from the upstairs window.
Ambient Conversation Script:
Oak: Yes, yes, Mr. Mime, it is a lovely day out.
Mr. Mime. Mime! Mime!
Oak: Of course. I think the trainers will be happy to visit Pine Pointe now that the gym and bike shop are open. But, eh…
Mr. Mime: Mime?
Oak: Oh, it's nothing, just rumors and things of that sort. I hear Team Rocket has been causing trouble at Silph Co. again. Those crooks. Haven't they anything better to do than to terrorize all of Kanto?
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime!
Oak: That's right, Mr. Mime. They should be brought to justice, but I'm certainly not the one to do it.
Mr. Mime: Mime?
Oak: That was a long time ago, Mr. Mime. Too old for that now, but maybe if I just…oh, never mind.
Mr. Mime: Mime. Mime. Mr. Mime!
Oak: You took the words right out of my mouth, Mr. Mime. We certainly can place our hopes in trainers. Why, I'll bet there's some right outside our window as we speak!
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime.
Oak: Let's just hope they're up to the challenges that await them.
Mr. Mime: Mime!
Oak: No! Now, Mr. Mime, you put that Pokeball down right this instant!
[Guests listen as the Pokeball is dropped to the floor, releasing, by the look of it, an enraged Tauros, which proceeds to violently charge across the room]
Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime! Mr. Mime!
Oak: That was a tauros, Mr. Mime, not an Eevee! Get it back in its Pokeball before it brings down the entire building!
Pine Pointe Gym & Pokemon Traders
Across the Pokemon Center is 'Pine Point Gym,' which, like the Pokemon Center, is merely a façade to envelop guests and make them feel immersed inside this universe. The building does have an important purpose with respect to the nearby attraction's story, but much like the Courthouse building in Cars Land, the structure is there for aesthetic purposes—mostly. The left side of the building houses a bathroom and shady courtyard area. Here, guests can relax and enjoy a snack beneath the tall pine trees that tower above them. 'Pokemon Traders,' on the other hand, is a fully-operational gift shop that sells exclusively-Pokemon themed merchandise, ranging but not limited to clothing and general apparel, plush toys, video games, etc. The very experience of walking through the town and hearing the familiar tunes from the video game presented in fully-orchestrated form will be an incredible experience for guests, but not nearly as incredible as taking an active role in the world of Pokemon as a 'trainer' on a familiar mission.
Pokemon: Master Quest
'Pokemon: Master Quest' is perhaps the most complex attraction that Universal Creative has ever attempted in that it makes use of a ride system that is still, for all intents and purposes, a new system. For this project, Universal enlisted the help of ETF Ride Systems, the same company responsible for producing the vehicles for the popular 'Toy Story Mania' and 'Mystic Manor' attractions at Disney Parks. This attraction, however, is slightly more complicated. Mark Woodbury describes it as a "living video game," complete with "more ride scenarios and combinations than any theme park attraction of this magnitude and scale." The attraction features several dozen combinations, consisting of various environments, opponents, and most importantly, Pokemon. Guests will assume the role of Pokemon trainers who are quickly caught in the middle of an adventure after casually visiting the local bike shop.
Pine Point Bikes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxU2UjAjN24
The attraction's entrance is located through the doors of 'Pine Pointe Bikes,' which proudly sells 'Mach' and 'Acro' style bicycles, for an obscenely-expensive price, that is. Guests wander through the bike shop, a faithful recreation of what the bike shops in the video games look like. Bike supplies and parts are scattered about the light-green colored store. On average, guests will wait in this room for about half an hour on busy days, wandering through the switchback queue rails. Soon afterward, trainers are escorted to the backroom/pre-show room, where crates upon crates of bikes are stored. Suddenly, the room's lights begin to flicker as two men in black suits emerge from behind one of the crates. The men, presented as stylized animatronics, are members of Team Rocket. "Yikes, I didn't think the shop was open yet!" The other grunt shakes his head. "You idiot. Now they're onto us. Uh, there's nothin' to see here, folks. Just keep moving!" With that, the presumed bike shop owner, a bald old man, emerges from one of the crates. "What's going on in here?" he asks the grunts angrily. The two grunts look at each other, dumbfounded.
"Err, nothin', we were just having a look around." The other grunt chuckles. "Forget the pleasantries. Haven't you forgotten we've got Pokemon on our sides?" With that, a bright flash of red light emerges from a pokeball in his hand. A thick fog surrounds guests as (via hidden trapdoor), an Arbok and Koffing appear in full animatronic form. The lights quickly zap off, and before guests know it, the Rocket grunts, along with their Pokemon, are nowhere to be found. The shopkeeper emerges from the crate. "Goodness, what just happened? W-wait! My Pokebike! Dear gracious me, they took one of my four prototype Pokebikes! They're one of a kind. Unavailable in stores. My plan was to sell them to Silph Co., but without the 4th generation prototype, I'll be ruined. What's that? You'll help me? Well, I don't know. How do I know I can trust you? Heh? Aspiring Pokemon trainers? Bah, that doesn’t mean you'd be able to…(sigh). What've I got to lose? Fine, fine. Take the earlier prototype bikes, but be careful with them. You'll have to learn to use them on the fly, but don't worry! It's easy enough to follow. There's an old man with a lab next door. Claims to be a Pokemon professor. Maybe he can help you on your journey. Well, what're you waitin' for? Get goin!"
With that, guests proceed into another backroom and into the loading area, where they board one of three bikes. These bikes are highly-sophisticated trackless ride vehicles that move seamlessly across the ride space, perfectly balanced and in perfect synchronization. Even though the "vehicle" technically consists of three bikes, at multiple points in the attraction, the bikes will split up and go off on their separate paths, if only for a few moments. The ride itself begins with brisk race to Oak's laboratory. The bikes swerve out of the bike shop and into Oak's lab. Professor Oak is resting in a chair near his computer. "What the…? Hey, you can't ride bikes in here! This isn't the time to use that! What's that? The bicycle shopkeeper was robbed? Ah, so you're budding Pokemon trainers, eh? Well, I'm always glad to help someone in need, and so are my Pokemon for that matter. Go on then, pick one, but choose wisely, now. Pokemon are not to be taken lightly."
At this point, guests are assigned a Pokemon draft pick at random. The computer monitors attached to their bikes indicate their position in the draft. Once the computer assigns them a draft pick, all guests must do is press the icon of their desired Pokemon on screen. Naturally, their choices consist of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. If guests should decide not to pick within the 20 second grace period, the ride's computer system will decide for them. The bikes then split up into separate chambers, where their Pokemon appear as animatronics. Guests can practice their projectile attacks by having the Pokemon shoot at moving red bullseye targets. The Pokemon here are in animatronic form. Guests will feel strong blasts of air as Bulbasaur uses his razor leaf attack, an effect achieved by projection mapping, to send projectiles at the moving target. Actual water will splash and wet guests as Squirtle uses water gun to hit a bullseye practice target in front of him, and guests will feel a hot wave of air as Charmander uses flamethrower to hit the target of his own. Guests control the Pokemon of their choice by a physical joystick attached the console in front of them, a simple yet effective choice for the attraction.
The attraction format consists of a visit to Oak's lab, then a three-way split between the three Pokemon of choice, then a four-way split between a cave environment (zubat & scyther), forest environment (beedrill & scythe), lakeside environment (golden & staryu), and open field environment (pidgeotto & farfetch'd). This is the 'meat' of the attraction, and will have guests pitted against various Pokemon contingent on the terrain. Afterwards, guests will find themselves inside the town's Pokemon gym for a battle against either Team Rocket members Cassidy and Butch. It is worth noting that during the majority of the attraction, guests will be 'on their own,' so to speak. In other words, the vehicles split up into singles, but for those guests looking for multiplayer action, they'll be happy to know that the ride's climax, an encounter against the evil Giovanni, who is hell-bent on stealing the latest prototypical Pokebike to sell for profit, will be a group effort. Guests will be pitted against rhyhorn, Persian, or nidoking at this point.
As far as the ride mechanics are concerned, the Pokemon in the attraction are brought to life via state-of-the-art, "realtime" musion technology: in-game actions yield realtime physical effects: i.g. wind, heat, water. Charmander, squirtle, and bulbasaur will appear in front of guests using a separate layer of musion projection space, similar to the way guests battle in the once-popular 'Pokemon Go' mobile game. The battle sequences in that game are similar to the ones in the attraction, just on a much less complex and less realistic scale.
While guests battle against the digital Pokemon, animatronic Pokemon react from near the scene, growling at guests as they do battle. Various practical sensory effects will be utilized, including but not limited to water, heat, wind, and even smell. When guests find themselves in the forest, for instance, they'll smell the fauna similar to the smell in 'King Kong: 360 3D.' When guests enter the open field sequence, they'll smell berries in the air, and when they enter the lakeside sequence, they'll smell a fishy yet pleasant aroma in the air. As far as gameplay goes, guests have one joystick: Left to right (dodge attacks), top button utilizes direct attack (scratch), fire button utilizes unique projectile attack (flamethrower, water gun, razorleaf) The goal is to dodge as many attacks as possible to conserve Pokemon's health and "level up" by hitting the opposing Pokemon, which are constantly moving. Each hit equals 1 point, and the points are tallied up at the end of the attraction. It is possible for players' Pokemon to 'faint,' but the consequences are not game-ending. The Pokemon will be revived in the following scene(s), albeit weaker and slower, thus equating to less points for guests in the end. The attraction is an altogether memorable and game changing theme park experience, a faithful theme park representation of the classic 'Pokemon' video game and cartoon series.
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
With respect to all judges and players, it is at this time, due to a variety of outside factors, that I must leave SYWTBAI. I would like to thank @TheOriginalTiki and @MANEATINGWREATH for everything, and congratulate the final three. I can't wait to compete next season!
Snoopy
Well-Known Member
The fourth area of Universal's Nintendo land, a space fantasy subsection, was initially intended to house attractions based on the Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog. However, the rights to both of these attractions could ultimately not be attained by Universal - Zelda's license was held up over financial and legal disputes with Nintendo, while Sonic's was ultimately vetoed by the Nintendo bosses who, while fine with featuring the character in their games, were not interested in sharing lucrative theme park real estate with a rival company (though Sega's insistence on co-billing in all marketing material despite only loaning out one property for the land was another bone of contention with Nintendo). In truth the controversy over these two licenses nearly killed the entire Nintendo deal before it had begun. Luckily both companies were able to come to a solution; the other three mini-areas would proceed as planned, while the fourth section would be based on two more affordable properties that could still offer interesting attractions. The theme would be space fantasy and both companies selected a property each to build an attraction on.
Universal almost immediately jumped upon Star Fox to base their attraction on. The property was popular enough and had ample opportunities for rides. But as they could only build one, they settled on a roller coaster - in essence, their long-awaited answer to Space Mountain. But not just any coaster...
The Heartline Twister, also known as the Ultra-Twister, was a rare but famous coaster that, rather than having cars ride on a track or suspended from the ceiling, had the vehicles hold onto rails on the side. This would allow for the sensation of actually flying in a ship (the rails would be hidden in darkness and behind set-pieces within the indoor setting). However that is not the only modification that this ride type would receive. The Ultra-Twister is not capable of turning, only changing floors. Well that wouldn't do. This new, modified Twister would not only change floors, but also turn, make banked curves and even loop. If that wasn't enough, this new attraction would also be a shooter. Video screens within the ride vehicles would alert guests to aim at targets much like in the game, and characters would pop up and quote famous lines from the game.
The attraction begins in a hangar, where the ships are docked and ready to be boarded. The queue itself begins at a reception desk; guests make their way past this and into a backroom storage area, which leads to a warehouse. The warehouse is home to various Star Fox vehicles, such as the Landmaster, the Wolfen and the Blue-Marine. However guests will not be riding in any of those today. Passing into a hangar and the loading area guests see lined up in the station a series of Arwings, the classic plane featured in the game. The Arwings seat four, and the front of each seat is fitted with a gun of some kind - the front left features the standard triggers attatched to the steering wheel, front right features a Gatling gun, back left a sniper rifle and back right a machine gun. Each weapon has a different effect depending on the targets hit, so certain targets may be worth more points depending on the weapon the guests use.
After departing from the station, the vehicles board an elevator and the in-car screens light up. Fox McCloud appears and begins to instruct the guests. "Hello everyone, and welcome to our mission today. Before we begin, I'd like to take you all on a little training exercise." Reaching the top floor, guests come to a series of targets. McCloud tells them to aim their best, and after traveling the floor he decides that they're ready to begin. "All right, it's going to get a little tough out there. Don't worry, I'll be with you in case you get in real trouble." Reaching a series of doors, guests wait a brief moment for them to open. Doing so reveals the guests to be so high up that they've entered space itself. "Good luck!" The ship takes off with the biggest and steepest drop in the attraction, propelling it forward. This is followed up by a loop, in which the first enemies appear: Borzoi fighters firing at the guests. After firing, guests make a banked turn into the next scene.
Guests here come across a Space Blade, which through a screen effect fires spiked balls at guests. Guests in turn can shoot the balls and ship to rack up points. "That was a close one!" says Slippy Toad, appearing on screen. Dropping downward, guests find themselves entering the planet's atmosphere and encountering a flying Winged Aparoid. Much like the Blade it fires at guests, with them firing back. Another banked turn takes guests back into space and has them pull into a space station, braking and encountering Garudas, who begin to move towards the guests. "Probably not a good place to stop!" says Falco Lombardi on-screen, though it does allow guests targets to fire at. In the nick of time the ships exit the station and dive down to the planet of Macbeth.
Below guests is the Forever Train, and the Engineer comes on screen. "What's wrong? Come a little closer!" Guests follow the advice, but unfortunately find themselves getting shot at by cannons on the train. Flying away, guests come to a rather famous scene from the game: a wall with four turrets, firing lasers. Peppy Hare naturally comes over the screen and implores guests to "Do a barrel roll!" This of course being a modified Heartline Twister allows them to do just that, as they spin 360 degrees, just missing the turrets.
Flying on guests come across Bloops, who swoop down from the clouds. Guests dive down to avoid them, "splashing" into the water. "I don't like the look of this." says McCloud. "Floating" through the darkness guests come across Bacoon, who opens his clam shell and fires pearls at the guests. Managing to make it up, guests meet Wolf O'Donnel, who implores his Star Wolf brigade to take aim at the guests. Managing to make it past them, guests come to the tallest show scene in the building, Andross standing on a large mechanical platform outfitted with cannons. "With my mighty intellect, the universe shall soon be mine to command as I see fit." he taunts. It's here where the guests can rack up the most points. Flying in a downward banked curve, guests fire at the cannons until the platform gives way and Andross begins to fall. "Well done, everyone!" McCloud shouts, and guests make it back to the station. Braking, guests come across animatronic figures of the Star Fox team, congratulating them. They then make it back to the station and exit, returning out to Nintendo land.
Nintendo's pick for an attraction came from a rather unlikely source, the series Kid Icarus. Although not hugely popular, Nintendo figured that a Kid Icarus attraction would be just the thing to get people interested in their reboot of the character in the upcoming Kid Icarus: The Golden Bow game. This left Universal at a bit of a loss in regards what to do. They had already committed to a big Star Fox coaster, one that tied in to the game's shooter nature, and to add another shooter was a bit of a surprise. So for contrast the creatives decided to make the Icarus attraction a slower-moving ride, one that still had shooting capabilities but rather than shoot at targets, guests would shoot at each other.
This of course is much gentler than it sounds: the attraction that the designers moved to build was a water ride, one in which guests used arrows on the front of their boats to aim at other guests; the tips of the arrows would shoot out water, and the fun would come from dodging and getting others wet. This was more in line with the game's more gentle nature, and made a nice contrast with the Star Fox coaster just across the road.
However this isn't to say that the ride is a standard flat water-shooter. The attraction incorporates scenes, animatronics and effects to tell the standard story of Pit, Palutena and Medusa.
Guests enter a garden-based queue, themed after a Roman common house. Here guests see topiaries of famous gods and goddesses like Zeus, Dyntos and Pyrrhon. This is the domain of Viridi, goddess of nature, and it is here that she has left out signs for guests to read. These signs tell the story of the Roman pantheon, letting guests know who they're likely to meet on the voyage ahead. Moving on, guests come to a dock and board six-seater boats.
Disembarking, guests come to the first show scene. It is here that the Goddess of Light Palutena greets them, welcoming them to her abode and imploring them to look around. This is Overworld, and as guests travel through they can see shopkeepers in buildings poking out and greeting them. Moving on, guests have the opportunity here to spray water at other boats; the ride layout doubles back a few times, encouraging this sort of thing. Moving into a more rocky terrain, guests encounter Rokmen, who appear to fall from the sky. Passing through a cave, a Pluton pops out from behind a rock and attempts to jump on the boat. They luckily don't have a chance to, as guests move through the cave.
The next scene is Skyworld. Guests here have a second opportunity to shoot water at each other, before coming into contact with a group of Komayto, who descend from the ceiling in an attempt to latch on to the guests. They in turn are scared off by a couple of Keepahs, who squirt water onto the guests. Passing through mist, guests enter into the third show scene, Underworld. Here they encounter Monoeyes and Reapers, who reach out in an attempt to grab guests. Nettlers pop up from the water, attempting to knock the boat off course. Shemums hang off to the side and squirt "poison" at guests, while Mcgoos fire big water jets at them.
Entering the next scene, the Palace in the Sky, guests come face to face with Medusa, who is attempting to take it over. Pit descends from the sky, encouraging guests to "shoot" and defeat her. They succeed, turning her to stone. Exiting the palace, Paluenta and Pit appear again, commending the guests and thanking them for restoring peace to Angel Land. With that the guests return to the dock and disembark.
The Star Fox Experience
Universal almost immediately jumped upon Star Fox to base their attraction on. The property was popular enough and had ample opportunities for rides. But as they could only build one, they settled on a roller coaster - in essence, their long-awaited answer to Space Mountain. But not just any coaster...
The Heartline Twister, also known as the Ultra-Twister, was a rare but famous coaster that, rather than having cars ride on a track or suspended from the ceiling, had the vehicles hold onto rails on the side. This would allow for the sensation of actually flying in a ship (the rails would be hidden in darkness and behind set-pieces within the indoor setting). However that is not the only modification that this ride type would receive. The Ultra-Twister is not capable of turning, only changing floors. Well that wouldn't do. This new, modified Twister would not only change floors, but also turn, make banked curves and even loop. If that wasn't enough, this new attraction would also be a shooter. Video screens within the ride vehicles would alert guests to aim at targets much like in the game, and characters would pop up and quote famous lines from the game.
The attraction begins in a hangar, where the ships are docked and ready to be boarded. The queue itself begins at a reception desk; guests make their way past this and into a backroom storage area, which leads to a warehouse. The warehouse is home to various Star Fox vehicles, such as the Landmaster, the Wolfen and the Blue-Marine. However guests will not be riding in any of those today. Passing into a hangar and the loading area guests see lined up in the station a series of Arwings, the classic plane featured in the game. The Arwings seat four, and the front of each seat is fitted with a gun of some kind - the front left features the standard triggers attatched to the steering wheel, front right features a Gatling gun, back left a sniper rifle and back right a machine gun. Each weapon has a different effect depending on the targets hit, so certain targets may be worth more points depending on the weapon the guests use.
After departing from the station, the vehicles board an elevator and the in-car screens light up. Fox McCloud appears and begins to instruct the guests. "Hello everyone, and welcome to our mission today. Before we begin, I'd like to take you all on a little training exercise." Reaching the top floor, guests come to a series of targets. McCloud tells them to aim their best, and after traveling the floor he decides that they're ready to begin. "All right, it's going to get a little tough out there. Don't worry, I'll be with you in case you get in real trouble." Reaching a series of doors, guests wait a brief moment for them to open. Doing so reveals the guests to be so high up that they've entered space itself. "Good luck!" The ship takes off with the biggest and steepest drop in the attraction, propelling it forward. This is followed up by a loop, in which the first enemies appear: Borzoi fighters firing at the guests. After firing, guests make a banked turn into the next scene.
Guests here come across a Space Blade, which through a screen effect fires spiked balls at guests. Guests in turn can shoot the balls and ship to rack up points. "That was a close one!" says Slippy Toad, appearing on screen. Dropping downward, guests find themselves entering the planet's atmosphere and encountering a flying Winged Aparoid. Much like the Blade it fires at guests, with them firing back. Another banked turn takes guests back into space and has them pull into a space station, braking and encountering Garudas, who begin to move towards the guests. "Probably not a good place to stop!" says Falco Lombardi on-screen, though it does allow guests targets to fire at. In the nick of time the ships exit the station and dive down to the planet of Macbeth.
Below guests is the Forever Train, and the Engineer comes on screen. "What's wrong? Come a little closer!" Guests follow the advice, but unfortunately find themselves getting shot at by cannons on the train. Flying away, guests come to a rather famous scene from the game: a wall with four turrets, firing lasers. Peppy Hare naturally comes over the screen and implores guests to "Do a barrel roll!" This of course being a modified Heartline Twister allows them to do just that, as they spin 360 degrees, just missing the turrets.
Flying on guests come across Bloops, who swoop down from the clouds. Guests dive down to avoid them, "splashing" into the water. "I don't like the look of this." says McCloud. "Floating" through the darkness guests come across Bacoon, who opens his clam shell and fires pearls at the guests. Managing to make it up, guests meet Wolf O'Donnel, who implores his Star Wolf brigade to take aim at the guests. Managing to make it past them, guests come to the tallest show scene in the building, Andross standing on a large mechanical platform outfitted with cannons. "With my mighty intellect, the universe shall soon be mine to command as I see fit." he taunts. It's here where the guests can rack up the most points. Flying in a downward banked curve, guests fire at the cannons until the platform gives way and Andross begins to fall. "Well done, everyone!" McCloud shouts, and guests make it back to the station. Braking, guests come across animatronic figures of the Star Fox team, congratulating them. They then make it back to the station and exit, returning out to Nintendo land.
Kid Icarus and the Palace in the Sky
Nintendo's pick for an attraction came from a rather unlikely source, the series Kid Icarus. Although not hugely popular, Nintendo figured that a Kid Icarus attraction would be just the thing to get people interested in their reboot of the character in the upcoming Kid Icarus: The Golden Bow game. This left Universal at a bit of a loss in regards what to do. They had already committed to a big Star Fox coaster, one that tied in to the game's shooter nature, and to add another shooter was a bit of a surprise. So for contrast the creatives decided to make the Icarus attraction a slower-moving ride, one that still had shooting capabilities but rather than shoot at targets, guests would shoot at each other.
This of course is much gentler than it sounds: the attraction that the designers moved to build was a water ride, one in which guests used arrows on the front of their boats to aim at other guests; the tips of the arrows would shoot out water, and the fun would come from dodging and getting others wet. This was more in line with the game's more gentle nature, and made a nice contrast with the Star Fox coaster just across the road.
However this isn't to say that the ride is a standard flat water-shooter. The attraction incorporates scenes, animatronics and effects to tell the standard story of Pit, Palutena and Medusa.
Guests enter a garden-based queue, themed after a Roman common house. Here guests see topiaries of famous gods and goddesses like Zeus, Dyntos and Pyrrhon. This is the domain of Viridi, goddess of nature, and it is here that she has left out signs for guests to read. These signs tell the story of the Roman pantheon, letting guests know who they're likely to meet on the voyage ahead. Moving on, guests come to a dock and board six-seater boats.
Disembarking, guests come to the first show scene. It is here that the Goddess of Light Palutena greets them, welcoming them to her abode and imploring them to look around. This is Overworld, and as guests travel through they can see shopkeepers in buildings poking out and greeting them. Moving on, guests have the opportunity here to spray water at other boats; the ride layout doubles back a few times, encouraging this sort of thing. Moving into a more rocky terrain, guests encounter Rokmen, who appear to fall from the sky. Passing through a cave, a Pluton pops out from behind a rock and attempts to jump on the boat. They luckily don't have a chance to, as guests move through the cave.
The next scene is Skyworld. Guests here have a second opportunity to shoot water at each other, before coming into contact with a group of Komayto, who descend from the ceiling in an attempt to latch on to the guests. They in turn are scared off by a couple of Keepahs, who squirt water onto the guests. Passing through mist, guests enter into the third show scene, Underworld. Here they encounter Monoeyes and Reapers, who reach out in an attempt to grab guests. Nettlers pop up from the water, attempting to knock the boat off course. Shemums hang off to the side and squirt "poison" at guests, while Mcgoos fire big water jets at them.
Entering the next scene, the Palace in the Sky, guests come face to face with Medusa, who is attempting to take it over. Pit descends from the sky, encouraging guests to "shoot" and defeat her. They succeed, turning her to stone. Exiting the palace, Paluenta and Pit appear again, commending the guests and thanking them for restoring peace to Angel Land. With that the guests return to the dock and disembark.
MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
We are still waiting on a project from KM. I will reserve my selection until that time. @Magic Feather, no worries. We look forward to having you again the next time around. This does put you in Fourth Place and on the Jury, of course, so this isn't goodbye just yet. 
I want to wait until at least tomorrow afternoon to see if KMB posts anything. Hang tight, folks.
Alright, I'm going to go ahead and make the official call. I very much hope that everything is okay with KMB as it's not in his nature to leave us hanging like this. Hell, probably the most memorable thing about his gameplay this season was how active he was even on vacation. Since he did leave us hanging though, I'm going to have to eliminate him in fourth place. Magic Feather, thank you for letting us know your situation and we hope everything is going well for you personally. We loved having you in the cast this season, thanks for your time and effort throughout all the projects. With that, Magic Feather becomes our third place finisher.
This leaves us with a VERY exciting final two in spite of the fact that we got here by default. Here we go folks, the rematch of the decade. The final two of Season Ten returns to do battle in the final project of yet another excellent season. Please welcome former winners Basketbuddy and Snoopy to the arena. This is Basketbuddy's fifth time making a final project (seasons 2, 3, 4, and 10) and Snoopy's third time (seasons ten and twelve...) One of you will gain the coveted title of the game's very first two-time winner. MEW and I will be doing a detailed review of the Nintendo projects later in the week (and if that falls through I promise I'll give detailed thoughts in text form) but for now all I can say is that the semi-final projects from both these gents very much represented each of their strengths. Basketbuddy's concepts were super detailed, realistic, and comes complete with probably the most impressive set of artwork we've ever seen in a Basketbuddy project proving he continues to top himself in artistic ability. Meanwhile Snoopy took on more offbeat IPs and came out with an appropriately offbeat project that made great use of his sense of humor, classic Disney sensibilities, great uses of doing things on a slightly smaller scale, and an infectious and humble style of writing. Both of you should be very proud of these projects as showcases for your individual skills as players. With that in mind, let's get in to the final prompt.
Final Project: California Dreamin'
Based on the DCA 2.0 Project from Season Four
KingMickey vs. Basketbuddy was perhaps the biggest headlining event in the game's history with Basketbuddy finally getting a win after back to back loosing finalist performances in seasons two and three, while KingMickey very much came out of the woodwork as a hugely talented player who would go on to accomplish even greater things during his legendary winning game in Season Seven. Appropriately enough, the prompt that gave Basketbuddy his first win will be the one he must recreate to score a repeat victory. The prompt is fairly simple...Back in 2008 Disney announced a massive 1.5 billion dollar expansion to their struggling second gate in California. This expansion included the additions of Toy Story Mania and Ariel's Undersea Adventure to Paradise Pier as well as a brand new park entrance complete with a freshly immersive "Main Street" area that wipes the stink of the old Sunshine Plaza clean, and of course the Imagineering behemoth that is Cars Land. For this project, the final two must take that 1.5 billion and completely revision what a "DCA 2.0" would be like. The park is a diamond in the rough nowadays and has evolved into one of the most beautiful and under-stated of Disney's theme park lineup. Can you do better? Here's a list of items I'm looking for.
-Two new dark rides for Paradise Pier NOT themed to either Toy Story or The Little Mermaid
-A brand new land using the same plot as Cars Land, obviously not using the Cars IP
-A brand new park entrance and "Main Street" area that's not Buena Vista Street
-A transportation system for the park that isn't the Red Car Trolleys
-General placemaking and ascetic touch ups for at least one additional land (ala Grizzly Peak Airfield)
And that's it. This is an epic, headlining showdown that's very appropriate to end a Greatest Hits season on. I absolutely cannot wait to see what you two come up with. Good luck finalists and congrats on making it this far. This project is due Tuesday, May 16th. I'll be sending out confirmation PMs for all the jury members so look for those in your inboxes and get back to me as soon as you can. The jury will be the sole deciding factor for who wins the game.
This leaves us with a VERY exciting final two in spite of the fact that we got here by default. Here we go folks, the rematch of the decade. The final two of Season Ten returns to do battle in the final project of yet another excellent season. Please welcome former winners Basketbuddy and Snoopy to the arena. This is Basketbuddy's fifth time making a final project (seasons 2, 3, 4, and 10) and Snoopy's third time (seasons ten and twelve...) One of you will gain the coveted title of the game's very first two-time winner. MEW and I will be doing a detailed review of the Nintendo projects later in the week (and if that falls through I promise I'll give detailed thoughts in text form) but for now all I can say is that the semi-final projects from both these gents very much represented each of their strengths. Basketbuddy's concepts were super detailed, realistic, and comes complete with probably the most impressive set of artwork we've ever seen in a Basketbuddy project proving he continues to top himself in artistic ability. Meanwhile Snoopy took on more offbeat IPs and came out with an appropriately offbeat project that made great use of his sense of humor, classic Disney sensibilities, great uses of doing things on a slightly smaller scale, and an infectious and humble style of writing. Both of you should be very proud of these projects as showcases for your individual skills as players. With that in mind, let's get in to the final prompt.
Final Project: California Dreamin'
Based on the DCA 2.0 Project from Season Four
KingMickey vs. Basketbuddy was perhaps the biggest headlining event in the game's history with Basketbuddy finally getting a win after back to back loosing finalist performances in seasons two and three, while KingMickey very much came out of the woodwork as a hugely talented player who would go on to accomplish even greater things during his legendary winning game in Season Seven. Appropriately enough, the prompt that gave Basketbuddy his first win will be the one he must recreate to score a repeat victory. The prompt is fairly simple...Back in 2008 Disney announced a massive 1.5 billion dollar expansion to their struggling second gate in California. This expansion included the additions of Toy Story Mania and Ariel's Undersea Adventure to Paradise Pier as well as a brand new park entrance complete with a freshly immersive "Main Street" area that wipes the stink of the old Sunshine Plaza clean, and of course the Imagineering behemoth that is Cars Land. For this project, the final two must take that 1.5 billion and completely revision what a "DCA 2.0" would be like. The park is a diamond in the rough nowadays and has evolved into one of the most beautiful and under-stated of Disney's theme park lineup. Can you do better? Here's a list of items I'm looking for.
-Two new dark rides for Paradise Pier NOT themed to either Toy Story or The Little Mermaid
-A brand new land using the same plot as Cars Land, obviously not using the Cars IP
-A brand new park entrance and "Main Street" area that's not Buena Vista Street
-A transportation system for the park that isn't the Red Car Trolleys
-General placemaking and ascetic touch ups for at least one additional land (ala Grizzly Peak Airfield)
And that's it. This is an epic, headlining showdown that's very appropriate to end a Greatest Hits season on. I absolutely cannot wait to see what you two come up with. Good luck finalists and congrats on making it this far. This project is due Tuesday, May 16th. I'll be sending out confirmation PMs for all the jury members so look for those in your inboxes and get back to me as soon as you can. The jury will be the sole deciding factor for who wins the game.
spacemt354
Chili's
MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
Hopefully so. Just making sure he's okay.
Very excited about the Final Two! This really brings me back to the good ole' days of SYWTBAI. @Basketbuddy101 and @Snoopy, we've all come a long way since the days of VF, and it thrills me to be back in the business with you both. May the best project win. Fun fact, this is the first project I ever read in SYWTBAI, so this one hits close to home. It inspired me to one day play as a contestant, and I look forward to being inspired once more.
spacemt354
Chili's
I'm sure he's okay. He mentioned it earlier in the week on another thread he had exams coming up (everyone who takes AP exams has them around this time in May). He was just online 3 hours ago -- but even sometimes I log on to glance at the forum but don't have the energy to immediately respond to things haha.Hopefully so. Just making sure he's okay.
Very excited about the Final Two! This really brings me back to the good ole' days of SYWTBAI. @Basketbuddy101 and @Snoopy, we've all come a long way since the days of VF, and it thrills me to be back in the business with you both. May the best project win. Fun fact, this is the first project I ever read in SYWTBAI, so this one hits close to home. It inspired me to one day play as a contestant, and I look forward to being inspired once more.
MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
Right on. Well, it is what it is. Haha. Best of luck, @kmbmw777! We hope to see you again in future seasons of SYWTBAI!
kmbmw777
Well-Known Member
Sorry. Just finished a parade and had practice. Yeah, this week has been busy every day. And thank you very much!
Snoopy
Well-Known Member
@kmbmw777 and @Magic Feather , it has been great playing with both of you. I hope to see you in future seasons!
I hope to see you in future seasons!
kmbmw777
Well-Known Member
It has been an honor playing with everyone! Best of luck to the final two!@kmbmw777 and @Magic Feather , it has been great playing with both of you.
Basketbuddy101
Well-Known Member
Feels good to make it this far. Impressed with everyone's performance this season. Now on to the final project. @TheOriginalTiki Are we going with a "what if" 2008 scenario where Cars Land and Buena Vista Street don't exist, Tower of Terror was never changed to Guardians, etc., or are we reskinning the park from this modern point on?
It's a "What If" scenario where BVS, Cars Land etc. never existed. You're starting with the Paradise Pier dark ride in 2008 and working your way up the timeline. Hope that helps
Basketbuddy101
Well-Known Member
Perfect. Looking forward to the results.It's a "What If" scenario where BVS, Cars Land etc. never existed. You're starting with the Paradise Pier dark ride in 2008 and working your way up the timeline. Hope that helps
MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
It isn't in the requirements and doesn't need to be included in the overall final product, but I'd love any extra detail work into a revised Hollywoodland. Basketbuddy's question made me realized that Tower of Terror would still exist in this hypothetical timeline.
Basketbuddy's question made me realized that Tower of Terror would still exist in this hypothetical timeline.
I just realized I had both Basketbuddy and Snoopy in my Fantasy Draft...which means...
