TheOriginalTiki
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So, You Want to Be the Sorcerer's Apprentice? Game Thread
- Thread starter Outbound
- Start date
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Trying out a new art style lol
@Captain Orange Cacao Bird & @Disney Warrior have been nominated the PoMVP for Stanza 1. They are ineligble for elimination in Stanza 2: IT'S PLAYTIME.
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Woohoo! Podcast! I plan listen to it at work today whenever my boss isn't looking
Outbound’s Reviews
Overall / Team Dynamics
Americas
Mediterranean
Africa
Europe
Oceania
Asia
- First off, big congrats to everyone! This was a huge project to start the competition off, and you nailed it!
- Due to the giant (11 pavilions) scale, I won’t be able to comment on every little detail of the project. However, I will try commenting on the big picture of each pavilion, and any of its highlights!
Overall / Team Dynamics
- @Architectural Guinea Pig did a commendable job overseeing such a giant project, and major kudos to @Lord Fozzinator on an absolutely insane World Showcase mega-map!
- Watching the map come together one pavilion at a time over the course of the week was really something.
- However, Fozz I did want to comment on the reality of designing so much map so ahead of the project writeups. Although you had no other choice to finish on time, sometimes if you designed the map before fully knowing what the land layout will be, the writers then have to adapt to what the map shows. Where, with a less ambitious map, it can designed faster and after the layout plans is posted.
- I know that this happened with the America pavilion, and I do not believe anywhere else, but still by finishing it early it can somewhat constrain a writeup.
- As a team, y’all did a good job at project balancing. Designing a whole new World Showcase is hard, especially when many of the easiest countries already taken IRL, so I was glad to see so many well realized and inspired countries get the love they deserve in pavilion form.
- That said, there are some pavilions which have gotten a bit more detail than others, and it is a little noticeable reading them all together.
- Granted: there are pavilions in the World Showcase less packed than others, and that’s okay, and sorta what we wanted to see by keeping the attraction count the same. But many of those pavilions have detailed food/drink or shopping opportunities. Although food, drink, and shopping are usually overlooked in imagineering, sometimes it really is that “special element” that brings imagined lands — on pavilions — to life!
Americas
- There are some ideas that are so perfect, they stop becoming “good ideas” and become “the right idea”
- This is really the perfect way to tackle the Walt’s Vault twist. From the America Pavilion literally swapping positions to the front of the showcase (a gateway rather than centerpiece), leading with New York & Immigration as central themes over another Revolution themed land, and a land message that is more relevant than ever.
- A brief tangent: I’ve never been a huge fan of the American Pavilion at EPCOT. It doesn’t help Liberty Square, in my mind, outdoes the land in terms of “Americana”. America is the most diverse country in the world, surely a second themed land to it would warrant any one of the possible unique themes? New York through Ellis Island is the perfect realization of this.
- This feels like a true World Showcase Pavilion. I love that the Jazz Club is the standout of the land (in most projects, it would be just the reliable C/B-ticket). Small exhibits for America’s National Parks or the Rock Garden of the US is such a realistic depiction of a world pavilion!
- Last, Art, Advocacy, and America is a great walkthrough thesis which pairs well with the jazz club. Great work Pi!
- Jumping to Brazil, unfortunately the writeup leaves a lot to be desired. Brazil is one of the largest, most culturally-resonant countries in the world, and in many ways shares a lot with the United States historically. I feel like realistically these would be two of the most popular pavilions with their decent size and content on the map. Unfortunately there are only a few paragraphs to break down both a ride and large pavilion.
- I would like to address the elephant(s?) in the room with the attraction, Amazon River Cruise. Unfortunately, it reminds me a LOT of the Jungle Cruise. The name doesn’t help, Jungle Cruise itself does sail thru the Amazon at one point, and the comparison even comes up in the writeup!
- I understand that the ride is drawn more from Maelstrom than Jungle Cruise, but there’s no Vikings elsewhere, and even so, Maelstrom goes out of its way to focus on the trolls and Norwegian folklore to distinguish itself.
- I think a more immediately intense and thrill-based Brazilian-folklore river ride could’ve better accomplished “Brazilian Maelstrom”. I also read the brainstorm and know this was originally a Three Cabarellos ride, and even with my critiques, I do think you made the right imagineering call there. As while a perfect IP fit, it is a bit close to Mexico.
- But the biggest missed opportunity, IMO - Carnival! As one of the craziest festivals in the world, it would’ve made for a great template to create an imaginative ride just for Brazil.
Mediterranean
- Both Egypt and Greece are uniquely challenging nations to develop World Showcase pavilions for, because although world famous, both are perhaps most famous for their histories over contemporary culture. (And the EPCOT World Showcase is, at its core, more about culture and the present over history). I’m happy to read most of both pavilions are rooted in culture, saving the (admittedly awesome) history for the attractions!
- I love the decision to base Greece off Santorini. An instantly recognizable architecture, even if most don’t know it by name, Santorini evokes so much of the beauty and wonder typical of Greece. An olive vineyard is another perfect fit here and would make for a fantastic space of relaxation.
- Eternal Greece is such a World Showcase classic. Reading this feels like finding lost concepts for a 80s CircleVision show for Greece instead of Canada, France, or China. Love the continued focus on Greece’s present. Good job!
- Moving to Egypt, this is great! A bit funny how it takes up Morocco’s slot, as these two lands have a lot in common! The winding corridors of the bazar, coffee shop, etc.
- The Great Pyramids are a great fit for a winding historical walkthrough.
- I’m not really sure how to read King Tut’s restaurant. Like on one level it’s a cool draw, on the other is a dead boy king’s mummy raising up every 20 minutes while you have a nice table service meal a bit wack? Like maybe dining with the Egyptian gods would’ve made for a more refined indoor dining experience.
Africa
- Real brief aside, but I do wish there was some African representation here (I’d consider Egypt/Morocco more Arabic). I recognize the real World Showcase also lacks this (that business in the Outpost doesn’t count).
- Africa is one of the most diverse continents, and it’s really big. I do think there was a lot to pick from, from the West (Nigeria), East (Ethiopia) or South (Kenya). Each would have made for fantastic pavilions IMO, and possibly help break up some of the pavilions if they were sorted together.
Europe
- Alright I like the sentiment but opening on an Otto Von Habsburg quote is unintentionally hilarious
- Europe is a bit of a… weird mix, to be honest, but I kinda like that. Without getting in it too much, I do feel the real-life World Showcase has just enough Europe, getting the four heavy-hitters (plus Norway). This leaves your team a lot of options but the risk of treading similar regional ground. I think you did a good job picking two very distinct countries which would stand out even among the real life Showcase. Ireland has a unique Celtic background, and Hungary is uniquely Magyar.
- As I mentioned on the podcast, I think Ireland is a fair bit more successful than Hungary, and mostly for one reason: vision.
- @Lord Fozzinator wanted to represent a country they feel pride in, and it shows. Ireland is perhaps the most packed pavilion (the “France” of this Showcase), but it’s well balanced with a folkloric main attraction and a more historically accurate walkthrough. This does a great balancing Celtic influences with the real stories of the Irish people. Last, I always appreciate a full menu and you didn’t disappoint here. Bravo Fozz!
- For Hungary, this was uniquely the only pavilion designed by two: Squirrel and OB, and unfortunately, I do think it shows. This pavilion was done in a “piecemeal” approach, with one dining/shopping venue at a time. This has the unintended effect of appearing more like a collection of these venues than a single, unified pavilion. My recommendation for the future is to take a single vision or concept of a plan, and then work forwards in achieving that. For instance, what could reside in the large Parliament building making up most of the Hungarian facade?
- That said, I do want to commend both Squirrel and OB for tackling a World Showcase pavilion for their very first project. This is by no means an easy kind format and it does require a unique blend of restraint with creativity, and individually, every element of the pavilion is great (I especially love the Hungarian blood wine!) Just a bit more organization on the backend could have really brought this pavilion to life.
Oceania
- Love seeing Oceania get a whole region of the Showcase, with two pavilions (two more than IRL!)
- Fiji is short but sweet. The Water show is a great thesis for the country and pavilion, and I like its conclusive tie-in to ongoing sea level rise, it’s a very relevant topic for island nations across the worlds and good to see this important issue raised in a pavilion like this.
- For Australia, @Brer Panther did a great job at blending the city with the Outback! I love to see Sydney get representation as the main pavilion space, leaving the natural Outback to the attraction. The Great Barrier Inn is a great name for a seafood restaurant!
- For the Outback Safari, I was initially worried this would be too similar to Kilimanjaro Safaris (similar to my worries over the Jungle Cruise), but I was mistaken! As I said on the podcast, this is a uniquely Brer Panther attraction in all the best ways. I love how, true to its name, outrageous the whole thing, is with a zany Kangaroo guiding us through the edutainment experience. This is a true to form EPCOT attraction!
Asia
- Finally we get to the last three pavilions — and the largest region! As we near the home stretch, I’m happy to say each are really inspired, detailed, and put together!
- Pakistan resembles its replacement China, with an initial bustling market followed by more relaxing gardens. I really enjoyed everything here, especially the smaller details, though I can’t help but wish there was a little more?
- Onto Taiwan — where @Architectural Guinea Pig did a fantastic job on the Taiwanese pavilion. AGP took a country / culture they were uniquely passionate / proud of, and it shows in the project. There is so much creativity here, backed with a real, lived cultural knowledge. Even though I have never been to Asia, I have a fairly strong sense that this pavilion represents its country and culture at a level no other pavilion in the showcase quite has.
- The Journey of Tea is such a cool pavilion headliner. It shows that not every pavilion needs a major attraction to stand out. This tea-based experience reminds me most of Living With the Land of all things, and I mean that in the best possible way.
- TP Tea appearance! There really is no other boba place with as good Strawberry Matcha.
- The 7-11 is one of the best additions to the entire World Showcase: unique country-based snacks would genuinely make for a huge draw.
- Last, we complete the loop around the world with the South Korea Pavilion. As a country, South Korea was one of the first — and is perhaps the most compelling — candidate for a pavilion. With its (relatively) recent explosion in pop culture, it brings so much history, culture, and food to a world showcase.
- With all that in mind, I do think the unintended aftereffect is a somewhat overstuffed pavilion. As we briefly mentioned in the podcast, the attraction has a lot of moving parts, many of which perhaps don’t flow as fluidly as they could (ex: it begins with a historical account of Korea, but the religious history happens after the historical accounting, with contemporary K-Pop in between). I think a little bit more focus and unity across the land could have helped bring all these great ideas together.
- Overall, this was a great starting round for the competition! With every player contributing so much in only the first round, I’m so excited to see what the rest of this game has in store! Good luck on those roller coasters, everyone!
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
So, I had actually originally intended the new USA pavilion to be in the center of the entrance as a gateway. Where the Christmas Tree goes and stretching from one of those shops to the other. That way it would be the entrance/host of the World Showcase no matter which route you take. But I didn't communicate that well and then was off the forum for a few days for work and when I came back the team was already working on a plan based around using the same positions of current countries. Which did make it work less as a gateway, BUT also pushed me to make it a more traditional World Showcase Pavilion which lead to the larger New York/Jazz Club focus that I feel really elevated it as a whole even if it is less of a host. One of those details that show how even in more solo style projects like this the collaborative nature of the game are always pushing you to try new things and attempt different styles
Also, the Gaslight Project! One of my all time favorites lol
The prompt was to use a special event to try to redeem F&F Supercharged's reputation at USO. I decided to have some fun with that and explain that the only way to save its reputation was to set up a 5 year strategy to gaslight people into thinking it was good! Was a really fun to write joke project, but like all good joke projects it works because the joke was taken seriously discussing actual media manipulation tactics, having special events and more traditional imagineering elements there along with the gaslighting, discussing the niche design elements and details that can effect the final project more than the general public might realize. Joke projects only work when there is still substance there to make the silliness shine.
@Lord Fozzinator you've got a great opportunity here to really stand out with a solo round! Have fun with it and fond what you are passionate about with it even if coasters aren't your thing
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Uh, to be honest, I intended for Kookaburra Jack to be human. But we never actually see the character in-person during the attraction, so y'know what? I say he's a kangaroo!
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Can I do a water coaster?
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
No, it has to be coasters specifically from the six models listed.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Apologies for the delay in my written feedback. I should be a lot more punctual moving forward, this project is just so big that I honestly didn't have a good time to sit down and write it all out the past few days. Overall I was very impressed and happy with how well this project turned out. Starting a brand new comp, even if it's based on previous competitions, is always risky and you never know what the activity level is going to be like. I loved seeing every person in the cast come together for this and it makes me really excited to see how the game pans out from here. Obviously some of you contributed more than others but every single person brought something to the table which is low key kind of rare when it comes to opening projects. Most of the time there's at least one or two people who sign up and wind up just never being active and I'm stoked that this simply isn't the case this game!
I don't really know what I was expecting with designing basically a whole half of a theme park, but part of me was definitely a bit annoyed at how long this thing was through absolutely NO fault to the players
That being said, grouping the countries up into the different regions was an absolute god send for organization and flow. It's a small presentation touch that went a super long way towards making this massive novel of a project actually approachable.
The USA pavilion is absolutely inspired. The American Adventure has always frustrated me with how literally white washed the pavilion is right down to the damn color pallet. This does a brilliant job of doing the inverse of that. It's a simple idea that in this day and age is a pretty potent political statement. The emphasis on different cultures gives this a real American Tail vibe and very much helps it stand out visually compared to its real world counterpart. Brazil is definitely one of the pavilions with the least detail but I do really like the idea for the boat ride. To me it essentially feels like an actually good version of the infamous Rainforest Cafe boat ride. While maybe a bit too similar to Living with the Land's rainforest section, it adds a nice calm attraction into the showcase lineup that would be a big help for overall capacity.
The Greece/Egypt combo is probably the biggest highlight of the entire lineup of countries and frankly needs to be studied for future World Showcase projects. Combining the two both visually and thematically is a stroke of genius that makes both of them feel much more alive. I love the detail and reference photos for Greece, it paints a really vivid picture of a Showcase pavilion that leans much more on natural beauty than anything that's been attempted at the actual park and shows a clear passion for travel that I know Disney Dad has. The Circlevision show is a great counterpoint to the Planetarium show, which ranks among the most ambitious AA shows I've ever seen attempted in one of these games. The restaurant in King Tutt's tomb might be a bit of a tonal whiplash with more upscale dining inside a Rainforest Cafe esque immersively themed environment, but I still really like the idea behind it. My only nitpick, and this is kind of a concern that spans throughout the whole project, is I feel like you guys went a little hog wild when it comes to museums and walkthroughs when the judges were really specific with the requirements. While none of the walkthrough stuff actively hurt the overall project, stuff like the pyramid exhibit very much feels like filler.
Something just came up and I'm going to have to do the rest later today or early tomorrow at the absolute latest. Sorry again for the delay, again the turnaround time for my feedback is going to be much quicker when I'm not responding to a literal novel
I don't really know what I was expecting with designing basically a whole half of a theme park, but part of me was definitely a bit annoyed at how long this thing was through absolutely NO fault to the players
That being said, grouping the countries up into the different regions was an absolute god send for organization and flow. It's a small presentation touch that went a super long way towards making this massive novel of a project actually approachable.The USA pavilion is absolutely inspired. The American Adventure has always frustrated me with how literally white washed the pavilion is right down to the damn color pallet. This does a brilliant job of doing the inverse of that. It's a simple idea that in this day and age is a pretty potent political statement. The emphasis on different cultures gives this a real American Tail vibe and very much helps it stand out visually compared to its real world counterpart. Brazil is definitely one of the pavilions with the least detail but I do really like the idea for the boat ride. To me it essentially feels like an actually good version of the infamous Rainforest Cafe boat ride. While maybe a bit too similar to Living with the Land's rainforest section, it adds a nice calm attraction into the showcase lineup that would be a big help for overall capacity.
The Greece/Egypt combo is probably the biggest highlight of the entire lineup of countries and frankly needs to be studied for future World Showcase projects. Combining the two both visually and thematically is a stroke of genius that makes both of them feel much more alive. I love the detail and reference photos for Greece, it paints a really vivid picture of a Showcase pavilion that leans much more on natural beauty than anything that's been attempted at the actual park and shows a clear passion for travel that I know Disney Dad has. The Circlevision show is a great counterpoint to the Planetarium show, which ranks among the most ambitious AA shows I've ever seen attempted in one of these games. The restaurant in King Tutt's tomb might be a bit of a tonal whiplash with more upscale dining inside a Rainforest Cafe esque immersively themed environment, but I still really like the idea behind it. My only nitpick, and this is kind of a concern that spans throughout the whole project, is I feel like you guys went a little hog wild when it comes to museums and walkthroughs when the judges were really specific with the requirements. While none of the walkthrough stuff actively hurt the overall project, stuff like the pyramid exhibit very much feels like filler.
Something just came up and I'm going to have to do the rest later today or early tomorrow at the absolute latest. Sorry again for the delay, again the turnaround time for my feedback is going to be much quicker when I'm not responding to a literal novel
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
FOZZ'S SUBMISSION FOR LEGOLAND PARK
LEGO Ninjago: Cyrus Borg's Test Flight
Echoes of the Dinosaurs
docs.google.com
LEGO Ninjago: Cyrus Borg's Test Flight
Echoes of the Dinosaurs
Echoes of the Dinosaurs
Echoes of the Dinosaurs (Spinning Coaster) Queue The queue starts with a rickety looking research station, of course built out of LEGOs. The boards on the ceiling lean down, LEGO moss growing over the surface. The room is filled with several switchbacks but unlike a good portion of attraction ...
docs.google.com
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
And with that @Lord Fozzinator officially secures his spot in the final 12! I'll have reviews for the two coasters up when I write the reviews for the main team projects. I'm still intending on finishing the reviews of the World Showcase project and major apologies for the delay there. I kind of hit a mental health brick wall for completely outside the game reasons on Thursday and needed a couple days to recover.
Fozz, could you please send me your pick for who you want to send the next Walt's Vault key to in your diary room?
Fozz, could you please send me your pick for who you want to send the next Walt's Vault key to in your diary room?
spacemt354
Chili's
Proudly Presents...
Team Dukas - Legoland Coasters
INTRODUCTION The Legoland amusement parks in the United States and worldwide are no stranger to roller coasters. Each park has at least two coasters, and notable examples include the Dragon, Dragon’s Apprentice, Coastersaurus, the Great Lego Race, and most recently Galacticoaster. However, all o...
docs.google.com
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Purchase one of four EXCLUSIVE NEW Lego Sets on the LEGO Website! Click the image to learn more.
System A/S, SYWTBTSA DK-7190 Billund, Denmark. Must be 18 years or older to purchase online. LEGO City (Disneydad3000), LEGOLAND FLORIDA (COCB), LEGO Dimensions (Architectural Guinea Pig), LEGO Rock Raiders (Lizzy May Bee), LEGO Stuntz (WaltWiz1901), are original creations and should not be reproduced. ©2026 Team Stravinsky. All rights reserved. Presentation by Architectural Guinea Pig. A purchase on the LEGO site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
A big congrats to all players for completing their first team project. I know this one was tricky, both with trying to create thrill coasters for a kid-centric park and just the fact that most of you aren't really coaster people to begin with. Both teams really brought it this round and it's going to be a close call in the judging. Outbound, PerGron and I will be spending the day reading the projects and will come to a consensus on the winning team by the end of the day and announce who is eliminated. Project three should be posted by late tonight or early tomorrow.
I wanted to take some time to review @Lord Fozzinator's coasters. Honestly for someone who isn't a coaster guy at all I think you really nailed the appeal of the extreme Spinner. It's not just about the spinning itself, it's about the aggressive launches and wonky inversions, and I think you really nailed those factors. Technically speaking you were supposed to pick two of the coaster models (one in each park), but honestly I could have communicated that better and realistically speaking having each park get a different themed version of very similar coasters is much more realistic than what the actual prompt called for.
I definitely think out of the two Ninjango was the stronger effort mostly because more of the emphasis is on the actual coaster elements and not the dark ride stuff. I haven't read everything yet but I can already tell that for my personal tastes generally speaking I would have liked to see more emphasis on the actual coaster stuff compared to the themes so this one definitely satisfied that. While indoor thrill coasters certainly exist (Rock N' Roller Coaster for example) I just have a harder time picturing the large scale elements inside of what is essentially a dark ride show building, so the fact that a lot of your layout is in an outdoor section with a brief dark ride section at the start is way more in line with what I was actually looking for in this prompt.
The dinosaur coaster was more ambitious and definitely still had a good amount of coaster description in the mix, it was just a bit harder for me to visualize because of most of it being indoors. It's still a really solid ride and like I said I enjoy the realism of the fact that these are very similar layouts while not being exact clones and having totally different tones and themes. I think out of all the available ride models the extreme Spinner probably fits the Lego brand the best, so you doubling down on it definitely made a lot of sense. These aren't all time great coasters by any means, but you put in more than enough effort into these to hold your head high and know you've absolutely earned your place on the teams. You were dealt a lousy hand with the Vault's Vault twist especially because you're a very collaborative player and can admit coasters aren't your strong suit. You could have easily gotten frustrated and just phoned this in just to say you had something, but it's clear you put real effort in these and you should definitely be proud of that. Great work!
I wanted to take some time to review @Lord Fozzinator's coasters. Honestly for someone who isn't a coaster guy at all I think you really nailed the appeal of the extreme Spinner. It's not just about the spinning itself, it's about the aggressive launches and wonky inversions, and I think you really nailed those factors. Technically speaking you were supposed to pick two of the coaster models (one in each park), but honestly I could have communicated that better and realistically speaking having each park get a different themed version of very similar coasters is much more realistic than what the actual prompt called for.
I definitely think out of the two Ninjango was the stronger effort mostly because more of the emphasis is on the actual coaster elements and not the dark ride stuff. I haven't read everything yet but I can already tell that for my personal tastes generally speaking I would have liked to see more emphasis on the actual coaster stuff compared to the themes so this one definitely satisfied that. While indoor thrill coasters certainly exist (Rock N' Roller Coaster for example) I just have a harder time picturing the large scale elements inside of what is essentially a dark ride show building, so the fact that a lot of your layout is in an outdoor section with a brief dark ride section at the start is way more in line with what I was actually looking for in this prompt.
The dinosaur coaster was more ambitious and definitely still had a good amount of coaster description in the mix, it was just a bit harder for me to visualize because of most of it being indoors. It's still a really solid ride and like I said I enjoy the realism of the fact that these are very similar layouts while not being exact clones and having totally different tones and themes. I think out of all the available ride models the extreme Spinner probably fits the Lego brand the best, so you doubling down on it definitely made a lot of sense. These aren't all time great coasters by any means, but you put in more than enough effort into these to hold your head high and know you've absolutely earned your place on the teams. You were dealt a lousy hand with the Vault's Vault twist especially because you're a very collaborative player and can admit coasters aren't your strong suit. You could have easily gotten frustrated and just phoned this in just to say you had something, but it's clear you put real effort in these and you should definitely be proud of that. Great work!
PerGron
Well-Known Member
PerGron's Reviews
We're kicking off round two and the first team round with easily the combination of parts that I am squarely in the middle on. I love LEGO, but coasters are not my bread and butter, so I was really excited to see how you guys would take these four coasters. LEGO has so many fun and original themes that range from insanely creative to nostalgic trash that there was a ton of magic you guys could easily grab from and create some insanely unique ideas.
I'm gonna throw this out here so I don't have to keep saying it: writing coasters is really difficult. There's not really show scenes or anything to focus on, and writing "it goes up, it goes down, it does a little loop-de-loop" obviously isn't how anyone wants to write, so I will not be knocking any of you for not writing coasters well. What I will be judging is how well did you convey the theme you're going for, how detailed was the attempt, and how well did each player work with their team.
With that, let's get into the reviews.
Team Dukas
Team Dukas struggled with this one, there's not really any way to mince words on it. There were six of you on this team and only five of you actually contributed anything (this is not exclusive to this team) but the submissions from half the team overall were very minor. There are four coasters here written by three people, a single paragraph introduction, and four logos. I don't mean to come off as a hard*ss in the first team round, but watching Pi, Space, and Priest continuously check in on the team without much response from the others became tiring to see and I do think that ends up showing in this team's output. I would've liked to see @Disney Warrior, @Brer Panther, and @TheSquirrel contribute more in this round and should you all continue on, I think you need to keep that in mind, because when you're assigned four attractions and the most you can put out is one paragraph, that really doesn't bode well for your ability as a team player. That said, you did (technically) complete the required four coasters, so let's get into them.
Frights Camera Action is certainly the best way to open up this project because it's the most fully-realized of the four and the one that has the clearest endgame goal. The idea that the whole point of the coaster is to record your screams is a great little story gimmick that works incredibly for what you're going for. I like the inclusion of the short-lived Hidden Side theme too as while I never got into it (I'm pretty much exclusively a Star Wars collector) I do like when LEGO goes for the spookier themes, it's always a lot of fun.
I appreciated the map that runs us through the whole coaster and the breakdown of each themed show area as well. You'd be flying through these pretty quickly so you definitely don't need to go ham with the thematic elements, but I appreciate the willingness to go into it. You also play a bit with the classic LEGO humor that I think is most famous from the TT Games video games like the skeleton in a bathing suit you included in the creature segment, that's a lot of fun and a really nice touch.
This coaster really ended up capturing the feel of something LEGO would do and that was probably the best part of it. The humor was on point, the theming was fun and cheesy and featured a semi-popular theme, and the thrill level is well-achieved too. Of the four coasters, I think this is your most well-realized overall.
The same cannot be said for Excalibur. This is especially sad because as a kid, Castle was my favorite LEGO theme and also, growing up my childhood local park had (and still has) a coaster called Excalibur, so I have a fondness for the name.
Unfortunately, this coaster got entirely left in the dust and I know that you guys had to scramble to get something out there, so I don't fault whoever the uncredited player is that squeaked together this project, but I will say that signing up for a quarter of the required project and then just dropping off the face of the Earth and making someone else do it is really not a good look...
As for Cannonball Away, I love Pirates as a LEGO theme as well and think it's easily one of those original themes like Castle that could lend itself incredibly to an attraction like this. You have a really solid foundation here, but again it just feels really short. Obviously not as lacking in detail as Excalibur ended up being, but I would've liked a bit more out of this. It's still a good theme and I like the inclusion of the queue you described, I just kind of wish there was more focus on the ride itself rather than just two short paragraphs.
Finally, we have Bricktastrophe which I think is definitely the most unique in concept as rather than tying it to a beloved theme, you went with the class of LEGO employees called Master Builders. The idea of this being a failed LEGO construction project is a lot of fun and I think it adds to the LEGO of it all, and the write up was easily the strongest. Who knew @spacemt354 one of the vets of the boards could write a solid coaster lol. That said, I think I liked the theming of the first coaster more, but I definitely think this was the strongest overall of Team Dukas' projects.
Ultimately, there are strong elements here, but I think the teamwork really needs improvement. Because of the disjointed nature and lack of communication from half of the team, this project fell short of expectations from what I know all of you are capable of.
We're kicking off round two and the first team round with easily the combination of parts that I am squarely in the middle on. I love LEGO, but coasters are not my bread and butter, so I was really excited to see how you guys would take these four coasters. LEGO has so many fun and original themes that range from insanely creative to nostalgic trash that there was a ton of magic you guys could easily grab from and create some insanely unique ideas.
I'm gonna throw this out here so I don't have to keep saying it: writing coasters is really difficult. There's not really show scenes or anything to focus on, and writing "it goes up, it goes down, it does a little loop-de-loop" obviously isn't how anyone wants to write, so I will not be knocking any of you for not writing coasters well. What I will be judging is how well did you convey the theme you're going for, how detailed was the attempt, and how well did each player work with their team.
With that, let's get into the reviews.
Team Dukas
Team Dukas struggled with this one, there's not really any way to mince words on it. There were six of you on this team and only five of you actually contributed anything (this is not exclusive to this team) but the submissions from half the team overall were very minor. There are four coasters here written by three people, a single paragraph introduction, and four logos. I don't mean to come off as a hard*ss in the first team round, but watching Pi, Space, and Priest continuously check in on the team without much response from the others became tiring to see and I do think that ends up showing in this team's output. I would've liked to see @Disney Warrior, @Brer Panther, and @TheSquirrel contribute more in this round and should you all continue on, I think you need to keep that in mind, because when you're assigned four attractions and the most you can put out is one paragraph, that really doesn't bode well for your ability as a team player. That said, you did (technically) complete the required four coasters, so let's get into them.
Frights Camera Action is certainly the best way to open up this project because it's the most fully-realized of the four and the one that has the clearest endgame goal. The idea that the whole point of the coaster is to record your screams is a great little story gimmick that works incredibly for what you're going for. I like the inclusion of the short-lived Hidden Side theme too as while I never got into it (I'm pretty much exclusively a Star Wars collector) I do like when LEGO goes for the spookier themes, it's always a lot of fun.
I appreciated the map that runs us through the whole coaster and the breakdown of each themed show area as well. You'd be flying through these pretty quickly so you definitely don't need to go ham with the thematic elements, but I appreciate the willingness to go into it. You also play a bit with the classic LEGO humor that I think is most famous from the TT Games video games like the skeleton in a bathing suit you included in the creature segment, that's a lot of fun and a really nice touch.
This coaster really ended up capturing the feel of something LEGO would do and that was probably the best part of it. The humor was on point, the theming was fun and cheesy and featured a semi-popular theme, and the thrill level is well-achieved too. Of the four coasters, I think this is your most well-realized overall.
The same cannot be said for Excalibur. This is especially sad because as a kid, Castle was my favorite LEGO theme and also, growing up my childhood local park had (and still has) a coaster called Excalibur, so I have a fondness for the name.
Unfortunately, this coaster got entirely left in the dust and I know that you guys had to scramble to get something out there, so I don't fault whoever the uncredited player is that squeaked together this project, but I will say that signing up for a quarter of the required project and then just dropping off the face of the Earth and making someone else do it is really not a good look...
As for Cannonball Away, I love Pirates as a LEGO theme as well and think it's easily one of those original themes like Castle that could lend itself incredibly to an attraction like this. You have a really solid foundation here, but again it just feels really short. Obviously not as lacking in detail as Excalibur ended up being, but I would've liked a bit more out of this. It's still a good theme and I like the inclusion of the queue you described, I just kind of wish there was more focus on the ride itself rather than just two short paragraphs.
Finally, we have Bricktastrophe which I think is definitely the most unique in concept as rather than tying it to a beloved theme, you went with the class of LEGO employees called Master Builders. The idea of this being a failed LEGO construction project is a lot of fun and I think it adds to the LEGO of it all, and the write up was easily the strongest. Who knew @spacemt354 one of the vets of the boards could write a solid coaster lol. That said, I think I liked the theming of the first coaster more, but I definitely think this was the strongest overall of Team Dukas' projects.
Ultimately, there are strong elements here, but I think the teamwork really needs improvement. Because of the disjointed nature and lack of communication from half of the team, this project fell short of expectations from what I know all of you are capable of.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Okay teams, it's time for some reviews! Overall seven out of the eight coasters turned out really fantastic in their own right. Unfortunately the fact that one coaster was clearly unfinished is probably going to lead to a rather predictable, objective result. Lets go through each team and break things down ride by ride.
On Team Dukas, Frights Camera Action clearly walks away not just as the MVP of this team's roster, but one of the absolute best coasters between the two teams. I think this ride did a fantastic job incorporating a lot of different show scenes along with a pretty accurate layout to what an Extreme Spinner would actually feel like. I love how you brought in several different supernatural themed LEGO lines and tied them together into this. Just seeing the box for that Lego Studios set gave me a huge rush of nostalgia. This reminds me a lot of the Pinball Blizzard coaster I led the charge on during last year's Visions Fantastic comp, which took over the casino arcade at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
My one nitpick is that given the fact that inversions on this model hit particularly hard because of the spinning factor I do wish a few more were implemented into the layout. Saving them for the outdoor finale works, it just feels like it's not taking full advantage of how crazy one of these rides can be. That being said I think this did a good job threading that California Screamin' needle of being a coaster that's on the higher side of the "thrill" scale while still being an easily accessible "first coaster with inversions", much like how Screamin' actually was for me back in the day. Overall this is a very successful coaster that fires on all cylinders in the dark ride department while still having plenty of high octane thrills throughout the layout.
Excalibur...no reason to beat around the bush here. It's simply incomplete. It's a shame because a CORE childhood memory of mine is staring in awe at the giant LEGO castle set behind the glass display case at Toys R Us. I have a particular attachment to this brand. With the Dragon Coaster being perhaps THE most iconic coaster in the Legoland portfolio, I would have loved to have seen what could have been done with a ride that took the theme to the next thrill level.
Side note: I recently found out I'll be going on a last minute Minneapolis trip for a friend's birthday, so I'll be getting my Valleyfair credits hopefully including Excalibur which is a really wonky larger scale arrow "thrill" mine train coaster that's been on the chopping block for close to a decade. Assuming it's not closed while I'm there that will be among the more rare credits that I'll have ever gotten, so...stoked for that.
Cannonball Away was a really fun concept that needed some more detail. I also feel like the tilt coaster in the same project very much overshadows this and the other team did a better job making the Eurofighter stand out from the tilt coaster. What we have here is really cool. I think using the giant shipwreck as a large scale set piece works really well and makes for a memorable visual. There just isn't a lot here for me to sink my teeth into when it comes to the actual ride layout.
Bricktastrophe was easily the second strongest of the four coasters on this team for me. I love the set up of the master builders and the workshop. Having a whole bunch of build stations throughout the queue that create projects guests add to throughout the day is one of the cooler integrations of queue games I've honestly ever seen pitched and fits so well into the spirit of what Legoland is.
I really like how as far as scale goes this is clearly a step up from Galacticoaster while still being in that California Screamin' territory of being an easily accessible entry level thrill coaster for families and still satisfying more seasoned thrill seekers. I don't have a ton of notes about the actual layout but I really like the set up for the drop being a malfunctioning LEGO build. Once again I really felt the passion for the mission statement of LEGO Land of creativity mixed with good natured humor.
Overall this was a strong collection of coasters that could have used a bit more detail on every ride except the first one and unfortunately has a ride that's simply incomplete. Still some incredibly solid stuff here and the team should be proud!
Let's move on to Team Stravinski. I'm not even going to try to build any suspense here. I think this team clearly had the better project. The coasters were more complete and a bit more on the actual thrill scale of what I was looking for and the presentation really sent it over the edge. I love how authentic this feels to an actual LEGO website. The mini figures of each of the team members are particularly impressive and hilariously accurate.
What I love about the Lego City coaster as far as layout goes is it took all the trademark elements of the Vekoma Tilt coaster model and actually innovated them. I freaking love how you used the signature "tilt" element as the finale instead of the start of the ride. It reminds me a lot of how I think Tatsu is an elite flying coaster specifically because instead of getting the face melting pretzel roll out of the way early on it builds towards that element as the finale. While I think across the board there was maybe a bit too much emphasis on theming through both of the teams, this still really worked and felt like a very natural next evolution in what very well might be the next BIG thing when it comes to coasters.
I think LEGO Dimensions does its job well, but it stumbles a bit more than the Lego City coaster when it comes to the dark ride elements kind of overshadowing the coaster. Don't get me wrong, I think the coaster itself is really good...so good in fact that I honestly think you DON'T need a ton of other dark ride stuff going on around it. For example I strongly think the top hat should have been outdoors. I couldn't imagine how much less of an impact the Velocicoaster top hat as an example would have if it didn't have that super cinematic, dramatic view of the entire park at the top. I do love how you instantly launch into a stall...it's kind of the inverse of how I liked the Lego City coaster saving the tilt element for later. Usually the stall element is something Blitz coasters build up to so hitting riders with it right at the start definitely gives the ride a memorable first element. Outside of some logistics questions about using the IP characters, I think this was a really solid coaster with a fun theme. Just let me get dem sweet views at the top of the top hat ha ha.
With Lego Stuntz, the main thing I really like about this ride is that it's surrounded by the stadium. I honestly think THAT right there is the perfect middle ground of having a super whimsical LEGO touch with the theme that doesn't go over the top towards making this a full on dark ride coaster. I think out of all eight coasters submitted this might be the most "pure" when it comes to just being a thrill ride without many bells and whistles, and the stadium surrounding still pushes it over the edge with a really cool setting. The layout is pretty standard for a Eurofighter, but it was incorporated really well resulting in probably the most realistic coaster in the entire collection between both teams.
Finally we have Rock Raiders. First off I just want to state for the record that the gag of the ride vehicles having obviously fake drills is HANDS DOWN my favorite gag across all these coasters. Great stuff! The tricky thing here is that I think as a dark ride coaster, this really knocks it out of the park in a big bad way. What we essentially have here is a LEGO-fied Journey to the Center of the Earth that's slightly more thrilling. As a dark ride this easily is the most realistic and best executed...the problem is the coaster section is kind of lacking.
It's still a SUPER solid attraction in its own right and honestly feels more authentically like a LEGO Land attraction than possibly any other coaster in this lineup, the layout just really doesn't want take advantage of what an Extreme Spinner is capable of. Again full props to @Lord Fozzinator for nailing the layout of an Extreme Spinner more than neither coaster designed by the main teams.
So with that in mind, Team Stravinski clearly walks away with the victory here. @Disney Dad 3000 has been awarded the PoMVP and cannot be nominated for elimination next project.
In addition to @TheSquirrel being automatically nominated by @Architectural Guinea Pig last project, Stravinski Project leader @spacemt354 has also nominated @Brer Panther for elimination. Brer, you pretty much only did concept art and I know from past games that's a crutch you tend to lean on. I also know you have a ton of potential to do more than that. I encourage you to expand your horizons in the future, but for now you are safe. @TheSquirrel, unfortunately you dropped the ball on completing your coaster, and for that you have been eliminated from So, You Want to be the Sorcerer's Apprentice in 13th place. @Lord Fozzinator will join Team Dukas to even out the teams to 6 vs. 6 going forward.
One other thing to note...
If we were going based off overall performance, I have to call out @Half/CartoonHalf/Human here. While I think being pushed into a Project Leader position might have been a bit too much for you handle, you still absolutely dropped the ball on it and were barely active at all this round even with that role. After basically disappearing, you resurface last night just to say you can't post the project. I understand life gets in the way and I'm not trying to come down on you on any kind of personal level, but so far you've easily had some of the rockiest opening rounds of any person in these games I've seen survive to project three. I've seen you in other games, I know you can deliver, and I DON'T want you to give up. You lucked out from your team carrying itself to a victory and have basically been given a second "second chance" in this game. From the bottom of my heart I'm really rooting for you to take advantage of it!
Project Three will be posted momentarily...
On Team Dukas, Frights Camera Action clearly walks away not just as the MVP of this team's roster, but one of the absolute best coasters between the two teams. I think this ride did a fantastic job incorporating a lot of different show scenes along with a pretty accurate layout to what an Extreme Spinner would actually feel like. I love how you brought in several different supernatural themed LEGO lines and tied them together into this. Just seeing the box for that Lego Studios set gave me a huge rush of nostalgia. This reminds me a lot of the Pinball Blizzard coaster I led the charge on during last year's Visions Fantastic comp, which took over the casino arcade at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
My one nitpick is that given the fact that inversions on this model hit particularly hard because of the spinning factor I do wish a few more were implemented into the layout. Saving them for the outdoor finale works, it just feels like it's not taking full advantage of how crazy one of these rides can be. That being said I think this did a good job threading that California Screamin' needle of being a coaster that's on the higher side of the "thrill" scale while still being an easily accessible "first coaster with inversions", much like how Screamin' actually was for me back in the day. Overall this is a very successful coaster that fires on all cylinders in the dark ride department while still having plenty of high octane thrills throughout the layout.
Excalibur...no reason to beat around the bush here. It's simply incomplete. It's a shame because a CORE childhood memory of mine is staring in awe at the giant LEGO castle set behind the glass display case at Toys R Us. I have a particular attachment to this brand. With the Dragon Coaster being perhaps THE most iconic coaster in the Legoland portfolio, I would have loved to have seen what could have been done with a ride that took the theme to the next thrill level.
Side note: I recently found out I'll be going on a last minute Minneapolis trip for a friend's birthday, so I'll be getting my Valleyfair credits hopefully including Excalibur which is a really wonky larger scale arrow "thrill" mine train coaster that's been on the chopping block for close to a decade. Assuming it's not closed while I'm there that will be among the more rare credits that I'll have ever gotten, so...stoked for that.
Cannonball Away was a really fun concept that needed some more detail. I also feel like the tilt coaster in the same project very much overshadows this and the other team did a better job making the Eurofighter stand out from the tilt coaster. What we have here is really cool. I think using the giant shipwreck as a large scale set piece works really well and makes for a memorable visual. There just isn't a lot here for me to sink my teeth into when it comes to the actual ride layout.
Bricktastrophe was easily the second strongest of the four coasters on this team for me. I love the set up of the master builders and the workshop. Having a whole bunch of build stations throughout the queue that create projects guests add to throughout the day is one of the cooler integrations of queue games I've honestly ever seen pitched and fits so well into the spirit of what Legoland is.
I really like how as far as scale goes this is clearly a step up from Galacticoaster while still being in that California Screamin' territory of being an easily accessible entry level thrill coaster for families and still satisfying more seasoned thrill seekers. I don't have a ton of notes about the actual layout but I really like the set up for the drop being a malfunctioning LEGO build. Once again I really felt the passion for the mission statement of LEGO Land of creativity mixed with good natured humor.
Overall this was a strong collection of coasters that could have used a bit more detail on every ride except the first one and unfortunately has a ride that's simply incomplete. Still some incredibly solid stuff here and the team should be proud!
Let's move on to Team Stravinski. I'm not even going to try to build any suspense here. I think this team clearly had the better project. The coasters were more complete and a bit more on the actual thrill scale of what I was looking for and the presentation really sent it over the edge. I love how authentic this feels to an actual LEGO website. The mini figures of each of the team members are particularly impressive and hilariously accurate.
What I love about the Lego City coaster as far as layout goes is it took all the trademark elements of the Vekoma Tilt coaster model and actually innovated them. I freaking love how you used the signature "tilt" element as the finale instead of the start of the ride. It reminds me a lot of how I think Tatsu is an elite flying coaster specifically because instead of getting the face melting pretzel roll out of the way early on it builds towards that element as the finale. While I think across the board there was maybe a bit too much emphasis on theming through both of the teams, this still really worked and felt like a very natural next evolution in what very well might be the next BIG thing when it comes to coasters.
I think LEGO Dimensions does its job well, but it stumbles a bit more than the Lego City coaster when it comes to the dark ride elements kind of overshadowing the coaster. Don't get me wrong, I think the coaster itself is really good...so good in fact that I honestly think you DON'T need a ton of other dark ride stuff going on around it. For example I strongly think the top hat should have been outdoors. I couldn't imagine how much less of an impact the Velocicoaster top hat as an example would have if it didn't have that super cinematic, dramatic view of the entire park at the top. I do love how you instantly launch into a stall...it's kind of the inverse of how I liked the Lego City coaster saving the tilt element for later. Usually the stall element is something Blitz coasters build up to so hitting riders with it right at the start definitely gives the ride a memorable first element. Outside of some logistics questions about using the IP characters, I think this was a really solid coaster with a fun theme. Just let me get dem sweet views at the top of the top hat ha ha.
With Lego Stuntz, the main thing I really like about this ride is that it's surrounded by the stadium. I honestly think THAT right there is the perfect middle ground of having a super whimsical LEGO touch with the theme that doesn't go over the top towards making this a full on dark ride coaster. I think out of all eight coasters submitted this might be the most "pure" when it comes to just being a thrill ride without many bells and whistles, and the stadium surrounding still pushes it over the edge with a really cool setting. The layout is pretty standard for a Eurofighter, but it was incorporated really well resulting in probably the most realistic coaster in the entire collection between both teams.
Finally we have Rock Raiders. First off I just want to state for the record that the gag of the ride vehicles having obviously fake drills is HANDS DOWN my favorite gag across all these coasters. Great stuff! The tricky thing here is that I think as a dark ride coaster, this really knocks it out of the park in a big bad way. What we essentially have here is a LEGO-fied Journey to the Center of the Earth that's slightly more thrilling. As a dark ride this easily is the most realistic and best executed...the problem is the coaster section is kind of lacking.
It's still a SUPER solid attraction in its own right and honestly feels more authentically like a LEGO Land attraction than possibly any other coaster in this lineup, the layout just really doesn't want take advantage of what an Extreme Spinner is capable of. Again full props to @Lord Fozzinator for nailing the layout of an Extreme Spinner more than neither coaster designed by the main teams.
So with that in mind, Team Stravinski clearly walks away with the victory here. @Disney Dad 3000 has been awarded the PoMVP and cannot be nominated for elimination next project.
In addition to @TheSquirrel being automatically nominated by @Architectural Guinea Pig last project, Stravinski Project leader @spacemt354 has also nominated @Brer Panther for elimination. Brer, you pretty much only did concept art and I know from past games that's a crutch you tend to lean on. I also know you have a ton of potential to do more than that. I encourage you to expand your horizons in the future, but for now you are safe. @TheSquirrel, unfortunately you dropped the ball on completing your coaster, and for that you have been eliminated from So, You Want to be the Sorcerer's Apprentice in 13th place. @Lord Fozzinator will join Team Dukas to even out the teams to 6 vs. 6 going forward.
One other thing to note...
If we were going based off overall performance, I have to call out @Half/CartoonHalf/Human here. While I think being pushed into a Project Leader position might have been a bit too much for you handle, you still absolutely dropped the ball on it and were barely active at all this round even with that role. After basically disappearing, you resurface last night just to say you can't post the project. I understand life gets in the way and I'm not trying to come down on you on any kind of personal level, but so far you've easily had some of the rockiest opening rounds of any person in these games I've seen survive to project three. I've seen you in other games, I know you can deliver, and I DON'T want you to give up. You lucked out from your team carrying itself to a victory and have basically been given a second "second chance" in this game. From the bottom of my heart I'm really rooting for you to take advantage of it!
Project Three will be posted momentarily...
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Before we get to the prompt, let's get to this round's Walt's Vault. @Lord Fozzinator passed the key to @Architectural Guinea Pig, who chose to open it. When opened, AGP was faced with a choice and a single phrase..."in this game, Knowledge is Power". The choice was to get knowledge that helps your own game, or knowledge that helps your team. AGP is a team player and went that direction. Because of this, for the next three projects Team Stravinski will be added into Team Dukas's brainstorming conversations so they can keep tabs on the opposing team's progress.
With that in mind, let's get to the next prompt!
Disney and Universal have long since had a stranglehold on the theme park marketplace thanks in large part to their huge portfolio of movies to pull from for attraction/land themes. For this project, were going to do some reverse engineering! Teams must pick one of five pre-selected non Disney/Universal parks/chains and built out phase one of a cinematic universe built off of the original characters and stories present in the parks.
Teams are required to present at least two stand alone movies and one Avengers style crossover event film, but can include as many as five stand alone movies if they wish. The film pitches must at least include a cast, director, and plot summary.
The following are the available parks and potential stories to pull from...
Set around an actual historic castle, Alton Towers is one of the premier coaster parks in the UK. Their themes tend to gravitate towards horror and sci-fi, such as the "alien on the loose" theme of Nemesis, the "messed up experiment" vibes of The Smiler, the sacrificial cult undertones of The Wicker Man, and the haunted forest storyline of Thirteen. Each new Alton Towers coaster contains a large scale, ARG style marketing roll out that includes a ton of lore to mine from if you do some research into it.
View attachment 924825
Efteling is another UK based park, with this one primarily known for world class dark rides instead of coasters. The historic Fairy Tale Forest gives guests an outdoor walk through experience through a huge variety of fairy tales and Mother Goose fables. Fata Morgana is essentially an off brand Pirates of the Caribbean. Dream Flight is a fantastical Peter Pan style journey through a whimsical dreamscape. Symbolica is a sprawling trackless dark ride starring the park's jesture icon. There's a ton of different original and classical fairy tales you can draw inspiration from with this park.
View attachment 924826
The pair of Herschend parks Dollywood and Silver Dollar City offer essentially mirror image themes with motifs of the wilderness, firefighting, and just a hint of fantasy and sci Fi. Themes in Dollywood include the strongly interconnected attractions and storylines of the park's Wildwood Grove area, the supernatural chills of Mystery Mine, and the wacky fire fighting antics of Firechaser Express. Silver Dollar City meanwhile offers the Mack Extreme Spinner "Time Traveler" with a steam punk theme that speaks for itself and the white water rafting adventure of Mystic River Falls which takes inspiration from the real life surroundings of the Ozark mountains and Marvel Cave. Both parks share the Blazing Fury/Fire in the Hole firefighter themed dark ride coasters.
View attachment 924827
The Busch Gardens/Sea World parks are primarily coaster and wildlife parks, but they park in a surprising amount of highly themed experiences. For SeaWorld you have the collection of Journey to Atlantis water coasters with an obvious steampunk fantasy adventure theme. Busch Gardens Tampa offers the Indiana Jones style "cursed artifact" temple run of Cobra's Curse, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg includes a whole host of folklore inspired themes such as the Big Bag Wolf, the Loch Ness Monster, the Greek mythology inspired Tempesto, Apollo's Chariot, and Pantheon, and the crazy drive through the haunted forests of Germany aboard Verbolten. The themes in this change aren't immediately obvious but a little digging reveals a lot of storytelling possibilities.
View attachment 924828
Finally, Knott's Berry Farm even pre dates Disneyland as far as theme parks go. The Ghost Town section alone offers a wealth of lore to dig into including the signature Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Ride. The dark ride show building on the boardwalk offered Kingdom of the Dinosaurs...yet another chance for some time travel shenanigans, Knott's Berry Tales is a signature dark ride designed by Disney's very own Rolly Crump. The defunct Voyage to the Iron Reef offered guests a view of the park overrun by robotic Steampunk sea creatures. The Wacky Soap Box Racers is a beloved extinct racing coaster with a cartoon race theme. the entirety of Knott's Scary Farm lore is also up for grabs with a collection of stories and characters just as deep as Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.
View attachment 924830
Good luck teams, this project is due Sunday, June 14th at 8:59PM WDW time/11:59PM Disneyland time
One final note: Starting this project, there will be a MIX of elimination and non elimination rounds. Taking a cue from The Amazing Race, players will NOT know rather each project is an elimination until the results are announced. Project Leaders/elimination and PoMVP nominations are still in play even during non elimination rounds. As a reminder @Half/CartoonHalf/Human and @spacemt354 were both Project Leaders last round and are not able to take on that role again until everyone else on their team has taken on the position or a major team swaps.
Disney and Universal have long since had a stranglehold on the theme park marketplace thanks in large part to their huge portfolio of movies to pull from for attraction/land themes. For this project, were going to do some reverse engineering! Teams must pick one of five pre-selected non Disney/Universal parks/chains and built out phase one of a cinematic universe built off of the original characters and stories present in the parks.
Teams are required to present at least two stand alone movies and one Avengers style crossover event film, but can include as many as five stand alone movies if they wish. The film pitches must at least include a cast, director, and plot summary.
The following are the available parks and potential stories to pull from...
Set around an actual historic castle, Alton Towers is one of the premier coaster parks in the UK. Their themes tend to gravitate towards horror and sci-fi, such as the "alien on the loose" theme of Nemesis, the "messed up experiment" vibes of The Smiler, the sacrificial cult undertones of The Wicker Man, and the haunted forest storyline of Thirteen. Each new Alton Towers coaster contains a large scale, ARG style marketing roll out that includes a ton of lore to mine from if you do some research into it.
View attachment 924825
Efteling is another UK based park, with this one primarily known for world class dark rides instead of coasters. The historic Fairy Tale Forest gives guests an outdoor walk through experience through a huge variety of fairy tales and Mother Goose fables. Fata Morgana is essentially an off brand Pirates of the Caribbean. Dream Flight is a fantastical Peter Pan style journey through a whimsical dreamscape. Symbolica is a sprawling trackless dark ride starring the park's jesture icon. There's a ton of different original and classical fairy tales you can draw inspiration from with this park.
View attachment 924826
The pair of Herschend parks Dollywood and Silver Dollar City offer essentially mirror image themes with motifs of the wilderness, firefighting, and just a hint of fantasy and sci Fi. Themes in Dollywood include the strongly interconnected attractions and storylines of the park's Wildwood Grove area, the supernatural chills of Mystery Mine, and the wacky fire fighting antics of Firechaser Express. Silver Dollar City meanwhile offers the Mack Extreme Spinner "Time Traveler" with a steam punk theme that speaks for itself and the white water rafting adventure of Mystic River Falls which takes inspiration from the real life surroundings of the Ozark mountains and Marvel Cave. Both parks share the Blazing Fury/Fire in the Hole firefighter themed dark ride coasters.
View attachment 924827
The Busch Gardens/Sea World parks are primarily coaster and wildlife parks, but they park in a surprising amount of highly themed experiences. For SeaWorld you have the collection of Journey to Atlantis water coasters with an obvious steampunk fantasy adventure theme. Busch Gardens Tampa offers the Indiana Jones style "cursed artifact" temple run of Cobra's Curse, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg includes a whole host of folklore inspired themes such as the Big Bag Wolf, the Loch Ness Monster, the Greek mythology inspired Tempesto, Apollo's Chariot, and Pantheon, and the crazy drive through the haunted forests of Germany aboard Verbolten. The themes in this change aren't immediately obvious but a little digging reveals a lot of storytelling possibilities.
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Finally, Knott's Berry Farm even pre dates Disneyland as far as theme parks go. The Ghost Town section alone offers a wealth of lore to dig into including the signature Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Ride. The dark ride show building on the boardwalk offered Kingdom of the Dinosaurs...yet another chance for some time travel shenanigans, Knott's Berry Tales is a signature dark ride designed by Disney's very own Rolly Crump. The defunct Voyage to the Iron Reef offered guests a view of the park overrun by robotic Steampunk sea creatures. The Wacky Soap Box Racers is a beloved extinct racing coaster with a cartoon race theme. the entirety of Knott's Scary Farm lore is also up for grabs with a collection of stories and characters just as deep as Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.
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Good luck teams, this project is due Sunday, June 14th at 8:59PM WDW time/11:59PM Disneyland time
One final note: Starting this project, there will be a MIX of elimination and non elimination rounds. Taking a cue from The Amazing Race, players will NOT know rather each project is an elimination until the results are announced. Project Leaders/elimination and PoMVP nominations are still in play even during non elimination rounds. As a reminder @Half/CartoonHalf/Human and @spacemt354 were both Project Leaders last round and are not able to take on that role again until everyone else on their team has taken on the position or a major team swaps.