News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[Hawg G]

But why? I dont think anyone is doubting the exclusively here. On the contrary. Its simply a why? Disney knows it is a tiny subset of guests hence the small size but its still such a high bar there setting themselves. Bundling mandatroy fun with accommodations is a huge risk. If you dont find every second of this idea amazing its a poor value anyway you slice it. Some people will feel that way and that is great. But i think some will tack this onto there regular vacation for the kids and than ask themselves what the **** was that?

The price does seem high even for what you get. It makes VIP tours look like a bargain. Theres no value here outside the cruiser so all the value has to come from whats on board. Thats ALOT to ask.

What, the Great Wolf Lodge light saber training isn't enough?

 

[Hawg G]

Simple... same way they do it on transportation now. Cues. Your primary content doesn't run the full 100% of your expected travel time. You have a basic background loop that runs (and can even be different for different stages of the attraction).. this acts as the filler inbetween events. Then based on cues, that are either time or location or event based... the driver or producer cues content that plays out to match the story or physical event happening. This content would generally be 'fixed' but can be called up on demand.

The driver would have a route that has timing targets so they get all their intended content in.. and they'd have content that was for on-demand use. Like, have a big turn? Play sequence #3... You could even tie this to accelerometers to make it more automatic and responsive. "oh no, where did that asteroid come from?? good thing Rex here dodged it!" etc...

These transports don’t have to get very complex before a simple, less than half mile, rail line and simple pods start making sense.

 

[MrPromey]

Simple... same way they do it on transportation now. Cues. Your primary content doesn't run the full 100% of your expected travel time. You have a basic background loop that runs (and can even be different for different stages of the attraction).. this acts as the filler inbetween events. Then based on cues, that are either time or location or event based... the driver or producer cues content that plays out to match the story or physical event happening. This content would generally be 'fixed' but can be called up on demand.

The driver would have a route that has timing targets so they get all their intended content in.. and they'd have content that was for on-demand use. Like, have a big turn? Play sequence #3... You could even tie this to accelerometers to make it more automatic and responsive. "oh no, where did that asteroid come from?? good thing Rex here dodged it!" etc...

But if people are supposed to be looking "out windows" how do they blend all of these sequences seamlessly in real-time?.. and more importantly, do we really think they're going to put that much effort into this?

If they were, I'd think we wouldn't be having this discussion about a box truck right now.

Or maybe we're thinking/talking about two totally different things, here.

 

[flynnibus]

These transports don’t have to get very complex before a simple, less than half mile, rail line and simple pods start making sense.

I disagree. If the problem were only covering distance... they could use themed golf carts. The point here is you are trying to incorporate story and hopefully an experience in itself. If you are doing that, that means that element would have to be duplicated no matter what 'platform' you are using.. vehicle or rail. So at that point, why spend 100x more on a fixed track system when a simple vehicle can achieve the same thing and be less restrictive?

There is really no detriment to the trucks that isn't easily countered - it's only a question of 'do they bother'. And if we don't think they'll bother, why do we think they would even consider investing orders of magnitude more to have a fixed track system?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Honestly, that falling ceiling tile scene on rise is pretty bad too. That’s also where, for me, it becomes incredibly apparent that making that ride off the Iger trilogy was a mistake. I think I weigh that HWE voice performance so heavily because that is the only thing you are focusing on at the time. You are being transported on HwE but it's a slow moving experience between a pair of screens, not quite as kinetic as IJA or Rise. Her voice is the only thing to focus on.

…ya think?

 

[flynnibus]

But if people are supposed to be looking "out windows" how do they blend all of these sequences seamlessly in real-time?.. and more importantly, do we really think they're going to put that much effort into this?

I would not expect lots of windows... I would expect limited portals at the front or back or in the ceiling away from individual guests. Real time graphics is not an issue anymore.

If they were, I'd think we wouldn't be having this discussion about a box truck right now.

That assumes you have some bias that the truck is a bad or cheap out choice to start with. I've not heard any reason it is. It's the best option because it gives you the most volume of space to work with within a reasonable budget. The open question is...

Because just because it's possible, doesn't mean Disney did. And we don't know what they are doing yet.

 

[Hawg G]

I disagree. If the problem were only covering distance... they could use themed golf carts. The point here is you are trying to incorporate story and hopefully an experience in itself. If you are doing that, that means that element would have to be duplicated no matter what 'platform' you are using.. vehicle or rail. So at that point, why spend 100x more on a fixed track system when a simple vehicle can achieve the same thing and be less restrictive?

There is really no detriment to the trucks that isn't easily countered - it's only a question of 'do they bother'. And if we don't think they'll bother, why do we think they would even consider investing orders of magnitude more to have a fixed track system?

Because the truck experience is likely to be very underwhelming, videos won’t be synced correctly, and no video makes it a very non “luxury” experience. The path the truck takes is just too windy. Very poor planning, IMHO. That’s why I still think the truck was not Option #1.

 

[jinx8402]

I don't think there's going to be "windows" at all. Obviously things can change from concept art, but we have two pieces that never show windows in the first place.
Interior:

exterior:

 

[larryz]

I don't think there's going to be "windows" at all. Obviously things can change from concept art, but we have two pieces that never show windows in the first place.
Interior:

Yeah, but it also shows force ghosts hanging around in the shuttle. Is this going to be like Haunted Mansion meets Galaxy's Edge???

 

[MrPromey]

I don't think there's going to be "windows" at all. Obviously things can change from concept art, but we have two pieces that never show windows in the first place.
Interior:

exterior:

I'm thinking you're entirely right - they're doing enough to make it in-universe and not trying to make it much of an experience.

 

[Hawg G]

I don't think there's going to be "windows" at all. Obviously things can change from concept art, but we have two pieces that never show windows in the first place.
Interior:

exterior:

OK, and that definitely shows it is supposed to be a space transport.

I have a bad feeling about this.

And of course, nothing screams luxury like having to stand up in a transport that you can’t see what direction it is going to go in.

 

[MrPromey]

I would not expect lots of windows... I would expect limited portals at the front or back or in the ceiling away from individual guests. Real time graphics is not an issue anymore.



That assumes you have some bias that the truck is a bad or cheap out choice to start with. I've not heard any reason it is. It's the best option because it gives you the most volume of space to work with within a reasonable budget. The open question is...

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Because just because it's possible, doesn't mean Disney did. And we don't know what they are doing yet.

I'm expecting that nobody staying on property is going to have a whole lot to say about the transport "experience" other than that it got them there.

 

[MrPromey]

OK, and that definitely shows it is supposed to be a space transport.

I have a bad feeling about this.

And of course, nothing screams luxury like having to stand up in a transport that you can’t see what direction it is going to go in.

I'm sure it's going to be slow moving so I doubt that'll be too much of an issue.

 

[Hawg G]

I'm sure it's going to be slow moving so I doubt that'll be too much of an issue.

Imagine standing in the back of. U-Haul with the door down that is then driven down the road, around a few 90s and a hairpin turn. While holding a drink in one hand And a bag of overpriced tchotchkes in the other.

 

[MrPromey]

Imagine standing in the back of. U-Haul with the door down that is then driven down the road, around a few 90s and a hairpin turn. While holding a drink in one hand And a bag of overpriced tchotchkes in the other.

Going 5 miles or so an hour?

 

[MrPromey]

The Hogwarts Express is in the films, going between the two fictional places that they built in the parks. While it is transportation it's also an attraction. And a train makes sense between two places on the ground that are "far away".

I am not understanding why anyone thinks they should build an expensively themed train to pretend to be a small transport shuttle when you expect to be shaken around quite a bit at take off and landing.

I don't think anyone here is suggesting this should be an expensively themed train anymore than someone might call the Many Adventures of Whinnie the Pooh an expensively themed train but I think a lot of us were imaging something with an "outside view" the way the starcruiser itself is supposed to have that, the way the Falcon in Smuggler's run has it, the way Star Tours has it (likely without a motion base) and yes, the way they do it on the HWE.

Were they bothering to put that much effort in, some form of "vehicle" riding on some form of a basic track not in-universe and seen but in reality would have made sense because that's the easiest and most reliable way to sync up video for something like this which is where the HWE comparison comes in because what you see from the inside is easy for them to sync when the vehicle does the exact same thing every single time.

Looks like this whole discussion may be moot based on the concept are we've just been reminded of, though.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I was hoping they'd include some type of VR in this transport. Would make sense and shift focus from the theming a bit. Based on the renderings doesn't look like it. Any idea if your pod is going to escorted by a CM? Or are the CMs just at time of boarding and de-boarding? Having a CM present - along with some type of brief script would control the narrative a bit better.

 

[MrPromey]

I would not expect lots of windows... I would expect limited portals at the front or back or in the ceiling away from individual guests. Real time graphics is not an issue anymore.

You'll have to forgive me but I'm unaware of anyone with a self-contained mobile rig capable of mixing and rendering photo realistic graphics in real-time like you're describing.

Last I head, they had to put a lot of engineering into figuring out how to prevent the systems rendering Smuggler's Run from overheating with what they were doing, there.

Could you point me to an example where this is being done without issue?

That assumes you have some bias that the truck is a bad or cheap out choice to start with. I've not heard any reason it is. It's the best option because it gives you the most volume of space to work with within a reasonable budget. The open question is...

Because just because it's possible, doesn't mean Disney did. And we don't know what they are doing yet.

It's not that I have a bias but with what you've been describing with self-contained mobile real-time realistic rendering being mixed from the front seat by the driver or someone else, or installing motion detection to trigger things like that, it really feels like an over-engineered fever dream that would be much more prone to failure than a more traditional approach and absolutely nothing that the people who approved that light saber training would be aiming for.

But based on the concept art just posted (which I had forgotten all about) it looks like the box truck is likely to be the cheap solution, here and that may be perfectly adequate as a small part of the overall experience.

To be clear, I'm not one of the ones saying the box truck will be horrible, just that I don't think it will be very special or memerable as an experience, either.

 

[mightynine]

I don't know why you'd need an in-person CM for box truckin' to Batuu - anything they would do could be accomplished by piping pre-recorded audio/video into the "cabin".

 

[flynnibus]

You'll have to forgive me but I'm unaware of anyone with a self-contained mobile rig capable of mixing and rendering photo realistic graphics in real-time like you're describing.

Last I head, they had to put a lot of engineering into figuring out how to prevent the systems rendering Smuggler's Run from overheating with what they were doing, there.

Could you point me to an example where this is being done without issue?

You've never played a modern video game? Displays here could be as simple as a single 4k monitor behind casings. This isn't a monster dome trying to blend a dozen rendering engines to build a massive pixel density dome. The application here could be as simple as 37" monitor.

It's not that I have a bias but with what you've been describing with self-contained mobile real-time realistic rendering being mixed from the front seat by the driver or someone else, or installing motion detection to trigger things like that, it really feels like an over-engineered fever dream that would be much more prone to failure than a more traditional approach and absolutely nothing that the people who approved that light saber training would be aiming for.

I think you are way overthinking what this needs to be. They wouldn't need smugglers run or even star tours to make the effects have impact. A portal could even just show 'sparks' for a second or two that you can't see directly with some light effects to simulate an impact/deflection.

Cue based triggering is a staple of ride design for decades. Your normal disney bus does it for crying out loud.