Test Track Question

[TDF]

So I am going to try and break this down in to numbered questions. Please be advised that I went on Test Track in June so who knows what changed.

1) We used Fastpass last time visiting Test Track and we actually got to make our own vehicle using the design studios! When did this start? Does this effect the standby queue? Couldn’t they just use one room for Fastpass and one for Standby?

2) We where told to use our park tickets or room cards for the scanner thing so we did. However, when we arrived we scanned our tickets like told to do and when we got on the vehicle at the first test I noticed our vehicles didn’t register with our car! Why don’t CM’s tell you when to scan? When are you suppose to scan? Why is this so confusing?

3) In other news everything was working in the post show. I love seeing the Chevy Volt… I lost mine in Hurricane Sandy.

 

[Goofyernmost]

1. When the NEW Test Track was introduced. Those in Standby and Fastpass can do it pretty much, but I found that single rider didn't work.

2. They are not real specific on how the system works. Very little to not at all, is told as to how to do it. BUT, let's get serious here...you don't think that they are really testing a car do you. You could put square wheels on them (if that's available ) and they will tell you random crap anyway. Smoke and MIrrors my friend, Smoke and MIrrors.

3. It's good that everything was working, but there really isn't a whole lot there to work. Sorry about the loss of you Volt.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Don't worry, even if you do scan it correctly, it won't show up in the ride half the time. The main feature of Test Track 2.0 does not really work that well.

1. When the NEW Test Track was introduced. Those in Standby and Fastpass can do it pretty much, but I found that single rider didn't work.

No, originally, FP and Single Rider could only do very basic kiosks with limited options. Now, Fastpass is routed through one of the actual design rooms and gets the full experience. This probably does a huge number on the standby queue.

To me, it seems like when designing this new queue, they didn't account for the fact that somewhere around 75-80% of everyone who rides Test Track will do so through the Fastpass queue, under Disney's system.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Don't worry, even if you do scan it correctly, it won't show up in the ride half the time. The main feature of Test Track 2.0 does not really work that well.

No, originally, FP and Single Rider could only do very basic kiosks with limited options. Now, Fastpass is routed through one of the actual design rooms and gets the full experience. This probably does a huge number on the standby queue.

To me, it seems like when designing this new queue, they didn't account for the fact that somewhere around 75-80% of everyone who rides Test Track will do so through the Fastpass queue, under Disney's system.

I stand corrected. I have only done the NEW Test Track once, last January, and that was through single rider. I know I couldn't do anything at all or maybe I just didn't know how, I thought that the other two were able to participate though. Honestly, I don't think I was paying that close attention because I figured the whole thing to be bogus anyway.

 

[TDF]

Don't worry, even if you do scan it correctly, it won't show up in the ride half the time. The main feature of Test Track 2.0 does not really work that well.

No, originally, FP and Single Rider could only do very basic kiosks with limited options. Now, Fastpass is routed through one of the actual design rooms and gets the full experience. This probably does a huge number on the standby queue.

To me, it seems like when designing this new queue, they didn't account for the fact that somewhere around 75-80% of everyone who rides Test Track will do so through the Fastpass queue, under Disney's system.

I just don’t understand why they make such a big deal with the design rooms yet your design isn’t even shown on those tiny screens on the ride. They really didn’t account for the fact that people use Fastpass. Each area should have got their own design room, with Fastpass being faster. Single riders now go around the building up a flight of stairs and through what I assume is a fire door.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Well that's the thing, your design is supposed to show up on those screens, but getting your design to upload correctly to the ride isn't explained well (as far as I can tell, you should upload it when you are next to board but before the gates open for YOU), and even if you do upload it correctly, it still has problems and often doesn't show up. Only recently did I ever see my car on a screen, and I've yet to see it appear on every screen during the ride.

...and even if it does appear, all it is doing is showing your car's already determined ranking in that category. Big deal. I'm no engineer, but everything about the design process seems ill thought out, like maybe it sounded good on paper but doesn't work in person. It also shows that maybe shoe-horning in interactive elements to rides that were designed without them isn't a good idea.

Having said that, I do prefer the look and feel of Test Track 2.0 to the original.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well that's the thing, your design is supposed to show up on those screens, but getting your design to upload correctly to the ride isn't explained well (as far as I can tell, you should upload it when you are next to board but before the gates open for YOU), and even if you do upload it correctly, it still has problems and often doesn't show up. Only recently did I ever see my car on a screen, and I've yet to see it appear on every screen during the ride.

...and even if it does appear, all it is doing is showing your car's already determined ranking in that category. Big deal. I'm no engineer, but everything about the design process seems ill thought out, like maybe it sounded good on paper but doesn't work in person. It also shows that maybe shoe-horning in interactive elements to rides that were designed without them isn't a good idea.

Having said that, I do prefer the look and feel of Test Track 2.0 to the original.

Personally, I would require a lot of convincing to even acknowledge that there is any connection at all to what you planned and what shows up on the boards. The car holds, what is it six people, not all of them are you but all of them have "designed" a car. Just how does that one car split it's personality to react to that many sets of instructions. I will say here that I don't know if they show it by the seat you are in as opposed to the whole car, but even then, it would require someone to know where you are sitting to program it properly. And even if they could do that with any degree of accuracy, which that can't or don't...what is the basis that it uses to determine what kind of reaction you would get. It's like a magic 8 ball, shake it and what ever comes up, comes up!

 

[disney4life2008]

I am sorry but the whole stand in line to design a test car for 10 minutes is stupid. When I got in my test car mines wasnt even being tested. The ride itself is run but otherwise - the old test track is better.

 

[tare]

Love love love the ride. Hate hate hate the designing thing. Waste of time. Even though I know it's part of the whole experience and breaking up the long lines.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

1. I was there in January. The first time I went on it I didn't go through the design queue (always use Fastpasses) but towards the February half of the trip, they put us through the design. When it started, they were putting Fastpasses in one room and standby in another. Not sure if they changed it...
2. They were handing you cards to use in January. Not sure why now they are having you use your room keys or tickets...
3. Since they just spent so much time on it, I would hope so.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Personally, I would require a lot of convincing to even acknowledge that there is any connection at all to what you planned and what shows up on the boards. The car holds, what is it six people, not all of them are you but all of them have "designed" a car. Just how does that one car split it's personality to react to that many sets of instructions. I will say here that I don't know if they show it by the seat you are in as opposed to the whole car, but even then, it would require someone to know where you are sitting to program it properly. And even if they could do that with any degree of accuracy, which that can't or don't...what is the basis that it uses to determine what kind of reaction you would get. It's like a magic 8 ball, shake it and what ever comes up, comes up!

I think... you are supposed to assume that, since you are inside a computer grid or whatever, the "Sim Car" is simultaneously testing each uploaded car's data at the same time. The only place your results show up is on the ranking screens after each of the four testing sections, not in the vehicle at all. The thing is. when you finish designing your car, you already know your car's number score in each category, so lets say you designed your car to be really high in "Power", but your friend designed a car with lower power but high efficiency - right there you already know your car will rank higher than theirs on the "Power" test. So the "results" on the ranking screens are just ordering the cars by the score that they were already assigned when you finished designing them.

So yeah... its abstract, and requires a bit of a stretch of logic to link what the car does on the ride track to the design process in any way... because it isn't related in any way. For example, the first test, formerly the ABS Off/On tests, are now "Capability" testing. Shouldn't a car with a high capability score not slide off the road? But the car has to do it no matter what because that's how the track is designed.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think... you are supposed to assume that, since you are inside a computer grid or whatever, the "Sim Car" is simultaneously testing each uploaded car's data at the same time. The only place your results show up is on the ranking screens after each of the four testing sections, not in the vehicle at all. The thing is. when you finish designing your car, you already know your car's number score in each category, so lets say you designed your car to be really high in "Power", but your friend designed a car with lower power but high efficiency - right there you already know your car will rank higher than theirs on the "Power" test. So the "results" on the ranking screens are just ordering the cars by the score that they were already assigned when you finished designing them.

So yeah... its abstract, and requires a bit of a stretch of logic to link what the car does on the ride track to the design process in any way... because it isn't related in any way. For example, the first test, formerly the ABS Off/On tests, are now "Capability" testing. Shouldn't a car with a high capability score not slide off the road? But the car has to do it no matter what because that's how the track is designed.

That just seems to me to be a whole lot of words for "it means nothing, really". I'm OK with that, I still am painfully aware of the need for suspension of disbelief, but I like to think that I know when I'm buying into the show purposely or being lead to believe that it's all real. In this case, to me, it has all the feel of being lead. However, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most important thing that there is, I give this a minus 300 or in other words, I really don't care one way or the other. I just like to ride in the car.

 

[armyfamilyof5]

We made our cars months and months ago and just use the same cards, we take them home with us and use them again and again, we also just love to ride the car!

 

[Tom Morrow]

That just seems to me to be a whole lot of words for "it means nothing, really". I'm OK with that, I still am painfully aware of the need for suspension of disbelief, but I like to think that I know when I'm buying into the show purposely or being lead to believe that it's all real. In this case, to me, it has all the feel of being lead. However, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most important thing that there is, I give this a minus 300 or in other words, I really don't care one way or the other. I just like to ride in the car.

That's true, I guess you are presented with the design station under the guise that its real and you'll actually be testing your design, but then on the ride you are more supposed to accept it as part of the show.

I hope in the not too distant future they remove the interactive/design aspect and tweak the story slightly. It could happen if they can't achieve a proper line flow and the guest feedback continues to be mixed.

 

[FettFan]

THIS RIDE SUCKS

 

[Uncle Orville]

All I have to say is skip the design. It takes 10 minutes and doesnt work in the end.
I prefer Test Track over Test Track 2.0. In the original it was actually a test of a car (hill climb, rough road, brake, conditions, accelerating, and crash test.(off the top of my head)). Now what are the tests. Weather, aerodynamics, and... Wait only two REAL tests

 

[retroeric]

Test Track single riders line only does "partial" design.Bare bones stuff like body, paint color, and you choose your priority: Speed, fuel efficiency, power, handling etc. The whole design process takes like 20 seconds and then you're done. No real customization like the stand by line gets.

My issue though is the fact that single riders are NOT WARNED that it's a scaled down version. I think CMs should tell you, or there should be a sign that you don't get the full design process. After all, designing the car is pretty much what this 2.0 version is about right?? And one can wait in that single rider line for 45 minutes. I think if most people realize you're not getting the real upgraded version of the ride, they'll choose the stand by line over a 45 minute line for a watered down version.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Test Track single riders line only does "partial" design.Bare bones stuff like body, paint color, and you choose your priority: Speed, fuel efficiency, power, handling etc. The whole design process takes like 20 seconds and then you're done. No real customization like the stand by line gets.

My issue though is the fact that single riders are NOT WARNED that it's a scaled down version. I think CMs should tell you, or there should be a sign that you don't get the full design process. After all, designing the car is pretty much what this 2.0 version is about right?? And one can wait in that single rider line for 45 minutes. I think if most people realize you're not getting the real upgraded version of the ride, they'll choose the stand by line over a 45 minute line for a watered down version.

It wouldn't have mattered to me, because I didn't think it was actually happening anyway and since I had never been on the new version, I wouldn't have known if it were scaled down or not. I can see why it isn't worth spending all that energy to let people know that what isn't happening anyway, will be happening even less in single rider.

 

[TDF]

I was one of the original to hate that they where doing this major change to Test Track. I just don’t get it and I am sure many others don’t either. I miss the old bumps and turns and being a crash test dummy.

 

[Uncle Orville]

I was one of the original to hate that they where doing this major change to Test Track. I just don’t get it and I am sure many others don’t either. I miss the old bumps and turns and being a crash test dummy.

Can I like this 1,000,000 times?