PeculiarReality
Member
To back up my exciting statement... Here is a photograph of Foxtrot with the second doors open.
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Tower of Terror effects status watch
- Thread starter thelookingglass
- Start date
Rodj
Well-Known Member
Too bad they haven't got the 11th floor doors working again, but with Echo it took maybe a week or two after it opened after refurbishment for them to get the 11th floor doors working on it.
PeculiarReality
Member
Well, I did overhear the cast members say that the testing would take a couple of weeks. Maybe they'll be working next time I go up.
BEARSHOUSE4
Well-Known Member
Seeing that this is running at full capacity once again. Anyone know what got fixed up?
PeculiarReality
Member
She's not running at full capacity yet, at least according to the cast members I heard. She's just going through testing on the Foxtrot side. But I've also heard that they've put new drive motors in, and (while I can't confirm because of not knowing what it sounded like before) I think they fixed Echo's speakers.
In short the ability for both sides to consistently run random profiles again.
Rodj
Well-Known Member
I would like to give a update, Foxtrot is open now, and nothing was changed show effects wise. Foxtrot's VVC speakers are REALLY quiet and can barely be heard, but it isn't out entirely like Echo's are. Contrary to what Martin said, Foxtrot is profile locked. It also looks like Echo is closed again, as a few live streams recently show Echo's doors staying open, maybe hopefully the speakers are being worked on?
One other thing I would like to mention is a oddity of Echo's 11th floor doors. This happens on at least the Fear Every Drop profile, but could also be happening on other profiles. When the doors first open when the VVC drops, the 11th floor doors open but it gets a "ghost" close command as the VVC is coming up while the 13th and 12th stay open. When the VVC is at the top the 11th doors then open up again. I don't think this is normal, as before when the doors worked previous years, I never saw this happen.
One other thing I would like to mention is a oddity of Echo's 11th floor doors. This happens on at least the Fear Every Drop profile, but could also be happening on other profiles. When the doors first open when the VVC drops, the 11th floor doors open but it gets a "ghost" close command as the VVC is coming up while the 13th and 12th stay open. When the VVC is at the top the 11th doors then open up again. I don't think this is normal, as before when the doors worked previous years, I never saw this happen.
That’s disappointing. I only hope the work isn’t completed. The main point of this overhaul was mechanical work to re enable random profiles again.
Rodj
Well-Known Member
From what I remember I don't think Foxtrot or Echo were profile locked before refurb started on them.
It's not really known why Foxtrot or Echo get profile locked, it could just be a glitch in the system which it stops randomizing that requires a reset for it to randomize again. When it is profile locked it is almost always on the profile which I call the "Big Drops" profile (starts by going up all of the way to the top), maybe this profile is the first to be selected by the system?
Hardware damage.
HMFan999
Well-Known Member
I guess that's the part that confuses me. Don't all profiles use the same hardware?
Yes. I shouldn’t go into detail but certain parts needed fixing to enable all profiles.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I have heard from someone who works at ToT that the drop motors themselvese were a big focus of this refurbishment. Some have suggested that the drop sequences are more intense again, as they were softened a bit for a while. I don't know how true any of this is. It's still absolutely pathetic that they're running with basically no audio.
Rod Serling
Member
I know word from front-line cast doesn't hold much weight, but I'm a bellhop and can confirm that the refurbishment made to the drop shafts had to do with the motors and cables. Word on the grape-vine is that audio enhancements are next on the docket. Speaker upgrades can be made during 3rd shift, but in order to fix the overarching audio problems, they'd have to work on the audio system which means a closure of both shafts. Whether or not they can do that over 3rd shift, I guess we shall find out.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed! The audio issues have been a problem for a long time. I'd love to ride Tower with awesome show quality once again!
Rodj
Well-Known Member
An update I would like to make. Sometime last week or over the weekend, Echo finally has its VVC speakers working again!
Foxtrot is currently unknown. Now if they could only get Echo's shaft speakers loud again, at least loud enough like Foxtrot's are, because now it is sounding like how it did from Mid September 2018 to August of this year where the VVC speakers were loud but the shaft speakers are barely audible.
I am a little skeptic that programming also played a role in this, because during the same time frame(September-August), the "machinery" sound entering the drop shaft was MIA, but as soon as the VVC speakers went out, the sound effect returned(but quiet, as it played from the shaft speakers), and now after the VVC speakers are working again, the sound effect is MIA again.
@Rod Serling any info about this?
Foxtrot is currently unknown. Now if they could only get Echo's shaft speakers loud again, at least loud enough like Foxtrot's are, because now it is sounding like how it did from Mid September 2018 to August of this year where the VVC speakers were loud but the shaft speakers are barely audible.
I am a little skeptic that programming also played a role in this, because during the same time frame(September-August), the "machinery" sound entering the drop shaft was MIA, but as soon as the VVC speakers went out, the sound effect returned(but quiet, as it played from the shaft speakers), and now after the VVC speakers are working again, the sound effect is MIA again.
@Rod Serling any info about this?
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Hard to tell from that video, but it still seems pretty quiet. The drop shaft audio should be almost uncomfortably loud, not just "kinda there."
Rodj
Well-Known Member
This video shows the same drop profile(there was a better video, can't find it right now), but when the VVC speakers were not working, and you can definitely tell a difference.
You might be thinking that the shaft speakers play the same audio as the VVC speakers, which is not the case(Even some VVC speakers dont share the same audio between them). The shaft speakers mainly serve to play sound effects while the VVC speakers play BGM and other sound effects. A good example of this is the Fear Every Drop profile. The shaft speakers play screams, cable snaps, "windup", etc. while the VVC speakers play mostly BGM combined with some other sound effects(like the start with electricity sounds).
PeculiarReality
Member
This is wonderful news! I'll have to ride it next time I go up there to hear it for myself!