Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
A lot of that is due to the difficulty of staffing. They used to have a lot of staff from colleges and international students. Since COVID it's been hard to get that same level.
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
The Potter spaces are full of shops and restaurants and have the interactive elements with the wands. The new one at Epic does feel excessive but that's because one side was built to accommodate the entrance to a phase two attraction on an expansion pad behind it.
you weren't the one making those comparisons but a number of people for some reason, have been.
You haven't been to Epic yet, have you? The dragons are ALL OVER the land, operating the entire time the park is open and they're nothing remotely like Disney's freestanding droids. There are dozens of them of various sizes and levels of animation/effects.
Here's what I'm talking about:
... and I don't mean the Toothless meet-and-greet.
For Disney, it would be even easier - a droid up a pole perpetually fixing wiring at a box with overhead cables (like power lines) and the occasional spark of electricity. Just the most basic single-servo arm movement in one arm with the other static, "holding" onto the pole and an R2-like head that only needs to rotate with some beeps or an endless loop of self-talk dialog. A droid on a balcony beating out a carpet 80%-90% statue/mannequin to look like it could walk even though it just stands there and does the same thing all day. Basically a lot more of things like the one they have over the spit in the restaurant section. They wouldn't need anywhere the level of animation or detail that Universal put into some of the dragons, wouldn't need paint that'll fade in the Florida sun, wouldn't need to be in arm's reach of any guests. Wouldn't even need fluid movement - they're pretend robots doing pretend basic tasks.
Stuff that would literally take somewhere between one and a handful of servos or motors to power and many that wouldn't even need programing - just continuous motor or hydraulic movement controlled mechanically, similar to how some of the older effects in the Haunted Mansion operate cheaply with rock-solid reliability.
Nothing remotely over-engineered. If anything, way simpler than it's intended to appear. Things that could be entirely constructed off-site brought in, bolted down and plugged into power or connected to compressed air overnight, controlled by a remote circuit breaker/power switch.
I myself have built something more complicated than I'm talking about. (with less durable construction but that's because I don't have the tools to machine aluminum)
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DarkMetroid567
Well-Known Member
Doesn’t feel all too different to me, though the wands are definitely a better experience than the datapad. I lost my wand awhile back though and likely won’t buy another anytime soon.
My bad, I assumed you were talking about the Night Lights for some reason. I think the droids would be a great idea! The Ronto Roasters droid is really the only current example, I believe.
But yeah, the current dragons are really great. I really love the ugly one that’s by the fountain. I don’t remember the others too well tbh besides the ice dragon.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
I mean USO doesn't announce their expansions nearly as far out as WDW. There is already work going on at hollywood rip ride rockit, but USO is radio silent on it.
More backstory for the park. Why it's here. Who are the characters in the story. Connecting it to Back to the Future. Etc....
This must be a huge annoyance to those who've posted on the Disney side that all this back-story-ing is ridiculous.
Uni is doing it, too.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I'm just talking stuff to make the place not look abandoned.
Star Wars is full of droids and aliens and the land has basically none of either (this was a big failing of the Star Cruiser, too - save the dinner show - IMHO). They pitch it like you're going to this alien world in another time and pace and then everything there is just humans - mostly other people like you and a few wearing various shades of brown and beige running cash registers and emptying trash cans but it's supposedly so immersive.
Something like this wouldn't require equity actors or makeup, wouldn't require advanced animatronics. They could probably outsource a lot of it to the company that made all the filler stuff in the little mermaid ride and it wouldn't even look cheap under these circumstances.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The side opposite Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was laid out to accommodate a second opening day attraction that was cut after the building permit was issued. There is a third attraction space that is further back, straight ahead from the land portal near the exit of Le Cirque Arcanus.
Andrew C
You know what's funny?
They like to tease...
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
A lot of theme park nerds are dismissive of Galaxy's Edge because of its flaws, and yes it does have them - it's a bit empty and void of things to do, and it does feel lifeless. The fact that it's intentionally a depressing dumpy outpost also doesn't help, though I both commend them on committing to the bit and also recognizing that "dumpy depressing spaceport" is the quintessential Star Wars vibe. Agreed that walk around characters (more of them), a complete re-design of the soundscape, and some kinetic visuals would go a long way toward improving the land.
But, what Galaxy's Edge succeeds at is (nearly) perfect 360 degree immersion at what feels like real world full scale, and it proves that this can be done without surrounding the land with tall fake walls on all four sides, which is what Universal did with Diagon Alley, Ministry, and SNW. Diagon Alley and SNW also don't feel "full scale" and are instead rather tight and cramped.
So if we're talking about a theme park that raises the bar in the year 2025, to me it would have to be a park entirely composed of lands that that have the scope, scale, and full immersion of Galaxy's Edge, the feeling of life that Berk and SNW have, and each land being fleshed out with enough to do. None of the lands at Epic check all 3 of these boxes for me. So it is not a park that raises the bar for theme parks, IMO.
Andrew C
You know what's funny?
Which was heavily included in their art prior....
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
You said everything I was attempting to get across, which I failed at. Thank you. Cosign.
wdwfan4ver
Well-Known Member
I'm doing a wait and see. While theme park stop is reliable, there had multiple things that the material could be use for that was mentioned by other sources.
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
I initially thought it was related to the entertainment building located between SNW and park entrance, but they wouldn't have painted it green.
It makes sense for this visual barrier to be pushed later into the construction timeline as this is low in the list of priorities.
Where it doesn't have show buildings, Galaxy's Edge is surrounded by a tall berm & walls. How is that any different than what Universal's been doing? You're not going to create near perfect sightlines without the land being surrounded by something, even if it's just trees. In this case they chose rockwork walls & elevated trees. Diagon Alley uses building facades.
I also don't see how its scale is any more "full" than something like Diagon Alley. While GE's theme calls for taller structures in some places, it doesn't actually come across as any more realistic of a setting to me.
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DarkMetroid567
Well-Known Member
I think they’re moreso pointing out that the tall wall method is the only thing Universal has done to successfully accomplish full immersion, and it comes at the expense of the repetition and cramped feeling, which you especially feel in SNW, despite the fact that the UOR version is pretty sizable. It also makes those sightlines harder to block from the outside (see Ministry of Magic from Stardust Racers’ queue, or SNW from Literally Everywhere in Epic Universe).
Universal at least tried tall trees + berm for Dark Universe, but it’s not done even half as well as Galaxy’s Edge.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Everything surrounding the land looks natural, as opposed to an endless unbroken multi-story building of Diagon Alley and Ministry (as in all the buildings are the same height and there are no gaps between them) or literal painted walls of SNW. Also, note that the tree berms surrounding Galaxy's Edge are not just raised land with trees on top, but they appear to be natural formations of the geography, cut through by machinery in some places, untouched in others.
Compare the scope of Ministry of Magic, which is scaled to real world proportions, to Diagon Alley, which is not. I'm not talking about the whimsical crooked architecture. Diagon uses forced perspective to attempt a full scale look throughout, but Ministry and Galaxy's Edge do not used forced perspective, save for some spires and buildings that are meant to be in the distance.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
All photos I took. I don’t know how anyone can’t walk through this place and not be awed and immersed. The design is what makes me love Disney.
As everyone has always said (including me), it just needs a bit more life, and a little more fun and magic sprinkled in. But those are easy fixes if Disney actually decides they want to make the changes fans ask for.
Will Universal fix the shortcuts taken in Berk?
As everyone has always said (including me), it just needs a bit more life, and a little more fun and magic sprinkled in. But those are easy fixes if Disney actually decides they want to make the changes fans ask for.
Will Universal fix the shortcuts taken in Berk?
Andrew C
You know what's funny?
Very cool. Very pretty. Just stale and lifeless.
And missing the third attraction and table service dining.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
I’m not much of a TSR person, but they could and should definitely add one in whatever future expansion they do for the land.
And again, alien band, buskers, add some more AAs and droids outside. Change the soundscape.
I’d say most the fixes to bring life are relatively easy, if they are willing to do it.
What they should do is allow you to wield the force, i.e. like wand spots.