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Controversial Alton Towers Opinions
- Thread starter WickerwomanH
- Start date
RicketyCricket
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Matt.GC
TS Member
Not as such, I don't think replicating the past is a good thing. Something needs to happen with it and I wouldn't want a silly screen based IP either. A light retheme fixing all the issues, especially the horrid lighting will do me. Perhaps a new name as well to be able to market the work they've done to it. Perhaps some new props, pulling out the tacky scenes like the zombie ones and redoing them and sorting out the ruined indoor queue line accompanied by a new name so they can highlight the fact they've fixed it up.
ROI can also take the form of guest satisfaction too - higher guest satisfaction means less leakage in terms of free fast tracks / f&b vouchers etc. There’s got to be guests who say, “I queued 30 minutes for Duel at Scarefest, it was absolutely shambolic and a waste of precious time on a sellout day. What can you do for me?”
A full theatrical style lighting redesign and prop fixing plan would be enough to satisfy me. I think I’ve said this before somewhere but in its current state, it resembles a seedy nightclub dressed up for a Halloween night. And that’s my controversial opinion to bring this back on topic
A full theatrical style lighting redesign and prop fixing plan would be enough to satisfy me. I think I’ve said this before somewhere but in its current state, it resembles a seedy nightclub dressed up for a Halloween night. And that’s my controversial opinion to bring this back on topic
Trooper Looper
TS Member
The original was full of theatrical lighting. That's what made it good at hiding all the mechanisms and made you immersed.
The only scenes that are close to theatrical now are The poltergeist room, the Grand Hall, and the Garden.
The only scenes that are close to theatrical now are The poltergeist room, the Grand Hall, and the Garden.
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Rojo
TS Member
I wouldn't be upset if N:ST was re-used as a Gloomy Wood attraction, add a tree barrier to stop the bleed into FV. It might make Duel seem a little less plonked on its own.
HH lost its atmosphere when it was given guns. More people are looking at their scores than the scenes around them. Probably a good thing as it's been limping along for some time, since the trommel was a thing.
There's no ROI for Duel because it's only been given minimal love and left to fester really. Give it regular updated effects without killing its soul and it would remain popular, I'm not even saying get rid of the guns but at least have a section where the guns are put down and give the ride some of its classic feel back. Oh and fix the tommel (anyone mentioned that?)
Installing a kiosk that blasted out modern music danced on its grave.
HH lost its atmosphere when it was given guns. More people are looking at their scores than the scenes around them. Probably a good thing as it's been limping along for some time, since the trommel was a thing.
There's no ROI for Duel because it's only been given minimal love and left to fester really. Give it regular updated effects without killing its soul and it would remain popular, I'm not even saying get rid of the guns but at least have a section where the guns are put down and give the ride some of its classic feel back. Oh and fix the tommel (anyone mentioned that?
)Installing a kiosk that blasted out modern music danced on its grave.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
I've got another possibly controversial one regarding Duel... I actually rather like the zombie lab scene at the end, and within the ride as it is now, I actually think it's one of the stronger scenes!
I can sense that one might be controversial, but I like it because it's a more defined scene than many of the other sections on the ride, and it has a fair bit strewn around in terms of stuff popping out and stuff to look at compared to the rest of Duel!
I can sense that one might be controversial, but I like it because it's a more defined scene than many of the other sections on the ride, and it has a fair bit strewn around in terms of stuff popping out and stuff to look at compared to the rest of Duel!
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Trooper Looper
TS Member
I'd love if Duel was 50/50, half of it has The original music, sfx, paintwork, and lighting, and the other half as it is.
So, we'll do it like this.
What will stay the same (Present Day Duel)
- The Ghost Corridor
Just needs better lighting around the Skeleton Servent so we can actually see it.
- The Gardens
Just fix the Maniac in the cave, he used to be really fast but the animatromic stick has degraded over time.
- Half the Giants Lair
Have the zombies in the first window back at the Giants Fingers, leave the zombies on the next window, and bring back the Giants eye on the final window.
- The Lab (Mostly)
Leave it as it is, but bring back the Goblin in the wall and the Dragon coming out of the Gargoyles mouth.
- The Poltergeist room
Now, What will change
- The Grand Hall, basically just revert it back to its original state, with its old sfx and lighting, etc.
- The Trommel
Do I even need to say? Fix it and get rid of the head at the end, it ruins the effect as you can see the car in front.
- Spider secne
Just get rid of the Zombies in that area, and more theatrical lighting and no more LEDs, and the old music.
- Screaming heads
Just fix the lighting, and fix the first bust triggering too soon. And repaint the final Ghoul in there to something more sinister, it looks daft as pale blue. Looked a lot better when it looked like Satan.
So, we'll do it like this.
What will stay the same (Present Day Duel)
- The Ghost Corridor
Just needs better lighting around the Skeleton Servent so we can actually see it.
- The Gardens
Just fix the Maniac in the cave, he used to be really fast but the animatromic stick has degraded over time.
- Half the Giants Lair
Have the zombies in the first window back at the Giants Fingers, leave the zombies on the next window, and bring back the Giants eye on the final window.
- The Lab (Mostly)
Leave it as it is, but bring back the Goblin in the wall and the Dragon coming out of the Gargoyles mouth.
- The Poltergeist room
Now, What will change
- The Grand Hall, basically just revert it back to its original state, with its old sfx and lighting, etc.
- The Trommel
Do I even need to say? Fix it and get rid of the head at the end, it ruins the effect as you can see the car in front.
- Spider secne
Just get rid of the Zombies in that area, and more theatrical lighting and no more LEDs, and the old music.
- Screaming heads
Just fix the lighting, and fix the first bust triggering too soon. And repaint the final Ghoul in there to something more sinister, it looks daft as pale blue. Looked a lot better when it looked like Satan.
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QTXAdsy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
I've mentioned this already about Nemesis but...I always felt that the actual monster covering the station always looked rather, well, puny for such a scary and powerful alien creature. Controversial but with the upcoming overhaul I'd rip down the old monster building and rebuild it into something twice as large to look more like the elephant/crab monster thing rather than the blob with those googly green eyes sticking out. Just the imagine the idea of before going into the second inversion in which you just narrowly avoid Nemesis' claw while one of the legs can be placed threaded through the loop as what had been one of the original concept plans years ago. And please clear the pit out and make it bare again, not sure why everyone loves the idea of it being full of trees growing around it.
Another factor is that I felt that in some alternate timeline, Thirteen would have been better of being built in Gloomy Wood and instead of retheming the area like they did (poorly) with Dark Forrest then the remaining money could have been spent in restoring Duel back to it's HH condition. Knock on effect is that you have no shooter ride on the park though this goes into NST in which that can be turned into the shooter dark ride instead which honestly would have made the ride last better in the long-term.
This ofc leaves with a post-Corky Ug Land which goes into another controversial opinion...I've never been all much of a fan of Ug Land to begin with and this was before Rita was built. Honestly I've never been a fan of the caveman theme which the more you think about it was one of these Y2K things of ending the 20th century by going back to the stone age that I don't know seems rather iffy for me which also was somewhat milking of the release of the Flintstones film that had come out a few years ago at that time...plus it always had the worse theme song for any of the themed areas in the park IMO.
Anyway, with no Dark Forrest as I've mentioned in this headcanon of mine so far, what then? Probably means that we have a Corkscrew less Ug Land limping on for a few more years before we get something on the sight say, I don't know, a Mack Spinning coaster that would have seen Spinball gone by 2015 (providing Smiler incident doesn't happen) being a worthy replacement and thus Adventureland gets fully annexed into CBeebies land and maybe then retheme the area to Thunder Rock Valley being fully a race theme. Yes, won't improve Rita in anyway but it at the very least would fit into the area far better now. Dark Forrest is just not a good area IMO, it is just a mess. I'm ramble a lot now so I'm shutting up.
Another factor is that I felt that in some alternate timeline, Thirteen would have been better of being built in Gloomy Wood and instead of retheming the area like they did (poorly) with Dark Forrest then the remaining money could have been spent in restoring Duel back to it's HH condition. Knock on effect is that you have no shooter ride on the park though this goes into NST in which that can be turned into the shooter dark ride instead which honestly would have made the ride last better in the long-term.
This ofc leaves with a post-Corky Ug Land which goes into another controversial opinion...I've never been all much of a fan of Ug Land to begin with and this was before Rita was built. Honestly I've never been a fan of the caveman theme which the more you think about it was one of these Y2K things of ending the 20th century by going back to the stone age that I don't know seems rather iffy for me which also was somewhat milking of the release of the Flintstones film that had come out a few years ago at that time...plus it always had the worse theme song for any of the themed areas in the park IMO.
Anyway, with no Dark Forrest as I've mentioned in this headcanon of mine so far, what then? Probably means that we have a Corkscrew less Ug Land limping on for a few more years before we get something on the sight say, I don't know, a Mack Spinning coaster that would have seen Spinball gone by 2015 (providing Smiler incident doesn't happen) being a worthy replacement and thus Adventureland gets fully annexed into CBeebies land and maybe then retheme the area to Thunder Rock Valley being fully a race theme. Yes, won't improve Rita in anyway but it at the very least would fit into the area far better now. Dark Forrest is just not a good area IMO, it is just a mess. I'm ramble a lot now so I'm shutting up.
ThemeParkAddict
TS Member
My first trip to Towers was during Mardi Gras last year. We got very lucky when talking to a nice actor on Towers Street and he offered to make us Mardi Gras King and Queen, so we got fast track all day.
We got three rides on Nemesis in brilliant weather and it was a big disappointment for me. I expected it to be one of my favourite coasters in the country- honestly, I didn't get it. I prefer Inferno. Maybe the problem was my own expectations being too high after years of hearing that it's one of the best in the UK, but I wouldn't have it in my top ten.
We got three rides on Nemesis in brilliant weather and it was a big disappointment for me. I expected it to be one of my favourite coasters in the country- honestly, I didn't get it. I prefer Inferno. Maybe the problem was my own expectations being too high after years of hearing that it's one of the best in the UK, but I wouldn't have it in my top ten.
40 year olds will tell you it's one of the best in the world because of nostalgia
jon81uk
TS Member
Don't think it is just notalgia, Nemesis just has a much more interesting layout compared to Inferno.
Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Don't forget people in their twenties and thirties who have left the UK to experience theme parks on different continents and still agree Nemesis is one of the best in the world.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Controversially, I actually think I like Inferno slightly more than Nemesis, as I think it has a nicer level of intensity for me personally (Inferno has no grey-out moments for me, whereas Nemesis’ helix often makes me grey out), and it’s also smoother and runs a bit faster through the entire layout than Nemesis at times (although when Nemesis is running well, I’ll admit this is debatable), although the two sit right next to each other in my rankings (Inferno is #8, while Nemesis is #9). I should clarify that the reason why I said “I think I like Inferno slightly more” in such an noncommittal way is because I often find that when I ride one, I like that one more, and the tables turn when I re-ride the other! They’re hard for me to rank, for sure, but having ridden the two within a week of each other in September, I do currently think Inferno just takes it for me.
From experience, though, I do think that Nemesis is the more temperamental of the two. I’ve had great rides on it, but I’ve also had some slightly more average ones as well, where it’s either somewhat rough, somewhat slow in places, or both. Inferno is a bit more consistent in this regard; it always seems to deliver at its very best.
I will, however, concede that Nemesis is vastly more highly rated on the whole, and not just because of nostalgia either. I think people genuinely do love the ride; whenever Americans come over here, they always seem to be blown away by it, so it’s clearly not just nostalgic Brits who revere it.
I personally like Nemesis a lot, but don’t entirely identify with the massive hype train for it; Nemesis isn’t my favourite Alton Towers coaster, let alone my favourite UK coaster or overall coaster, and it also isn’t my favourite B&M invert (Montu takes that for me, from memory). Don’t get me wrong, I get exactly why people love it so much, I’m just not sure that type of thing quite satisfies my fun-o-meter like some other things I’ve ridden.
From experience, though, I do think that Nemesis is the more temperamental of the two. I’ve had great rides on it, but I’ve also had some slightly more average ones as well, where it’s either somewhat rough, somewhat slow in places, or both. Inferno is a bit more consistent in this regard; it always seems to deliver at its very best.
I will, however, concede that Nemesis is vastly more highly rated on the whole, and not just because of nostalgia either. I think people genuinely do love the ride; whenever Americans come over here, they always seem to be blown away by it, so it’s clearly not just nostalgic Brits who revere it.
I personally like Nemesis a lot, but don’t entirely identify with the massive hype train for it; Nemesis isn’t my favourite Alton Towers coaster, let alone my favourite UK coaster or overall coaster, and it also isn’t my favourite B&M invert (Montu takes that for me, from memory). Don’t get me wrong, I get exactly why people love it so much, I’m just not sure that type of thing quite satisfies my fun-o-meter like some other things I’ve ridden.
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I don't think so, I love nemesis and missing out because it's an OAP session wouldn't please me. If I go to Alton Towers I want to ride the best coaster in the UK.