• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Hex [2024 Refurb]: General Discussion

Have all the other mad houses around the world had as many issues as Hex out of interest? Have Towers been unlucky or is this a common issue with all of them?
 
Benjsh said:
Have all the other mad houses around the world had as many issues as Hex out of interest? Have Towers been unlucky or is this a common issue with all of them?
Click to expand...

Defi de Cesar at Asterix was an utter mess when I last rode it.

Villa Volta definitely struggles around and just about parks properly.
 
Danscott22 said:
It's still a disco Hex, just in case anyone was wondering. I didn't mind the new lighting, but I know it wasn't widely popular.
Click to expand...

It’ll probably be disco Hex until next season. They want it to obviously be ‘new’ and most people haven’t ridden the new Hex with it opening for such a short amount of time last season.

I suspect we’ll see tweaks after this. They made a big deal of how programmable and adjustable the new lighting is.

Just my own personal opinion.
 
Benzin said:
Defi de Cesar at Asterix was an utter mess when I last rode it.

Villa Volta definitely struggles around and just about parks properly.
Click to expand...
Defi de Cesar is a Mack Mystery Swing rather than a Vekoma Madhouse. It is certainly a mess.

Villa Volta is the oldest and does take a while to park but generally like everything else at Efteling it's well maintained.

Hotel Embrujado at Parque Warner wasn't working when I visited last year.

They're all pretty old now, however I think the parks responsible for them have a big part to play in keeping them working reliably. Alton Towers mothballed theirs for years after the Smiler incident and from what I gather that's one of the reasons why the drum became warped. Then they did a few bodge fixes to try and keep it limping along which didn't work, before they eventually threw money at it and got a proper fix for it last year.

It did open late this season, probably due to staffing, but I think it's actually fixed now, so hopefully we can just use this thread to grumble about the disco lighting rather than periods of excessive downtime.
 
venny said:
Can I ask what you mean by running hard?

Villa Volta, for example, has operated for a longer period, in a park with generally longer opening hours and year-round opening.
Click to expand...

Of course, that's a good point actually, I mean how quickly they used to cycle the ride in any given day. Guests were loading as soon as guests unloaded, so the thing was going non stop within it's operating day.

I suppose it would be better to say Hex has been among the hardest run mad houses.
 
Danscott22 said:
It's still a disco Hex, just in case anyone was wondering. I didn't mind the new lighting, but I know it wasn't widely popular.
Click to expand...

It’s awful

Reminds me of a kids disco

Remove the “new” lights
Reprogram the branch back to as it was
Add proper diffusers in the “tube”
Replace or allow the screens in the octagon to go fully “off”
Modify the lighting the 1st pre show so you can actually ‘see’ the portrait instead of just glare and reflection

It’s literally a weekends worth of work that would rescue the atmosphere of the ride.
 
Ash said:
It’s awful

Reminds me of a kids disco

Remove the “new” lights
Reprogram the branch back to as it was
Add proper diffusers in the “tube”
Replace or allow the screens in the octagon to go fully “off”
Modify the lighting the 1st pre show so you can actually ‘see’ the portrait instead of just glare and reflection

It’s literally a weekends worth of work that would rescue the atmosphere of the ride.
Click to expand...

I like the new lighting with the exception of the branch fairy lights.

Doesn’t really impact the atmosphere for me, but wish they would return the branch to its original lighting though.
 
Ash said:
It’s awful

Reminds me of a kids disco

Remove the “new” lights
Reprogram the branch back to as it was
Add proper diffusers in the “tube”
Replace or allow the screens in the octagon to go fully “off”
Modify the lighting the 1st pre show so you can actually ‘see’ the portrait instead of just glare and reflection

It’s literally a weekends worth of work that would rescue the atmosphere of the ride.
Click to expand...
Nah, mate. That unfortunately won't happen...
neo-dodging-a-bullet-matrix.jpg
 
Tastes have changed since 2000, the subtlety of the orignal Hex simply wasn’t as engaging or interesting for the general public as it used to be. The lighting changes are a shift towards “spectacle” over subtlety, leaning into the sci-to / supernatural part of the story, which works for a modern audience and will keep the attraction around for years to come.

It’s not bad as much as it’s different
 
tayspru said:
Tastes have changed since 2000, the subtlety of the orignal Hex simply wasn’t as engaging or interesting for the general public as it used to be. The lighting changes are a shift towards “spectacle” over subtlety, leaning into the sci-to / supernatural part of the story, which works for a modern audience and will keep the attraction around for years to come.

It’s not bad as much as it’s different
Click to expand...
Indeed, things change if we like it or not if it means survival and if it means that it gives many more years of Hex working then so be it.
 
tayspru said:
Tastes have changed since 2000, the subtlety of the orignal Hex simply wasn’t as engaging or interesting for the general public as it used to be. The lighting changes are a shift towards “spectacle” over subtlety, leaning into the sci-to / supernatural part of the story, which works for a modern audience and will keep the attraction around for years to come.

It’s not bad as much as it’s different
Click to expand...
This is why I liked it. Thought "mad" lighting fit the mad storyline. Get it's not to everyone's taste but I'm in the minority that prefers the new lighting
 
QTXAdsy said:
Indeed, things change if we like it or not if it means survival and if it means that it gives many more years of Hex working then so be it.
Click to expand...
They very easily could have closed Hex when it started having problems, but what they did was evaluate what appeals to the core audience of families and kids - clearly the answer was engaging and more in your face effects. Something for kids who are used to Tik Tok. The subtlety of the original could easily read as “nothing is happening” in 2025. They found a good balance in my opinion
 
I think adding more color mood lighting is fine but there’s a fine line between this and flashy lights with a techno setting.

They asked for all the bloggers to come to hex and deliver feedback. I’m not sure why they haven’t tweaked and taken this on board a little!

I did notice though the TV screens seem to be better covered up on the edges or am I just seeing things?
 
The old version ended in a seizure of strobe lights. The new is far easier on the eyes.
All I'd do is tone down the branch lights and do a bit more crossfading(?) for some of the lights that seem to change a bit digitally at the moment. Maybe make the particle projection green.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top