[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation

I have said before, judging the ride on its own merits separate to the theme that has been suggested... and now marketed incidentally, and it looks comically brilliant, however the second you add car wash brushes it is no longer a psychology experiment.

Before it suggested being sinister, now do you know what I think?

It looks cute.

If anyone still thinks that this looks sinister you have clearly lived very sheltered lives lol! It now looks more like a house keeping device from the future.

I'm already starting to love it though, but not for the reasons they intended that's for sure!

The fact it does not have an aged look is enough of a differentiation from the Forbidden Valley theme.

Plenty of shiny silver and black metal which is well suited to X-Sector.

I think it looks great! In fact I'm rather excited! Loving how exaggerated and bizarre it all is, it's very imposing and I like the idea of these moving parts. I can imagine it would take your attention away, leaving you at the mercy of the ride. It's up my street so far!

TheMan said:

I'm already starting to love it though, but not for the reasons they intended that's for sure!

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Are you 100% certain what they intend? Have they ever used the word sinister? Has the marketing really given us any clue on the style...really?

I don't believe I've seen enough to judge the entire concept and to claim I know exactly how Merlin/AT want me to receive it!

Ryan said:

TheMan said:

I'm already starting to love it though, but not for the reasons they intended that's for sure!

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Are you 100% certain what they intend? Have they ever used the word sinister? Has the marketing really given us any clue on the style...really?

I don't believe I've seen enough to judge the entire concept and to claim I know exactly how Merlin/AT want me to receive it!

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This is what I fail to understand. The simple answer to most of that is yes, and for rather obvious, marketing and support attraction reasons.

Have you all forgotten all the other marketing/attractions etc that have been released conveniently, or to somehow placate this being a suitable attraction next to one of the world's most iconic and boundary pushing rides?

This is a giant metal 5 legged spider, adorned with spinning "hypno" discs which have not been associated to any serious psychology for decades, if ever, and car wash brushes.

That is the complete polar opposite of The Sanctuary. And no, saying "it has nothing to do with The Sanctuary! is utter tripe because KELMAN is all over it! It can't be meant to be THAT modern can it?

As I said, this is more akin to Carnival of Screams - the music, garish colours, outlandish "contraptions" - it is more fun house than nut house.

Rainbow stairs anyone?

Look, I like how the ride appears, I don't like where they are putting it, and I do not like how they are starting to market it - falsely yet again. To have people like New Scientist and Psychologists as part of the design team, using things that terrify people...

WHAT?

Defend that all you like, I wont be ta, and it's laughable people in the field of psychology would put their reputations to this rubbish - and it is rubbish. (Not the ride, the idea this concept is psychologically terrifying).

It looks fun, it looks a bit frivolous, and it is way, way over the top - so far though, it completely loses any serious edge it had - a great concept, taken WAY too far.

Especially for X-Sector. Genius not required to fathom that out. And you can talk about it till you are blue in the face - but it clearly has a VERY strong link to MOJ/The Sanctuary and always has, is being marketed again in this "psychoaster" bull, and is going to have a bad impact on how imposing and dark Oblivion is!

I will be looking forward to this ride for different reasons now, but I can assure you, any kind of fear or genuine mind play like The Sanctuary did BRILLIANTLY will NOT be one of them!

Get real people, come on!

Enjoy the irony!! It's not serious, it's called "fun"!!

How can you hold such a strong and negative view when you:
1) Have not seen the ride in the flesh
2) Have not actually ridden the ride
3) Have not seen how the real pieces of theming actually look compared to concepts
4) Do not know the full storyline of the ride

I understand if you slate the marketing, as that's right in front of our eyes to see. However saying you will view the ride differently now is just utterly ridiculous. There's SO much we have not seen yet and SO much that has not been developed on site yet. Just wait until you have that right in front of your very eyes before judging anything.

There's been, what, one hyped article. Not 10 hyped articles, a rubbish GMTV showing and the internet plastered with 'the scariest ride created in history' - just one article. ALL businesses hype up their products these days, it's the 21st century, this is how marketing works.

Plus it was posted in the Dail Fail, since when have we taken that as gospel?

I'm just getting fed up of people writing the ride off based on one article and one piece of concept art when there are so many things that we're unaware of and none of us have seen any actual theming or the ride itself.

Keep an open mind.

It is not unreasonable to talk about negative expectations if the evidence you see leads you to that conclusion.

Having seen the latest concepts for the metal monster, I believe they have 'faffed' with it too much. It looked good before and now appears slightly tacky.....however full judgement is reserved until May.

There is an awful lot of momentum gaining behind this nonsense now James.

I have said I will reserve full judgement till ride opening, of course I will mate, but in the same way I have stoutly defended the theme, the intelligent concept, and modern evolution of The Sanctuary theme - all things that were frankly brilliant and engaging, the momentum is now fully behind the complete dumbing down of the concept and design.

This, in this form, has no place in X-Sector, (more X-Factor!) has no place being mentioned alongside New Scientist and psychology, and is absolutely laughable in terms of the utter psychobabble written in that article. WHO IS SCARED OF CAR WASH BRUSHES????

Just as I defended everything bar my doubt about Gerst, and of course, the delays - I am now vociferous in my opposition to the direction this is now taking.

Sort it out Alton Towers. Keep the mumbo jumbo out of it, that belongs at Mingerland.

You were doing brilliantly, I defended it resolutely but now? Not a chance.

In it's own right of course, as a ride and theme unique and marketed correctly - wow yes please, just not in X-Sector, I adore The Smiler too and I want a little one for my office but not because it scares me - it is very cute, crazy, and over the top.

As I say, more suited to a fun house theme - not some psychological mind altering establishment.

And seriously, if this scares you? Get out more!

How about we just ignore that article? They were always going to go down the "scariest ride ever" road. Have we not learnt from Thirteen to just ignore lowest-common-denominator crap?

It's one article for the stupid people who read The Mail. If the whole marketing sinks to that level, fine, but it was inevitable the rags would print daft articles like that.

TheMan ->

You can tell people to "get real" all you want, the point I was making is that at no point has Alton Towers explicitly said that

a) this is going to be a sinister ride
b) this is a sister ride that is entirely complementary to Oblivion
c) it's supposed to have a serious edge
d) it's a sequel to The Sanctuary

So far you're basing your strong views on the quality and validity of current marketing on comparisons to previous marketing. And you're even going so far as to judge the final product on both of those things!

My point still stands, you claim you understand the intent of the final product (and are adamant you don't agree/like it) based on an incredibly confusing and tangled web of minute pieces of information, all spun together and over-analysed by the constant churn of conversation on this and other forums.

I think if we all strip back everything we've learnt from being enthused and eager, we'd be at a stage where this press release makes a lot of sense to the average person.

I bet the spider turns out to be very much less extravagant than the concept art shows.

TheMan said:

WHO IS SCARED OF CAR WASH BRUSHES????

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Have you seen Final Destination 4?

Final Destination 4 - Car Wash

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I don't think it's so much of 'being scary' - it's more of that The Smiler is a treatment. However neither of us can be certain of which until we know what the storyline of this ride is or what it's all about. If it's like the Sanctuary though, on the face front value it is not meant to be scary, however when you experience the 'treatments' for yourself their (the Ministry of Joy) ways of working may become questionable and 'scary' to a certain extent.

So the 'car washers', while not scary, become a questionable type of treatment. Why use something that is designed to clean metal on human beings? Could it hurt us? Will it feel weird? Why not use nice soft brushes? - Again though this entirely depends on the storyline of the ride.

TheMan said:

And seriously, if this scares you? Get out more!

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This is quite an odd line - and I never expected someone like you to say that.

Scare levels are very personal. Some people find little to nothing scary, while others find nearly everything scary. It's a very broad word and hard to pinpoint.

It's not been made clear yet as to if The Smiler is all out in your face scary, or more subtle and creates a sense of safety while horrible secrets are revealed. I'm reserving full judgement until I can see the full product for myself. There's a lot of information being kept quiet by Alton Towers and Merlin - I personally feel it's best to wait until this information comes to surface over the coming months.

Regarding Marmalisation, I've mentioned the word to a few people here in Warwickshire and they've never heard it before - am I the only person who comes from an area where this word is common-place??

Ryan said:

Regarding Marmalisation, I've mentioned the word to a few people here in Warwickshire and they've never heard it before - am I the only person who comes from an area where this word is common-place??

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No one up here in Sheffield has heard of it

I was initially aghast when I saw the artwork for the spider, but then stood back, had a ponder and then realised how it actually fits perfect.

I dont understand how (this is directed in the general direction of TheMan) you can support a ride called "The Smiler" whose logo is a smily face :twirly:, but yet can't see the kitsch element to this theme.

Think over the top House of Horrors / Evil Dead. This ride is all out, over the top, and I think it's great! A mad scientists contraption to alter people, it almost looks like its been made with the scraps that were to hand.

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On another note, I think it's great people have an opinion and able to voice them. But when it's banded about like it's the only one worthy of consideration, that is extremely arrogant and offensive to others. It also kills debate and fuels senseless squabbling

It's amazing how some peoples ego is so strong it actually travels down the internet!

James said:

TheMan said:

And seriously, if this scares you? Get out more!

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This is quite an odd line - and I never expected someone like you to say that.

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James, fair enough. It was not meant offensively, I am ranting about a coaster rather than world peace so I am still having a giggle. That comes across strong when highlighted and I am not a bigot so apologies if that offended anyone.

I have made my points now - let me balance this out alright?

Alton have severe restrictions, to have managed this is a tiny space is great work. The Sanctuary was brilliant in concept if not quite complete - time for that though. The sporadic way rides have been built also means confused areas - X-Sector will now join that line up if concept is remotely accurate.

The ride looks impressive, and taking it all out of X-Sector, removing any link to The Sanctuary and saying - here is a ride based upon a crazy comedic correction tool - that is great.

Still a hint of lap bars, big piece of forgiveness waiting if that happens too.

I like The Smiler, I don't like where it is, or what that media and present direction is hinting they will sell it as.

Of course I will welcome being proven wrong.

TheMan said:

James said:

TheMan said:

And seriously, if this scares you? Get out more!

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This is quite an odd line - and I never expected someone like you to say that.

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James, fair enough. It was not meant offensively, I am ranting about a coaster rather than world peace so I am still having a giggle. That comes across strong when highlighted and I am not a bigot so apologies if that offended anyone.

I have made my points now - let me balance this out alright?

Alton have severe restrictions, to have managed this is a tiny space is great work. The Sanctuary was brilliant in concept if not quite complete - time for that though. The sporadic way rides have been built also means confused areas - X-Sector will now join that line up if concept is remotely accurate.

The ride looks impressive, and taking it all out of X-Sector, removing any link to The Sanctuary and saying - here is a ride based upon a crazy comedic correction tool - that is great.

Still a hint of lap bars, big piece of forgiveness waiting if that happens too.

I like The Smiler, I don't like where it is, or what that media and present direction is hinting they will sell it as.

Of course I will welcome being proven wrong.

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What so you really would prefer that generic Merlin, run down theme for the spider that we saw in the plans would you? That would have looked even more dreadful in X-Sector.

If you get rid of some of the crap they've stuck on top of the arms, it's near enough perfection.

I've never said I preferred the original spider, it has become clear for a while those plans were iffy - hence I never comment on them...

You won't find me involved in those debates mate.

This is a press release, and I something different and more appropriate - I also said they had a brilliant concept they have actually taken too far.

Thing is, this is the centerpiece not a bit of added on theme somewhere, the focal point of the ride interaction, so it is hugely important and will have a big impact on its surroundings.

Anyway I hope when it is up and built to be proven wrong as I say.