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2016: Air - Re-theme to VR Coaster - Galactica

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Slightly concerned that the headsets are attached to the trains though. At EP all headsets are cleaned after use, Towers clearly can't do this. They could get quite dirty and sweaty on a long hot summers day. Nice!

:)

The headsets will be cleaned after every use - someone has asked the question on Twitter.
 
Strange concept art over on the BBC, credited to Merlin though, as it clearly shows the Air Gates, but the planning drawings show these being replaced by 1.8m studded walls so the Ride area is completely screened from the queue/new preshow area???
 
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The text above the planets implies it'll all be on one journey, transporting from one planet to another.
 
Well at least the message is getting through...

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What I have seen so far does look very impressive, I hope that the implementation is equally impressive. I've gone from being totally against the idea when I first heard it to really looking forward to trying it out.

Going to be interesting to see how they clean the headsets after each use without totally destroying throughputs. Unless they are somehow self cleaning if that is possible!?

And they had to slip a worlds first in there didn't they! Why can't they just market it for what it is without some meaningless worlds first. I know that when they first came up with a VR coaster they thought it would be a worlds first so were probably a bit annoyed that EP beat them to it.

The worrying aspect for Towers; in a poll on the Birmingham Mail website, 79% of people said that they would not visit Alton Towers to ride Galactica. Towers have to hope that isn't a representive sample of potential guests!

:)
 
I always thought one of Air theories is that it is a space airport? Guess they're just for-filling that theory now. ;)

The website & promotional materiel is of high quality, I love the new mini site created for it.
I'm very excited about this, I think it's been long overdue for some good news to come from Alton Towers, so this is fantastic to see.:)

I hope the experience for people who have chosen to ride without VR headsets do get some changes to their ride experience... Not having Mack's 'VR' headsets are interesting though, will Figment Productions be able to do to the same quality as Mack?

(Also I see there might be a 'Galactica' game appearing on our app stores soon.)
 
Dread to think what the ride throughput is going to be like though.

Seat guests. Check harnesses. Hand out VR goggles. Check goggles fitted correctly. Deal with non working ones. Sync VR system with the googles prior to dispatch.

Train comes in, remove goggles, clean them, replace any with low battery or faulty, clean up sick, repeat...
 
The worrying aspect for Towers; in a poll on the Birmingham Mail website, 79% of people said that they would not visit Alton Towers to ride Galactica. Towers have to hope that isn't a representive sample of potential guests!

:)
I wouldn't be worried too much, most of the readers will still have the Smiler crash still in there memories as the paper was one of the ones who sensationalised the crash, so they are voting no as they believe the park is dangerous and not to the fact they don't like the idea of the ride. The question might as well be "After last years Smiler accident, will you still visit Alton Towers to ride Galactica?"
 
It's all well and good having a space theme again.. Cough Black Hole.

But how does Phalanx and Nemesis fit into all this? Have they bitten off more than they can chew with this theme? How are they going to tie it all together? How is phalanx any part of this? As far as I'm aware Phalanx are military and not, well space!
 
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The Nemesis creature discovered in 1994 and retained. In 2011 eggs discovered deep below the Earth. In 2016 a voyage to discover the origins of the Nemesis creature... They can easily make something up to fit it all in. At least Nemesis creature = alien = space

I doubt they will create a narrative to fit it all together. I would be surprised if they did.
 
It's all well and good having a space theme again.. Cough Black Hole.

But how does Phalanx and Nemesis fit into all this? Have they bitten off more than they can chew with this theme? How are they going to tie it all together? How is phalanx any part of this? As far as I'm aware Phalanx are military and not, well space!

To be fair, how did Air fit into that? I think they've accepted that trying to link Air in to Forbidden Valley is a lost cause, which is fair enough.

Another positive, this isn't a dark theme! Space is quite a cool/neutral theme which makes a change for a Merlin thrill ride.

:)
 
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