Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
Whilst it's pretty much inevitable that Duel will be changing in the near future (God knows it needs it), I doubt we'll see anything too removed from the original concept. The haunted house genre is a pretty timeless and staple theme park attraction, so to try and remove it and go for something totally different would be utter madness. They are an attraction where you can install it once, then just go back every few years and update or change bits, but ultimately the popularity and draw remains (How else do the likes of Haunted Mansion keep going?).
Removing the ride system would be daft if you ask me. It's a completely bespoke ride system which even by todays standards is pretty advanced for what is just a transit system. Re-shelling the vehicles shouldn't be an issue if needed, and I dare say Mack could reprogram the spacing system (And no doubt they could also work out any of the little bugs, given how technology has moved on since 1992). It would save them a few million pounds retaining the old ride system, all of which could be piped back into theming, which is going to need a huge budget given the scale.
Similarly, the Gloomy Wood area and extra facade are all so well integrated, and still look damn good. It would be an easy way to save money to improve the theming, which as I've said is where all the focus should be.
A new name and brand will be needed for increased marketability I dare say. This doesn't need to be anything too complicated. Simple is effective in this case. Just a creepy old manor in the middle of a creepy forest in the grounds of the Towers. It doesn't need some elaborate story to make it work, else Haunted House wouldn't have been so effective. Again, looking to Phantom/Haunted Mansion. They do have back stories of sorts, but there's no need to try and tell it all to the guests. Just a basic mood setter. There's no promises or massive expectations to be held to, so shouldn't be too risky to miss the point and fail to convey anything. I do fear this could be a downfall of a Merlin retheme. I worry they might try and overcomplicate with some elaborate story, but fail to truly live up to it when aboard the ride itself (See Sub-Terra V.1). If they miss the point on a ride of this scale I don't see there being an 'easy fix'. It'll take more than two weeks downtime to fix up all of that.
They have the building, they have the ride system, they have the queueline, they have the area, and they have the facade. All they need is new interior theming, and a new story and brand. It's should be an easy one when it comes to cost and effectiveness, so long as they stick to the old values of these rides.
Removing the ride system would be daft if you ask me. It's a completely bespoke ride system which even by todays standards is pretty advanced for what is just a transit system. Re-shelling the vehicles shouldn't be an issue if needed, and I dare say Mack could reprogram the spacing system (And no doubt they could also work out any of the little bugs, given how technology has moved on since 1992). It would save them a few million pounds retaining the old ride system, all of which could be piped back into theming, which is going to need a huge budget given the scale.
Similarly, the Gloomy Wood area and extra facade are all so well integrated, and still look damn good. It would be an easy way to save money to improve the theming, which as I've said is where all the focus should be.
A new name and brand will be needed for increased marketability I dare say. This doesn't need to be anything too complicated. Simple is effective in this case. Just a creepy old manor in the middle of a creepy forest in the grounds of the Towers. It doesn't need some elaborate story to make it work, else Haunted House wouldn't have been so effective. Again, looking to Phantom/Haunted Mansion. They do have back stories of sorts, but there's no need to try and tell it all to the guests. Just a basic mood setter. There's no promises or massive expectations to be held to, so shouldn't be too risky to miss the point and fail to convey anything. I do fear this could be a downfall of a Merlin retheme. I worry they might try and overcomplicate with some elaborate story, but fail to truly live up to it when aboard the ride itself (See Sub-Terra V.1). If they miss the point on a ride of this scale I don't see there being an 'easy fix'. It'll take more than two weeks downtime to fix up all of that.
They have the building, they have the ride system, they have the queueline, they have the area, and they have the facade. All they need is new interior theming, and a new story and brand. It's should be an easy one when it comes to cost and effectiveness, so long as they stick to the old values of these rides.