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2017/18: SW8 Speculation

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Martin said:
The first two were horrific Arrow pipeline coasters and you can't really abuse a term that doesn't have a definition.
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I'm sure we were reassured that Secret Weapon is just the name Alton Towers have for all their large CAPEX(urgh) projects. I guess it saves a couple of grand getting a firm to devise a new name for each one, like project Dylan at Thorpe :p
 
Hmmmm, the more I look at these diagrams, the more I dont believe them. I certainally dont believe Alton are not going to utilise all that land at the rear of the Flume.

Also, remember when JW said why Alton didnt have a wooden coaster? It was because the General Public see them as being unsafe (his words). So, in light of the Smiler accident, can we really see Alton installing a ride which may give the public even more reason to doubt safety?

I would be surprised if these really are the plans, and also, if they are, I would expect some sort of water coaster type ride not a woodie given the size of the layout.
 
Including all the high and low points is interesting though, sure The Smiler's plans only had the two lift hills labelled as high points. Could just be a rough guide, but why would they bother? And it's interesting that it's supposed to have three tunnels but they don't seem to be marked on either, thought they'd have to be if they're showing the impact on the environment.
 
High points and low points is interesting, it makes me think that these may have been drawn up from drawings from the coaster manufacturer. I also think it's important to not that these are plans submitted to the council, and assuming that Alton are trying to throw people off the scent is just not realistic. They managed it with the Smiler because that was such an easy move and didn't change the track layout. Whilst this might be a preliminary layout, I'm sure the final ride will reflect it to an extent. Just because it doesn't seem to fit into the same innovative bracket as older Secret Weapons doesn't mean that Alton are trying to hide something. I think it's pretty clear we're getting a standard family wooden rollercoaster.
 
It's funny really, if a few years ago Merlin offered us a compact family wooden coaster, most people would have bit their hand off, now it looks like we're getting one, and the reaction is easily even less enthusiastic than it was for Sub-Terra, let alone Thirteen and The Smiler. :p
 
I think that people are rightly aggrieved that it looks so short, especially given that every other coaster at the park (bar The Smiler) is pretty much under length in comparison with other models of the same coasters elsewhere. I know that the park has gone through difficulties, and you'd surely think that they would try to get over those by unleashing something landmark like Wildfire at Kolmården or Lightning Rod at Dollywood - rather than something that appears (at first glance) inferior to a coaster that a tiny Irish park (who have a minute fraction of the kind of money Merlin have at their disposal) opened last year.

But then again, this may not be as it seems at the minute. I only hope not.
 
I think it's important to note that the document with the plan with the layout is the one from the tree survey, not the one direct from Towers, and the tree survey will have data based on where the track is going. The whole point of this filing is to determine whether or not the plans will need a full, expensive, environment impact assessment.
 
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The park hardly needs another thrill coaster. Granted the coaster plans we're seeing could be bigger but a family coaster is what the park needs more. We don't know what's going in to this or what the budget is, we've only got a rough top down drawing of a layout with some points marked on it. This is Merlin we're talking about so it's hardly going to be a Disney-esque effort sacrificing coaster for the rest of the experience, but there's no point writing this off before we know more. We'd all love a full scale woody or RMC but realistically the park isn't crying out for one and they might never even get permission for it. Unfortunately this may be as good as we can get for wood at Towers.
 
Alastair said:
Is SW8 meant to be a small family coaster? Is that really what we should be happy with after 5 years of poor investment, and nothing major?
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A family level coaster is absolutely what's needed right now though? I'd hardly call Smiler & CBeebies land poor investment and nothing major either! The last 5 years is possibly some of the most investment heavy in a long while!


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I think a family thrill would work better (along the lines of thirteen, though marketed better). I think it should be something that kids can go on (1.2m height restriction or similar), but something that would be fun for adults (again, like thirteen). I think it's an area of the lineup that towers are largely missing, and it could be a great addition.
 
My concern if this is a family thrill coaster is that it seems a bit of a waste of quite a large site on such a small development. Unless they use this as a springboard to develop further into the woods at a later date.
 
I would hope for a pirate themed family water coaster in that site as it would be a good replacement for the flume, would focus on a family audience, You could have sir Edward as an animatronic giving people gip in the pre-show saying how they are brave and foolish to ride the ride etc and would work well over the lake area as an expansion of mutiny bay.

I personally would prefer if they were to be getting a woodie for it to be a thrill woodie over a family one but definantly am not upset at the idea of a family woodie and I agree Alton needs family over thrill atm, seems some what surreal that AT could be this close to getting a woodie and I like forward to this projects development :)
 
Sammy said:
A family level coaster is absolutely what's needed right now though? I'd hardly call Smiler & CBeebies land poor investment and nothing major either! The last 5 years is possibly some of the most investment heavy in a long while!


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Yes but does it have to be small? Family thrill could easily be twice the length of the layout we've seen here, and need not be completely tame. And by the last 5 years, I'm referring to 2018 - by then there will have been nothing non-family added to the park whatsoever since The Smiler, and a whole lot of stuff removed.
 
It's got to be for me a water coaster of some sort. They can change the lake to suit this and given the 2 years until it opens get the theming bang on.

It's probably more going to be a cross between Storm Force 10 and a Aquatrax
 
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