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2018: Wicker Man - General Discussion - SPOILERS! - Part One

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ihaveaspergers said:
Have you ever met a VIP? Most are like me, park enthusiasts who just love the rides and aren't rude about it.
Its pricey so it's reasonable for us to want to make full use out of it and not have arbitrary restrictions in place.

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I have and mostly bad experiences, and that above sentence doesn't surprise me...

Last thing from me on the matter in this thread:

It is not acceptable to want anything and everything because you paid more money. If a rule is set in place, you honour that. Making full use of it, you get a £95 offering everytime you enter the park? One ride not being available doesn't mean you miss out as chances are your fastrack will include the ride a month or two after opening, then you can go on it as much as you want plus, there are plenty other rides for you to use your fastrack on so you would probably get all other rides done within an hour if you queued on opening day for 3 hours.
 
ihaveaspergers said:
From what Ive been told it's not. They do not in general offer assistance to disabled guests in general (I can't imagine them being fun for aspies)

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I have Asperger Syndrome myself, and when I've been in ride queues in Germany, I've never really had any issues at all. Maybe just getting a bit impatient, but that's no different to when I'm at a park in the UK. I've never used a RAP myself, as I don't really think I'd benefit from it all that much.
 
pj said:
But wasn’t it the marketing that helped Thirteen create a bumper year for AT so therefore more money to build coasters like Wicker Man?
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ihaveaspergers said:
Whilst we like to slag off the marketing of TH13TEEN we can't deny it was effective
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pj said:
I agree, I didn’t like it either but it was effective :)
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It was effective in an instantaneous business sense, which I suppose is all that Merlin are looking for. In terms of guest satisfaction, I'm not sure anyone would say that it was effective - literally everyone I've talked to about Th13teen considers it a disappointment, and that's solely because the marketing hyped it up to be something that it's not.

Rick said:
Do you not think that is a worldwide industry trend, though? From the late 1980s it was all about things being taller and faster - but those days are largely gone because few parks have the will and financial resources to chase those. Plus, regional parks that chased those records have often regretted it, being left with maintenance nightmares in the form of Kingda Ka, Dragster etc.

Also, I think the perception around records has changed. Colossus having 10 inversions in 2002, almost felt more impressive than 14 on Smiler a decade later, but I think that is generally down to a lot of apathy in the community because big rides are so much more common now, than they were then.
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I think you misunderstand - I was talking about "world's firsts" in the sense of technological advancements, e.g. Oblivion, Air, Raptor/The Swarm, even Th13teen. Rides where the "world's first" label was a consequence of a passion for exploring how far the roller coaster concept could be pushed, rather than the desperate need to over-market a ride and get higher attendance figures at the cost of widespread disappointment.
 
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KingNemesis said:
I have and mostly bad experiences, and that above sentence doesn't surprise me...

It is not acceptable to want anything and everything because you paid more money. If a rule is set in place, you honour that. Making full use of it, you get a £95 offering everytime you enter the park? One ride not being available doesn't mean you miss out as chances are your fastrack will include the ride a month or two after opening, then you can go on it as much as you want plus, there are plenty other rides for you to use your fastrack on so you would probably get all other rides done within an hour if you queued on opening day for 3 hours.
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It's more then a bit more...

Its a ride that clearly should be included in fast track, it's a coaster similar to TH13TEEN a ride we get ft on, the likely hood of a VIP abusing ft on day 1 isn't high.


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Jonathan said:
I have Asperger Syndrome myself, and when I've been in ride queues in Germany, I've never really had any issues at all. Maybe just getting a bit impatient, but that's no different to when I'm at a park in the UK. I've never used a RAP myself, as I don't really think I'd benefit from it all that much.
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Each to their own, I know of a few other aspies who don't struggle ride ride queues along with ones such as myself who do struggle a lot

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ringo said:
Actually the simplest way regarding VIP until the ride does open with fastrack is to offer a one ride per visit system. Minimal impact of general queue line apart from the first morning where everyone and his dog will rush to it
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like they did with scarefest mazes, wouldn't be too bad for the first day.

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If there is no fast track sign outside the ride then no-one gets Fastrack. Doesn't matter if you paid the £725 a year or the £95 on the day, if there is no fast track entrance then you need to join the normal queue or go and get an access pass if you are unable to queue.
 
jon81uk said:
If there is no fast track sign outside the ride then no-one gets Fastrack. Doesn't matter if you paid the £725 a year or the £95 on the day, if there is no fast track entrance then you need to join the normal queue or go and get an access pass if you are unable to queue.
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Don’t disagree at all but Merlin offer VIP holders access to a few rides that don’t offer fastrack at all the theme parks.
 
Rick said:
PLNeise.png
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I wasn't that far off to be fair...
 
Fun fact, in the Pathfinder game I'm running, the party recently fought a Wickerman (click here for it's stat block if this sort of thing means anything to you). I didn't add it, it was part of the pre-published campaign.

It's a real nasty bugger that not only hits like a freight train, but also sets you on fire. Then it's almost certainly going to grab hold of you, stuff you inside it's chest cage and let you burn to death.
The first time they encountered it they very nearly TPKed. But they were just able to escape and run away. When they returned, better equipped and having tailored their spells and gear to beat it, they managed to wipe out a CR13 boss in a single combat round.

Turns out all you have to do is summon 4 Ice Elementals to surround it and it's no match for them.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Fun fact, in the Pathfinder game I'm running, the party recently fought a Wickerman (click here for it's stat block if this sort of thing means anything to you). I didn't add it, it was part of the pre-published campaign.

It's a real nasty bugger that not only hits like a freight train, but also sets you on fire. Then it's almost certainly going to grab hold of you, stuff you inside it's chest cage and let you burn to death.
The first time they encountered it they very nearly TPKed. But they were just able to escape and run away. When they returned, better equipped and having tailored their spells and gear to beat it, they managed to wipe out a CR13 boss in a single combat round.

Turns out all you have to do is summon 4 Ice Elementals to surround it and it's no match for them.
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Can I get any Ice Elementals from the Resort Box Office?
 
There is ZERO reason for anyone to ASSUME they get a fast track on any ride regardless of whether it's a coaster or not. NONE whatsoever.

The key word there is ASSUME. If there's no sign that says there's a fastrack, there's no T&C's that say that everything has to have a fast track - then the fast track doesn't exist.

If there's an end in Sainsburys labeled as "special offers" but has nothing other than price labels on it, you wouldn't assume it's buy one get one free.
 
matthewgcole said:
There is ZERO reason for anyone to ASSUME they get a fast track on any ride regardless of whether it's a coaster or not. NONE whatsoever.

The key word there is ASSUME. If there's no sign that says there's a fastrack, there's no T&C's that say that everything has to have a fast track - then the fast track doesn't exist.

If there's an end in Sainsburys labeled as "special offers" but has nothing other than price labels on it, you wouldn't assume it's buy one get one free.
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The terms and marketing of the VIP pass do give reason.

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Whilst I would have liked a wooden coaster at least double the length, I have to admit this is what AT needs right now. A coaster that appeals to all demographics above Cbeebies land that the whole family can enjoy together (best way to get the gate up... AT needs families, not sad, desperate, degenerate loners like us) ;)

I think it looks a lot of fun and can't wait to ride it. If the fusion of fire and wood is the world's first then I agree that the marketing is misleading, but this could have by far the most intense, powerful and spectacular fire effects of any coaster on Earth, at least until the budget runs out.

I'm still amazed at the incredibly early leak of the ride name and can't decide if this was part of a well orchestrated plan to test the reaction or a genuine leak.
 
evilcod said:
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... I ... just .... I have no words

Those bullet points escalated soo quickly
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How to destroy a theme park in a few simple steps...

Problem - for god knows how many years they've tell us that they can't build wooden coasters due to the public's perception of them.

Solution - just build a coaster, don't tell anyone what it's made of. Get the green light from management.

Marketing hype - tell everyone it's made of wood. Now go a step further and draw attention to how fire is a big feature of the ride. Do all of this on the back of one of the worst rollercoaster incidents in recent times.

Oh, and don't forget to completely mismarket the ride - target thrill seekers when your ride is for families, learning non of the lessons from Th13teen. That's sure to ramp up the disappointment for the few people who turn up to ride it.

I cannot fathom how this project ever got the green light, unless Merlin are determined to bury Towers completely. Almost certain that's what they want.

That being said, for me personally the theming of the ride does look great, and less people visiting the park will make for happier queueing. I just hope it's not a boring coaster.
 
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