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

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DiogoJ42 said:
I suppose there is a chance this could run three trains, assuming there really is some kind of show room between the station and lift.

... And just like Thirteen, it will always be run at maximum capacity for the rest of it's life, of course.
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To be fair Th13teen always runs at max capacity unless it's buggered. The only coasters they reduce capacity on for cost saving is Oblivion and Air/ Galactica as they save on staffing. Thirteen is the same staffing numbers no matter how many trains.

They drop to two if it's a quiet day and they can't fill the trains, if the drop system is grumpy or a train is in maintenance.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact that the World's First Element might be ''World's First Launched Inverting Wooden Roller Coaster'' because Towers are trying (but failing) to hide the fact it has a launch and inversion. If this turns out to be true though it would have a ton of downtime...
 
People must be excited for SW8 because it's christmas and I'm making a double post... :p

[Credit goes to MakoMania from TowersTimes]
Link Here
And for those who wish not to click the telegraph link here is what the article said.
Prof Brendan Walker is a professional “thrill engineer” who has created white-knuckle roller coaster rides for Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.
What’s the scariest moment of a theme park ride? When we accelerate? Or when we teeter on the brink before hurtling down? According to the self-styled “thrill engineer”, Prof Brendan Walker, it's neither of the above. The scariest moment is when the safety restraints lock down and we realise there’s no escape.

“Clearly a ride has to be amazing – you have to be scared," he explains. "So building anticipation is key – a lot of artistry and choreography comes into it.”

Prof Walker likes to play with people’s minds. “You are limited in how far you can push someone physically – there’s only so much g-force our bodies can take before we black out. So if you are designing a ride, you look at psychological factors.”

He’s recently ridden one of the UK’s oldest wooden roller coasters. “Metal is rigid but wood structures sway and wobble. This is as scary as it gets – I’m wondering how I can use this.”

As a child he liked taking fireworks apart; a story which helped him get an apprenticeship
One of his latest projects, Oscillate, takes a simple swing to a new level, with the help of a virtual reality headset. From the outside, you are merely sitting on a swing. “As you move up and down, a computer works out where you are in space," says Prof Walker.

"You’re in this crazy graphic computerised world which makes you feel as if your body is being pushed to the limit. I’m manipulating light and sounds and perceptions of how high you are swinging – it’s quite psychedelic.”

Today, he’s been speaking to a sculptor at his east London design studio, but you’d also find him working with engineering and science departments at the universities of Nottingham and Middlesex, where he collaborates with researchers to perfect rides and installations. And while the future of theme parks might involve smaller structures and more virtual reality, there will always be room for a flamboyant signature ride, he says.

Physics, maths and engineering are critical. Add to that an understanding of showmanship
While Prof Walker doesn’t sound much like an engineer, he worked as one for five years in military aeronautics. As a child he liked to take fireworks apart, which he believes helped him get an apprenticeship with British Aerospace. But even then he was intrigued by the pilot’s experience and aircraft aesthetics, so he took himself to the Royal College of Art to study industrial design – and emerged as an artist engineer.

Theme park rides seemed a natural outlet and he’s consulted for the likes of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, investigating how long the feeling of fear lasts – around half a second – before our instinct to act kicks in. This helped designers fix the height of a drop.

Students often ask him how to get a job like his and he admits there’s no simple answer. But, he says, core skills such as physics, maths and engineering are critical. Add to that an understanding of the showmanship, the theatre of experience. “If you can apply your core skills to find creative solutions, then employers will kill to hire you.”

Last month, Prof Walker attended The Skills Show, hosted by the not-for-profit employer led engineering skills organisation Semta. Winners from the show’s WorldSkills UK engineering competitions will join the UK team going to the EuroSkills finals in Gothenburg, Sweden from December 1-3, ahead of world finals in Abu Dhabi in October 2017.

“I meet a lot of undergraduates,” he says. “When they begin to understand how applicable their engineering skills are, you see their eyes widening.”

So this maybe the guy responsible for SW8 and there is a sneaky hint (In Merlin Marketing Style) to SW8

He’s recently ridden one of the UK’s oldest wooden roller coasters. “Metal is rigid but wood structures sway and wobble. This is as scary as it gets – I’m wondering how I can use this.”
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If the SW is wobbly track then that completely make my previous post obsolete. But to me this looks like the start of Merlin Marketing. The Article talks alot about Physiological themes (It means Dark Theme in the English Language) this may mean SW8 a dark theme (Which, I know, will upset a lot of you).

I am not usually the person for long posts so sorry if I had done anything incorrectly. Thank you for reading. :)

EDIT: After doing some research I have found out this is the guy who was the guy who did the face emotion trackers on The Smiler Blue Peter Episode...

Also If you are not aware of him BBC Two Writ a profile about him here.
 
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I'm a sucker for dark themes so if SW8 does have one I will be (selfishly) happy. I do however realise that it may be problematic being in the middle of two very family orientated areas, and also if a coaster has a dark theme, the physical experience should live up to that. (Th13teen only partially does this in my opinion). This coaster does look to be at a a Spinball/Th13teen physical thrill level. I'm hoping they're hiding a few secrets with this.
 
MakoMania said:
I'm a sucker for dark themes so if SW8 does have one I will be (selfishly) happy. I do however realise that it may be problematic being in the middle of two very family orientated areas, and also if a coaster has a dark theme, the physical experience should live up to that. (Th13teen only partially does this in my opinion). This coaster does look to be at a a Spinball/Th13teen physical thrill level. I'm hoping they're hiding a few secrets with this.
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Not selfish to be happy about something :)
 
After further inspection of SW8's planning application I have found a Picsolve room (On Ride Photo's Confirmed) and a green room. Could a green room mean a live action preshow as the green room is next to the preshow room? Links to the pictures can be found here.
 
Have we heard any whispers / seen anything relating to the name of SW8? I have had a look but can't see any recent trademark applications that stand out. I would imagine it has a name by now
 
The name won't come for a while. I think Smiler's first came about in late 2012/early 2013?
 
Pretty sure Smiler's name was confirmed in January 2013. I'd expect SW8's name to be confirmed around a similar time frame.
 
JB1985 said:
Have we heard any whispers / seen anything relating to the name of SW8? I have had a look but can't see any recent trademark applications that stand out. I would imagine it has a name by now
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AFAIK The Smiler's name was trademarked sometime in summer 2012, July/August time. Likely to be similar in this case I imagine.
 
Does anyone know when the park will next be open so you can see over the fence? Is Feb half term the next time?
 
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