- News all the latest
- Theme Park explore the park
- Resort tour the resort
- Future looking forward
- History looking back
- Community and meetups
-
ℹ️ Heads up...
This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks. - Thread starter Burbs
- Start date
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Broken Effects
PeteB
TS Member
Don't give them ideasI'm sure there is nothing that can't be fixed on Duel during the closed winter season. Or even over night, the park closes early enough
Roy
The Haunted House opened in 1992. By 1996 it was starting to fall apart. They've had 20 years to fix it. Not gonna happen.
They have however, through scheme's like Duel and little updates to lighting, somehow managed to make the ride even worse on top of the constantly breaking effects.
What spoils it now days is that not only the strobes are too bright, but also out of timing with the movement of the ghost and other moving monsters etc...
when the ride first open, I couldn't tell whether the monsters/ghosts in the scream room was 3D models or holograms. Now days the illusion is completely ruined
I personally think if they had all the money and time in the world to fix Duel, they won't as they don't have the know how on how to create the magic special effects again.
when the ride first open, I couldn't tell whether the monsters/ghosts in the scream room was 3D models or holograms. Now days the illusion is completely ruined
I personally think if they had all the money and time in the world to fix Duel, they won't as they don't have the know how on how to create the magic special effects again.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
Well, given that "holograms" don't exist outside of Star Trek, it shouldn't be that hard to work out...when the ride first open, I couldn't tell whether the monsters/ghosts in the scream room was 3D models or holograms. Now days the illusion is completely ruined
Coaster
TS Member
I'm dreading Hex's refurb given the hash they made of Tomb Blaster at Chessington.
Duel is dire at the moment, there is a bright strobe in the bat scene lighting up the entire mechanism, the screaming room has been completely ruined by awful lighting taking away the amazing effect it used to have, and elsewhere there are several things such as audio broken/not working properly. Also, what's with the random strobes around the ride that randomly flash illuminating blank walls?
Duel is dire at the moment, there is a bright strobe in the bat scene lighting up the entire mechanism, the screaming room has been completely ruined by awful lighting taking away the amazing effect it used to have, and elsewhere there are several things such as audio broken/not working properly. Also, what's with the random strobes around the ride that randomly flash illuminating blank walls?
JSG093
TS Member
In the commentary for the Dark Rides Project Haunted House documentary it is mentioned a budget was made in 2012 for the restoration of the Haunted House for it's 20th anniversary but ultimately it was decided to make Nemesis Sub-terra...which is now shut...and generally disliked.
To be honest they wouldn't have to do much to improve the ride. They have all the old music and sound effects stored on sound banks so they could restore all that, get rid of the naff pre-show video no one listens to that overlaps the entrance/drawing room music and restore the Henry Alton video and dolls house audio. Iv'e heard they have all the old portrait artwork in the archives, so if they just cough up some money to the original artists they could have those back up. Then if they touch up the lighting and scenic art, bar the ending and a few other minor things you've got an experience pretty close to the original Haunted House.
I thought they had to destroy all of the original portraits (though some saved personally by staff I believe) as they broke copyrights. Even if they were found or recreated, they couldn't be displayed as, again, copyrights. That's not to say they couldn't create some new original ones.
I'm sure that I've seen the Henry Alton fireplace in use and heard the original drawing room audio in duel before. I don't know if it was played by mistake, but I've heard that it happens more often than you think.
I'm sure that I've seen the Henry Alton fireplace in use and heard the original drawing room audio in duel before. I don't know if it was played by mistake, but I've heard that it happens more often than you think.
JSG093
TS Member
A few years ago hauntedone mentioned he tried to look at them in the archives with permission from an original artist...(searches)
http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=20335&p=405918
I think at least the Les Edwards based portraits could be restored if they were willing to pay up, as he does sell a few of the originals on his site. The drawing room music was restored a few years ago but the Emily Alton singing was not due to the queue line videos.
http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=20335&p=405918
I think at least the Les Edwards based portraits could be restored if they were willing to pay up, as he does sell a few of the originals on his site. The drawing room music was restored a few years ago but the Emily Alton singing was not due to the queue line videos.
Stuntman707
TS Member
Duel is in dire need of restoration. Probably the most broken ride. Many of the original effects don't work. Even quite a few of the laser tags don't trigger. I once rode it with the tunnel not rotating and the lights turned off. That did upset me that one of the best effects was just turned off.
djtruefitt
TS Team
The main issue with Duel now is the lighting.
In general 99% of the effects work, in fact yesterday there was only one zombie that didn't work. However the way the lighting has been edited over the years just doesn't work correctly. You have effects that were fairly hidden which are now flood light, then there are others that are barely noticeably. It's just been hashed so much over the years, which is a shame.
They need some kind of lighting effects techie to go in there and look at every light for every effect and sort. I'm sure some could be easy to sort, as some strobes come on far too early, of flash for too long.
In general 99% of the effects work, in fact yesterday there was only one zombie that didn't work. However the way the lighting has been edited over the years just doesn't work correctly. You have effects that were fairly hidden which are now flood light, then there are others that are barely noticeably. It's just been hashed so much over the years, which is a shame.
They need some kind of lighting effects techie to go in there and look at every light for every effect and sort. I'm sure some could be easy to sort, as some strobes come on far too early, of flash for too long.
PeteB
TS Member
Haha are you joking? In general 99% of the effects do not work. Actually, on my last visit a couple of weeks ago I didn't count 1 single effect which worked properly. What effects are activated are so slow the car has usually gone completely past them by the time they spring into life. Everything is out of sync with both lighting and the ride system.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
djtruefitt
TS Team
When I say 99% are working, I don't mean they are working perfectly, but they are moving and kinda doing what they are meant to do. Lighting and timing is a whole other issue with the ride over the years.
James
TS Founding Member
Working effects/lights on Duel have gotten far better over the years. The timing of effects and replacement of lights has made it worse. So really it's no better than it has been for a very long time. I'm no techie with lighting, although whatever they've been replacing in some scenes has made parts of the ride awful. You have new lights that light up entire rigs, ruining the jump scare effect (because you can see the rig swinging at you 3 seconds before the 'scare'). The screaming faces scene is entirely ruined, you can see all the rigs again, and also clearly see the walls and where the track is leading you (used to be invisible pretty much). Spider scene, ruined. Flying bats, ruined (because I can see the string and metal spinning above me).
They need someone with a brain cell to go over the ride and sort out the lighting. It used to be very cleverly done, no rigs in sight, the track almost invisible, so each turn was a shock in itself, props that seemingly come out of no where.
Duel has good foundations for a ghost ride, although what Towers may think have been improvements in recent years have just made it far far worse.
They need someone with a brain cell to go over the ride and sort out the lighting. It used to be very cleverly done, no rigs in sight, the track almost invisible, so each turn was a shock in itself, props that seemingly come out of no where.
Duel has good foundations for a ghost ride, although what Towers may think have been improvements in recent years have just made it far far worse.
Last edited:
Scott
Former TS Team Member
Some of Duel is looking quite nice these days and I'm so pleased that the trommel is finally working consistently again.
But bloody hell they've totally ruined the bats and the screaming faces. The bats are barely noticeable now and when they are seen its with their entire mechanism! The screaming scene is simply awful. Hidden walls now in plain view, the direction of the track in plain view, the faces completely lit up in white washed bright strobes...
Such a shame
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But bloody hell they've totally ruined the bats and the screaming faces. The bats are barely noticeable now and when they are seen its with their entire mechanism! The screaming scene is simply awful. Hidden walls now in plain view, the direction of the track in plain view, the faces completely lit up in white washed bright strobes...
Such a shame
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MaxPower
TS Member
Went on Duel today and it was just awful. There was too much light in many of the rooms, no music in much of the first half of the ride and the spinning tunnel was off.
I can't remember being able too see the roof and walls of the warehouse a few years ago, but it really is quite obvious now..
I can't remember being able too see the roof and walls of the warehouse a few years ago, but it really is quite obvious now..