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Controversial Alton Towers Opinions

RustyRider said:
Unpopular opinion: oblivion is in my top 2 (just behind nemesis). It gets a lot of unnecessary hate for being “a one trick pony”. But, isn’t that the whole point of a dive coaster? The drop IS the experience, the anticipation with the queue line videos, the music, the slow CLACK CLACK CLACK up the lift hill and the even slower turn around into the drop, the hang time over the edge looking into a misty hole of nothingness and then the drop itself…Any elements after it are unnecessary filler. Now I’m basing this off the fact I haven’t ridden another dive coaster other than Oblivion but I cannot see them having the same impact!

Yes, it may be the “shortest” ride on park but once you add in all those psychological factors I’ve raised above. It actually becomes one of the longest rides on site.
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Oblivion is still the only coaster to this day which I feel a pang of fear, apprehension and an increased heart rate for. I dont what it is, but its certainly my favourite coaster at the Towers for sure.
 
RustyRider said:
Unpopular opinion: oblivion is in my top 2 (just behind nemesis). It gets a lot of unnecessary hate for being “a one trick pony”. But, isn’t that the whole point of a dive coaster? The drop IS the experience, the anticipation with the queue line videos, the music, the slow CLACK CLACK CLACK up the lift hill and the even slower turn around into the drop, the hang time over the edge looking into a misty hole of nothingness and then the drop itself…Any elements after it are unnecessary filler. Now I’m basing this off the fact I haven’t ridden another dive coaster other than Oblivion but I cannot see them having the same impact!

Yes, it may be the “shortest” ride on park but once you add in all those psychological factors I’ve raised above. It actually becomes one of the longest rides on site.
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I’ve only ridden Sheikra alongside Oblivion and Oblivion’s stop is much more forceful than Sheikra, I actually think it’s better
 
Danscott22 said:
I’ve only ridden Sheikra alongside Oblivion and Oblivion’s stop is much more forceful than Sheikra, I actually think it’s better
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SheiKra blows Oblivion out of the water. Especially if you get an offload side edge seat. Also like the way Sheikra main drop is all above ground - on a breezy day you can feel the track wobbling slightly on the turnaround at the top as you enjoy a brief view of the Tampa skyline.
 
Kraken27 said:
SheiKra blows Oblivion out of the water. Especially if you get an offload side edge seat. Also like the way Sheikra main drop is all above ground - on a breezy day you can feel the track wobbling slightly on the turnaround at the top as you enjoy a brief view of the Tampa skyline.
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I don’t personally think it does, I don’t reckon much to Sheikra at all. Oblivion’s drop is more intense
 
sillyrooster said:
I actually thought the invitation was pretty cool.
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It's not strictly an 'Alton Towers' controversial opinion, but my controversial opinion about The Invitation is that it was worse than The Terminal at Thorpe. At least The Terminal was relaxing, whereas The Invitation wasn't.
 
RustyRider said:
I mean the air pressure when you hit that tunnel and the “WHOOOOMPH” would surely be missing from Sheikras drop?
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This is the great thing with Oblivion, there’s quite a few things going on with it that most other dive coasters can’t match. There are the differences with the shuttle, angle of drop, and wheels etc that give it a forceful drop but I think perhaps there’s a lot going on psychologically and in other regards that make it seem so forceful. The change in the air pressure and sounds once you enter the hole, the fact that you can’t see the bottom of the hole and where it levels out, and also the way that you can’t see anything else relative to you to judge your descent or speed. They absolutely nailed the drop on this one, it’s so effective in what it set out to do.

But having said that though I prefer Valkyria over it (the only other dive coaster I’ve ridden) just because it feels like a more rounded ride even though the drop is very different to Oblivion’s.
 
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Shaggy_Dog_ said:
This is the great thing with Oblivion, there’s quite a few things going on with it that most other dive coasters can’t match. There are the differences with the shuttle, angle of drop, and wheels etc that give it a forceful drop but I think perhaps there’s a lot going on psychologically and in order regards make it seem so forceful. The change in the air pressure and sounds once you enter the hole, the fact that you can’t see the bottom of the hole and where it levels out, and also the way that you can’t see anything else relative to you to judge your descent or speed. They absolutely nailed the drop on this one, it’s so effective in what it set out to do.

But having said that though I prefer Valkyria over it (the only other dive coaster I’ve ridden) just because it feels like a more rounded ride even though the drop is very different to Oblivion’s.
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I’ve done a couple of dive coasters other than oblivion with Sheikra being one and I have to say, neither of them come close to Blivvy……
I hope they refurb it soon and do it justice again as it still is a cracking ride.

Would like to ride the clone - but don’t fancy a trip to Taiwan (isn’t that where it is)
 
I've been pondering a very unpopular Alton Towers opinion of mine this evening. I apologise if this is controversial, but I'm not a fan of the recent spate of roaming actors added around the park. For instance, I'm talking about things like the actors outside The Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn.

I'm sorry if I sound like a buzzkill, but for me, it's just that I'm quite introverted and a somewhat socially anxious person in some regards, and having them around makes me feel a bit on edge. I always try and avoid them, and they make me a bit nervous. It's probably related to the fact that I have a bit of a phobia of (or at very least anxiety around) costumed characters (in the ilk of the roaming Mickey Mouse characters you might see at Disney parks, for example), and I think it's in large part about being nervous about them coming up to me.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be there, as I know that this is entirely my issue and that most people like them, and I'm not saying that the actors themselves don't do a good job either, because they do. But I'm sorry to say that they're just not for me.
 
Matt N said:
I've been pondering a very unpopular Alton Towers opinion of mine this evening. I apologise if this is controversial, but I'm not a fan of the recent spate of roaming actors added around the park. For instance, I'm talking about things like the actors outside The Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn.

I'm sorry if I sound like a buzzkill, but for me, it's just that I'm quite introverted and a somewhat socially anxious person in some regards, and having them around makes me feel a bit on edge. I always try and avoid them, and they make me a bit nervous. It's probably related to the fact that I have a bit of a phobia of (or at very least anxiety around) costumed characters (in the ilk of the roaming Mickey Mouse characters you might see at Disney parks, for example), and I think it's in large part about being nervous about them coming up to me.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be there, as I know that this is entirely my issue and that most people like them, and I'm not saying that the actors themselves don't do a good job either, because they do. But I'm sorry to say that they're just not for me.
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I find this interesting. I am also introverted, and I am extremely socially anxious, especially among people of my age. However, I find that the presence of actors, especially in scare mazes, provides adrenaline and therefore massively reduces my social anxiety, and this is one of the reasons why I generally prefer scare attractions over rollercoasters.
 
Zeock said:
I find this interesting. I am also introverted, and I am extremely socially anxious, especially among people of my age. However, I find that the presence of actors, especially in scare mazes, provides adrenaline and therefore massively reduces my social anxiety, and this is one of the reasons why I generally prefer scare attractions over rollercoasters.
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That's really, really interesting!

I find the complete opposite; I find that the actors make me more anxious, personally. That's why I've never been keen on scare attractions, and why I don't usually tend to visit parks during Halloween season.
 
Matt N said:
I've been pondering a very unpopular Alton Towers opinion of mine this evening. I apologise if this is controversial, but I'm not a fan of the recent spate of roaming actors added around the park. For instance, I'm talking about things like the actors outside The Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn.

I'm sorry if I sound like a buzzkill, but for me, it's just that I'm quite introverted and a somewhat socially anxious person in some regards, and having them around makes me feel a bit on edge. I always try and avoid them, and they make me a bit nervous. It's probably related to the fact that I have a bit of a phobia of (or at very least anxiety around) costumed characters (in the ilk of the roaming Mickey Mouse characters you might see at Disney parks, for example), and I think it's in large part about being nervous about them coming up to me.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be there, as I know that this is entirely my issue and that most people like them, and I'm not saying that the actors themselves don't do a good job either, because they do. But I'm sorry to say that they're just not for me.
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My wife is totally the same. To the point she’ll literally claw me for comfort.

This is why everyone is individual. Makes the world go round.

But you are not on your own :)
 
My wife claws me for entertainment.
Stopped doing scare attractions for fun around the time turnip lanterns went out.
Passaje del Terror twice in a decade...for the fun of the newbies.
More fun in the horror bar after.
 
Mine claws at me to cause undue suffering and pain.

I tend to find that they leave you alone if you ignore them. They're great with the kids, when I see the smiles on their faces when they watch and interact with them, I can see why they're there. Alton maybe light on attractions and falling apart at the moment, but the atmosphere around the park was so sterile without them a few seasons ago.
 
While I’m one of the few who quite likes dark forest, I can’t get over how basic the name is, really curious what the creative process was for that name

Gloomy / Dark
Wood / Forest
 
Matt N said:
I've been pondering a very unpopular Alton Towers opinion of mine this evening. I apologise if this is controversial, but I'm not a fan of the recent spate of roaming actors added around the park. For instance, I'm talking about things like the actors outside The Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn.

I'm sorry if I sound like a buzzkill, but for me, it's just that I'm quite introverted and a somewhat socially anxious person in some regards, and having them around makes me feel a bit on edge. I always try and avoid them, and they make me a bit nervous. It's probably related to the fact that I have a bit of a phobia of (or at very least anxiety around) costumed characters (in the ilk of the roaming Mickey Mouse characters you might see at Disney parks, for example), and I think it's in large part about being nervous about them coming up to me.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be there, as I know that this is entirely my issue and that most people like them, and I'm not saying that the actors themselves don't do a good job either, because they do. But I'm sorry to say that they're just not for me.
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Feed this back to the park and their inclusions team. A helpful suggestion might be, to offer at the entrance, a wearable pin of some description which signals to roaming actors that you don't feel comfortable with interaction.

It's a trend that's been around for a while in the interactive theatre scene and might be useful here.
 
If actors make you nervous, my advice is to fully engage with them. Have a bit of banter, maybe even "in character" yourself, and try to make them corpse or break character. ;)
(Without doing or saying anything that'd get you in trouble, obviously. I shouldn't need to say that).

Remember that outside of Scarefest, they are there to entertain you, not scare you.
 
Curse and Nemesis actors if you watch them will not really engage without being obvious or if you engage with them first. Towers is very unlikely to have actual scare actors outside of attractions for this reason. Hence the Scare Zones having safe pathways.
 
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