Duel 30th Anniversary Celebration?

[Trooper Looper]

LOL I just noticed the votes. It says 'What would you Choose', as in What would you choose what to do with Duel, and most people seem to like Duel as it is...
That was unexpected.

 

[Matt.GC]

By watching The HH POV on its opening year alone, It looks amazing. A billion times better than Duel. Maybe the best dark ride in Europe.

To get some balance from someone who probably had more rides on HH than Duel, it certainly wasn't as good as people make it out to be. Was it great? Hell yeah! It was a fantastic ride! But it was never perfect (what is).

For me, this isn't about how great HH was, more about how **** Duel is. There was loads of broken stuff in HH come the end. Duel fixed loads of stuff but put cheap tat in there (**** zombies on sticks and LED's). It was a bit like repaint of Towers Street a few years ago. Was the bright primary colours better than looking at it as it was the previous season? Yes. Was it a downgrade however on the original? Yes very much so!

And yes @Matt.N the lighting is a BIG part of it. Some of those effects and props have been in there since 92 and were great as built. Now they're either embarrassing or completely ineffective. So imagine HH tarted up but downgraded with cheap tat and the implementation of the fad at the time which was lasers. Then imagine that downgrade lasts for 2 decades, almost double the amount of time HH lasted and it just gets more broken and the lighting is changed to make it even worse. Then they go and ruin the excellent indoor queue shortly afterwards. That's where we are right now, the worst state it's ever been in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tomb Blaster at Chessington by the back door.

So in summary, HH (although awesome) was not all its cracked up to be, but the whole ride is far worse now than it's ever been.

 

[Trooper Looper]

To get some balance from someone who probably had more rides on HH than Duel, it certainly wasn't as good as people make it out to be. Was it great? Hell yeah! It was a fantastic ride! But it was never perfect (what is).

For me, this isn't about how great HH was, more about how **** Duel is. There was loads of broken stuff in HH come the end. Duel fixed loads of stuff but put cheap tat in there (**** zombies on sticks and LED's). It was a bit like repaint of Towers Street a few years ago. Was the bright primary colours better than looking at it as it was the previous season? Yes. Was it a downgrade however on the original? Yes very much so!

And yes @Matt.N the lighting is a BIG part of it. Some of those effects and props have been in there since 92 and were great as built. Now they're either embarrassing or completely ineffective. So imagine HH tarted up but downgraded with cheap tat and the implementation of the fad at the time which was lasers. Then imagine that downgrade lasts for 2 decades, almost double the amount of time HH lasted and it just gets more broken and the lighting is changed to make it even worse. Then they go and ruin the excellent indoor queue shortly afterwards. That's where we are right now, the worst state it's ever been in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tomb Blaster at Chessington by the back door.

So in summary, HH (although awesome) was not all its cracked up to be, but the whole ride is far worse now than it's ever been.

Perfect? Absolutely not! Great? Hell yes!!
With my first ride this year, it makes my infuriated that I was only 1 year away from experiencing the original queue, and now they've decided to mess it up when there was already a Disabled enterence that was there in 1992, just boarded up.
To sound as positive I can be, I'm just hoping it's lack of TLC this year means something big is on the way, like when Vampire was given a HUGE UPGRADE Back in 2020 to celebrate its 30th anniversary. That was looking its best year since its opening oening year. Come on, nobody was expecting that.

Now picture this. Imagine walking to Gloomy woods next year, you hear a creepy ambience as you Leave Katanga Canyon and seeing the huge coffin structure removed, not a zombie in sight, and replaced with a gravestone with a very specific name, and the DUEL sign gone. Why not add a few smoke machines for the sake of it XD. It'll make the area look 'SPOOKTASTIC' (Pun probably intended)

 

[Matt N]

If it reassures you at all, I didn't personally notice much of a difference between the new queue and the old one...

 

[jon81uk]

there was already a Disabled enterence that was there in 1992, just boarded up.

Was there? The only “accessible” entrance was via the shop, making it not very accessible because of the constant stream of people leaving.

Also was the ramp to the shop there in 1992 or added later?

 

[Trooper Looper]

Was there? The only “accessible” entrance was via the shop, making it not very accessible because of the constant stream of people leaving.

Also was the ramp to the shop there in 1992 or added later?

I'm sure that it was the Photo Booth door that was originally the Disabled entrance

 

[jon81uk]

I'm sure that it was the Photo Booth door that was originally the Disabled entrance

There is a door just past the photo collection point, which therefore involved going through the shop, past the photo collection desk, opening a door to get to the ride platform. That was the case up to pre-pandemic season. But as it involved going through the shop it was never a great accessible entrance solution.
Giving everyone who needs level access the same route onto the ride as those who are ambulant makes for a much better experience.

also the entrance wasn’t “disabled” it’s an accessible entrance.

 

[John]

The accessible entrance was not there when the ride opened. There used to be a lightning effect in the "window" in the queue line which was removed when the pre-2020 accessible entrance was put in

 

[Trooper Looper]

also the entrance wasn’t “disabled” it’s an accessible entrance.

Sorry, wasn't thinking when I typed that.

 

[WillPS]

To get some balance from someone who probably had more rides on HH than Duel, it certainly wasn't as good as people make it out to be. Was it great? Hell yeah! It was a fantastic ride! But it was never perfect (what is).

For me, this isn't about how great HH was, more about how **** Duel is. There was loads of broken stuff in HH come the end. Duel fixed loads of stuff but put cheap tat in there (**** zombies on sticks and LED's). It was a bit like repaint of Towers Street a few years ago. Was the bright primary colours better than looking at it as it was the previous season? Yes. Was it a downgrade however on the original? Yes very much so!

And yes @Matt.N the lighting is a BIG part of it. Some of those effects and props have been in there since 92 and were great as built. Now they're either embarrassing or completely ineffective. So imagine HH tarted up but downgraded with cheap tat and the implementation of the fad at the time which was lasers. Then imagine that downgrade lasts for 2 decades, almost double the amount of time HH lasted and it just gets more broken and the lighting is changed to make it even worse. Then they go and ruin the excellent indoor queue shortly afterwards. That's where we are right now, the worst state it's ever been in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tomb Blaster at Chessington by the back door.

So in summary, HH (although awesome) was not all its cracked up to be, but the whole ride is far worse now than it's ever been.

Excellent post. Sums the whole thing up perfectly.

When they removed the proper UV lights and replaced with purple LEDs.

I dunno - there was criticism creeping in about the state of lighting way earlier than that. The most obvious illusion-breaking one I can think of being the illuminated fire escape at the end of the trommel, that was only a short while in to Duel's life. (The fire escape had always been there, but was previously hidden behind a blackout curtain IIRC).

The LED "UV" conversion was most certainly the most devastating change though, along with what looks to be a ruined pre-show too (I haven't seen it in person).

 

[venny]

Having ridden yesterday, I’m now of the opinion that Duel is now so bad that it requires a full overhaul, possibly even ripping out and starting again.

Aside the ruined queue line and broken effects, the amateurish lighting changes are now so widespread that it makes the ride feel like a cheap fairground ghost train. It’s very clear that a professional lighting designer needs to be brought in to completely review the ride. Pretty much every light now bathes the entire area in light. Compared to what the bats, screaming heads and spiders scenes used to be, the current state of affairs is shameful.

The ride system still has decent potential to be converted into a top class attraction, but the creaking effects, poor maintenance and lighting combine to make Duel pretty terrible now - it’s time to start afresh.

 

[Auribus]

Noticed this from Wiki -

"Alton Towers decided that too many people had been through The Haunted House and it needed an upgrade, that coincided with when I retired from the company, and [it was converted into] an interactive dark ride... But the trouble with these interactive dark rides is you’re so busy pointing your gun at the little targets that […] nobody takes a blind bit of notice at the effects, there’s no emotion, there’s no real sense of drama or theatre in there."

– John Wardley reflecting in 2009 on the ride's redesign as Duel.[6]

I have to agree -- the theming is just wack. Bring HH back and have another dark ride that does the laser pointy thing.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Noticed this from Wiki -

"Alton Towers decided that too many people had been through The Haunted House and it needed an upgrade, that coincided with when I retired from the company, and [it was converted into] an interactive dark ride... But the trouble with these interactive dark rides is you’re so busy pointing your gun at the little targets that […] nobody takes a blind bit of notice at the effects, there’s no emotion, there’s no real sense of drama or theatre in there."

– John Wardley reflecting in 2009 on the ride's redesign as Duel.[6]

I have to agree -- the theming is just wack. Bring HH back and have another dark ride that does the laser pointy thing.

Hopefully I'll be able to just ride Duel without the Lasers for the first time in a couple of weeks, as last time my family persuaded me to duel with them.

I agree that The HH desperately needs bringing back. I personally think it's the only Haunted Attraction to Rival Disneylands Haunted mansion. From a POV it looked to have a brilliant charm to it. It has so much potential to return to its former glory without the help of Projections.

I wonder what John would think if they brought his Classic Attraction back.

 

[Matt.GC]

Either way, my money is on it limping on another few seasons before some garish out of date IP is slapped on it along with a load of boring, flat TV screens installed inside.