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Duel Improvements 2012

I like sub-terra, it's now popular with the public so I don't think it was a waste of money. As for Duel is at the end of its life but it isn't an embarrassment. I can see it being on the cards for replacement in the next 5 years which is fine. I won't miss it when it goes but I think it's served the park well and still stands up against lots of dark rides in the country.
 
I wonder how popular Duel would be if they'd built that broomstick coaster next to it? Perhaps a revamp and a new ride along side it might help?

I'd like to think that perhaps SW8 or 9 might not be a coaster, but instead be something for Duel. They could sell the old Mack system (which is still really good, it just needs a little work) and bring in something like Forbidden Journey. SW doesn't have to mean new coaster, just a new major attraction.

Having been on FJ a good few times, I feel it's safe to say that the ride is just sheer brilliance! Every ride on it is as fantastic as the last and you notice something different each time. I know that Alton Towers won't be able to afford something anywhere near the same scale as FJ or even Spiderman, but something that's even half as good as either of them would still be great.

And Alton don't have to pursue an expensive IP with movie stars and whatnot, and they don't have to build the thing from scratch if they use the same exterior (albeit with some work done to make it a little different and updated) and the same warehouse. Even if they don't want the same theme and decide to change the exterior, the warehouse is still fine.

I don't mind Duel but there are better dark rides out there now and it does use a lot of space, so transforming it into a modern dark ride experience would be great in my opinion.
 
FJ ride system is too expensive for Towers, a single roboarm car is a million dollars!
 
I doubt they'd be able to sell the Duel transit system that easily to be honest. It was designed for that one place, and is apparently very fragile. I don't think it'd take too kindly to being ripped out and installed somewhere else :p

The ride system needs a full service from Mack and it'll be sorted. It wouldn't be that hard to retheme it if Alton wanted to transform Duel into a whole new dark ride. All they'd need are some new shells for the vehicles, and possibly get the system reprogrammed at certain points for the speed.

As transit systems go it's still one of the better options I'd say. It's a bespoke system which does something a lot of other rides don't/can't. With a bit of love they can keep it going for a good few years more :)

On the subject of other investment, personally I hope Gloomy Wood never gets anymore rides as long as it is Gloomy Wood. The area works perfectly for the haunted house ride concept. A quite little house, in the middle of a dense and spooky woodland. It's one of the parks most immersive areas I think. Putting another ride in there would just spoil it.
 
It's obvious that Alton Towers can't make something like FJ, but something like Spiderman, Curse of DarKastle or Transformers is more doable. It'd still cost a lot though and most people prefer new coasters with the big budget. ???

Also, a new ride in Gloomy Wood wouldn't necessarily ruin its atmosphere as it depends what the ride is and where it is. A big ride that creates lots of noise and scream would detract from the sense of mystery and creepiness of the area, but a small flat ride wouldn't take up too much space, can be set further away from the house due to its size and it doesn't have to make people scream.

I'd like a flying carpet themed to a grave digger and the carpet being a large coffin and that wouldn't take up much space or make many people scream, but that's just me. :p
 
Duel is great as it is . We have been riding since it opened in 1992 and that part of the park (Gloomy Wood) is still one of the better looking areas, with a real looking old house in great surroundings. Its not like the newer parts of the park that just after a few years look in need of refurbisment. A haunted house is a haunted house and you can't get better than that. Other than changing some of the inside to up date it. Only our opinion but we love it. Its part a part of Alton Towers that should stay.
 
Sam said:
Oh come off it mrbrightside and others! Duel is just crap, it really is, and someone needs to say it. It's little more than a travelling ghost train with a bit more budget and space.

Compared to the vast majority of similar-sized dark rides in Europe, let alone Florida, it becomes a joke. If it was at any other park, people would call it out for the tired waste-of-space that it is and hope for a replacement ASAP. :p
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I resent comments like these... Because personally I, and others I know, really enjoy Duel. As people in this thread have said, it is a good dark ride in terms of the UK and generally entertains those who ride. Equally, as others have said, the dark ride genre is so large that it is unfair to totally write it off as crap.

In terms of dark ride shooters it is technologically poor compared to even the likes of Buzz Lightyear (which itself is a tired ride) but the actual ride system is a very clever piece of kit that with a bit of TLC could run fantastically again. Yes, it lacks the polish and love of a lot of European and American dark rides but it also lacks the budget. Towers currently don't try to attract visitors from around Europe - so the fact it isn't on a par with European dark rides isn't a problem to me.

I really like Duel. It's a solid part of Alton's lineup and is far from crap. It's rough around the edges, and could do with investment. But it is far from a terrible ride.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
 
I have had to delete comments that are not adding to the discussion and are seemingly attempting to entice an argument. Please stay on topic and polite, though debate does require some passion to work just remember respect for those you are debating with.

Thanks
 
cybermen39 said:
Thats all good and well but is calling something a pile of crap polite conversation.
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Using those exact words no, and warnings by members of the team have already been made as well as edits to posts. Arguing that a ride isn't very good is perfectly acceptable so long as its done with a decent argument behind the point. Forums are a place to bring up opposing ideas and beliefs and to debate them.

Any further questions PM a team member :)
 
I, too, don't buy the argument that Duel is so bad it must be ripped out. Given that Merlin seem to be dead-set intent on only IP-based dark rides going forward, you have to wonder if what could replace it would ever have as much character as the ride does right now - even if most of that charm is from the remnants of the Haunted House.

Not to mention, any revamp would have to be substantially different enough to the overall theme so that they could market it as a new attraction - so any family haunted-theme ride is basically out the window.

You can't deny, no haunted dark ride in this country compares to Duel in terms of scale. Is it really worth the risk of the ride's charm and history being ruined by an arbitrary retheme which could be of Charlie quality? After all, Merlin Studios have virtually no track record of building dark rides, beyond the horrors of the Tussauds' days - I lack the confidence right now that they could pull it off.
 
I would say that Merlin have shown promise with Sub-Terra. I appreciate that it has had mixed reactions on this board, but pesonally I think in terms of hardware and theming it's excellent, it's just the story that needs more effort to tie it all together.

I think the main problem is that the public don't seem to respond too well to dark rides in general, most people seem to expect every new major addition to be a coaster, so I think it's unlikely we'll see a big investment in a dark ride.
 
Sub-Terra has proved Merlin can pull off dark rides. So I have faith in them doing something on the scale of Duel. However some more experience with smaller dark rides I think would be good for merlin before stepping up to something of the size of Duel.

People slate Sub-Terra quite easily, although they took on the feedback and improved it. They could have easily left the ride and forgotten about it but they did not and invested the time and money into improving the experience. Sub-Terra keeps you in the experience from start to end, there's no blank spots, you don't notice any parts of the building structure or theming blank spots (a-la Charlie) and it's seamless throughout. Given the small space they had to play with, for a Merlin first, I'd certainly say after all the changes were made they came out with a very decent quality ride/experience.

The good thing about Merlin creating dark rides such as Sub-Terra is that it starts to give them the experience and basis of how to create decent dark rides. Hopefully Sub-Terra has been a learning curve and it should result in future dark rides by Merlin feeling more complete.
 
Jordan said:
You can't deny, no haunted dark ride in this country compares to Duel in terms of scale.
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*cough* Tomb Blaster *cough* Valhalla *cough*

:p
 
Well yesterday the ride looked great. The only things wrong where the second dining room demon; He still doesn't move. The ghosts flying out of the undertaker's coffin. I guess this is probably a blown bulb. Lastly, the photo scare still isn't moving. It's just been left in the up position.

Spacing is still quite an issue, surprise surprise, but in terms of effects it was doing rather well. Better than Charlie at any rate, where between my ride at 12 and another at 6ish several effects had broken!
 
I adore duel and i hope it stays for at least another 5 years. It is a great ride really and whilst it may not appeal to some people on this forum it is great for its target market e.g 6-12 year olds. It is very fun and a must ride whenever i visit. Just because it is not a haunted mansion does not make it bad ride.

It has notably improved from last year and hopefully it will only get better!
 
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