• 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.

Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Ash said:
Considering the age of the ride, unless it’s been done already, I would of thought the control system will be well due an upgrade after 20+ years. Depending on if any improvements are being made to the software, swapping out some safety PLCs for new like on duel would be £500k+

But then again as anyone who works in controls knows, you can swap the brains out but if the underlying sensor/device/comms issues resolved you’re in a similar situation. Also, drives on the cars may also need replacing, it all depends how much AT want to spend and how much time they have.

I would think work like this is being done by either Garmendale, Attraction engineering, possibly In house or Mack themselves. Although there’s plenty of other companies in the UK capable of this kind of work.

Also if something like this is being done, good luck to them getting parts , as it’s a nightmare out there…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Sorry I should have been specific. I meant an upgrade of the transit system as a whole. Control system and vehicles. Garmendale should stay away from this, their rides and ride systems are rubbish. I can see Mack doing the work, seeing as Merlin and specifically Alton Towers have been working with them again in the last few months. It signals there is dialogue between the two at the very least.

While the excitement in here from some people could be compared to the same excitement a dog with two thingybobs would have. I feel expectations do need to be managed. I am very much looking forward to seeing what they do. But they also have to prove themselves, Merlins track record is quite frankly shocking in delivering decent dark rides. So I am expecting minimal and hoping for good stuff.

Things seem to be in the right direction though, so who knows? Maybe we will see this project as a turning point.
 
DistortAMG said:
Sorry I should have been specific. I meant an upgrade of the transit system as a whole. Control system and vehicles. Garmendale should stay away from this, their rides and ride systems are rubbish. I can see Mack doing the work, seeing as Merlin and specifically Alton Towers have been working with them again in the last few months. It signals there is dialogue between the two at the very least.

While the excitement in here from some people could be compared to the same excitement a dog with two thingybobs would have. I feel expectations do need to be managed. I am very much looking forward to seeing what they do. But they also have to prove themselves, Merlins track record is quite frankly shocking in delivering decent dark rides. So I am expecting minimal and hoping for good stuff.

Things seem to be in the right direction though, so who knows? Maybe we will see this project as a turning point.
Click to expand...
Why are Garmendale's ride systems rubbish? Are they not designed for such high capacity rides like Duel?
 
I’m quite optimistic about this project; I think it could be really good!

As for the comparisons to other Merlin dark ride projects; I think this will differ from others Merlin have done for a multitude of reasons, including:
  • It’s a retheme of an existing ride system rather than an entirely new ground up ride, so there’s no money being spent on a new ride system like there was with something like Jumanji at Gardaland, Gangsta Granny at Alton Towers, or Ghostbusters at Heide Park.
  • It’s now seeming quite likely that this retheme will not entail an IP. On Merlin’s IP-based dark rides (both rethemes and ground up), I’d wager that a surprisingly significant proportion of the budget went towards licensing costs. If there’s no IP, there are no licensing costs to contend with, therefore meaning that more money can go towards the ride itself.
  • There’s likely to be no area retheme to budget for like there was with something such as Gangsta Granny, so the budget can be used solely upon the ride itself rather than having to fund a whole area.
  • There are increasing rumblings that parts of the existing experience may be kept intact, which is in stark contrast to some other Merlin dark ride rethemes where literally everything went. Even if most of the ride itself goes (which I think could well be the case), I’d wager that at very least, the facade and the queue will be kept similar to how they are now, which will reduce costs and allow more to go into the ride itself.
I’d also add to all of those things that people “in the know” say that a good team is working on this, and that the budget should be enough to do something pretty decent with the ride.

Out of interest, have we had any rough indication of how much money is being put into this project?
 
Matt N said:
I’m quite optimistic about this project; I think it could be really good!

As for the comparisons to other Merlin dark ride projects; I think this will differ from others Merlin have done for a multitude of reasons, including:
  • It’s a retheme of an existing ride system rather than an entirely new ground up ride, so there’s no money being spent on a new ride system like there was with something like Jumanji at Gardaland, Gangsta Granny at Alton Towers, or Ghostbusters at Heide Park.
  • It’s now seeming quite likely that this retheme will not entail an IP. On Merlin’s IP-based dark rides (both rethemes and ground up), I’d wager that a surprisingly significant proportion of the budget went towards licensing costs. If there’s no IP, there are no licensing costs to contend with, therefore meaning that more money can go towards the ride itself.
  • There’s likely to be no area retheme to budget for like there was with something such as Gangsta Granny, so the budget can be used solely upon the ride itself rather than having to fund a whole area.
  • There are increasing rumblings that parts of the existing experience may be kept intact, which is in stark contrast to some other Merlin dark ride rethemes where literally everything went. Even if most of the ride itself goes (which I think could well be the case), I’d wager that at very least, the facade and the queue will be kept similarly, which will reduce costs and allow more to go into the ride itself.
I’d also add to all of those things that people “in the know” say that a good team is working on this, and that the budget should be enough to do something pretty decent with the ride.
Click to expand...
As others have said though, the ride system and PNC may need updating as it's 30 years old and outdated now. If it is updated hopefully they will be able to keep the current setup (cars move slowly through the station together for continuous loading then speed up and go round the circuit individually) as it works so well.
 
Skyscraper said:
As others have said though, the ride system and PNC may need updating as it's 30 years old and outdated now. If it is updated hopefully they will be able to keep the current setup (cars move slowly through the station together for continuous loading then speed up and go round the circuit individually) as it works so well.
Click to expand...
Even still, I’d wager that a ride system computer update will cost far less than a brand new ride system would.

Look at something like Jumanji at Gardaland, for instance; that Oceaneering ride system is absolutely top dollar, and would likely cost an absolute bomb to install as a replacement of Duel. I’d estimate that the Triotech ride system used on Ghostbusters at Heide is similar.

Gangsta Granny’s was likely a bit cheaper than the above two, but that’s likely because the ride is comparatively tiny, and I’d wager that the overall budget for TWODW was substantially lower than the budget of either of the above two rides. And based on what those in the know have said, I’d guess that it was also lower than the budget that this project is receiving.
 
Steve74 said:
Why are Garmendale's ride systems rubbish? Are they not designed for such high capacity rides like Duel?
Click to expand...

I suppose rubbish is a bit harsh. But they feel cheaply made and no where near the engineering skill and knowledge has been put into their attractions, mainly because they do not have 200+ years of internal development to learn from.
 
Trooper Looper said:
I've always found Disney standards pretty boring, especially their newer attractions, where Europe's rides are imperfect, but are full of character and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Like, why do people want a trackless dark ride system when we already have an incredibly rare one of a kind and unique ride system that CAN preform just as well as one. The system just needs to be fixed and given new parts for the long term.


All of expecting is a few lick's of paint, fixed currently existing props and mechanics, a new scene or 2, some different music and sfx, better lighting, and a fixed ride system. THATS IT!

We will never get anything like Mystic Manor, and i know a lot won't be happy to hear that. But I'm certain we'll be getting something that I'll be better than what currently stands there, and we should appreciate that and be excited nevertheless.


Also, I like the idea @TroySmith1 said sboht the spider being a little fuzzy, but then a coat of proper UV paint can't be put on, so it'll look really off.
Click to expand...

Thanks but I meant swap the use of UV in some sections for more realistic looks, For example upgraded (realistic fur) animatronic spiders hanging down on wires with background projections. Then no need to try so hard hiding these old dated mechanics with UV back lighting. I prefer the whole ride not plastered with UV props and backdrops (like every other traveler ghost ride) as thats no difference than the over use of screens in my opinion. Balance of all different types of newer technology, would be very much welcome to the wider audience!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I could see it becoming a walk through attraction tbh. If the system needs a lot of work it might be a "cheap" way to repurpose it.
 
NickB said:
I could see it becoming a walk through attraction tbh. If the system needs a lot of work it might be a "cheap" way to repurpose it.
Click to expand...
That would be a long walk.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a trackless system installed. If Fantasy Island can get one, and Harrington Flint's Island Adventure is very good, then i'm sure towers can.
 
dazza4783 said:
That would be a long walk.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a trackless system installed. If Fantasy Island can get one, and Harrington Flint's Island Adventure is very good, then i'm sure towers can.
Click to expand...
I wasn't imaging walking the current route, more using the space.

I agree trackless is a possibility. I can't help but think this "reimagining" is what JW was referring to being announced soon etc 6/9 and so on. Just doesn't strike me as something to reference in response to a question about the whole world but he may have just been looking for an in to mention it.
 
dazza4783 said:
That would be a long walk.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a trackless system installed. If Fantasy Island can get one, and Harrington Flint's Island Adventure is very good, then i'm sure towers can.
Click to expand...
For some reason whenever I think of a trackless system, I imagine a ride car going awry, leaving the show building and speeding around the park 😂

Would be good to see one though, I don’t know much about the tech but I assume without the need for a track, it would be simpler to maintain?
 
s_g_k said:
Would be good to see one though, I don’t know much about the tech but I assume without the need for a track, it would be simpler to maintain?
Click to expand...
Not quite, as they rely on a lot of sensors and such. I'm hoping that they'll keep the current system and just update/upgrade it, but trackless would be the next best option. The building is so big you could have multiple routes like Symbolica at Efteling.
 
Last edited:
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top