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Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

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I’m more a shooter than not :p just go on to try and get my best score every time, but I will try a run without the gun next season to see if i can spot something new
 
Poor Duel is in a sorry state now. It something I do every visit - mainly for nostalgia purposes and also its fab for a ride to let your lunch go down on. ;)

I think what upsets me the most if that towers don't seem to care about it anymore, its just shoddy. The trommel has been broken for quite a few years now. I remember being hopeful for the work they did in 2018 that that would restore it to a state closer to its former glory, however, even though you could tell someone had spent a lot of time repainting some of the props, the music changed and Dr Nicholas Ruding and Richard O' Connor (reporting live for ATNC) were shown the door, nothing major was altered.

Maybe yes it is beyond the state of repair. The last couple of times I went the staff seemed to be regularly manually resetting the ride cars, maybe suggesting the ride system is showing its age? I would be very sorry to see it go, the fact that it still has parts of the original Haunted House, one of the rides that went towards Alton Towers developing into the modern theme park it is today.

I still do think they need a similar type of ride though to fill the space, whether that's another haunted house themed ride or something around another theme. I know when taking people around the park for the first time, one of the things they are likely to ask is if there is a haunted house sort of ride. Even though on the surface it doesn't get the biggest queues, it does have a fantastic throughput with the endless transit system and is a great filler ride for all ages, something the park is lacking.
 
I’m not sure it would add anything to Duel if it were trackless. My experiences with trackless rides are based on Symbolica, Antartica, plus the Disney classics (Tower of Terror, Universe of Energy and The Great Movie Ride).

With Symbolica and Antartica they have these scenes where the cars dance around each other, but with Duel part of the appeal is that you’re ‘alone’ in the haunted house. I think seeing other cars would ruin it a bit. To make sure the cars don’t end up in each other’s sightlines they have to pass through each scene quickly, so there wouldn’t be much time for them to stop, or double back on themselves. Some trackless dark rides have simulator elements, but we’re meant to be going through a haunted house where the floors would be flat, so having the seat bouncing around isn’t really necessary.

I think the Haunted House was a masterpiece. It’s slightly baffling that they ever wanted to change it, aside from the fact they wanted a cheap new ride to market alongside the hotel and water park.
 
Funcone said:
With Symbolica and Antartica they have these scenes where the cars dance around each other, but with Duel part of the appeal is that you’re ‘alone’ in the haunted house. I think seeing other cars would ruin it a bit.
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I went to Walibi Belgium this summer and experienced their 2 trackless dark rides: Challenge of Tutankhamun and Popcorn Revenge. The former doesn't have any interaction with other cars throughout the ride but works quite nicely as a trackless motion platform considering it can seamlessly transition from scene to scene in a less clunky way by rotating the car in such a way whilst it's moving. The latter is completely different and has several scenes connected by 1 main lobby room which every car goes in between each scene, frequently interacting with each other.
 
I don’t mind shooting rides if things happen, but literally nothing happens on duel or tomb blaster with the guns. At least with the one at Legoland when you shoot things then things move, light up or at least do something. I would much rather have an interactive ride like that, than duel where the targets ruin the actual ride and theming rather than enhancing it.
 
I mean tbh i don't really like the guns either because it takes away the enjoyment of taking in of different scenic theming so Tomb Blaster would now be great if they ripped out the guns! Duel needs a big refurb and although i like the current soundtrack, the ride's gone downhill still sad to say!
 
I liked the slower outdoor Duel track, but the main soundtrack was too upbeat.

I don't understand why they didn't just stick the Graham Smart music back in there and be done with it.
 
MaxPower said:
I don't understand why they didn't just stick the Graham Smart music back in there and be done with it.
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I absolutely love the original soundtrack, but the ride doesnt have the same eccentric style anymore that the music was made for.

It would just be a nostalgia plaster over the wound and still not really fit most the ride. It would change nothing in reality.

I don't think liking the current soundtrack is an unpopular opinion, Ive personally heard a lot more positve than not. It's gets weaker as it goes on but it actually managed to put an smidgen atmosphere back in the ride, overall I think its quite a memorable little soundtrack
 
AT need to invest in some serious dark rides now, the coaster line up is more or less complicate so I’d like to see the next SW being an indoor ride along the lines of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
The building would need modifications but the area around Duel is certainly big enough.
 
BigT said:
AT need to invest in some serious dark rides now, the coaster line up is more or less complicate so I’d like to see the next SW being an indoor ride along the lines of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
The building would need modifications but the area around Duel is certainly big enough.
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Nice idea but will never happen. Dark rides of that quality cost a hell of a lot of money and I don't think the park would see a decent R.O.I on that financial outlay.

They are more than likely going to continue down the Big coaster every 5 years or so route and adding family rides in between.

Don't think we'll see a major flat ride or a major dark ride coming to the park anytime soon sadly.
 
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