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Galactica: General Discussion

NF2 said:
I've been lurking for a while but don't post very often, but on my first ride on Galactica last week it was the absolute opposite.

I rode twice, both walk on as it was a Thursday, and on the second ride the host asked me what I thought. I'll give a full review once I've done the VR rides at EP, but when I told him it made me a bit sick compared to Air he said "well just take it off, you can still ride Air, only now it's two rides for the price of one!"

I don't for a second think this is the party line, but it goes to show the inconsistencies between staff /:
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If Galactica made you feel ill the ones at EP are worse.
 
I disagree, I found the headsets of Europa to be of far better quality. the image seemed sharper and the images were perfectly in sync and the video made more "sense" with better points of reference
 
EP's headsets are far more comfortable and stay on your head much better. One of the worst things about Galactica is how the headset starts to come off slightly on the fly-to-lie section of track allowing natural light to seep in, not very immersive.

I wouldn't say the VR on either Galactica or Alpenexpress made me feel ill mind.

:)
 
Maybe mine was just badly out of sync at EP for both rides. It also probably made me feel dizzy due to the fact you've got more free movement of the upper body at EP.
 
I think it'll be interesting to see if they roll the concept out to another park, or parks in the portfolio, that will be confirmation as to whether Merlin think it's been a success or not.

I'm not sure what type of ride it would work with. Perhaps Limit at Heide and Blue Tornado at Gardaland? Two rides in need of a boost with the same layout - winner. Also, I wonder how much it would help dispatch times with lower capacity trains with a much simpler loading procedure.

They're making no secret of the fact it's a cheap win - "At Alton Towers, we will use state-of-the-art, Virtual Reality technology to create ‘Galactica’, a completely new ‘space travel’ experience. The use of technology in this way, alongside an existing roller coaster, allows us to create a truly unique experience for our guests with good capital efficiency."

Edit - I forgot Blue Tornado has the helix.
 
I think it needs to be on slow, smooth rides like Air. Can you imagine riding a hang'n'bang like Limit without knowing when to brace! They're bad enough when you can see where you're going!
 
Dar said:
I think it needs to be on slow, smooth rides like Air. Can you imagine riding a hang'n'bang like Limit without knowing when to brace! They're bad enough when you can see where you're going!
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Air is the exception to the rule in terms of what's happening in the industry. Six Flags are implementing the technology on some fairly aggressive rides.
  • "Shock Wave" at Six Flags Over Texas
  • "Dare Devil Dive" at Six Flags Over Georgia
  • "The New Revolution" at Six Flags Magic Mountain (near Los Angeles)
  • "Ninja" at Six Flags St. Louis
  • "Steamin' Demon" at The Great Escape in Lake George, New York
  • "Goliath" at La Ronde in Montreal
  • "Superman Krypton Coaster" at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
  • "Superman The Ride" at Six Flags New England
  • "Superman Ride of Steel" at Six Flags America in Maryland.
 
Went and rode Galactica again today and was on the first train out of the station of the day and it broke down after our run. When we got back on the brake-run we heard the breakdown announcement. And to top it off, my headset didn't work after the first turn the screen went black so I took it off and held it on top of the pouch and enjoyed 'Air' from the lift hill onwards. Someone else's on my row also was just black for the entire ride.

Must say, been on it quiet a few times now and it just isn't worth all the hassle. Bring back Air! (Don't forget to theme the tunnel though ;))
 
I rode it in opening week and then again 3 times on Thursday. I wanted to reserve my judgment until I'd fully tested it. I've tried it front, back and middle, and also in the rain.

I would echo what everyone has said about the lift hill and tunnel being the best bit. If you think about it, the tunnel and lift hill are actually a big part of the ride so it's a positive thing that the coaster feels like a far longer ride now. The lift hill is now part of the experience rather than just having the functional job of lifting you to the highest point. Definitely a thumbs up there.

First drop was OK as well but after that I kind of lost track of what was going on. Just strange G forces with lava, ice and rocks shakily being stuffed in your face. Between the first drop and the bit where you go through the portal at the end (which was pretty thrilling IF you have a headset in sync) I thought the experiences in the headset bore very little relation to the layout of the track. Just shaky images in front of your eyes whilst you feel the coasters forces on your body. The first experience was better as my brain was still focused on the familiar layout of Air and trying to relate a track layout that I knew to what was happening on screen. The other times though I tried to forget about this and just try and immerse myself in the VR and it just made me feel ill and gave me a headache. It was made worse on the back row as the video was way out of sync and half the screen would go black at various points.

The headsets felt really uncomfortable on my ears more than anything. They also dug right into my nose on the fly to lie. The hosts at the station where brilliant, but it seems that loads of thick people who don't understand the concept of a simple Velcro strap where holding it up. Despite clear instructions on the screen, loads of morons where also asking how to focus the screen despite the obvious depiction on screen of where the jog dial for the focus is on the top of the sets.

The worst bit for me however, was the waiting on the brake run. Normally, I don't mind this. Even in the rain. After all, you're normally sat down and comfortable and know that it's preferable to the coaster simply running on less trains. I never minded waiting in the brake run when it was Air. However after you've just subjected your body to forces your eyes didn't relate to for the last minute or so, after a day of riding coasters like nemesis and have a belly full of Fried Chicken Co and doughnuts, the last thing you want is to be hung face down being held by your stomach for a few minutes.

However, the theming is overall decent. I liked the station and loved the brickwork on the floor of the plaza. The portal looks great, the music is great and I love the boarding screens idea. I thought the bridge theming looked a bit cheap and hate the fact they've painted all the rock theming grey, it seems pointless and looks silly. The whole plaza with the new restaurant coming, new entrance, portal etc will look amazing when finished and create a great atmosphere. Why oh why then couldn't someone give the old picnic area a quick jetwash/spray paint?

However I think overall Galactica is a great edition to the park. The whole area with the new restaurant coming has a great sense of adventure and theater about it. The tech is also flexible and the experience can be modified or changed easily. VR is also the in thing it seems for the next few seasons with Six Flags going mad for it so it's great the park has got in on the action earlyish. It also gives a new lease of life to Air, a coaster that was boring and tame but expensive to install, well built and well engineered and is still only 14 years old.

Also, whilst spending what seemed like eternity in the brake run trying to settle my stomach, all I could hear was excitement and a good report from other riders, instead of the disappointment and "is that it" comments normally heard on Air. So the important thing will be how the GP warm to it. So far, it sounds like a hit.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
 
I thought Galactica was pretty good tbh and a nice change from Air!
The vr and audio worked fine and i thought the whole experience was great.I wear specs and the staff said id have no chance wearing em whilst having the headset on!...Well i did manage to get it over my specs as i dont wear big uns like jim bowen and it felt i little snug by my nose part but all good in the end.The whole vr i thought worked well but would like different journey video's to save from getting bored.The headsets get wiped after each dispatch but only around the rim and not the inside by the lenses so i did see a bit of hair/sweat/grime which needs to be addressed.
I give it a 7/10 as its early with vr on coasters and they will refine things to reach perfection i reckon.If u not keen on Galactica then dont wear the headset and it becomes Air again but with a cool portal to race through!
 
Looks like Alton are changing their rules on Galactica yet again...

@altontowers I would like to know if it is a requirement to wear the VR headsets on Galactica, or can I just ride it like Air?

@wskinner1976 We do want as many guests as possible to experience Galactica whilst wearing the headset but (1/2)
@wskinner1976 if you make it clear to our Ride team you do not wish to wear the headset then this will be at their discretion. (2/2)


So.... now its up to the ride staff what mood they are in and they want to make you wear the headset or not. Sums Alton up this year really, nothing is definite, and getting any sense out of them if proving difficult!
 
Not sure if this has been mentioned here but I've seen it said on CoasterForce but apparently you can ask for the VR to be 'turned around' as it were and played backwards. Has anyone tried that? Sounds somewhat vomit inducing to me!

:)
 
Rob said:
Not sure if this has been mentioned here but I've seen it said on CoasterForce but apparently you can ask for the VR to be 'turned around' as it were and played backwards. Has anyone tried that? Sounds somewhat vomit inducing to me!

:)
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I have a friend who has done this, and says it is better than the normal experience, you can also ask for Sideways. Just requires a ride host who knows what they are doing!
 
When you say played backwards, do you mean its as if you were facing backwards, or do you go from the brake run to the lift hill?

Anyone remotely surprised they've changed their mind again? Lets just hope all the staff know it.
 
Would make sense to let people choose not to wear it if they don't want to.

From the one ride I've had on it having the VR on made me feel as though I was on a simulator with wind affects. I wasn't Airs biggest fan but the ride was much more enjoyable without having a headset on.
 
Rob said:
Not sure if this has been mentioned here but I've seen it said on CoasterForce but apparently you can ask for the VR to be 'turned around' as it were and played backwards. Has anyone tried that? Sounds somewhat vomit inducing to me!

:)
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I've done it sideways and backwards. It's not that bad really, just feels like you're being dragged on your side or facing backwards. Not 'vomit inducing' though as it's still in sync with the ride. The only problem is though that the ice scene is particularly bad for having big black boxes all over the place. :)
 
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