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Galactica: General Discussion

Wonderbolt said:
Was that on the iPad they have in the shop? When I was there last week you could put feedback into it but there was no rewards of priority passes for doing so.
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Yes, I've never seen them do it before, but there was a member of staff just next to the iPad giving out priority passes to anyone who completed it. It was last Sunday.
 
Leah said:
Yes, I've never seen them do it before, but there was a member of staff just next to the iPad giving out priority passes to anyone who completed it. It was last Sunday.
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Maybe it just a week end thing then or they don't do it when its busy.
 
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Leah said:
Yes, I've never seen them do it before, but there was a member of staff just next to the iPad giving out priority passes to anyone who completed it. It was last Sunday.
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maybe they are trying to up the feed back from it.
 
Went last week and I would say around 50% of guests I saw were not bothering with the VR. I didnt bother with it and enjoyed the ride much more, particularly swooping through the portal. I so wished they had spent the money on the area around the ride rather than the VR.

Friends of mine who had not been on it before tried the VR first go, and felt ill afterwards, second go without it they said was much better. Those who had been on Air but not Galactica said they preferred it when it was Air, particularly the music in the area and the station, and missed the "Prepare to fly" when assuming the position.

Glad AT have seen sense now and are not forcing people to wear the VR.
 
Galactica was playing up again today, broke down for a while in the afternoon and when I got n I couldn't get the vr set to focus well.
However really hope they learn from the issues this season and improve next year as the vr experience is great.
 
I can see the VR being removed and it being left as Galactica with the space theme.

Rode Galactica for the first time a few weeks back. Not going to go into a huge in-depth review about the ride, since opinions on all sides have been covered well.

The good stuff:
  • I love the music in the area, another well made track by IMAScore
  • The portal is beautiful! They should be proud, it's very well made, imposing, looks even better at night and the lighting and sound effects that sync up with the ride is great!
  • The entrance sign that lights up is nice and the logo in the paving is a really nice touch and very well made
  • The VR content is adequate, as is the audio that accompanies it
  • The area looks great lit up at night, nice to see some permanent lighting

On to the bad
  • Sadly beyond the portal, pretty paving and main entrance sign it's all downhill from here. The extensions are very poor quality, they look like a right botched up job and it's shocking you go from this very high quality portal with good workmanship to these extensions that look like a bunch of college kids doing their construction course were let loose on site after a week of learning. Sadly with a longer waiting time you just notice more and more as you stand there at how poor it all looks
  • The interior of the stations are disappointing. I know it's the future blah blah so exposed metal was obviously going to happen, although it all looks too bare, it's missing something and needs something to give it life. It feels cold and soulless
  • The sit to fly position could have done with some kind of sequence on screen, just randomly being lifted without warning is pretty poor. Even when it was Air you had a lighting and sound sequence that impressed people!
  • The VR headset itself (not the content) is poor quality, as most VR headsets are, theme parks aren't ready for this technology in my opinion
  • Unfortunately you're concentrating so much on focusing on the VR, you don't even notice or care about being on the roller coaster!

I didn't find throughputs that much of a problem on my visit. I suppose they've had a few months for staff to get in to the routine quicker. The queue did move slow, and watching the process of washing, wiping and putting away/taking out the headsets was amusing, although I didn't find the queue was moving as painfully slow as people have mentioned in this thread.

I've used VR at home 'for fun' before so knew what to expect quality and comfort wise. This is my first VR experience in a theme park and to be honest, I'm not sold on the idea. It feels too temporary and it feels too early for theme parks to be experimenting with the technology. I would rather see money spent elsewhere on real theming, real set pieces and real visuals. I can see VR gone from Alton within 3 years at most.
 
The bit you mention about being lifted into the flying position with no warning surprised me too. Its a pity they couldnt have created a VR space port to look around and focus on while sat in the chair, and with a prepare to take off or something like that as you are about to assume the position. I'll be glad to see the back of it personally.
 
Galactica isn't bad - it's just not that great. First time experiencing it is good, but the wow factor fades fast. I expect the VR to remain 3 further seasons at least, but I doubt it'll be there beyond that.
 
The VR will be removed and they'll be left with a cheap looking half a*sed space theme.

Should have left it as Air. The slightly bland minimalism was still better than trying to pretend you're in space.

The restaurant seems to be decent but from the exterior the station looks a pigs ear.
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
The VR will be removed and they'll be left with a cheap looking half a*sed space theme.

Should have left it as Air. The slightly bland minimalism was still better than trying to pretend you're in space.

The restaurant seems to be decent but from the exterior the station looks a pigs ear.
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Disagree hugely. The area looks far better as Galactica then it did as Air. The theme is by far the best thing about Galactica for me - it certainly doesn't look cheap. As for the building exteriors, they hardly look that different to when it was just the Air shop.
 
I quite enjoy the Galactica experience. I love the audio which enchances the queuing and not too aesthetic extensions, and when the vr is working decently it's a good overall experience. I will be riding without the headset on Scarefest in the dark though!!
 
The ride finally does feel like it has a proper theme as Galactica.

I tried it for the first time recently but I was not very impressed by the VR. The visuals were good and in focus, apart from the fact that the centre of the screen was to the right of me. This meant that the ride was moving differently to the VR image and I felt rather sick towards the end. I never get sick on rollercoasters so for my first VR coaster ride, I was not impressed.

The ride is so short there's so much to take in on the screen too. I'd rather take off the VR next time and enjoy the 'real' ride and see the portal etc.

I'm sad they just got rid of all the 'assume the position' effects in the station too. At least they could have kept it and redone the audio when you turn onto your front.
 
andeyhart said:
Disagree hugely. The area looks far better as Galactica then it did as Air. The theme is by far the best thing about Galactica for me - it certainly doesn't look cheap. As for the building exteriors, they hardly look that different to when it was just the Air shop.
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The portal theming is the only improvement. The rest is just new signage and rock theming repaints which only makes the theme even more disparate to Nemesis and Forbidden Valley. It now actually clashes whereas before it was neutral.

The loss of the original soundtrack (one of the best ever created for a ride) as well as the station lighting and sound FX theatrics has not been compensated by the the new videos in the station. The old Air Shop looks a bit on the cheap side now from the outside plastered in ride pictures with an extension tacked on the side. The Rollercoaster Restaurant is a great addition though but would have been better suited purpose built near the hotels.

Air was an iconic coaster and a classy brand and should not have been messed with. Sadly the original concept was never fully realised but it was about the sensory experience and NOT theming for the sake of it. I'm all for new theming additions though and VR but why did it need renaming and giving a naff cliche theme like space? Before it was the calm oasis at the end of the destruction. How on earth can it be explained as being part of Forbidden Valley now?

It's obvious the whole thing was done as a way of marketing the VR which probably won't last more than 3/4 years if that. For the money spend they could have created a small lake around the final turn and put in the geysers and waterfalls around the ride course like originally planned which would have really enhanced the ride experience and finished it the way it was meant to be.
 
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Had my first full experience on Friday without the headset switching off.

It is a novel change and I'm glad I've had a go, but there are too many negatives for me to get truly excited about it. I'll not list them, but the main one for me renders the VR pointless.

After playing with an Oculus DK2, the most amazing aspect for me was the ability to look around by turning your head and/or moving your body. It's not a sensation that can be fully understood by description alone and it's an aspect of VR that really tricks your brain into believing the scene. My head felt heavy on Air with no headset, so adding weight doesn't make me want to look around at all. That, coupled with how uncomfortably tight you have to strap it makes it unpleasant and not as immersive as it should be. Not dissimilar to watching a static screen.
 
As much as I like Galactica (I do, I think if it was a new ride entirely people wouldn't be so critical), I would have much rather see the investment go into relaunching it as the new and improved air. Instead of gimmicky additions and a new name, just finish theming it. I don't think many people who have ridden air would consider any significant journey just to ride it again with a phone strapped to their face. Unlikely, but in the future I'd like to see the current theme gone, and air to return finished. Probably more chance of drayton manor getting a B&M than towers theming air...
 
I know this has been brought up before but it would be very hard to produce a good business case (which I have no doubt is needed for an investment of this size) for just adding more theming to Air. There is no way it would be marketable in a way to bring more guests and revenue to the park. Whether that is right or wrong is a totally different matter but it's something that was never going to happen.

I'm sure that Galactica will remain as it is next year. I am not so convinced that the VR will remain into 2018 though.

:)
 
Rob said:
I know this has been brought up before but it would be very hard to produce a good business case (which I have no doubt is needed for an investment of this size) for just adding more theming to Air. There is no way it would be marketable in a way to bring more guests and revenue to the park. Whether that is right or wrong is a totally different matter but it's something that was never going to happen.

I'm sure that Galactica will remain as it is next year. I am not so convinced that the VR will remain into 2018 though.

:)
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As much as enthusiasts would have preferred air to have a finished theme as you say it's not gonna attract anyone new to come to the park in a way which Galactica would have done.
Whether we agree with it from a business point of view there is only one viable option.
Personally I think Galactica is good but is kinda wasted on a roller coaster and would have been better as a stand alone attraction but building that would have been a whole new ball game
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
The portal theming is the only improvement. The rest is just new signage and rock theming repaints which only makes the theme even more disparate to Nemesis and Forbidden Valley. It now actually clashes whereas before it was neutral.

The loss of the original soundtrack (one of the best ever created for a ride) as well as the station lighting and sound FX theatrics has not been compensated by the the new videos in the station. The old Air Shop looks a bit on the cheap side now from the outside plastered in ride pictures with an extension tacked on the side. The Rollercoaster Restaurant is a great addition though but would have been better suited purpose built near the hotels.

Air was an iconic coaster and a classy brand and should not have been messed with. Sadly the original concept was never fully realised but it was about the sensory experience and NOT theming for the sake of it. I'm all for new theming additions though and VR but why did it need renaming and giving a naff cliche theme like space? Before it was the calm oasis at the end of the destruction. How on earth can it be explained as being part of Forbidden Valley now?

It's obvious the whole thing was done as a way of marketing the VR which probably won't last more than 3/4 years if that. For the money spend they could have created a small lake around the final turn and put in the geysers and waterfalls around the ride course like originally planned which would have really enhanced the ride experience and finished it the way it was meant to be.
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Air was great, but I wouldn't say it was iconic. And yes Galactica's theme clashes with FV as a whole, but at least there is a theme. This "peaceful oasis" was not even remotely realised, and aside from a good entrance, Air was pretty much themeless. Of course, I'm sure it would be different had the original ideas been executed.

As a ride, I preferred Air over Galactica, and I'm very unconvinced over the VR, but I do believe that area does, at the very least, look better. Aside from the portal, the logo in the ground is very effective and the lighting at the entrance is good. I can forgive the theme clash as there was always a theme clash between Air and the rest of Forbidden Valley. And let's be brutally honest, theme clashes are hardly a deal breaker where most Towers visitors are concerned.

And I don't agree that cliched themes, such as Space, equal "cheap". Yes space has been done before, but it can still be done to a fairly high and original standard. Themeing doesn't necessarily have to recreate the wheel to be effective.
 
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