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Hex [2024 Refurb]: General Discussion

Skyscraper said:
After it spited me last year, I finally got to ride the revamped Hex yesterday. The new Armoury and batching setup is much better, as it ensures that no one misses the first introductory pre-show.

Now, having been a huge fan of Hex for such a long time, it absolutely pains me to say that I was not a fan of the "Disco Hex" changes in the vault at all. The fairy lights just look awful, and the vault is way too bright during the ride sequence now. It's such a shame given how much I loved the previous version... I genuinely do feel that they've ruined it. 😔
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Not a massive fan of the changes either. I also especially don't like all the flashing lights in the Octagon as my eyes are a bit light sensitive and the amount of flashing is a bit unnecessary anyway.
 
I like some aspects of the revamp but hate others.

Queueing: I'm all for the new approach, as was said above, ensures people actually view the 1st preshow which a lot missed previously.

Video room: I'm glad the video is the same. Quite like the added lightning flashes in time with the video

Octagon: I wish the spark from the generator actually looked like it was coming from the genrator but overall i don;t mind the changes in here.

Vault: The projections of the "snow like effects" I can take them or leave them. They're ok but ummm. The fibre optics in the branch. Now this is where my biggest issue lies. The fibre optics used to only be used to add that magic to the branch right at the end of the cycle in time to the magic sound in the soundtrack. What I do not like are the colours of the fibre optics. Either change it to white all the time and keep it throughout the cycle or go back to how it was previously where they were only used at the end.
 
After experiencing hex again this year, I’ve have to agree with the multicolour fibre optics.

The rest of the changes are great, but I don’t understand why the fibre optics aren’t either just white/orange. It’s a little much!
 
Skyscraper said:
I genuinely do feel that they've ruined it. 😔
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I don't think its ruined rather than a spooky atmosphere goes for mystical atmosphere instead.

I do have constructive criticism myself like the fire effect should be behind the generator and the tree branch is way too bright. As well as the sparkle effect being a bit tacky however I think its good to have it back nonetheless still awesome story, theming, atmosphere and ride
 
When I last went on Hex, the relatively long waits for the shows to start.in each of the preshows, killed all pacing the ride had.
 
rctneil said:
I like some aspects of the revamp but hate others.

Queueing: I'm all for the new approach, as was said above, ensures people actually view the 1st preshow which a lot missed previously.

Video room: I'm glad the video is the same. Quite like the added lightning flashes in time with the video

Octagon: I wish the spark from the generator actually looked like it was coming from the genrator but overall i don;t mind the changes in here.

Vault: The projections of the "snow like effects" I can take them or leave them. They're ok but ummm. The fibre optics in the branch. Now this is where my biggest issue lies. The fibre optics used to only be used to add that magic to the branch right at the end of the cycle in time to the magic sound in the soundtrack. What I do not like are the colours of the fibre optics. Either change it to white all the time and keep it throughout the cycle or go back to how it was previously where they were only used at the end.
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I would agree with the points here, although I really don't like the snow effect projections (It seems more like a disco), the fiber optics I think would have worked betters as just leaving them as green (which I think it the colour of hex) rarther than colour changing, the rest of the changes I quite liked.

Hid said:
I don't think its ruined rather than a spooky atmosphere goes for mystical atmosphere instead.

I do have constructive criticism myself like the fire effect should be behind the generator and the tree branch is way too bright. As well as the sparkle effect being a bit tacky however I think its good to have it back nonetheless still awesome story, theming, atmosphere and ride
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I would also have liked to see the sparks come from the generator, however I would assume there are restrictions on where it can go, as it probably can't be placed too close to flammable things (or items which may reflet items into flammable things)
 
When Hex first opened did it have a different story and theme to it believe it was Hex Unearthed don't know if it had a different soundtrack to maybe they should have gone back to that
 
Hid said:
When Hex first opened did it have a different story and theme to it believe it was Hex Unearthed don't know if it had a different soundtrack to maybe they should have gone back to that
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Sadly Luthor Vandross refused permission for Never Too Much to be used in Hex, which is why the original story and music were revised shortly after opening.

Rumour has it that they approached Kylie Minogue too, but felt that Spinning Around was probably a bit on the nose to use as theme music for Hex. It was briefly considered for Spinball Whizzer though.
 
Hid said:
When Hex first opened did it have a different story and theme to it believe it was Hex Unearthed don't know if it had a different soundtrack to maybe they should have gone back to that
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Not a different story, but there was a different version.

Originally, the pre show and cinema were narrated by a tour guide, a professor of Archeology. The things you experience would happen in “real time” rather than the current version of hex in which you are witnessing the story of the past.

In the cinema, the projector would explode implying the witch was wreaking havoc (they kept a similar thing for the current Octagon with the generator).

In the Octagon, this show was longer and had a water droplet effect which was removed due to insufficient drainage.

In the passageway before the doors to the vault opened, the professor again had a short speech before you entered.

By April 2000 they had completely reworked Hex. They refilmed the cinema show and completely removed the professsor tour guide stuff as it felt rather cringey.

That’s a TL;DR but there a fantastic article with more info which can be read here:

darkridedatabase.com

Creating a Legend — Alton Towers' Hex Special Feature – DRdb

The making-of an iconic Madhouse
darkridedatabase.com darkridedatabase.com
 
Benzin said:
The water drop effect lasted a few years before removal. Presumably because of the risk of Legionnaires disease on top of not being able to drain appropriately in the ruins.
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I distinctly remember the water drop effect around 2003 and 4.

Reading that article, interesting the Tussauds estimated the ride would be removed around 2014, was this because that design life of the madhouse would have ended around then, given the expected usage of it? Or just a number pulled out a hat to please the planners? I do wonder.
 
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DistortAMG said:
Reading that article, interesting the Tussauds estimated the ride would be removed around 2014, was this because that design life of the madhouse would have ended around then, given the expected usage of it? Or just a number pulled out a hat to please the planners? I do wonder.
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I’d imagine it was a combination of both. Though, since the recent closure had major refurbishment of the ride system, the year quoted was about 8 years early 😂
 
DistortAMG said:
I distinctly remember the water drop effect around 2003 and 4.

Reading that article, interesting the Tussauds estimated the ride would be removed around 2014, was this because that design life of the madhouse would have ended around then, given the expected usage of it? Or just a number pulled out a hat to please the planners? I do wonder.
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I always read it as a number pulled out for planning. My reading of it was they were trying to demonstrate that the attraction wasn't intended to be a permanent alteration of the towers, rather than an accurate technical lifespan of the attraction.

If we're talking about the same effect (the mist emitted from the railings), I thought that effect remained in operation for over a decade. I seem to recall it was still in operation when Thirteen opened, though that might be my imagination.
 
Love/hate to be a know-it-all, but I've seen it stated in that article and elsewhere that Hex V2.0 premiered on April 1, 2000, after the ride opened and was poorly received. I'm confident that this isn't the case. The park itself opened for the season on April 1st, and the 'reimagined' version arrived a few months later, unexpectedly, just before the summer.
 
Plastic Person said:
Love/hate to be a know-it-all, but I've seen it stated in that article and elsewhere that Hex V2.0 premiered on April 1, 2000, after the ride opened and was poorly received. I'm confident that this isn't the case. The park itself opened for the season on April 1st, and the 'reimagined' version arrived a few months later, unexpectedly, just before the summer.
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According to various documents and minutes of meetings at the time, the truth is somewhere between the two. Hex V2.0 was completed in September, following a short refit at the end of the Summer holidays.

However, by the time the ride opened at the start of the season, it had already had significant alterations, hence why the ride on opening day is sometime referred to as Hex as being V1.2. In the Towers Street Hex construction archive, we detail some of the variations between Hex V1 and V1.2.

In reality, it may well be that there were further iterations between April and September, as the park tried to make the most of the ride's original version, before the long term fix was ready.
 
I've always wanted to see the original version of Hex with the guide but can't always seem to find it unless anyone has footage of it?
 
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