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Hex

Hex has had minor upgrades during closed season which is blatently pointed out to us. Just above the arm of the swing a light up tube has started too work. New smoke effects have started too work properly. New porjector for the video. New audio speakers in the vault. Some effects that i have pointed out may of been there last season but im sure they wasn't.
:p
 
It is great to hear that Hex has had a bit of TLC. I have just put it on my list of got to ride, for my visit in the summer.

As for the CRT's, I am glad they are still there. They fit the theme of the ride perfectly, in a way flat screen cant.
 
I also noticed the multi coloured changing lights in the Vault itself on the far end of the room. Personally I think it looks out of place with it flashing red, green, blue and whatever else.
 
I agree with that. It would look better if it either just blended through the colours without flashing or flashed in a single colour. Having both flashing and colour changing seems a little excessive, and not consistent with the atmosphere of the ride.
 
It was flashing all different colours on Saturday during the whole ride, but didnt seem to do it so much on the Sunday. Does anyone know if that was there when the ride opened and has simply been fixed, or has it just been added this closed season? They should programe it into the ride more so that it turns off when the ride goes dark, etc.

Other than that the whole ride is a hundred times better, and the loud audio is great! The one minor thing at the moment is having to exit the ride by the fire door, in which you then walk straight past the big metal shed, this completely ruins the ride! I know you cant go through the towers at the moment because of the Sanctuary, but they should try and put a bigger fence or something along that main exit path to hide the green shed.
 
The multi coloured thing was functioning on Halloween but that's the first time I've seen it. I thought it looked OK.


-Sent from a mobile phone-
 
The colour light tube is new for feb, it doesn't seem linked in to the show lights but I really like it.
 
I didn't notice the strobe effect shooting down the tubes Sunday either? has this been removed to be replaced with the lights?
 
The strobe effect running down the tubes in the vault was working fine on Sat and Sun when I went on it. The new multi coloured tube is on that side of the vault but on top of the middle structure (no idea what to call it). Near the exit doors.
 
I'm going to go with complete guesswork and say that they're the same lights used in the bottom chamber of Sub Terra, possibly spares. They are linked with the show lighting system of the ride though as they turned on and off at appropriate moments.

It's just a nice little harmless addition really - no-one's going to be focussing on them so it just adds a bit of atmosphere :)

The pipes which now light up are the ones on the top of the unit as shown in this photo (photo credit to forum member (apparently) and all round sexy person Russell):

549155_10151952670255724_1806978069_n.jpg
 
Riding Hex was one of the things about the weekend just gone that I was really looking forward to, as I was keen to find out whether it was running any better than last year following the attention it's had over the closed season. On Sunday I was sat near to the apparatus at the end of the vault in the right front row. I could still hear a fair bit of creaking, and the clunking, knocking noises aren't entirely gone either.

I know the closed season work wasn't aimed at rectifying the drum-swing synchronisation issues, but it's still going completely pear-shaped right from the start of the ride sequence and taking ages to park at the end. It seems a bit ridiculous that Vekoma apparently don't know what's causing it, even after having supposedly changed a lot of the major mechanical components to no avail. Feng Ju Palace at Phantasialand was having similar issues when I rode that last April, so if I were a park owner running a madhouse I'd be wondering whether mine would eventually suffer the same issue. If it could happen to other installations they'd better get their heads around the issue before too long!

I'm not a fan of the new Magic Flashing Pipe of Wonder, as for me it slightly affects how believable the rest of the vault is. I'd imagine that for first time riders it used to look like the equipment wasn't operational, so it wasn't 100% guaranteed that it was going to do anything and the way it fired up was more dramatic. Now there's a pipe quickly changing through a wide range of colours as soon as you go in, so you'd know the machine's going to do something. I wouldn't mind so much if it smoothly changed from one colour to the next as John suggested; the immediate colour changes make it look more artificial and more obviously a light effect, and on the whole I think it looks a bit out of place.

I feel really bad for basically pulling apart the results of the work that the ride's had since last November, particularly as at that time I don't think anyone expected it to get any TLC whatsoever. The projector is now much better, and the sound system in the vault is fantastic. As others have said, the increased volume seems to have improved how a lot of guests respond to the experience no end. For me the biggest difference was in the chanting in the finale. I'd heard it before, but I hadn't noticed that it's being yelled compared to at the start of the sequence. All in all it's a definite improvement, but mechanically not quite to the extent that I'd hoped.

I have a question for those of you that have been riding Hex for years. The coil-bound vertical cylinder on the left of the machine has a small crown-esque arrangement on top (as you can see in the photo Mags has just conveniently posted). I think I've seen it either sparking or doing something that's meant to look like it's sparking in the past, but I keep wondering whether I've imagined it as if so it hasn't done it for ages. Am I wrong or is this a genuine but broken effect?
 
Not long come off hex, and I can say its the best experience of it I've witnessed.

Yes, it takes a while to park, but I think the general consensus is that there is a HUGE improvement on 2012.

The parking doesn't particularly bother me though because I think a minute to settle down is suitable anyway.

The audio quality and effects that now work transform the ride from great to outstanding. (Back to its original glory - almost)

So yeah, well done AT on that.

Just hearing the old hag's whispers towards the end of the cycle is something I can hardly remember.
 
It was on top form when I rode yesterday. There was a random smoke effect in the octagon that I or the people I was with had never seen before that was awesome and added to the atmohere greatly! Also, the smoke in the ride itself underneath the branch was so full on, looked great.

They've really done this ride justice with the updates/improvements this year, it's top work. So pleased with it :)

smudge said:
Just hearing the old hag's whispers towards the end of the cycle is something I can hardly remember.
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Yes. I had a smile from ear to ear when I heard this. It's great! ;D
 
That will be the smoke which comes down the stairs and settles with a layer on the ground, it's a very subtle effect that not many people pick up on. You can see it best when you are the one of the first people going into the Octagon.

Although it wasn't working for the majority of last season.

It surprises me how many people have never heard the witch chanting, it worked for probably the majority of last season! I guess it's just the improved sound system which may make it sound clearer.
 
The witch chanting was a big surprise to me too. It may of been that or the fact I was with people who hadn't been on the ride before and couldn't figure it out but that ride seemed much better than past rides. :D
 
Hex was one of the rides that i didn't think much too when i first started going to Alton Towers because i did not give me a buzz because there were no affects to go with ride and the story so it did not strike fear or give me a buzz.

But i visited Alton Towers on the 23/2/13 and i spotted some change to the ride like the the music on the ride was louder and the that there were smoke coming out from under the tree in the middle of the ride.

Overall i rate the ride 5 out of 10 for the way that the ride has been designed.
 
I have to say, I went on Hex yesterday for the first time in ages, and I was really impressed.

Sure, the drum has seen better days, but it's easy to forget just how compelling the story and atmosphere is throughout the ride - and when it all comes together it's pretty incredible.

:)
 
Hex is brilliant to go on with people who've never been on it before. It says something that even years after it was first built people I go with still think they're going or have been upside down. I don't think we'll see that with Sub Terra. Hex has the grand scale of a performance, it's so theatrical and over the top that it really suits Alton Towers. You only need to look at The Haunting at Drayton Manor to see what I mean!
 
Thomas said:
Hex is brilliant to go on with people who've never been on it before. It says something that even years after it was first built people I go with still think they're going or have been upside down. I don't think we'll see that with Sub Terra.
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Sub-Terra is a little bit different, but it's still one of those rides where you can really enjoy watching how other people react - only that it's out of fear, and not mystery this time :p
 
Jordan said:
Thomas said:
Hex is brilliant to go on with people who've never been on it before. It says something that even years after it was first built people I go with still think they're going or have been upside down. I don't think we'll see that with Sub Terra.
Click to expand...

Sub-Terra is a little bit different, but it's still one of those rides where you can really enjoy watching how other people react - only that it's out of fear, and not mystery this time :p
Click to expand...

I always love the reactions when the leg ticklers and back pokers come in. Even though I can't actually see anyone, just hearing people scream from surprise is always fun. ;)
 
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