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Idea: should Oblivion be converted to a floorless B&M Dive Machine?

Do you think Oblivion should be converted to a floorless B&M Dive Machine?


  • Total voters
    67
I find that trying to coax my friends on Oblivion is already hard enough, the majority are far too scared to try the ride and would rather go on The smiler before trying Oblivion to try and decrease the scare factor ( What does this show us? ;) ). Making the ride floorless may increase the thrill/scare factor, but possibly scare a few people from the non-enthusiast group away. Not to mention the cost of converting the ride.
 
There is a coaster in X Sector that needs an offload platform, but it sure isn't Oblivion.
yeah, while a Smiler train is loading, the one behind it is partly in the station (the front cars are), so why don't they extend the station slightly, to fully fit two trains, and have and offload platform, or maybe even a double-load and offload system (like Oblivion)?
 
yeah, while a Smiler train is loading, the one behind it is partly in the station (the front cars are), so why don't they extend the station slightly, to fully fit two trains, and have and offload platform, or maybe even a double-load and offload system (like Oblivion)?

its kind've like the smiler was designed to have an offload platform but for whatever reason didn't get implemented.
 
Saw has 2! offload platforms, but the smiler looks like it would be easy to convert the hold before the station to an offload platform. [/offtopic]
 
yeah, while a Smiler train is loading, the one behind it is partly in the station (the front cars are), so why don't they extend the station slightly, to fully fit two trains, and have and offload platform, or maybe even a double-load and offload system (like Oblivion)?
2 trains can fit inside the station building as it is.
 
Still going to peddle my idea of turning the shuttles backwards and re-naming it 'Oblivious' :cool:
Big fan of this idea, backwards down that drop would be incredible. The closest I've experienced to it was backwards on the Intamin LSM shuttles and that's awesome.

Agree 100% about only needing 3 shuttles when single loading, I would say 5 is enough when double loading.
Makes much more sense to run an equal number of shuttles when using A&B stations.
 
Agree 100% about only needing 3 shuttles when single loading, I would say 5 is enough when double loading.
Why an even number?
Because they load and unload in pairs. Until about 2005 or so the PLC was programmed differently, so that two trains could occupy the lift at the same time. It's now pretty much impossible to run it with six shuttles without some serious stacking.

Although I love Oblivion, I do wonder about its long term future. It's easily seems to be the most 'meh' ride to many, it was built as a capacity machine, but that almost feels like it's all for nothing in 2016 (although I was highly appreciative of that when waiting for four hours on opening day 1998).
 
Not to carry over from the capacity thread, but I like that Oblivion is a reliable people eater when the other coasters average less. I also love that they managed to get such an incredible amount of people through it an hour back in the late nineties. Really testament to how popular the park was back then, as well as how ambitious it's designers were.
 
Really testament to how popular the park was back then, as well as how ambitious it's designers were.
Do you think it was more popular, or just that the collective capacity of the coasters was far lower, I suspect the latter but don't have historic attendance figures to hand.
 
Do you think it was more popular, or just that the collective capacity of the coasters was far lower, I suspect the latter but don't have historic attendance figures to hand.

I believe 1995 was the all time record, but the park was definitely getting larger attendance in 1998 than now. Well, especially now. However, I'm sure people spend much more these days. Of course, the collective capacity was lower, too.
 
Although I love Oblivion, I do wonder about its long term future. It's easily seems to be the most 'meh' ride to many, it was built as a capacity machine, but that almost feels like it's all for nothing in 2016 (although I was highly appreciative of that when waiting for four hours on opening day 1998).

Around the time SAW opened was the point when it started to look outmoded.

Then they went and built a euro-fighter with a taller high point, almost as steep a drop and attached to a coaster with 14 inversions - not only in the same park but right opposite!

Oblivion was designed to preside over and dominate that area of the park and be the focal point for X-Sector, the effect is largely ruined when it's competing with an even bigger ride with a brasher theme in the same space.

It is still however a relatively state-of-the-art ride, a throughput monster and occupying a space that doesn't have much potential for anything better. Sadly however I believe it is looking jaded now and becoming increasing irrelevant with the GP. The theme in particular has not been maintained properly and looks very shabby.

This time last year I would have said a floor-less upgrade would never ever happen, but after the VR upgrade to Air this year and that nonsense with The Swarm nothing would surprise. We know there is no gimmicky upgrade to a ride that Merlin wouldn't do to get people through the gates in pursuit of profit.
 
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