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Oblivion
- Thread starter soundwave96
- Start date
CoasterCrazyChris
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
If you watch the Magic Factory you will see that originally it held the shuttles for 6/7 seconds before releasing them. In fact instead of comng to a dead stop, then holding you there before release it actually slowed down and crept towards the edge for those 7 seconds until you are released. The shuttles never used to come to a complete halt at the edge. If that makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8vo6cVrRI Skip to 1:35
Quite simply, the longer you are held the better the ride experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8vo6cVrRI Skip to 1:35
Quite simply, the longer you are held the better the ride experience.
BigAl
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Forbidden Journey
CoasterCrazyChris said:If you watch the Magic Factory you will see that originally it held the shuttles for 6/7 seconds before releasing them. In fact instead of comng to a dead stop, then holding you there before release it actually slowed down and crept towards the edge for those 7 seconds until you are released. The shuttles never used to come to a complete halt at the edge. If that makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8vo6cVrRI Skip to 1:35
Quite simply, the longer you are held the better the ride experience.
Ah, magic! I remember that.
Mi-Nigle
TS Member
CoasterCrazyChris said:If you watch the Magic Factory you will see that originally it held the shuttles for 6/7 seconds before releasing them. In fact instead of comng to a dead stop, then holding you there before release it actually slowed down and crept towards the edge for those 7 seconds until you are released. The shuttles never used to come to a complete halt at the edge. If that makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8vo6cVrRI Skip to 1:35
Quite simply, the longer you are held the better the ride experience.
I think that video has been slowed down. You can see the bloke (Wardley?) sat on the 7th seat along the bottom row count slowly 1...2...3... with his hand before it drops.
I'd much rather see TLC given to Oblivion than Nemesis. While there is a lot of cosmetic wear on Nemmy, the overall impact doesn't appear that huge because everything's themed to rust etc anyway. The fact that Oblivion is supposed to be the complete opposite makes damage look so much worse.
Oblivion is one of those rare rides that has such a well defined narrative that almost everyone who rode it in its glory days understands every element and was provided with a fantastic escapism experience. From intro, beginning, middle and end its story has such great power over our emotions and really drives the experience along from what is such a simple concept. I cant imagine a single person that has not been impressed, intimidated or at very least intrigued within walking around into X-sector and the revealing sight of Oblivion. Its look could have been sponsored by ronseal "It does exactly what it says on the tin!" it was sinister, cold and precision execution.
Enter the intro from the queue line design to the wonderful videos and music all of which combine to set up the experience perfectly. The music maybe defines a generation (slightly "junglist / techno / DnB") which it was aimed at and still to this day is personally one of my favourites as it has motion and flow just like the ride as well as being a fitting atmospheric piece for the theme. The videos and music combine so very well to enhance the experience for the rider and I feel at no point is not at least viewed as intimidating, creepy, strange and most of all fun! I dont think at any point does it become silly or patronizing as a hollywood piece would be. Who has not stopped on an empty queue day just to catch a piece of the videos and enjoy the soundtrack a little.
Beginning: The station design, car design and chain lift work so very well together to get the heart rate starting to rise beyond a comfortable level. The reclined and exposed seating position can be so unnerving to the non seasoned rider or first timer and certainly lets you know its something just a bit special. The true beginning of the narrative is for me the lift hill much steeper at the time than most were used to and taken at a clunking pace which is just agonizing. Maybe on an emotional level Oblivion contains the most painful lift hill opening experience of any ride. The amount of people you see with their eyes closed gripping the restraint handles so that their knuckles are truly white is brilliant. In fact the first time Mother DDF14 got dragged on Oblivion she gripped so hard her fingernails cut into her palms !!...
Middle: You crest the lift hill to be greeted with another slow painful section the "top turnaround" greeted with wonderful views and set at a height (governed by restrictions) that for the general public and average person scared of heights is just that bit uncomfortable. Once again painful in its pace this section teases what is about to come as you view cars ahead dropping into emptiness. Now the heart rate is way beyond comfortable and expressions of "Oh God!" "Oh No!" "I dont wanna do this anymore!" and other various colourful phrases are normally heard as we creep towards the finale. Pace is something very important to coasters but very rarely can you say it is perfect and especially this slow!
End: Held on a knife edge for a questionable amount of time we face our end, the end a drop into oblivion! No more is needed the story is complete. This rides story is so very well defined that for me it really stands out as benchmark for how true thrill rides should be designed, produced and executed.
As for the actual ride experience when it comes to G forces and feeling as a coaster It has since been matched and surpassed. Having been very lucky to have ridden Tower Of Terror at GRC http://rcdb.com/1481.htm I can say this is the very best of all the type of of rides and packs an insane pullout g force spike as well as being visually very attractive. However it does not have any narrative and atmosphere compared to Oblivion. No soundtrack and no set up / intro. It is just a coaster.
So after reading all of that I hope you can understand why I am such a supporter of the decline of X-sector and Oblivion as being a massive tragedy and an injustice to the young and old yet to experience this wonderful ride in all its former glory. Merlin are making a massive mistake if this is not rectified sooner rather than later. I do not just mean on an aesthetics level but this ride really should be a beacon for what ride story telling and design should be. Look at how Nemesis has seen in recent years more parks going down the route of terrain following / interacting coasters.
Merlin please give us our wonderful Oblivion back I want to one day take my child / children to enjoy what was breathtaking and as I approach 30 this has only made me more angry at the decline of certain areas of the Towers as a whole.
Enter the intro from the queue line design to the wonderful videos and music all of which combine to set up the experience perfectly. The music maybe defines a generation (slightly "junglist / techno / DnB") which it was aimed at and still to this day is personally one of my favourites as it has motion and flow just like the ride as well as being a fitting atmospheric piece for the theme. The videos and music combine so very well to enhance the experience for the rider and I feel at no point is not at least viewed as intimidating, creepy, strange and most of all fun! I dont think at any point does it become silly or patronizing as a hollywood piece would be. Who has not stopped on an empty queue day just to catch a piece of the videos and enjoy the soundtrack a little.
Beginning: The station design, car design and chain lift work so very well together to get the heart rate starting to rise beyond a comfortable level. The reclined and exposed seating position can be so unnerving to the non seasoned rider or first timer and certainly lets you know its something just a bit special. The true beginning of the narrative is for me the lift hill much steeper at the time than most were used to and taken at a clunking pace which is just agonizing. Maybe on an emotional level Oblivion contains the most painful lift hill opening experience of any ride. The amount of people you see with their eyes closed gripping the restraint handles so that their knuckles are truly white is brilliant. In fact the first time Mother DDF14 got dragged on Oblivion she gripped so hard her fingernails cut into her palms !!...
Middle: You crest the lift hill to be greeted with another slow painful section the "top turnaround" greeted with wonderful views and set at a height (governed by restrictions) that for the general public and average person scared of heights is just that bit uncomfortable. Once again painful in its pace this section teases what is about to come as you view cars ahead dropping into emptiness. Now the heart rate is way beyond comfortable and expressions of "Oh God!" "Oh No!" "I dont wanna do this anymore!" and other various colourful phrases are normally heard as we creep towards the finale. Pace is something very important to coasters but very rarely can you say it is perfect and especially this slow!
End: Held on a knife edge for a questionable amount of time we face our end, the end a drop into oblivion! No more is needed the story is complete. This rides story is so very well defined that for me it really stands out as benchmark for how true thrill rides should be designed, produced and executed.
As for the actual ride experience when it comes to G forces and feeling as a coaster It has since been matched and surpassed. Having been very lucky to have ridden Tower Of Terror at GRC http://rcdb.com/1481.htm I can say this is the very best of all the type of of rides and packs an insane pullout g force spike as well as being visually very attractive. However it does not have any narrative and atmosphere compared to Oblivion. No soundtrack and no set up / intro. It is just a coaster.
So after reading all of that I hope you can understand why I am such a supporter of the decline of X-sector and Oblivion as being a massive tragedy and an injustice to the young and old yet to experience this wonderful ride in all its former glory. Merlin are making a massive mistake if this is not rectified sooner rather than later. I do not just mean on an aesthetics level but this ride really should be a beacon for what ride story telling and design should be. Look at how Nemesis has seen in recent years more parks going down the route of terrain following / interacting coasters.
Merlin please give us our wonderful Oblivion back I want to one day take my child / children to enjoy what was breathtaking and as I approach 30 this has only made me more angry at the decline of certain areas of the Towers as a whole.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Blaze said:
No it should hold for 3 seconds for all shuttles, the video on the magic factory has been slowed down for Dramatic effect. There is also a clip on the magic factory during testing and it creeps down the drop chain (holding point) for ages but that was just during testing.
I have ridden Oblivion every year since it opened and it has never held for longer than 3 seconds (except maybe due to a fault).
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
Blaze said:
He didn't mean to reply to you I don't think - he was meant to reply to CoasterCrazyChris I would of thought:
CoasterCrazyChris said:If you watch the Magic Factory you will see that originally it held the shuttles for 6/7 seconds before releasing them. In fact instead of comng to a dead stop, then holding you there before release it actually slowed down and crept towards the edge for those 7 seconds until you are released. The shuttles never used to come to a complete halt at the edge. If that makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8vo6cVrRI Skip to 1:35
Quite simply, the longer you are held the better the ride experience.
As far as I know they hold for the same time, doesn't matter whether you are the first shuttle or the second.
alee298
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Colossus or Oblivion
I remember my first ride on oblivion.It is a shame as my dad said he rode it way back when it opened and he says it looked very itimidating, Now absoltely disgusting. He is also old enough to remeber the opening of nemesis and the corkscrew. To be honest, in the queue the theming has got cobwebs on, most of the screens dont work and the whole place needs referbishing. The track needs a re-paint but it probably never will, unless part of the SW7 budget is to repaint oblivion.
I love Oblivion. I mean, to ride it before, it was just a one-drop wonder to me and didn't rank highly on my rides at the park - often I used to go a whole weekend there without ever feeling arsed to trudge over to X-Sector in that arse-hole end of the park. But since working on it for two and a half years, I have a new kind of attachment. I know the ride very, very well now - and I am always glad now I was put on that team - despite Nemesis being the one I desperately wanted to work on - because I do think it's the best coaster there to work on. It's dramatic. I like that.
I was there just over a week ago, and it sounded so rattly. It is deteriorating and I really hate that they will not spend money on it.
You spend £12m on a big shiny new toy, and don't look after it properly. It's really sad.
I was there just over a week ago, and it sounded so rattly. It is deteriorating and I really hate that they will not spend money on it.
You spend £12m on a big shiny new toy, and don't look after it properly. It's really sad.
E
electricBlll
Yeah that Merlin guy gets everywhere doesn't he, hacking things off rides, increasing ticket prices, repainting Oblivion, etc...BigAl said:
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
I'm positive that the refurb of Oblivion is a massive step in the right direction for Merlin and Alton. I think that this has made them realise just how much things like a lick of paint can go towards improving the whole feel of a ride or area, and give it a whole new lease of life without the expense of retheming it all.
From what I understand Valley and Nemesis were meant to be getting similar treatment in 2012 to compliment Sub-Terra, but the money wouldn't stretch that far. For 2014 though I think it'd be great for them to go back to this and improve it all. The south side of the park seems to have gotten all the treatment this year. Fingers crossed for the other side next year!
But seeing Oblivion looking like new is going to be brilliant if you ask me.
From what I understand Valley and Nemesis were meant to be getting similar treatment in 2012 to compliment Sub-Terra, but the money wouldn't stretch that far. For 2014 though I think it'd be great for them to go back to this and improve it all. The south side of the park seems to have gotten all the treatment this year. Fingers crossed for the other side next year!
But seeing Oblivion looking like new is going to be brilliant if you ask me.
BigAl
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Forbidden Journey
I wrote it as Merlin simply because I don't know who's responsible for fixing things up. I'm not blaming a specific person or group within the company, just saying that they're responsible for keeping their attractions in good condition. Up until X-Sector's refurbishment for SW7, Merlin haven't been great with maintaining the aesthetics of their attractions. Hopefully things will be different after X-Sector.electricBlll said:
E
electricBlll
He he, I was just teasing in retrospect of the new repaint!BigAl said:
But yes, Merlin's name get bashed around way too much for anything bad that happens at the park (but I understand you were just using it for lack of a better term).
Alton Towers management and maintenance are well aware of everything wrong with the park. They have been wanting to repaint Oblivion for just as long as the fans have. It's just a question of finding an excuse to get the money... Merlin have looked after Oblvion quite well: Nick Varney personally ordered the reversal of the Fanta sponsorship in 2011 and they have now budgeted for the ride's thorough refurbishment. I doubt that would have ever been granted under DIC Tussaudes.
khalichanan
TS Member
BigAl said:
I know everyone moans when I harp on about it, but Warwick Castle looks superb. Yes, a little commercialised in places but really only around the entrance. It's in much better condition than if it had been left to grow dusty with National Trust/English Heritage.
I remarked last season that Oblivion was the only ride that still freaked me out, especially when I get close to it and even more so when I'm on the top. I can't wait to see it all beautiful again!