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The Dark Forest

AirFAN

AirFAN

TS Member
Having been to Alton Towers years ago and thinking this area was pretty much a farce, I can't help but feel my recent visit has changed my opinion. The areas landscaping really makes it look very nice indeed - it's looking less 'temporary' than it has done in recent years. I especially like the area after walking under Ritas launch, it has a calming feel to it. I can't help but feel Alton Towers should do more to enhance the area with added theming/seating etc. as though it is nice, looks a little bare.

One thing I don't much care for is the position of the queue lines, it seems rather poorly planned although can understand there's not much else they could have done with it - gives the impression of a corridor of queues.

One thing I'd like to do is to change the colour of the bricks in the paths to something darker - possibly black.
 
If anything, I think it looks more temporary with the scaffold tunnel sitting under the whole of Rita...
 
The Dark Forest really annoys me, it was such a lazy retheme beyond belief.

Rita was the only thing that had to remain during the retheme.

Ideally they should have ripped out Ritas cattle pen, built a nice new queue line for Rita - perhaps it wouldnt have needed to under the launch track too!
I think it should have used a similar, expanded area and start where the current games unit is, so you met the entry as soon as you came into the area.

Thirteen
Its a coaster themed to the woods, built next to the woods, so surely its a no brainer to have a queue line through the woods? Ah it appears not.
Due to the lazyness of leaving Ritas queue in place, Thirteens became another cramped cattle pen. It should have been a sprawling exploration of the woods - also have you seen the concept art with uprooted trees creating theming elements on the line? That should have been done too. I like where the current entrance is though.

Retail Outlets

The ug land stone theming was removed and just painted grey.
Poor poor effort. Nothing says creepy forest like a perfect line of shops and food outlets in a row.

They should have reduced the numbers and spread them around the area more, theming them to explorer type tents or crumbling extensions of the 13 crypt.

If the queues hadnt been crammed into one corner and the retail, F&B, units left there would be a much more open space left to allow these new kiosk type units to be installed and not disrupt the foot flow.


Theming Overall
Forest? Really - apart from 13s early queue and on ride the forest theme is not pushed at all, there should have been some serious planting to pull off the whole evil forest concept - ivy growing over units, paths lined with trees, and branches kept just above head hight to create a canopy to make it seem enclosed and tight - and then perhaps it wouldnt be as light either. As in a dark forest? No.

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Clearly, just 2 cattle pans and grey paint make a dark forest. /rant
 
In my opinion Dark Forest is the most poorly themed and poorly executed area of the park. It was a very cheap rehash of the previous Ug Land theme with the addition of a random shipping container and corrugated huts with fake vines (which are now falling apart).

The only decent theming is the crypt, which is quite hidden away behind Rita so really doesn't have much of an impact. The side of the crypt covered in scaffolding genuinely looks imcomplete. I can't count the amount of times I've been with non-enthusiast friends who have asked why its not finished.

The cattle pen queue lines are horrendous. I remember really looking forward to Dark Forest as I'd hoped Rita's queue would have been sorted out and the area it occupies being utilised as the main plaza. This would work so well and would not make it feel like the two seperate areas it is now with the strip along the food and retail units and then the area around the ride entrances. I couldn't have been anymore wrong.

The area is terribly themed and not forest-like at all. Even if they had re-used the old Ug Land tree which was lying about for ages and used it as an extra bit of theming I'd have been more impressed.

Don't get me started on the Rita tunnel. They need to create a themed tunnel, perhaps some fake rock work or a hollowed out tree trunk. It would add some theme and give Rita something a bit more.

The area just doesn't make sense and needs to be rethought out as more of a general forest theme to communicate it better to guests. But it will never happen.
 
Dark Forest ha ha ha ha ha - ride around Thirteen and you realise there are hardly any trees there!!
 
I have said in the past over Rita's scaffold tunnel. They should at a minimum put covers over the scaffold pipes to make them look tree like. Just think you could have to walk though a low canopy of the trees to get to Thirteen, if themed correctly.

The plus side is it will look like Rita is shooting across the tree tops, give it the story of a fast escape from the dark forest with appropriate theming. then i think the area could start looking a single themed area, and not a mix of dark gothic, hotrod and builderland.
 
The scaffolding is meant to be temporary, they had installed a solution and the origional Scaffolding removed but H&S was not happy.

Mu bigger issue with Dark Forest is how much of Ug-Land has returned. For an area only 3 years old it looks terrible.
 
Very true Dave, but if they are stuck with it due to a overzealous H&S Officer then they should at least attempted to themed it a bit.

thinking about it, when the scaffolding is removed. they should theme Rita's launch track supports as trees and put fascia theming of a tree canopy to make it look like it should be in DF.
 
Instead of installing scaffolding around dark forest. Get installing that meshing on The Smiler so we can ride it!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
I have a feeling that Towers will do something with the Dark Forest over closed season so they can get rid of the tunnel.

Maybe some repainting and repairing, as well as a new tunnel which is themed.
 
Yes I agree with the general consensus over the theming. As it's peak UG Land was excellent, a proper theme park area in my opinion. Th13teen is a nicely themed ride but Rita was lazily rethemed, well same theme really with a few vines and blurry paint!
 
To me, Rita sticks out like a sore thumb. Never mind all the old Ug-land theming still peaking through, Rita's red track doesn't fit the area to me, unless they painted the track green (unlikely considering Merlin paint their coaster black) then it might help the area a bit more. Or simply get rid of it and instead build a small compact MACK launch coaster and start work on Dark Forest MK.2.

The area has all the ingredients to be a great area, just Merlin have to revisit the area again...probably not with them though. :/
 
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