joelpagett
TS Member
I understand that this is the MOJ new experiment and meant to be more streamlined etc but the uniforms look like they were borrowed from Nickelodeon Outta Control!
-
ℹ️ Heads up...
This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.
[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation
- Thread starter Wilsy
- Start date
- Status
James
TS Founding Member
Uniform looks good. Not sure about the stripes though. Looks a bit too (as illustrated above) Ronald McDonald for my liking.
The glasses look odd too. I really cannot see staff wearing those glasses all season!
Looks nice anyway. Good to see themed uniforms are continuing to stay! Lets just hope we don't get a repeat of the past and see the themed uniforms disappear over time.
The glasses look odd too. I really cannot see staff wearing those glasses all season!
Looks nice anyway. Good to see themed uniforms are continuing to stay! Lets just hope we don't get a repeat of the past and see the themed uniforms disappear over time.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
Oh dear. Just as I was on a nice streak of only having good things to say about this ride, Merlin have to go and drag me back to form.
I'm not going to say what I want to because it will just cause certain people to jump on me. I'll just say this:
WHY THEY HELL AREN'T THEY IN WHITE COATS?!? The staff should be the doctors, not the inmates!
I really feel sorry for the poor sods who will have to wear this.
I'm not going to say what I want to because it will just cause certain people to jump on me. I'll just say this:
WHY THEY HELL AREN'T THEY IN WHITE COATS?!? The staff should be the doctors, not the inmates!
I really feel sorry for the poor sods who will have to wear this.
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
BigAl said:Hmmmm...Dan said:Alton Towers Guide have just posted a picture of the Smiler uniform
Sort of...
If you ask me that's a good thing! That clown is the scariest creation known to man! For years he tortured my childhood
I love the uniforms personally. It's a positive step towards an overall complete themed experience. With Alton seeming to do it on more rides these days I'd love to see them consider rolling out themed uniforms to more of the older rides.
Something like beige cargo shorts/trousers (Depending on the weather) and shirts for Katanga Canyon staff, and the old style black fleeces with the logo on them for Oblivion. Oh, and forensic style overalls on Duel (Though I'd kill to see the old burgundy blazers working in there again
). It'd be a great move for the park to complete the experience. If they wanted to make it easier then standardised uniforms for areas could work well. I.E. All non-Smiler staff share a design in X-Sector, all non-Sub-Terra staff share a design in Forbidden Valley. It'd allow them to do it while letting the staff continue to switch between rides. They needn't be anything as lavish as we've seen for Smiler and Sub-Terra. Just something to make each area unique. Things like, add Hex style hi-vis' to Dark Forest staff.Back on topic though! The Smiler's ones are looking brilliant! Very befitting to MoJ, and a hint of that tongue-in-cheek humour the park is known for
Dave
TS Founding Member
DiogoJ42 said:
Because The Smiler IS NOT "The Sanctuary: The Ride". The Smiler is meant to have moved away from the medical/ mutilating methods of The Sanctuary to a modern take on Marmalisation.
The uniforms are on the whole a very similar style of cut to the old Oblivion uniform in yellow just with shorter legs and the striped socks and glove things.
Its X-Sector with a twist.... which is what the whole of The Smiler project seems to have been all along.
If people are expecting The Sanctuary: The ride in May they wont like The Smiler.
As for the body-warmer i imagine H&S look down on Towers freezing their staff to death!
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
Dave said:
I had 4 goes round The Sanctuary on Saturday, and listened very, very carefully to all the audio and stories around.
You are categorically wrong. No ifs, no buts, wrong.
The Sanctuary has been re-opened, and they reference The Smiler all the way through it, the methods are still being used, and they link them directly to The Smiler all the way through the maze, on the pre-show presentations everything.
They all still have an extremely strong theme, story, and those uniforms don't match it. The Sanctuary would not develop that ride, and they do not link.
You just cannot say it is not The Sanctuary ride when it is supposed to be the latest development in the technology based around their methods and is referenced and tied tightly to the story.
I took that into account earlier, and visited having put all those ideas away and enjoying it for what it is - however, the story was then so overwhelmingly obvious no one can say they are divided by decades or not linked etc.
I kept quiet on it, whilst everyone else who didn't believe it gave me a load of itchy beef about it, now though it is clearly an absolute load of tosh! They ARE extremely closely linked!
I still like the look and idea of the ride, but no one can tell me now that the themes have any decent continuity. That's a nonsense.
The theme, essence, scene, they are world's apart. The uniforms, and once again, the rides theme, makes zero sense again. Just quit saying they aren't linked, as their own videos and story contradict it and as I say, make so unbelievably obvious that I am actually quite annoyed I backed down on my opinions.
Dave
TS Founding Member
from the pre-batching video...
"You will find that modernisation is not apparent in The Sanctuary.... This is to allow us to assess where our processes previously went wrong before launching our new project in 2013"
The Sanctuary was a failed experiment that they are re-running to see where it went wrong so their new technique isn't affected. The Sanctuary is a prequel to The Smiler which is actually only mentioned ONCE in the maze.
"You will find that modernisation is not apparent in The Sanctuary.... This is to allow us to assess where our processes previously went wrong before launching our new project in 2013"
The Sanctuary was a failed experiment that they are re-running to see where it went wrong so their new technique isn't affected. The Sanctuary is a prequel to The Smiler which is actually only mentioned ONCE in the maze.
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
Dave said:
No but they still operate it in exactly the same way. And it is supposed to be a modernisation of existing methods, that does not mean suddenly wearing clown uniforms and giant car wash brushes, after being so sinister etc.
I don't want to get into this debate again, I just wish people would recognise this is off theme for The Sanctuary and makes no sense now.
I accepted them, as two polar opposites of the same scale if that makes sense, now I am annoyed though as they have gone to that much effort to actually link the two I can't even do that!
It's a nonsense and a wasted chance, their uniforms, argh, everything about it being linked annoys me, their is no continuity between themes at all.
Did I stand in awe of the ride though? Oh yes!! And did I enjoy The Sanctuary way more than my single run through last year, indeed! By quite a margin in fact.
Two incredible attractions, the two best by the looks of things in many, many a year - to utterly cock up linking the two together is a real face palm moment for me - and a shame.
EDIT:
And even though I am usually all about giving the GP more credit, in this case, I don't think anyone will give a crap even if they do notice. I'll tell you one thing though, there were people going into The Sanctuary maze, expecting something along the theme of The Smiler... they got a shock...
Self evident, as they say...
Dave
TS Founding Member
Its a face-palm moment for you but for me it looks like a twisted x-sector style uniform that fits with the theme of the ride and the ride fits in with the theme of the maze if you factor in the ONLY scene in the maze which is meant to link into the ride and thats The Marmalisation scene (the bit with the TV screens).
Marmalisation is the linking factor of the two attractions, the Smiler takes a dystopian horror angle as the people behind the process go completely loopy, The Smiler is meant to be almost industrial Marmalisation on a mass-production scale as far as i can see.
And the GP wont even link the two together really so its all a but mute.
Look at the cut of the uniform its almost identical to the old Oblivion actor uniform but bright yellow, the rides colour with some quirky features.
Marmalisation is the linking factor of the two attractions, the Smiler takes a dystopian horror angle as the people behind the process go completely loopy, The Smiler is meant to be almost industrial Marmalisation on a mass-production scale as far as i can see.
And the GP wont even link the two together really so its all a but mute.
Blaze said:
Look at the cut of the uniform its almost identical to the old Oblivion actor uniform but bright yellow, the rides colour with some quirky features.
BigAl
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Forbidden Journey
These new costumes look like a cross between a clown and a Nemesis Sub Terra op with dentist goggles thrown in. Not sure if I like it, tbh. And I agree that the white coat / doctor costume idea wouldn't work either. I'm not really that sure what would really.
Anyone remember these security guards patrolling the X-Sector perimeter whilst it was all being constructed many years back? Fast forward to 5:00 minutes in to see it. Then it's visible again on the actor being interviewed between 6:40 and 8:00 minutes in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSaOO7fhO9A#
Obviously I'm not suggesting they get a black and yellow version of that, but an updated costume which pays homage to that might have been a little less... well... whatever that current thing is!
The aim of these guys isn't to intimidate and control guests by looking mean and showing no emotion like those old 90's actors (which now, looking at the video again look like their wearing and using more sophisticated gear than these modern operatives ). Their aim is to make guests smile through twisted methods. But why does the costume need to look like that? It looks cheap and not at all like it belongs to a secretive organisation trying to control everyone. Sure, make them different to other uniforms we've seen and let them show some of the Smiler's identity, but don't make them look so ridiculous as that!
The style needs to be edging more towards sinister and sleek with some of Smiler's quirky elements showing through, not just be at the stupid, cheap and tacky end of the spectrum. I get it, it's a theme park and it's going to exaggerate, but have they totally forgotten what 'being subtle' means?
Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what these actors / ops should be wearing, but I'm positive they could have created something a little nicer and more inspired than that!
Hmm... maybe I'm expecting too much? :/
Anyone remember these security guards patrolling the X-Sector perimeter whilst it was all being constructed many years back? Fast forward to 5:00 minutes in to see it. Then it's visible again on the actor being interviewed between 6:40 and 8:00 minutes in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSaOO7fhO9A#
Obviously I'm not suggesting they get a black and yellow version of that, but an updated costume which pays homage to that might have been a little less... well... whatever that current thing is!
The aim of these guys isn't to intimidate and control guests by looking mean and showing no emotion like those old 90's actors (which now, looking at the video again look like their wearing and using more sophisticated gear than these modern operatives
). Their aim is to make guests smile through twisted methods. But why does the costume need to look like that? It looks cheap and not at all like it belongs to a secretive organisation trying to control everyone. Sure, make them different to other uniforms we've seen and let them show some of the Smiler's identity, but don't make them look so ridiculous as that!The style needs to be edging more towards sinister and sleek with some of Smiler's quirky elements showing through, not just be at the stupid, cheap and tacky end of the spectrum. I get it, it's a theme park and it's going to exaggerate, but have they totally forgotten what 'being subtle' means?
Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what these actors / ops should be wearing, but I'm positive they could have created something a little nicer and more inspired than that!
Hmm... maybe I'm expecting too much? :/
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
Ben said:I have no idea where they got inspiration from....
Is that Astro? If so it really is turning into Astro Towers!!
His take over is nearing conclusion.
Blaze said:
A twist of "that doesn't make any sense but we'll keep smashing at it till the theme fits in our brains".
It doesn't.
To be clear, again, I love the theme on it's own, the ride, the quirkiness, everything - but it is once again NOT X-Sector, and NOT The Sanctuary.
Arggghh!! And what they could have done with this makes me border on actually angry - 18 MILLION pounds and the chance to create a dual attraction, with continuity, incredible theme, a phenomenal coaster and possibly the most psychologically intense ride on the planet.
AND THEY DRESS THEM LIKE RONALD McDONALD AND ADD CAR WASH BRUSHES!!
Where is BigAl? - Come on lad, it's not too late, I am going to smuggle you in - destroy the plans, and get some new ones in QUICK!
EDIT:
Oh, even Al is all out of ideas on how to get these things to fit now.
I still maintain the public will love it.
- Status