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[The Smiler] Construction Updates / Ride Speculation Part 2 *SPOILER FREE*

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I think people are slightly exaggerating the 'enclosed' queue line SECTIONS here. It's only mesh fencing on the sides and roof, it's not like you're surrounded by black walls off death. It's only sections of the queue line and I guess you will only be stood under them for 10 minutes at a time. Oblivion and (TH13TEEN's Tesla coil section) have them at the end of the queues and I don't think they have killed anyone off yet.
 
Dave said:
Because people are raking for negatives, which it is but unfortunately expected really. There will be netting on the site too as its just to close to the track. Yesterday looking at the site I think the only real issue is going to be the queue but they where damned by space. Though it nights have been prudent to have looked at going up the hill a bit, though its a steep bank.
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You also have the lift hill space/evac issues then too, further down would impose on Oblivion's exit & the intertwined elements, which they clearly wanted to keep clean - plus it is in a pit.

I've critiqued things as we've gone, as indeed you have, but in this case to fit such a big coaster into a tiny space I just don't see what else they could have SAFELY and practically done.
 
siralgenon said:
Oblivion and (TH13TEEN's Tesla coil section) have them at the end of the queues and I don't think they have killed anyone off yet.
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Oblivion's bridges are part of a well designed queue, and the sloping bars are just as decorative as they are functional. Thirteen's preshow room is spacious enough. This queue, however, looks like it was designed in 10 minutes without any real thought.

It's just a plethora of parallel fences, all the same height, shoved in a pit. They left themselves no other option after boxing the whole ride in, suggesting to me that the queue layout was a total afterthought.

Now, I don't mind so much about the overhead mesh, since it forms a kind of snaking tunnel which could be interesting to walk through. ...But it's still one ofthe most oppressive queuelines I have ever seen.

My favourite part will be this:
984139_485126688224447_1201041765_n.jpg

Yum yum, backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards... what a great way to start the ride!

The fences also seem quite excessive. Look at Nemesis:
800px-Nemesis_Alton_Towers_021.png

This is a moment when the path goes right on the edge of the quarry, with just a chest-height metal fence. The exposure feels great. On the far right of the photo, you can see an even more precariously positioned path that's simply made of wood!

Now it seems they are trying their very best not to let you interact with the ride, hiding all the good views with as much fencing, netting and mesh as possible.

It isn't a problem for me, just another annoying missed opportunity. However, I know there are people who get serious claustrophobia in spaces larger than this. Even I feel a bit uncomfortable just looking at it.
 
I quite like arguing with Bill, just something that seems to come naturally.

In the case above though, they are some very good points he makes.
 
Ha! I love arguing too, but in reality I'm not as wound up as I sound.

When I'm actually in the queue I won't care as much because the anticipation of the ride would be too great, but it does seem obnoxious of them to design it so haphazardly. Even the layout they had planned on the original SW7 application looked rubbish.
 
Re: Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates / Ride Speculation Part 2 *SPOILER FREE*

CoasterCrazyChris said:
Marmaliser aside, this is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.

Did they get any creative consultants in at all during the design stages?!

Honestly that queue is absolutely criminal. On what planet is it acceptable to have paying guests caged inside metal boxes for several hours on end? None. Only at Merlin parks.

Almost everything I loved about the ride from the plans has evaporated.
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Ignoring the mountain, Expedition Everest is probably the poorest themed coaster at Walt Disney World.

Although the queue is concerning on The Smiler, yes.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Marmaliser aside, this is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.
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Monster aside, Nemesis is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.

Honestly, can't exactly make that kind of statement - the marmaliser is integral to the theme.
 
Its a queue line. I'm sorry but if you feel scared or uncomfortable, should you really be going on a 14 inverting coaster designed to mess with your mind?
As nasty as it may look, your not really going to mind when theres the monster wizzing above you. And if your in there forl two hours, its your fault! Dont join the queue.
 
Ignoring the main building, Saw is the most poorly themed coaster at Thorpe Park
 
Islander said:
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Marmaliser aside, this is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.
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Monster aside, Nemesis is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.
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Crypt aside, Th13teen is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.

Hole aside, Oblivion is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.

Rock aside, Air is without question the most poorly themed ride of any major coaster at Alton Towers aside from Rita.

Just wanted to stress the point...
 
Maya said:
Its a queue line. I'm sorry but if you feel scared or uncomfortable, should you really be going on a 14 inverting coaster designed to mess with your mind?
As nasty as it may look, your not really going to mind when theres the monster wizzing above you. And if your in there forl two hours, its your fault! Dont join the queue.
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A good ride should cater for everybody, even if they cannot get on it. Segregating people into those who don't care and those who do care is poor entertainment. The Smiler looks great from the sidelines, but all the surrounding fences show an attitude of "if you're not on the ride, it's not your business".

People shouldn't have to go through a seemingly dull, repetitive queue just to get on the ride. Nobody really wants to be standing in a queue for too long, but a well planned queue can be used to build up anticipation to great effect. The Smiler hasn't put any effort into doing that.

People certainly shouldn't have to consider avoiding the ride just because it requires getting through Cattlepen Hell first!

TedTheHuman said:
Ignoring the main building, Saw is the most poorly themed coaster at Thorpe Park
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It is with the building as well. :p
 
Some people are talking about this ride like it's supposed to fit within a beautiful national park. With beautiful rocks, waterfalls, trees, grass and animals....

You fail to see the theme is supposed to be the opposite. It's not supposed to look good, its supposed to look disguesting and creepy.

...And also im sure indoor queues in other attractions around the world have lower ceilings - what's the problem with a high ceiling made out of MESH?! It's not like you are going to run out of air.
 
I think people are somewhat using the 'theme' as an excuse for a bog standard, thoughtless, soulless queue line that lacks anything imaginative.

Personally I'll still happily queue for this ride. At the end of the day it's the biggest roller coaster this country has ever seen, so I will grace it with open arms.

However, much like electricBlll (his views on the last page pretty much sum up what I feel perfectly - couldn't have put it better myself!), it's not a problem for me as such - it's just a missed opportunity. I'm yet to see Merlin crack off an imaginative queue line.
 
James said:
I think people are somewhat using the 'theme' as an excuse for a bog standard, thoughtless, soulless queue line that lacks anything imaginative.

Personally I'll still happily queue for this ride. At the end of the day it's the biggest roller coaster this country has ever seen, so I will grace it with open arms.

However, much like electricBlll (his views on the last page pretty much sum up what I feel perfectly - couldn't have put it better myself!), it's not a problem for me as such - it's just a missed opportunity. I'm yet to see Merlin crack off an imaginative queue line.
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What queue lines in the world have an almost whole extremely compact coaster layout above them? I don't think i'm ever going to see another coaster that interacts with it's queue line as much as this one.
 
Just my tuppence on the matter of the queue;

Queue lines are a golden opportunity to create drama and anticipation. At the risk of sounding like I'm from the Thrill Laboratory, enzymes that create long-term memory are at their most effective during periods where you are emotionally excited/anxious/nervous. Most people can remember the build-up to events better than the actual events.

Merlin seem to treat queue lines as a bad thing; they only invest what they have to into them, when in reality, they should know that the queue is a time when guests need occupying, and they should be all too willing to play on the heightened sense of anticipation forming in guests' minds.

It's that kind of thinking that makes a good coaster a great one, in my opinion.
 
I have no problem with the mesh, as I said, it prevents queue jumping. However, the layout of Merlin's queue lines is nothing short of hellish. They alternate between dense cattle pens in the middle, and long stratches of queue wrapped round the outside, seemingly taking you ever further away from the station. Worse still, at Thorpe they seem to take a perverse pleasure in hiding half the queue behind the ride, so you can't see it till you get there.
Even Th13teen, which should have been a great opertunity to have a single path wind it's way through the woods, ended up being a cattle pen. A bendy cattlepen maybe, but still a case of "cram as much queue in to the smallest space possible".

But as far as the mesh goes, I'm all for it. I would gladly have "unjumpable" queue lines at the cost of being a bit cramped.
 
jrch123 said:
Some people are talking about this ride like it's supposed to fit within a beautiful national park. With beautiful rocks, waterfalls, trees, grass and animals....
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This may not be appropriate for The Smiler, but damn I'd freakin love to have this at any park!
 
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