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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

One interesting thing to note from the plans is that a different layout (here highlighted in purple) was originally considered:
Project-Exodus-Original-Layout.png

Interesting... could this be where the B&M Hyper rumour came from? Because that certainly looks like a B&M Hyper if I ever saw one...
 
"underused section of the resort" well, yes it would be - they closed both major rides in that part of the park (all 3 if you also count the train).

B&M hyper or not I'd rather have had the out and back one, looks a much more substantial ride.
 
On a more general note, though; good to finally have this locked into a full planning application!

I've got to say, I have personally warmed to this coaster a fair amount since it was first unveiled. I was initially a bit skeptical, as I'll admit that I was a big advocate for a more airtime-focused ride during the rumour stage (you'd have heard "B&M Hyper" come out of my mouth a lot...), but having let the layout sink in a bit, I actually think it's an excellent-looking layout with some really great-looking elements, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to riding! Some particular highlights of mine include the drop and the overbank into an inversion, but to be honest, most of the elements look really fun! Yes, this probably won't win any awards for the most airtime on earth or anything (while I'm sure Exodus will have some airtime, and some quite strong airtime at that, it doesn't look to have an overtly airtime-focused layout; I think the airtime will be more sprinkled in there as a side dish alongside other types of forces as opposed to being the main focus of the ride like some were perhaps hoping for), but it looks like a really fun, unique layout in my opinion, and certainly a phenomenal use of the space and Merlin's limited budget given the presumed brief (tall with lots of high elements)!

Bring on 2024; I can't wait to ride Exodus!
 
Alsty said:
And I guess if it's not as popular as they hope they can always put some spinning seats on the back row and charge people £15.
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I know you are joking but whats the likelihood they have a spinning car or train? To me it seems like something Merlin would like, especially as they could charge for it.
 
JAperson said:
I know you are joking but whats the likelihood they have a spinning car or train? To me it seems like something Merlin would like, especially as they could charge for it.
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I don't think they'll have one from the get go; the application states 10 rows of 2, whereas it would have to be odd-numbered with a HybridTrain (what Icon/Enso and Steel Taipan use) as the spinning row takes up the same amount of space as 2 regular rows.

However, they could do it in the future if they wanted. And based on Brave it Backwards on Swarm being free, I don't think they'd charge for it either.
 
Matt N said:
I don't think they'll have one from the get go; the application states 10 rows of 2, whereas it would have to be odd-numbered with a HybridTrain (what Icon/Enso and Steel Taipan use) as the spinning row takes up the same amount of space as 2 regular rows.

However, they could do it in the future if they wanted. And based on Brave it Backwards on Swarm being free, I don't think they'd charge for it either.
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I suppose it depends if it’s a flop or not. Brave it backwards was introduced because swarm flopped and they needed. Another marketing point. But I think they’d charge for it
 
Matt N said:
On a more general note, though; good to finally have this locked into a full planning application!

I've got to say, I have personally warmed to this coaster a fair amount since it was first unveiled. I was initially a bit skeptical, as I'll admit that I was a big advocate for a more airtime-focused ride during the rumour stage (you'd have heard "B&M Hyper" come out of my mouth a lot...), but having let the layout sink in a bit, I actually think it's an excellent-looking layout with some really great-looking elements, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to riding! Some particular highlights of mine include the drop and the overbank into an inversion, but to be honest, most of the elements look really fun! Yes, this probably won't win any awards for the most airtime on earth or anything (while I'm sure Exodus will have some airtime, and some quite strong airtime at that, it doesn't look to have an overtly airtime-focused layout; I think the airtime will be more sprinkled in there as a side dish alongside other types of forces as opposed to being the main focus of the ride like some were perhaps hoping for), but it looks like a really fun, unique layout in my opinion, and certainly a phenomenal use of the space and Merlin's limited budget given the presumed brief (tall with lots of high elements)!

Bring on 2024; I can't wait to ride Exodus!
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Matt, you're so polite and optimistic that I'm sure if Putin came round for tea you'd warm to him.

I wouldn't call this a "phenomal" use of budget or space. Sure, the layout we think it may end up with does look rather good but then there's hardly any of it! They could have had a far more substantial coaster if they'd bothered and there's tonnes of unused space there (as the original out and back plan you highlighted showed). They're clearly going for the height record for bragging rights only and then completely wasting it on an incredibly short coaster. Could this also break another record of being the shortest hyper coaster in the world I wonder? This reminds me of one of those meals you order from a posh restaurant where a pathic slither of fillet steak comes out sat in the middle of a massive plate.

At least a posh restaurant bothers to drizzle some sort of sauce around the edges to tart it up a bit. It looks like Brake Run: The Ride is relying on a lake and some trees as theming.
 
AT86 said:
The section referencing the theming seems like a very corporate way of saying there won't be any.

Screenshot_20220314-181614~2.png
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Wow, there is a Merlin statement if I ever saw one. Is the ride going to have theming? Yes, the track and supports are theming. Lovely!
Alsty said:
I still don't get why you'd go so high and then make the layout so short... unless your sole aim is to say "the UKs tallest ride". The whole thing just lacks ambition.
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I completley agree, but I guess the answer is simply cost. Merlin not prepared to increase the budget to have a more substantial layout.
 
pluk said:
Its 'gimmick', or USP, is being the tallest coaster in the UK. A very legitimate marketing point that will negate the need for actual gimmicks.
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Or indeed a substantial layout.

Rob said:
Wow, there is a Merlin statement if I ever saw one. Is the ride going to have theming? Yes, the track and supports are theming. Lovely!
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If it worked for Nemesis.


It's more disappointing if the alternative out and back layout is true. The UK is missing an airtime machine and even if they'd just copied that Flash Hypercoaster layout that would've at least combined elements into something more.
 
Rob said:
Wow, there is a Merlin statement if I ever saw one. Is the ride going to have theming? Yes, the track and supports are theming. Lovely!

I completley agree, but I guess the answer is simply cost. Merlin not prepared to increase the budget to have a more substantial layout.
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And why should they the last two major investments at Thorpe have failed, as have the last few mid range investments
 
Not sure how much you can/should theme a rollercoaster in this country to be honest given the lower budgets. Thirteen and Saw are probably the only success stories since Nemesis in the U.K in that regard. Smiler’s theme for example is pointless in terms of adding appeal short term or long term, as would anything be on this at Thorpe. “UK’s tallest” does far more than any theme likely ever could.
 
Quite a few parks in Europe with lower budgets can create far superior themed rollercoasters and rides with a percentage of the Merlin budgets.

If they put in more effort (and Merlin Studios stopped charging stupid amounts for things) then we too could get high quality themed attractions. There's promise but no desire to go all out on things to really bring things together in one big package.
 
When comparing the alternative layout to the proposed one I think it's very telling of the type of ride Thorpe Park is after.

The alternative is a very standard, fairly short, hypercoaster. In any other country it probably would have been underwhelming. But the UK lacks any real airtime machines, so it would have actually complimented Thorpe Parks existing line-up quite nicely.
I imagine it would have been well received by enthusiasts.

The planned layout is more of a showstopper. Unique to any other ride but ironically offering fairly similar experiences (if more extreme) to Thorpe Parks existing line-up.

Watching videos I'm far more interested in seeing the ride we will be getting. And I think that's what Thorpe Park are relying on to bring in the crowds.
 
For anyone who might be interested, recreations of both the Exodus we’re getting and B&M’s bid have been made by Jamie Rogers:


Perhaps controversially; having recently ridden Silver Star and had my love for the B&M Hyper ride type confirmed, I think I prefer the look of the B&M proposal to the ride we’re getting based on those recreations.

To me, it looks to have far more of an overt airtime focus than the Exodus we’re getting (while I’m sure Exodus will have airtime, don’t get me wrong, and quite strong airtime at that, I’d be hesitant to call it an overtly airtime-centred layout based on what we know), which would have fitted the UK beautifully, in my view (particularly seeing as the country lacks sustained airtime like B&M Hypers offer far more than it lacks brief airtime, in my view).

I also feel that the B&M proposal would have filled more of a gap within Thorpe Park’s lineup; a non-inverting, rerideable thrill coaster in the vein of a B&M Hyper Coaster is something that Thorpe and arguably the UK industry as a whole lacks at present, and Thorpe has no non-inverting thrill coaster aside from Stealth, whereas Exodus, as brilliant as it looks, will ultimately be another variation on a sit-down looping coaster. Granted, I’d imagine it’ll be quite a different variation on this paradigm to Thorpe’s other rides, but it will be a sit-down looping coaster with its elements almost predominantly consisting of inversions, like many of Thorpe’s other rides, all the same.

I apologise if this makes me come across as “bitter that my prediction was wrong” or whatever, and I don’t want to imply that I’m not grateful for the ride we’re getting or don’t think it looks great (I think Exodus has an awesome-looking layout, and it’s certainly very unique!), but having now seen this alternative proposal, I do personally think it looks more my cup of tea than the Exodus being built. When I came off Silver Star last week, I’ll admit I did think “wouldn’t it have been great if Thorpe was getting something like this?” (although as I said above, that’s not to say that the Exodus we’re getting doesn’t look great; I’m very excited for it!), and I actually think the proposed B&M Hyper layout looks pretty neat, myself!
 
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