-
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.
Thorpe Park: General Discussion
- Thread starter Ted
- Start date
Re: Thorpe Park
It's no secret that I absolutely adore X:\, it's one of my favourite rides at Thorpe purely for its utter crapness and the park's total inability to leave it alone for an entire season without changing something... I love it love it love it and if it is indeed being moved forward (because the vomit's suddenly more of a problem after so many years of operation?!) I'll be very sad indeed at not having ridden it for ages.
It's an awesome collision of thousands of half-arsed ideas, all of which lasted about 10 minutes and were not quite gotten rid of... It gets a whole new op cabin built in order to remove the off-load host's job and then that panel and host appear the following season; the baggage hold is constantly swapping between the old and new one... It's brilliant!
It's no secret that I absolutely adore X:\, it's one of my favourite rides at Thorpe purely for its utter crapness and the park's total inability to leave it alone for an entire season without changing something... I love it love it love it and if it is indeed being moved forward (because the vomit's suddenly more of a problem after so many years of operation?!) I'll be very sad indeed at not having ridden it for ages.
It's an awesome collision of thousands of half-arsed ideas, all of which lasted about 10 minutes and were not quite gotten rid of... It gets a whole new op cabin built in order to remove the off-load host's job and then that panel and host appear the following season; the baggage hold is constantly swapping between the old and new one... It's brilliant!
djtruefitt
TS Team
Re: Thorpe Park
It is one of the only rides where I do feel slightly sick on it, its just a very strange and odd ride. Everything about it, the queue line, station, ride, backwards/forwards bit, exit line, everything. And like James I find it strange how you can ride it one week then the next week and something will have changed, wherever its the lighting or bits of themeing.
If its ture and it does turn to face forwards, the break sections where you roll will probably make more sense, as you will be rolling backwards, rather than forwards, which will probably make it feel slightly more nerveracking.
I hope if they do class this as the new for 2013 ride, they completly rename it, change its style and give it a whole new look, otherwise people just wont bother with it as its a pretty crap ride that I dont think really is that popular with the general public.
It is one of the only rides where I do feel slightly sick on it, its just a very strange and odd ride. Everything about it, the queue line, station, ride, backwards/forwards bit, exit line, everything. And like James I find it strange how you can ride it one week then the next week and something will have changed, wherever its the lighting or bits of themeing.
If its ture and it does turn to face forwards, the break sections where you roll will probably make more sense, as you will be rolling backwards, rather than forwards, which will probably make it feel slightly more nerveracking.
I hope if they do class this as the new for 2013 ride, they completly rename it, change its style and give it a whole new look, otherwise people just wont bother with it as its a pretty crap ride that I dont think really is that popular with the general public.
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
Re: Thorpe Park
I'll be sad to see X:\ change if it does. I have a real soft spot for that ride. The theme is another perfect example of an awesome concept poorly executed. It's a great idea on paper when it's coherently explained, but due to a lack of budget and love the ride just completely fails to convey it.
The idea that you're trapped inside a computer virus is so unique. I've never heard of anything like it before. The coaster itself is even meant to try and put the theme forward. That MCBR where the train rolls back and forth is supposed to be a battle between the computer and the virus. When the train used to roll forward a computer generated voice would say something along the lines of "Manual control", which was meant to be the virus manually controlling the train, trying to draw you all in. Then, when going backwards the voice would say "Automatic control", which is supposed to be the computer trying to pull you away from the virus to safety. The fight then goes on, getting more and more furious, until the computer triumphs and launches you away.
I don't see why they are even considering turning the trains back around though. Wasn't it turned backwards in the first place because the ride was considered too boring forwards?! I've never understood why the ride apparently makes people so sick though. Is it really that much of an issue? I always thought it seemed incredibly over-dramacised by the park.
All the ride needs is some love and a bit of creative input from someone who cares enough to make it last and see the concept through from start to end. £2M or so could make a massive difference to the ride if Thorpe are willing to spend it on it one year. They could easily re-market it in a style Alton did with Duel. "X[sub]2[/sub]:\Second Attack" or something.
Add some monitors to the queueline like it once had, showing a video in the same style as the Sub-Terra queue ones, with a fancy logo and some futuristic Matrix esque file browser bringing up information with a computerised voice-over. You could do it Oblivion style, with a progressive video storyline, in which the videos get darker as the virus outbreak worsens. Something like if it had green Matrix style background on the videos this turns to red. Logos are replaced with sinister counterparts. The voice becomes much deeper and malicious. They could even have the lighting changing as riders get closer to the station, with greens and blues and the entrance, which eventually turn to reds as the queueline progresses. Add some windows like Ben 10 has, containing circuitry and alike, and LCD displays showing random info.
On ride, bring back the old effects better than before (Didn't one of the MCBRs used to have air cannons?). Maybe add new ones here, and some centrepiece theming object. I'm thinking like a giant pulsing core of the computer, like the blue strobe generator in Hex's vault at the start.
Then, on offload they could hang yet more screens over the train as it comes in, instructing riders to exit and leave before the virus gets any closer. Down the exit path add some air cannons just to give riders a final jump on the way out or something.
There's so much wasted potential in that ride which needs to be harnessed and taken advantage of
I'll be sad to see X:\ change if it does. I have a real soft spot for that ride. The theme is another perfect example of an awesome concept poorly executed. It's a great idea on paper when it's coherently explained, but due to a lack of budget and love the ride just completely fails to convey it.
The idea that you're trapped inside a computer virus is so unique. I've never heard of anything like it before. The coaster itself is even meant to try and put the theme forward. That MCBR where the train rolls back and forth is supposed to be a battle between the computer and the virus. When the train used to roll forward a computer generated voice would say something along the lines of "Manual control", which was meant to be the virus manually controlling the train, trying to draw you all in. Then, when going backwards the voice would say "Automatic control", which is supposed to be the computer trying to pull you away from the virus to safety. The fight then goes on, getting more and more furious, until the computer triumphs and launches you away.
I don't see why they are even considering turning the trains back around though. Wasn't it turned backwards in the first place because the ride was considered too boring forwards?! I've never understood why the ride apparently makes people so sick though. Is it really that much of an issue? I always thought it seemed incredibly over-dramacised by the park.
All the ride needs is some love and a bit of creative input from someone who cares enough to make it last and see the concept through from start to end. £2M or so could make a massive difference to the ride if Thorpe are willing to spend it on it one year. They could easily re-market it in a style Alton did with Duel. "X[sub]2[/sub]:\Second Attack" or something.
Add some monitors to the queueline like it once had, showing a video in the same style as the Sub-Terra queue ones, with a fancy logo and some futuristic Matrix esque file browser bringing up information with a computerised voice-over. You could do it Oblivion style, with a progressive video storyline, in which the videos get darker as the virus outbreak worsens. Something like if it had green Matrix style background on the videos this turns to red. Logos are replaced with sinister counterparts. The voice becomes much deeper and malicious. They could even have the lighting changing as riders get closer to the station, with greens and blues and the entrance, which eventually turn to reds as the queueline progresses. Add some windows like Ben 10 has, containing circuitry and alike, and LCD displays showing random info.
On ride, bring back the old effects better than before (Didn't one of the MCBRs used to have air cannons?). Maybe add new ones here, and some centrepiece theming object. I'm thinking like a giant pulsing core of the computer, like the blue strobe generator in Hex's vault at the start.
Then, on offload they could hang yet more screens over the train as it comes in, instructing riders to exit and leave before the virus gets any closer. Down the exit path add some air cannons just to give riders a final jump on the way out or something.
There's so much wasted potential in that ride which needs to be harnessed and taken advantage of
Islander
TS Member
Re: Thorpe Park
Problem with painting it matt black would be that it would heat up incredibly in the summer. Don't know whether the pyramid has air conditioning at all (I would guess it at least has air handling, but don't know for sure), but can imagine it'd become unbearable if it were black...
Problem with painting it matt black would be that it would heat up incredibly in the summer. Don't know whether the pyramid has air conditioning at all (I would guess it at least has air handling, but don't know for sure), but can imagine it'd become unbearable if it were black...
Sam
TS Member
Re: Thorpe Park
Bizarre that so many people are lamenting this retheme, given that before now NWO was one of the most hated rides in the country. Why the sudden love for it?!
People have spent a good decade on the internet moaning about how absolutely dire it is, surely a substantial retheme and rework is good news?
I'm not going to pretend I particularly like the ride or its theme. It's really poorly done, and looks very cheap and unimaginative. The kind of space themed ride you'd expect to see at a small local park.
I wouldn't mind seeing it knocked down at all, but since I don't see it as having anything of merit at the moment, I'm more than happy to see them give it a retheme and turn it forwards. They've got nothing to lose! It could get better, and if it doesn't, then it doesn't make much difference. Hopefully they can clear out the poorly thought-out and unimaginative current theme and replace it with something that at least has a bit of life in it, a bit of creative spark.
I'm just confused that after all the years of NWO mocking, suddenly as rumours swirl that it might significantly change, everyone's come out of the woodwork as a big fan. :-\
Bizarre that so many people are lamenting this retheme, given that before now NWO was one of the most hated rides in the country. Why the sudden love for it?!
People have spent a good decade on the internet moaning about how absolutely dire it is, surely a substantial retheme and rework is good news?
I'm not going to pretend I particularly like the ride or its theme. It's really poorly done, and looks very cheap and unimaginative. The kind of space themed ride you'd expect to see at a small local park.
I wouldn't mind seeing it knocked down at all, but since I don't see it as having anything of merit at the moment, I'm more than happy to see them give it a retheme and turn it forwards. They've got nothing to lose! It could get better, and if it doesn't, then it doesn't make much difference. Hopefully they can clear out the poorly thought-out and unimaginative current theme and replace it with something that at least has a bit of life in it, a bit of creative spark.
I'm just confused that after all the years of NWO mocking, suddenly as rumours swirl that it might significantly change, everyone's come out of the woodwork as a big fan. :-\
Islander
TS Member
Re: Thorpe Park
Why loose such a great theme, when instead you could use this opportunity to realise what wasn't realised from the start.
Well, but that's the thing, the current theme is extremely creative, imaginative, and fairly unique. The trouble is that its execution, and upkeep, is terrible, to say the least.Sam said:
Why loose such a great theme, when instead you could use this opportunity to realise what wasn't realised from the start.
Sam
TS Member
Re: Thorpe Park
Yeah it was really cool and unique. In 1996. Today, the idea of theming a ride around a computer virus just seems so dated it hurts. The theme fits an age when computers looked like this, not like this. Due to better operating systems and people using mobile devices more, viruses aren't the major factor in mainstream computing that they once were.
It could have been a cool theme but the time for it has passed, and they made a hash of it. Start again with a brand new theme that feels more 2012, rather than ://1996
Ian said:
Yeah it was really cool and unique. In 1996. Today, the idea of theming a ride around a computer virus just seems so dated it hurts. The theme fits an age when computers looked like this, not like this. Due to better operating systems and people using mobile devices more, viruses aren't the major factor in mainstream computing that they once were.
It could have been a cool theme but the time for it has passed, and they made a hash of it. Start again with a brand new theme that feels more 2012, rather than ://1996
nickhutson
TS Member
Re: Thorpe Park
I still think a haunted tomb dark ride would be excellent. The shape and setting is already there!
I still think a haunted tomb dark ride would be excellent. The shape and setting is already there!
Sammy
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Untamed - Walibi Holland
Re: Thorpe Park
Why I am visualizing this 're-theme' to actually be Thorpe knowing how much of a joke the ride is... And just totally exaggerating this to the max!!
I am seeing it just being disco lights and lasers galore with cheesey 90's dance/techno! So, a poor mans EuroSat basically!
Why I am visualizing this 're-theme' to actually be Thorpe knowing how much of a joke the ride is... And just totally exaggerating this to the max!!
I am seeing it just being disco lights and lasers galore with cheesey 90's dance/techno!
So, a poor mans EuroSat basically! Re: Thorpe Park
I think X:/WTF has always had a bit of charm to it. So terrible, it's good. It's been there since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and has had many poor, poor attempts to improve it, but what's that phrase... you can't polish a turd. ;D I love it for that though! I would be genuinely bummed to see it go (for a few minutes max), especially if it gets something a lot more expensive but just as poorly executed because in which case, I'd rather they just kept the charming X.
I think X:/WTF has always had a bit of charm to it. So terrible, it's good. It's been there since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and has had many poor, poor attempts to improve it, but what's that phrase... you can't polish a turd. ;D I love it for that though! I would be genuinely bummed to see it go (for a few minutes max), especially if it gets something a lot more expensive but just as poorly executed because in which case, I'd rather they just kept the charming X.
BigAl
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Forbidden Journey
Re: Thorpe Park
Surely if the Paramount Park goes ahead, X:\ Where's the Way Out is the last thing they need to be saving? Even so, should a park like Thorpe really still have something like that?
They really should just rip the thing out and get a decent dark ride in the old building. It's not much smaller the Islands of Adventure's Spiderman ride building so there's plenty they could do with it. Do they really need all of those games stalls along the side of it too? Couldn't they replace all of the inside of the building with a dark ride, retheme the outside of the building and then have the queue going down the side of the building, or is the staff area running down the side necessary?
Surely if the Paramount Park goes ahead, X:\ Where's the Way Out is the last thing they need to be saving? Even so, should a park like Thorpe really still have something like that?
They really should just rip the thing out and get a decent dark ride in the old building. It's not much smaller the Islands of Adventure's Spiderman ride building so there's plenty they could do with it. Do they really need all of those games stalls along the side of it too? Couldn't they replace all of the inside of the building with a dark ride, retheme the outside of the building and then have the queue going down the side of the building, or is the staff area running down the side necessary?
