• 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

Re: Thorpe Park

I was really hoping that I would hate The Swarm bacwards as I thought that it was a stupid idea. I was saying before getting on that I hope all aspects of it fail. However I have to admit I rather enjoyed it. It was very strange going up the lift hill facing backwards, but great for your inner geek side! :p The drop was rather amazing backwards, a really wierd and fun sensation. The rest of the ride continued to be fun and not as nauseating as I was expecting. You didn't really notice any of the theming though. Still, I'd do it again and that's not something that I thought I'd be saying!

Now being the geek I am, I decided to get out the throughput app and work out the throughput of The Swarm backwards. On one train operation it managed to achieve around 140pph. So say around 300pph. Then when the queue is split and people are sent to either the left or the right the throughput for each side is half so about 70pph on one train. We ended up queuing just under an hour to get on the back row and that was with allocated time slots. I dread to think what the queue for it will be like on busy days.

:)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

AN HOUR!? With 5000 in the park?

Ouch.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Yep! The main queue for doing it forwards was about 10 miniutes or so when we did it. The Swarm backwards is going to have horrendous wait times I feel. If the queue line they have for it is ever full then I dread to think how long it would take.

:)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I genuinely came to the backwards Swarm idea with a relatively open mind (i think its a stupid excuse for a new addition but the concept on its own didn't bother me).

I have to say its actually a lot of fun, because the "wings" are so dynamic in their path of attack you can't predict where you are going to go, and it really makes things that little bit more exciting. Interestingly my opinion of The Swarm generally has reduced, it really doesn't seem to be exciting guests (the number of silent trains with no exclamations from the riders was interesting).

The new billboard is however a neat head-chopper.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I wonder if this whole backwards thing is actually an experiment by B&M to try things out for a 4D?
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Ooh yeah, that backwards thing they did, should probably give my opinion on that!

As a group I think we all went into that station really not wanting to enjoy it...it's a silly idea, a waste of money, purely a gimmick, a cheap stunt to milk some more publicity out of a commercially-failed (though brilliant) attraction...

And without exception we all really enjoyed it! It's not remarkable, certainly wouldn't queue the 40 mins we did for it (thanks to Thorpe's 1000 seat allocation counting on there being 2 trains...) again, but it's different and it's a hell of a lot of fun - I was giggling at parts of the ride: what you miss out on in headchoppers and fire is made up for in the pure novelty of whizzing backwards through inversions which catch you by surprise in some cases, great fun :)

The billboard is fabulous, too, and riding it forward it hit me what a cacophony of effects the ride really has now - fire, water, headchopper, BAM - when they all work in time it's beautiful. It's seriously crazy how many individual effects to maintain this ride now has.

It's a shame that of all of them, the water flicking up as the train passes didn't seem to be working, as that would've looked amazing alongside everything else :)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

DiogoJ42 said:
I wonder if this whole backwards thing is actually an experiment by B&M to try things out for a 4D?
Click to expand...

Well it's been rumoured they've been developing the 4D concept for the past few years now so it wouldn't surprise me if this is a part of some 'phase' in the development of the 4D coaster.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Posted just now by Thorpe on their Facebook!

Are you ready to ride on a wave of light and sound as you experience the evolution of X:\ No Way Out?

X has been renamed and is heading in a new direction in 2013 as it challenges adrenaline seekers to face a rollercoaster experience like no other at THORPE PARK. Thrill your senses with a race through light and sound that will plunge you into a mix of intense colour and music.

Redesigned and reprogrammed around light and sound, the X trains will now speed forwards into tunnels of changing coloured light. And with a new coaster experience, new fans can enjoy the ride when, for the first time, thrill seekers in the making will be able to face the challenge of X.
Click to expand...

I look forward to trying it! :D
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Well it'll be interesting to see how the lights and sounds turn out, as well as how long they'll last before they all break :p

If it turns out anything close to RnR at Paris I'll be impressed :)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I doubt it will even be Eurosat standard of lighting, never mind RnR :p
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Really, really excited about this! So rare to see Merlin going back and substantially improving old rides.

I don't really care if its Ministry of Sound as the original theme was crap anyway. Frankly, anything would improve it, and this sounds like a big leap forward! (excuse the pun)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

The ride was appalling before. A joke. Something simply HAD to be done!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: Thorpe Park

James said:
DiogoJ42 said:
I wonder if this whole backwards thing is actually an experiment by B&M to try things out for a 4D?
Click to expand...

Well it's been rumoured they've been developing the 4D concept for the past few years now so it wouldn't surprise me if this is a part of some 'phase' in the development of the 4D coaster.
Click to expand...

I would imagine it is part of there studies to see how far they can push things backwards, hence why they have reversed one of the inverters in America
 
Re: Thorpe Park

It's lost a world's first but has opened its appeal to a wider range of people. Can't see anything vastly wrong with it.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

If its got some really cool lighting effects, good music and a more comfortable experience then I can imagine the entire experience maybe an improvement. Do you think they will get it open for Easter?
 
Re: Thorpe Park

It will be an interesting experience riding X forwards. Hopefully the lights will add to the experience :) I think it's a good idea that it's been changed as I got bored of X:/ No Way Out.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Ministry of Sound was around long before Chavs were. They may not be everyone's favourite, but they have a deserved place in electronic music history, and deserve more credit that instantly being painted as some Chav brand. They aren't what they were admittedly, but very few are, and the truly brilliant hard core side of clubbing like Gods Kitchen, The Sanctuary, House of God, QClub, Sundissential and the like have long since gone in their true forms.

Disco coaster? I'm in. Who cares if other sections of society like it now, I liked it first, and I welcome a change from a pitch black bizarre nausea inducing weird thing in a pyramid I rode once - to something that will hopefully run a bit better, absorb more queues, have some tunes and lights, and frankly be a decent ride to jump on if the weather turns crap.

It is THORPES version of RMT - and very much needed. Personally like this idea, and cannot wait to have a mini coaster rave ;D

Now - where did I put those acid trousers...
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I was slightly disappointed that X was closed over the weekend, as for the first time ever I was actually pretty keen to ride it! It's always been mildly entertaining to spot the completely pointless little changes that have been made to it between visits, so with the prospect of some drastic changes that might actually improve the experience I was looking forward (no pun intended) to seeing what the park had done with it. Still, if they need more time to finish the changes I'm happy to wait. This treatment is long overdue, so they may as well take a bit longer to get it right.

I really hope that the messing about on the block brakes has been disabled, and instead the kicker wheels just pass trains straight into the next section of track. I'd have been happy enough with that and facing forwards. So long as they've done that anything else is a bonus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top