It sounds simple sitting here and typing but I'd imagine it would be quite a hard task to accomplish. But we have all seem the standards Towers broke with the Hex refurb.
All it would take is for Merlin to grant the necessary budget, to bring in a professional ride lighting designer, sound designer and animations engineer (who all exist in the UK and have great professional skills) to properly refurbish the ride. It is packed full of potential but has suffered years of poor maintenance and fiddling about. It wouldnt be hard at all if the money was given.
Duel's situation is also very different to Hex, Duel/Haunted House actually had much of its tech pulled out over the years and whole scenes no longer play out the way they were intended, because they're so broken now. The laser guns need a total system replacement too, if they are to be kept. Whereas all Hex needed was for existing tech to be fixed and worn out props replenished.
However we all know the proper money will not be granted. It's not as if its an unaffordable or unjustifiable sum, and it would make the ride fantastic again for families I believe. However Merlin simply do not grant proper money on existing rides. They will more likely grant a menial budget, which Alton Towers' own team will have to put to as good use as they can in their own time (at least Alton Towers are much better at this than, say, Chessington - just look at Tomb Blaster's "upgrade" recently)
To be blunt, as much as I would love even the slightest attention given to Duel, the ride has had plenty of low-budget, in house efforts in the past and these will only ever 'polish a turd' as they say.
They used the money very strategically with Hex, and it was largely back to how it used to be, but the DIY in house nature of the project still gives very different results to a proper refurbishment. The day we see professional budgets and standards for maintaining existing attractions in the UK will be a great achievement, and will really make the difference for every guest. We won't have medicore, has-been attractions being squeezed for whatever little is left, like Duel sadly is now.
I'd love it to be turned into a 'haunted' house again. The setting, area and facade is perfect and I think the building would be big enough for something decent. A new transit system, possibly. A scaled down gringots please
Would be ripe for this kind of thing! And a great successor to the original Haunted House before all the fiddling, and something that everyone would be entertained by.
