Wicker Man - General Discussion

[ThemeParkOwen]

This is pretty random and I may be being stupid but today on Wickerman I heard a dispatch announcement that I'd never heard before!

It went something like "sit back hold tight the ritual is about to continue "

Is this new or always been there and never used or am I just going crazy?

It was also the first train of the day if it makes a difference?

 

[Matt N]

I still can't fathom why they put a pre-show with so little queue afterwards. Did anybody do any sort of calculation of show runtime vs dispatch interval? Staggering that this is what some of the greatest minds in the uk industry came up with.

I do wonder this. Wouldn’t they have done something like a discrete event simulation to figure out how many people would be waiting in that queue at once and decide the length accordingly?

In hindsight, I think a rolling pre-show like Curse may have worked better.

 

[ThemeParkOwen]

I do wonder this. Wouldn’t they have done something like a discrete event simulation to figure out how many people would be waiting in that queue at once and decide the length accordingly?

In hindsight, I think a rolling pre-show like Curse may have worked better.

This has always bugged me!

 

[Islander]

I do wonder this. Wouldn’t they have done something like a discrete event simulation to figure out how many people would be waiting in that queue at once and decide the length accordingly?

In hindsight, I think a rolling pre-show like Curse may have worked better.

Oh pure, innocent Matt. That’s quite an assumption

 

[Matt N]

Oh pure, innocent Matt. That’s quite an assumption

If they have data on how they think things will move through the system, discrete event simulations aren’t particularly hard or time consuming to do. All they’d have to do is get a piece of software like Simul8, spend no more than a couple of hours building a simulation, run it for a period and see what the results are to within a 95% confidence interval.

It does of course require data on how they think things will move within the system (e.g. arrival rate into queue, expected throughput of pre-show, expected throughput of ride) with corresponding distributions, but as Towers have been running a theme park for decades, they probably know the data on this sort of stuff.

I’ve built discrete event simulations in Simul8 (a component of my current MSc centres around operational research), and provided you have sufficient data, discrete event simulations aren’t that difficult to design and run.

If I can do it, a multinational company like Merlin definitely can, which is why I imagined they would have done something like this during the design process of Wicker Man! Surely a huge company like Merlin will have huge amounts of resources dedicated to operational research and optimisation?

 

[Bowser]

Surely a huge company like Merlin will have huge amounts of resources dedicated to operational research and optimisation?

This year would suggest it’s not working.

 

[Alsty]

If they have data on how they think things will move through the system, discrete event simulations aren’t particularly hard or time consuming to do. All they’d have to do is get a piece of software like Simul8, spend no more than a couple of hours building a simulation, run it for a period and see what the results are to within a 95% confidence interval

Even basic maths will tell you the answer without sophisticated software. You know the throughout, you know the show length. This is GCSE maths. That's why I don't think it even crossed anybody's mind.

 

[Loui Richards]

Has anyone else noticed that wicker man finally has its mist effects on inside the pass through sections of big Bob!!! Last time I saw them on was right at the start of July 2020 but were quickly turned off due to people wearing masks I believe!!!

 

[Steve74]

I know this will seem like I'm clutching at straws here, but given that there's very little else going on in the park at the moment regarding updates, I thought this was worth a mention! Along the front at least, Wicker Man has lost its intensely bright festoon lighting. Pics for comparsion - Opening day 2025 vs 23rd June 2025:



Given that over the last couple of seasons, lighting has been quietly improved in and around rides, could this mean it could be getting more themed lighting for the dark nights or simply that they blew down in the wind and they're waiting for replacements from Screwfix?

Source: Opening day

From: https://youtu.be/ZnbZJl42dPw?si=0g1P65ezqnhhgj4f&t=2296

June

From: https://youtu.be/wMnWP5vi67E?si=3zkOmHxtdgYaTdHq&t=2976

 

[Hid]

I know this will seem like I'm clutching at straws here, but given that there's very little else going on in the park at the moment regarding updates, I thought this was worth a mention! Along the front at least, Wicker Man has lost its intensely bright festoon lighting. Pics for comparsion - Opening day 2025 vs 23rd June 2025:



Given that over the last couple of seasons, lighting has been quietly improved in and around rides, could this mean it could be getting more themed lighting for the dark nights or simply that they blew down in the wind and they're waiting for replacements from Screwfix?

Source: Opening day

From: https://youtu.be/ZnbZJl42dPw?si=0g1P65ezqnhhgj4f&t=2296

June

From: https://youtu.be/wMnWP5vi67E?si=3zkOmHxtdgYaTdHq&t=2976

Would be awesome Wickerman a night has not been as good as when it first opened that was the year it was at its best wish we had more night ride time during the year at Towers.