mrbrightside wrote:So far the narrative linking the lift and the final maze is weak but this is apparently going to be worked on.
The audio in the scare maze area repeats the words "Alien Presence Detected" so I wouldn't say it's too bad...
So the decontamination chamber is doing it's best keep the Alien away!
Does it? I didn't pick up on that today so maybe it needs to be made clearer before you enter the 'decontamination area'. Maybe a short video or audio clip in the lifts? I don't know but in my opinion the narrative did feel slightly weak - even though I could generally work it out.
Besides that, the whole thing is top notch though!
It's been years since I went to AT and I in no way consider myself a ride buff, I'm just a casual visitor who likes the odd rollercoaster so I'm sorry if what I say comes across as un-educated!
I went to the park today and tried out ST for the first time, I was unaware until I decided to read reviews on the net that the ride had even been improved, thats how I found this forum in fact.
You all seem to know the drill of what happens in the ride so I wont dwell on that, I'm just giving an outsiders view. To be honest, I thought it was weak and very overhyped. The lift "down" was very unconvincing although the lift going "up" was much better. The drop, yeah a bit of a shock, the poking in the back, ditto. Didn't have any interaction with the "actors" in line for the ride but we were the first riders of the day so went straight through with no waiting about.
It just didn't make any sense really. We were in the right lift "up" so the door opened and an actor in a gas mask gave us all a shock, his face splattered with blood. Shone a torch in our face, held us there for a bit then ushered us forward. We then bumped into two more actors (again, blood splattered) who were screaming and blocking our way, they were not behind any fencing and the screams were in a "28 Days Later" infected sort of thing, not barking orders, the screaming was a sort of "arggh" sort of way (sorry, that the only way I can describe it!). If it was meant to be a disinfection/quarantine sort of thing then that really did not come across. Clambered through some strips of rubber and fabric, walked out into the sun and shrugged our shoulders.
Just a bit weak to be honest!
Anyway, thought I would share my experience with you, looking forward to readin more on the forum.
BarryD wrote:
Quick question, what's the Air Tunnel?
Welcome to the forums!
The Air tunnel is the tunnel you go through after you leave Air's station before you reach the lift hill. It has been debated (more like moaned) about for years on these forums due to it's shabby state and complete lack of theming.
I think Terry is going to be a Marmite ride and many of your points are very valid, especially the lack of coherent story in the scare maze. The rides general public scoring has almost doubled since the improvements last week (from about a 4/10 to an 8/10 *source, park staff*) But like all rides not everyone is going to like this, despite it been loved on here and renowned around the world Hex for instance is hated by lots of people.
I have gone from hating it to really quite liking it now but it isn't amazing by any stretch, its just good.
Maybe I am being too harsh on ST. But it was my gut feeling after I had been on the ride so I have to go with that. However, as someone who read at lot of the hype (the adverts, the fact that the BBFC had been called in to certificate for the first time ever on something that wasn't a screen production) maybe I got sucked in by that and raised my expectations. Had I just stumbled across it, I would have probably thought different, probably thought it was fairly entertaining. It's a perspective thing really. I remember the first time I went on Valhalla in Blackpool and knew nothing about it, I came away with my mind blown.
Not as good as I was lead to believe, maybe it's better to put it that way.
A video explaining the story before the decontamination chamber is unnecessary. Let me think, the instruction is run out the lift until the end of ride, so this part of sub-terra needs action and quick transitions. A video in the end will retard this process.
About the decontamination area, remember teaser videos? phalanx has found hazardous material in underground and the alien contains it. The decontamination is to "clean" the radiation of people
Youll probably find though that the majority of the GP couldnt give two hoots about the story, or videos, look around the queue lines, most can hardly read or write let alone understand whats going on with Nemesis aliens, eggs, etc etc. And those that can read and write either (a) have their faces stuck in their phones (b) are kissing the face off their partner or (c) smoking weed.
Unless you do a Clockwork Orange moment and pull their eyes open and force them to watch the video, most of them wont have a scooby doo whats going on, all they want is a scary ride and thats it.
More than a bit harsh there, Gary!! To generalise that the general public cannot read and write is far fetched to say the least!
You're right in that little attention may be paid to the queue line videos, but it makes little difference now that the batching and lift videos thoroughly explain the narrative.
I think the use of narrative in most major new attractions at the likes of Disney, Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa-Park, Universal... etc. shows that narrative is something that is seen as central to a solid, indoor ride.
If there was absolutely no backstory to N:ST, then frankly everyone would just be totally, 100% confused?
In my experience, enough people paid attention to the queue line videos to warrant them being there, and everyone paid attention to the pre-show. All the ending needs is more of an idea of what is going on in terms of quarantine or whatever. Ideally, the final part of the queue line would be a little more atmospheric with the batching area enclosed, but I doubt this will happen. The chamber is fine, but both the beginning and end feel somewhat threadbare.
I witnessed a few 'hard' lads come off and say "That ride was crap" or, "I was gonna sock one of those guys in the face." These were the few though, everyone else came out pretty pleased and scared. I can't stress enough how panic-inducing the changes are on the 'rise' and arrival back up to the chamber, and I really liked some of the details such as the alien 'nipping' at your feet. I do think it'd benefit from seeing some sort of actual alien thing, but it also really makes the best of the unknown.
I don't think the ride has a great re-rideability factor, nor do I think the staffing of the actors constantly is a great solution given Alton's current supposed financial issues, but this has ultimately morphed into an effective attraction.
Last edited by Bunbury on Thu May 31, 2012 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
I think towers & Merlin have learnt since Th13teen that people do want more of a story.
If you take a look at any of the big parks/resorts around the world, all of the best rides and attractions (IMO) have extremely detailed back stories and theming. To me, it's as needed as the ride itself. I mean, imagine the Tower of Terror without any theme or story...
"It would be spiteful to put Jellyfish in a trifle..."
I agree, but I would bet that if you ask all the guests coming off the ride what the ride was about in terms of story, theme etc. probably two thirds wouldnt have a clue!
You're not going to get a POV for reasons which I'm sure have been mentioned to you before. It'd be too dark to properly see anything, and they'd most likely be illegally filmed i.e. without the express consent of the park management.
I disagree with that story lines do not matter to guests, as it does count for something to a certain degree. Without the narrative the experience makes no sense. Guests are left confused with what is happening. Sub-Terra 1.0 is a great example, the lack of pre-shows, effects, no 'ending' - it all leaves guests with going through a tin shed, not understanding a single thing. They do not know what's in the egg, if it's an alien, a monster, a ravenous cat from by the Alton Towers Hotel lake that craves human flesh... Then they leave the lift with nothing, but they've just been attacked, the monster/alien/cat is fine now is it? It no longer wants to kill/eat us? There's nothing for guests to take in or understand. Lack of understanding leads to something that people do not get, which in itself leads to bad reviews and some never bothering to go on it again.
Sub-Terra I think people have somewhat overlooked as a dark ride experience. It's very much compared to the beloved Hex. However I think people have missed the tricks Alton have done here. They have created a new type of dark ride experience, something which I haven't seen done before (in the UK at least - I could compare to our European neighbours, but at the end of the day it's designed for the British public). Most dark rides follow a narrative, a slow moving one. It goes in the way of being told a story, experiencing the ride and then leaving. Sub-Terra doesn't do that. It takes guests right in the storyline and is an 'intense', fast paced experience.
We're not being told the story, we ARE the story. The theming, effects, actors - the overall 'experience' is what guests are brought right in to. A typical dark ride would tell you that guests have gone missing blah blah blah, then you (the guest) goes down to find out what's wrong. Sub-Terra does not bother with this typical storyline, you're the ones coming in to the story, in to the environment. The biggest trick with Sub-Terra too is that it is a fast paced experience. For not one single moment are you left standing there for not much to look at, or staring at a screen watching a story (apart from the pre-show, but that's more of an introduction and build up), constantly you're on the move, something is happening around you. It's an intense experience - and this is what will save Sub-Terra in the long run. With every ride you can notice something new, even experience it in a slightly different away, that's what gives it the re-rideability and a great uniqueness to itself.
For those reasons too, it's why the story is relevant more than ever with this type of dark ride, because guests are in the storyline they need to be able to make connections and understand what is going on. I agree with Gary that if you did ask a few guests (randomly) at the exit about the story line the best they would probably come up with is 'some thing attacked us or something' or 'I dunno, it was scary though' - however the storyline includes theming, effects, actors etc... without all of this you're left with simply a green shed. Hardly immersive or exciting is it?
It's not about making sure the guest remembers every little detail (you could compare it to TV serials if you like, you do not remember every little detail unless you're a hardcore fan). It's about creating something immersive, exciting, and in Sub-Terra's case, creating something that can live up to its audience and become a memorable experience. That is the key word really, 'memorable'. If your guests remembers enjoying it to bits, they will pass this on to others: 'That new ride at Alton is awesome init' - not the best of words, but these are the words that will keep interest not only with Sub-Terra, but with Alton Towers' reputation as the UKs best theme park.
Last edited by James on Thu May 31, 2012 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
AstroDan wrote:
I think the use of narrative in most major new attractions at the likes of Disney, Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa-Park, Universal... etc. shows that narrative is something that is seen as central to a solid, indoor ride.
If there was absolutely no backstory to N:ST, then frankly everyone would just be totally, 100% confused?
This pretty much sums up what I was going to write. The successful parks have been using story driven rides for ages and they work like a charm, sucking the guest into a world of fantasy, adventure or futurism for them to experience the attraction as if they're actually there. Towers are certainly getting there and kudos to them.
The park can't be faulted for creating an attraction with a story. I'm not saying Sub-Terra is perfect, far from it, but as somebody who has seen many ham-fisted attempts at 'storytelling' theme park attractions, the ride portion of NST is just great. It's clear what is happening and why. Obviously it's not as grand, but the main ride portion does it's job just as well as Hex, which I think is near perfect. The room is loud and unnerving, and the effects are numerous and perfectly timed.
I still think the park would benefit from creating a different atmosphere in terms of the ride staff though. I'd must prefer a telling reassurance that "nothing can possibly go wrong" over the military atmosphere currently in place. The ride borrows heavily from Disney's old Alien Encounter, and one of the strengths of that was the dark humour in the beuracracy of the company's exhibit you were visiting. I know it's supposed to be a military base, but I'd rather we were visiting somewhere with a pushy, corporate atmosphere at first. I can't imagine Alton Towers would find that hard to achieve...
For all it's faults though, it's an ambitious ride, and as James highlights, and there isn't really anything else much like it in the UK at the moment.
Occured to me a while ago that those flat screens they use could have been made "holographic" by bouncing them of a piece of glass like Emily Alton (peppers ghost). A normal flat screen with cool looking data is an every day thing with computer games. LET ME SAY though, since you can see it so well in those pictures - the core is a very good looking, 3 dimensional piece of set.
Barry, I think that a gut feeling is preemptive 8)
Last edited by MattsDesigns on Thu May 31, 2012 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Have a look at my space themed dark ride concept: http://mattsdesigns.webs.com/space.html All of my Themepark ideas, here & on the website are free to use by anyone.
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