Nemesis: Sub-Terra Discussion (**contains spoilers**)

[Keira]

I plan on looking at the floor and holding on to my boyfriend for dear life during the scare maze part when I go on Tuesday haha. I can't deal with that sort of thing! When I went on it last month, I sat forward in my chair with my legs stuck out in front of me to avoid the back pokers/tentacles. Yep, I'm a wuss...Give me a huge rollercoaster over something like Terry any day. xD

What I have been told is that they make you do it alone

I don't think so. :S If that's the case I'm not going on haha. :L

[mrbrightside]

I plan on looking at the floor and holding on to my boyfriend for dear life during the scare maze part when I go on Tuesday haha. I can't deal with that sort of thing! When I went on it last month, I sat forward in my chair with my legs stuck out in front of me to avoid the back pokers/tentacles. Yep, I'm a wuss...Give me a huge rollercoaster over something like Terry any day. xD

What I have been told is that they make you do it alone

They don't.

You know they don't because nobody on this thread (which I know you have read through) has said that.

You casually put it into a post because a friend apparently told you that they make you go alone and even though nobody has said 'yes, he's right, they do' - you still think it?

Sorry, don't mean to sound mean but I don't like people spreading untrue information about a ride when lots of people are reading this thread and desperately wanting to know exactly what happens. I certainly wouldn't want to get worked up about something that doesn't happen.


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[W@LLI$]

I plan on looking at the floor and holding on to my boyfriend for dear life during the scare maze part when I go on Tuesday haha. I can't deal with that sort of thing! When I went on it last month, I sat forward in my chair with my legs stuck out in front of me to avoid the back pokers/tentacles. Yep, I'm a wuss...Give me a huge rollercoaster over something like Terry any day. xD

What I have been told is that they make you do it alone

I don't think so. :S If that's the case I'm not going on haha. :L

Haha but if you do you gotta post how scared you were (if you were of course)

[djtruefitt]

It seems the leg ticklers were more powerful on Friday compared to when I went on the ride a week before. Not sure if it was linked with the neck blower not working, or if they have changed the settings.

Was the neck blows working the week before?

They worked last week, but on my visit before they didnt work.

And they dont make you do the maze alone, you pretty much go through it in a big line of 40 people. But its not like a true scare maze, there is no putting hands on shoulders or anything.

[Keira]

I plan on looking at the floor and holding on to my boyfriend for dear life during the scare maze part when I go on Tuesday haha. I can't deal with that sort of thing! When I went on it last month, I sat forward in my chair with my legs stuck out in front of me to avoid the back pokers/tentacles. Yep, I'm a wuss...Give me a huge rollercoaster over something like Terry any day. xD

What I have been told is that they make you do it alone

They don't.

You know they don't because nobody on this thread (which I know you have read through) has said that.

You casually put it into a post because a friend apparently told you that they make you go alone and even though nobody has said 'yes, he's right, they do' - you still think it?

Sorry, don't mean to sound mean but I don't like people spreading untrue information about a ride when lots of people are reading this thread and desperately wanting to know exactly what happens. I certainly wouldn't want to get worked up about something that doesn't happen.


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That's all good then. How big is the corridor? Could I stand inbetween my bf/friend in order to avoid seeing anything scary. :L Haha...

[mrbrightside]

Keira, it's not much longer than the length of a standard shipping container. It's very dark, feels claustrophobic and there are lots of loud bangs, strobe lights and air cannons. The actors will not touch you although one or two may try and get in your way throughout.

Theres not room really to go side by side but with my girlfriend she went forward but I walked close behind with my arms round her. It's all perfectly safe


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[Keira]

Haha thanks...I'm sure I'll survive somehow. xD Dreading it now though. Sure I'll find it funny after the fact though! 

[DiogoJ42]

I know I've not been on V2 yet, so I will reserve judgement until I have. But I've always felt that live actors have no place in a "ride". They should be kept in scare mazes where they belong (and can be avoided :P ). It's like when you get them in ghost trains at the fair, that's just because it's cheaper for the showman to put on a mask than it is for them to buy an animatronic.

It also sounds rather illogical to me. The Phalanx are trying to help you, now they are jumping out at you going "boo!"? Does that not feel a bit odd to people?

[Jammydodger]

Really enjoyed Sub-Terra 2.0.
I'm still not a fan of the ride system or its mechanics, and I'm still not entirely sure why they opted for yet another dark ride at this time, but I think if you pretend its not actually a ride its a lot better. I personally put it in the same category as Saw Alive when it was open, and I'd say Sub-Terra is far superior.

I think apart from the one actor that appears when you first come out the lift, the rest of them just seemed like a waste. It was too dark to see anything really, and they didn't seem to move around much. In a way that's a good thing though, because the ending was still really intense in my opinion and would still be if there weren't any actors in there. There are a few minor tweaks here and there that they could toy with over the closed season, but on the whole they've done the best they could with a) the budget, b) the space, and c) the ride system.

It was a VERY narrow escape from an Epic fail on the towers part. But I think they fact they acted fast in removing all advertising and kept the ride out of the public eye will have helped a lot. I'd expect a big advertising push come this summer!

[SAM93]

As one of the original Sub-Terra Apologists, having never expressed my views on here is almost a crime! So, I feel now is a better time than any to do it!

So here is my basic run down of opinions of the attraction, broken into sections;

Queue-line+Batching Area -
The queue line is satisfactory, the most that can be made of it, already has been really, and it builds up to the attraction rather nicely. My only complaint is the TV's... An attraction of only 3 months in age, with broken queue TV's is a joke really! They need to make sure all screens and speakers work correctly otherwise this really lets the attraction down in this area!

Now, as for the batching, this needs a complete re think! Obviously this area wasn't previously used to hold people before they added the video as you just walked straight into the pre lift room. However, now that you are being gathered there prior to the video, there needs to be much more space, it is far too crowded and people can't freely get to the Baggage Drop Point. All it would take would be to move the gates at the end of the queues back a few meters and as stated above by AstroDan add a cover to the area, some scaffolding and canvas would be completely fine for this! The other point I have to make is, while waiting here, you hear every word of the pre-show video, which I have heard some people complain about, what with having to hear it twice. This could be solved by adding some sort of repeated announcement to the batching area and some proper sliding doors to the building, also by adding audio to this area, it could also help to give the impression of a longer attraction duration.

Pre-Show

* Video Room
The video is a great addition as it acts as a proper introduction to the attraction and sets the scene perfectly. The problem with this area, is the staff and their current attitude problem! The video and all videos previous to it in the queue line are welcoming and state that civilians are welcomed into the facility... So this begs the question, why are the staff so far off the mark with this, telling guests they are ugly and need to get a hair cut! This still needs rethinking. They merely need to be strict but calm, explaining the entry procedure to the public in a firm voice, then stand at the back of the room with their hands tucked behind their back and stare at the front!

* Entry Lift
This in my opinion is now perfect and very little needs to be done, perhaps the addition of a little more vibration in the floor.

* Cave Tunnel
The added dripping water audio here works well, I particularly like how you are sometimes held here for a moment before the Observation Chamber doors open. I feel they should make this a permanent feature and maybe add another announcement to the area using the female voice. Something like "Observation Chamber preparation in progress, the doors will open shortly. When the doors open, proceed to your seats in a calm and orderly fashion. Thank you."

Central Core/Main Show
Well, what can I say, this is such an improvement on before, the first announcement/video section is much better and gives a far more solid introduction to the egg and nicely continues the stories narrative! It builds up the tension perfectly amongst the group who sit rather apprehensively around the room, and then, everything gets going! The change in the lighting colour from blue to red, the loud bang, heavy base and the power failure never fails to get a few people screaming, then with the return of the water and added flashing lights and noise coupled with the newer sequence of the broken egg the scene is fantastically set for disaster to strike!

And then… You drop. Now, here is my only problem with the new main show, the bottom chamber is still lacking in a proper scream out loud scare! However the new lighting as you drop is much better and enhances the sense of falling, it also allows for a much better view of the bottom scene. The water, back pokers, neck breath, seat speakers/surround sound and leg ticklers all work fantastically together to create a real sense of the unknown with the creature. However I really do think that on the way back up some sort of Eye animatronic should flash up in your face to provide a real jump moment and get people really screaming.

Now, the escape is possibly the biggest improvement in this area, there is a real impression of impending doom and danger and people really do now rush for the exit with the countdown gradually getting lower and lower. The strobe, smoke, wind, siren and air blasts just finish it off nicely, giving a really disorientating and rather stressful dramatic rush to safety in the lifts!

Post Show/Escape Lift
Again, an massive step up from the original! People truly think they are safe the moment the doors close and they hear that explosion and the immense roar of the creature and the lift begins to ascend rapidly to the surface! Then once again, disaster strikes, a loud bang and a jolt in the lift complete with collapsing panels followed by complete darkness! By now people are really screaming as they take yet more air blasts to the face and are shaken rather violently as the lift is ‘attacked’. Then as the lights come back up and Nemesis gives up it’s rather relentless onslaught against the guests the lift is filled with smoke and people are cowering in corners truly frozen on the spot. A fantastic end to the attraction… Or so most think!

Quarantine Finale
So as people start to come round from their panic following the attack on the lift, the doors open and yet more screams commence as a Phalanx Operative complete with gasmask storms into the lift shining a torch through the smoke. As you are ushered out of the lift you enter a darkened corridor and make your way into the Quarantine Zone ready for decontamination. Now, at the moment as much as it’s a great improvement, it still needs some further improvement. It’s a little confusing as there is virtually zero narrative to explain the situation. A louder announcement explaining the decontamination is needed accompanied by a better sign above the entrance.

Now the ‘maze’ itself is great, yet more strobes, loud bangs and air cannons fill the corridor as you make your way past the metal cages lining the side of the room. The fact that there are now sections of this fence cut out to allow the actors to lean in is a great addition, though it would be even better if they were able to suddenly get through completely into the passageway. However I will settle for what we have . Up to this point the maze is very good, but once you pass the actors and strobes it’s a bit of a none event, just a dark zig-zag through flaps and low hanging fabric that can easily be lifted up! Granted there is audio, but there’s zero atmospheric lighting or real substance to this section. I feel an air filled wall similar to that seen in the Carnival last year would work better than the fabric, accompanied by strobes or some flashing red lights and maybe and other actor to really make people run out of the exit. Though I guess we shall see what further improvements are made here, if any at all!


So, to conclude… Sub Terra 2.0… FANTASTIC IMO. It’s no longer an embarrassment to the park and it gets a much more positive review on the whole from the public! So hats off to Towers for going back and changing it!
Nemesis Sub-Terra will certainly be a must do attraction for me on any visit, and I look forward to seeing if any further changes/improvements are made!

YAY TERRY

[Nemesis Of Oblivion]

Just a question, how has Nemesis Sub-Terra reiability been?

[MattsDesigns]

I have a question aswell:
What does the first part of the ride with the lift smell like now?
When I went it smelled like no more nails and spray paint 

[starbugger1303]

I have a question aswell:
What does the first part of the ride with the lift smell like now?
When I went it smelled like no more nails and spray paint 

It still smells a bit like paint in the descent lift.. (I love it hehe)

:P

[Mskitty]

I made the mistake of not visiting the forums for a very long time so when I visited the park yesterday, none of my group had any idea what Sub Terra was. Whilst heading towards Nemesis I quickly asked one of the staff what it was and was given the answer "It's an experience", to which my friend replied "Like Saw Alive?" and they answered "This is better". So right off the bat I was expecting it to be a walkthrough scaremaze. I've never been a fan of things jumping out at me but I hadn't found Saw scary at all so we joined the queue.

Watching the videos it became apparent looking at the layout of the chambers that there appeared to be seating, which lead to thoughts of the old Alien attraction and the stitch attraction at Disney, so now we were expecting this. But it's so much more

We passed bag storage and were waiting outside and the two guys out here were brilliant, they never broke character and were very intimidating as they ushered us into the preshow chamber. The video was great and soon we were told to enter the lift. The lift whilst we could tell we weren't going anywhere was still very enjoyable.

And then it was time for the Core, when I first saw the seat and the way they were situatued on metal I thought "Oh ok they're going to make the seat shake a bit, that's fine  8)" So I sat down in the edge seat and waited for the show to begin. At this stage I'm a little nervous as I don't really like things jumping out at me. So the introduction begins and I wait for the moment that the egg hatches and everything goes wrong. My reaction to what happened next "Oh the eggs hatched, So this is the part where it runs around right?.....!!!!!!!!!! What the!!! Where'd the floor  go?!! What happened to the light?! Arrggghhh!! The next thing I know I've got a guy yanking the bar off me screaming Run!! Go Go GO! I'm pelting to the lift my friends running behind me and the lift doors close and I'm safe.

Once agin how very wrong, the life starts shaking I grabbed my friend for support. Of course me being me I chose to stand closest to lift door thinking I'd be the first to freedom, next thing I know it's pitch black, then the doors are flung open, all I can see is a gas mask a bright light and I'm told once again to run....Didn't need to be told twice. Our group are sent jogging straight into the maze and whilst it isn't long the amount of screaming that I did was incredible, the actors were amazing and since I was made to run at the front  through, even the low hanging part freaked me out the lights completely disorientating me I hadn't got a clue where I was going and then we're out.

I'm actually really glad that I had no idea what to expect with this experience because it'll take me a very long time to forget that first time. We went again on the last show of the day and once again it was amazing. It has been a very long time since an attraction at a theme park has made me that scared. I actually considered not riding again after my first experience because it made me so nervous. The theming is great, as is the ride and the scaremaze, I thought the staff were phenomenal, a brilliant attraction and one that I can wait to do again. 

[DMTaylor90]

Well I think people have already summed up the changes well...

I visited on Wednesday, and having been on both previous incarnations of Sub-Terra can say it is vastly improved. The new dialogue in the core is great, as is the lengthened sequence. It's nice to be able to see lots more down in the cave too. The back pokers and leg ticklers still scare the crap out of me, and they seem to last noticably longer now, as does the roaring. It's all very disorientating, which I think is perfect as being disorientated creeps me out!

The countdown is a brilliant addition and adds the urgency that was lacking, and the new smoke and air canons on the way to the exit lift seem to make a few people jump and again make things confusing. I think I ran into someone at this point in my urgency to 'get out' lol.

The scare maze I was apprehensive about, and I did come out 'shaking' a little at the end! But, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The best bit for me was when the lift door opened, the Phalanx operative had the torch shining up at his face, face completely bloodied and eyes completely wild... really really freaky, and freaked a lot of us out! We were in the left lift, so were out first... I really didn't want to go near the walls with the actors behind the mesh! And half way through another Phalanx guy in gas mask just appeared out of nowhere right in my face...

After that, as someone said, it's a bit of a non-event, but the banging and air canons still kept me thinking what the fudge is going to happen next.

Overall... I really like it, still! Everything is explained much better, and the ride length is now ample without being boring.

[Starry14]

Went on this yesterday for the first time and have to say I was very very impressed! Think it is very much an experience ride - perhaps one you would only do every so often rather than joining the queue again on the same day. Saying that, I was tempted to do it all again  but the forty minute queue line put me off. 

With the 'scare maze' I know many people have reported that actors either stay behind the mesh, or lean out slightly. Not sure how many were in yesterday (guessing around 4) but this was not the case. I only saw one actor behind the mesh, and a few actually in the corridor. One followed me and then peered in my face when I thought he'd gone, and another was blocking the way completely! There was also one at the beginning who jumped out at our group, again, fully in the corridor. I'm therefore wondering if some of their scare tactics are developing to create even more 'terror'! Think they should utilise the areas behind the black material flaps more though - possibly an actor to jump out behind one.

The only major change I would suggest is to have a real scare in the bottom chamber. I'm not sure what, but something just to startle everyone and make them wish the ride would move back up. This would then instill more panic and urgency to get to the lifts.

[Vordok419]

Howdy, First poster here, long time lurker. 

Just had an idea today to maybe instill more panic and a bit of urgency in the observation chamber after my first ride of V2 a week ago. Everyone kinda meandered out of the chamber. So I had an idea.

After the towers drop to the nest, have a couple of Phalanx operatives in gas masks move into the chamber whilst the towers are rising, armed with Airsoft Gas Blowback Rifles. (Would have said blank firing real rifles but I reckon H&S would have a fit  ) Then have them roaring at people to move whilst they fire around the chamber as if to prevent creature attacks as people leave the chamber. That may instill some urgency.

Something kinda like this maybe? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q2fpAKpo6I

Vordok

[PeteB]

They have to be careful with the use of ANY type of gun, as just the appearance of a gun can cause alarm.  However, I think in a theatrical environment they can get away with it if its handled the right way.

Your idea actually reminds of a scare attraction i once visted many many years ago, can't remember much about it or where it was but it was an Alien type theme, and a team of operatives with guns would guide you through the attraction. Their guns had lights inside for muzzle flash and also an infra red remote which as they fired around the room would trigger various effects.

Something like that could definitely work in Sub Terra, and to be honest I'd prefer that over the random walk-through scare maze at the end.

[Vkumar3908]

How much would you rate Sub Terra?

[davebees]

Here's a link to the graphic design company who produced all the videos for the ride. really good!

http://www.bottletop.co.uk/AltonTowers.html