X Sector Refurbishment

[TomL]

There are stairs down there as seen in these pictures (look close on the right of the track at thenexit of the tunnel:


And aren't there lights down there too!:

[tobybowes]

Have they ever run oblivion with the 'lights on' experience? Would be interesting to try considering how deep the hidden drop really is!

Would also be quite funny if they put a dummy down there like on saw: the ride, but only switched the lights on on random occasions to freak guests out.... surprised they've never added a twist for Halloween, or are you just travelling too fast?

[TheNigeC]

Have they ever run oblivion with the 'lights on' experience? Would be interesting to try considering how deep the hidden drop really is!

Would also be quite funny if they put a dummy down there like on saw: the ride, but only switched the lights on on random occasions to freak guests out.... surprised they've never added a twist for Halloween, or are you just travelling too fast?

youre tralling nearly 70mph by the time you enter the hole. so it wouldnt get seen. Just a huge blur i think.

I think they need to fill the tunnel with smoke and strobe lights, that would create a very disorientating ride.

[Liam-AltonTowers]

I think when they do re-paint Oblivion they should add a few small extras as well, possibly some more theming and the queue line should definitely get redone as it's very dirty and it's lost it's sinister feel to the ride.

[nataliemelfa]

I think when they do re-paint Oblivion they should add a few small extras as well, possibly some more theming and the queue line should definitely get redone as it's very dirty and it's lost it's sinister feel to the ride.

Agree with you here! Having been too young to ride when Oblivion was first opened, I didn't ride it until 2008 (Simply because AT was only an hour away from my Uni, as compared to a nearly 4 hour drive from my home town in Wales!) I remember the ride opening clearly, and the adverts 'DON'T LOOK DOWN' and was excited to ride. Due to the long queue I spent quite a lot of time in the pre-ride area and although I could see where it would once have been quite good, there is a definite lack of theming, and so much more could be done I think.

Sometimes the pre-ride experience really makes the ride- for example with Air- although I like the ride, the tunnel as you leave the loading area is very dull- and the queue area is also dull. IMO anyways.

[TheNigeC]

I think when they do re-paint Oblivion they should add a few small extras as well, possibly some more theming and the queue line should definitely get redone as it's very dirty and it's lost it's sinister feel to the ride.

I agree about the themeing needing some work.
to me it just looks like some spacey kind of stuff has been put in a couple of walkthrough rooms...
Someone did mention the CRT vs Flatscreen thing.. It would be nice to see the screens become flatscreens if The Smiler gets them. but if the smiler gets CRTs then they could at least get some new CRTs for oblivion.

The queue paths do need some work doing to them too.. a damn good jet washing would do as a start.

[electricBlll_Returns]

Would also be quite funny if they put a dummy down there like on saw: the ride, but only switched the lights on on random occasions to freak guests out....

I think they need to fill the tunnel with smoke and strobe lights, that would create a very disorientating ride.

I think when they do re-paint Oblivion they should add a few small extras as well, possibly some more theming

Oblivion is about implication.
When you imply something to be frightening, it is a lot more effective than when you show it straight.

If you put a body or something in Oblivion's tunnel, it would ruin the suspense of the ride and look really tripe. Also, adding "theming" for the sake of theming would be unnecessary and intrusive - quality before quantity. Putting flashy lights and effects into the tunnel would be a pointless, isn't the experience impactful enough without the addition of gimmicks? Unless it was designed to fit seamlessly with the rest of X Sector's style and architectural design, anything new would seem out of place.

I agree that Oblivion lacks props - the only big piece of theming being the strobe cylinder in the queue building - but it does not have the type of theme suited to a dense theme design. Remember, X Sector used to have more consistent theming but it has been altered over the years, particularly the stylishly themed Rehydrator building, which has been bricked up and turned into a food outlet.

They should go as far as to restore Oblivion to how it was aesthetically, improve on any outdated elements such as the CRT screens, and then just leave the rest alone - it's fine how it is.

[simononestop]

could paint the tunel black and yellow, each section like stripes to merge with smiler.
that would look cool as you shoot through.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

could paint the tunel black and yellow, each section like stripes to merge with smiler.
that would look cool as you shoot through.

Um...no.

Firstly Oblivion has nothing to do with The Smiler and that would just look tacky anyway.

[rhino18]

^Of course Oblivion has something to do with the Smiler. It's in the same location and the Smiler theme WILL somehow tie in with Oblivion. The tunnel would look cool in black and yellow hazarding stripes. The only drawback would be that the tunnel is dark and only works when dark.

[lewis97]

I agree that Oblivion may be 'affected' by The Smiler, but I highly doubt its theming will be changed much. It doesn't need to, and shouldn't change, it's keeping with the original X-Sector theme, and The Smiler won't influence a major re-theme of it. The reason The Smiler is in X-Sector will probably by justified by the back story they create.

[electricBlll_Returns]

^Of course Oblivion has something to do with the Smiler. It's in the same location and the Smiler theme WILL somehow tie in with Oblivion. The tunnel would look cool in black and yellow hazarding stripes.

It was also built 15 years before the Smiler existed. Imagine if this new ride The Smiler was, in about a decade, repainted red and green because they were going to build a ride called "The Flying Christmas Tree" next door to it.

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should. Ever.

[Liam-AltonTowers]

The Smiler and Oblivion are very alike. They are both to do with some kind of organisation trying to make you do something. I'm not entirely sure about Oblivion but I know the theme is like some kind of government facility and The Smiler is owned by TMOJ who maybe have set up there organisation within the X-Sector and the X-Sector now own it. I don't know how they link in but they must link in somehow otherwise they wouldn't put them next to each other. It's like Nemesis and Air - they are not that similar although the way Alton Towers say in the more gentle, calm side of the Forbidden Valley there is an Oasis which contains Air so they are kind of linked. Also Thirteen and Rita are linked because now that the Dark Forest has taken over Rita - it has become an abandoned drag racing thing and it's theming is very much like Thirteen so they are both in some way linked and I think that Oblivion and The Smiler will be linked in some way.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

The Smiler and Oblivion are very alike. They are both to do with some kind of organisation trying to make you do something. I'm not entirely sure about Oblivion but I know the theme is like some kind of government facility and The Smiler is owned by TMOJ who maybe have set up there organisation within the X-Sector and the X-Sector now own it. I don't know how they link in but they must link in somehow otherwise they wouldn't put them next to each other. It's like Nemesis and Air - they are not that similar although the way Alton Towers say in the more gentle, calm side of the Forbidden Valley there is an Oasis which contains Air so they are kind of linked. Also Thirteen and Rita are linked because now that the Dark Forest has taken over Rita - it has become an abandoned drag racing thing and it's theming is very much like Thirteen so they are both in some way linked and I think that Oblivion and The Smiler will be linked in some way.

You can try as hard as you like to come up with some far fetched story as to how these rides work in conjunction with each other, but at the end of the day they are there because there is no room elsewhere.

They managed (just) to make it work with Air and Nemesis, but the whole Rita and Thirteen thing is just farcical.

In my opinion the story line behind these things is irrelevant, the link between attractions has to be created through the visual appearance of the rides and the theming. From what we've seen so far the marketing of The Smiler seems to tie in nicely with X-Sector whilst establishing an individual identity for the coaster.

[Kenzie2012]

As much as its good to see people ideas for the Oblivion tunnel, I really hope and canhonestly say I son think it will seem change. Oblivion, regardless of what happens to the rest of X-Sector  is a Hole so the darker the better and you really are travelling oo fast in there o ever really concentrate on anything long enough.


However, the queue line theming needs some good TLC. I can't wait to see what they do to the place.

[JayTricky]

^Of course Oblivion has something to do with the Smiler. It's in the same location and the Smiler theme WILL somehow tie in with Oblivion. The tunnel would look cool in black and yellow hazarding stripes.

It was also built 15 years before the Smiler existed. Imagine if this new ride The Smiler was, in about a decade, repainted red and green because they were going to build a ride called "The Flying Christmas Tree" next door to it.

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should. Ever.

Tainted argument.

Rita was repainted to fit in with Th13teen. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Oblivion might see some 'yellow' somewhere on the ride. Linking it to Smiler, in small subtle ways, would be a clever thing to do. Or visa versa.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

^Of course Oblivion has something to do with the Smiler. It's in the same location and the Smiler theme WILL somehow tie in with Oblivion. The tunnel would look cool in black and yellow hazarding stripes.

It was also built 15 years before the Smiler existed. Imagine if this new ride The Smiler was, in about a decade, repainted red and green because they were going to build a ride called "The Flying Christmas Tree" next door to it.

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should. Ever.

Tainted argument.

Rita was repainted to fit in with Th13teen. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Oblivion might see some 'yellow' somewhere on the ride. Linking it to Smiler, in small subtle ways, would be a clever thing to do. Or visa versa.

Rita's theming was repainted in muted colours (what theming I hear you cry) to fit with Th13teen and the new area but that was because previously it was painted in bright red with a drag racing theme which clearly would not work in an area called 'Dark Forest'.

The Smiler on the other hand is designed to be an extension of X-Sector and will therefore not require the theme of other rides in the area to change.

[Kenzie2012]

I agree completely with Chris on this one.... Rita needed the repaint to different colours Oblivion doesn't.


I do think when discussing his, a point to remember is X-Sector rides each have their own specific colour.

Orange - Oblivion
Blue - Submission
Green - Enterprise
Yellow - Smiler

I don't think you'll see any rides mixing colours.

[getothing]

Smiler is difrent .The are cases belongs to the x-secctor, no need to change the thematic of other rides to be similar to The Smiler, that would be wrong because it is very different to oblivion The Smiler and from what I have understood, are companies rivals, ie a is produced by man of darkness and wants us to forget, this one is produced by dr.kelman and wants us to smile, I would like to see the x-secctor in a ministry of joy secctor.

[Sam198]

I agree completely with Chris on this one.... Rita needed the repaint to different colours Oblivion doesn't.


I do think when discussing his, a point to remember is X-Sector rides each have their own specific colour.

Orange - Oblivion
Blue - Submission
Green - Enterprise
Yellow - Smiler

I don't think you'll see any rides mixing colours.

Sadly, this is no longer strictly true...

Enterprise's refurbished gondolas for the beginning of the 2012 season actually featured multi-coloured strips on their sides (Orange, Black, Green and Blue):



Although the ride's original green colour scheme can still be traced via the sign cenotaph outside.