Does Th13teen prove that a more elaborate dark coaster has a good market

[TheOutpatient]

I know what you are thinking!
Coasters move way too fast to have scenery and the building needs to be megalithic,
but this the way round that:
Most of the volume of the coaster is outside in the day light but you have a warehouse in the middle/to one side. In here you slow the car right down and have the dark ride part in there. This can be all in one go or the coaster can keep revisiting the warehouse.

I was just thinking how the queue for Th13teen is always pretty good.

Some other points:

-Peoples eyes may not adjust to the darkness in time for a standard level of light in a dark ride so things will no doubt have to be a bit brighter. An old trick is to have a short stretch of pure darkness first.

-The lower age limit is going to be inversely proportional to the intensity of the coaster. It could be mine train intense, or you could make something really special for the adults and make intense in both dark ride and coaster departments. That probably would boom but don't hold me to it.

[King Nemesis]

In all fairness, I think that Thirteen works well as your eyes have not adjusted after the drop your eyes start to play tricks and think they are seeing things that are not actually there.

[bensaund]

Th13teen ticks all the boxes for me.

[jmed]

Although I don't think it would happen, due to cost or size, I would like to see more than one ride occupy an indoor dark space. Think along the lines of the runaway minetrain and rapids tunnel, they way they pass. It could be one central dark building in which 2 coasters and a flat pass by each other.Maybe a coaster helix around the outside of the room with a simple spinning ride in the Centre, stand up Walters of something and maybe even a smaller(1.2m) coaster bunny hopping through the room.
The benefits are an expensive we'll themed dark room is utilised by 3 rides. Close passes can be made to add intensity, the noise of a coaster passing through while you ride a flat would be great. It allows younger smaller riders to experience the thrills associated with a major coaster.
As I said it would-be expensive building 3 rides in one, and space would be an issue but could it be done theoretically?

Any ideas.

[leammiles]

I think with the speed of a runaway mine train you could have an amazingly themed dark coaster.

I like the idea of having multiple rides share an indoor area.

For anyone that went to American Adventure back when it was stil around, their Runaway Mine Train was themed around a mountain and mines...the ride started off outside doing its usual helixes before entering a cave in the mountain and entering the mines, there were then multiple sections where you would come out of the cave and re enter at a different point.

Now, American Adventures indoor sections were pretty poor, there was no theming and it was just an indoor section with lowered light levels.  If there were sparkles of gold on the walls, and animatronic miners, along with theming like buckets of coal/gold, other railways, budgies hanging up, etc you could theme a runaway mine train, log flume and rapids to all intersect the same indoor section and have the whole area themed after a gold rush america type place.

I've seen it done well at other theme parks. Obviously this could be done at Alton Towers but I doubt rides such as the RMT and Rapids would get the money to put theming into their current indoor section.

Would be nice for rides of the future to take it into consideration though.

[Thriller]

About the above post.....I know this is an Alton Towers thread, but there is another park that this could suit. If they brought back Jakestown to Oakwood and had a coaster going through the gold mine and themed with visuals and audio, what a difference it would make to the park. Sorry if this breaks any rules in the forum and feel free to move the post.

[TheOutpatient]

Yeah I think a mine train with slow bits is one approach that seems plausible
but if you had suspended trains - 2 or 4 seater, with over the shoulder restraints you can bring scares much closer to people. You can have things that try to grab peoples legs or even touch heads (maybe) - so think bat ride with slow parts.

The other option is to make a ride for young adults upwards (kind of like saw and sub terra)  where you make an absolutely scary ride with absolutely scary dark parts. You might think it can't be done but if the right sculptures/models are made, I'm sure its possible, It just seems very expensive to do and doesn't seem to be a "memory maker" as much as something a bit more fun with lots of purple and green lights.