The Smiler - Speculation

[Alexstoneage]

Hello all been reading for a long time now a thought it was time for me to post.
I remember reading in the construction part of the forum someone saying you can't project on to black well this is incorrect you I was doing some research around this in 2011 for a night club any way here is what I found out about it

[Aidan Lowe]

This one show's a human face projected with moving mouth etc onto a blank mannequin's face.



[EDIT] This is pretty cool, imagine pulling alongside and on the left of the train something like this happens, not exactly like this but you get what I mean. Plus with a good sound system, and maybe some 4D element it would terrorize people.

[RubyGaga]

Did anybody watch the video of the marmaliser screens? (http://www.towerstimes.co.uk/sw7/video/)
NOW, what could the 'disorientator' be??

[N3m3s1s]

Did anybody watch the video of the marmaliser screens? (http://www.towerstimes.co.uk/sw7/video/)
NOW, what could the 'disorientator' be??

Bit late. See the last few pages 

[DeadJack5]

I can't see why this 'Washer' effect isn't involved as the ride time is 165 seconds i presume the outside ride section will be just over 2 minutes so the washer will take up the rest of time.

Either way, it will be great :3

[gaz1313]

I believe alton favour and use Bose speakers a lot. They arnt bad quality for outdoor (all weather) speaker's. I'd hope the indoor section is quite weather tight and will allow them to use some very nice powerful speakers. An independent boom box for the base would be great. Especially withe echo it would create and the roar of the track. Ohh imagine it...

They have for years, I believe they have a contract with them, as they do with many other brands and suppliers. Not sure if Merlin have the same one or not, but I can remember reading how all of Nemmie's original audio is old skool Bose!

[AndreJD]

I can't see why this 'Washer' effect isn't involved as the ride time is 165 seconds i presume the outside ride section will be just over 2 minutes so the washer will take up the rest of time.

Either way, it will be great :3

Not to dig up heavily trodden ground, but it's simply a fact that nobody has seen it go in. It would require a fairly large and complex bit of machinery, and would presumably take a bit of time to fit. For anyone who's been following this since the beginning, we have seen every single piece of track being laid - inside the station and out. There is nowhere for that sort of element to go. A preshow on the brakes before the lift, or the straight after the station, or a mid-show at the brakes before the second left hill are much more plausible explanations of any unexplained ride time.

[Garrawayian]

I would think the disorientator is the indoor barrel roll.

Going back to the smiler game, there were several stages: data capture, initiation (assume restraints being dropped onto riders before leaving the station), brain wipe (pre-show?) which may be after the barrel roll?, as the list then goes onto processing (lift hill?) then marmalisation (the ride itself) before we all return as smiling advocates.

Ever since the game came out, I thought there may be a stop and pre-show before the lift hill. The fact the wall art changes for this section to security check, from the smiler logo, makes me think this. I also thought this section would have doors, prior to being released onto the lift hill, as a pre-op kind of procedure if you like...

Has anyone seen any doors installed at the base of the 1st lift hill to make this a wholly dark portion? And to take the 3d projection...if this were to be true?

One thing is for sure....I'm very excited for this coaster!!

[Javs]

Yeah come on guys, there is speculation and there is just wishful thinking.  The disorientator is the barrel roll with probably some lighting or projection effects.  The screen shows one 360 degree roll, nothing more.

Listen to those of us that have been following this topic from day one when we say, there is no secret element that makes the track rotate.  We have seen all the track installed and there are photo's of inside the dark section for all to see.

This extra time inside the dark section or pre ride show speculated will probably by on the straight section before the lift hill I would imagine.  Either that or just before the drop into the dark section after dispatch.

[sw7nutter]

Yeah come on guys, there is speculation and there is just wishful thinking.  The disorientator is the barrel roll with probably some lighting or projection effects.  The screen shows one 360 degree roll, nothing more.

Listen to those of us that have been following this topic from day one when we say, there is no secret element that makes the track rotate.  We have seen all the track installed and there are photo's of inside the dark section for all to see.

This extra time inside the dark section or pre ride show speculated will probably by on the straight section before the lift hill I would imagine.  Either that or just before the drop into the dark section after dispatch.

We haven't seen every piece go in we have seen most pieces go in but not all. And this washing machine wouldn't be built in 1 piece it would be made up of many pieces and then wired together and if it was complex which i imagine it would be they couldn't leave any of it outside in case it got damaged. As that section was built during the fly overs it would have just looked like a normal brake section.
Personally i don't think it is the washing machine but its not impossible and I don't think they would focus so much on a heart-line roll when 2 hours away you have 3 in a row.

[AndreJD]

We haven't seen every piece go in we have seen most pieces go in but not all. And this washing machine wouldn't be built in 1 piece it would be made up of many pieces and then wired together and if it was complex which i imagine it would be they couldn't leave any of it outside in case it got damaged. As that section was built during the fly overs it would have just looked like a normal brake section.
Personally i don't think it is the washing machine but its not impossible and I don't think they would focus so much on a heart-line roll when 2 hours away you have 3 in a row.

Just to put this to bed.



The entire station complex with no visible machinery, nowhere for that feature to go (go to the minisite to see these images larger if you can't make the darker areas out). And then:



The rest of the brake run, you can see the basic brake components, the hard ground beneath, and the lift hill machinery. The rest of the ride is plain to see. I love the thought of there being something hidden somewhere, but there is absolutely no chance of any significant track-based feature existing on this ride.

[mattsteveal]

i think i'm right in thinking that the rotating track element was thought up by this site alone, no whispers/hear'say from Merlin/Alton Towers workers or anything and I think it was only thought up because the plans only showed 8 inversions plus there was confusion over the inversion record (whether it included rider inversions or just track ones) as there already is a coaster that inverts riders more than 11 times (its a 4d coaster i think).

this site thought the only way they could get from 8 to 14 (if the plans were correct) and beat the track inversion record would be to have rotating track. it would also have guaranteed alton towers the inversion record forever more as they could just add another inversion - making the smiler "World Beating" forever. with the evidence (or lack of) available at the time this was a fair assumption.

this site has since confirmed that they do not think it will now happen after seeing static track installed.

it could well be things have changed inside the station walls but due to the fact this site came up with the idea and static track being installed I highly doubt it.

the reason ive decided to write all this is to point out to all the johnny come lately's (i realize i am one myself) that there were NO rumours of a washing machine trick track from anywhere other than this site.
those are the points ive picked up after reading through both parts of construction discussion and i suggest other people do the same before posting. speculate all you want but get your facts/rumours straight before. IMO i doubt this will happen

[Themeparksandy1981]

We haven't seen every piece go in we have seen most pieces go in but not all. And this washing machine wouldn't be built in 1 piece it would be made up of many pieces and then wired together and if it was complex which i imagine it would be they couldn't leave any of it outside in case it got damaged. As that section was built during the fly overs it would have just looked like a normal brake section.
Personally i don't think it is the washing machine but its not impossible and I don't think they would focus so much on a heart-line roll when 2 hours away you have 3 in a row.

Just to put this to bed.



The entire station complex with no visible machinery, nowhere for that feature to go (go to the minisite to see these images larger if you can't make the darker areas out). And then:



The rest of the brake run, you can see the basic brake components, the hard ground beneath, and the lift hill machinery. The rest of the ride is plain to see. I love the thought of there being something hidden somewhere, but there is absolutely no chance of any significant track-based feature existing on this ride.

I still think like I said from the start that in that flat section just before the first lift hill theres gonna be projectors and screens all the way a long with a yellow 1 of theses and it will mess with your brain/mind ready for the ride itself. 

[MatthewR1990]

Just how slow could the car run through that brake section after the barrel roll? Surely it can't go too slowly as you wouldn't be able to set the next train off from the station until the car has climbed and left the lift hill for safety measures? Or can it be launched as long as the car is on the lift hill?

[Javs]

Thanks AndreJD!  There seem to be a few peeps that have not seen these images.

Hopefully it will be enough!!

I think any projectors/lighting effects will probably be during the heartline roll.  I would imagine it wont be that dark approaching the lift hill!  But I do agree, I think there will be some pre-show event like on Saw.  Im just not entirely sure where, but the rather long straight leading up to the lift must be for something.

[Andzdrew]

A train can be released as soon as the one in front is on the hill

[JayJay90]

Just how slow could the car run through that brake section after the barrel roll? Surely it can't go too slowly as you wouldn't be able to set the next train off from the station until the car has climbed and left the lift hill for safety measures? Or can it be launched as long as the car is on the lift hill?

when the train clears the brakes and is on the hill, another train could then be dispatched. If things were to go wrong they could stop the train on the lift hill and in the brake run.

However, if everything was to just stop, are there any kicker wheels to start it going again as I cant see any from the pictures below? The brake section is quite short so just they will just wait until its cleared the lift hill.

[AndreJD]

Just how slow could the car run through that brake section after the barrel roll? Surely it can't go too slowly as you wouldn't be able to set the next train off from the station until the car has climbed and left the lift hill for safety measures? Or can it be launched as long as the car is on the lift hill?

when the train clears the brakes and is on the hill, another train could then be dispatched. If things were to go wrong they could stop the train on the lift hill and in the brake run.

However, if everything was to just stop, are there any kicker wheels to start it going again as I cant see any from the pictures below? The brake section is quite short so just they will just wait until its cleared the lift hill.

From memory most Eurofighter's have a kick wheel just before the lift hill. Most recently, Takabisha does. I can't make one out on the aerial photos.

[Andzdrew]

Just how slow could the car run through that brake section after the barrel roll? Surely it can't go too slowly as you wouldn't be able to set the next train off from the station until the car has climbed and left the lift hill for safety measures? Or can it be launched as long as the car is on the lift hill?

when the train clears the brakes and is on the hill, another train could then be dispatched. If things were to go wrong they could stop the train on the lift hill and in the brake run.

However, if everything was to just stop, are there any kicker wheels to start it going again as I cant see any from the pictures below? The brake section is quite short so just they will just wait until its cleared the lift hill.

The track will hopefully be designed not to stall in a non resumable place as you've described, the run upto the lifthill might look flat but it'll have a slight downhill gradient

[JayJay90]

Just how slow could the car run through that brake section after the barrel roll? Surely it can't go too slowly as you wouldn't be able to set the next train off from the station until the car has climbed and left the lift hill for safety measures? Or can it be launched as long as the car is on the lift hill?

when the train clears the brakes and is on the hill, another train could then be dispatched. If things were to go wrong they could stop the train on the lift hill and in the brake run.

However, if everything was to just stop, are there any kicker wheels to start it going again as I cant see any from the pictures below? The brake section is quite short so just they will just wait until its cleared the lift hill.

The track will hopefully be designed not to stall in a non resumable place as you've described, the run upto the lifthill might look flat but it'll have a slight downhill gradient

Ah yes that does make sense. So I guess in that case, they can in fact dispatch another train whilst the other climbs the hill, the brakes would stop the train, if all started again itd just roll towards the kicker wheel due to the gradient of the track.