Th13teen - Ride discussion

[Kelly]

Not sure if this has been posted, didn't spot it looking through, but it's a good front seat POV:

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[Andyc Nemesis]

Thing that really annoys me about Thirteen is the fact that most people on the forums are BLIND to the fact that this coaster has not delivered what the park needed. And that was a thrill ride. The music is shocking in the area, i am sorry, but it is. The queue line theming before the station is shocking, one hand coming out of a grave and a Alton Towers Van.

If this was at thorpe Park, ALL/MOST of yopu would be saying its not good enough. FACT, i.e. Stealth and Saw are prime examples of this.

[Chaz]

Just got back from three days at the resort. Photos are uploading to my Facebook, ill try to post some on here later.

Had a long convo with John Wardley on Sat morning and evening, he is keeping an eye on all major forums, this one included.

I haven't read many posts since I got back but Th13teen really is a fun coaster, the shock element really catches you every time (we did it 6 in total).

John said that he was monitoring forums on Sat and the only negative comments seem to come from people who haven't been on it yet, all riders seem to enjoy it A LOT!

He went into deep detail about how it works, which some will find out on that evening, where he has photos too.

Brilliant weekend, Sunday was empty accross the park, with Th13teen having no more than 20mins all day, and at one point walk on.

One more thing, JW said he was suprised that they had no breakdowns opening day (by the time I spoke to him anyway, but I didn't hear of any all day Sat and Sun), a very positive start for it.

[PeteB]

I haven't been on this ride yet but I'm very looking forward to it on Wednesday. I am however dissapointed at the marketing, and also the lack of theming in the queue line.

The thing that's really bugging me right now is where the hell has £15m gone? The drop technology has been around for years, the coaster design is very lightweight - fair enough if it was something like a B&M Hypercoaster, but £15m on a mine train type coaster? I dont think so.

Also I'm sure that Brenden Walker had said the drop feature which he worked on was NOT the world's first element?


I would like to suggest that the park give John Warldey more freedom and get shot of that Morweena Angove with her silly marketing tactics! It's an embarassmentt for the park!

Bottom line is it looks like John has delivered the goods at his end (another cracking family attraction), its the rest of the development and marketing people that have let us down.

[Chaz]

[quote=""PeteB""] The drop technology has been around for years.[/quote]

As JW will explain when he does the evening thingy, This is new tech, very clever and (most importantly) Quick, from entering the crypt, to dropping and leaving, there is almost no waiting time.

[buffaloBen]

[quote=""Andyc Nemesis""]Thing that really annoys me about Thirteen is the fact that most people on the forums are BLIND to the fact that this coaster has not delivered what the park needed. And that was a thrill ride. The music is shocking in the area, i am sorry, but it is. The queue line theming before the station is shocking, one hand coming out of a grave and a Alton Towers Van.

If this was at thorpe Park, ALL/MOST of yopu would be saying its not good enough. FACT, i.e. Stealth and Saw are prime examples of this.[/quote]

Your stating all your comments as facts, as if we all agree with you but i think you will find the majority do not. Alton have to follow strict restrictions don't forget, so with the restrictions they have i think they have done a brilliant job.
Personlly i think saw is a great ride but i was dissapointed with the indoor section of saw as the quality of the effects were not up to the standard of what i expected because i thought that if it would be themed on a popular film then i though that the film studio would contribute to the effects as thats what there good at. Like all of universals rides based on films are brillaint.
I was not dissapointed with the thirteen interior. It contained all that i expected with effects still to be added. Yh i would of liked some effects in the backwards helix but it seemed very good at the moment anyway. Im sure Thirteen will shine at scarefest if they add to it with actors ect, although health and safety might prevent actos in the drop section id say it would still be great in the que ect.

[themealgang]

All, in all, I am pleased with Thirteen. The drop segment works really well and the theming is superb. Even though the coaster section is not as thrilling as people would of hoped, it still has as some great moments of airtime and picks up some nice speed. I also noticed that on opening day, there was no major breakdowns and the queue kept on moving. You would not find that at Thopre PArk would you?!
All in all, we have got a great, reliable ride that can push for the SW status. It's nice to see Alton Towers doing something different and unique, combining a drop with a backwards section that really does work. The Dark Forest looks amazing and I am sure, Thirteen will thrill riders for many years to come!
Well done Intmain and Alton for giving us such a great ride!

[Chaz]

As promised, a few photos...

Morning Queue

Wraith

Tree

Had to



All rest of opening weekend photos can be found on my FB page

[samster31324]

[quote=""Chaz""]As promised, a few photos...

Morning Queue

Wraith

Tree

Had to



All rest of opening weekend photos can be found on my FB page[/quote]


the pics are not working for me on my mac

[Big Dave]

I think your linking to the facebook page and not the actual image. Right click on the image and select copy image url or something similar.

[Andyc Nemesis]

[quote=""themealgang""]All, in all, I am pleased with Thirteen. The drop segment works really well and the theming is superb. Even though the coaster section is not as thrilling as people would of hoped, it still has as some great moments of airtime and picks up some nice speed. I also noticed that on opening day, there was no major breakdowns and the queue kept on moving. You would not find that at Thopre PArk would you?!
All in all, we have got a great, reliable ride that can push for the SW status. It's nice to see Alton Towers doing something different and unique, combining a drop with a backwards section that really does work. The Dark Forest looks amazing and I am sure, Thirteen will thrill riders for many years to come!
Well done Intmain and Alton for giving us such a great ride! [/quote]

Sorry, the fact that some aspects of the theming is cable tied on. So a ride being reliable makes it SW status? Air was shocking and still is reliability wise anyway. Airtime for me is ruined by the trims installed on the drops. Yeah, Thorpe Park had some BIG issues with Saw the Ride on opening weekend, however, the theming etc was all complete. For me, the station on thirteen looks unfinished.

For me, its nothing different, its a fancy bit of trick track which is nohing new to me. Phantasaland have it on Winjas and Fear and that is more exciting and scary then the drop, and is STILL AIMED AT THE FAMILY MARKET.

[Spike]

[quote=""Andyc Nemesis""]Thing that really annoys me about Thirteen is the fact that most people on the forums are BLIND to the fact that this coaster has not delivered what the park needed. And that was a thrill ride. The music is shocking in the area, i am sorry, but it is. The queue line theming before the station is shocking, one hand coming out of a grave and a Alton Towers Van.

If this was at thorpe Park, ALL/MOST of yopu would be saying its not good enough. FACT, i.e. Stealth and Saw are prime examples of this.[/quote]

The coaster has delivered exactly what the park needs and is aiming for. There are 4 Thrill coasters in the park all of which provide the thrills needed to sustain those who crave it. There are not many family coasters on park and this is where Th13teen comes in.

In all honesty stamping your feet like a typical enthusiast selfishly wanting another thrill coaster is only going to make you like a jerk to be honest.

The theming is open to opinion but the way you've addressed it is also typical enthusiast behavior.

Thorpe is a thrill seekers park and so they install thrill rides with little or no theming, why? Because they cleverly realise Chessington & Legoland are aimed at families and kids so they HAVE to separate each park for them all to co-exist in such a small radius.

Th13teen may have been hyped up to be more than it is but as a whole it's a fantastic ride experience and plays to Alton's strengths. Alton's rides are carefully thought out on the whole to create different levels of experience through-out your day and they go to great lengths to think carefully about being different in comparison to other parks in Europe.

If you want to stamp your feet about wanting another thrill ride take it to one of the sites who will listen and agree with you, and there are many sites full of people who think that because they are an enthusiast it gives them the right to demand and comment like it's fact and they know it all.

Try thinking outside the box for once instead of your own needs, it's not your park or your business and I for one think the investment of Th13teen is a clever and sustainable business move.

[NF2]

Right, lets forget target markets, whether the marketing misfired, whether it lived up to personal expectations etc and ask the killer question:

Is Thirteen Magical?

Does it have the same attention to detail and uniqueness that defined Alton during its golden era, or does it still manage to fall short in comparison to some of the rides in the 90s. Don't think about how it compares to the likes of Nemesis as far as how it rides , but look at it as an experience. Can we safely say Alton are back on the right trackor are we still half stuck in the Rita era?

[Rollercoaster5000]

Nice pics (accessed them through your profile age since they don't work on here). And just to ass on a point made earlier by JW, the negative comments only seem to be coming from those who haven't rode it yet, those who have been on Thirteen are loving it. I think that people should give Thirteen a chance and ride it first before judging it. I think Thirteen looks like a great and fun ride and and after watching the front row POV which was posted on here earlier, it looks a whole lot better than the other POV's show it.

[garyh]

Just to add my 5p. I was there for opening day and the next day and with Graeme rode it 4 times in total.

If JW is reading this (thanks for the photo by the way) then just some suggestions:

1) People entering the queue line need to be aware of the story - videos perhaps like on Hex explaining the site of Alton abbey, the mysterious crypt etc, or failing that just some signs scattered around the queue line giving a bit of story to the ride to build the suspense.

2) The ride itself outdoors, its very sparse and barren, yet this is supposed to be a dark forest? I know greenery was removed to build the ride, but hopefully plantations of trees are going to spring up around the ride to give the impression of riding through a forest, and the proximity of the trees adding to the feel of speed.

3) Crypt - some smoke in here wouldnt go amiss, just to add a bit of atmosphere, perhaps along with some smells? Noticed lightening effects added to the inside on Sunday which added to the drop feeling. As for the bottom of the crypt - something HAS to chase you out. Ive heard rumours the wraith in there will follow you out, and if so its imperative that it happens and soon. The whole concept of going out backwards must be that you are trying to escape the evil inside the crypt.

4) Add some smoke or lighting to the tunnel as you are coming out, and simple thrills can be achieved by hanging some fine strands from the ceiling just to rub along the tops of the rides heads as they come out backwards, most will instantly think of spiders or someone touching their heads, and as its backwards, they wont see it coming.



I see Graeme's point about this not being worthy of being a "Secret Weapon" and partly I agree. Previous secret weapons have been about scaring the hell out of you or offering something totally unique (Air). I guess what I am bearing in mind here is that Alton Towers is now marketed as a Family Resort. Its not going to install something that will scare the crap out of everyone, so families, dads, mums and kids wont ride it. However, given it is a family ride, perhaps the marketing for the ride was a tad over the top and hyped up riders too much, and many, me included, were a tad disappointed upon actually riding it on opening day.

However, saying that, its a re-ridable ride, and it is fun. Its definately a family ride and something people of all ages can go on. What I am looking forward to are the next few months, in which no doubt further enhancements will be made to the ride, and more effects turned on. I think the ride has potential, and I congratulate AT on having it ready on opening day, and with little in the way of breakdowns, which is quite an achievement.

In terms of satisying their general market, ie families, they have build a successful ride, in terms of satisfying those of us who want white knuckles and to come off feeling a bit wobbly, then no, its not that sort of ride. I have to agree however on exactly where the £15m went. When you look at the likes of Air which cost less. but is longer, more substantial and I would say even now, technically more advanced than any other ride in the park but it cost less than 13... maybe its inflation!

[Skumfidus]

[quote=""NF2""]Right, lets forget target markets, whether the marketing misfired, whether it lived up to personal expectations etc and ask the killer question:

Is Thirteen Magical?

Does it have the same attention to detail and uniqueness that defined Alton during its golden era, or does it still manage to fall short in comparison to some of the rides in the 90s. Don't think about how it compares to the likes of Nemesis as far as how it rides , but look at it as an experience. Can we safely say Alton are back on the right trackor are we still half stuck in the Rita era?[/quote]

From what I've seen, I'd say yes. Do a mental walkthrough of Nemesis, from the queueline to the station to the ride to the exit...now do the same for Th13teen.

Now do a mental walkthrough of Rita:Queen of Speed...see the difference?

[Squiggles]

Well I think Thirteen is a worthy sucessor to the Corkscrew and that's important, as the park was running rather thin on the ground for family coasters since the closure of Blackhole and Corkscrew.

When we were in the station I was a little confused as to why the trains coming in seemed to mostly be filled with bemused people, no one seemed to be managing excited, happy, bored, terrified or any other emotions... just... bemused. It turned out that's because the ride has the most bizarre ending ever. It's not just me is it, but everything from being sat in the graveyard waiting for the tracks to change over through to being launched at middling speed back into the station is just weird! It just seems like a bit of an anticlimax, we thought it would have been better if the switchback section had been longer taking you deeper into the graveyard so it didn't feel so much like you were waiting for the track to switch over and more like it was part of the ride.

That said the ride is a nice little addition and the backward section is by far the best part of the ride I found as its the one part where I felt especially vulnerable. The woodland section seemed a lot more open and short then I thought it would, though was a nice little coaster section.

I think I was a little bemused by the drop section... because it did pretty much exactly what I've been expecting it to do since it was just a hole in the ground... though I was expecting, as it seems most people were, an actual show section surrounding the drop, so it was a little disappointing to drop from one room to an identical room below, it would at least have been nice if the Wraith statues had at least changed poses (think Dr Who's weeping angels), that would have been quite creepy.

My housemate and I thought it was on a pretty similar level to Hex (think Hex in coaster form, without such an immersive storyline and you're about there), though Hex is creepier.

As has been said many times the biggest disappointment has been the ridiculous marketing the ride has received. It is not an "ultimate thrill ride" or a "psychoaster" and you certainly don't need to be especially brave to ride it. It would have just been nice if they'd marketed the good ride they have rather then an imaginary ride they don't. That said I think the blips have summed the ride up much better then all the other PR surrounding the ride.

[cmpunk771]

I do like this ride but i am annoyed about the PR stuff which ruined the ride for me

There is one thing i dont get, for the drop we do a small one first then a big one, so surely if the whole point the floor is breaking why do we do a small drop first because that wouldn't happen if the floor breaks surely

[garyh]

Another thought - just before you exit backwards out of the crypt, how about some huge fans blowing towards you, to create the feeling of something pushing you out, following by the wraith moving towards you and following you out...

[buffaloBen]

[quote=""NF2""]
Is Thirteen Magical?

Does it have the same attention to detail and uniqueness that defined Alton during its golden era, or does it still manage to fall short in comparison to some of the rides in the 90s. Don't think about how it compares to the likes of Nemesis as far as how it rides , but look at it as an experience. Can we safely say Alton are back on the right trackor are we still half stuck in the Rita era?[/quote]

Yup it does indeed!

It just felt great with all the themeing and the general atmosphere was fantastic.

Something about entering that crypt is just magical in my eyes.