The John Wardley Interview - Questions

[The its man]

What was your most challenging project and why?

Which rollercoaster company do you think will be the most exciting to look out for in the next few years in terms of development and new designs?

[Craig]

Just a quick post about the questions posted so far. John is taking time out of what is a busy schedule to take the time to answer a selection of questions posted in this topic. However, it goes without saying that people, possibly including John himself are watching this topic.

So, although the joke questions were funny at first, can we please try and stick to sensible ones which enthusiasts truly want the answer to, and most importantly ones which John is likely to respond to. It also allows the team to collate the sensible questions far more easily and saves us from having to pick through the joke ones .

As we know, John has done a number of interviews in the past, so it'd be great if members can come up with some new questions, ones which haven't been answered in the past. There's quite a few questions posed already which are identical or very similar to what has been answered in previous interviews - thanks .

[LukeJ.K]

Hello, Mr. Wardley. Do you know why there are such a small amount of flat rides at Alton Towers and why?. The park has plenty of awesome coasters, and I think Thirteen made a brilliant replacement for the Corkscrew.

But why aren't there many flatrides? I personally think AT is desperately in need of some sort of pendulum ride, such as an Intamin Gyro Swing, or Mondial Ultra Max.

Also, having never ridden the original haunted house, what really got on my nerves is how they ruined it with Duel.. When I ride on Duel I don't bother with the guns at all. I just look at the scenery and how it's deteriorated over the years.

I mean jeez, that ride is my age now, and it's ruined.

[Rowe]

Here is mine, that I've been waiting to ask a long time:

Now we've focused on your Tussauds/Merlin work incredibly on TTF from Chessington to Nemesis and now Thirteen, but I do not believe we have ever had the chance to hear more information and details on your previous work before being hired by the Tussauds group. So in these questions I would like to focus on your work at Barry Island.

1a. You said in the Dark Ride episode on Season Pass Podcast that the best dark ride you had ever created was 'Uncle Frankenstein's Scream Machine' at Barry Island, but you did not expand upon that ride afterwards, moving swiftly on. Can you explain what the ride was in terms of:

*Theming
*Music
*Atmosphere
*Special Effects
*Visitor Reception
*Story

1b. How did 'Uncle Frankenstein's Scream Machine' influence your imagination in terms of creativity and design of rides/rollercoasters? And have many past elements of the dark ride pass on into the likes of The Haunted House/The Fifth Dimension/Terror Tomb?

1c. If you had the chance, would you recreate the Scream Machine? Be it in terms of scale model, RCT3 or well, full-on rebuilt attraction?

I would quite like to ask about the country singer animatronic/Rock Circus, as well as the creation/design of Katanga Canyon, which is also vaguely chatted about by Wardley as well as The Fifth Dimension but I hope someone else will be able to do those instead as I wouldn't wish to whore this topic in asking too many questions!

...

Actually, if no-one asks about the country singer animatronic/Rock Circus, Katanga Canyon or The Fifth Dimension by the end of the two weeks, then I'll write them :P

[DiogoJ42]

Yup, seconded, Rowe. I would love to know more about Barry Island.

And you bring up a good point with Rock Circus...
John, did you have any involvement in the short lived Rock Circus in the Trocadero? I remember visiting as a child, and the animatronics blew my mind! (In fact, this was one of the many influences that led me to a career in lighting.)

[djtruefitt]

Has there been any rides or parts of rides you have wanted to create but for what ever reason they didnt happen or they had to be changed?

[quote=""Ritadz""]5) As mentioned in a topic on TTF, Nemesis has a SW tag on the tour bus, Oblivion on some supports and a queue building, do Air and TH13TEEN have SW tags, and if so where are they?[/quote]

I would also quite like to know the answer to this, especially as it was recently talked about.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

How did you come about getting the world's first vertical drop coaster - Oblivion?

[cmpunk771]

Anything you can tell us about SW6?

[mattbailey]

@Craig...

My question about the jacket was serious!

Others perhaps less so :P

Another more sensible question then...

Do you think CAD tools, such as No Limits, has made the job easier and less "hands on"? I assume Nemesis was designed using raw physics and limited simulation yet Saw would have been computer modelled first.

Seeing as different coaster types seem to have popularity phases, what do you think is the next "big thing" in coaster design?

[Big Dave]

Bit cheeky as this is kinda two questions.

Firstly, how does it feel to have an almost celebrity status amongst the themepark community.

Also, will Alton Towers ever get a new world class dark ride? Duel is ok for families and hex has something special and a great story, but both are lacking. Can we expect a thrilling new dark ride in the future?

[mattbailey]

[quote=""cmpunk771""]Anything you can tell us about SW6?[/quote]

It's name is Th13teen, it is a freefall drop rollercoaster and a world's first. It has a capacity of about 1500 guests an hour and runs three trains, with lapbars. The ride features an underground reverse helix, woodland running and a heavily trim braked first drop.

It was billed by Morwenna as The Ultimate Rollercoaster.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

[quote=""Mike""]OK I'll start us off shall I :P

Q: If you were put in charge of theming at Alton Towers, which area of the park would you say is best themed, and which would you say needs most work? And for the latter, what would you do to improve it? [/quote]

Thirded.

[Crofty]

[quote=""Rowe""]Here is mine, that I've been waiting to ask a long time:

Now we've focused on your Tussauds/Merlin work incredibly on TTF from Chessington to Nemesis and now Thirteen, but I do not believe we have ever had the chance to hear more information and details on your previous work before being hired by the Tussauds group. So in these questions I would like to focus on your work at Barry Island.

1a. You said in the Dark Ride episode on Season Pass Podcast that the best dark ride you had ever created was 'Uncle Frankenstein's Scream Machine' at Barry Island, but you did not expand upon that ride afterwards, moving swiftly on. Can you explain what the ride was in terms of:

*Theming
*Music
*Atmosphere
*Special Effects
*Visitor Reception
*Story

1b. How did 'Uncle Frankenstein's Scream Machine' influence your imagination in terms of creativity and design of rides/rollercoasters? And have many past elements of the dark ride pass on into the likes of The Haunted House/The Fifth Dimension/Terror Tomb?

1c. If you had the chance, would you recreate the Scream Machine? Be it in terms of scale model, RCT3 or well, full-on rebuilt attraction?
:P[/quote]

Brilliant, I'd love to know this. I'd also like to know how he feels about the way Barry Island and his first creations have ended up, has he been back lately? Also, Did he create the jungle cruise ride that is next to the Log Flume at Barry as it seems it was themed well to fit in with the other attractions but there no mention anywhere. of whether it was one of John Wardleys.

[El Patricko]

The theme music played at theme parks has always inspired me and added to the day greatly, my question is, how does the park go about creating a new piece of music for a new ride? is it an internal affair or do they have competing artists?

Ambient noise and particular smells seem to bring back memories of Alton Towers long after the initial visit, is there scope for expanding the theme park experience by using subtle smells and sounds placed around a theme park?

How much do nemesis's trains REALLY weigh ?

Do you have any hard feelings toward thorpe park's lazy and false naming of "nemesis inferno"?

Can you see yourself becoming involved with any of the large overseas projects (like dubai etc) in the future?

[Wildboy]

Hi John. Out of all the rides you have designed over the years, which ride has turned out most differently to how you expected from before construction actually started and why?

---- Post Info Added ----

Where you are not so limited with space with rides like dragon khan for example, How do you decide the layout of a ride without actually getting to experience the gforces and pacing for yourself?

---- Post Info Added ----

Atari have hinted at a Rollercoaster Tycoon 4 asking fans to tell them what features they would like to see added to a new version of the game. What features would you request to be added to Rollercoaster tycoon 4?

[shawnoc]

I can think of so many questions too.

Here goes my one:

Given the huge success of the Chessington Masterplan of the late 80's-90-s and the mommentom that projects where being built and to such a high standard. Do you ever look at that time today and wonder what Chessington could have been if there were less planning restrictions? What other rides would you have liked to develop to follow up Vampire?

Just one more:

In an interview, you said it was a great achivement to have Arrow Dynamics on board while develping Vampire, how did you get Arrow involved and how keen where they to work for a then small park in the UK, and how much involvement did yo have in the layout of the ride?

[Voke]

If Rita had been an SW and you were involved with the design of the ride (Consultant), what would you come up with that's differant to the final product (How it is now)?

[Wildboy]

Which ride/rollercoaster project of 2011 in the UK and abroad, are you most excited about (besides any of your own)

---- Post Info Added ----

You are probably the most prolific ride consultant for this country. Do you ever work in partnership with other ride consultants? If so who? and what have you learnt from other ride consultants?

---- Post Info Added ----

If you were judging a rollercoaster design competition, what would you be looking for in the winning ride that would set it apart from its competitors?

[Nightfall]

[quote=""El Patricko""]The theme music played at theme parks has always inspired me and added to the day greatly, my question is, how does the park go about creating a new piece of music for a new ride? is it an internal affair or do they have competing artists?

Ambient noise and particular smells seem to bring back memories of Alton Towers long after the initial visit, is there scope for expanding the theme park experience by using subtle smells and sounds placed around a theme park?[/quote] These two questions are interesting. I don't think anyone’s asked Wardley about his use of smell effects before.

[The its man]

What traits (or things) in real life inspire you to create some of the most superb rollercoaster designs in the world?

What made you decide to change from being a stage manager/film special effects artist into being a rollercoaster designer?

What spark made you come out of semi-retirement and back into the industry?

Out of all the parks you have visited (either for research or build or a day out), which park do you prefer?