Project 'Port Discovery'

[LordOfDarkness]

As most of you may know, Port Discovery was a concept for what is now known as X-Sector.






Well what I was wondering was how far Tower's were into this idea, Considering the fact that they still have a Trademark with the name ([size=78%]http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-os/t-find/t-find-prop.htm[/size] Search Merlin). Does anyone know why this idea was scrapped and how late into the construction/planning of Oblivion this occured?

[DiogoJ42]

Steampunk Oblivion? Wow. I'm honestly not sure what to make of that. I quite like the concept art, but it's hard to imagine X Sector being anything other than what it is.

[Shockadelica]

Interestingly, the sketch is dated '96 and by then, the station of Black Hole had already taken on this theme for the ride's 1996 re-theme.  So maybe that was just testing the water?

Maybe it was decided that it would be a little too similar to DLP's Discoveryland and therefore it was abandoned.

I think I'd like it if DLP hadn't already done it, but I prefer AT to have their own, unique ideas.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

I think through market reasearch they discovered that the target audience for the ride would prefer "a rollercoaster for the late 90's, cool, modern, very millennium".

So that spelled the end for the steam-punk theme.

Also, I'm sure cost was a major consideration. If those conepts were realised the total of the project would have easily escalated by a good few million £'s.

[Bunbury]

X Sector is effective, but this is a much cooler concept than 'black paint'...

[CoasterCrazyChris]

To be fair the only the area around Submission and Enterprise relies heavily on the use of black paint.

The rest of the area is (or was) predominantly smooth concrete and polished steel with black being used for the pipes and vents, often mixed with orange to give it an edgy feel.