Creative Ideas For new AT Attractions

Got an idea of how the Alton Towers Resort may develop over the coming seasons? Discuss it here.
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Coaster Chall
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Here is my idea for a scare maze at Scarefest:

Alton Manor: We're All Dead Here

Guests enter the queue line, filled with hanging lanterns and teddy bears tied up in a noose as if they are being hanged at the gallows. Visitors enter in groups of 10-15 and they wait in the living room floor. In a sudden panic, a policeman appears with a torch in peoples faces, questioning their safety. Another policeman reassured that they are here for a tour of the abandoned manor. The policeman then take the group upstairs into the main bedroom of Alton Manor and before they leave the lights go out and all of a sudden...an alien type roar! One policeman lead the group back downstairs before one policeman was grabbed by the creature and the door was shut. They are lead downstairs and they are lead into the study room, where the policeman gets them in the room and shuts the door. The group hear the noises of the creature breaking the policeman's neck and they hear the sound of the creature eating the flesh of his face. There is a blackout in the room, before a voiceover delivers:

"In 1823, Lord Timothy Alton and his Family are found dead in Alton Manor. They were all found with no flesh on their face...as if someone has eaten it..."

"Now you have been deliberately left here at your own peril...because no one leaves..."

As the voiceover finished, a chainsaw sound is heard before cannibalistic maniacs open the door, as if they are greeting the group and leading them to the sewer pipe opening that was mysteriously installed into the wall. A tunnel is in site as one by one, the group go through the tunnel towards a surgery ward covered in Black, goo like substances. The nurses and doctors are cannibalistic maniacs and are about to take the first members of the group, when shouting is heard saying "POLICE! POLICE!" As this is heard, they are told to move on through, despite all the smoke and the chainsaws. They are left running for their lives...unaware of the true history of Timothy Alton's family demise...towards the exit

An extreme maze and a gory past
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fillc85
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I think re-theme the toadstood to the chained oak in the Dark Forest.  I think it would work a treat and bring back a flat to the area.  The themed element would be the ride (if done right) and then the stories of the surrounding rides changed slightly.

I would also like to have a LSM Mack or Intamin replace Rita and have it themed to "the Wrath" that would then link Thirteen's wrath with the beggar from Hex and give the whole area a consistent theme. or the Wrath's woods and why it is known as the dark forest.  With each ride giving a little extra detail to the overall story.  e.i why the Wrath is in the woods, is the tomb on thirteen her burial site?  Just a thought...
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Ben-
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Robert.W wrote:The only issue I would have if The Smiler was enclosed would be what would it look like from the outside? Surely this would cause a bit on an eyesore? Having said that, I'd imagine the things that could be done on the inside could create a truly phenomenal experience, perhaps at a Disney level, if done well...
I think it would be really cool and would add some difference to the rest of the X-Sector if the outside was themed and looked like the large building ran by the Ministry of Joy, in the trailers leading up to The Smiler, you know? That building, with the Advocates dancing in a circle outside, or maybe, some sort of bunker or something themed to a Ministry of Joy testing area.
I know this would never happen, but if that were to happen, imagine the que being closed of from the ride as well, to make it look like your in a huge normal building. Then, when you enter the strobe room and the station, which has a distinct aesthetic to the rest of the building, you'd be creeped out as you realise the whole building actually incases a huge beast of a ride. The theming and objects on the rides could be lit up, now that would be a spectacular dark ride, beyond Disney level. Just imagine!
Last edited by Justin on Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Punctuation and Grammar
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Guitar
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A dual track coaster.

Imagine Nemesis but with an upright coaster also mounted to the top of the track, separate trains above and below, but on the same track. Supports would have to be rearranged to come from the side as trains would run above and below. The main question would be whether a track could be designed that gives safe g-forces for both trains, but I think its an interesting concept. Also as a duelling coaster it would seem more fair as it's the same track they are running on, even if the ride for both tracks would be quite different.

Also 2 rides for the price of 1 track, who doesn't love a bargain!
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wamdue
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How about a rollercoaster with an invisible track? Is it possible? Obviously the track has to be there, but the track could be made transparent or at least enough to fool someone coming out of a corkscrew or a loop? For all the safety you know is there before getting on the coaster, that split second where the track seems to not be there, before your logical mind is able to kick in, should provide a real scare.
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AltonOperator
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wamdue wrote:How about a rollercoaster with an invisible track? Is it possible? Obviously the track has to be there, but the track could be made transparent or at least enough to fool someone coming out of a corkscrew or a loop? For all the safety you know is there before getting on the coaster, that split second where the track seems to not be there, before your logical mind is able to kick in, should provide a real scare.
Hate to be that guy, but no, its not possible. Currently the only (affordable) translucent materials are glass and plastic and neither could withstand the immense force of a coaster train. It also would not look invisible, you'd still see it. There certainly are technologies that could give a similar sense of surprise though. You could have fake track or the cantilever coaster universal patented. Maybe even a maglev coaster one day.
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Thanks Jack
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ROYJESS
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wamdue wrote:How about a rollercoaster with an invisible track? Is it possible? Obviously the track has to be there, but the track could be made transparent or at least enough to fool someone coming out of a corkscrew or a loop? For all the safety you know is there before getting on the coaster, that split second where the track seems to not be there, before your logical mind is able to kick in, should provide a real scare.
Put one inside a black velvet lined tent (Black Hole) and paint the track black.  Could use part fluorescent painted track and other sections painted black as well as some fake fluorescent painted track under UV lights to give the illusion that the track is going one direction, but the track really goes the opposite way. 
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wamdue
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I am guessing there could be a safety concern, but what if at the last moment, a black track rose from a black pit (or made to look like a pit), making it look like you are going head first into a pit, but the track goes up just in time to prevent (or the pit does down to make the track suddenly appear)
Swarm Chris

The idea of appearing track is perhaps not as far fetched an idea as you might think. Intamin currently have a couple of new launched coasters that will be switching track whilst the ride is moving at speed. The first will be at Parc Asterix in 2021.
This layout gives a fair amount of time for the switch to take place, but there is speculation that Busch Gardens Williamsburg will be getting a similar type of coaster, but where the riders may very well be able to see the switch happen in front of them. The magnetic launch will act as brakes if needed, but this is some pretty scary (in a good way) new technology.
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wamdue
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Isn't this what a runaway mine train is for? Whenever you see mine trains in movies or cartoons, the truck always changes tracks at the last minute, to avoid falling off a cliff.

What if you put the points in dip, so that as you appoarch the dip on an upslope you see broken track on the other end of the dip, giving the impression you will hit the broken trap, but as you come into the dip, the track bends into what looks like points at what seems like the last moment. You can do everything safely to hide that track, and give the impression to the rider you are going to hit the broken track. 

Also you can't make that public, you can't be standing in the queue watching it happen, have it happen away from the queue and then roll into station.
Last edited by Dan on Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Merged double post
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matt_1985x
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I have a whole blog of dark ride ideas, with illustrations, free to use (aslong as someone else hasn't patented them) by anyone including AT, no honey traps:
https://mattsdesignsblog.wordpress.com/page/1/
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The rumoured Donkey Kong Mine Cart is meant to feature a fake track.

The patent shows the ride car appears to be on a rail track when it's actually being held up by an out of view steel support connected to the actual base of the vehicle. The base rides along a real track whilst the riders can only see the fake track above. This lets you have breaks in the 'track' that you appear to jump over, much like you do in the mine cart levels of Donkey Kong Country.

I'm not entirely sure how the arm of the vehicle can deal with the stresses of a high up, heavy passenger compartment but I'd guess it's going to be a fairly tame coaster without many sharp bends.

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matt_1985x
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There's a new holographic display, called The Looking Glass, that produces 3D images without glasses. Here's a short video about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfHw8NA75Xc

I thought it might be cool to use one of these in one of the Pepper's ghost illusions (instead of a 2D monitor) implemented in Duel. Imagine the dolls house if the girl and cat were 3D instead of flat. The only problem is there seems to be lines around the edges of the inside of the box, I'm not sure if these can be edited out of the images, specially manufactured out or if some black cardboard frame could hide them.

I'm sure someone could probably come up with an equally, if not more creative use for these displays at Alton Towers but that's my 2 cents.
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matt_1985x
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Would this be cool?
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Basically, mics in the ceiling, speakers near the floor (to avoid feedback), mics pic up what people are saying as they queue or leave the ride, then its played back through the speakers with an effect added like delay (echo), pitched up or down, with reverse reverb or any other audio effect you care to imagine. Delay would definitely make things trippy.

I thought it might be a nice idea for the exit corridors of The Smiler, which is all about messing with peoples heads. People tend to come of laughing and yelling, especially in groups so it wouldn't be wasted here.
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LoopinLiam
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Alton Towers could do with a few flat rides. Maybe relocate some from Thorpe park? One would fit nicely in the ripsaw area, and in submission's place.
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GregH94
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matt_1985x wrote:Would this be cool?
Image

Basically, mics in the ceiling, speakers near the floor (to avoid feedback), mics pic up what people are saying as they queue or leave the ride, then its played back through the speakers with an effect added like delay (echo), pitched up or down, with reverse reverb or any other audio effect you care to imagine. Delay would definitely make things trippy.

I thought it might be a nice idea for the exit corridors of The Smiler, which is all about messing with peoples heads. People tend to come of laughing and yelling, especially in groups so it wouldn't be wasted here.
Interesting, but being a family friendly park it could backfire - surely it would pick up swear words 
ColaRoaster

A Way To Transport People To A Space Station

As always constructive critisizm is welcome.

The rider enters the shuttle, above ground. I have not modeled any theming inside, I'm not really a theming designer, but just imagine it's full of alien technology:
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What (hopefully) people don't figure out is that they have actually entered a lift, inside of the shell of a shuttle (and yes, I may have been influenced the DBGT here).
Here's the lift without the shell:
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Once everyone is onboard, the lift starts to move downward at an imperceivable speed:
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The door then slides open and riders exit the shuttle buy with a set of doors closing behind them, ready for the lift to return to the top:
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Please forgive me if the illustrations are a little sketchy, I just wanted to toy with the idea of a lift. I go into a bit more detail on my blog here:
https://mattsdesignsblog.wordpress.com/
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ColaRoaster wrote:A Way To Transport People To A Space Station

As always constructive critisizm is welcome.

Please forgive me if the illustrations are a little sketchy, I just wanted to toy with the idea of a lift. I go into a bit more detail on my blog here:
https://mattsdesignsblog.wordpress.com/
I don't get it? so it is essentially just a lift? :-k
ColaRoaster

Yes, a well concealed lift leading to a space themed ride which could be all underground.
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lewis97
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This looks as though it could have been inspired by the Transport Ship section of Rise of the Resistance?

I expect Imagineering considered a number of methods in relation to how to achieve the effect, and assume the turntable used was probably settled on because the engineering required perhaps wasn't as heavy as (say) a lift, so would be expected to be more reliable as a result.
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