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Obstructure

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Everything posted by Obstructure

  1. Um AlexB, I don't know what the deal with your arrogance is, but like Joz said, it is nice to have all of the details put together in the one place. As for people not knowing, again it shows another level of how rediculous your post is by jumping to the conclusion that I thought no one knew about the new ride, hahaha, nice one. 10 points for you. I am sure everyone knows about the ride, and even that there are pieces on site and construction has started (like you so kindly pointed out to us all, just incase we had forgotten). Not everybody might know all of the finer details which my initial post outlines, and even if you do know, again it puts all of the information about the ride into a nice neat little package for people to read. If you have a problem with it AlexB, don't bother reading it, or commenting negatively when in fact you have made yourself look quite silly. Now please wipe the egg off your face before it goes rotten. So anyway, back onto the topic, December sounds like a good period but as Richard said they should look to have some testing periods. Going into peak period with an untested ride with untested methods could result in bad efficiency and also a lot of downtime if there are problems with the operation. I know that at Dreamworld when the Claw was introduced, it took some time for them to decide which way the ride would be run most efficiently, as well as staffing etc for it.
  2. Yeah, that's where I got it from. Not top secret information but not everyone may have known. Why has it been put back further? I would say looking at the progress at the moment there is no way it would be finished by September, considering how Movie World implements so much themeing, but why were things delayed so much?
  3. Thought I'd share a few details with you all that I found. Don't know if these have already been shared or not: Amusement Park: Warner Bros. Movie World Type: Steel - Sit Down Status: Under Construction opening 9/2005 Make / Model: Intamin AG / Accelerator Coaster Designer: Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH Lift / Launch System: Hydraulic Launch Height: 131' 3" Speed: 62.1 mph Max Acceleration: 0 − 62.1 mph in 2 seconds Elements: 131' 3" tall Top Hat − Outside Theme: The ride starts in a New York Subway where Lex Luthor appears and creates a earthquake. This earthquake causes a small launch into another room where Superman appears and takes the train to safety. History: Cost $12,000,000 AUD.
  4. It simply isn't possible to do something like that for a few reasons. 1. To have a 6pm start wouldn't allow enough time in between to make sure the day's crowds had finished and exited. 2. Not enough time to clean. 3. Not enough time for the rides to be checked again. 4. A guaranteed ride after lining up before 9.30 can't occur, what if the queue is 1 hour long? What if there are ride problems which delay the cycles. If you know that there are laws against them going past 10pm then you would know there is no way of doing it unless you stop the night even earlier, at like 9pm at the very latest, or just following the procedure they are now. I think the ticket sales were just right this time around, perhaps even 1500 would be suitable if they are going to charge $30, and make it such a regular event. Gates should open 6.15 to give a bit of time for the 2000 people to get in and have maximum time in the park Rides open 6.30 Rides off at 10pm regardless, it was well advertised this time to everyone that they may not get a ride, continue that and all will be fine.
  5. Cyclone 1 train, lethal weapon 2. Lethal Weapon: Movie World's number 1 thrill ride Cyclone: A lot lower down the list of Dreamworld's top thrill rides Not a very good comparison to make, but I can see where you are going with things.
  6. Unfortunately I read yet another thread and all I hear is complaining, its worse then a bunch of pensioners getting their hair done. I thought people would be pleased that Dreamworld is really going places in such a short amount of time. To in fact develop these things and double the park's size in 5 years is enormous. 1. To say look out Disneyland: Is that such a bad thing? They didn't exactly say they think they are going to outdo Disney, it comes across more that they are aspiring to reach a level like Disney. Something which has them recognised around the world, rather than just being a favourite theme park in Australia. It sounds more like they've used a few ideas such as introducing accomodation, expanding the park size etc. Someone said they thought it would take away from adding attractions further down the track: Look at how many rides there are currently, and look at the small space they are crammed into. Sure, putting in additional roller coasters would take up huge amounts of room, but what is to say they couldn't fit more in? 2. Turnover of guests/capacity issues. Don't forget TOT, GD, Rapids etc are quite old rides now. Back when they were built and introduced, Dreamworld DIDN'T have the large numbers of guests going through the gates. The park could handle things better back then, however now it is becoming more and more popular, and the rides can't handle the demand. I don't think saying putting a band-aid on a broken arm is a very fair statement. In fact, I think it is quite ignorant. The rides are how they are now, nothing can be changed about them, however making life a bit more bareable for those lining up for an hour is one of the better, realistic solutions available. I think the only other option they have, is to set up additional rooms for the larger rides, and have some kind of stories with entertainment staff using scripts, similar to what Batman 2 does at Movie World (even though I think it is really lame, it does make you feel like you are waiting less). 3. The article says on top of adding in accomodation, that there will be RIDES and ATTRACTIONS, which indicates shows. That would definitely help ease the capacity issues which so many of you rave on about. I don't think any theme park on the Gold Coast has the capabilities to cope with 10 000 people. 4. I'd like to see Dreamworld aim to incorporate ONE (yes just 1) excellent show, which is advertised and is highly rated, which is shown in a decent sized arena of some sort. Also I'd like them to add ONE high capacity water ride - one for all the family, which turns over large amounts of guests with minimal stoppages. Something like Wild West at Movie World but better - one which just keeps going, doesn't require belts or loose articles to be taken out. Finally, ONE world class roller coaster, which has 2, possibly 3 trains, a good queue design, air conditioned Stop complaining about every single little detail.
  7. I believe this will have a positive impact over its duration. Last Christmas they had a small Nickelodeon show which didn't attract large numbers of guests because a big deal wasn't made about it. Using a magic show in a relatively large area which can hold quite a few guests, will definitely move guests to that area of the park, minimising the overcrowding along that front stretch.
  8. Yes. Glad I made it clear that it was just one particular occasion, because it doesn't speak for all operators, or all days. I think a bit of the problem could have been it wasn't a very busy day and they may not have had a lot of work to do.
  9. Yes, they will be getting one, but not in the near future. The work going on at the thunderbolt site at the moment is definitely not for a new roller coaster, which is pretty much what this thread was initially about.
  10. Yep, it was a good day. Wasn't short, just didn't want to go on and on anymore than I already did, I was there from 10-5 (the opening hours). If the queues aren't too short at Movie World you pretty much do all the rides really quickly. I dare say there are really only 4-5 worth going on. At times on some of the rides it was a walk-on, or practically (5 minute wait or less). The shows are a major draw card for guests. At times many of the shows/parades pretty much coincided, so that took a large proportion of the crowd away. I've got a Max Action Pass (season pass) to Dreamworld so I go there all the time, that's why we decided against going on a busy day - we can go anytime. I get the feeling the attendents feel similar. They seemed very lethargic and unenthused, but I didn't want to be too critical of them because I felt that way after the first 2 minutes. It wasn't very interesting at all, and I couldn't see any hardcore Matrix fan feeling any different. It was just a bunch of props. I don't know how much Movie World invested in this thing, but it could be the reason why they keep it running. That, and perhaps people actually visit it... Unaware of what's instore... Thanks for taking the time to read my review.
  11. Before I begin, I will just say that these are my opinions based on my experience on a specific day, they don't speak for every single day, or every single person, just a broad generalisation. Today was the first time I have been to Movie World in quite some time, so I was expecting things to be fairly fresh, as in the rides having a novelty about them. After arriving at Dreamworld, only to see ALOT of people, we decided to head down the road to Movie World instead, and test our luck there, just to change things up. We ended up arriving there just on 10, and walked straight through the gate - no line, relatively empty carpark, and a lot less busier than Dreamworld. Once getting through the gate, we pencilled in what shows we wanted to go to, and decided to fit the rides around them. LETHAL WEAPON: Decided in the case of things getting really busy, this ride would be best to do first to ensure a small wait time. We got to ride it twice at the start of the day because there was no one, and that was good. Only the one train was operating, which showed to me they weren't expecting many people. Anyway, the staff didn't say much, and to be honest they had a process of loading riders which lacked logic. As we came back time and time again throughout the day, the two staff members which were operating the ride, didn't interact with the public, nor did they pump the guests through as quickly as they could have. Now the day wasn't exactly packed out, they weren't using the room with the video to load guests through, so that kind of explains the queue. However, at certain intervals they would just load a heap of people through and you would have about 3-4 ride fulls standing where the gates are. Come the last ride, you would perhaps have half a ride full left, for some reason or another? And they wouldn't load anymore people through that were waiting. Now I don't know if there was any reason for this, but it was really annoying when I was standing next and saw spare seats, and large numbers of them. I was also expecting large numbers of staff there, seeing that's what this board raves on about, but no, I see they also cut staff in off-peak periods - shock horror, how dare they try save money.... Anyway, I will probably get crucified for this, but to be honest I don't find the Lethal Weapon queue/exit set up much better than Cyclones. The only significant difference is on the Cyclone, you need to walk up or downhill, rather than on flat land. If you wished to ride again, you couldn't just go on the spare seats that were there for some reason, you had to walk 5km around in a big circle. However, it is a top ride and I rate it as the best 'thrill' Coaster on the Gold Coast (at this stage in time). BATMAN 2: Waste of time, waited for ages in a queue with something like 50 people in it. When we finally got in, it was just as ordinary as I remembered. For a ride with so many introductory stages, they needed more staff to guide people through. It seemed like we were waiting endlessly for the staff to catch up. The ride was awful, might be ok for young kids, Batman 2, 0/10 LOONEY TUNES: Not really my kind of thing, the water ride was down for maintenance, no big drama there, so I went on the Roller-coaster, just because I was there and there was no lineup. Not of the callibre of Reptar, but still good fun for the kiddies. And I might add, at least a decent ride operator. By this time it was 12 o'clock, 2 hours into the day and about the 6-7th 'ride' and finally one with a smile, and one with a voice! That might have been because I asked if the ride was scary, but hey, still some customer service. He was doing a good job this guy, and I'm sure the kids would have loved him too. SCOOBY DOO: Quite well staffed and I can imagine this ride would get the guests through quite quickly at full capacity. I really enjoyed this ride and went on it time and time again today because there wasn't such a long wait, and the whole inside area was air conditioned, which made it comfortable. The attendants there were reasonably good, they showed some superb yawns and groans, terrific use of no eye contact, and brilliant silent treatment. That doesn't go for all of them though, there was one who didn't mind saying a word or two, and they even cracked a smile; and I thought they were all depressed. How wrong was I? But onto the ride, I can see why it cost the park so much money, and I'm sure it was money well invested. Although the ride itself isn't 'thrilling' I found it very enjoyable and a lot of fun. The effects and themeing were terrific and they surpass any themeing on any ride I have ever been on. Well done Movie World. The bonus for this ride is they can get people through quickly because: a) a lot of trains the harness system is basic and quick c) loose articles don't need to be removed They had 1 operator on, one load, one unload, and one at the entry measuring people. There also was one person inside the booth having a chat - good staffing. Got to keep the operator awake at all times. I can't see any way Movie World could staff this any different. WILD WEST FALLS: Very enjoyable boat ride, and not very busy today. Could go around time after time if you wanted. Occasionally there would be a small wait, but I guess that could be because one of the guys was too busy chatting up the operator and ignoring the guests. Cool, I like that. Go for it son, pick up. One of the girls there was doing a great job though, having a chat and being very friendly, so I just ignored the Perfect Match episode going on at the load area and focussed on the positive once I was exiting the ride. MATRIX EXHIBIT lol SHOWS: Marvin the Martian in 3D, I didn't know it was possible to bore people in 3D but it did. I liked the cartoons they had when I was younger, I guess I have grown out of Looney Tunes now though. I did like the touch of water added in though. Definitely one for the kiddies. Movie Magic was quite good, same as it used to be and its always good for a laugh. They got themselves into a bit of trouble when they picked someone to play the parts who didn't understand English, but they still got through. My recommendation would be to get a new movie, with new effects, just to change things every now and then. I think its been the same movie for too long. Police Academy: the same show as it has always been, but still a crowd drawer and will always be entertaining. I can't believe they still do the whole Rodney thing without fail. I'll admit that even though I've seen the show numerous times, and knew what was going to happen, it was a lot of fun. OVERALL The themeing and the keep of Movie World is terrific. I'd like to see Dreamworld continue to improve and strive to offer the same upkeep as Movie World. I understand that they have completely different themeing areas and what not, but it does look very attractive, and the changes in themes is very distinct. I believe in peak times that Movie World can handle the capacity issues that they would definitely be challenged with. In a park which draws a lot of people, they only offer a small amount of rides. This means the rides need to get the guests through as quickly as possible and I believe they have considered this. However, this does not mean that in off-peak time, just because there are only 50-100 people in the queue, that it is ok to slow down, have a chat, try to pick up a fellow employee or two, and so on. I believe that the ride operators at Movie World have a much easier job than those at Dreamworld. Saying that, I mean that they do seem to have enough people at certain posts, but their job doesn't consist of very much. I mean in all seriousness, the majority of the ride operators work in air conditioning, out of the sun. They don't have to talk because some of the speeches are prerecorded for them if they need to make one. And hey, its socialise central at Movie World too. Are the Movie World ride operators friendlier and more efficient then the Dreamworld ones? From my experience today, I would say they are on about even. Both park's ride operators can only do what they are staffed with. Also in every bunch there will be a bad, sour grape or two, or ten, or a few grapes that are trying to mate and make more grapes, but that isn't the point. At this stage I would say I'm quite disappointed, considering the amount people have talked up Movie World's staff on this board, but again, its just my opinion on a certain day. Maybe it was that time of the month for some of the ladies, because it seemed that way at times. I'm looking forward to their next attraction being unleashed. Hopefully they raise the bar and offer a challenge to Dreamworld. Scooby Doo and Lethal Weapon were the highlights for me. The Lowlights being Batman 2 (lol) and the 3D movie. Unfortunately, the 'lastability' of a park like Movie World is very brief. It isn't the sort of place I want to return to again and again because once I've done it, that's it. It needs to offer some more rides to its palette, perhaps change a show or two, and wow it will put itself right up there if and when it does. *These opinions only reflect those of Obstructure and may or may not reflect those opinions of Roller-Coaster.com.au. Obstructure is a 3rd party which has the freedom to like or dislike whatever he/she wants to, whenever he/she wants. The positive or negative comments are in no way bias towards or against those of Movie World or Warner Village Parks.
  12. You aren't far wrong with those predictions (at this stage). There's not going to be a Roller Coaster for quite some time. Steve$, it isn't for the development of a flat ride, it's more to do with Rabid's first point. I'll let you all find out for yourselves what they end up doing with the area... lol. Don't know exactly about point number 4, I presume you know more details then I do Rabid, but from what I've heard, Movie World are lifting their game and if Dreamworld doesn't watch it, they're going to face some further competition in terms of thrills. However, I am confident that the progress Dreamworld has planned will keep them progressing.
  13. I bet the work they're doing at the moment isn't for a new Roller Coaster. Sorry everyone. Further down the track, perhaps, but not right now. When you see what is happening, you will look back at this thread an laugh...
  14. The motors aren't designed to cope with that sort of workload, that is why there have been so many break downs recently, and that is why almost every holidays I can remember, one side being closed down because it can't handle it. It will require a lot more work then people on here think.
  15. You think they would get in cranes? And that is going to allow it to be less than 50k how? As for the custom made thing, I was saying it in relation to how people are requesting these ultra fast ride cycles. They don't exactly make those parts in bulk, especially to the proportions of Dreamworld's. According to the staff at Dreamworld, it would cost the park 50k to move the operators booth on the Vortex from the inside of the ride, to the outside. How could importing specific motors, completely altering the ride and bringing in cranes or helicopters be cheaper then that?
  16. You can't guarantee that at all. First of all, the modifications would need to be custom made, second of all, there needs to be a lot of work done to make sure that the additions aren't going to have any bugs. You also have to consider moving the parts, and how they would get those parts to the ride itself and installed. We are talking helicopters. A few grand? I think not. Dont forget how much the ride was purchased for, and that was WITHOUT the tower.
  17. Correct there Richard, however, the obvious obstacle there for the Cyclone had to be catered for. That being, originally it was a ride that was built high up, but that is in a different thread. It would be a very difficult and expensive venture to completely replace the current motors and also changing the ride procedure. Would you rather millions spent on changing that on GD? Or would you rather themeing across the park improved with that amount of money?
  18. Looking at it now it is easy to criticise, "let's do this, let's do that" but in reality, remember that when Dreamworld bought and opened the ride, it was a WORLD'S FIRST. For those who don't understand what that means, it means it is the first time a ride of its type had been opened and operated in the world. That being said, it means there were no previous examples to make modifications from, and also, they had no idea how it would run because it had never been done before. The design itself hadn't been tested so of course it is expected there could be a criticism or two. There are some other confidential details hovering around it, but all in all I think that GD does a good job. It isn't a high capacity ride, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. Reprogramming things, speeding up the winch, etc etc, it is all hypothetical, and although it may in theory speed up the ride cycles, the reality is when you speed things up on rides which aren't designed to be faster, then you run into all sorts of problems. Other things are put at risk, so I dare go against the grain here and say leave it as it is, and include some additional themeing, some music, anything.
  19. Correct. There is a HUGE amount of space available, they could extend it further than just the original Thunderbolt site.
  20. Joz, a lot of those things sound really great. Look after what they've already got, like joz said, a few paint jobs here and there, maybe the odd new feature or two, perhaps improving some of the queue lines/themeing could be in order. Nothing can be done with the Cyclones queue, so its probably best to just let that one go, but I think they may have learnt from that one. Look for other little attractions they could implement like they have recently (eg. Farmyard Friends, Tomb Raider), and perhaps add another show or two just for the Christmas Holidays.
  21. A wooden coaster would also be good, but I'd be worried about it, as I am with most wooden coasters.
  22. Sorry if that was unclear Flea. Well I know it sounds basic, but I would incorporate a booth type thing similar to the Wipeout, inside of the starting room, where the operator just closes one door on one side, then the other side can be opened where the riders exit. That way the exit and entry are nearby each other (which is a problem Cyclone has), and there doesn't need to be time wasted when loose items are being left/collected. The guests would exit on the opposite side of entry, but they can walk through a tunnel which goes down and directly underneath the station to the exit point where their belongings are. These sort of systems where the riders arrive at the ride without any valuables means they get straight on the ride, and straight off so the next group can get straight on, improving the capacity. The tunnel out can also be themed so people know the ride is over, rather than just an exit sign.
  23. Nah, I'm just joking. I would love to see a Roller Coaster, high capacity, and I'm not really bothered on the specifics (eg. stand up, inverted etc), only that it should have a long ride duration, long enough to enable two, possibly three trains to function. In addition to that, I would hope for a coaster that well and truly outclasses anything in Australia, and is competitive on a world scale. Doesn't have to be a world best or world first, but something which blows every other ride in Australia out of the water, and additionally grabs the attention of the world market, like Giant Drop and Tower of Terror managed to. It seems to me that those places which incorporate a "world first" finds a plethora of problems with the ride, simply because it hasn't been done before, hence there are 'bugs.' Therefore, something great and reliable will do me fine! I also would be dreaming here, but I think the ride should be more than just an outside experience, with an inside or underground section of the ride adding another feature to the experience. I mean how cool would it be to shoot underground through a tiny hole, going at a high speed through absolute darkness. For themeing, I think they should continue it as an Ocean Parade extension. The area could be landscaped really well, perhaps with water features spread throughout, and a path for those who wish to walk through to several viewing points of the ride. A name like The Hurricane, The Storm, Lightning Bolt, Thunderstorm, or weather related along those lines would be sufficient. Something which clearly is believable after they ride the ride - they actually feel like they've been through something, not like the Cyclone, which is nothing more than a drizzle. The underground tunnel (or tunnels) can include loud weather sounds, flashing lights (lightning) and possibly water lightly spraying or wind blowing, just to add that extra effect. As for the queue line, air conditioned for sure, and some type of dark atmosphere, like a storm is approaching. In their ride groups, they are taken into another room with an operator where there is a weather alert and their only chance of survival is to weather the storm and escape through the coaster. At this stage they are told to leave everything behind (glasses, loose items etc) and head towards their boarding area. This would: 1. Eliminate the time wasted on loose belongings 2. Eliminate any extended ride queueing time because they would be off to another area before boarding the ride 3. Add to the whole ride experience At the end of the ride they can all collect their loose items, head down towards the token ride photo shop with all the merchandise, and line up again. During non-peak times, they can reduce it to 1 or 2 trains to cut costs. However, they would probably need at least 3 operators, one for the collection of the riders, and 2 to operate, check everything etc. It would definitely be an expensive venture, and it would take a lot of planning and a lot of time to build the ride and add themeing, however it could be something along the lines of a 2-3 year plan (including the planning stages). Open it for Christmas 2006 or 2007, and add no further attractions in the mean time.
  24. So with the opening of a new ride, what aspects do you think Dreamworld should address next? Should they have a break for a while? Should they already start researching their next attraction? Should they update, retheme or refurbish their existing attractions? What should be their highest priority?
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