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Just thought I'd put it out there that I'll no longer be doing articles for Planet Six. Seems there has been a bit of a miscommunication somewhere and they were expecting exclusive use of my photos, thus there has been some discontent over them being recently used in articles featured on other sites such as Parkz and Ausparks. As I'm not prepared to offer that and would prefer to retain 100% exclusiveness and control over my own content, we have mutually agreed to part ways. A bit if a shame, but I guess these things happen. I'd like to be able to keep sharing my pics for sites like this to utilise.

Hey parks crew, long time forum browser, first time posting. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to share a little about getting to try out the VR on Arkham Assylum this afternoon. Saw @themagician had posted about VR testing this morning so decided to head to the park. Queued for Arkham at about 3:30 and noticed a few MW team riding with VR, decided to ask if we could try it out and we're initially told it would be completely random and couldn't be guaranteed but after queuing for a second time and asking a different team member if we could wait, he happily put us to the side and grabbed us some VR headsets for the next train. This was my very first time using VR and i was completely blown away by how immersive the experience is, it takes a little minute to adjust and can be slightly off putting for a moment but is quite easy to adjust to. The headsets are really comfortable with an adjustable knob at the back and just a simple drawstring under the chin like on a straw hat, didn't have any issues feeling like the headset was going to fall off. As for the ride itself, I won't spoil details unprovoked, but i was completely blown away. The VR experience totally transformed the entire ride, it was light years more intense than the regular ride, I have never EVER screamed on that ride like i did today. There was only one portion of the ride that to me was easily recognisable, i didn't even notice the intense leg crushing restraints at the end of the ride. Overall I would definitely rate this adaptation to the Arkham. We couldn't thank the staff enough for letting us test and they had us fill out some feedback forms afterwards. We were also told that it was looking like it will be $5 per ride, I was happy to hear that. I'd been sceptical on the pay per ride scheme but after riding today i will without a doubt be riding again and will be more than happy to be paying $5.

Well looks like i'll stop being so tight-lipped and give into peer pressure Maybe my opinion might be a little biased considering this way my first VR coaster ever, but it was an absolute blast. I felt like I was in sensory overload for the next hour or so.

Did they just screw up the ambiguous theming in that section of the park even more...?

Thanks for letting us know it was a suggestion.

I don't see why people are trying to make other people change their opinion on which park is better. It's an opinion, everyone is entitled to their own, doesn't make it right or wrong.

VR is testing and it is a case of luck of the draw if you get to experience it (people are chosen at random). I will say it does fit the theme of the ride really well and better than what Six Flags have on The New Revolution. Didn't notice any real difference in load times for the ride and the headset setup here is more comfortable than what I experienced on New Rev. It is definitely something I am looking forward to doing again.

Perhaps just use the spoiler tag to describe the experience? Im not sure what is happening but these forums were once a place to come and share enthusiast scoops or talk about new park developments and experiences. But seems of late they have become more like "hey there is stuff at the park, not going to tell you about it or show you, so go check it out for yourself". I'm not a fan.

Yeah, it is ?

I'm very much over it and happy to move on ?

AAAHHHHH every time I come to this topic, people are still talking shit, we have a topic for that. Please guys can you just continue to shower me with your beautiful photos.

To me it sounds like the best implementation of VR I've yet seen/heard of.

If anybody has any questions about digging holes please forward them onto @Theme Park Girl kids.

Yeah, but with a VR motorbike race you could have crashes etc happening around you, a cameo with Mick Doohan riding up beside you, a more spectacular setting with buildings, tunnels etc.... And of course, the proportions of the curves etc could be increased in the footage to make it feel like actual high speed. Have some imagination mate.

I think it's great. It reminds me of the great alien invasion at the Phillip island Moto GP in 2003. Happy to see such fond memories captured in VR and fits the theme really well.

Ah, of course. In the financial results thread!

That was from DW website, and my understanding is that the VR won't have anything to do with the theme of MDMC. If my understanding is correct, in my opinion thats a stupid idea. Why wouldn't you have the VR system make it look like your riding a motorbike track. And it looks like your on a bike, and racing against others.

Can we all just agree to disagree here? Were just going around in circles and it's unlikely anyone is going to change their opinions.

Ive said this elsewhere and i'll say it again here. If the park doesn't want people taking photos of shit. they cover it up - completely. Weeks ago they had bedsheets and such over the statues - now, nothing but a temporary fence \ hoarding, which is easily shot over \ around. Having been a photographer in a theme park selling licensed photos where people were not allowed to take their own, you make it almost impossible to police. TBH - By having staff 'on and off' trying to stop you taking pictures of various areas, all that does is create animosity - you see someone else take a photo and get away with it, and you want to as well, but then someone tells you you can't, when you clearly saw someone else do it seconds earlier? I think this 'respecting the park's wishes' thing is bullshit. GO back and read my thoughts on the confidentiality thread again if you need to hear it all again, but in short: ANYTHING VISIBLE TO MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, EVEN IF OVER \ BEHIND A FENCE IS FAIR GAME. If the park came along and asked you not to take pictures of their new rollercoaster until opening day, would you? (Don't say its different because it isn't - its still 'respecting their wishes' - Unfortunately the park doesn't really get to determine whether someone takes a photo of something in a publicly accessible area. In todays modern media world - the picture can be on the internet before the staff member can get close enough to you to tell you to delete it - so if they want privacy - they need to cover their shit. End of story. TPG - You say to Skeet that it's ok that you took photos of the shop, even though you earlier had a video of someone telling you not to do it - yet you're up in arms about someone else posting photos of the back of house area, and point to a video proving that staff are asking people not to take photos of the statues. Did you stop to think perhaps that the same 'loophole' you've used to justify your pictures of the shop is perhaps the same one used by those who took pictures over the fence? #takealookatyourself #getagrip You've shot loads of images over these sorts of fences. But you aren't showing images of the statues over the fences because someone told you (at a PRIVATE TVC SHOOT) that they wanted them kept under wraps, and you think that should now apply to members of the general public who have been freely admitted into an area where you can clearly see whats behind the fence? #FFS

Usually you like to give your marketing people a heads up on things so they can start formulating a marketing strategy. You don't do that overnight. I'll weigh into the debate with my 80 cents. There has been a lot of discussion here about MW vs. DW. TBH - I don't think that is a fair comparison. It has been mentioned that DW offers families more - by having animals, and kids areas and such, and this has been pointed out where MW is lacking - but I don't think many of you realise the model VRTP have going. You cannot compare DW to MW. What you need to do is compare pass to pass. The VIP \ VRTP Membership vs. the World Pass. Both passes get you into all of the relevant company theme park property both offer a waterpark gate both offer high thrills both cater to families both offer various children's branded entertainment and themed areas both have animal experiences Once you broaden the comparison, those few areas where DW is regarded as 'better' suddenly lose a little shine. #MyOpinion

Haha sorry about that. The main part for you to read is the dot points at the top (the rest is for certain forum members) - I was just giving my reasons as to why I think DW might not be focusing on building high thrill rollercoasters for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Giant Drop was still a world record breaking ride only until 2012. It is still only 11 metres off the world record so I would still consider it a very modern theme park ride internationally. DW did revitalise Tower Of Terror in 2010 so you can go backwards - maybe Tower Of Terror II will be deemed old in 2023? Personally, I don't think Giant Drop & Tower Of Terror II are overshadowed by MW's rides. Also, like I said, I think MW's new rollercoaster is less to do with general industry competition but more for the Gold Coast to meet worldwide theme park standards by the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Mick Doohan's Motocoaster (opened 2007) would be a 'family version' of Superman Escape (opened 2005) - MW definitely overshadowed in that regard but remember DW is targeted to families which Motocoaster is designed for. Buzzsaw (opened 2011) can be considered similar to Green Lantern (opened 2011) due to their steepness and long periods in inversions so I don't think MW overshadowed in this case - they are probably of equal standing despite their obvious differences in design and operation. And remember, DW's major plans haven't been revealed yet for 2017/2018 (though a rollercoaster is now looking unlikely). We'll have to wait & see what DW has in store for us. Also, here are some things to consider about the past 12 years: DW has built 5 high thrill rides while MW has built 3. That's about 1 every 2.4 years (DW) and 1 every 4 years (MW). DW has not gone longer than 4 years (2007 to 2011) without opening a new high thrill ride while MW has not gone longer than 5 years (2006-2011 & 2011 to the present). While DW builds high thrill rides frequently, they are targeted to families while MW's are very infrequent in construction but are designed for the biggest of thrillseekers. This gives the illusion that DW is falling behind MW in the thrill level stakes despite the fact that in the end they are both doing good business practice - catering for their target markets. This might be coincidental but since 2011 when Gold Coast won the Games hosting rights, DW has opened 2 new high thrill rides while MW has opened none. This might be due to strategy for the Games - MW focusing on the 2017 rollercoaster while DW focusing on building multiple flat thrill rides. In the end, we'll have to wait & see. Note: I defined 'high thrill ride' above as for DW, their 'Big 9 Thrill Rides' and for MW, just Superman Escape, Batwing Spaceshot & Green Lantern. Remember, when they opened, they were world record breaking rides. Any ride that breaks a world record would require significant financial investment. Hypercoasters are defined by it's drop height - in this case, between 61 & 91 metres. MW's highest rollercoaster drop is Superman Escape's at 40 metres so it is 21 metres off being classified a 'hypercoaster'. If you compare Superman Escape's footprint with the size of the construction site for MW's new rollercoaster, it is possible to fit a hypercoaster in there - at least the drop is minimum 61 metres high.

VR TAKES OFF AT DREAMWORLD! This morning we're proud to announce that in an Australian first we're previewing a locally-developed VR experience called 'SkyRider' on #BIG9 Thrill Ride the Mick Doohan Motocoaster! With CEO Craig Davidson & the coasters namesake Mick Doohan in pole position for testing, it's easy to see that it's a jaw dropping experience Tailor made by the team at Dreamworld with partners Rotor Studios & Samsung - the experience is truly one of a kind and one we couldn't be more proud of Over the September school holidays we'll be inviting a limited number of guests per day (conditions apply*) to preview SkyRider in preparation for the official launch later this year I still like the idea of horse racing but at least I got the ride right.

This video from earlier in this topic shows you can create the sparks effects convincingly using 3D projection technology: Well I'm now not sure if the sparks in the above video were done using 3D projections but I'm sure it is technically possible. I'm pretty sure the Parkz forums are also the original roller-coaster.com.au forums so if you read it on the old website, then it must be here in the Parkz forums somewhere.

OK, I'm just going to write the update here because I'm confused which thread is which for Dreamworld now. Tiger Island: The injured lady is making a good recovery and Dreamworld are looking into the surface to see if it can be improved in any way, so expect to see some minor changes there. The area is set for completion by the end of November 2016. Wanda: The rumours which popped up and were inflamed by the posting of the photo of Kenny & Belinda on the great wall of China are allegedly just that, rumours. (I say allegedly as you can never be too sure ). They were there on their annual promo tour. They also visit India, Korea, Malaysia and the Middle East, they figured the shot was better than a boring expo hall. DW vs MW: "It's interesting that the group always puts us up against MovieWorld and them against as, as copying each other, but the reality is that there are global Themepark trends that we are always both going to have versions of and then find our own directions." Virtual Reality & the perceived secrecy around DW's happenings: "Well there are reasons for that but it can go either way. MW teased and then had trouble with the tech and it was red/green for a while. We were having the same troubles as it is new tech for us to have match the coaster. We send a few people OS to get some tips since we were doing in house development and waited until we were sure of the tech before saying we would have it. We are sure of the tech but now testing the impact in ride cycles etc. MW got more coverage by going out there which is great and has given us that "you copied" thing, but they will also need to manage the "you said you would etc ect and then you didn't" which can be hard when you are working so hard to get something done. Same desires and same great intention for their guests with a different approach." They are considering the options as far as the cost of VR goes, including the possibility of including it in the "Gold" Ride Express and/or a per-use charge.

Indeed it does. Hope you keep up writing the articles too. Besides, if we share your stories you're still going to get overseas coverage.

Can I just say, that theming on the side of water mountain imo is better than dw mining theming

I've been lucky enough to go down the rabbit hole that is VR on AA a couple of times now, and it really is a great ride. I'm going to try and not spoil the experience, but it is quite comfortable and easy to set-up. The visuals are also quite a nice treat as well. Would I ride it again? For $5 I'll probably be looking at riding this at least once a trip. I'm starting to fall into a mad love with VR and I find this to fix almost all my issues that I originally had with Arkham Asylum's distinct lack of themeing. Congrats to all the team that put effort into this experience. I'm sure most people will be more than satisfied with the ride.

With Adventure World opening in a few days their official Facebook page posted this sneak peek of their new Gold Rush themed area. I think it looks awesome.

What made Nickelodeon well themed?

I think you're being a bit generous in saying that I need a reason to look like a dick, @YLFATEEKS

Now @webslave looks like a dick because we have 2 topics called the same thing.

Certainly, I like your contribution and don't propose to denigrate your work at all. I understand precisely where you're coming from, and agree that it's your personal call to take photos or not based on whatever criteria you choose - be it arbitrary in the eyes of some, many, all or none. Just as others are free to make the same determination for themselves.

My new job will have me in Singapore several times a year. I'm waiting for the new Movie World coaster before going back to Australia – when that opens I'll probably be down for a three day weekend As regards the gardens, this time I did USS, Legoland Malaysia, Gardens by the Bay, the Battlebox, Tussauds, and the Formula One. I've previously done a lot of the other touristy things like Haw Par Villa etc.

check the Ardent thread, that's where everyone is talking about it

That's is a such a ridiculous statement. Seriously. when you look at everything DW has executed theme wise in the past 2 years, what is there to complain about? dough bros ice creamery Brock museum even back to abc4kids world & Dreamworks theming as been great and really added to the areas.

I checked out Tiger Island, and Im really really impressed with the area. I even noticed that the ceiling of the food outlet wasn't completed either. Despite this and a number of things not being completed, it will be even better once completed. I love tigers, so to see this great facility for them and guests was great.

from what I'm seeing it doesn't look anything has changed

Could revamped the whole ride to something themed to Ned Kelly being chased by cops through old Ballarat or something. Would of fit the bushy feel to the whole area better. IMO

Exactly. If I choose to respect what the park wishes, whether or not it's considered a "free for all" to others, then it's my personal choice. I'm choosing to respect what has been asked of the GM, whether or not it was at a private event or not. MY choice. I initially didn't tell others off for posting pics, I simply stated that I'd prefer to withhold mine for what I consider good reason. It only turned into a can of worms when others questioned and debated it. I'm not changing my stance on it, if others want to blatantly post up photos of everything and (as I see it) potentially risk ruining their reputation with management at the theme parks, even if it's considered "fair game" to them, then that's their choice entirely. But I'm not. I'd rather wait a whole week (heaven forbid) for the area to be finished off and, as it happens, leave a few final surprises for the peeps following my blog. I agree with @reanimated35, it would be wise to agree to disagree on this one because I am not changing my opinion. PS. If you read my last post @AlexB, you'll find that I did in fact seek permission and get approval prior to taking photos inside the shop. I simply choose to seek a second opinion on the matter first.

I guess when the carriage reaches speeds of 120-150 kmh around a sharp turn they gotta stop the pole from moving somehow ??

Did they update the Peppers Ghost? Or is it still 144p?

Its a cool little sequence for those who haven't looked more closely....you hear a gunshot, the dodge city population sign has a small bit that falls off, so the population drops by one, and then a tombstone rises up in response.

I did follow directions... from a different, younger staff member who was behind the counter an hour later. She didn't have any issue with either me or anyone else taking pics (and yes, I asked first!). Otherwise how do you think I got pics if the other woman wouldn't allow me? I'm all for following park rules and policies, but not just an isolated opinion from one particularly grumpy staff member. If its because she didn't want to feature in any of my photos, I would have been more than happy to oblige.

Long time reader, first time poster... Just wanted to say how blown away I am with the effort that MW went to theming the new area. I personally don't have a VRTP pass but after the photos I have seen from @Theme Park Girl and all the other members that have posted photos, I am definitely purchasing one next week to ride this amazing looking ride!

The next chapter has finally been posted: Merimbula! http://pirouettes.org/?p=1757

Interesting. A few hundred words and it's not written by @AlexB Can someone cliff note that for me please?

I give you 3200% zoom with individual pixels shown.

Or that they knew and weren't allowed to reveal anything, so they did the right thing and kept their mouths closed and waited until it was official announced by the right source