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I've solved both for you. You're welcome.

@Santa07@Gazza I originally typed 'outward banking', but then changed it before i submitted the post. I've used it in other threads before and people had no idea what I was talking about. I then had to post again describing the turn on GL to the people that didn't get it. But I guess given my post describing the 'experience' of the new coaster, I guess Tip-Out would be appropriate.

^ The general theme of this coaster is 'twists and turns'. Rapid direction changes, heart-line banking, airtime... a general feeling of being 'out of control'. A barrel roll after the helix doesn't fit with that theme. Unless it was perfectly lined up with some crazy twists into and out of it... but then it would just kill the speed. Based on the rest of the ride some banked airtime hills, or some tip-out corners seems a bit more appropriate for this coaster. I guess we will find out in a couple weeks.

This ride looks like a lot of fun. It fits in perfectly with the entire 'fun' atmosphere of DCA. From all the videos i've seen, people are laughing and enjoying themselves the entire time. Disney is planning to release new GOTG films every 3 years or so. In 10 years time they will be up to the 6th film release in the franchise. So the GtoG theme will have at least 20 years of longevity. I don't think the Guardian's franchise becoming dated is going to be an issue. Kids growing up today will feel nostalgic for these films in the future. I can understand Disney's reasoning for wanting to exploit their IP. The ride will sell toys, it will get people who haven't seen the films to watch the films, and the films will be an extra selling point for DCA. Plus, the story elements of the ride can easily be updated since they're mostly digital - which means they could have a different variation of the ride to match future films. I'm excited to ride it myself.

@joz A few people I know that work at VRTPs have said that cost - not maintenance - is a large reason rides are closed for so long. So, I think you make a legitimate point. Also, July and August are the two coldest months of the year and are outside of school holidays, so the amount of people wanting to get wet in the cold weather probably doesn't justify the operating costs.

Anyone bought some food from here yet? $14-17 for a burger and fries is pretty hefty pricing. I wonder if they've tried to improve the quality on the existing burgers etc. in the park.

@jake_hunt & @MaxxTheMonster Are correct that Dreamworld does lack the staff to pull off a parade... But... Lotte World in Seoul has 2 daily parades. A lunchtime parade currently themed to Carnivale, and an Evening Parade that features light floats, performers, and illuminated synchronised drones (I'm not joking) that I actually enjoyed more than Disney's parades. A bit of Background info... Lotte World is the world's largest indoor theme park. It has a number of indoor rides, and as well as 'Magic Island' which has some outdoor rides. For the smaller lunchtime parade, some of the rides are closed (mostly children's rides) and the staff perform in the parade (as well as some professional dancers etc.) For the Evening Parade, almost all of the interior rides close and the staff perform in the parade, and the park resumes normal operations after the show. People are still free to line-up for rides during this time, but the rides don't operate until the parade ends. Dreamworld could follow this model, but the Parade would need to be a feature. The parade wouldn't just need to be better than any single attraction in the park, it would need to be better than every attraction in the park, otherwise people would just get pissed off. Lotte World's parade is so spectacular that no one really cares if the rides aren't operating for an hour. The even sell 'after 4pm' tickets that don't include rides because people go just to see the Parade.

Dreamworld was profitable. It was making Tens-of-Millions of dollars a year in profit. Those profits were not being re-invested back into the park. They were being used to build Main Event Bowling Alleys in the United States. It is exactly that lack of re-investment into maintenance, park safety, and staff training that Dreamworld now finds itself in a position with 3 major rides closed, another undergoing extensive maintenance and a damaged brand - at a time when their competitor is building the largest and most expensive single attraction at an Australian Theme Park. I'm not buying the 'poor Ardent - just trying to feed hungry mouths' nonsense for a second. If they had been re-investing in the park, instead of bowling alleys they wouldn't be having these problems at all. This is a self-made problem for Ardent and I suspect a lot of people on this forum believe Ardent haven't learned a thing from it.

Kevil Hill. Dreamworld is currently down two major family rides. They need something that isn't a Spin & Spew to keep bridge the gap between Toddlers and Thrills. I wouldn't be surprised if they brought back laser tag for the September School Holidays because it is a cheap attraction that Ardent are already rolling out in their bowling alleys.

@Richard I don't disagree with you. Sustained G Forces are what cause blackouts. I haven't experienced them myself, although spin & spew rides make me nauseous. The reason I didn't refer to it is because the two posters I originally replied to were just observing that the coaster looked 'too intense' and 'not fun'. Much of the greying out conversation has happened after that. But from what we see so far on the coaster, there aren't any elements that should impose sustained G-Forces. Hopefully that same pattern keeps up through the rest of the layout. If not, at least the coaster is close enough to Justice League so people that greyout can recover on a dark ride before riding again!

A new Scooby Doo animated film was scheduled for release in 2018. Variety is reporting that is now being pushed back to 2020. http://variety.com/2017/film/news/animated-scooby-movie-moves-back-2020-1202408718/ I don't think this has anything to do with the theming changes to SDSC, but a new Scooby theatrical release makes it worthwhile holding onto the license a bit longer. Also, just so people know and can speculate about future attractions, In addition to Scooby Doo, Warner Bros. are rebooting the following franchises for theatrical release: - The Jetsons (animated) - Short Circuit - The Matrix

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yeeeeeeesssssss. Ardent are not in the theme park business. They own a theme park, but it isn't their core platform for profit. From the article: "There were no plans to close the park or redevelop it into residential buildings, she said." They just have a Town Planner doing a feasibility study and making a plan for what such plans might look like, if they were to plan the thing they're currently not planning to do. Looks like they're not in a hurry to redevelop Goldrush or anything north of it. Me being a bitch about it aside, I wouldn't be surprised if they concluded that there was value in building a multi-level shopping mall/hotel in the carpark and calling it 'Dreamworld Plaza' or something, and then having the Theme Park be the anchor of it. Kind of like how Lotte World has Lotte World Mall, Avenue L, and the 123 floor Lotte Tower (offices and hotel) in Seoul. I hope they don't reduce the footprint of the park itself though. Land-locking Dreamworld from any future expansion would be a mistake.

Actually, if you look at the the track profile, most of the sharp turns are placed at the high points in the ride (so far), so the coaster will actually lose a lot of speed at the top of the loop, at the top of the Stengel Dive, and just before the turnaround which will reduce the lateral G forces on those twists to what you would experience on Jet Rescue at Sea World. So far, the High-Speed turns (like the S-Bend) are profiled to have heart-line offset banking. So, the G-forces look more forceful than your experience of them, because the coaster 'turns' on the z-axis at your chest height, not at the track height. The forces are more like Slalom Skiing than a chair tipping over. (That's probably a crap analogy, but it's the best I can think of). It also is hugging the ground a lot, so it will feel faster than it is. Force wise (based only on the build so far), I believe if Superman Escape and Jet Rescue had a baby, this coaster would be it.

@Slick I've worked on TV ads for Movieworld. So you're not the only one that has worked with them or continues to work with them. MW are making the right decision to not advertise this early. It would be a risk, not least because this is a brand new custom coaster and there is no guarantee that it will even open in time for the September holidays. Ride testing might reveal problems that could delay the opening by weeks. A shipping container carrying a piece of the track might end up in the ocean during rough seas (which is common), meaning that it may need to be re-made and re-shipped. The coaster trains might need modification... There are a whole number of things that could push back the opening by weeks or even months. Advertising this early when they could take a much more conservative strategy and do an ad Blitz during September ramping up to Fright Nights, Summer Holidays and White Christmas - all of which would roll out while the ride is operational - would be too much of a risk. There are massive differences between overseas parks, and overseas ride advertising and what is appropriate for a park in Australia. Especially when overseas parks might miss an opening date by a few weeks but still open in the summer season, and MW missing their opening date by a couple of weeks and completely missing the School Holidays.

@Brad2912 It doesn't matter when people make their decision to visit the GC, it matters when they make their decision to purchase Movieworld tickets. These are not the same thing. Most people going on holiday don't purchase their MW tickets before they leave their home. They do it at the hotel, or at the MW front gate, or online after they arrive. Also, if what you're saying is correct and MW is the determining factor in deciding a trip to the GC from interstate, then from MW's perspective it doesn't matter if they advertise now or later. If the leave is requested 9-12 months out, then advertising to those people now won't net a return until at least Easter holidays next year. If the coaster is a determining factor for interstate visitors, it doesn't really matter if they come in September or Summer or Easter. MW will get the same result from marketing 6-8 weeks out from opening.

@Slick People planning a family trip to the Gold Coast would be planning a trip to the GC. Not a trip to ride on one specific rollercoaster at Movieworld. For those people already planning a trip to the GC, the coaster might be a determining factor as to whether they choose to make a trip to MW over another park (or any park) - but that decision will more likely be driven by a local & national campaign within 6-8 weeks of the launch. VRTP know exactly when and where people purchase tickets to their park, and how soon after those tickets are used to gain entry. If people aren't purchasing tickets to MW until after they arrive at the GC, then concentrating the majority of their marketing spend on a local campaign will yield a better result than a national campaign 4 months out from the coaster opening. There is no advantage to MW to start spending money to advertise this early, or to put a stop to all the rumor and speculation that is happening by giving people answers. MW will likely push an intense campaign immediately prior to opening, ramp up into Fright Nights advertising featuring the coaster, and then transition into a summer holiday campaign... All of this at a time when they can actually leverage the ride because it is open. Otherwise they're just shooting themselves in the foot because people will defer their planned MW visit until the new coaster opens and attendance will be lower during the Winter school holidays. If (as you say) people are planning trips to the GC because of MW, they too will defer their holiday until September holidays when the ride opens - which will cause a lot of short-term pain for MW. Many European and US parks don't have to worry about lagging winter sales prior to a new coaster opening because they are closed over winter, so they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by marketing as early as possible.

@Santa07 VRTP don't advertise individual rides internationally. A 6-8 week local/national campaign will be enough to get the word out locally with an imminent opening date. Also, A lot of those parks only open seasonally and close during the winter, so it is an entirely different situation. Movieworld will be at capacity during the September school holidays when this ride opens with locals and international guests, even if they do a 6-8 week run in the lead up to Opening day. Opening day media coverage will see the coaster featured on the front page of every news site in the country, along with morning TV shows (Today/Sunrise) broadcasting live from the park. If the ride is themed to Wonder Woman as people are speculating, then the earliest they would start an advertising campaign would be the same week that the movie launched in cinemas - booking screen time before every screening of that movie across the country. There is no advantage for MW to make announcements and advertise this early. This coaster will not me a determining factor in Family Holiday plans to the GC, or to MW for interstate or international guests.

@Brad2912 The marketing for this coaster won't start at least until after the Mid-year school holidays. The speculation about theming is what will get people talking, and the more of the coaster that is built, the more the media will start to speculate and talk about the ride. They will essentially get free advertising and exposure from media outlets this way. The less information they give about the ride, the more people will be interested in it. I wouldn't expect any official advertising to commence until 6-8 weeks before opening.

I agree with @AlexB it's not so much about a 'pre-show' element, it's about having that pre-show and the queue be the same thing. You can put small interactive elements along the way that build up parts of a story, and then give the staff at the ride a bit of a script to help you feel like you're a character within it.

"HEY FELLAS, LET'S GO RIDE WONDER WOMAN!"

My favourite part about this section is the precision German engineering. I wonder how they figure out how to shoot the train off the end of the Dive loop and have it land on the S-Bend so precisely without track like that. :^)

@AlexB I think you need a combination of both - especially with open-air coasters. Use the technology to build a story/drama/suspense before getting on the ride, and use the staff to play a role (and help the riders play a role) in that story. It's almost impossible to bring back 'movie magic' with the DC stuff - since the rides themselves are themed to the comic characters, not the movies. So a happy medium is to treat the ride like it is a movie - complete with VR and narrative built into the queuing as you described. They could even make the ride queues a little more 'movie' related by using key vehicles or props from the films. Maybe they're not doing it because of language barriers, but using wristbands where you can program themed elements to respond in someone's native language when they activate something is a good way around that problem.

Just to bring the conversation back to the thread topic: I will add that introducing technology does sometimes introduce more things that can stop-working. But when it does work, it can greatly improve the ride experience.

It doesn't always have to cost as much as building new rides though. The wrist-band concept they put in the Doomsday area could be expanded throughout the park. Earn points on the 'Hero' rides, and spend them on the 'villain' rides - or vice versa depending on what character you want to play. Collect videos of your interaction to share on social media - which basically creates free advertising for the experience. Even something simple like adding VR to GL - the number of points you have could result in multiple endings of a 3D animated character experience. It is much easier and cheaper to a new VR animation every couple of years than to build an entirely new ride - you could even animate them in batches with interactive elements in the queue area - so the ride is literally like a new GL comic book every visit to the park. The wrist-bands could even let you put it into different languages. These are just a couple ideas off the top of my head. I'm sure MW could come up with much cooler stuff. There is a lot of potential in this technology. But even without digital interaction, A lot of the audience participation stuff really just comes down to planning your queuing areas to visually and aurally separate people from what is coming up, and then adjusting the script that the staff use when they welcome people onto the ride. Dreamworld even do it with Kevil Hill. Little changes like that can completely change a ride experience, and can be updated over-time so the experience doesn't get too stale for local pass-holders. The 'magic' part comes from attention to detail which can be designed into the ride experience, through scripting and staff performances or through technology. Rides shouldn't remain the same forever and focusing on those details would be a great cost-effective way to improve the park. Hopefully MW does a lot more of that over the coming years since they've basically done a major capital investment with the new coaster.

I think the thing everyone is tapping into isn't nostalgia - it's the 'movie magic' theme that used to be a part of every ride at Movieworld. Every ride (Batman, Gremlins, Police Academy, Lethal Weapon) had a clear story element to it, or at least a connection back to the movie. It wasn't a loose 'if you pay attention you'll get it' thing like with Arkham Asylum, they genuinely made an effort to make each ride a journey from start-to-finish. The rides were immersive and had unexpected elements that would surprise you along the way - like the usher running into a theatre screaming on the gremlins ride. The staff played roles. They were an integral part of that story and experience. Whereas now, the only thing you're likely to hear from a staff member is 'make sure you have everything out of your pockets'. The guests at the park were mostly treated as active participants in the story of the ride - not just passive observers/riders. It is much cheaper for MW to license the DC cinematic universe than individual films and the characters will last much longer without dating, but hopefully they can expand their digital interactive offerings in the future to bring back some of that participation in a way that doesn't require lots of expensive performance staff. Movieworld is still a great theme park and they have a lot of opportunities to introduce a new kind of 'magic' in the future.