Wiggles World content

[Richard]

Roller-Coaster.com.au's gallery from Wiggles World: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.php?gid=110 There will be further content from Wiggles World being published over the next few days, including an up-close look at the Big Red Car.

[Gazza]

Looking good there Richo, just might want to check up on your apostrophe use in the captions.

[Richard]

Anything in particular? There are no problems with apostrophes from where I am.

[Gazza]

A couple of times i saw World's where it should have been Worlds'

[scott]

I'm going up to DW on Thursday so I'll be able to take some pics and also will get a good look at the place. Is it just me or do all the colours contrast a bit with the bush?

[paul frank]

Not to me. Actually it seems just a bit..... TOO DAMM WIGGLY

[Richard]

The attraction is named Wiggles World. There's only one of them, so possessive form is "Wiggles World's". If there were more than one being referred to it'd be "Wiggles Worlds'" ("Across the globe, the Big Red Car remains the many Wiggles Worlds' favourite attraction."). I think obviously it sticks out, but it is what you could expect given the nature of it. It is a very stark contrast from what was there before (skip over the Tomb Raider years), but I guess that's what change is.

[GoGoBoy]

One thing I have to congratulate Dreamworld on is the attention to colour and presentation they have displayed over the last few years. The entry sign to Wiggles World and all the colourful 3D wiggly structures around help to create a nice themed atmosphere. Without these the place would end up looking like the area behind Coney Island at Luna Park Sydney (Maloney's Corner)... a mass of asphalt with some kids rides chucked around the place. And in regards to the Big Red Car ride, can someone please explain to me how it works? I was just looking at photos of it on Ozcoaster. It has no tracks!! I have never heard of a self guiding system like this before. Also, is the ride showroom building actually the old country jamboree building? Or did they build a whole new structure for the ride? Richard - would love to hear some technical explanations for this one. Is it likely that this will be a new technology used in theme parks or is it fairly limiting?

[Gazza]

The cars are battery powered and self guided, i think they either follow a hidden cable or have the layout programmed.

[joz]

There is a wire in the ground, and the car follows that, but it is otherwise trackless. The ride has a (colourful) concrete floor and no tracks at all. Basically, you board your Big Red Car, and are taken into a room, which is meant to be the Wiggles Kitchen. Once there, the car turns and stops when you face the TV. The Wiggles then come on and sing for a bit (hot potato), and then you move on to the next room. Its built entirely inside the old Jamboree building (and to me looks like it even has the same ceiling), so it isn't a long ride length wise, but with all the stoppages in it goes for a good few mins. The Cars recharge as they are in the station. Not really much of a ride, but very interesting technology, and one could expect it to take off, as Big Red Car ride appears to be a very conservative installation, and doesn't really take full advantage of what you could do with it.

[GoGoBoy]

Sounds like a really bizarre 'ride'. I guess what more could you expect from the Wiggles. The technology however is really interesting. I've always loved trains and tracks so I'd be sad in one way if this technology started to take over. And couldn't it spread to real trains one day? I mean if there's no tracks then you can't have any derailments

[dreamworld_rulz]

Sounds like a really bizarre 'ride'. I guess what more could you expect from the Wiggles. The technology however is really interesting. I've always loved trains and tracks so I'd be sad in one way if this technology started to take over. And couldn't it spread to real trains one day? I mean if there's no tracks then you can't have any derailments

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL no derailments.

[joz]

If its in Sydney, they'll find a way

[Gazza]

I've always loved trains and tracks so I'd be sad in one way if this technology started to take over. And couldn't it spread to real trains one day? I mean if there's no tracks then you can't have any derailments

what do you think an articulated bus is? Just thinking about it, i think it is a really good idea, imagine what you could do. Because riders cant see the track you could mae very unexpected ride paths. Imagine a ride themed to a colapising building for example. Your car could be traveing through a large room while dodging and swerving erratically around bits of debris.

[Adam]

The Big Red Car Ride at Dreamworld is indeed an interesting ride... The technology that powers the cars and all show elements was developed from the ground up in New Zealand by a company known as Simtech Innovations. (Below is some more information about the systems that Simtech use on their dark rides). Navigation As has been previously mentioned in this thread, the vehicles that take passengers through the ride are directed by a concealed wire in the ground – there are no tracks. This means ‘dead end paths’ and ‘track cross-overs’ etc. are now possible. Simtech have also managed to refine this technology to the point that a total of four integrated track paths are possible! The cars can also be programmed to take different paths depending on whether the riders have reached a certain score (if it’s an interactive shooting ride, for example). Control System When the ride is in operation the cars communicate wirelessly with a central control system where they are monitored continuously in real-time. The system uses a blend of onboard programming and signals from the control system to deliver outcomes (e.g. rotation of the car, speed, etc.). The same system that controls the vehicles is also used to control all show elements (e.g. lighting effects, animatronics, interactive targets etc.). Advanced safety systems also allow the entire ride and all vehicles to be stopped and started easily from one central location. Onboard Special Effects The vehicles also feature a range of special effects such as independent turret rotation, 'motion platform' (the platform that the seats are attached to can move using pneumatics, much like a simulator does), passenger-scene interactivity, vehicle to vehicle interactivity, real time individual score tallying, multiple ride endings, synchronization with motion movie sequences, opportunity vehicle battery charging, and an event synchronized on board sound system! Themeing Also, if you liked the themeing on the Big Red Car Ride then it probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear that this company designed many props and animatronics for the Lord of the Rings. With it's range of innovative features and capabilities, Simtech have been recognized worldwide for their excellent work on the 'Nomad DRV 5' (Simtech's name for the ride vehicles)! Good on them...

Edited September 13, 2005 by Adam

[joz]

The cars can also be programmed to take different paths depending on whether the riders have reached a certain score (if it’s an interactive shooting ride, for example).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That there, is the bit that excites me the most. Shooting dark rides have always seemed a bit silly to me, since the all the shooting does is get you a score, without a huge impact on what’s going on around you. With this, you can go on a mission, and have an opportunity to have some control on how that goes. Its the sort of ride system that I can imagine Movieworld would be able to do something really good with, and it wouldn't be too hard to come up with a concept based on the movies (Like you are the newest member of the Justice League and have to help them defeat the bad guys). I hope they do well, and hopefully the smaller scale installation at DW will help showcase their product.

[kennykoala]

I havent been to DW since wiggles world has opened, however from pictures ppl have taken, i just cant get over the black asphalt, the colours just look like there added in here there and everywhere. I know a painted surface fades and gets messy , but im sure a surface like around the claw area would of looked a hell of alot better. The asphalt stands out to much (making the colour signs and props look like there just put down anywhere, thats just my two cents.

[GoGoBoy]

Yeah I do agree with you to an extent kennykoala. The black asphalt does make it look very strange. Why they didn't use a coloured path like they did so well with Ocean Parade is a mystery to me. In fact, the whole Wiggles World area seems like a bit of a rushed concept/job overall

[Richard]

It was a rush to get certain aspects of it operational for the launch. You can rest assured that a number of things have been or will be improved as time goes on. It's just a bit hard to do certain things in one hit, now that the attraction is open daily.