Wipeout ride sequence changed?

[Derwan]

Is it just me or has the Wipeout sequence changed slightly since the recent maintenance? During the middle, it changes so that the motors are going in the same direction (after going in opposite directions), but they're not lined up. This is before the ride stops and does the slow upside-down thing (where it IS lined up). I could be wrong... it just seemed different.

[Spotty]

Derwan, First sorry for the late reply, but in regards to the Wipeout's sequence being changed, it has indeed been modified slightly when it went down for maintenance about 2 months ago. The sequence itself hasn't changed much at all, just the arm speeds sped up / slowed down accordingly. I noticed it when riding it for the first time in a few months about 3 weeks ago, that during the middle section of the ride the flipping is alot more abrupt and intense. I have since asked a few of my contacts about it and there has indeed been some MINOR changes made to it to give it that little bit more of a kick.

[Derwan]

I have since asked a few of my contacts about it and there has indeed been some MINOR changes made to it to give it that little bit more of a kick.

Thanks Spotty! I'm not going crazy after all!

[Gold Coaster]

Or are you? *stares into your eyes cryptically*

[Dylaan]

Went today, it did feel a bit more intense... They've put up a new higher fence around it, and covered the old water jets with a new timber deck. They've also repainted the wave... I've attached a picture below, but it wasn't taken to show the changes, just a general photo...

[T-bone]

That looks so awsome. Kudos to Dreamworld for finally giving the ride the TLC it deserves. I just hope we haven't lost the water in the pool below as a consolation of the wave and pool re-paint.

[Spotty]

The water will not be returning.

[Gazza]

Surely it doesn't waste that much....find a building to put water tanks on if need be to top it up. Painted water doesn't fool anyone. The wave looks all right though.

[Derwan]

Surely it doesn't waste that much....find a building to put water tanks on if need be to top it up. Painted water doesn't fool anyone.

You'll probably find that as a business, Dreamworld had to come up with a plan to reduce water usage. It was probably included as part of the plan. Who knows, when the drought is over, they might fill it again. All purely speculation on my part.

[myk]

Yes, the new QLD State Premier, Anna Bligh, has said that they've succeeded in making water restrictions viable within homes and it's time for businesses to do their fair share. I would not be suprised if Dreamworld has already started cutting down their water usage and if they have, I would be sure the water under the Wipeout would be part of the scheme.

[Swanny]

You'll probably find that as a business, Dreamworld had to come up with a plan to reduce water usage. It was probably included as part of the plan. Who knows, when the drought is over, they might fill it again. All purely speculation on my part.

I think that's a bit of wishful thinking there . I don't think Australia will ever be "over" the drought. And, if it does, I don't think it will be for a long time...

[jjuttp]

Because i havent seen the wipeout in years....the bit before the water dident that used to be sand and before that just like a little blue wall or somthing and they also used to have like 2 small "sharks" in it aswell??????????????

[Spotty]

Well... I could only make out bit's of your post. But yes the Wipeout used to have sand at the front and water in a lagoon. In November last year they removed the water and painted it, and also removed "Fluffy" the shark from the lagoon.

[Gazza]

If you are interested in how it used to look, just check out the Parkz Wipeout gallery: http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coa...eout/page1.html

[Lotl_90]

Just to throw my two cents in.. I havent noticed a change in the wipeout cycle in the last couple of years. I watch it pretty damn often, have for quite some time, and I dont think the cycle has changed. When it went down for its 07 maintenance, they replaced and refurbished a few parts so maybe this made a noticable change to the ride experience.

[Spotty]

Yeah, that would be the most logical explanation. The actual cycle doesn't feel different, just a little bit faster. Which the 07 maintenance would obviously have something to do with it.

[rappa]

Funny that they claimed to have turned off the fountain and removed the wipeout water for Water Restrictions... but now the restrictions are over they haven't put them back. Typical. As a side note, MW removed the geysers on WWF for the same reason and they are now back on again.

[bluman]

The geysers on WWF weren't operating on Tuesday!

[cadboy]

Probably because it is the middle of Winter.

[westical]

Couldn't be bothered making a new topic. Yesterday they were only loading the left side (front & back) despite the queue being full, and it only fully flipped once during the whole ride. Anyone know the reason why they'd do this?

[Spotty]

The motor in the hinged arm is currently playing up a little bit. They have ordered a new motor for the arm and until such a time as it's delivered and installed the ride is running on a tamer program. As for why the ride was loading one half only, could be due to the heat as having more weight could make it more prone to break down. At least Dreamworld invest's money in rides when they encounter unexpected malfunctions and don't just let them rot... i'm looking in your direction Sea World. The information about the motor is listed somewhere on Dreamworld's Facebook, but there are so many posts on there I can't find the exact one. The ride is approaching 17 years old now, at least it's still kicking!

[joz]

Couldn't be bothered making a new topic.

I'm impressed with the effort you put in to find the old topic Yeah it's a tamer cycle these days, Spotty summed everything up perfectly (also with a couple nuggets of info I wasn't aware of). I'm sure someone will complain that they neutered the ride because they weren't maintaining it or something like that, but before they do I just want to get in quickly and say I quite like the fact it's running a different cycle. I love the original cycle, and to me Wipeout in one of the best flat rides around, but changing the cycle to keep the ride fresh seems like a good idea to me. When they get the new motor I'd love to see them up the intensity again, but with a different program.

[westical]

Top stuff, thanks for the info, makes sense. And yeah, probably took more effort searching...

[Spotty]

Hey, just received word from a contact I have within the park in regards to the Wipeout's current status. On very hot days the Wipeout only loads ½ to ¾ of a load at a time, due to the lubricant in the hinge connecting the gondola to the arm heating up too much. This causes the gondola to flip easier and slightly more erratic than the cycle is meant to. When the gondola flips too much for the cycle, it shuts down the computer system and brings the ride to a halt which then requires the ride to be reset. Also I can confirm that the motor in the hinged arm has sustained some minor damage along with one of the other components in the arm which allows the gondola to lock for the inversions. So until such a time as the parts are available from Vekoma it has been forced to run a tamer cycle. The parts have been ordered from Vekoma, but because the ride model is no longer built obviously they don't have the parts in stock and are taking some time to be manufactured for the park. I have also been given some information about the cycles that the Wipeout currently has built into the ride. And before you ask, i'll answer the question anyway. The Wipeout will not be having any new cycles built into the ride. The ride has 6 cycles built into the computer, from 1 to 6. With program 1 being the most intense and program 6 being the tamest. Up until 2004 or 2005 the ride was running program 3, which is very similar to program number 2 which the ride was running until recently. The only major difference between the 2 is that after the twisting flips, the ride does around 25 seconds of non inverting twists before slowing down for the locked rotation at the end. In 2001 (2000 maybe?) during the Xtremeworld Promotional period the ride was running Cycle 1 which did the 2 rotations like the old cycle before stopping to do the slow rotation at the start. It then followed a similar pattern to 2 and 3 before doing a 2nd slow inversion at the end of the cycle. Right now until such a time as the parts are shipped to the park, the ride is running cycle 5. Which is basically just non inverting twists and turns except for the final slow rotation at the end. Once the ride is fully operational, there has been talks of running the ride on cycle 1 again for a trial period to see how reliable it is. If it breaks down too much they will be reverting it back to either cycle 2 or 3. And considering the attraction is approaching 17 years old, it's great to see the park willing to spend money fixing the issue at hand. But then again it's constantly one of Dreamworld's most popular rides, and is in much better condition than the Thunderbolt was at a similar age. So hopefully this answers a few questions about the ride for you

[Lotl_90]

Up until 2004 or 2005 the ride was running program 3, which is very similar to program number 2 which the ride was running until recently. The only major difference between the 2 is that after the twisting flips, the ride does around 25 seconds of non inverting twists before slowing down for the locked rotation at the end.

As in, just recently before it was toned down? I'd have to question this as I know for a fact that Wipeout has been run in program 4 pretty religiously for at least the last 3-4 years. Edited March 1, 2011 by Lotl_90