Future Dark Ride at Dreamworld

[New display name]

Taken from Ardent's FY results presentation.

"Planning for Water Park expansion and new Dark Ride progressing".

At least the idea isn't dead yet but I don't believe DW has put much of their time into this.

[Mc coaster]

36 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

Taken from Ardent's FY results presentation.

"Planning for Water Park expansion and new Dark Ride progressing".

At least the idea isn't dead yet but I don't believe DW has put much of their time into this.

I know I am being (really really) optimistic here but I think if these plans do come into fruition and they do build a decent dark ride and a nice new slide tower with couple slides on it, I think they will be back on track. Then they would have to build a decent roller coaster with some sort of appropriate theming and seeing they are supposedly spending 15 million on the I ride I think it will be possible for them to build a new exciting coaster with a similar budget. Again I know this is me being optimistic and this is more what I hope happens then what will probably happen.

[New display name]

You're a backseat moderator.  (done)

This was put here before the other topic was created.

[Tim Dasco]

These were done at the same time. I just made a thread to avoid a mega topic.

[New display name]

46 minutes ago, Mc coaster said:

I know I am being (really really) optimistic here but I think if these plans do come into fruition and they do build a decent dark ride .

I hear a lot of "I want a decent dark ride" on here but what I don't hear is what is the decent dark ride you want.  A dark ride can be anything with a roof over the top.  What is the Dark ride that takes your fancy?

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, Skeeta said:

I hear a lot of "I want a decent dark ride" on here but what I don't hear is what is the decent dark ride you want.  A dark ride can be anything with a roof over the top.  What is the Dark ride that takes your fancy?

I was going to go to the effort of quoting you in the other thread, but i'm sure if a mod cares (they probably don't) they can move them all at once...

i think first we need to work out where it's going. I know having one theme in an area has never stopped them (motorsport, tigers and trolls all in Ocean Parade), but let's try and get them back onboard...

the obvious choice is to put something into Brock's garage. Totally suitable cross promotion to retheme the food outlet out the front, and really integrate it into ocean parade.. although - what's really ocean about it anymore... wipeout? shockwave and claw are tenuous links, and HWSW obviously has nothing to do with it anymore. So what do we theme it to then?

I'm reminded of the organic development of the original soarin, where imagineers said 'we need to make people fly through the air' and then they set about designing a mechanism (literally with a meccano set) to make that concept work. I realise Dreamworld isn't going to be able to build something from scratch themselves (yes, i realise, no comment), but I guess rather than saying 'put in a sally corp motion base' and then going 'now what do we theme it to' - i'm saying come up with the theme, or the story first, and then see what available attraction systems there are that could fit that concept.

There has long been discussion over whether you need IP or not. Some of Disney's biggest attractions stood on their own without an actual IP because they were just so well done (pirates, mansion) - that they themselves developed into movies. I think they could try to do something original, but their track record stinks... so I do think that they need to attach an IP, but it needs to be something flexible (think terminator \ apocalypse at SFMM) that can be changed out without destroying the attraction experience.

They have a partnership of some description with Dreamworks. Despite the separation, I honestly think their best bet would be to put something into Brock's garage from the Dreamworks universe. Probably best to be hinged off a sequel to an existing successful franchise - don't bet the farm on an original story yet to prove itself - pick something already popular that is about to release another sequel (i'm thinking in the vein of Madagascar, but please not madagascar).

There's opportunity to do similar to the Penguins \ Boat ride at USS - think LTRR within the scale of the brocks building. This however makes it incredibly hard to retheme should the Dreamworks contract lapse. Otherwise a shooter style attraction - ala Midway Mania rather than JL3D.

not many answers, plenty more questions... but these are the guidelines i'd be keeping in mind, if i were calling the shots.

[RossL]

Midway Mania?  Please no.  I understand that it is popular but I just thought it was crap.  Large screens with a basic game and a basic track that vehicles go around.  I've ridden some pretty old crappy attractions of similar point and shoot nature-I'll take the old crappy without video screens everyday.

I'll take JL3D over Midway Mania any day.

Less seriously...Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventure Ride, think of the Indiana Jones rides.

[joel]

An intamin multi motion dark ride would be legit awsome. And for a roller coaster Australian first spinnng rollercoaster with inversions (time traveler remake)

[Brad2912]

I’d love to see something LTRR-esque incorporating all of the DreamWorks properties, something original and Unique. 

That would obviously have to be coupled with an extended agreement with Dreamworks, as re-theming would be akin to starting over again if they were to lose the rights. 

To my knowledge there is no plans for further Madagascar or Kung Fu Panda movies and a long mooted Shrek 5 seems to have dropped off the production line. A Trolls sequel is in the works which makes it the only active current theme. 

[red dragin]

17 minutes ago, RossL said:

Less seriously...Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventure Ride, think of the Indiana Jones rides.

If it means getting whacked in the nuts at least once per ride, I'll be giving it a miss!😅

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

36 minutes ago, RossL said:

Midway Mania?  Please no.  I understand that it is popular but I just thought it was crap.  Large screens with a basic game and a basic track that vehicles go around.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but in my opinion, MM was far more enjoyable than JL3D.

I note that your response is more geared to what you'd like, rather than what would work or would appeal to most people (hence your understanding that it is popular) - so given you've already agreed it is popular, it makes sense that it's the better thing to install.

Firstly - minimal animatronics means minimal maintenance on moving parts and complex figures. Computers can just be rebooted, and in a screens based attraction, it's really not something you can get away with going 'oh we just won't turn that broken projector on today' which would force the maintenance to keep up with the maintenance requirements (gladly though, projector bulbs aren't super expensive, and theyre usually available off the supplier's shelf in a hurry).

Secondly, it allows for a retheme with minimal reworking. The computer system can be reprogrammed with different imagery relatively easily, whilst keeping the gameplay relatively the same. All youd need is to paint some murals over, and perhaps retheme the ride vehicle (but a smart man would pick a generic ride vehicle form, with perhaps a flat, round circle for a themed decal to be applied (easily replaced with something else later) - then all you'd have to do is paint them.

Thirdly, remember, this is Dreamworld. We've seen their ongoing maintenance. We know they're pressed for cash. They don't have the money to build a state of the art animatronic shooter, and they certainly don't have the money to maintain them long term. I took my son on Big Red Car on the weekend, which - let's face it - is a dark ride shooter if you bring your own gun (and many parents wish they did).

The attraction was built with sliding doors between each scene to preserve some of the magic \ surprise from room to room - these days, none of those doors operate. The animatronics aren't synced to the soundtrack, and are dirty.

Every physically moving object missed its cue by at least 2 seconds - we thought they were broken until later they leapt to life trying to play catch up. Also - the onboard music in the car (which is supposed to keep the momentum going from room to room) starts too late, and then finishes too late, so that the next scene audio is drowned out by the vehicle audio.

Finally - moving animatronics - such as the teapot in dorothy's room (last room) has its clearance envelope set too close for the mechanism, which has resulted in the spout of the teapot taking a constantly repeated bash to the lip of the teacup multiple times per car, resulting in a large white foam gash in the purple teapot that my two year old pointed out to me as 'broken'.

Large Screens, with a basic game and a basic track suits dreamworld to a tee. Its all well and good to have your opinion on what you'd want to see put in, but it's important not to lose track of the big picture of what Dreamworld has proven to us time and time again on what they SHOULD put in that will be money well spent.

[joel]

I am starting to think that the peter brok shed could be getting used for this Lego Brick exhibition that will be on for holidays.

[RossL]

2 hours ago, AlexB said:

Large Screens, with a basic game and a basic track suits dreamworld to a tee. Its all well and good to have your opinion on what you'd want to see put in, but it's important not to lose track of the big picture of what Dreamworld has proven to us time and time again on what they SHOULD put in that will be money well spent.

I agree with most of your points.  Except I think it is the IP that makes the attraction rather than anything else.  Add some nothing or minor IP to what you have described and I think it will be crap and unpopular.  If you strip the IP of the best attractions, then they're still good...really don't think Midway Mania stands up at all once you remove the IP.

Imagine if Dreamworld maintain a Midway Mania knock-off as badly as they do for that Wiggles ride.  The game will start when you're leaving and you'll arrive to blank screens.  And you'll be spun so you're not actually facing the screens.  And the cannons will not have the string to pull.  It'll be atrocious with less redeeming features than even that Wiggles ride has in whatever terrible state it currently is in.  You must assume they'll maintain anything they put in much better than their current standards otherwise there is almost no point in putting in anything.

 

 

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Look, it's obviously a risk, but i think the risk of physical and mechanical effects over computer based effects is the difference here. big red car has physical effects and screen based effects that are all supposed to sync together. On a midway style attraction, only the ride vehicle itself is physical - so everything else can be fixed by a programmer in hong kong, or canada, or zimbabwe.

As for the IP, I agree an IP is needed, but the gameplay is still replayable even with a generic theme (*cough*alien*cough*predator*cough*kevil hill). And when the theme is largely programmed and digital, it's quick and easy to change, provided the programming has been future proofed in that way.

You say if you strip the IP of the best attractions they're still good - but you've missed my point on that issue - the best attractions DIDN'T HAVE an IP. Space, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean.

However - if PoTC was sold (no chance) and disney had to rip out the pirates, the ride wouldn't stand up without a new theme being put in (and what else could you do with that style of ride?).

[Ben H]

I'm expecting  independant IP like the Flying Theatre.

[RossL]

Ok, would JL3D be better if it was like Midway Mania?  It would be lame, you can shoot at a screen in your own home.  The only IP that Dreamworld have that would be close to Toy Story in popularity is Shrek but the Shrek universe is nowhere near as pervasive on TV as Toy Story is.

Some the best attractions didn't have IP sure.  But some do-Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Tron and on and on.

What about a space dark ride?  Space Fantasy at USJ is well regarded generally as well.  They wouldn't even have to keep the lights on to make the theme ok.  If they want a low bar to cross, this would be really hard to screw up.  Not saying it would be great if they did it, just relatively easy to keep operating-they'd only need a single train operating unlike the multiple trains that run on Space Mountain.

[Whombex]

I guess it all hinges on Goldrush remaining the theme in the area it stood. The talk last year was of the Dark Ride replacing Eureka.

I think an Omnimover could work in either a new building in Goldrush, or Brock's Garage. Could the Avis Vintage Cars be used somewhere else in a Dark Ride (electrically powered if indoors)?

We can't expect anything as grandiose as Indiana Jones, but this could certainly add to their way of "going in a different direction to MW's DC Rivals".

[New display name]

On 22/08/2018 at 2:53 PM, AlexB said:

so I do think that they need to attach an IP,

I think the IP options DW have are lame.  I would like DW to build a Ghost Train.   If DW had the brains to pull it off you could have a soft and hard option for the ride.

[joel]

Spinning or not spinning maybe??

[joz]

I think the chances of DW managing to hold onto the Dreamworks license long term (even if the park survives) are fairly slim. If I'm Gary I wouldn't be adding an expensive IP based darkride.

[Gold Coast Amusement Force]

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

I think the IP options DW have are lame.  I would like DW to build a Ghost Train.   If DW had the brains to pull it off you could have a soft and hard option for the ride.

 

A ghost ride at Dreamworld.... righto

[New display name]

55 minutes ago, joel said:

Spinning or not spinning maybe??

DW has enough spin rides.  I'm thinking of 2 different adventures or stories on the one ride.

[Whombex]

19 minutes ago, Gold Coast Amusement Force said:

A ghost ride at Dreamworld.... righto

I had considered a haunted mine themed omnimover in Goldrush, but yeah, I agree with you. DW won't put anything in along that path for a while.

[New display name]

11 minutes ago, Glubbo said:

I had considered a haunted mine themed omnimover in Goldrush, but yeah, I agree with you. DW won't put anything in along that path for a while.

So DW didn't have Kevil Hill Zombie Evilution last year??????   Ghost stories can have many takes on it..   Ghost could mean anything from Casper the friendly ghost to an invasion of zombies.  I"m not suggesting DW haunt their guest with the souls of the people they have killed.  

[Gold Coast Amusement Force]

45 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

So DW didn't have Kevil Hill Zombie Evilution last year??????   Ghost stories can have many takes on it..   Ghost could mean anything from Casper the friendly ghost to an invasion of zombies.  I"m not suggesting DW haunt their guest with the souls of the people they have killed.  

But the media would grip straight onto it.

I don't even think they should build a dark ride because it will never be able to compete with what sdsc is and they need something to get visitors, not something that is on offer next door. And I understand that a dark ride could be anything but I just think they need something else.