Steel Taipan Construction - Dreamworld Mack launched roller coaster

[joz]

 

21 minutes ago, themagician said:

How do people feel about the fact they aren’t linking the paths between TS and GD?

I have strong opinions on this. To the point that whenever I start saying something on the topic, I turn the computer off, go for walk, and have a good hard think about why this causes me to rage so much.

[Im Hungry]

It would've been nice to have that connection and walking through the layout between there, but hopefully Dreamworld do think of an alternative coz I don't want to walk around from one dead end to another just to go on two great rides. Maybe a path will loop behind Steel Taipan through Blue Lagoon towards the Giant Drop in future (maybe to make way for a new attraction should Dreamworld be eyeing out that piece of land).

[themagician]

@joz just let it all out and you’ll feel better 

[GoGoBoy]

So sad that DW is just one big compromise these days. It could have been so different!

[Slick]

4 hours ago, themagician said:

How do people feel about the fact they aren’t linking the paths between TS and GD? I was really hoping for this connection to return.

It’s dumb. 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Slick

[Jobe]

9 hours ago, themagician said:

These are definitely mine, I always take my own photos and if I share someone else’s I credit them 

Yeah I knew that I was just having a lark mate!! 

[ejpdtd]

I agree so dumb that they aren't pathng to GD, that area already feels so disconenected from the rest of the park. GD has virtually no line whenever I go and its arguably the best attraction atm.

[Gazza]

Devils advocate, I could understand why the path would be left out.
The coaster is the only ride in that area, when previously it had three rides, plus shops.

The park circulation pattern would be as below:

So the main benefits of the path would be better photo angles of the coaster.

Non riders would only be going as far as the entrance, which is not very deep in the area.

So hey, why not have everyone go back via main street and not walk that much longer, and hopefully buy an ice cream or some lollies or a coffee on that side.

 

[themagician]

How I imagined they would link the paths is across where I have marked up. And if they did that, then it would be worth while and does cut out a fair distance

[Im Hungry]

On 01/08/2020 at 6:54 PM, Retardent said:

 

If only access paths 2 or 3 could be repurposed as a connection between ST and GD...

To be fair, not having a connection makes Taipan sort of like how Rivals is on its own end of the park. Rivals is a dead end at MW, Taipan is a dead end at DW. People only venture down these ends of the park for a certain ride, before exiting and going back the way they came to go explore the rest of the park.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Im Hungry

[Cactus_Matt]

The only reason I can fathom for them NOT making a path between ST and GD (assuming that whoever decided this isn't just a moron who doesn't realise the convenience of connecting the rides) is its intentional to make the average guests stay at the park longer. That's literally the only reason to create dead ends in a park like this, so people backtrack; passing through popular thoroughfares with food and merchandise areas to get to other areas of the park.

[New display name]

 @Gazza is right.  It's also just not a simple path because you have to deal with the evaluation change between the 2 areas.  WWF will forever be the worst deadend on the GC.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

22 hours ago, joz said:

 It's a shame that the back of SV is being left like that, I think rock work on the back of SV would have been better than the tunnel, but also whatever, and gotta be realistic that covering up SV presumably would have cost a shiteload more than what the tunnel is.

True, but surely a banner \ wrap \ billboard \ anything that covers up the 'white shed' aesthetic is better than nothing, and surely some solutions would be relatively cheap to do?

5 hours ago, Cactus_Matt said:

That's literally the only reason to create dead ends in a park like this, so people backtrack; passing through popular thoroughfares with food and merchandise areas to get to other areas of the park.

*Walt Disney Studios has entered the chat*

Dead ends are stupid. That's why WDS is building an expansion to practically eliminate them. That's why we've long talked about linking wild west behind the show stage to arkham courtyard. It's why Dreamworld always had that pointless waste of time pathway between billabong and wildlife along the back fence - because nobody wants to walk all the way back around. It's part of the reason why wonderland closed hanna barbera land - too many folks didn't want to trek all the way up the mountain for the kids rides more than once (Wonderland's linear layout never did well).

I also don't buy the "push them past the shops" argument either. If you're not building a path because you need to increase your per-cap spend, do what every 13 year old on RCT does - and plonk another shop down on the new pathway (or stick a no entry sign at the exit so you can trap everyone in-park until they're broke, but that's beside the point).

The height change between ST's land and the old Rocky Hollow is a drop, but this is an opportunity to put a bridge over the maintenance train track from the ST retaining wall to the GD spaghetti junction platform. It's as simple as that. 

[New display name]

40 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Dead ends are stupid.

Is it a dead end or an entrance to a ride.   People might be clutching at straws here.

[Slick]

10 minutes ago, New display name said:

Is it a dead end or an entrance to a ride.   People might be clutching at straws here.

There’s been a pathway through longer than there hasn’t. Especially with the park not handing out maps anymore, it’s more important than ever to make it reasonably easy for guests to be able to get through the park. People don’t intuitively think “in order to get from Steel Taipan to Giant Drop, the thing that’s right next door, I need to double back in the opposite direction.” No, people think “oh it’s over there, so I’ll try walking over there” only to discover they’re stuck and lost. This is the future of steel taipan, especially when the muscle memory for so many guests over many decades has been to use that area to get from a to b. And it’ll only get worse when they add attractions back to the rocky hollow site. 

[New display name]

You are trying to make it sound like you will be hiking for a week before you realise you can't go that way.

[Slick]

30 minutes ago, New display name said:

You are trying to make it sound like you will be hiking for a week before you realise you can't go that way.

What’s easy for an able body to do (say a few minute walk in the opposite direction after realising you went the wrong way) is ten times harder for a family with young kids, or someone with accessibility needs. When you have a park that’s closed as many attractions has it has (not to mention having cut off other paths and temporarily closed others) it could be very easily becoming a frustrating customer journey to intuitively figure out what’s on offer and how to get to it without feeling fatigued. 
 

I also think spaghetti junction is pretty obvious and simple, and yet thousands of guests continue to get lost in that setup.
 

This is all scratching the surface of human design, and not putting a pathway through is a dumb move. 

[New display name]

Not many children or disabled people will be riding ST or GD.  As I said,  people are clutching at straws.  A path would be great but it's not rage worthy if DW don't put one in at this time.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

3 minutes ago, New display name said:

Not many children or disabled people will be riding ST or GD.

No, they won't - but they will just as likely be travelling, as a group, with others who will. And once they get all the way to an observation area to watch their friends ride, they then get to trek the long way to the next experience.

A path. A bridge. A drop in the ocean compared to the multimillion dollar coaster. It's a no brainer.

[New display name]

53 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

 

A path. A bridge. A drop in the ocean compared to the multimillion dollar coaster. It's a no brainer.

Except it's currently the QLD Government paying for it because DW have no money.

[Gazza]

3 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

plonk another shop down on the new pathway

DW already has probably an excess of outlets, many of which do not open, so it can make sense to have fewer outlets with high turnover rather than dispersing staff onto lots of little ones and have them twiddling their thumbs waiting for guests.

Is a path really a drop in the ocean? Additional path and a ramp or bridge structure would be several hundred thousand.

If you wanted to do it "properly", eg with

-a bridge going through the loop 

-a hub in the middle of the reverse spiral

-Landscaping and theming along these paths so you aren't walking through a field of gravel and footers as per Arkham

Then it's a bit more because effectively its a themed land now.

Once you let 2 or 3 line items of a few hundred k  creep into the scope you can easily add $1m to the budget without breaking a sweat.

I mean my view is that within the budget, maximise stuff like theming, and then put things like extra pathways onto a future ride budget once more attractions start getting developed that end.

As the saying goes, you can have anything you want but not everything you want.

My view is what we are getting looks pretty reasonable so far, queue seems well designed with multiple lanes, and even some high speed near misses with theming, so a bit of extra distance to get to Coroboree isn't too bad.

Other ways we can blow the budget on a coaster

-Additional rockwork or tunnels

-Natural creek water feature through area

-Onboard audio

-Themed walls to cover adjacent buildings.

-LED lights along length of track

-Additional sqm of circulation walkways around ride

-Additional shade structures, seating etc to these circulation walkways.

-More detailed fencing, eg themed posts rather than standard chainlink

-Enclosed station building with show lighting

-Fog effects in tunnels

-Theming (eg rockwork, painting or planks) to foundations.

Not saying these are bad things or anything, just that seemingly small plusses quickly add up.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Gazza

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Yeah ok fair point. Honestly though, the bridge would only have been to avoid crossing the train maintenance track, which shouldn't be in use during the day, and could easily be a level crossing with an earth ramp (disability access) or stairs.  (they had a ramp up near hollywood house before construction)

Much cheaper, much easier to put in. 

[webslave]

1 hour ago, Gazza said:

Is a path really a drop in the ocean? Additional path and a ramp or bridge structure would be several hundred thousand.

So you're saying Dreamworld should be looking for a concreting company that's also in the market for a slightly used thrill attraction?

[Slick]

2 hours ago, Gazza said:

DW already has probably an excess of outlets, many of which do not open, so it can make sense to have fewer outlets with high turnover rather than dispersing staff onto lots of little ones and have them twiddling their thumbs waiting for guests.

Is a path really a drop in the ocean? Additional path and a ramp or bridge structure would be several hundred thousand.

If you wanted to do it "properly", eg with

<snip>

Or don't build a ride you can't afford. Dreamworld's biggest issue since 1997 is that attractions get built with little to no consideration to what's around it. It's how we ended up with a zombie ride next to a Flowrider next to a V8 simulator next to a car exhibit in an area called Ocean Parade. They shouldn't get a pass because it's "too hard/costly" - they're a theme park - built environments is their whole thing, and failing on the fundamentals shouldn't continue to be a thing. If you can't do that, take your rides to the Ekka frankly.

And agreed that these costs all add up - we also know that you can be frugal and prudent without completely compromising your product. Wipeout was an example of this. Bermuda was another. Superman Escape is a modern day example. That ride doesn't need wasteful add-ons like onboard audio to make the experience better, it needs integration into the park to make it feels like it belongs.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^absolutely this.

The long term success for Dreamworld, at this point, ultimately hinges on convincing people to come back, enjoy themselves, and want to return. Right now, the perception will be nothing more than sore feet.

Supermarkets get away with putting the milk at the back of the store, making you walk a long distance and hoping you'll spend some extra money on the way. But Dreamworld can't do that. Down the road is another park full of rides and experiences and they are (mostly) gathered around the entrance hub. If you count Arkham, you effectively had 6 major attractions within spitting distance of the entrance fountain. 

The perception of value - walk 20 metres and enter the next queue, vs. "get all your rides done now kids, I don't want to have to walk all the way back here again later" - a day at Dreamworld is going to be more physically taxing, longer distances, everything split apart with Ocean parade to the extreme south, and ST\SV\GD at the opposite end of the park - none all three of which are separated by theme, distance and elevation, and the gap between those two areas filled with very little except an exit shop and a lot of open ground in between. At least movie world's main street has Roxy, Stunt Driver, and shaded places to sit and enjoy food on the way to the back end of the park.