Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate (HHN 32)

[Lucky Planet]

The ice path isn’t better people just have a natural tendency to go right when presented with the option. That’s the same thing that happens when they enter a theme park. Couple that with the fact that people are sheep and play follow the leader even when presented with a choice and you get everyone choosing ice.

Do the dragons dont do anything? I'm surprised they didnt add anything.

Also is the ice path better?

Thank you

 

[kingcooger]

I just got to around to listening to the podcast episode and I gotta say, mentioning Atlantis and having a sinister Lady of the Lake type character (that they never refer to as the LotL) who is happy to let the land dwellers destroy one another just makes me want that Poseidon’s Fury house all the more.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

After seeing pics/clips and hearing things from guests, I cannot wait to finally experience this house myself!! I think this is the most hyped I've ever been for a house.

I just got to around to listening to the podcast episode and I gotta say, mentioning Atlantis and having a sinister Lady of the Lake type character (that they never refer to as the LotL) who is happy to let the land dwellers destroy one another just makes me want that Poseidon’s Fury house all the more.

Poseidon's Fury is asking for a haunted house at this point. There is more than enough material to work with.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Having finally seen the house, it's really set up in a way where more dragon doesn't really fit. I can see how the house is not really about the dragons. The entire thing is set up in a very small and claustrophobic way. Very narrow paths. It's really really good. Really amazing house, I now see how more dragon wouldn't fit on much of it. You are basically walking inside the castle and other narrow stuff. Very narrow. Narrow caves.

This house feels a lot like bride of Frankenstein .
And It's got some amazing costumes, Its an amazing fantasy house. Amazing.

The 2 dragons we got are really huge and look really really heavy. I do not think that they could be puppets. They are maybe too gigantic to be puppets. I do wish they were looking down. But they look incredible. Really amazing. Really huge. I'm very happy.

 

[GA-MBIT]

Genuine question:

Adding mobility means a higher cost for the puppet. Would you have taken that but lost an awesome set piece or important effect elsewhere in the house?

Honestly, I would. To me, it feels like a necessary thematic element if you really want it to come across as a haunt where you are escaping from Dragons, which is what I personally wanted out of a Dueling Dragons house, and seems not to be the direction that A&D wanted to take it. I can respect the choice, but it does hurt the house a lot for me. I also believe it hurts the layman view of the house, titled 'Dragons' but trading any Dragon scares for deep-cut fan service that the majority of the GP won't have any connection to.

In my mind, it's like doing a Godzilla haunt and having it exclusively follow the ground-level destruction with some static props of Godzilla's foot, without at least one scene where his head faces towards the conga and opens his mouth to roar or charge nuclear breath or something. At that point, it just kind of feels like a waste of the property if you can't deliver even a single keystone scare or animated effect of the title creature. Even limited movement would go a long way for me, a Big Head for each was the least I expected and I feel like that was probably manageable. I'd even take cutting the Choose Thy Fate aspect and having just Fire or just Ice as the Big Head so they only have to make one. Give the other Dragon the claw window scare.

 

[SeventyOne]

7. Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate - Tone was way different than I expected. It seemed a lot more cartoonish than I thought it’d be - not a bad thing at all, just not what I expected. Pretty awesome sets, but I wish there were more dragons in a house called “Dueling Dragons.”

I think "cartoonish" nails this perfectly. This feels like a real life version of an 80s "Merlyn & the Dueling Dragons" cartoon that should've aired between He-Man and Thundercats. (Frank Welker surely voiced one of the dragons.) If that appeals to you, you're probably of an age to have appreciated the ride as well.

...

Walking through last night noticed a lot of one-off costumes I missed before. If you get lucky with timing, it's a lot more than just the mages, which helps it feel less repetitive.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I think "cartoonish" nails this perfectly. This feels like a real life version of an 80s "Merlyn & the Dueling Dragons" cartoon that should've aired between He-Man and Thundercats. (Frank Welker surely voiced one of the dragons.) If that appeals to you, you're probably of an age to have appreciated the ride as well.

...

Walking through last night noticed a lot of one-off costumes I missed before. If you get lucky with timing, it's a lot more than just the mages, which helps it feel less repetitive.

Yeah, my interest in this house isn't necessarily to get scared.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I think "cartoonish" nails this perfectly. This feels like a real life version of an 80s "Merlyn & the Dueling Dragons" cartoon that should've aired between He-Man and Thundercats. (Frank Welker surely voiced one of the dragons.) If that appeals to you, you're probably of an age to have appreciated the ride as well.

...

Walking through last night noticed a lot of one-off costumes I missed before. If you get lucky with timing, it's a lot more than just the mages, which helps it feel less repetitive.

One of the windows of the castle has the skin of the dragon out of the window, showing it like if the dragon was climbing by the window. And a little dragon claw comes out of the boo hole. That was a nice little detail that gets hidden. I only noticed it now. I also just noticed the fairy.

 

[kingcooger]

Do we have set times for the various victory or losses in this house and which is on which side yet?

 

[Kichkinet85]

Do we have set times for the various victory or losses in this house and which is on which side yet?

Merlin can win on both sides or the warlocks can win on their side by my understanding. No set times that I know of.

 

[kingcooger]

Merlin can win on both sides or the warlocks can win on their side by my understanding. No set times that I know of.

Interesting.

I know for Icons there were some relatively set times based on the casts.

I figured the same would apply here as the logistics of having a Merlin jump between both sides during a 45 minute set just seemed too difficult.

 

[Chumpieboy]

1 and done for me. I don't know what house y'all went through to give this such high reviews LOL

Story wasn't clear - rest of the thread talked about the mis-step of making a house about dueling wizards but naming it dueling dragons so I won't go too much into that. But the setup to the story that seemingly is important enough to get its own exposition corridor was badly implemented. Sound was muffled and the crowd of guests was too loud. I only know bits of the intended story from reading things here. The GP who vaguely remembers a similarly named coaster and who can't/won't follow the setup in that first corridor will be heavily confused.

The paths choice at the end - nothing happened for me. Chose the left side. Exited. Nothing happened. Not clear what choice I made or what the story climax was. Nothing frigging happened. Maybe I "lucked out" and went through in the middle of a cast change but nothing happened.

You can't keep the critical unique element of your house fully staffed? You don't get a second chance to redeem. Bottom 10 house for me.

 

[Kichkinet85]

1 and done for me. I don't know what house y'all went through to give this such high reviews LOL

Story wasn't clear - rest of the thread talked about the mis-step of making a house about dueling wizards but naming it dueling dragons so I won't go too much into that. But the setup to the story that seemingly is important enough to get its own exposition corridor was badly implemented. Sound was muffled and the crowd of guests was too loud. I only know bits of the intended story from reading things here. The GP who vaguely remembers a similarly named coaster and who can't/won't follow the setup in that first corridor will be heavily confused.

The paths choice at the end - nothing happened for me. Chose the left side. Exited. Nothing happened. Not clear what choice I made or what the story climax was. Nothing frigging happened. Maybe I "lucked out" and went through in the middle of a cast change but nothing happened.

You can't keep the critical unique element of your house fully staffed? You don't get a second chance to redeem. Bottom 10 house for me.

Sounds like you got a cast change. That’s why I highly recommend going tho a house more then once. I understand most people can’t do that epically now with 10 houses.

 

[Chumpieboy]

Sounds like you got a cast change. That’s why I highly recommend going tho a house more then once. I understand most people can’t do that epically now with 10 houses.

Yup. I normally do houses more than once for this reason. Everything leading up to the "nothing" was bad and confusing enough in my run that another run wouldn't have changed my mind tho.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Sounds like you got a cast change. That’s why I highly recommend going tho a house more then once. I understand most people can’t do that epically now with 10 houses.

This, Darkest Deal and Unmasked are overwhelmingly my priorities for my visit (I love ST4 but house doesn't sound all that, plus lines likely too long).

 

[Kichkinet85]

This, Darkest Deal and Unmasked are overwhelmingly my priorities for my visit (I love ST4 but house doesn't sound all that, plus lines likely too long).

That’s a solid three houses!

This house is good and will only disappoint

Spoiler: DD

if you expect Dragons mostly instead of the warlocks

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

That’s a solid three houses!

This house is good and will only disappoint

Spoiler: DD

if you expect Dragons mostly instead of the warlocks

Spoiler

It would've been nice if they were puppets instead, but I think when it comes to appearances by the Dragons themselves, less is more.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Budget was definitely an issue. And the dragons are beautiful
But I wish they had made the dragon peek at you through a window ( have a window and a giant eye looking at you. Just the eye)
Or have really strong smoke/ wind shooting at you with water spray to mimick the dragon breathing at you earlier in the house.

There were so many ways to hint at the dragons.
Have the tail alone swinging by like if the dragon was leaving the room ( have a rubber tail swing above you)
It's just small ideas I had but they could have hinted at them so much more.
Rubber wings flapping, the tails, breath. It wouldn't have had cost that much....

 

[Grabnar]

Budget was definitely an issue. And the dragons are beautiful
But I wish they had made the dragon peek at you through a window ( have a window and a giant eye looking at you. Just the eye)
Or have really strong smoke/ wind shooting at you with water spray to mimick the dragon breathing at you earlier in the house.

There were so many ways to hint at the dragons.
Have the tail alone swinging by like if the dragon was leaving the room ( have a rubber tail swing above you)
It's just small ideas I had but they could have hinted at them so much more.
Rubber wings flapping, the tails, breath. It wouldn't have had cost that much....

They had one projection through a window that really needed some work. Was almost good

 

[Lucky Planet]

They had one projection through a window that really needed some work. Was almost good

I think there are some shadows ( or maybe that's the projection that you are talking about. ) but it's really hard to see what it's going on. I remember some moving shadows stuff. But can't define what it was