The Future of The Simpsons Ride/Springfield (Orlando)

[Casper Gutman]

Using hand gestures like Tom Cruise in Minority Report to swipe through your Pokemon collection and throw the Poke Ball out to battle and then swiping through a HUD only you can see to do turn by turn battling that only involves what you need to see on your display and not everyone else’s like Minion Blast could possibly be a better use of the tech than most of us are likely imagining.

Ninjago and Web Slingers show the same content to all riders in the vehicle. AR has a chance to do something very different.

That would be different, but it sounds like it would utterly baffle a very significant part of the audience.

It also seems to defeat the fundamental fact that theme park rides are a shared experience, like cinema. How would this be substantially better then playing with a vr headset in your home?

 

[Mad Dog]

That would be different, but it sounds like it would utterly baffle a very significant part of the audience.

It also seems to defeat the fundamental fact that theme park rides are a shared experience, like cinema. How would this be substantially better then playing with a vr headset in your home?

Yes, keep it simple.

 

[Tbad556]

And randomly throwing your arms around like Webslingers is better?

I'm pointing out what makes Pokemon Fans come back time and time and time again. I think I'm one of the only people on the boards who has at least played if not beat 90 percent of the core Pokemon games that includes the remakes (which with the exception of Pokemon lets go games are all better then the OG version's of the game

As a Pokemon fan, I want to catch and level up Pokemon which is core to Pokemon Go as well another super successful product

But as a fan with other friend's who are fans....I can tell you there is zero interest in Pokemon being random arm waving vs having a a team that you get to catch, level up and beat a Legendary Pokemon.

The ride I'm not against having a game part of it....if it's fun but I've played webslingers.....just not that fun and the lines reflect aren't that popular either

I would love just a ride with Pokemon on it and you take pictures or just a ride where you see your favorite Pokemon but rather it not just be empty rooms and you waving your arms at AR Pokemon

I don't think it has to be turn based to succeed, but I also don't think Web-Slingers is a better option. When I went to DL/DCA for the first time, Web-Slingers was hands down my least favorite ride. However, that was at least 75% due to the poor use of the property rather than the gameplay. They skipped out on basically all of the iconic locations, villains, etc. and it greatly impacted the ride for me.

Despite all of that, I don't think "hand motion" has to equal Web-Slingers type gameplay and I don't think AR has to equal Mario Kart. These technologies have more than one case use available to them.

 

[IzzyB]

The “higher score” thing is really interesting and illustrative. Point “scores” really haven’t been a focus (or even a prominent element) of video games for decades. Almost every modern game has different goals (usually narrative, aesthetic, collectibles, and/or exploration). I’d argue “scores” are associated primarily with arcades, which are as dead as a doornail, and very rapidly declined as a focus of gaming with the home gaming revolution. So in the interest of trying to appeal to a young audience and innovate, theme parks are returning to a relatively ancient model with which no one under 40 ever really engaged.

Maybe in teenager games, but a lot of the games my kids play there is a score or a place and a winner. So water skiing is tricks and you earn points for tricks and then at the end whoever has highest score wins. Races has a place with a winner. So my kids personally enjoy the score aspect and seeing who is at top and seeing themselves improve their score. So I guess is the ride geared towards teenager or younger kids?

Also, arcades as themselves are dead, but not arcade games. So many places around me have a section of arcade games and you get more tickets for higher scores. Chuck e Cheese as much as I hate it is still hugely popular for the 5 to 10 crowd. Trampoline, bowling, roller skating, and multi-complex places all have arcade sections that are busy and add ons to birthday parties. Heck cruises have arcades on them along with some vacation resorts, I think all Westgates have them. Trust me I have to tell my kids no a lot when we are around arcade games because we are around them too much and they always want to play them and my kids range from 6 to 13 now.

Maybe the genre of games you and your friends play don't have scores, but it doesn't mean score based games are not wildly popular with the GP.

 

[highdefrex]

Donkey Kong has proven that not every Nintendo ride needs to be interactive. That old Pokémon suspended coaster sounded really great. Sad they scrapped it.

A simple, AA-heavy Pokémon-snap style ride would go a long way. Even as a kid when I had that game for the N64, I thought it would make a dope ride.

I’m not ecstatic about the prospect of Web Slingers: A Pokémon Adventure. The ride at DCA is seriously boring and the last thing this park needs is another boring ride that demands a workout from you while having to wear something.

It sounds like this concept would be fine as a sideline C-ticket. Not an anchor for the whole land.

For me personally, I think I'd enjoy a land with two rides: One the slow, Pokemon Snap-like ride like this that just takes guests through the terrain where Universal can load up on tons of animatronic (and AR?) appearances with amazing scenery, and the second being the anchor ride that's a fun, action-filled experience where we're caught up in Team Rocket or Mewtwo being up to no good or something. I can't stand Web Slingers, either, and I think splitting the difference to give the land one casual yet interactive ride and one energetic, dynamic ride would be perfect.

 

[belloq87]

Using hand gestures like Tom Cruise in Minority Report to swipe through your Pokemon collection and throw the Poke Ball out to battle and then swiping through a HUD only you can see to do turn by turn battling that only involves what you need to see on your display and not everyone else’s like Minion Blast could possibly be a better use of the tech than most of us are likely imagining.

I know I'm in my 30s, and therefore now old and out of touch, but that sounds like a lot of work to me. I kind of just want to get on a ride and look at real things in front of me.

For me personally, I think I'd enjoy a land with two rides: One the slow, Pokemon Snap-like ride like this that just takes guests through the terrain where Universal can load up on tons of animatronic (and AR?) appearances with amazing scenery, and the second being the anchor ride that's a fun, action-filled experience where we're caught up in Team Rocket or Mewtwo being up to no good or something. I can't stand Web Slingers, either, and I think splitting the difference to give the land one casual yet interactive ride and one energetic, dynamic ride would be perfect.

I would take a land with that balance.

Unfortunately, I am increasingly skeptical that Universal has any interest in putting AA-rich dark rides/boat rides in USF, given that none are ever rumored, and every recent opportunity to insert one (Shrek, KidZone, other under-used plots) has seen the company go in a different direction. I am eager to be wrong.

 

[Tobias]

I really don't get these weird mandates against ride systems. It's not like trackless rides which tend to always have issues, or some new tech like the Jurassic World Orb, they were going to use a reliable suspended system that has been used for years!

Here's the thing, they put one in Beijing (Jurassic Flyers), so they most certainly know about the ride system. And from the sounds of things, it didn't go over well. And with the current stance of no suspended ride systems, well that unfortunately backs up that the system didn't go well for Uni.

 

[Amity6]

AR really blows I hope this falls through

 

[Jerroddragon]

I don't think it has to be turn based to succeed, but I also don't think Web-Slingers is a better option. When I went to DL/DCA for the first time, Web-Slingers was hands down my least favorite ride. However, that was at least 75% due to the poor use of the property rather than the gameplay. They skipped out on basically all of the iconic locations, villains, etc. and it greatly impacted the ride for me.

Despite all of that, I don't think "hand motion" has to equal Web-Slingers type gameplay and I don't think AR has to equal Mario Kart. These technologies have more than one case use available to them.

It doesn't have to be turn based but Pokemon is about catching, training and battling if they just make it a wave your arms game feels like something not for fans and since most rides like this aren't getting giant lines, I don't think most theme park fans need every ride to have a score.

I'm just saying (which they wont...the Pokemon company never listens to its fans...lol) use what works and make it in the parks.

The land will print money no matter what, but I think you can have another SNW which would be nice OR another Pokemon Go where fans obsess over it and go to the parks more because of this one land. I hope they are taking their time and using all they have learned from the Pokemon games, SNW, Pokemon Go and guest feedback

 

[highdefrex]

another Pokemon Go where fans obese over it

Now I’m picturing a ride where fans get on it and then somehow get off it 200+ pounds heavier.

 

[Tbad556]

It doesn't have to be turn based but Pokemon is about catching, training and battling if they just make it a wave your arms game feels like something not for fans and since most rides like this aren't getting giant lines, I don't think most theme park fans need every ride to have a score.

I'm just saying (which they wont...the Pokemon company never listens to its fans...lol) use what works and make it in the parks.

The land will print money no matter what, but I think you can have another SNW which would be nice OR another Pokemon Go where fans obese over it and go to the parks more because of this one land. I hope they are taking their time and using all they have learned from the Pokemon games, SNW, Pokemon Go and guest feedback

I hear ya! Just not at the point of make any assumptions yet. I'm in wait & see mode for now. AR isn't enough to worry me for the time being.

And there's no disagreement here about The Pokemon Company's decision making skills in the past decade or so lol.

 

[TheUniC6]

At least as far as the ride in Japan goes, they are going to be quite boxed-in by the existing Spider-Man infrastructure. They're not building from scratch, so whatever "physical" stuff they may be planning will probably have to be limited by design, as there's just not much room for any big show scenes beyond what's already accounted for in Spider-Man.

Now, USF's will almost certainly be a new build (I don't see how they could possibly retrofit the BTTF/Simpsons building to accommodate anything similar to what Japan is getting), so I guess the hope is that it would be a majorly plussed version of Japan's ride. And hopefully that plussing would include more elaborate sets and physical figures/AAs.

That's me trying to be optimistic!

Maybe they can do a more Midway Mania like setup for USF's Pokemon land. That would truly set it apart from MK and MIB which is right next door. Hopefully as more rumors trickle out hopefully this will be unique to Orlando.

 

[OrlLover]

This is all very exciting to me but my question is what would a hypothetical Pokémon land look like in the Simpsons plot ?

 

[00_Themeparkfan_00]

I'd imagine it would probably look like a city, with one of the locations being a Pokemon Gym. Throw in some new shopping and dining options, and maybe a flat ride replacing Kang and Kodo's for extra capacity.

 

[TheUniC6]

While I don't think it's likely they will with a trackless ride due to Universal current aversion to trackless tech, but there was a patent filed a while back for an interactive trackless ride system that could be guided via infrared lighting. Here is the description of the patent in a nutshell from the theme park insider website:

"The first provides a system for guiding trackless dark ride vehicles. Instead of using a embedded guide wire or a local positioning system, Universal's proposed system uses light projections. It's the same concept as a traffic signal, but potentially with projected characters or graphics dictating how your vehicles will move along one of several potential paths.

In one embodiment, a passenger in the vehicle could provide some input that would change the projections up ahead, effectively allowing the passenger not just to steer their vehicle but also to change the environment that determines how other vehicles are moving within the ride."

This sounds like something that could lend itself well to Pokemon. Plus I measured the acreage of the current Simpsons plot along with the spring tents on Google Earth and if they expand into that area for the Simpsons replacement the square feet is in the 80,000-90,000 range which is about the size of MMRR at DL. Now this would be a true E ticket

 

[Mike S]

This is all very exciting to me but my question is what would a hypothetical Pokémon land look like in the Simpsons plot ?

Take your pick.

 

[TheUniC6]

Take your pick.

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I would say 1 as it would pair well with the lakeside view USF provides.

 

[captainmoch]

I know AR is very different from screenz but I can't say I love the idea of another USF attraction that requires putting on glasses and heavily looking at things that aren't physical. I mean, losing 1/3 of the simulator theaters will be a step in the right direction for the park either way, but Pokemon feels perfectly suited for a traditional dark ride, with interaction being more limited and akin to the Monsters Inc ride in Tokyo or even the little egg buttons on the Yoshi ride. Web Slingers is Bad and I don't want something that requires swinging your arms around, and while I like Mario Kart, it's already a bit confusing for first-time riders in my experience. Plus, this would be in the same park as VillainCon? Idk. I'm mixed.

 

[luckoftheirish]

Take your pick.

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I would be pretty disappointed if it's a city based land, I was hoping for a more naturey land like Pandora

 

[DodgsonHere]

Take your pick.

View attachment 20409

I’d assume an original region/area filled with plenty of the motifs the series is known for. Pokemon Centers, those stores with the blue roof, a gym, the works etc… Out of these pieces of art, I’d definitely prefer the middle, should pair well with Florida climate.

I know AR is very different from screenz but I can't say I love the idea of another USF attraction that requires putting on glasses and heavily looking at things that aren't physical. I mean, losing 1/3 of the simulator theaters will be a step in the right direction for the park either way, but Pokemon feels perfectly suited for a traditional dark ride, with interaction being more limited and akin to the Monsters Inc ride in Tokyo or even the little egg buttons on the Yoshi ride. Web Slingers is Bad and I don't want something that requires swinging your arms around, and while I like Mario Kart, it's already a bit confusing for first-time riders in my experience. Plus, this would be in the same park as VillainCon? Idk. I'm mixed.

I’d be surprised if the main attraction was something as frantic as Web Slingers. Sounds like any gestures you make on the ride would more deliberate and selective than waving your arms about with no reason. Could be a really awesome and unique implementation of AR if they can pull it off.