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Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

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I agree, imagine Spider-man but it's AR. All sets with the characters in the AR. It'd be sweet.
That's the next step in themed entertainment IMO

Imagine it being larger scale and built onto the ride vehicle almost like a fake "hood" that acts as a thin AR screen that people can interact with

I've wondered for years why AR hasn't been attached to a ride vehicle

It's basically just advanced musion
 
That's the next step in themed entertainment IMO

Imagine it being larger scale and built onto the ride vehicle almost like a fake "hood" that acts as a thin AR screen that people can interact with

I've wondered for years why AR hasn't been attached to a ride vehicle

It's basically just advanced musion

Because AR is a HARD software and hardware problem to solve, especially one that uses passive glasses. Even recently Magic Leap fell on its face by not delivering a product to market.
 
Because AR is a HARD software and hardware problem to solve, especially one that uses passive glasses. Even recently Magic Leap fell on its face by not delivering a product to market.
Yes for sure, which is why I think they should pursue it

New tech and things you can't find anywhere is what you should find at Universal and Disney
 
So I'm home and done with dinner so I want to type out my VR ride thoughts.

I'm ok with VR as an application in an attraction but it must use VR's strength: conveying infinite in a finite space. VR coasters never made sense to me because you're taking what's effectively a huge space with large vistas and constraining it. VR offering in a small room can work, BGW Battle for Eire is kinda a fart because it's just a regular motion platform but they can close in the space more without worries of projection equipment.

So, here's my concept for the Potter VR (PVR for short) attraction. I think it does some cool stuff and will leave people impressed. Also to anyone at UC or ThinkWell, this is all my concept if I get it close to anything then hire me. I first heard of PVR from Alicia yesterday so...

We're in the Ministry of Magic Atrium with dozens of agencies, shops, restaurants, and sights to see. We've already visited the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so time to head to the Department of Magical Transportation. We walk through the department's lobby and past doors for the Appirition Test Centre, Port Key Office and head specifically for the office Broom Regulatory Control. Here we make our way through the offices, stacked with application documentation, prototype brooms, and signed Quidding paraphernalia.

We walk into the back of the offices, towards large bookshelves filled with hundreds of years of records. A department liaison leads us into a marked door, "Broom Certification and Testing", in groups of 48. Inside we are greeted by a Witch and Wizard (live actors would be cool here) who inform us this is the location for the certification of broom usage for those who do not train a wizarding school. We are here for observation and to pass our Broom License Test. After some comical banter and explanation, one of the wizards notes that in the next room we will receive our helmet and follow Department officials instructions on proper wearing.

In the next room, we are split into two groups of 24. We are handed safety helmets similar to the Mario hats for Mario Kart and and instructed to properly wear them. At this point another door opens and we head down a hallway and onto stickers: each sticker is for one guest and will represent a Testing Broom. Here we are given our instructions: fly towards the objects listed and try not to cause any mischief. Soon one group of 24 is let into the testing area, think a brick lined room with a large opening in the roof where a little light and a slight breeze is coming through, and board their broom and place their VR helmet on. In our visors we see the exact same room with fellow witches and wizards around us!

Soon, we are off, by pulling up and we fly out of the room through the opening up top. Our original goal of flying through magical shapes ends as Something Goes Wrong and we are dragged into *waves arms* something crazy and magical where we meet some characters and have fun. We're holding on for dear life and soon we are saved by good guys. They quicly realize we're there for our license and tell us we did well enough they don't see why the ministry wouldn't give us our license. We land in a totally different location than where we started only to remove our helmets and find WE'VE BEEN MOVED TO THIS NEW LOCATION! Turns out the brooms are on a CoP like turntable with multiple sets of 24. We leave our landing area and walk through some hallways and find ourselves in a shop selling the most popular brooms and Quiddich fan merch around.

Ta-da. You got my address, send the check in the mail.
No words. They should’ve sent a poet. :wow:
 
So I'm home and done with dinner so I want to type out my VR ride thoughts.

I'm ok with VR as an application in an attraction but it must use VR's strength: conveying infinite in a finite space. VR coasters never made sense to me because you're taking what's effectively a huge space with large vistas and constraining it. VR offering in a small room can work, BGW Battle for Eire is kinda a fart because it's just a regular motion platform but they can close in the space more without worries of projection equipment.

So, here's my concept for the Potter VR (PVR for short) attraction. I think it does some cool stuff and will leave people impressed. Also to anyone at UC or ThinkWell, this is all my concept if I get it close to anything then hire me. I first heard of PVR from Alicia yesterday so...

We're in the Ministry of Magic Atrium with dozens of agencies, shops, restaurants, and sights to see. We've already visited the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so time to head to the Department of Magical Transportation. We walk through the department's lobby and past doors for the Appirition Test Centre, Port Key Office and head specifically for the office Broom Regulatory Control. Here we make our way through the offices, stacked with application documentation, prototype brooms, and signed Quidding paraphernalia.

We walk into the back of the offices, towards large bookshelves filled with hundreds of years of records. A department liaison leads us into a marked door, "Broom Certification and Testing", in groups of 48. Inside we are greeted by a Witch and Wizard (live actors would be cool here) who inform us this is the location for the certification of broom usage for those who do not train a wizarding school. We are here for observation and to pass our Broom License Test. After some comical banter and explanation, one of the wizards notes that in the next room we will receive our helmet and follow Department officials instructions on proper wearing.

In the next room, we are split into two groups of 24. We are handed safety helmets similar to the Mario hats for Mario Kart and and instructed to properly wear them. At this point another door opens and we head down a hallway and onto stickers: each sticker is for one guest and will represent a Testing Broom. Here we are given our instructions: fly towards the objects listed and try not to cause any mischief. Soon one group of 24 is let into the testing area, think a brick lined room with a large opening in the roof where a little light and a slight breeze is coming through, and board their broom and place their VR helmet on. In our visors we see the exact same room with fellow witches and wizards around us!

Soon, we are off, by pulling up and we fly out of the room through the opening up top. Our original goal of flying through magical shapes ends as Something Goes Wrong and we are dragged into *waves arms* something crazy and magical where we meet some characters and have fun. We're holding on for dear life and soon we are saved by good guys. They quicly realize we're there for our license and tell us we did well enough they don't see why the ministry wouldn't give us our license. We land in a totally different location than where we started only to remove our helmets and find WE'VE BEEN MOVED TO THIS NEW LOCATION! Turns out the brooms are on a CoP like turntable with multiple sets of 24. We leave our landing area and walk through some hallways and find ourselves in a shop selling the most popular brooms and Quiddich fan merch around.

Ta-da. You got my address, send the check in the mail.

Tbh every new ride should have one of these turntable tricks. It blows away even the least observant GP guests on ROTR. So cool.
 
Yeah Ghost train was and still arguably a disaster, combined with a company who under engineered as well as cant/wont maintain the ride fully

for people not sure what is referred here
Derren Browns Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon (you think universal titles are bad sometimes) is a VR dark ride at Thorpe Park in Surrey England, from what I can infer from people working on the ride and have heard, the ride started concept as a dark ride but then they replaced practical effects in the intamin/simworks/severlamb train system during the drawing board phase with HTC Vive VR and this is early VR

it didnt work well, the practical bits and certain illusions (such as hiding the ride system itself and having a relatively unique mid ride portion where you exit the train, do a walk through and then re board the train which has traversed a transfer track) are pretty good. But suffers from not the best VR, a confusing VR story, a lack of cooling so the ride is insanely hot even on a cold day, poor throughput and a general dissatisfaction from enthusiasts and the general public

Its a mess
 
Yeah Ghost train was and still arguably a disaster, combined with a company who under engineered as well as cant/wont maintain the ride fully

for people not sure what is referred here
Derren Browns Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon (you think universal titles are bad sometimes) is a VR dark ride at Thorpe Park in Surrey England, from what I can infer from people working on the ride and have heard, the ride started concept as a dark ride but then they replaced practical effects in the intamin/simworks/severlamb train system during the drawing board phase with HTC Vive VR and this is early VR

it didnt work well, the practical bits and certain illusions (such as hiding the ride system itself and having a relatively unique mid ride portion where you exit the train, do a walk through and then re board the train which has traversed a transfer track) are pretty good. But suffers from not the best VR, a confusing VR story, a lack of cooling so the ride is insanely hot even on a cold day, poor throughput and a general dissatisfaction from enthusiasts and the general public

Its a mess

As a concept I didn't mind the ride. The story is more of a mess now I feel than when it started. But mostly it's just the VR headset malarky. Grubby, heavy, and not a very nice experience.
 
Take Disney's Buzz light year ride and new Toy Story ride expand the idea into a Lugi's Mansion dark ride. Travel through the Mansions haunted rooms (ala haunted mansion) and you're aiming your "vacuum" gun at the ghosts to suck up as many as you can.
The whole exterior would be a model of Luigi's Mansion and the grounds.
Oh definitely such a genius idea!!
 
Take Disney's Buzz light year ride and new Toy Story ride expand the idea into a Lugi's Mansion dark ride. Travel through the Mansions haunted rooms (ala haunted mansion) and you're aiming your "vacuum" gun at the ghosts to suck up as many as you can.
The whole exterior would be a model of Luigi's Mansion and the grounds.
Oh definitely such a genius idea!!
No, we need to go a bit more hardcore. A Fatal Frame ride where your "guns" are cameras. That'll give all the kids a proper fright!
But, sincerely, I'd be totally down for a Luigi's Mansion ride.
 
I'm glad we have some permits and some slight confirmation that they are going to continue development. I knew we would get Epic eventually, but the circumstances it was in was scary nonetheless.

The Pokemon storm was actually really fun to read through as both sides had some good points. But @Legacy probably sums it up the most when he stated that most guest's want to just watch shows, eat food, and enjoy some attractions, and this statement right here is something I really thought hard about, and realized that "Yeah, that's accurate."
Which to me is sad as I want to feel FULLY immersed in an experience, and mimic things that characters from that Universe would do, and I'm not just talking about Pokemon, I mean all media being spun into a park. I want to be fully immersed in a world, which rides do fine but the formula get's repetitive, especially Universal's constant addition of screens. I hope eventually we strive for interactivity being a strong piece of theme park design. (BTW, I think Potter does a good job at this and Mario's looks alright too.)

I think after we find out some of the statistics of SNW's interactivity we can really get a good idea where we are gonna stand and the future of small or eventually big interactive theming.

Also, a Harry Potter broom stick ride for me is too similar to the Forbidden Journey. I know it would be more immersive and definitely a great experience, but to me as a non Potter fan it just stinks of "Haven't we done this before?". The addition of features for the ride would not help it either, it would still be The Forbidden Journey 2.0 in my eyes.

Monsters is what I am foaming at the mouth for. But I have a sad state of mind about it. I don't know how this was even a contender, they could pick up any IP in the arsenal and I would think it would do better than what Monsters as franchise is. It helps that those characters are highly recognizable and everyone knows at least who Dracula, Frankenstein, and Creature are, but they are in a boat that says "No longer relevant" plastered on them. Look at all the new attractions recently they've added to their parks, all of them have standing in todays generation, Harry Potter, Mario, and even Fast and the Furious are huge and still relevant. I just can't help the thought of people thinking that the monsters are very old, and definitely not modern, which would be one of the main reasons that side of the park would be desolate, just because what has really come out recently involving their iconic looks back in the day is literally nothing, there are none. There is no accurate depiction of there original looks which hurts there brand a lot, consistency in franchise's are important (Hotel Transylvania does not count, don't @ me). I think this has been a problem with some parks using old IP's and trying to make them successful rides, but, take Tower of Terror for an example, old franchise, but widely popular ride, usually reaches at least 60-75 minute wait times when I go to Hollywood Studios. This data helps, as we know that the rides the Monsters have to be involved in need to be absolute bangers, and highly re-rideable.

Do I think they can work? yes, but they will have to work hard for the GP to appreciate them again. I know Horror fans like me will come visit them, but it simply is not enough. Monsters has out shine everything with their attractions and overall experience, since many people would rather go to HP and SNW then step foot inside Monsters.
Also, it does not help that many parents might not take their children inside because they are assuming it is going to be too scary to go inside with their kids, which is what most guests are, kids.

I hope I am proven wrong, no, I WANT to be proven wrong about Monsters because these guys deserve so much more than a house at HHN every or every other year.
 
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That's the next step in themed entertainment IMO

Imagine it being larger scale and built onto the ride vehicle almost like a fake "hood" that acts as a thin AR screen that people can interact with

I've wondered for years why AR hasn't been attached to a ride vehicle

It's basically just advanced musion

The big benefit is that it offers a unique ride experience. MF offers a unique ride to 6 guests but the idea of going on a ride with somebody and you both getting something different is an intriguing concept.
 
The P****** storm was actually really fun to read through...

Monsters is what I am foaming at the mouth for. But I have a sad state of mind about it. I don't know how this was even a contender, they could pick up any IP in the arsenal and I would think it would do better than what Monsters as franchise is. It helps that those characters are highly recognizable and everyone knows at least who Dracula, Frankenstein, and Creature are, but they are in a boat that says "No longer relevant" plastered on them. Look at all the new attractions recently they've added to their parks, all of them have standing in todays generation, Harry Potter, Mario, and even Fast and the Furious are huge and still relevant. I just can't help the thought of people thinking that the monsters are very old, and definitely not modern, which would be one of the main reasons that side of the park would be desolate, just because what has really come out recently involving their iconic looks back in the day is literally nothing, there are none. There is no accurate depiction of there original looks which hurts there brand a lot, consistency in franchise's are important (Hotel Transylvania does not count, don't @ me). I think this has been a problem with some parks using old IP's and trying to make them successful rides, but, take Tower of Terror for an example, old franchise, but widely popular ride, usually reaches at least 60-75 minute wait times when I go to Hollywood Studios. This data helps, as we know that the rides the Monsters have to be involved in need to be absolute bangers, and highly re-rideable.

Please don't mention the P-word as it's just asking for another storm of arguments :)

I disagree with saying the Monsters are no longer relevant. Think of all the people, to this day, who bemoan the loss of King Kong and Jaws from Universal. King Kong was from the 30s and Jaws the 70s. They both had horrible sequels that we'll ignore. They were fun because they were the "scary" rides in the park. Little kids could go on them, be scared, and then feel so brave for doing it. I felt that way when I was really young for Haunted Mansion. A whole land for monsters, which would be NOTHING like Halloween Horror Nights, would just be a spooky atmospheric land that everybody can go to and give young kids a bit of a scare and also give some place for tweens and teens to enjoy. That awkward age where stuff your younger siblings like is "for babies" and you can't like it, and you aren't quite old enough to feel nostalgia for something like Nintendo games you played in your youth. This would fit their need perfectly. While other worlds will have coasters and other rides aimed at their demo, they still might deem them to childish when at that age when everybody is a punk.

The monsters are still super popular when you consider stuff like Hotel Transylvania movies (that my 10-year nephew LOVES), they pop up Scooby Doo episodes, Frankenberry and Count Chocula cereals, The Count on Sesame Street, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster show up in comics all the time, video games, Halloween costumes and commercials every year, etc. Sure, the original movies aren't always playing on TNT or on Netflix or anything (and anybody under the age of 30 will surely turn off a B&W movie before even giving it a chance), but the characters are still present in today's mainstream culture including aimed at little kids who are only going to grow up familiar with them and (eventually) enjoy the land.

But I will agree that it seems really out of place...but no more out of place than either of the current Universal parks. Especially if they manage to have it so that each spoke of EU is fully isolated and you can't see anything from the other worlds. It would be an amazing change of pace are to walk into and no more jarring than going from Mario into Harry Potter.
 
Please don't mention the P-word as it's just asking for another storm of arguments :)

I disagree with saying the Monsters are no longer relevant. Think of all the people, to this day, who bemoan the loss of King Kong and Jaws from Universal. King Kong was from the 30s and Jaws the 70s. They both had horrible sequels that we'll ignore. They were fun because they were the "scary" rides in the park. Little kids could go on them, be scared, and then feel so brave for doing it. I felt that way when I was really young for Haunted Mansion. A whole land for monsters, which would be NOTHING like Halloween Horror Nights, would just be a spooky atmospheric land that everybody can go to and give young kids a bit of a scare and also give some place for tweens and teens to enjoy. That awkward age where stuff your younger siblings like is "for babies" and you can't like it, and you aren't quite old enough to feel nostalgia for something like Nintendo games you played in your youth. This would fit their need perfectly. While other worlds will have coasters and other rides aimed at their demo, they still might deem them to childish when at that age when everybody is a punk.

The monsters are still super popular when you consider stuff like Hotel Transylvania movies (that my 10-year nephew LOVES), they pop up Scooby Doo episodes, Frankenberry and Count Chocula cereals, The Count on Sesame Street, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster show up in comics all the time, video games, Halloween costumes and commercials every year, etc. Sure, the original movies aren't always playing on TNT or on Netflix or anything (and anybody under the age of 30 will surely turn off a B&W movie before even giving it a chance), but the characters are still present in today's mainstream culture including aimed at little kids who are only going to grow up familiar with them and (eventually) enjoy the land.

But I will agree that it seems really out of place...but no more out of place than either of the current Universal parks. Especially if they manage to have it so that each spoke of EU is fully isolated and you can't see anything from the other worlds. It would be an amazing change of pace are to walk into and no more jarring than going from Mario into Harry Potter.
I feel like that is one of the problems, that the monsters won't be dumbed down, but accurate depictions of there originals takes. Remember, Count Chocula and Hotel Transylvania aren't scary, only watered down versions of what we supposedly are getting in EU. People will either know what they are getting themselves into, or they will know maybe that's something they won't be interested in. Or not really have a good idea, which may get the GP confused as what kind of Universal Monsters they are dealing with here.

Let me rephrase my spiel about relevancy, their original depictions are no longer relevant.

You use Jaws and Kong as examples but those characters are similar to their tone and personality of when they were first introduced in their current depictions, Monsters? Not really. They are used in marking for a cereal company, and are animated in the HT films.
These representations are nowhere NEAR what they used to be, you don't see Jaws and Kong in marketing that are mainly geared just toward children, there new action films sure are there, which I am not saying some kids don't enjoy, but some don't at the same time, it's a really split preference.

The Monsters depicted in the Classic's are somewhat violent and morbid, and the fact that has not been represented recently is what is shadowing what those characters are really about, not Hotels or cereal, but are disturbing and suppose to be morbid and dark. Not the brightly colored depictions of them on cereal boxes.

You can argue that there are rides like Kong, The Haunted Mansion, and Tower of Terror, and while those are the type of rides I expect to be in the Monsters realm, those rides don't have a whole land based around to them with at least two rides or more dedicated to them. It is a lot to consider, and more spooky type content some are use to be getting.

This is the reason why HHN is advertised as HORROR based, and is a separately ticketed event, in order to not expose people that may not be into that sort of thing, which sadly is the majority of people.

Also, I don't expect Monsters to be like HHN, I never said it would be either. Just that they deserved more representation than what they get at Horror nights.

Now that I think about it, how much do we REALLY know about the Monsters section of EU? Are we almost certain that they will be of their original designs? Or something different? I assume that it's the original designs as that is what Universal has the rights to use.

Okay sure.
Everyone is allowed to have there own opinions, don't be bitter because you don't like mine, did people go a little wild? Yes, but don't give the side eye because I like to watch the world burn and appreciate some good debate, xD.

Anyway ill refrain until we have a greater reason for discussion as I agree things got a tad crazy.
I apologize.
 
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