lord denning

You guys still there. We were there earlier in the week as well. If so check out the Ghostbusters/Void attraction at Madame Tussands. The most impressive VR experience I have seen to date. I could see it as E Ticket in Universal. Shockingly well done. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Still can't get over how well everything worked. First time I haven't felt ripped off during a tourist attraction in Times Square. http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/29/12060066/ghostbusters-dimension-the-void-times-square-madame-tussauds-vr

They tested it on Blue Fire, which I have heard is a great aggressive looping ride, so in theory anything. My sense is that the most bang for there buck is to focus on family style powered rides like Thunder Run. You don't need aggressive physical forces as the visual effect creates the illusion of more extreme movement. If I recall they followed the thunder run track exactly at the start but then as the ride went on the movements become more extreme. I believe they faked some jumps and the effect of negative gs and even a looping element that felt almost real. Plus the animations as least on Thunder Run as previously stated were really cartoony so the initial focus will likely be on family rides.

The dragon in Guardian is not Herman, it's Lord Ormaar. "The quest will culminate as riders enter the dragon's lair for the ultimate battle with Lord Ormaar, and experience a heart stopping finale that will shock thrill seekers of all ages!" - https://www.canadaswonderland.com/rides/Thrill-Rides/Wonder-Mountains-Guardian The fact that you need to look at the fine print on the website to know that there are two different dragons is silly. It makes no sense and is confusing for kids and the GP. After 30 years of having a friendly dragon on a rollercoaster inside the mountain aimed at kids it was silly to make a dragon the bad guy on another rollercoaster inside the mountain. The plot of Guardian should be that you are saving Herman not fighting another dragon.

I tried the VR over the weekend. Really interesting concept. It's a joint project by Mack and Cedar Fair which explains why it is so similar to the Europa Park concept. But I don't know if i loved it in its current form. To me it turned a coaster experience into an isolated simulator ride. Pros: * It is an extremely cool technology the video is perfectly synced to the track. 100% breathes new life in a staid boring powered ride * video is smooth. no motion sickness * Excellent operations - separate booth for doing waivers. Use exit passes to get on the VR seats. Allow three pairs per train. Barely slowed down loading * VR headsets very comfortable. Easy to put on without help. Very secure. Did not feel unsafe while riding Cons: * It's virtual reality - not augmented reality - which means that once you put the googles on you can't see anything around you other than the video on the screen. It turns coaster riding which is usually a communal experience into an isolated experience. Very weird feeling to talk to the person beside you without being able to see them. I rode with my three year old son who was not able to do the test (minimum age 13) he was laughing at 'how silly daddy looks with the glasses'. I hated not being able to see his face or where we were in the ride. Actually felt a bit paranoid being so isolated. * the virtual reality story was very much like your standard triotech typhoon video - bizare main train jumping all over the track with random characters. Very childish * it honestly felt not much different than a good simulator ride. Physical forces seemed like less than a factor than the visual images. Real waste for a multi-million dollar coaster. * resolution on the VR wasn't the best but I am sure that will improve in the future. Conclusion A good start. If they can adapt the technology to be augmented reality so that you can see the track and our riding companion but with additional images projected ala google glass I think you have a real winner. Imagine having a speedometer or on a racing coaster info to track how far/ahead behind you are of the other train or projected theming elements on the smiler.