Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT) Discussion Thread

So what were the costs of the Justice League rides? It would be interesting to know since people are comparing it to Disney/Universal rides

I think I read somewhere that it was 9 mill. Compared to Universal's Spidey which cost 100 mill.

In all honesty I don't think Dinsey or Universal are in the slightest bit concerned.

Yeah...Universal is freaking out. They are taking Kong and pandora back to the drawing board after seeing the video of justice league . Why do people feel the need to always compare rides/attractions to other ones? Especially when pound for pound the ride they are comparing it to are much better and advanced???

Now, this attraction looks great! I would like to see similar attractions at other six flags parks. I wonder if they can do it with anything other than the dc comic characters?

So what were the costs of the Justice League rides? It would be interesting to know since people are comparing it to Disney/Universal rides

 

I think I read somewhere that it was 9 mill. Compared to Universal's Spidey which cost 100 mill.

Considering that the JLBFM cars cost half a million dollars each, and SFOT has ten of them, that's $5 million just for the cars alone. I very much doubt that the entire rest of the ride, including creative development, the animation, the animatronics, the ride system, the control systems, and the physical construction, cost only an additional $4 million.

In all honesty I don't think Dinsey or Universal are in the slightest bit concerned.

 

Yeah...Universal is freaking out. They are taking Kong and pandora back to the drawing board after seeing the video of justice league . Why do people feel the need to always compare rides/attractions to other ones? Especially when pound for pound the ride they are comparing it to are much better and advanced???

 

Now, this attraction looks great! I would like to see similar attractions at other six flags parks. I wonder if they can do it with anything other than the dc comic characters?

I was also wondering if they could do dark rides with different characters. However, besides Looney Toons I don't know any other IP's Six Flags has the rights to.

besides Looney Toons I don't know any other IP's Six Flags has the rights to.

Ortega nacho cheese.

In all honesty I don't think Dinsey or Universal are in the slightest bit concerned.

 

Yeah...Universal is freaking out. They are taking Kong and pandora back to the drawing board after seeing the video of justice league . Why do people feel the need to always compare rides/attractions to other ones? Especially when pound for pound the ride they are comparing it to are much better and advanced???

 

Now, this attraction looks great! I would like to see similar attractions at other six flags parks. I wonder if they can do it with anything other than the dc comic characters?

I was also wondering if they could do dark rides with different characters. However, besides Looney Toons I don't know any other IP's Six Flags has the rights to.

Don't hold your breath. If this ride is a big hit for Six Flags and increases park attendance at the two parks they are trying it out in, their next step is to amortize their investment in developing the ride by building clones of it at other Six Flags parks. That's how they justify the R&D.

Hey guys, I'll have the official media day report ready in the morning, but for now all I have to say is wow. JLB4M is quite mindblowingly impressive. In fact I was so blown away that I would for certain put this attraction right up there with Universal. A lot of action was packed into the 17k square foot building along with a ton of money. I was able to spend a few hours with the creative teams from Sally and AlterFace who provided me with a TON of information and tidbits that I'll share with everyone.

But for now, the Joker says hi.

Wow. WOW. Six Flags wins 2015 for me. What an impressive attraction. Honestly that really does look impressive enough to make it in an Orlando theme park. Like a hybrid of Toy Story Mania and Spiderman. What a winner.

So what were the costs of the Justice League rides? It would be interesting to know since people are comparing it to Disney/Universal rides

 

I think I read somewhere that it was 9 mill. Compared to Universal's Spidey which cost 100 mill.

Wow then Six Flags really got an amazing deal!!! I hope these start popping up at more parks!!

So what were the costs of the Justice League rides? It would be interesting to know since people are comparing it to Disney/Universal rides

 

I think I read somewhere that it was 9 mill. Compared to Universal's Spidey which cost 100 mill.

 

Considering that the JLBFM cars cost half a million dollars each, and SFOT has ten of them, that's $5 million just for the cars alone. I very much doubt that the entire rest of the ride, including creative development, the animation, the animatronics, the ride system, the control systems, and the physical construction, cost only an additional $4 million.

Not sure where you got the half a million for each car number from, but it is just plainly untrue. While the amount of investment into the ride isn't something to be disclosed by employees online, I can hopefully help explain this a bit.

1. With 22 vehicles and the maintenance stuff, let's just make it easy and say $20 million on vehicles. That leaves $80 million left.

2. Approximately $10 million spent on four massive elevators for the vehicles. Down to $70.

3. Building massive buildings and intricately-themed queues are at least $30 million. $40 left.

4. Incredible 3D film sections that are the highest quality 3D film clips ever created at the time for $20 million, which includes creating the necessary technology and paying the voice/screen actors. That's $20 left.

5. Everything else like screens, lighting, sets, etc with the $20.

It is important to remember that Transformers & Spiderman are really on a massive scale compared to JLBM. Also, one thing that made JLBM for affordable when talking about the ride's cost is that SFSL & SFOT were able to just split the cost of the 3D film development. When you get down to it, it really makes a lot of sense.

P.S. Chadster, did you happen to meet Donna Gentry (the VP of Project Management for Sally)? She's an amazing lady, who is the one responsible for really making the rides possible. I am just happy that the ride at SFOT is open, as that means she'll be heading back to SFSL! Speaking of which, I get to be a test-dummy for the e-stop/evac testing tomorrow. I highly suggest some of you take a look over at the SFSL forum for some more information including pics of our superior facade & ride (being 200ft longer).....lol I'm just messin' with ya

I've ridden Spiderman at Universal and this looks to be on par with that. I can't wait until Saturday when I get to take my first ride on this amazing

new attraction.

The Joker animatronic is very cool.

^the St. Louis version is 200ft longer but only has 7 cars instead of 10? That makes no sense. I'm not saying you are wrong I'm just saying that thought process is backwards.

^the St. Louis version is 200ft longer but only has 7 cars instead of 10? That makes no sense. I'm not saying you are wrong I'm just saying that thought process is backwards.

Your load/unload area will be longer than ours allowing for quicker load/unload procedures. We have three extra cars to help offset this.

Our rider capacity will (hopefully) be as good as yours.

I feel like Texas will have better capacity at maybe 6 or 700 an hour and with 3 less cars I see St. Louis doing 4 or 500 an hour.

Not really how it works. It's like running seven trains on a B&M hyper.

The number of trains has little to do with capacity in many cases--it's all about how quickly trains are dispatched; having four sitting in the load platform does nobody any good.

Well if the station is empty and waiting for a train to return then more trains help capacity.

So what were the costs of the Justice League rides? It would be interesting to know since people are comparing it to Disney/Universal rides

 

I think I read somewhere that it was 9 mill. Compared to Universal's Spidey which cost 100 mill.

 

Considering that the JLBFM cars cost half a million dollars each, and SFOT has ten of them, that's $5 million just for the cars alone. I very much doubt that the entire rest of the ride, including creative development, the animation, the animatronics, the ride system, the control systems, and the physical construction, cost only an additional $4 million.

Not sure where you got the half a million for each car number from, but it is just plainly untrue. While the amount of investment into the ride isn't something to be disclosed by employees online, I can hopefully help explain this a bit.

 

1. With 22 vehicles and the maintenance stuff, let's just make it easy and say $20 million on vehicles. That leaves $80 million left.

2. Approximately $10 million spent on four massive elevators for the vehicles. Down to $70.

3. Building massive buildings and intricately-themed queues are at least $30 million. $40 left.

4. Incredible 3D film sections that are the highest quality 3D film clips ever created at the time for $20 million, which includes creating the necessary technology and paying the voice/screen actors. That's $20 left.

5. Everything else like screens, lighting, sets, etc with the $20.

 

It is important to remember that Transformers & Spiderman are really on a massive scale compared to JLBM. Also, one thing that made JLBM for affordable when talking about the ride's cost is that SFSL & SFOT were able to just split the cost of the 3D film development. When you get down to it, it really makes a lot of sense.

 

P.S. Chadster, did you happen to meet Donna Gentry (the VP of Project Management for Sally)? She's an amazing lady, who is the one responsible for really making the rides possible. I am just happy that the ride at SFOT is open, as that means she'll be heading back to SFSL! Speaking of which, I get to be a test-dummy for the e-stop/evac testing tomorrow. I highly suggest some of you take a look over at the SFSL forum for some more information including pics of our superior facade & ride (being 200ft longer).....lol I'm just messin' with ya

HWFan, here is where I got the half a million per car figure:

http://www.screamscape.com/html/six_flags_st__louis.htm

In the middle of that page is the following quote:

(11/24/14)2014_1119_JokerFigure According to information released to those who attended the Daredevil Daze event at SFSL, the new Justice League dark ride cars, which were on display at IAAPA, will cost half a million each.

Wow! If this doesn't make it's way to other parks in the chain that would be a huge missed opportunity! Apart from the 3D animation, which is still way better than the initial clips previewed, and some of the sets/transitions, this is the highest quality theming Six Flags has ever attained! The animatronics and practical effects look awesome, and it makes me so happy to finally see a proper use of the DC characters at a park instead of just slapping Batman or Superman's name on every new coaster. While Joker looks and sounds great, I'm most excited about Cyborg. For a lesser known character (to the general public that is) to have such a detailed and impressive animatronic built shows the company cares about this IP. It's about time Six Flags got a great dark ride!

Wow this looks great and more like a true dark ride with shooting elements. Definitely a step up from what dark rides Cedar Fair has been making lately. I feel like I could ride this and enjoy it without shooting anything. Don't get that feeling with the Cedar Fair rides.

I figured if any SF park got a dark ride like this it would be MM not SFOT or SFSTL.

I'm thrilled to have SFOT right down the road from me. What an awesome new attraction

for the park.

^the St. Louis version is 200ft longer but only has 7 cars instead of 10? That makes no sense. I'm not saying you are wrong I'm just saying that thought process is backwards.

 

Your load/unload area will be longer than ours allowing for quicker load/unload procedures. We have three extra cars to help offset this.

Our rider capacity will (hopefully) be as good as yours.

A big factor in deciding how many cars each ride would have was the individual park's average daily attendance as well as the fact that SFOT is open for a bigger part of the calendar year than SFSL. Theoretically, cars could be added to the ride at SFSL. Another thing helping SFSL (which I don't think is the same at SFOT) is the fact that the ride vehicles will continuously move through the station slowly. The platform in Texas doesn't seem to be long enough to allow that.

HWFan, here is where I got the half a million per car figure:

http://www.screamscape.com/html/six_flags_st__louis.htm

 

In the middle of that page is the following quote:

(11/24/14)2014_1119_JokerFigure According to information released to those who attended the Daredevil Daze event at SFSL, the new Justice League dark ride cars, which were on display at IAAPA, will cost half a million each.

Hmmm, interesting but fortunately wrong.

Hello Superheros (and Villians)! Yesterday Six Flags Over Texas unveiled their newest attraction to the media, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, a state of art 4D interactive dark ride experience! Impressive in every sense of the word, the combined efforts of Sally, Alterface, Oceaneering, and Pure Imagination will have your brain on overload.

You Journey will begin as you enter Centennial Park and make your way to the Hall of Justice. Once inside you will not only find cooler temperatures, you will find an even cooler queue line. From the time you enter the building until the time you hop on to the ride, if the queue is full, you can expect a 10-15 minute wait. But don't worry about being bored, they've got you covered. The queue line features multiple TV monitors, Cyborg, and large video screens that display a storyline that lasts about 15 minutes, and I would highly recommend you try to watch whilst taking in all the awesomeness that you will find inside.

Moments before taking your spot on the loading platform Cyborg comes alive and issues instructions to those brave enough to battle. You'll enter the ride vehicles as they are moving so the lines should flow steadily. Once locked in, put on your 3D glasses then grab your gun and note what color you have before the doors to Metropolis are opened and you rush off to fight off the Joker and Lex Luther. Passing through the doors you'll get a whiff of laughing gas and twist around where the Joker has arrived. Aim and fire away at the screen as you try to thwart evil away. As you blast the various targets your guns color will be shown on screen indicating where you are shooting. Don't just shoot at the Joker though, take care of his orange jumpsuited friends and watch them fly off screen.

After the first scene you ride off to see the now famous animated Joker who blasts laughing gas at you and sends you off to try and save the Batmobile from untimely destruction. You may not even realize that as you are battling on screen that the ride vehicles are moving ever so slightly forward. Why? Because of all of the technology built in. The projection moves with the ride vehicles! How awesome is that?!

Speaking of technology, JL:B4M was built with a ton of custom designed never before used technology that includes the amazing ride vehicles by Oceaneering and the interactive elements brought to you by AlterFace. Some of which you might not even realize are possible. After you help save the Batmobile and pay a visit to Lex Luther you motor through a fog wall that you can shoot at!! This is something that has NEVER been done before and would not have been possible if it weren't for the vision of Sally's Senior Designer, Rich Hill and the help of Alterface.

It's at this point in the ride that the battles intensifies and if you've not already on sensory overload, you are now, as everything that Pure Imagination has put on screen comes together in two epic battles scenes that sends the Joker and his cronies packing.

At the end of the ride you'll compare your scores to others in your group on a video wall which will also feature your mug shot. And once the St. Louis version comes online, Six Flags Over Texas Communications Manager Sharon Parker tells me the plan is to display the high scores between the two parks in real time to further increase the interactivity of the ride. And check your score closely as ride designers have included some hidden targets that unlock some awesome stuff. If you have a '6' at the end of your score you will know that you've found one of them. But which one? Not sure? Well you'll just have to ride again, and again, and hey why not ride it one more time and try to figure out which one of the over 600 targets is the easter egg.

I was fortunate to be able to spend time talking with those from Sally and AlterFace who were grinning from ear to ear hearing the reactions of those previewing the ride, as they should be. Donna Gentry is the project manager for both Justice League attractions and played a key role in bringing all of contractors and innovators together for this amazing attraction. To keep the attraction amazing, Alterface has also integrated their proprietary monitoring software that will report any irregularities in the system so that they can either be taken care of remotely or with the assistance of ride maintenance. In fact the system is so smart that it can detect a potentially malfunctioning gun so that park personnel can immediately troubleshoot and repair. After-all, no one likes being on an interactive ride whose interaction is broken!

Lauren Weaver, Marketing Director for Sally, tells me the future possibilities with this attraction are endless with the ability to switch things up or add a seasonal overlay with a simple programming change. Something Sharon Parker says the park is already considering.

Six Flags Over Texas has invested serious capital over the last 5 years by introducing us to RMC and the Texas Giant, the 400ft tall Texas Sky Screamer, and additional kids rides in a renovated area renamed Bugs Boomtown. Justice League: Battle For Metropolis is yet another world class attraction and one of the best the park has installed in as many years. In fact I would go as far as to put it neck and neck with Texas Giant, it's just that good. Park patrons have asked, and the park has delivered, exceeding all expectations.

So what are you waiting for, get out and Battle for Metropolis starting this Thursday for Gold Season Pass Holders, Friday for all Season Pass Holders, and Saturday for all!

The Bat Signal has summoned us

to Battle for Metropolis on Media Day!

The stage has been set

The key players are all present

The band is playing

All for a Superheros welcome

As Park President Steve Martindale introduces the gathering of VIP's and Media to the opening of Justice League: Battle for Metropolis!

And poof, just like that the laser slices the ribbon

And JL:B4M is open!!

YAY!!

Oh hey, popcorn.

Yummy popcorn.

You know that building that mysteriously went up? Well it was serving superhero drinks today

But will be a great new food outlet serving some yummy nachos and cold drinks.

Right next door is the entrance to Centennial Park which is also the beginning of the queue line.

Important stuff to read.

The overflow queue.

And the general ride queue

from both angles!

Here are just some of the faces of Sally and Alterface that helped bring this ride together for all of our enjoyment! Awesome job guys!

Are you ready?

Strike your superhero pose and enter the Hall of Justice

From the time you enter to the time you ride if the queue is this full, it will be about 10-15 minutes. And this is where the 15 minute queue experience comes in handy to keep you entertained.

Yay!

And these giant screens further expand on your assignment to help battle the villians

Boooooo!

Our chariot await awaits us. The cars are continuously loading and unloading, no stoppage here!

So mount up

and wave good bye to your friends.

Because it's time to battle!

Oh hey there

The Joker just blasted us with Laughing gas!

Think you can beat my score? If you do, post back here!

You'll exit through the gift shop where you will find all sorts of cool items.

Like these Superman boxer-briefs complete with rear cape. Now these could be quite useful, say, for detecting if someone has their own laughing gas. In case cape is flapping in the wind, please move away! (It's also removable)

Hi Wonder Woman!

Many Thanks to Lauren Weaver at Sally for this awesome Ride Vehicle USB Stick!!

The high striker has been moved from next to the building to in front of it.

And a new coke stand has been built inside the main gate to the right!

So the only question is, will you Battle for Metropolis this weekend? You should. This is hands down one of if not the best interactive dark rides I have been on. But don't take my word for it (although you should) head to Six Flags Over Texas and ride for yourself. I guarantee you'll be hooked!

Cyborg explains what's about to happen

After recognizing the hard work of many, Mr. Martindale grabs his laser gun and aims for the ribbon

^ Awesome update. I can't wait to drive up to SFOT and ride this.

Holy Game-Changing Potential for Six Flags, Batman! This attraction looks like a hit.