Well I wasn't expecting it to go on like that.
Everyone here has said the IOA Preview was better. The point that was argued was that it's a product of a different era of marketing, in a larger venue, and not aimed at the forum nerd; and the only real counterpoint to any of those points is "Well it can still be pretty and do the same".
Even ignoring the IOA preview center it seems like the tribute stores and the Universal Legacy Store had more going for it atmospherically and thematically (props, photos, lighting effects, etc.) to tell a story about what you're seeing. It's an observation more than complaining (speaking for myself).
That's why I asked this earlier:
* Question to people who've been there: do the screens within each portal show information about the park or is it just those still images showing what the land like is within the portal?
I was trying to gauge how this preview center was set up and how informative it actually is. Other questions I have include: Is there music? Is there mention of Stella Nova and Terra Luna? Does it indicate the park is actually separate from the current resort? Anything related to Celestial Park/general lore? Or is it pretty much a very gorgeous model in a room?
Those are the kinds of things I would expect to find in a preview center like this if the goal is to inform visitors (non-forum nerds
) about the new park and tease what the experience would be like, not just how it looks. If I don't know what EU is all about, is the model alone enough to convey that information other than it's a new theme park? Is what makes EU stand out and be a reason to come back to the resort explained here?
Ultimately, it's just a silly argument (and even sillier that I keep engaging despite my efforts to try to move on).
Hey, some of us need to work through the user rankings somehow!
And the biggest question - the crux of this current discussion - is where did those expectations come?
Disney?
(
source)
Universal made no promises over what this preview center would be like. Which means our expectations should have nil.
I agree. At the same time if they hadn't built one before there wouldn't be something to compare it to. There's other threads with comparisons to previous projects like when we're comparing Kongrontation to Skull Island. In this case it was about the difference bewteen preview centers for a new theme park.
To Nick's point about standards, I didn't think it was bad to question why wasn't there a little more. My intention on the discussion was more inquisitive than accusatory. I would've completely avoided it if it was going to stir up this much commotion!
For posterity's sake, here's what the PR email stated regarding the Preview Center:
Guests will have the chance to check out a massive model offering a bird’s-eye view of the entire park, highlighting many of the attractions and experiences coming to the new theme park. Guests will also be able to see exciting elements of the model come to life via augmented reality on compatible mobile devices, shop a variety of brand-new collections of Epic Universe merchandise, and pose for pictures with unique backgrounds themed to each of the park’s five spectacular worlds.
That answers a lot of questions for sure.