Fast & Furious: Supercharged - General Discussion

[hishedale]

Ok... my telling you all about VDL on Kong was under the guidance that it was Oceaneering working with VDL. So Oceaneering was heavily involved on Kong. To add to my embarassment, it now seems as though it is possible that VDL wasn’t ever involved at all.

And the new news is that F&F is just as trackless as Kong... no busbar or anything. The other info that probably should be taken with a grain of salt is that this attraction was supposed to be open two months ago.

Why would they stick to trackless, especially after Kong? Unbelievably silly. Also, do we know the definite reasons this ride is being held up, other than the screen sync (and probably more trackless issues)?

 

[Mad Dog]

Ok... my telling you all about VDL on Kong was under the guidance that it was Oceaneering working with VDL. So Oceaneering was heavily involved on Kong. To add to my embarassment, it now seems as though it is possible that VDL wasn’t ever involved at all.

And the new news is that F&F is just as trackless as Kong... no busbar or anything. The other info that probably should be taken with a grain of salt is that this attraction was supposed to be open two months ago.

Thank you Teebs. Last week I posted that Oceaneering was involved with Kong, and now you have confirmed my information/posting. :thumbsup:

 

[Bobharlem]

Ok... my telling you all about VDL on Kong was under the guidance that it was Oceaneering working with VDL. So Oceaneering was heavily involved on Kong. To add to my embarassment, it now seems as though it is possible that VDL wasn’t ever involved at all.

And the new news is that F&F is just as trackless as Kong... no busbar or anything. The other info that probably should be taken with a grain of salt is that this attraction was supposed to be open two months ago.

At this rate, the HHN announcement will be that the entire ride building will be used as one big HHN house since we still don't have a date yet. (And we're getting HHN info already)

 

[Andysol]

And the new news is that F&F is just as trackless as Kong... no busbar or anything. The other info that probably should be taken with a grain of salt is that this attraction was supposed to be open two months ago.

I believe that. Kong was so ridiculously ahead of schedule. Had a "summer" opening, but had softs starting in spring. In the meantime, Frozen had a spring opening- got pushed to summer- then had softs as late in summer as they could.

I've said this once and I'll say it again- since the push back of F&F from "2017" to 2018- Universal has gotten stuck in the mud. I honestly don't know what the hell they are thinking.
They went from kicking Disney's ass in so many ways to just sitting back and being hesitant on their next steps. Whether it's confusion, worry, infighting or postponing based on 4th park lawsuit- no one knows- but it's a shame to see such aggressive dominance peter out into oblivion.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Why would they stick to trackless, especially after Kong? Unbelievably silly. Also, do we know the definite reasons this ride is being held up, other than the screen sync (and probably more trackless issues)?

Universal sees the trackless ride system and communications equipment as the future of attractions?

 

[hishedale]

Universal sees the trackless ride system and communications equipment as the future of attractions?

But why not try to work on it more to iron out kinks, instead of apply it to another ride, fully knowing the problems it can have? Wouldn't it be smarter to wait until it has been further improved?

 

[fryoj]

Universal sees the trackless ride system and communications equipment as the future of attractions?

^This. I'd betting they have a lot of plans for future rides, especially at the new park, that depend on this tech. If they can't get it to work now, it might mean they have to change plans significantly.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

But why not try to work on it more to iron out kinks, instead of apply it to another ride, fully knowing the problems it can have? Wouldn't it be smarter to wait until it has been further improved?

They're probably doing that through installations, only so much can be done in warehouses and tests.

 

[SpatulaShack]

Universal sees the trackless ride system and communications equipment as the future of attractions?

Well then Universal is delusional. What purpose do trackless ride systems have over standard ones when there is zero integration of the ride vehicles with one another? It makes sense on Mystic Manor because the vehicles move around each other and it's clear to the rider. It makes a TINY bit of sense on Kong because the vehicle travels outside and it makes for a convincing off-road truck experience for those in the queue. It makes ZERO sense for Fast and Furious. People on those huge buses will have a hard enough time seeing around each other's heads to understand what's going on just like on Kong due to the terrible sight-lines. No one will notice the lack of track and if they do, no one will care. At no point do riders get off Spider-Man or Indiana Jones or Dinosaur or Radiator Springs and go, "You know that ride would be good but I could see a small electrical bus bar track ahead of me so I give it 1 out of 5 stars." Who cares? Why have to worry about all the nonsense that goes along with these ride systems like in-station battery charging when the net-benefit to the rider is zero?

 

[hishedale]

They're probably doing that through installations, only so much can be done in warehouses and tests.

I am personally very interested to know what complications they're having, and what exactly is holding back the wireless technology. I know the WiFi is hard to rely on, with walls interfering with signals. But what exactly is holding up Drupercharged ?

 

[Alicia]

I am personally very interested to know what complications they're having, and what exactly is holding back the wireless technology. I know the WiFi is hard to rely on, with walls interfering with signals. But what exactly is holding up Drupercharged ?

Current issues do not seem to be wireless related. They are a mix of several seemingly basic problems that could've been avoided with better planning and in some cases, just better luck. These things happen. That's why they hold off on announcing grand open dates until they know for sure it's ready.

 

[SpatulaShack]

I believe that. Kong was so ridiculously ahead of schedule. Had a "summer" opening, but had softs starting in spring. In the meantime, Frozen had a spring opening- got pushed to summer- then had softs as late in summer as they could.

I've said this once and I'll say it again- since the push back of F&F from "2017" to 2018- Universal has gotten stuck in the mud. I honestly don't know what the hell they are thinking.
They went from kicking Disney's ass in so many ways to just sitting back and being hesitant on their next steps. Whether it's confusion, worry, infighting or postponing based on 4th park lawsuit- no one knows- but it's a shame to see such aggressive dominance peter out into oblivion.

A lot of people will call this out as being doom and gloom but I completely agree with you and I think people are making a lot of excuses around here. It really all started with the Incredible Hulk refurb. A complete rebuild of a ride with no net-benefit to the ride experience and they were so clueless they spent time and money updating the queue but forgot to close the holes and add air conditioning? WTF? It's still very early in the "what the heck is Universal thinking?" period and I know there are a bunch of amazing projects sitting on the shelf according to insiders but SOMETHING is going on internally and I hope it gets fixed pronto. It's taken them 3 years to build Fast and Furious and it's broken and delayed because they made poor decisions and not because the ride system is sophisticated enough to warrant it. We're approaching Disney circa 1998 here. Too many people who know better say, "yes" to stupid decisions because they are scared of the big important executives who know nothing and we get the likes of Rocket Rods.

 

[Nick]

Universal sees the trackless ride system and communications equipment as the future of attractions?

Trackless is fairly pointless unless used with a specific purpose. It may save them a bit in the long run on maintenance, but it’s an unnecessary use of the technology and cost savings likely isn’t even that much.

Is it better than how much they were having to pay for upkeep on Disaster? Sure, but that’s not saying much as that thing was falling apart.

 

[fryoj]

Well then Universal is delusional. What purpose do trackless ride systems have over standard ones when there is zero integration of the ride vehicles with one another? It makes sense on Mystic Manor because the vehicles move around each other and it's clear to the rider. It makes a TINY bit of sense on Kong because the vehicle travels outside and it makes for a convincing off-road truck experience for those in the queue. It makes ZERO sense for Fast and Furious. People on those huge buses will have a hard enough time seeing around each other's heads to understand what's going on just like on Kong due to the terrible sight-lines. No one will notice the lack of track and if they do, no one will care. At no point do riders get off Spider-Man or Indiana Jones or Dinosaur or Radiator Springs and go, "You know that ride would be good but I could see a small electrical bus bar track ahead of me so I give it 1 out of 5 stars." Who cares? Why have to worry about all the nonsense that goes along with these ride systems like in-station battery charging when the net-benefit to the rider is zero?

Trackless is fairly pointless unless used with a specific purpose. It may save them a bit in the long run on maintenance, but it’s an unnecessary use of the technology and cost savings likely isn’t even that much.

Is it better than how much they were having to pay for upkeep on Disaster? Sure, but that’s not saying much as that thing was falling apart.

You test it on a simple ride like this, so you can do more complex versions later. Like the rumored Villain Con ride where the cars will go to different booths, cross paths, and have randomized locations. Would you rather they go into a ride like that with no experience with trackless, or have a couple rides running for a few years to work out the kinks? It's not like they can call Disney up and ask them to come help.

 

[Nick]

You test it on a simple ride like this, so you can do more complex versions later. Like the rumored Villain Con ride where the cars will go to different booths, cross paths, and have randomized locations. Would you rather they go into a ride like that with no experience with trackless, or have a couple rides running for a few years to work out the kinks? It's not like they can call Disney up and ask them to come help.

I mean, SeaWorld was able to do it and the trackless system works great as a part of Antarctica.

That ride sucks, but it has nothing to do with the trackless technology. It sucks because the ride budget wasn’t nearly enough.

 

[SpatulaShack]

You test it on a simple ride like this, so you can do more complex versions later. Like the rumored Villain Con ride where the cars will go to different booths, cross paths, and have randomized locations. Would you rather they go into a ride like that with no experience with trackless, or have a couple rides running for a few years to work out the kinks? It's not like they can call Disney up and ask them to come help.

Unless I'm crazy, the Fast / Kong trackless ride system is completely different and incompatible with the ultimate concept for the Villain Con ride unless that ride concept has changed to 300 person buses moving at a snails pace in a circle. Also, it isn't Disney who has some kind of magic understanding of the technology. Oceaneering has already installed trackless rides outside of Disney Parks. Sea World's Antarctica ride might be crap because it's cheap but it works and it didn't have major delays.

 

[Brian G.]

It's taken them 3 years to build Fast and Furious and it's broken and delayed because they made poor decisions and not because the ride system is sophisticated enough to warrant it. We're approaching Disney circa 1998 here. Too many people who know better say, "yes" to stupid decisions because they are scared of the big important executives who know nothing and we get the likes of Rocket Rods.

It took 3 years because when the demoed the original buildings, they realized they had to completely re-do the foundations around the area. They also were stretched thin with all the other projects going on (VB, Fallon, CB Towers, Aventura) so something had to budge. I'll admit some things are odd, but let's not act like this is some apocalyptic pre-cursor.

I've said this once and I'll say it again- since the push back of F&F from "2017" to 2018- Universal has gotten stuck in the mud. I honestly don't know what the hell they are thinking.

They went from kicking Disney's ass in so many ways to just sitting back and being hesitant on their next steps. Whether it's confusion, worry, infighting or postponing based on 4th park lawsuit- no one knows- but it's a shame to see such aggressive dominance peter out into oblivion.

They've always done this with projects. Kong was nearly half-built before they finally "officially" announced it. It's nothing new. It's stupid, but not new.

 

[SpatulaShack]

They've always done this with projects. Kong was nearly half-built before they finally "officially" announced it. It's nothing new. It's stupid, but not new.

But that was a brand new attraction replacing a patch of dirt. It IS new when it comes to replacements. Both Fallon and Fast were announced the same day Twister and Disaster closed.

 

[Brian G.]

But that was a brand new attraction replacing a patch of dirt. It IS new when it comes to replacements. Both Fallon and Fast were announced the same day Twister and Disaster closed.

and T2? We still don't know what's officially coming.

Potter was a gimme because what else was going there, yet we still don't know anything other than it's a "coaster".

Like I said, nothing new.

 

[fryoj]

In 2016 they opened Kong, Hulk, and Sapphire.
In 2017 they opened Volcano Bay, the Cabana Bay expansion, and Fallon
In 2018 they are opening F&F and Aventura.
In 2019, they are opening Potter Coaster, at least one of the WNW Hotels, the the T2 replacement.

I'm not seeing why there is so much doom and gloom. They are on the pace they have been since the days they everyone was talking about how much they are doing. Is this just because Disney came out and said they are going to open a bunch of stuff in the 2019-2022 range?