Should Universal try again with trackless rides?

[TheUniC6]

Do you think at some point in the future Universal will take another try with a trackless ride system? And if so what IPs should they use with them? This can include WB IP if the WBD NBCU deal comes to pass.

 

[DodgsonHere]

Meh. I honestly don’t think a trackless ride offers much more than something like the SCOOP vehicle. It would be neat to see Universal’s take again but it’s not something I’m dying for.

 

[GAcoaster]

Trackless is a gimmick where even when it's used there are always wear marks on the floor where you can see exactly where the vehicle is going. It's additional expense and the batteries require maintenance and replacement which adds to the ongoing costs of maintenance as well. Most rides that are trackless would have little difference if they were traditional buss bar rides.

Should they do it-- ONLY if it's a concept that needs it. Kong was an example of an attraction where it really wasn't necessary. Riders would never even see a buss bar except in the station and that could easily be hidden.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

If you can offer a "Star Tours" style experience where riders can experience a random assortment of different rooms/scenes, sure. But trackless rides became repetitive quickly.

 

[TheUniC6]

Trackless is a gimmick where even when it's used there are always wear marks on the floor where you can see exactly where the vehicle is going. It's additional expense and the batteries require maintenance and replacement which adds to the ongoing costs of maintenance as well. Most rides that are trackless would have little difference if they were traditional buss bar rides.

Should they do it-- ONLY if it's a concept that needs it. Kong was an example of an attraction where it really wasn't necessary. Riders would never even see a buss bar except in the station and that could easily be hidden.

A concept that could be well suited for a trackless ride system would be an IP like Scooby Doo if NBCU buys out WBD. I have been mulling around in my head whether Scooby Doo would work better as a Midway Mania type ride or a trackless ride.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

If it uses the concept fully, yes.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Luigi’s. Mansion.

 

[Jerroddragon]

If its something like SLOP then its not really needed but if they have a unique idea then yes

 

[TheUniC6]

If it uses the concept fully, yes.

An idea I had for a Scooby Doo attraction involves you trying to escape from a haunted theater, so a trackless ride system could be ideal for that. But on thing that could put a dent in that plan for a Scooby attraction in trackless form is how much space the land they want to put it in has. A lot of trackless rides (for the ones that are ambitious and interesting) the buildings are huge. (Look at Rat and MMRR at Disney). For example I don't think something like the Simpsons plot at USH has the space for something on the level of Rat. A larger scale TSMM style attraction could fit though. But what do I know. I didn't go to school to learn how to design buildings.

 

[Nick]

Not if it’s something like Kong/F&F again. Those 100% did not need to be trackless.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

A lot of the trackless blue sky concepts had a lot of neat ideas, like the scramble through the forest in the Monsters Drive-In Concept, or characters following you in their own vehicles on the Secret Life of Pets.

But even though Universal had all these great ideas, they still couldn't crack the concept, whether that was in Pets, Monsters, Lorax, Villain-Con, or the Ministry of Magic, not to mention the countless trackless ride concepts we don't know about. Consequently, I think it'll be a while before we see a trackless concept from them.

I think a ride system where you can lock onto a track after trackless moments might be a more versatile system. It could be a system that purposely limits freedom of movements to scenes where it is absolutely needed, poses a smaller technical challenge, and saves the space these rides tend to eat up. Rise technically does this already.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Not if it’s something like Kong/F&F again. Those 100% did not need to be trackless.

lol

FF is trackless in Flordia? Why? Seems like a waste of resources, lol

 

[TheUniC6]

A lot of the trackless blue sky concepts had a lot of neat ideas, like the scramble through the forest in the Monsters Drive-In Concept, or characters following you in their own vehicles on the Secret Life of Pets.

But even though Universal had all these great ideas, they still couldn't crack the concept, whether that was in Pets, Monsters, Lorax, Villain-Con, or the Ministry of Magic, not to mention the countless trackless ride concepts we don't know about. Consequently, I think it'll be a while before we see a trackless concept from them.

I think a ride system where you can lock onto a track after trackless moments might be a more versatile system. It could be a system that purposely limits freedom of movements to scenes where it is absolutely needed, poses a smaller technical challenge, and saves the space these rides tend to eat up. Rise technically does this already.

What could Universal not get to work with the trackless rides mentioned above? Disney seems to have no problems designing and getting trackless rides built. Was it technical problems or just they could not get the concept(s) to pair well with a trackless ride system? I know Villain Con went to the walkway concept it is now due Universal putting a priority on keeping a HHN house space open and I believe Pets went to the omnimover setup due to budget cuts.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Disney seems to have no problems designing and getting trackless rides built

Well, sometimes.

 

[shiekra38]

I think the bigger question is, what problem does a trackless ride solve that a busbar/tracked type ride doesn't

And which type of attraction/property should Universal implement when choosing to use this solution?

To me, I've yet to see a ride (maybe other than Rise) that couldn't have been done more efficiently with a tracked attraction

 

[TheUniC6]

I think the bigger question is, what problem does a trackless ride solve that a busbar/tracked type ride doesn't

And which type of attraction/property should Universal implement when choosing to use this solution?

To me, I've yet to see a ride (maybe other than Rise) that couldn't have been done more efficiently with a tracked attraction

To me anyways for attractions that need thrills a trackless ride ain't it. That honor would go to the SCOOP or Disney's EMV take on the SCOOP with the upcoming Peter Pan Flight Tokyo DisneySea or Avengers Multiverse attraction. But to problem with the SCOOP is depending on how the motion is programed it is not the best for family attractions. For family attraction you could go for a Web Slingers type of ride vehicle which don't have tons of motion and often have no height requirements.

 

[Tobias]

If it uses the concept fully, yes.

Pretty much my thoughts, if it's something like the original version of the SLoP ride with figures/AA's on individual vehicles traveling with the guests, or the massive Drive-In Blue Sky concept, then yes I'd be all for it. But if it's something that could've honestly just been done with a track, it's merely a waste of the technology and possibilities.

As much as I enjoy Reign of Kong, that ride just didn't need to be trackless. And because of the issues Uni ran into with the trackless tech, it really feels like they're not up for giving that another go. Bit of a shame, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Not fretting about it too much, since they're still pulling off feats with the Scoop and who knows what they'll do next with the Kuka arm dark ride.

 

[TheUniC6]

Pretty much my thoughts, if it's something like the original version of the SLoP ride with figures/AA's on individual vehicles traveling with the guests, or the massive Drive-In Blue Sky concept, then yes I'd be all for it. But if it's something that could've honestly just been done with a track, it's merely a waste of the technology and possibilities.

As much as I enjoy Reign of Kong, that ride just didn't need to be trackless. And because of the issues Uni ran into with the trackless tech, it really feels like they're not up for giving that another go. Bit of a shame, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Not fretting about it too much, since they're still pulling off feats with the Scoop and who knows what they'll do next with the Kuka arm dark ride.

Would also love to see them doing a variant of the SCOOP that can seamlessly transition in between physical sets and dome projection screens like the Peter Pan Flight TDS attraction I mentioned above.

 

[shiekra38]

If it uses the concept fully, yes.

SYMBOLICAAAA

 

[TheUniC6]

I think the bigger question is, what problem does a trackless ride solve that a busbar/tracked type ride doesn't

And which type of attraction/property should Universal implement when choosing to use this solution?

To me, I've yet to see a ride (maybe other than Rise) that couldn't have been done more efficiently with a tracked attraction

If Universal buys WB, I would think Scooby Doo (which I have mentioned before) with it's haunted themes would be one of the instants where a trackless ride system could be ideal. A attraction that revolves around you trying to escape a haunted theater (Curse of the opera phantom anyone?) or house just seems to pair better with a trackless ride. This could be universal's take on Mystic Manor from HKDL.