The Future of The Simpsons Ride/Springfield (Orlando)

[Casper Gutman]

It's a video game ride. Video games are interactive. It's not like the whole park is like this.

It’s a theme park ride. Theme park rides are very poorly suited to satisfying interactivity. They’re confined to a physical track and a set narrative, neither of which allows much variety. A large group of people all have to have the same experience at the same time. They have to be welcoming to an almost infinite array of skill levels. They’re relatively short.

Theme park rides are much more closely tied to the film watching experience. Producers have periodically tried to create interactive cinema, and it’s been a disaster for many of the same reasons that interactive rides prove unsatisfying.

To TBad: Yes, the best use of interactivity in theme park attractions is in rides where the attraction stands on its own even if you don’t want to “play,” ie MiB (the best) and Buzz Lightyear. When an attraction is reduced to simply moving between video game screens - Toy Story or Minions - they’re irredeemable.

 

[Jerroddragon]

MK is a great ride either way but 7/10 times I just ride it and enjoy Mario Kart

But I've also not seen many rides where I feel like it's enhanced by the game, I'd rather Buzz/MK/Pokemon be just a ride and not have the excuse of "well its interactive so the tech is basic......because we used the budget on the game"

I think rides that makes sense with it are like Toy Story Mainia or MIB or Luigi's Mansion but Pokemon in the game it's turn based....so why not just have a Raid/boss battle and the ride is based on Pokemon Snap if it much have some tech like that.....or just make a ride people love because its a great ride

The new Pokemon Netflix show is loved because its just Pokemon setting in a good show with cute art.

 

[Jake S]

Pokemon in the game it's turn based....so why not just have a Raid/boss battle

I'd be curious to hear more about how this would function in a theme park. My first thought is that while it sounds great (and really true to the games), it'd really struggle to move people through. I'd have second thoughts on making the big attraction in a land something with severely impaired capacity. But, maybe I'm not thinking of something obvious that would make that not the case!

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'd be curious to hear more about how this would function in a theme park. My first thought is that while it sounds great (and really true to the games), it'd really struggle to move people through. I'd have second thoughts on making the big attraction in a land something with severely impaired capacity. But, maybe I'm not thinking of something obvious that would make that not the case!

$249.99* limited-capacity experience with the ability to customize your very own Pokedex/Pokeball/whatever
*No AP Discounts

Problem Solved!

 

[IzzyB]

It’s a theme park ride. Theme park rides are very poorly suited to satisfying interactivity. They’re confined to a physical track and a set narrative, neither of which allows much variety. A large group of people all have to have the same experience at the same time. They have to be welcoming to an almost infinite array of skill levels. They’re relatively short.

Theme park rides are much more closely tied to the film watching experience. Producers have periodically tried to create interactive cinema, and it’s been a disaster for many of the same reasons that interactive rides prove unsatisfying.

To TBad: Yes, the best use of interactivity in theme park attractions is in rides where the attraction stands on its own even if you don’t want to “play,” ie MiB (the best) and Buzz Lightyear. When an attraction is reduced to simply moving between video game screens - Toy Story or Minions - they’re irredeemable.

I don't know, MIB and ET both have physical effects and move thru, but MIB I would ride every time in Studios and ET every so many times. I feel interactive gives it more re-ride capabilities. Also, kids love it and love to work to get a higher score.

 

[belloq87]

If Mario Kart is anything to go off of, AR doesn't instantly equate to screenz. Mario Kart has a lot of practical sets and effects going on to the point where you really don't need the AR goggles.

At least as far as the ride in Japan goes, they are going to be quite boxed-in by the existing Spider-Man infrastructure. They're not building from scratch, so whatever "physical" stuff they may be planning will probably have to be limited by design, as there's just not much room for any big show scenes beyond what's already accounted for in Spider-Man.

Now, USF's will almost certainly be a new build (I don't see how they could possibly retrofit the BTTF/Simpsons building to accommodate anything similar to what Japan is getting), so I guess the hope is that it would be a majorly plussed version of Japan's ride. And hopefully that plussing would include more elaborate sets and physical figures/AAs.

That's me trying to be optimistic!

 

[TheCodeMan95]

As simple as it would be, I'd be happy a Jungle Cruise-style safari ride going through Safari Zone with some limited motion figures and good animatronics.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I don't know, MIB and ET both have physical effects and move thru, but MIB I would ride every time in Studios and ET every so many times. I feel interactive gives it more re-ride capabilities. Also, kids love it and love to work to get a higher score.

The “higher score” thing is really interesting and illustrative. Point “scores” really haven’t been a focus (or even a prominent element) of video games for decades. Almost every modern game has different goals (usually narrative, aesthetic, collectibles, and/or exploration). I’d argue “scores” are associated primarily with arcades, which are as dead as a doornail, and very rapidly declined as a focus of gaming with the home gaming revolution. So in the interest of trying to appeal to a young audience and innovate, theme parks are returning to a relatively ancient model with which no one under 40 ever really engaged.

 

[Mad Dog]

Sounds like they will be working on Hogwarts Great Hall, Lugis mansion, and Pokémon at the same time. (Or at least some overlap). We may have to be patient for Zelda.

My guess is that they're looking at the ride capacity of Epic, and thinking it might need a bit more capacity there for the expected crowds....so the early push for quick expansions. There's not a ton of attractions and a few have middlin to low theoretical capacity.

 

[Freak]

Donkey Kong has proven that not every Nintendo ride needs to be interactive. That old Pokémon suspended coaster sounded really great. Sad they scrapped it.

A simple, AA-heavy Pokémon-snap style ride would go a long way. Even as a kid when I had that game for the N64, I thought it would make a dope ride.

I’m not ecstatic about the prospect of Web Slingers: A Pokémon Adventure. The ride at DCA is seriously boring and the last thing this park needs is another boring ride that demands a workout from you while having to wear something.

It sounds like this concept would be fine as a sideline C-ticket. Not an anchor for the whole land.

 

[Casper Gutman]

My guess is that they're looking at the ride capacity of Epic, and thinking it might need a bit more capacity there for the expected crowds....so the early push for quick expansions. There's not a ton of attractions and a few have middlin to low theoretical capacity.

Sounds like a certain Creature needs to be added sooner rather than later.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

My guess is that they're looking at the capacity of Epic, and thinking it might need a bit more capacity there for the expected crowds....so the early push for quick expansions. There's not a ton of attractions and a few have middlin to low theoretical capacity.

For some reason Universal is 0/2 with Omnimovers when it comes to using the system itself. I understand the need to have a restraint, recent events show that, but why they need to be so apart from each other is baffling to me.

 

[luckoftheirish]

I think interactivity in all the main rides of each Nintendo land is fine but this rumored Pokemon one just sounds like a copy and paste of Mario Kart. I think Pokemon Snap Safari ride with a interactive camera would be perfect with
the interactivity coming from using a camera to take pictures which influences the pokemon animatronics and on screen act.

You could represent Pokemon battles with interactive activities around the land or maybe a show or even a unique style of drop tower where opposing ride vehicles battle influencing the drops

 

[Jerroddragon]

I'd be curious to hear more about how this would function in a theme park. My first thought is that while it sounds great (and really true to the games), it'd really struggle to move people through. I'd have second thoughts on making the big attraction in a land something with severely impaired capacity. But, maybe I'm not thinking of something obvious that would make that not the case!

I'd say just make it a building with 4 screens. It's kinda insane Universal didn't do at least two for The Mario Raid.....

Also I think the fact that you know it would be that popular is why they should do it, Universal doesn't seem to mind people waiting 3-4 hours for MK or Hagrids Coaster

But if they really want to do it right make a building make it a box and have a screen in a room on each side and should help move people, if they are really concerned then make it two story with the same design

I think just adding on game stuff that doesn't fit the game to me is kinda lazy, Pokemon is about turn base attacking and having more then one Pokemon in your team...a ride can't really translate this well but a Raid/show could.
I think it would also bring in people daily....if only X amount of Pokemon randomly appear in the park then you might literally have facebook and reddit groups tracking which Pokemon are in the park each day and people will come down just to catch a gyarados and god help us if their are shinies, lol

It's why I think Pokemon is perfect for Universal....it's the biggest IP in the world, it is for everyone now not just kids, more then enough merch to sell and more then enough Pokemon to make it where people want to constantly be at your park so they can catch more or level up the Pokemon they have.

But to make it work, it takes a land...you want a ride to draw people who don't care about catching Pokemon, games so you have something to do to level up Pokemon for the raid and Raids as something you can change for events and also be the reason your are paying 70+ bucks for some stupid piece of plastic shaped like a ball.

 

[Tomfoolery]

They really need to do Pokemon and Zelda at the same time, so I am hoping the swap isn't reality and they just start moving workers from Epic over to the other parks. IOA desperately needs that capacity of lost continent. But Studios really needs a hit new ride, the last 3 have been very Meh.

USF is getting more but will take some time,,

 

[Tbad556]

I think just adding on game stuff that doesn't fit the game to me is kinda lazy, Pokemon is about turn base attacking and having more then one Pokemon in your team...a ride can't really translate this well but a Raid/show could.
I think it would also bring in people daily....if only X amount of Pokemon randomly appear in the park then you might literally have facebook and reddit groups tracking which Pokemon are in the park each day and people will come down just to catch a gyarados and god help us if their are shinies, lol

I think rides that makes sense with it are like Toy Story Mainia or MIB or Luigi's Mansion but Pokemon in the game it's turn based....so why not just have a Raid/boss battle and the ride is based on Pokemon Snap if it much have some tech like that.....or just make a ride people love because its a great ride

I think the whole "Pokemon is turn-based" thing is a bit unnecessarily limiting here. The iteration of Pokemon that started an absolute phenomenon this past decade, Pokemon GO, was not at all turn-based. The franchise absolutely does not need to be tied down to that type of game play in this land to work IMO.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I'm sure once they're no longer building an entire park, and assuming that park doesn't completely bomb, they'll be able to do multiple projects at the same time like in the 2015-2019 days.

 

[Mike S]

I'd be curious to hear more about how this would function in a theme park. My first thought is that while it sounds great (and really true to the games), it'd really struggle to move people through. I'd have second thoughts on making the big attraction in a land something with severely impaired capacity. But, maybe I'm not thinking of something obvious that would make that not the case!

You go around the land catching Pokémon and then at a certain arbitrary point you’re allowed access to the big battle a la Bowser Jr. in Mario land.

As simple as it would be, I'd be happy a Jungle Cruise-style safari ride going through Safari Zone with some limited motion figures and good animatronics.

Literally all I’d want. Just make Pokémon Snap into an actual ride and remove the camera. Have the most famous current Pokémon as actual animatronic figures and use background screens to showcase others. Heck, randomize the screen Pokémon to the point where technically every Pokémon is in the ride but you won’t see every Pokémon on every ride. Extreme repeatability baby lol

Basically imagine Na’vi River Journey exactly how it is now, but add in some actual creature AAs in the foreground.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I think the whole "Pokemon is turn-based" thing is a bit unnecessarily limiting here. The iteration of Pokemon that started an absolute phenomenon this past decade, Pokemon GO, was not at all turn-based. The franchise absolutely does not need to be tied down to that type of game play in this land to work IMO.

And randomly throwing your arms around like Webslingers is better?

I'm pointing out what makes Pokemon Fans come back time and time and time again. I think I'm one of the only people on the boards who has at least played if not beat 90 percent of the core Pokemon games that includes the remakes (which with the exception of Pokemon lets go games are all better then the OG version's of the game

As a Pokemon fan, I want to catch and level up Pokemon which is core to Pokemon Go as well another super successful product

But as a fan with other friend's who are fans....I can tell you there is zero interest in Pokemon being random arm waving vs having a a team that you get to catch, level up and beat a Legendary Pokemon.

The ride I'm not against having a game part of it....if it's fun but I've played webslingers.....just not that fun and the lines reflect aren't that popular either

I would love just a ride with Pokemon on it and you take pictures or just a ride where you see your favorite Pokemon but rather it not just be empty rooms and you waving your arms at AR Pokemon

 

[Alicia]

Using hand gestures like Tom Cruise in Minority Report to swipe through your Pokemon collection and throw the Poke Ball out to battle and then swiping through a HUD only you can see to do turn by turn battling that only involves what you need to see on your display and not everyone else’s like Minion Blast could possibly be a better use of the tech than most of us are likely imagining.

Ninjago and Web Slingers show the same content to all riders in the vehicle. AR has a chance to do something very different.