26 replies to this topic

[Wolfman]

Sounds logical, but the ceiling is kinda open, and a lattice of steel supports for the roof. Nothing up there, 'cept maybe speakers, a few lights, conduit & pipes. Nothing looked like there are walls suspended overhead. I looked really really hard, to see if that's what they did. But, in my opinion, there's nothing that looked like walls up there. What really surprised me was, when the lights come back on, a wall had "appeared" about two feet in front of my face. It was like "DAYMM! How the heck did they DO that?" I was standing right up front all the way to the front of the theater.

Something simular happens at the Star Trek attraction in Las Vegas. It's a transporter effect. (I saw it on Travel Channel.) The Star Trek attraction gave me the idea that the walls are moved, to change the environment that the audience has experienced. But it is a cool and unique attraction at IoA. The queue is all stonework and really detailed. Not half as good as Dueling Dragons though.

DD's queue is a total trip. Drink in the queue scenery, and the animated stained glass window, which tells the story about the dragons. I didn't mind waiting in the queue once we got inside. The queue moves along fairly quick, and theres always something new around the next bend. It's that good. The path goes down, down, down to something like a dungeon. Passing all sorts of macabre theming, and catacombs. It's practically a museum.

It's air conditioned, that's a plus. The castle facade definatly looks like huge dragon claws had scraped across the masonry. Things are busted up pretty bad because the "dragons had attacked". Keep your eyes peeled. It's awsome work. But the chain on the drawbridge is fake. Check it out sometime.

[lightkeeper]

Wolfman, it's all in the lighting

more spoiler below:

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Step one: enter theater room, take your standing spots in the inner circle audience space

step two: have "arcehologist" distract people in the dimly lit space

step three: have the jolly green giant sneak in behind the crowd and take a photo with his jolly giant fujifilm . . . (okay, so there isn't a giant or a cammera, but there is one massive and insanely bright strobe that could probably burn out your eye's if you were dumb enough to look at it.)

step four: lift the walls really quickly while the audiences eyes reajust to the dark room.

Step five: "gentelman, take your places!" "ding, ding ding!" "and it's poseidon who takes the first shot with a quick left . . ." (okay, so it isn't actually a boxing match.)

Step five, flash the strobe again to re-blind people, drop the walls as quickly as possible.

step six, bring up the lights and usher out the audience.

step seven, return room to dimly lit mode and repeat.

Explanation, by flooding the room with a bright light, your irises quickly close to keep from letting in too much, but because the flash is so quick, your eyes adjust, only to find that there isn't enough light at all, because after the flash, all the lights in the room are turned off. it takes a little time for your eyes to readjust to the now dark room, giving the rideoperators to pull the walls up and above the lighting and Hvac stuff, hiding it from those who look up at the ceiling. (this effect can be seen in a variety of ways in real life. Ever gone outside on a really bright day, then go back and the house looks quite dark, but then slowly brightens up? your eyes don't adjust to the indoor light levels the instant you walk through the door.

One more hole in the moving room theory, if the room moved, you wouldn't be able to stand and watch, there isn't any possible system to move an audience without a physical jolt, plus it risks knocking down people who aren't sitting or prepared for the move. This is impossible due to physics, and can only be done if someone invents inertial dampeners or inertial compensators.

[Wolfman]

Interesting idea, But I have a different approach... Which doesn't include heavy weight boxers or flash photography by green giants...
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The back wall and the gate wall is swung up and over the ceiling, (like a solid garage door, pivoting on arms, on the outside of the room.) hiding on top of the moving walls & ceiling. When the "partial" room moves forward, the gate & the back wall is swung down, to close the the room again. The walls are made of sculpted styrofoam, much like the entire Seuss's Landing is, so as to be lightweight.

At the same time, a back wall is manuvered in the same manner. (Ever notice how tall the theater is?) Why is it so "boxy"? It's defanatly oversized. It's because a shorter ceiling would prevent these walls from being swung down into place.

It could very well be that the walls & ceiling are on underwater tracks, so that they can hide the rails underwater. The water would deaden any sounds of wheels. You can't look straight down along the floor, into the water, because the guard rails are a few feet back from the edge of the floor.

So you can't see any tracks, the room is also kinda dark to begin with. Plus, the water could be tinted to hide the mechanical machinery under the surface. The theater is totally lightproof, so when the lights go out. Ther IS no light. No reason to blind the audience if there's no light to see by anyway. Nobody moves as they can't see where their going. So they freeze in their place.

The back wall of the big theater is something of a curtain. This could be lifted easily, (perhaps by folding it in the middle and raising it.) So the room can pass under the curtain & over the audience. Without anything to push the air along, (such as a back wall,) there is no air currents to feel. No air pressure. Plus, the ceiling may have "scrim" elements that allow the air to pass through, yet it looks "solid".

The legs could be tubular, with a wedge shape that would allow the legs to glide smoothly through the water, much like a fin, on the keel of a boat. This would keep the water from splashing & making noise.

After the move, the front & back walls swing over & down from the other side of the ceiling, the room then drops a few inches and comes to rest. Hitting sensor switches that tell a computer to bring up the lights. The portal gate opens once more, only now, it's a ramp over the water, because it raised out of the water. (Ever wonder why a ramp is soaked if it were outside a theater at the time?)

It's really pretty simple. Why build two identical rooms? Why disguise a second room in the ceiling, when you can just move the one room, and use it over again?

[lightkeeper]

You don't need two rooms. there isn't a second room hidden in the ceiling
I'm sorry if I seem obtuse, but my explanation comes from actually paying attention to what's going on, at the end of the show, I shielded my eyes from the second flash due to my incredible curiosity to the workings of any amusment attraction. with out the dilation change, I saw the walls lowered into place.

It seems to me that you are slightly confused as to my explanation of the moving walls. If you looked at a plan view of the room, you would see that the room that the show happens in is the same room as the audience chamber. the walls are simply a screen/curtain to block the stage from sight. when the show is over, the walls are lowered back into place, but instead of the first set of walls/curtains that you saw when entering, this set is exactly identicle to those in the original chamber.

This method involves two sets of verticaly moving curtains, a much simpler (aka less liekly to break down) system then the one you proposed.

That's all I'm going to say about it, if you want me to, I can sketch what I'm saying and send it to you.

Back to the original topic, I've looked at a map, and decided that Poseidon's fury is pretty safe. I think the hogwarts entrance will take out the sinbad stunt show, because I perfect plaza is already there.

[Wolfman]

Sorry. I hope I didn't come across as "arguing". Not my intention at all. Just talking about an effect, and I totally respect your views. But I have to disagree with you on this point. Let's agree to disagree.

The new Harry Potter area, (it's coined as a "Park within a park",) is going to take up a lot more space than what Sinbad can offer, let alone what encompasses "The Lost Contenant" has, as far as space is concerned. Sinbad barely takes up three achers, the new area requires at least 20. Only 17 more to go.

While the The Lost Contenant does seem to have theming which might go well with HP, that area of the park is kind of "constrained". Below, I have a link to Universal's IoA. (IoA is on the top half, while two white areas, divided by an on/off ramp, is where I think the new HP area will go.)

A link to Google Map of IoA

There is a frontage road, along with Production Plaza and Turkey Lake RD. which frame the area, and Suess's Landing to the right and Jurassic Park to the lower left. (upper left corner of the park.) There's no place to expand into, even if the entire area was demolished. There's simply not enough room there. I have my doubts that they'll take out DDs.

Besides, park makers, as you may already know, like to start out with a large expanse of land. More than enough to do with as they like. The Lost Contenant not only is hindered by the main roads, but is an island. Space is at a premium there already. The cleared area I have located on the map, is Blue Sky, a blank slate. Much more inviting for development.

The announcement said the new area was going to be like 20 achers or so. In these terms, you almost HAVE to think that this is something that's going to be a park onto itself. Ergo, not just a new themed area with a smattering of a few rides and a few shops & stalls, but a park themed to Harry Potter. Knocking down a few attractions isn't going to provide that kind of space.

Note: They have already cleared an area for the project. All they have to do is relocate the ramps and it's a cleared area. Suffice to say, Universal goes over the top, my guess is that they'll build a tunnel over this roadway and cover it with sand to hide it from view. One side being Hogwarts and the other side, Diagon Alley. At least, that's my opinion. But, time will tell.

[OrlanDude]

Wolfman, although your idea of using the vacant space across 'Hollywood Way' just south of the existing IOA park seems logical (and a good idea), it is contrary to the information in the offical press release when the expansion was announced. The announcement said the the new "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" island would be built over part of the existing "Lost Continent" island and some areas that are currently used for employee parking (which are in the northwest corner of IOA). Since the vacant area is just south of the Jurrasic Park & Toon Lagoon sections of IOA I don't see how they could possibly use it for the new section. My guess is that that area will be used for a new resort or possibly a new Universal Water Park.

Edited by OrlanDude, 25 July 2007 - 07:40 PM.

[Wolfman]

Oh, the area "currently not in use".