What's new
By:
FORUMS - COASTERFORCE

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Alton Towers 2013

nadroJ

nadroJ

CF Legend
Seeing as we have Thorpe and Chessington, I thought I'd round it off. Also, I have some moaning to do and couldn't find an appropriate topic to do it in.

So basically, I'm planning on going to Alton on the 8th April, I go to their website and it merely states 'open'. What the hell is this? Pretty much every other theme park in the world has their opening times for the year sorted out by now, and all Alton can muster is 'open'. It's ridiculous, I want to plan stuff.

But yh, that's my moan, but any other generic Alton stuff for 2013 can go in here I guess.
 
nadroJ said:
So basically, I'm planning on going to Alton on the 8th April, I go to their website and it merely states 'open'. What the hell is this?
Click to expand...

Lame?? :lol: Just looked myself and find it more than surprising that they aren't telling us their hours yet!
 
g_zps55570357.png
 
Wow, that's even messier than Thorpe's map. With Thorpe it doesn't matter because you can see it all once you enter the park but with Alton you NEED a map (if you haven't been before etc). The hell? Why can't they just have a normal map?
 
I love their map.

See, in the case of Alton, no map will ever help because the park layout is that damn confusing. The simplified maps they tried were no easier to read. So the map serves more as an internal advertisement than a working map. Which is fine.
 
Don't like the map personally, I agree with Peep it looks really messy.

I find Alton really easy to navigate, one you've figured out where the skyride takes you its pretty simple from there.

I haven't been for a while but some of the positioning on this doesn't seem to go with how I remember Alton in my head.
 
I find it easy to navigate too, but experience has showed me that I apparently take more notice of how to navigate around parks more than most people.

Rachel said:
I haven't been for a while but some of the positioning on this doesn't seem to go with how I remember Alton in my head.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would be because of the silly design it's all a bit weirdly positioned. It makes Smiler look a lot closer to the entrance than it actually is. They've tried to cram in lots of hotel nonsense too which is causing lots of the actual park areas to be squished or slightly moved.

Considering what you've just found in your survey Joey, I'm surprised you don't agree with me about the map. I think this new design is just going to cause stress on staff because the map is awful and people can't use signs around the park. I mean, the map makes it look like Air is right next to Thirteen and that there isn't some giant garden inbetween. That is going to confuse lots of people. It's just wrong.

I can see what you're saying about it being like in-park ads but the maps have always been like that anyway imo.
 
every aspect of that map is awful - it looks like a series of smudges, diabolical sense of scale, really difficult to find anything- just gives me a headache, and I imagine a first timer at alton towers will spend most of their time asking where things are!
 
The fact that you lot think the GP uses theme park maps is beyond me. Even at a park with a simple map, they ask staff because it's quicker, or they just explore. Very few people use the map as a map. They use it to see what other rides exist, and so a pretty map where the rides are big and exciting looking is important.

When Alton used to display the valley, the issue they had was that all the attractions had to be TINY. The map was no better at showing people around.

Layout wise, this one is more accurate...

2000map.jpg


But look how bland it is. Look how empty it looks.

This is the 3rd year of the current map style. So it must be working for them.
 
I like that map, because it's what it says it is, a map. It shows you in a nice clear fashion where everything is. Trying to find things like the nearest loos will take seconds on that map whereas trying to find the nearest loos on the new map will cause headaches and confusion.

Maybe we'll just have to agree to disagree in regards to this.
 
I'm afraid I'll just have to argue with you in person until you believe me. It may involve hitting you repeatedly with my map collection. But either way, the rest of CF shouldn't have to witness it.

I want the new map to put on my wall. Because it's ART.

Believe me, people ask staff for the nearest loo, they do not consult a map.
 
What's the point of the map then.

The map is supposed to allow you to navigate. If you have to ask a member of staff the the map has failed in its primary function.
 
^^ Exactly. A map's primary function is to show you how to get from one place to another. I prefer the old style, it may look bland but its easy to read.
 
That new map isn't art, it's advertising. Things are twisted so they can plug the hotel and the new ride. No-one entering the park needs to know where the hotel is (in that detail) but they've bunged it on anyway.

I think that maps are still useful in this day-and-age anyway: people going for the first time (or after a long gap) won't necessarily know all the attractions on offer, and map helps make sure they don't miss anything.
 
The problem is, a map is supposed to serve multiple purposes. First and foremost, by definition, it's supposed to be a navigation guide, otherwise it wouldn't be a map. Yes, it's also a marketing tool, and a piece of art, but if it fails in its primary purpose as a navigation tool, it fails, period.

Over the last few years, the maps have served as a reasonable compromise - they've been stylised enough to work well as a marketing tool, but they bear enough resemblance to the park layout to be usable as a guide.

This just looks like a mashed together mess. Alton has loads of little cut-throughs, to help people get from A-B, and this map doesn't show them. X-Sector doesn't clearly show any links with other sections of the park. X-Sector and Cloud Cuckoo Land don't have any direct links, but you wouldn't know that from looking at the map.

On my first visit to the park, I was pretty reliant on the map to find my way from one area to another because the routes aren't initially obvious. (By my second visit, I knew the place well enough not to need the map). I'm glad I'm not trying to find my way around with that monstrosity.
 
I wish they would remove the hotel stuff from it, if they did that they could make the park map bigger.

I just do not see why the hotel is needed on a park map.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top