'Rage of the Gargoyles' VR at Six Flags
- Thread starter GuyWithAStick
- Start date
Hutch
Strata Poster
I kind of get what you mean, but I don't think we should be comparing VR headsets to cars, they're not really the same thing. Again, hearing different stories about headsets overheating during the ride or not calibrating in the station, they just don't seem to be as reliable. I'm sure they work most of the time, but they need to be more reliable than that to satisfy everyone.
For me, before I rode the Superman VR, had I known that I may have to go through multiple headsets for it to calibrate correctly, that I may have to adjust/tighten/hold onto it while riding, and that it had a fair chance to overheat/break/whatever during the ride itself (all of which occurred to me), I would've done without it. And I don't plan to try it again anytime soon on any VR coaster.
Cars are a different story. Your average car is more reliable and you have more control over it. If my car breaks down, it'd probably be because of some human error or if I didn't take care of it, etc.
But now that I think of it, VR on anything ruins the point of a coaster. :wink:
For me, before I rode the Superman VR, had I known that I may have to go through multiple headsets for it to calibrate correctly, that I may have to adjust/tighten/hold onto it while riding, and that it had a fair chance to overheat/break/whatever during the ride itself (all of which occurred to me), I would've done without it. And I don't plan to try it again anytime soon on any VR coaster.
Cars are a different story. Your average car is more reliable and you have more control over it. If my car breaks down, it'd probably be because of some human error or if I didn't take care of it, etc.
It is better than most of the other coasters they've made. I just thought it was (another) odd choice to put it on Skull Mountain because it kind of ruins the point of an indoor coaster.Pink Panther said:
But now that I think of it, VR on anything ruins the point of a coaster. :wink:
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
Just did it on Demon, and thought it was pretty neat. It was a bit blurry, it was rendered on a potato, and operations were meh, but the actual VR was good. It also somehow made the ride smoother, which amazed me.
Also, the stupid employee took all 3 of my exit passes to ride it. Terrible.
Sent from my VS820 using Tapatalk
Also, the stupid employee took all 3 of my exit passes to ride it. Terrible.
Sent from my VS820 using Tapatalk
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
Hixee said:So all it actually did was moved when you moved your head? Yeah, still sounds ****.GuyWithAStick said:
Yeah, pretty much, but you actually do try to shoot Gargoyles whilst on the ride. It is on Autofire and Autolock, but it's still a neat experience.
A few more details on the whole thing:
-There were 3 trains running, only 1 uses VR, which does speed up operations for non-VR riders.
-There are 2 separate lines, one for VR riders, one for regular riders.
-Idk about any of the other headsets, but this one had a lanyard(I assume to keep the headset on while riding?), plastic head straps, and a really hard nose bit.
-The VR had a bit of 'tunnel vision' with the blurryness. If you look straight, the bottom and top of the screen turn blurry.
-Like I said earlier, you don't really press any buttons to shoot, it's more of just 'move your head in front of the target' kind of thing. However, it lasts the entire ride, rather than just the lift hill. There might be one point you shoot via button, but I didn't really catch where it was. You do get a score at the end. I think my score was 7604.
I think if they work out all the kinks and errors, and increase capacity/decrease lines, it can be a great thing. But at the moment, it's still in it's 'beta' stage.
I went to the media event on Thursday and have to say that why still not my thing, the overall experience is improving. The graphics are better and they've added sound, but the biggest improvement is that they've turned the VR experience into a video game.
It's not just shooting at targets on the lift hill anymore. That's still included, but now throughout the ride you can lock missiles on to targets by looking them for a couple of seconds and get points for shooting down the gargoyles.
There's a boss battle at the final brake run that lasts until you return to the station where you shoot a machine gun by tapping on the side of the headset. There are two alternate endings depending on if you destroy the boss or not. I didn't do well the first time and had to re-ride to defeat him.
The ride is still rough, although you don't notice it as much since you're concentrating on defeating the gargoyles and I would never ride Demon twice in one visit, much less twice in a row, if it weren't for the VR.
I couldn't get the VR to sync up correctly with the video footage the park gave me, but it is synced perfectly on the coaster. You can still get an idea of what it's like from these next two videos:
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kq6iDudLNo[/youtubevid]
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Wihd4tqaY[/youtubevid]
The new headsets Six Flags has begun using throughout all the parks are much easier to put on and use, which should speed up load times quite a bit. I filmed a scene in this video that shows the process:
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMSk-qW91G8[/youtubevid]
The other way the parks are speeding up the wait times is by having separate queues for those wanting VR and those who don't, as well as running one VR train and two without. So for those that aren't interested and just want to ride, the coasters are practically walk on now.
According to Michael from VR Coaster, this is just the beginning of the VR boom with parks lining up to get it, so don't expect it to go away anytime soon.
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo2HaESyDP8[/youtubevid]
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Abp8iytBAY[/youtubevid]
It's not just shooting at targets on the lift hill anymore. That's still included, but now throughout the ride you can lock missiles on to targets by looking them for a couple of seconds and get points for shooting down the gargoyles.
There's a boss battle at the final brake run that lasts until you return to the station where you shoot a machine gun by tapping on the side of the headset. There are two alternate endings depending on if you destroy the boss or not. I didn't do well the first time and had to re-ride to defeat him.
The ride is still rough, although you don't notice it as much since you're concentrating on defeating the gargoyles and I would never ride Demon twice in one visit, much less twice in a row, if it weren't for the VR.
I couldn't get the VR to sync up correctly with the video footage the park gave me, but it is synced perfectly on the coaster. You can still get an idea of what it's like from these next two videos:
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kq6iDudLNo[/youtubevid]
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Wihd4tqaY[/youtubevid]
The new headsets Six Flags has begun using throughout all the parks are much easier to put on and use, which should speed up load times quite a bit. I filmed a scene in this video that shows the process:
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMSk-qW91G8[/youtubevid]
The other way the parks are speeding up the wait times is by having separate queues for those wanting VR and those who don't, as well as running one VR train and two without. So for those that aren't interested and just want to ride, the coasters are practically walk on now.
According to Michael from VR Coaster, this is just the beginning of the VR boom with parks lining up to get it, so don't expect it to go away anytime soon.
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo2HaESyDP8[/youtubevid]
[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Abp8iytBAY[/youtubevid]
Bat Fastard
Hyper Poster
Meh. That's a shame. GP seem to love this stuff so parks want it I guess. At least they're trying to improve the experience. Next thing they should do is let non VR riders pick where they sit!!!! I was spited out of front row on Krypton Coaster 3 times, I'm still pretty damn salty about that.ECG said:
Hutch
Strata Poster
Yeah, I remember the GP seeming pretty impressed with the concept when they would come into the brake run. The VR itself may stick around for years to come but who knows if the buzz will sustain.
I'm not convinced with the whole "now it's a video game" concept. It is interesting to see them try out more interaction, but I feel like that would be even more distracting from the ride itself, because your focus may be on getting a high score rather than enjoying the ride. It's like you're combining a dark ride shooter with a coaster. Keep them separate.
Is this only based off your experience with Demon? Or have you seen this on other coasters? If so, that's sounds like good news to me, and the separate queues are the right move.ECG said:
I'm not convinced with the whole "now it's a video game" concept. It is interesting to see them try out more interaction, but I feel like that would be even more distracting from the ride itself, because your focus may be on getting a high score rather than enjoying the ride. It's like you're combining a dark ride shooter with a coaster. Keep them separate.
Jarrett
Most Obnoxious Member 2016
This. Never have I seen a single post that reflects my feelings on this so well.
VR is amazing technology. Granted, there are issues with it now, but you can't expect to get it right on attempt one. That's like saying that affordable automobiles should have died because the Model T wasn't exactly indestructible or that the Wright Brothers should have stopped trying to get powered flight working because they ran into issues.
The thing people keep forgetting about VR is that it literally takes away any constraints you might have creating an immersive experience. Like those fantasy coasters you see in NL2/RCT3 that people make for fun can now be a reality. You can have your coaster anywhere with any kind of theming you want. It might take a while for it to get working, but if they continue down this path I could see a VR coaster being a very welcome part of any lineup in the future. It'd be a good way to make a family coaster a flagship too.
Bat Fastard
Hyper Poster
Re: SFGAm- VR coming to Raging Bull
Well I jinxed it I guess. I'm so sorry everyone......Batfastard14 said:
davidm
Strata Poster
Rode this today (at SFoG).
What a miserable, useless, tiresome, pathetic experience that was.
--
The headsets seemed nice enough - just the implementation on an otherwise perfectly good roller coaster was awful though.
It was advertised (in a lot of places around the park / on the Fright Fest maps etc) as being available from 6pm - so I joined the Q 5 mins before that ; by the time I got to the station (maybe 20mins) they still weren't dispatching with the headsets and they were just standing around looking at the things. Eventually they started deploying them (by which time I was almost at the head of the line) but there was a bit of aggro going on as people didn't want to be dispatched on the non-VR ride if the VR-ride was about to be available (6:40 by now). They didn't really seem to have any clue about their operations, sometimes the front loaded train got VR, sometimes it didn't. They had no way of calling people who didn't want to ride the VR through the Q so everything was slow by then.
Eventually get on, still no consistent operations - I had been watching them hand out headsets to the people in the Q about to board, but when I boarded they didn't give you the headset until you were locked in the seat.
Chap fits the headset - all OK so far, but all I can see is a black screen with a message on saying the operator will help me in a moment. Operator comes round, checks the fit of the thing and says can you see "Ready jet #3" or something ; the message changes so I say ok.
I look around and it dawns on me that I'm not actually looking at a black screen, I'm looking backwards - i.e. "into" the seat that my virtual fighter pilot bloke is sitting in. So if I crane my head around and look backwards, then I can kinda see the view I'm meant to be seeing looking forwards. Does not bode well does it.
So we've dispatched by then, and as we zoom around the track the headset is sliding all over the place, I can't really see anything - the odd Gargoyle flying past randomly perhaps. By the time we hit the brake run the direction has corrected itself and I can see forwards at last so I can shoot a few Gargoyles while we wait to get off.
Ride op takes the headset ; "did it work" she asks everyone as she does this - I explain my experience with it, she reacts like thats quite normal and thats it.
I stood outside the ride afterwards and considered doing it again with some better knowledge of what should be happening, and I decide I really can't be bothered.
VR itself is fine, just has no place on a roller coaster and no place in a theme park at all in my view (ref DBGT).
I really don't want them to sort out the operational nightmare that it currently is, I want the fad to fade before they do that and VR to return to being a virtual experience, which is kinda the point isn't it?
What a miserable, useless, tiresome, pathetic experience that was.
--
The headsets seemed nice enough - just the implementation on an otherwise perfectly good roller coaster was awful though.
It was advertised (in a lot of places around the park / on the Fright Fest maps etc) as being available from 6pm - so I joined the Q 5 mins before that ; by the time I got to the station (maybe 20mins) they still weren't dispatching with the headsets and they were just standing around looking at the things. Eventually they started deploying them (by which time I was almost at the head of the line) but there was a bit of aggro going on as people didn't want to be dispatched on the non-VR ride if the VR-ride was about to be available (6:40 by now). They didn't really seem to have any clue about their operations, sometimes the front loaded train got VR, sometimes it didn't. They had no way of calling people who didn't want to ride the VR through the Q so everything was slow by then.
Eventually get on, still no consistent operations - I had been watching them hand out headsets to the people in the Q about to board, but when I boarded they didn't give you the headset until you were locked in the seat.
Chap fits the headset - all OK so far, but all I can see is a black screen with a message on saying the operator will help me in a moment. Operator comes round, checks the fit of the thing and says can you see "Ready jet #3" or something ; the message changes so I say ok.
I look around and it dawns on me that I'm not actually looking at a black screen, I'm looking backwards - i.e. "into" the seat that my virtual fighter pilot bloke is sitting in. So if I crane my head around and look backwards, then I can kinda see the view I'm meant to be seeing looking forwards. Does not bode well does it.
So we've dispatched by then, and as we zoom around the track the headset is sliding all over the place, I can't really see anything - the odd Gargoyle flying past randomly perhaps. By the time we hit the brake run the direction has corrected itself and I can see forwards at last so I can shoot a few Gargoyles while we wait to get off.
Ride op takes the headset ; "did it work" she asks everyone as she does this - I explain my experience with it, she reacts like thats quite normal and thats it.
I stood outside the ride afterwards and considered doing it again with some better knowledge of what should be happening, and I decide I really can't be bothered.
VR itself is fine, just has no place on a roller coaster and no place in a theme park at all in my view (ref DBGT).
I really don't want them to sort out the operational nightmare that it currently is, I want the fad to fade before they do that and VR to return to being a virtual experience, which is kinda the point isn't it?
That's both bad and good to hear. Bad in the sense that it's letting the ride down, but good in the sense that hopefully it's becoming clear to management that it doesn't work.
Did the ride ops seem to hate it? It would be interesting to hear their feedback to management about actually having to work with it.
What about other guests? Did you find that people were enjoying it, or did you get a sense of everyone feeling a bit let down?
Did the ride ops seem to hate it? It would be interesting to hear their feedback to management about actually having to work with it.
What about other guests? Did you find that people were enjoying it, or did you get a sense of everyone feeling a bit let down?
davidm
Strata Poster
The ops didn't seem too impressed, but weren't really saying much. "Did it work?" kinda said it all to me.
There was a whole bunch of extra ops just to handle the VR compared to when I rode it un-VR earlier. What amazed me was they have had all season to sort this out and it was still a mess.
Re: other punters ; you know at the end of a coaster ride, theres often a few over-excited people yelling, especially Americans.... Well none of that, just a lot of perplexed looking people.
There was a whole bunch of extra ops just to handle the VR compared to when I rode it un-VR earlier. What amazed me was they have had all season to sort this out and it was still a mess.
Re: other punters ; you know at the end of a coaster ride, theres often a few over-excited people yelling, especially Americans.... Well none of that, just a lot of perplexed looking people.
The ops at Six Flags America had clearly had enough of the whole thing.
I got to Superman very early in the day and they had already had it. Officially.
They were having to switch people's headsets constantly, readjust them constantly, deal with people complaining that it cut out partway through etc.
I asked the girl at the gate if it was always so problematic. "All the f**kin' time" summed it up succinctly.
I got to Superman very early in the day and they had already had it. Officially.
They were having to switch people's headsets constantly, readjust them constantly, deal with people complaining that it cut out partway through etc.
I asked the girl at the gate if it was always so problematic. "All the f**kin' time" summed it up succinctly.
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
So according to a Season Passholder E-Mail, Demon at SFGAm will be moving to a reservation-based system for VR, only available after 4 PM.
This is possibly the best news I've heard all day next to OL not going to WW.
Edit: For confirmation: https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica/a ... r/overview
This is possibly the best news I've heard all day next to OL not going to WW.
Edit: For confirmation: https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica/a ... r/overview