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AVP
09-13-2005, 04:03 PM
Did anyone read this week's Park Update (http://www.mouseplanet.com/parkupdates/dlr/dlr050912.htm), especially the "Increasingly Interactive" section about the Proof of Concept test of a new addition to the Haunted Mansion and Tom Sawyer Island?

Or was I the only person who thought that was nifty???

AVP
- who sometimes wonders if we're publishing into a vacuum....

CrazyTrain
09-13-2005, 04:08 PM
I don't know about the HM - ther'es already so much to look at in there. Not to mention that it might pull yuou out of the other world it creates.

However, the TSI one looks so cool! I like the extra interactive part of that.

Andrew
09-13-2005, 04:20 PM
Or was I the only person who thought that was nifty???
If we lived less than 400 miles away from Disneyland, you wouldn't have been able to keep me away.

Tinker Bell
09-13-2005, 04:50 PM
I thought it was kinda cool.It gets kids more into the ride.My worrie would be those kids like my son who really gets into this kind of thing with sound and movement effects.He moves with his games and sometimes yells out.Will this happen in the ride is my worrie.

disney jones
09-13-2005, 05:04 PM
i'm skeptical.

but i'm old and simple too.

for instance, i have the most fun on wooden roller coasters built early last century.

i go to DLR to avoid thinking, just be entertained. Buzz is OK because i get to shoot stuff :~D , but in general, the interactivity stuff doesn't do much for me.

nursemelis374
09-13-2005, 05:21 PM
I am not sure what to think yet, I like the idea of temporary updates though.

Clotho
09-13-2005, 05:25 PM
I think it sounds like a blast, and a great way to get repeat visitors/riders. This will get folks to not only want to ride their favorite rides at least once on their trip, but twice--once to ride, and once to play on it. Maybe even more than that so they can up their scores, like Buzz Lightyear has proven to encourage.

Sounds like fun for the riders, and a great tool for Disney to increase ridership.

RideMax Mark
09-13-2005, 05:33 PM
AVP, no, you're definitely NOT publishing into a vacuum! I, too, found this idea very interesting.

I must admit that I have a sort of mixed reaction to this idea. On the one hand, I *really* envy the engineers that get to work on this stuff. What a blast!

I think if there's a downside, it is, to what extent will this technology serve to mentally pull you out of the immersive park experience that Walt Disney intended? If I'm riding the Haunted Mansion glued to a PDA, or running around TSI wearing headphones, am I really immersed in the Disney theme park experience, or does it detract? Am I visiting the real world, brick-and-mortar Disneyland park just so I can gather some "ghosts" to use when I've retreated back into my "virtual world" of VMK?

A few years ago I posted a thread about using infrared technology as an "interactive enhancement" to the park experience, but in that proposal the technology worked the other way around. (see http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=3614 ) In other words, with that idea the IR technology is used to "activate" real-world items in the park. This would hopefully serve to draw you into the park more, by interacting with objects in the park itself, rather than using the technology to draw you away from the park and more off into some virtual world.

Hmmm... does any of this make sense, or am I just rambling? :confused:

On a more practical note, if the IR emitters are still there, they should be visible when viewed with a camcorder or digital camera LCD viewfinder. (It's fun to do this to spot the Pal Mickey transmitters at WDW too! :D )

cstephens
09-13-2005, 05:57 PM
Or was I the only person who thought that was nifty???

Were you able to try it? I had the opportunity but had to pass for various reasons. I do know people who did it, and they seemed to like it. It sounded interesting to me, but it doesn't sound like something I'd actually do, and it seems to be targeted to APs or at least frequent visitors. I can't see a day guest spending too much time doing that.

Or maybe I'll be the only person wandering around not carrying one of those thingies...

h_lehmann
09-13-2005, 06:56 PM
Tom Sawyers Island is a very interactive place, always has been, what with the rope bridge, tree house, caves, balancing rock, etc. Anything they do to make it more interactive would be strictly in line with its original design.
The Haunted Mansion, on the other hand, has always been more of a "sit back and watch" kind of attraction; there's never been any sort of guest interaction there (other than a brief period in its early days when cast members dressed up as ghouls (or whatever) would jump out and scare guests as they walked by.)
I think the Haunted Mansion should remain as a linear attraction; you come, you look, no lingering, you leave; every guest spends exactly the same amount of time in the attraction before riding the speed-ramp back to New Orleans Square.
Tom Sawyers Island, on the other hand, should be the kind of place where you take your time (especially with small kids), set your own pace, and explore in whatever direction you please until you're tired of the place and take the rafts back the mainland.
My two cents.

Maus
09-13-2005, 07:02 PM
Hmmm... does any of this make sense, or am I just rambling? :confused:
I totally understand what you're saying, Mark. Thanks for putting into words exactly what I was thinking. I, too, pictured all these folks running around with PDAs and headphones, not speaking to each other. (not to mention cell phones and iPods!)

ahecht
09-13-2005, 07:16 PM
I totally understand what you're saying, Mark. Thanks for putting into words exactly what I was thinking. I, too, pictured all these folks running around with PDAs and headphones, not speaking to each other. (not to mention cell phones and iPods!)

Reminds me of something out of Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.

Cnjp
09-13-2005, 07:46 PM
With the Haunted Mansion, it would be ruining the whole concept. The 999 happy haunts chose the Mansion as a place to retire. It makes no sense to try and capture them. That's just mean!

I also agree with Tinker Bell concerning the noise level. The Mansion is not the sort of attraction where guests should be yelling and hollering about the points they score.

Plus, I'm just so afraid that more of Paul Frees' narration will be removed for Joe Leahey's audio replacements. Here is a link to his latest recording session: http://www.fixinthemix.com/What%27s%20New.htm .

mkcbunny
09-13-2005, 08:22 PM
I also agree with Tinker Bell concerning the noise level. The Mansion is not the sort of attraction where guests should be yelling and hollering about the points they score.
Agreed. I don't like this idea at all. If I want gaming, I will go to Buzz.

nickbrown2k2
09-13-2005, 08:30 PM
I'm with the consensus that it'll end up like Buzz. Can't we just leave a classic ride alone? :)

olegc
09-13-2005, 09:25 PM
I like the idea... but what concerns me is that now that buzz is interactive, and if you make others interactive, then tie them to the web... i mean it's a concept that is going to be repeated and then overblown... and all of a sudden the "new" aspect of this goes away.

I said this in another thread - it's something that appears to capture media companies and large conglomerates - if it works for one or two items - why not keep doing it - everyone loves it. THen the passion is not there any more, and I can see the posts now "everything has the same thing - it's all gaming"...

Why not just make the ride interactice from the web? and unless you're trying to get adults and older teens over to TSI - the kids already spend about an hour doing something without the technology...

for some reason - it seems someone at dLR has a notion up there but that EVERY SINGLE ATTRACTION has to have extremely new technology and massive amounts of interest. The difference is that the fact that there are so many different experiences - some visual, some physical - that it makes DLR special..

Why not just create the whole park as a video game for PS2 and sell it for the price of an annual pass...

dsnyredhead
09-13-2005, 09:26 PM
I had the chance to try it out about two weeks ago. I found it interesting and I can certainly see computer geeks running around doing it, but I don't see myself doing it very often. It's not really ideal for people with children. My husband said that he was having more fun running around TSI with our son than listening to the headphones.

I Heart Disneyland!
09-13-2005, 10:00 PM
i'm skeptical.

but i'm old and simple too.
.

Tisk, tisk. DisneyJones just called me old!! (Cause we're the same age, and he said HE'S old!) :p

Clotho
09-13-2005, 10:08 PM
What an interesting observation, about cutting folks off from the immersive experience already there at Disney. I guess I think of this as an add-on. Something where after you have already soaked up the experience there, you get to add another leve, making it more interactive. I never thought of it as a full-time endeaver or a replacement for what is already there and fabulous!

I have to say, I WISH they would bring Pal Mickey to DLR. That was one of the BIGGEST treats of WDW. He was a ton of fun! Being a trivia buff, I loved the kind of full-time tour guide he was for us throughout the parks, not to mention the cheezy jokes that gave us much enjoyed bouts of chuckles throughout the day. We loved this hints and tips he gave us (when he told us a shortcut through the rose garden in Epcot as we walked up near the walkway, we were totally excited!), including giving us warning to go grab seats for shows within time before they started. We didn't play the games much, though I imagine they are great for passing time in long lines with the kids.

We are thinking of bringing him to DLR just for the occasional jokes along the way. He's a great companion, even without the IR checkpoints. But I would flip out happily if they brought Pal to DLR an d DCA!

sambo
09-13-2005, 11:26 PM
I had the chance to try it out about two weeks ago. I found it interesting and I can certainly see computer geeks running around doing it, but I don't see myself doing it very often. It's not really ideal for people with children. My husband said that he was having more fun running around TSI with our son than listening to the headphones.

...sorry I'm a total computer geek - but I don't ride HM for an intertactive gaming experience. That's what Buzz was designed for - Not HM or TSI. Even total geeks have to have limits on how many buttons they can push per minute. I think the Imagineers are dead wrong on this. It's a quick novelty with the longevity of a Tomigachi that didn't get fed on schedule. They should be designing immersive experiences - not fiddling about with their PDA's.

...oh - I forgot... they got rid of all the real creative types...

..and it's showing. Press the reset button on this one quick.

Icky-poo.

Clotho
09-14-2005, 08:39 AM
I don't get it. It's not like anyone would FORCE you to use it. It would be OPTIONAL. So if you don't like it, don't do it. Sit back and enjoy. I seriously doubt that the one or two doombuggies around you who might choose to use it that day is going to "ruin" your "immersive" experience. It seems like a pretty low-key addition, and again, OPTIONAL.

You all make it sound like there will be hige laser beams shooting around HM, complete with laser sounds and explosive effects, and that they will shove a PDA in your hand and force you to play or else make you leave. And while you're there, every single kid will have one, and will be screaming "GOTCHA" and "YEEEEEEHAAAAW!" all around you while you alone quietly weep the death of all things Disney...

It's just a little PDA with an optional game attached. I think it sounds fun and harmless. Certainly isn't going to ruin the magic for you personally if you decide not to use it.

olegc
09-14-2005, 11:13 AM
It's just a little PDA with an optional game attached. I think it sounds fun and harmless. Certainly isn't going to ruin the magic for you personally if you decide not to use it.

Ah, yes, but now they have to go about and design a process to ensure that they collect all of the PDAs at the end of the ride. If inside - it's dark and small - with lots of moving ramps. If outside - it will quickly lead to PDAs, or if used headphones, leaving the scene ..

So - if they decide to permanently attach the PDA to the doombuggy - what's the next probably step? "hey, why not just use the Buzz vehicles. Design is done and it's cheaper... so - there goes any kind of darkness perspective for your "casual" visitor who does not want to play..

and - it seems like this would require headphones in order to not disturb others - since the game could not simply be visually driven (you would be watching your game pad the whole time instead of the attraction).

I am not saying it's 100% bad idea - but I worry about the bean counters getting in there and doing "what's been done before" to speed up the project schedule and make things actually a little worse off than they were...

Big picture here people....

ToursbabeC3po
09-14-2005, 01:17 PM
I think this is a wonderful idea. I know the kids will love it they love the Lightyear ride becasue it is interactive in fact it is one of there favorites now. i hope it all works out and they make it so that everyone can afford it if the charge.

Clotho
09-14-2005, 01:25 PM
Ah, yes, but now they have to go about and design a process to ensure that they collect all of the PDAs at the end of the ride. If inside - it's dark and small - with lots of moving ramps. If outside - it will quickly lead to PDAs, or if used headphones, leaving the scene ..

So - if they decide to permanently attach the PDA to the doombuggy - what's the next probably step? "hey, why not just use the Buzz vehicles. Design is done and it's cheaper... so - there goes any kind of darkness perspective for your "casual" visitor who does not want to play..


Here I go assuming again, but I assumed the PDA would be for multiple things. So, like Pal Mickey, you pick one up at the park for a daily rental or you can buy one, then just click on the attraction/activity you want to do. You carry it around all day, drop it off at the end or buy it if you haven't already.

Guess it depends on what our image of "PDA" is, too.

olegc
09-14-2005, 02:44 PM
Here I go assuming again, but I assumed the PDA would be for multiple things. So, like Pal Mickey, you pick one up at the park for a daily rental or you can buy one, then just click on the attraction/activity you want to do. You carry it around all day, drop it off at the end or buy it if you haven't already.

Guess it depends on what our image of "PDA" is, too.

actually - that's a better idea - since it would be one unit to carry. Does anyone remember the "tour info" audio units they used to rent at the zoo? You'd get close enough to the information sign and it would trigger some audio.

Same here - rent it once, run the applications anywhere in the park (even limit activation to "zones"... it could happen