Curse of DarKastle

[CastleOSullivan]

I mentioned it to Carl Lum, and then when he said that they "tamed it down" I mentioned how they made Europe in the Air go from super smooth to very rough. It's very hard to read his reactions, because he'll either say "Yeah, DarKastle is a good ride." or "I'll keep that in mind." With some guests he can be rather dismissive, so I don't know if that actually meant anything.

 

[horsesboy]

Personally, I like DarKastle the way it is now. I am one of those who don't prefer fast quick motion rides. I think DarKastle, currently fills the gap for those who are too old to ride the kiddie rides, but are too nervous/scared for a lack of a better word to ride other rides.

DarKastle kind of introduces that slight quick and somewhat jerky but smooth motion to those easy riders and really the park is bent on either having children's rides or thrill rides. There should be something in between. Le Mans was a perfect fit for this group of people. DarKastle, I would say is probably still more intense than what Le Mans was, but it's not a thrilling as many other rides which is a big plus for easy riders.

I am kind of in the middle here I like to see it spoofed up a little more but not made overly extreme.

 

[Ziva]

I just want to see it restored to proper working order. :-[ Those poor broken screens and dirty projectors and mistimed scenes... A question, though: how much of the toning down has been due to "whoops, put a bandaid on it" versus conscious choice?

 

[bkroz]

I just want to see it restored to proper working order. :-[ Those poor broken screens and dirty projectors and mistimed scenes... A question, though: how much of the toning down has been due to "whoops, put a bandaid on it" versus conscious choice?

I think that would depend on what the real, actual reason is.

If folks were getting sick and dizzy and throwing up (which seems a little exaggerated since Spider-Man and Transformers are far more aggressive than DarKastle was, even in the beginning) then the toning down would be a very conscious choice.

The other reasonable explanation would be that the ride system itself was becoming fatigued from the original, more aggressive programming. You have to admit, if this ten year old ride was soaking up more than its fair share of maintenance attention, that would certainly tell the park that something about it needed to change. That explanation does make more sense of the two given that DarKastle is no longer able to run during Christmastown for that alleged extra maintenance, but at the same time, Spider-Man and Transformers run 365 days a year with a much more elaborate program and don't have to be closed a quarter of the year to stay that way.

I would guess it's a mix of the two, added to the fact that the ride is just not a headliner and thus doesn't deserve the attention and care of either the shows or coasters.

Too bad, too. Again, the fact that Busch Gardens had access to this technology so early and remains one of the only parks in the world to have it should mean DarKastle is as attractive and advertisement-friendly as any ride in the park, maybe more. And the "trend" wasn't a one-off. For every ounce of praise Spider-Man had in 1999, Transformers matched it in 2013. The technology is still a headlining system, and can create INCREDIBLE rides. Instead, it's relegated to a "C-ticket" with "E-ticket" technology and potential.

I do wonder... Is DarKastle actually manufactured by the makers of Spider-Man? Or could it be that it was a "cheaper" version of the technology offered by competitors? If the latter is the case, then it makes sense - Busch would've been probably the only ones to purchase the ride type, so the manufacturer would make updates and maintenance scarce. If, in terms of hardware, it's identical to Spider-Man... woof... that's a problem.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

The toning down of the ride was not due to any problem with too much stress on the vehicles. Those vehicles are very durable, and can sustain much more aggressive movements than anything you have seen on the ride to date. This was supposedly just something done due to a comment made by someone in management. It always amazes me how the slightest thing any manager says can cause such drastic changes. Also, it seems like some of them disagree on how rough the ride should be. When Europe in the Air opened, it was very smooth, and almost enjoyable. Then, they sped up the film. They reprogramed the ride using a special analog stick, made to look like the simulator cabin itself. With DarKastle, a lot of the problems with the ride being out of sync, is due to the new programming.

For those who don't know, DarKastle is programmed using a joystick, very similar to what you might have used in an old video game. Parts of the ride maintained the same old programming, such as the beginning of the ride. After that portion of the ride, it goes into the new programming mode. The problem with the new programming mode, is that sometimes the vehicle moves way too slow, which means you will see screens resetting themselves and other various issues. Currently, when the ride goes into the fireplace, the vehicles go through what are called "sound/media gates" that synchronize the sound with the position of the ride vehicle. They slowed down the vehicle so much at the start of the fireplace, that now the music completely cuts off halfway through. Sometimes you also see the blackout curtain, which is there to prevent you from seeing the screen for the "towers scene".

It is a real mess, and if the park still has backups of the old programming, they could change it back to the 2006 programming almost immediately. However, I don't know if they have backups for this ride. It is a bit different from Corkscrew Hill, which used, I believe four hard drives that all together equaled 16 GB. DarKastle used fast Wi-Fi servers to upload it to the main "ride control center".

 

[Party Rocker]

Curse of DarKastle was made by the same company that also did SeaWorld's Antarctica, Transformers: the Ride, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. 

The company being, Oceaneering International. According to their website they primarily focus on deep sea equipment, but some of their technology does carry over to dark rides.

EDIT: I did pick that information up from Wikipedia. I've seen Intamin named as the manufacturer, so I am going to say Oceaneering did most of the technical work and created the technology. Nassal did all the theming of the ride to include props, sets, facades, icons, sculptures, and anything else themed. Nassal also worked on Antarctica and Spider-Man.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

Oceaneering did not work on Spider-Man. Nassal did, however work on it. Curse of DarKastle was the first ride manufactured by Oceaneering. Busch Gardens basically brought them into the amusement/themepark business, similarly to how Questor was made.

 

[Party Rocker]

Like I said, I got a chunk of info from Wikipedia, take that for what it's worth.

 

[halfabee]

Oceaneering did not work on Spider-Man. Nassal did, however work on it. Curse of DarKastle was the first ride manufactured by Oceaneering. Busch Gardens basically brought them into the amusement/themepark business, similarly to how Questor was made.

Oceaneering absolutely did work on Spider-Man!  They manufactured the ride vehicles, which are among the most technically complex aspects of that entire attraction.

In terms of being in the theme park business, they have done a lot of robotics design and fabrication work on Jaws, Jurassic Park, and other rides, long before Darkastle.  Oceaneering has been in the entertainment space for a while now.

The pneumatic (air bag) actuated ride vehicles on DarKastle were envisioned as a much lower cost alternative to the incredibly expensive Spider-Man style vehicles.  So far it seems that the idea never really caught on with other parks...

 

[CastleOSullivan]

You're correct. I stand corrected. I redid my research on the ride, and Oceaneering did at least manufacture the hydraulics of the base. To be honest, it has been a long time since I last did any research on this ride, so thank you for the clarification.
There is still one thing I am not sure about. I think I heard something about the hydraulics and the rest of the ride body being made by different manufacturers, but I'm not sure at this point. Anyway, it does go to show that Curse of DarKastle has brought the amusement park industry a long way, through innovative newer technology based on its predecessor(s).

With all of that being said, I know much more about DarKastle than any Universal brand ride, and I don't think BGW realizes what kind of "Goldmine" they are sitting on with that ride. When the ride opened, it proved that it was way more technologically advanced, and the idea behind the ride was that they could show how they can make improvements to the ride system. All they did was change a few things around in 2006. I think it's high time they realize that this ride has the potential to knock many other dark rides out of the ball park. Very similarly to what they said with the refurbishment of Spiderman, DarKastle came out in the early stages of its technology, and it never really got to shine quite like they wanted it to. I really hope they at least bring something fresh to the table in 2015. That year will be the rides' 10th anniversary.

 

[MrLaptop]

I like what you said. I'll send a letter to Larry Giles.

 

[Youhow2]

Why darkastle will never be as great as spiderman or transformers: lack of interaction with 3d physical sets.

Thats what sets them apart, and thats where dk fails miserably. they need to redesign the interior to enhance the experience. I dont think they'd do so cause of the cost...

Ride system is great but whats the point? Dk is like "screens:the ride" it might as well have been a 3d simulator.

 

[Zachary]

Ride system is great but whats the point? Dk is like "screens:the ride" it might as well have been a 3d simulator.

Sadly, this. I've always wondered why the park spent so much money for a system that they essentially use as a generic motion sim. It's a great ride system and DarKastle was a neat and unique ride for a regional park back when it opened, but, because of it's fairly lackluster and almost gimmicky nature, it simply doesn't have staying power in the industry. In fact, to be completely honest here, I personally feel like Sally darkrides are often more interesting (and far more reridable) than DarKastle.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

While I agree that DarKastle is lacking interaction with physical scenery, that is a big part of what the ride originally did/is supposed to do. Every time they reprogram the ride, or even if a car gets taken off of the track the computer has to re-sync everything. This causes the blending between the 3-D screens and the real-life objects much less convincing. The intention was to have flawless blending between the two.


Interestingly enough, all of the indoor scenery was actually fabricated at the park mostly by their own prop department. They 
just had some outside help from Nassal. Some of the original scenes
 that were replaced look much less realistic than the current ones, but that made it blend in with reality more, ironically. They need to 
learn both from the good things they do, and from their mistakes as well. That way, scenery has very little to do with it.

 

[wombat96]

I walked through DarKastle back in August and don't say there isn't good props. In my opinion the problem with the ride is they don't pause at the physical props. The ride has great potential for an AMAZING revamp but, the park sadly just can't figure out how to find the greatness.

 

[Youhow2]

I think you are misunderstanding what I'm saying. DK Does indeed lack physical props. I'm not saying there isn't any. But it doesn't have much of a blend between physical sets and screens like Spiderman or Transformers... And It really doesn't blend onscreen action with kinetic sets or props throughout the ride. On spiderman you feel like you are weaving in and out of warehouses and alleyways... Darkastle feels like you are in a warehouse with some screens and castle looking props.

To find "the greatness" The park would have to go in and re-analyze all the sight lines and figure out how to build full, live sets around the ride and screens, with plenty of detail.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

That is exactly what they need to do, YouHow. The intention of Curse of DarKastle is to make everything blend in seamlessly.
I do believe that they can do it, however a few more things need to be done first. Some of the set is done well enough to where it doesn't need anything (for example: the piano room, the courtyard at the beginning, the sideways castle scene,etc.).

One thing that is lacking, is scenery on the floors. I don't mean they have to go around and theme every single floor in the place, because you aren't supposed to see the floor anyway. Sometimes, however, the ride will tilt too far in the forward position and some of the floor might be revealed.
That is one of the most obvious ways to tell when you're looking at a screen. Plus, I think that perhaps they need to have a few more 
mechanical set pieces. The ones in the dining room work very well.

I bet most people have never even noticed the moving tapestries in the dining room. With that being said, I think that the dining room 
is currently the most effective scene in the entire ride, because it still has the 2006 programming, and everything is seamless, making it feel like your actually rising along with the table. I can't count how many people I know that actually thought they put you on an elevator mechanism at that point in the ride. That's how successful it is. Now if they could only make the rest of the ride like that. (Even if that means that they have to slightly mimic Universal Studios.)

I for one Will admit that I am not A very big fan of Universal Studios. I also do not think that Busch Gardens needs to try to be like them, but if they do something similar to them, and it works better they should not be afraid to try it themselves. Whenever I bring these issues up to people in management, it seems like they have a bit of a snob factor about this. Busch Gardens definitely takes pride in delivering unique rides that you can't get at just any park. All that being said, I think there is a time for them to be humble and realize that there is competition out there, and even though they may be the most beautiful themepark, that does not make them exempt from having bad attendance because they won't get their act together. In short, don't get too big for your britches, Busch Gardens, that is something you can leave too Disney,Universal, and the like. / End of rant. (For now.)

 

[pandorazboxx]

I haven't been on Spiderman in a while, but I think I remember stuff happening on the screen, like doc oc tries to shoot that light at you and then a light shines on you, or they fire something at you and fire comes out or a prop moves. DK had a few cool things: the fireplace (nerfed); the family portraits before the library (sometimes halfway lit up). They at least sometimes spray water on you and the trees in the beginning work half the time...

 

[wombat96]

I really think they should add some projections and stay longer in the physical scenes. I'll probably be posting a concept at some point.

 

[Carter16]

I think that it should be open for Christmas town