Tomb Raider the Ride at KI, no music now?

Well now that Cedar Fair has it the theming will only get worse until there is nothing left. Then they will turn it into a haunted house and leave glow-in-the-dark handprints all over the queue.

I rode it once at CC last week and IMO they should get rid of it what a piece of crap ride. The theming looks good but thats it. I am not a big fan of topspins so it did nothing for me

I know there have been various problems with the Top Spin itself (seats not working properly, positioning, etc.), but have there been many problems with the ride effects up until now? The only major change I can think of is that the goddess' eyes which originally moved left to right and back were replaced with simple non-moving lights. Have there been other on-ride theming changes?

It's pathetic... I'll break it down for you:

There's no longer any queue speels or recorded music playing in the outside queue.

I may be wrong, but I didn't take note of Laura's Jeep being in front of the cave entrance, can someone else confirm... is it still there?

The outside skull torches no longer burn.

The swirled lighting effect is no longer appearing on the gem as you enter the cave.

The themed music that played through the cave queue no longer plays.

The stringed "lamps" no longer flicker in the the cave queue.

The initial themed chamber is no longer a pre-show area. The door does not close, the pre-anti-chamber show does not happen, the flicker flame torches are no longer operating. The themed wait music does not play.

The anti chamber still shows the pre-ride movie, however the chamber does not go dark, the flicker flames no longer work and the fog no longer blows at you as your first enter it. The round door no longer closes. The experience is also ruined from ride ops giving a speel AFTER the movie is shown.

In the ride chamber itself: Water no longer drops from above nor is the atmosphere "chilled." The chamber is fully lit, and all themed elements can be seen. When I rode on Tuesday, the pre-ride drum beats were still working, but the soundtrack did not play at all during the ride.

Once the ride begins: The sparks no longer fall to the sides as the unit raises. The lights did not go out in the chamber when the ride began. The "headlights" no longer functioned on the front of the ride vehicle. The Shiva god's eyes no longer roam side to side, yet they did light up. The face did not change expressions when the "Shiva" was angered because the black lights are no longer in use. The flash (for on-ride photo) no longer occurs on the first flip over. The ice did not drop water, and many of the crystals did not illuminate. The lava pit bubbled, but did not steam nor shoot water cannons. The entire chamber was lit as the carriage did it's infamous "top spin" after the lava scene. The Shiva's eyes did not re-illuminate as the ride slowed to stop. The steam did not blow at the riders at the finale where you usually heard Laura say "Absolutely."

At this point, the building serves no purpose. It existed only to "theme" the attraction. CF will not invest in the theming... so I say either rip the building down, or remove the attraction entirely. It's not what it was designed to be.

Shaggy

"And I didn't raise that kind of daughter". "Absolutely!"

*** Edited 6/25/2007 4:22:36 PM UTC by Shaggy***

What a damn shame. If I were Eidos, I'd find a way to yank the license today and let them do whatever they want.

I can see it now... a big sign in the Halloweekends font that says "Cave Top Spin."

I'd love to hear what P&D VP Rob Decker thinks of the whole thing.

Sounds very typical for CF. I've posted before (here and at PointBuzz) regarding CP's general position on theming: it's fine to build it into the ride, but don't spend any money keeping it up. At best, spend a little to rip it out once it becomes a complete eyesore.

And, as others have observed, as goes CP, so goes CF.

I suppose this "let it die" approach is fine for CP, which is barely themed anyway. But, it's not going to work very well in some of the Paramount attractions, where the theme is a major part of the experience.

Well, the deterioration of TR:TR's themeing began well before the CF buyout.

Many of the elements I listed above were not functioning in 2006 or 2005.

However point taken and noted, CF will not spend any more time and effort than necessary theming, or maintaining theming.

Actually that's fine by me. If sacrificing the upkeep of ride duds like TR and IJ means we may eventually get a B&M Hyper... then I say let them rot.

Shaggy

*** Edited 6/25/2007 5:58:03 PM UTC by Shaggy***

^Like I said earlier, Paramount always did *really solid* work on theming rides and attractions, initially. Upkeep was something they (PP) never really put any effort towards. Have to laugh to myself about how that same attitude seemed to indicate the level of care for their wooden coasters.

"Once the attraction has run its first year, then nobody pays attention to that stuff anyway"... ;)

I like Top Spins, even "plain jane" models. I like IJ, even if it's NOT the coaster that every enthusiast dreams about. I have to believe that those kinds of *details* mean more to the average park-goers than they do to us. "Letting them rot", that shows the patrons that you don't really CARE about your rides, your park, your guests...maybe not in a huge in-your-face kind of way. But I do have wonder what Walter E. Disney would have to say if that attitude was expressed in regards to upkeep of THEIR rides.

For once, I get to TOTALLY disagree with Shaggs...LOL! ;)

I'll clarify... ;-)

I loathe the placement of IJ... I have been very vocal about my distaste for the park after they placed that eyesore in the middle of the greenest and most beautiful part of the park. It's funny, because had it been placed, say, behind Racer or in the old KC spot, I'd have actually thought it a good addition. The ride itself is fine, but the placement soured me.

TR:TR... I have never cared that much for it's placement either, but enjoyed the over-the-top theming when it functioned. The "experience" far outweighed my distaste for it's location.

I still love KI, and definitely don't wish bad upon it. I want it to be the best it can be, and the rides to be oustanding.

But at this point, TR is just BAD. IJ is quickly headed that way. So the evil side of me thinks if they continue to fall into ruin and disrepair, the GP will avoid riding. Once rider quantities drop, the park will hopefully look at removing/replacing them with something better. Something with less theming and better ride quality and re-ridability, that far less embarassing.

Shaggy

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Jeff said:
What a damn shame. If I were Eidos, I'd find a way to yank the license today and let them do whatever they want.

I can see it now... a big sign in the Halloweekends font that says "Cave Top Spin."

I'd love to hear what P&D VP Rob Decker thinks of the whole thing.

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LOL. Cave Top Spin or Disaster Transport: Southern Edition.

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Shaggy said:I still love KI, and definitely don't wish bad upon it. I want it to be the best it can be, and the rides to be oustanding.

But at this point, TR is just BAD. IJ is quickly headed that way. So the evil side of me thinks if they continue to fall into ruin and disrepair, the GP will avoid riding. Once rider quantities drop, the park will hopefully look at removing/replacing them with something better. Something with less theming and better ride quality and re-ridability, that far less embarassing.

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I guess I see where you're going....if they (CF, now) adamantly REFUSE to keep up the theming, better to not have the attraction at all. Being the diehard optimist, I'm still hopeful that CF will see that the Paramount rides *built on theming* will get the kind of care to KEEP them fresh and exciting...

OK, so maybe I've crossed the line between "faint hope" and regular old "pipe dreams"... ;)

Could NOT agree more about the placement of those rides, though....totally wreaked havoc on what once was a beautifully laid-out, and tremendously-landscaped park...and my FIRST trip to PKI was in '99! ;)

Do I lose my enthusiast credentials if I suggest removing TR:TR and putting in plants, flowers, trees, park benches, and misting fans? OK, nevermind...

*** Edited 6/25/2007 8:08:45 PM UTC by rollergator***

We were on the parkside on Friday, and we waited until later utnil the line died down for TR, and this ride isn't waiting more than fifteen minutes for. The ride was so completely jerky and abrupt with its stops. I"m a flatride and Top Spin junkie (with a good program), and I found it to be absolutely terrible.

In fact, the only thing I liked about it were the new-to-me zippered pouches to put loose items in. In 02', they had clear plastic pouches with snaps (I think), but they were telling people not to use them. I believe the ride attendants were collecting all the loose items.

I was really bummed to read this. After the initial season, it seemed like they just left the "loading lights" on way too long, and the experience degraded from there. It's a shame too, since it was my favorite ride in the bloody park. The theming made it for me. I love the pre-ride drums. I wish I could get that track on CD.

Perhaps they can take the topspin out of the box and move it over to where sling shot is currently. It sort of fits in with the action zone rides. That area that TRTR vacates can then be utilized some other way, like perhaps the loading area for a much needed hyper coaster or ANY steel coaster for that matter.

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Shaggy said:
"I got no doubt this ride will be short lived."

Built in 2002. I don't think operating 5 seasons thus far classifies it as "short lived."

I rode last Tues. The ride is a joke now. Don't waste your time in line.

Shaggy

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As oposed to most rides lifetime of probably 20-50 years. I think it will be and thats what I meant. Just like SOB it's another Ride Paramount poured money into that should have never had to have been spent. They never learned their lesson unlike CF who would test a version before building THE BIGGEST ONE.

Chuck, Skylab, SOB, Bat, Im sure there are several other prototype failures throughout the chain.

^You don't think PKS learned their leason by TRTR by building a much smaller and outdoor TR:Firefall at PKD? I would think that that was the case.

On another note, FOF had all effects working cept the ship strobes when I visited HWN weekend. It was good to hear the loading and unloading spiels, The station dimming and brightening ect again. Except for the Bowl, One of the best themed non Universal/Disney attractions ever.

Chuck

A lifespan of five years doesn't qualify classifying a ride as "short-lived"? What is the definition of "short-lived"? I doubt that there is decent ROI on a ride of that size and scope if it only operates for half a decade.

It's still operating... so debating whether TR:TR *is* or *was* "short livED" is moot.

Shaggy *** Edited 6/26/2007 2:47:00 PM UTC by Shaggy***

I've never been on the ride. How complicated are all the special effects surrounding the actual ride? Would it make sense to relocate the ride to an open area in the future to save on costs associated with maintaining the building and special effects?