Dark Universe - Reviews, Photos & Media

[Brian G.]

This thread contains spoilers for the Dark Universe, including attractions, food, and more.

Please keep general discussion to a minimum.

WARNING: There will be Spoilers!

 

[MaxRebo]

Dark universe was my favorite land of the day, and has an amazing atmosphere, I’m certain this will be the fan favorite of the park.

Spoiler: Character Spoilers

The only characters I saw throughout the day in the land were The invisible man in his Wrapped up attire, Ygor, and 2 seperate Violinists.

 

[GAcoaster]

So far the only negative I've heard about Epic is that Darkmoor is too small.

 

[Jones14]

So far the only negative I've heard about Epic is that Darkmoor is too small.

It’s the smallest land, but I wouldn’t say it’s too small. It feels Diagon-sized at the very least, but the other lands have massive footprints by comparison. Also, the small footprint makes the entertainment pop, it takes ten seconds to see Igor, then the violinist, then the Invisible Man, etc back to back to back and it makes the land feel incredibly alive.

Sightlines were my biggest problem with it, it’s very close to the hotel and you can see it from pretty much the whole coaster side of the area.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

Any word on Curse of the Werewolf? How that has been received?
I'm thinking about the AA in the mid-ride scene. Is that static or does that have movement? I.E. are we looking at a Disco-Yeti situation or not? lol

 

[Disneyhead]

Any word on Curse of the Werewolf? How that has been received?
I'm thinking about the AA in the mid-ride scene. Is that static or does that have movement? I.E. are we looking at a Disco-Yeti situation or not? lol

It is a very expensive and powerful AA. So strong and powerful if they turn it on it will tear the building apart. It will be in B mode until they figure out a solution. But they have invested in some high quality strobe lights.

 

[Mad Dog]

It is a very expensive and powerful AA. So strong and powerful if they turn it on it will tear the building apart. It will be in B mode until they figure out a solution. But they have invested in some high quality strobe lights.

But can it do a top hat and cane dance routine with a Gene Wilder AA? That's the Standard.

 

[Ryuniversal]

Any word on Curse of the Werewolf? How that has been received?
I'm thinking about the AA in the mid-ride scene. Is that static or does that have movement? I.E. are we looking at a Disco-Yeti situation or not? lol

I the coaster right I thought they where using the Aa for the indoor ride and just doing a projecting screen for the coaster no?

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

I the coaster right I thought they where using the Aa for the indoor ride and just doing a projecting screen for the coaster no?

There is a mid-ride indoor sequence for Curse of the Werewolf where they pass through a busted looking barn:

In the concept art it shows a werewolf lunging at the people below on the ride - so i thought they'd have an AA here:

This is what I'm asking about.

 

[LP159]

.

 

[Lucky Planet]

It is a very expensive and powerful AA. So strong and powerful if they turn it on it will tear the building apart. It will be in B mode until they figure out a solution. But they have invested in some high quality strobe lights.

disco werewolf

It’s the smallest land, but I wouldn’t say it’s too small. It feels Diagon-sized at the very least, but the other lands have massive footprints by comparison. Also, the small footprint makes the entertainment pop, it takes ten seconds to see Igor, then the violinist, then the Invisible Man, etc back to back to back and it makes the land feel incredibly alive.

Sightlines were my biggest problem with it, it’s very close to the hotel and you can see it from pretty much the whole coaster side of the area.

so it will have the smallest land of the bunch, but then have the best ride of the park? I guess that the queue for the ride will make up for it

 

[Brian G.]

Please keep general discussion to a minimum.

Ahem.

 

[ParadoxPortals]

Oh yeah he’s static at the moment, not sure if he’s supposed to be moving. Ride is super fun though, ended up being one of my favorites of the day

We've known for awhile that the two figures (one per end of the barn so everyone can see it no matter which direction they're seated) will indeed be static (as per Alicia Stella and I think someone else from a TM preview on this forum?). I've also seen posted here that there will be a static Maleva at the end of the ride (seems to be the one inside the tent the ride vehicle is flying past from a piece of concept art). Shame she doesn't move, hope there's a moving figure of her in the queue to explain the story of us getting "the mark of the werewolves".

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

We've known for awhile that the two figures (one per end of the barn so everyone can see it no matter which direction they're seated) will indeed be static (as per Alicia Stella and I think someone else from a TM preview on this forum?). I've also seen posted here that there will be a static Maleva at the end of the ride (seems to be the one inside the tent the ride vehicle is flying past from a piece of concept art). Shame she doesn't move, hope there's a moving figure of her in the queue to explain the story of us getting "the mark of the werewolves".

No offense, sincerely, but I think everything we've heard prior to this week was heavily rumored and generally assumed but NOT confirmed.
People were asking about it back in August, with a lot of people expecting static but some people hoping for limited movement or full AA, but to say "we've known for a while" seems a leap to me as no one has literally seen them until this week.
I don't try to ask stupid questions i already know the answers to, you know what i mean? lol
We're also hearing that AAs on other attractions like Unchained and Ministry aren't working or moving and are appearing static when they're not supposed to be; Which is why Unchained is operating and Ministry isn't, MOST of Unchained is working whereas MOST of Ministry isn't.

 

[Clive]

Yeah, I was not clear that the wolf figures in the barn are static, which is a disappointment. I had previously speculated/hoped for limited motion.

 

[ParadoxPortals]

No offense, sincerely, but I think everything we've heard prior to this week was heavily rumored and generally assumed but NOT confirmed.
People were asking about it back in August, with a lot of people expecting static but some people hoping for limited movement or full AA, but to say "we've known for a while" seems a leap to me as no one has literally seen them until this week.
I don't try to ask stupid questions i already know the answers to, you know what i mean? lol
We're also hearing that AAs on other attractions like Unchained and Ministry aren't working or moving and are appearing static when they're not supposed to be; Which is why Unchained is operating and Ministry isn't, MOST of Unchained is working whereas MOST of Ministry isn't.

True, I only speak so definitively because Alicia has always been a trusted insider source who has a pretty much 100% hit rate on the information she decides to include in her YouTube content. I was also adding in a dab of assumption honestly because it makes sense for the figures to be static, seeing as you fly past them in the barn so quickly and they're at an odd angle to the ride vehicle; adding motion to something you glimpse so briefly seems unnecessary and there's precedent in the industry to do this to save on AA costs (Velocicoaster).

I'm still strongly confident that Alicia's information I'm distributing will prove to be true, I wouldn't share information unless I was truly confident about it, but of course only time will tell.

 

[DrStarlander]

What I think would be fun to design for a situation like this is a static sculpted figure such as the werewolf in this coaster but then use Newtonian physics to create motion that is enough for when you fly by. Think of how a bobblehead doll works to create a lot of motion without actuation, or a Calder mobile.

Basically you put the figure in balance with a counterweight, with a ball and socket joint for a defined range of motion. Then you aim three fans on it that are turned up and down in a random pattern introducing enough variable force onto the balanced figure to cause it to "lunge" around (and to cause the long hair on the werewolf to flow dramatically).

Enough movement to make it feel alive for a coaster sighting moment, but no real mechanisms or parts except a greased ball joint.

EDIT: I wanted to add a few images to better explain the principles. If you're familiar with the classic balancing bird desk toy, you know how something substantial can be in a stable balance with counterweight such that the most minor forces on it will cause it to move (hold the bird on your finger and blow on it). This woman created a scaled up version showing how the physics principles scale up. Essentially, the point is that a foam werewolf could be built (and covered in latex skin and hair and costume) that is in balance so air (such as fans that dry your car in a car wash) could be throttled up and down to constantly move it.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

One person I know who’s ridden Monsters compares it to Spider-Man and Hagrid’s in the sense of the cinematic euphoria that the ride gives you. Basically he was fist pumping the entire 2nd half of the ride. Some AAs didn’t work but he got the gist. Thinks it’s perfect.

 

[GAcoaster]

Yeah, my friend who did the preview this week can't stop raving about how good it was and how impressive.

 

[Brian G.]

Just a reminder:

4. A good rule of thumb to use is "If it's a spoiler, post it here". Second-hand Reviews should be posted in the general thread (i.e., I heard from a TM, etc.). Links to spoiler reviews, however, can be shared here.