Dark Rides
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Dark rides go global! A
Game-based rides are good business for Lagotronics Projects
After supplying two major interactive dark ride
systems last year to China, Lagotronics Projects is now working on a record number of dark rides
around the world. From ambitious projects in the Middle East and Asia to upgrades of existing
attractions in Europe and an interesting new space- saving new dark ride concept, there's plenty going on
t the recently-opened Wanda City Mall in Nanchang (Jianxi Province), Lagotronics Projects teamed up with Simtec Systems to
deliver a new interactive dark ride based on the local legend of Chung Kuei the “Demon Queller”. Passengers/players are challenged to defeat little monsters and demons during various game-based scenes: in a house, a valley, flying through the sky, swimming under water and more. “Wanda wanted to offer their guests an interactive
experience with 3D projection screens and an unprecedented level of accuracy and quality,” notes Lagotronics Projects CEO, Mark Beumers. “They also requested that the technology was easy to maintain and very reliable.” Lagotronics Projects installed the complete interactive
system including shooters, on-board electronics and monitors, server racks and show control, as well as special effects including ice cold and warm breezes and surround sound. The ride comes complete with 10 trains of three
vehicles from Simtec, with four riders seated in each vehicle (2+2 back to back). Each player is provided with their own cannon shooter and a monitor, so they can keep track of their score during the ride. “This dark ride has been the first development by us
Lagotronics Projects CEO Mark Beumers
for such a type of attraction,” says Simtech Systems CEO Bernd Kaufmann, “but more are to follow, including different types of drive systems, passenger cabin movements and payloads. We have merged our long lasting experience in the area of motion systems with dark ride concepts to create a new exciting ride experience.” As a result of this and Lagotronics Projects' work last
GameCabIN is Lagotronics Projects’ interactive solution for very small area
year on the Journey to the West dark ride at Wanda Movie Park in Wuhan, the company picked up an order for a third attraction from the Chinese group, which this time it has supplied on a turn-key basis. Set to open soon in Hefei, Anhui Province, the storyline has yet to be revealed, but it will unfold over six scenes/screens. Guests will play using fixed canons mounted to the front of motion base ride vehicles from R&S Production Services (USA).
“We’re very proud to be a partner of Wanda for
interactive dark rides,” says Beumers. “As well as the three rides completed already, a contract for a fourth project has recently been signed, set to open in 2019.” Designed in response to a request from a customer
with limited space, Lagotronics Projects will soon unveil an interesting new dark ride concept elsewhere in China. The patent-pending GameChanger is a rotating ride platform that provides a potentially large capacity in a relatively small space. “Imagine getting into a vehicle on a platform that
rotates like a carousel, and after every turn you get to play an amazing new game,” explains Beumers. “As well as 3D video, physical targets, animatronics and special effects can also be integrated in the attraction. To make things more interesting you could rotate the players in a full circle between scenes, so they have no idea where they are heading next.” Beumers says that the experience is not actually that
different to that offered by a dark ride on a track. “On a typical interactive dark ride you have maybe 25 to 30 seconds' playing time in front of a screen and then about 10 to 15 seconds travelling time between scenes. What makes the GameChanger so game-changing is the amount of space it saves. I think it's a very interesting concept for those parks that are looking for a great new interactive experience in a relatively small area.” The first GameChanger will open this autumn at
Skyscraper City in the Fujian Province city of Shishi, featuring a 12m-diameter platform with seven groups of four-seats and six scenes/screens. As six groups of players are entertained inside the attraction, another group will board the platform in the loading area. Hourly capacity will be 320 people, but configurations of up to 1,000 are possible by using larger seating congratulations and a platform of up to 25m. Lagotronics Projects manufactured all the ride parts, interactive and audiovisual systems in the Netherlands, while theming has been completed locally. In Europe, two parks chose Lagotronics Projects to
refurbish existing dark rides for the 2016 season, including Tomb Blaster at Chessington World of Adventures near London and Discovery Club at Avonturenpark Hellendoorn in the Netherlands. At Chessington, Tomb Blaster ride has been a popular attraction since it was added in 2002, but its interactive system had become outdated and required a lot of maintenance. The replacement system installed by Lagotronics Projects comes complete with new shooters, targets and individual score displays for each player. According to the company it is much more reliable and durable than the system it replaces. Riders on the attraction travel through an ancient
Egyptian labyrinth armed with an infra--red gun to defeat frightening mummies and scarab beetles and rid
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The new ride at Wanda City Mall in Nanchang, featuring cars by Simtec
AUGUST 2016
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