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2024: General Discussion
- Thread starter Ollie
- Start date
Themeparksandy1981
Member
How long have park maps been back?
I’d say this week. When we visited last week there was no maps and I know they’ve not had any for a good month or so. With the picture being used on it, I’d say they are fresh in this week.
Pete999films
Member
There were maps at the Easter event
I looked on the Adobe stock page for the Haunting's one, and the content is marked as AI generated. The reason the images are not detected as AI is because the park have taken AI assets from these stock image sites and added more things onto them, causing them not to flag as AI, even though they (for the most part) are.The first one looks a lot like this -
Time travel. Jump into the time portal in hours. High quality illustration Stock Illustration
Download Time travel. Jump into the time portal in hours. High quality illustration Stock Illustration and explore similar illustrations at Adobe Stock.stock.adobe.com
Themeparksandy1981
Member
I been told the haunting could be re themed next year as with the ride been 30 years old in 2026 they talking about removing the whole of the frontage.
Trooper Looper
Member
I remember coming across a twitter post of someone pointing the AI signs out, and to my surprise, Drayton themselves did respond, but it's pretty obvious they were flat out lying.
The link to the tweet is below.
x.com
x.com
Trooper Looper
Member
Double post sorry, but I do worry about The Haunting. It's a ride that's so beloved by fans and general guests that a retheme would really have to blow things out the water, as Elise said on the Passholder day vlog. From what I've seen with the new Western theme, it seems to really be just covering everything with wood, Barrels is the best/worst example. Drunken Barrels was so well themed with hand painted banners, huge props, lovely Trompe Loeil art on the building, and some nice music.
Now it's all been covered in Wood and painted brown with practically no theming inside with a really short music loop now. I don't want the Haunting to get that treatment. Is it too much to ask for a Dark Ride from the 90s not be closed or rethemed? Hauntings facade is amazing quality and looks really authentic yet spooky with the Gothic look, I can't see a Wooden House facade beating that personally. The story is cool with the stylistic sudo Ghostbusters side and Sinister Gothic tone, great contrasts to one another. Tell me that a typical Ghost Cowboy theme can beat that with a straight face. It needs fixing and Restoring, not retheming personally, a restoration would probably be cheaper as well than a retheme. Haunting is perfect for those that aren't toddlers anymore or aren't thrillseekers yet for stuff like Maelstrom of The Wave.
Out of all the Space Leisure attractions at the Park, The Haunting is the last in its original name and form for the most part, and has become quite unique and historic yet still popular, endearing and Fun and has proved to stood the test of time, especially with the Original Preshow and Audio now finally being appreciated and preferred over the 2016 stuff ever since the Park brought it back.
I don't want another Duel/Tomb Blaster situation where the retheme is cheap and ruins the original ride and was only done for the sake of profits and those who rode the original ride can't bare to look at it. Similar to Impeareal Leather Bubbleworks when the original Professor Burp theme was replaced.
Dan Posted something similar on The Hauntings thread which I advise giving a read and does a better job explained his thoughts than I do.
We've already Lost Pirates, I don't want to lose another Drayton Classic.
Sorry for the long post. This probably belongs on The Hauntings Thread.
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Themeparksandy1981
Member
They really stepping up with the entertainment for the summer event
www.draytonmanor.co.uk
Events | Summer
Join us with the entire family at Drayton Manor Resort for a day of fun in the Summer holidays.
Thomas
Member
Really nice line up for this year and definitely be checking it outThey really stepping up with the entertainment for the summer event
Events | Summer
Join us with the entire family at Drayton Manor Resort for a day of fun in the Summer holidays.
Event Thread for Summer Fun Fest is now live 
- https://www.draytontalk.co.uk/threads/489/#post-14634
(Not that they would be involved in this event)
- https://www.draytontalk.co.uk/threads/489/#post-14634Nice little event to celebrate the Euro's - not a football person personally but I now imagine rory kicking a giant ball around
(Not that they would be involved in this event)I'm sorry but the ride is a mess right now. It needs a decent overhaul. It's so bad. The audio within the ride sounds like extremely low bit rate, ripped from YouTube or whatever quality sound. Something needs doing with it, its a complete shadow of it's former self and it is more comedy than scary right now due to how bad it is.
Every aspect of the ride is bad. The Libary is the best part, but even that is a shadow of what it was pre 2004. It was so good,they have even cut and pasted some of the original audio into the current Libary show, and done a poor job may I add. Sounds like a first year sound engineer or hobbyist was let loose to do it, and it shows, not positively.
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I couldn’t disagree with you more. What an unhelpfully negative statement to make.
Personally, I think The Haunting is looking the best it has for a long while, and from my visits this year the increased footfall proves it’s a popular attraction with Drayton’s customer base. Let alone the immense praise The Haunting: Reclaimed received over Halloween on Social Media.
The Haunting is 28 years old, for a dark ride of that age I think it’s weathered pretty well… Of course there are some effects that aren’t functional, but the park seem to have made a considerable effort over the past few years to improve the ride experience and bring back effects that had been absent for years.
I seriously doubt the audio is poor quality or ripped from YouTube, however if you can find a YouTube video with the original audio on, I’d be all ears! Perhaps the poorer quality audio in some areas is due to the age of the speakers and amplifiers? I imagine replacing such systems can be costly, and I can’t imagine is an easy task for a ride like The Haunting.
In my opinion, the version of The Haunting we have now is the best of both worlds. We’ve seen some long-missing effects return, there is a comprehensive story, Dr Ghostman (something I’ve seen many riders laugh at) is removed, and they’ve kept the modern projections. It’s a brilliant fusion of old and new, something for people to reminisce on without losing the charm of the ride itself. I’d rather that than lose the immersive theming, and see it boarded in wood like every other investment at Drayton?
Rather than ridicule every part of the ride, why don’t we try to remember there’s a team of people behind these rides that work hard to maintain them to the best of their ability and within budget constraints. I’m sure they’d feel really hurt if they were to read your negative comments.
Drayton’s audience isn’t just enthusiasts that have visited the park for 40-odd years. Drayton also isn’t Disney, it’s a family theme park in Tamworth. I’d be interested how many of that audience vote with their feet when visiting the park…
I mean the show itself is so disjointed and jaring which completly brings you out of the immersion. It always has been. The first scene is really poorly designed and executed and quite like a damp squib. Everyone stands there in anticipation for a something major for a pretty unscary and minor prop to swing above.
The rotating room is the worse. The music is good but the show is really badly designed and executed. It used to be ok as the original, even since it's been really bad. Almost every single time I've rode that in the last 20 years, there have been a good number of people laughing at how bad the effects and how jaring and start stop the overall show is.
To he honest and with the greatest respect I'm quite shocked how you've tried to shoot me down as if I can't criticise things I don't like. That's quite a dangerous precedent to set.
People are allowed to not like things and they are allowed to say that. I am entitled to my option and I shouldn't suppress it. But anyone with an ounce of common sense will see me critiquing the ride is not critising an individual's effort that they have put in. I am allowed to dislike things and I am allowed to say so.
By the way, I said it sounds like ripped quality I didn't say it was from YouTube, but sounded like a low bit rate. I've maintained the audio system in that ride for many years. I know what it should sound like and it sounds pretty bad now.
The ride is better this year yes. But it's still really bad. This all started back I'm 2004. It needs some big changes. Parts are good, like the Libary, other parts not so good.
The rotating room is the worse. The music is good but the show is really badly designed and executed. It used to be ok as the original, even since it's been really bad. Almost every single time I've rode that in the last 20 years, there have been a good number of people laughing at how bad the effects and how jaring and start stop the overall show is.
To he honest and with the greatest respect I'm quite shocked how you've tried to shoot me down as if I can't criticise things I don't like. That's quite a dangerous precedent to set.
People are allowed to not like things and they are allowed to say that. I am entitled to my option and I shouldn't suppress it. But anyone with an ounce of common sense will see me critiquing the ride is not critising an individual's effort that they have put in. I am allowed to dislike things and I am allowed to say so.
By the way, I said it sounds like ripped quality I didn't say it was from YouTube, but sounded like a low bit rate. I've maintained the audio system in that ride for many years. I know what it should sound like and it sounds pretty bad now.
The ride is better this year yes. But it's still really bad. This all started back I'm 2004. It needs some big changes. Parts are good, like the Libary, other parts not so good.
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I really enjoy it personally, but I don't have the original version to compare to (because I was too small / not alive then)
It's a fun little experience with some good themed rooms.
Watch this space, I reckon it'll get attention in the next year or two - but enjoy it as it is whilst you can.. personally I think changes will be on the cards for it and the haunting as we know it will probably cease to exist.
(Reminder, There is a Haunting topic thread or you are welcome to take a conversation to the direct messages too )
It's a fun little experience with some good themed rooms.
Watch this space, I reckon it'll get attention in the next year or two - but enjoy it as it is whilst you can.. personally I think changes will be on the cards for it and the haunting as we know it will probably cease to exist.
(Reminder, There is a Haunting topic thread or you are welcome to take a conversation to the direct messages too
)