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Future changes to the shed?

SonofBaconator

By SonofBaconator,
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Shed  

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TombRaiderFTW KIC Superstar

TombRaiderFTW

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Honestly? I like the shed how it is. It adds something to an otherwise dull part of a ride experience. Unlike any other ride in the park (and maybe at any other Cedar Fair park?), it adds a conclusion to a ride's story. And based on the 2017 season (admittedly a small sample, but we've seen theming go downhill in much less than a whole season, like Boo Blasters's fog screen), it appears to be sustainable. To me, based on the park's attempts at themed rides since 1990, that's huge. From Adventure Express to Phantom Theater/Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle/Boo Blasters to Tomb Raider to The Italian Job Stunt Track, the park has proven again and again that heavy theming isn't sustainable and/or of high importance. Whether or not you agree with that focus, I think that one of the things we as enthusiasts can agree upon is that we like it when we can rely upon parks to provide consistent and good experiences, and I feel like Mystic's shed is proving itself to be that for the park.

You know what I think its only downfall is? The marketing approach. I think the park did a very exciting approach to marketing it, and I sincerely applaud it. The downside to the approach they took, though, is that it allowed imaginations to spiral beyond reason without any sort of guidance towards what it ended up containing. People's (and especially enthusiasts') ideas started with drop tracks, then backwards launches, then super-secret hidden track not shown on the renderings... It was a frenzy. Before it was over, I think a lot of people nearly had Cedar Point itself being uprooted and moved to that 25' by 100' shed in Rivertown. Real life never stood a chance compared to the imagination. And I have no idea how the park could have curbed the more fantastical rumors without dampening the excitement, so I can't exactly fault them for not saying anything, either.

Coincidentally, it's the same exact approach that Paramount took with Tomb Raider: The Ride back in 2001... But that was also a time before social media, when there really wasn't a gathering of people on the scope of Kings Island's Facebook page (or even today's KIC) to collectively ponder and get excited about possibilities. There were budding enthusiast sites like CoasterBuzz or rec.roller-coaster, but that's it. There really wasn't anywhere else for their speculation to travel beyond those places, besides word of mouth. If you look through archived forum threads from back in the day, people guessed ahead of time that it was going to be a roller coaster... And that's really all the speculation was. From what I've read, there was a little backlash when it finally opened, but nothing like the backlash the shed got. And I feel like the lack of large online communities working themselves into a frenzy had a lot to do with that. (I'm not hating on speculation by any means--it's part of what makes this place fun for me. It's just something I've noticed.)

Anyhoo, I'm on a tangent. I just think a unique number of factors led to a number of anticipointments, which is why I think so many people don't like it. For me, I like the shed as it is. I'll get off my soapbox now. :)

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Creed Bratton KIC Legend

Creed Bratton

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I can't agree more with @TombRaiderFTW. 

I mean I'm indifferent. I like the shed....but I could do without it. I know on the over 50 some rides this past year on it, I always found something new in the shed, whether it was there at the beginning or not. 

As far as them changing the screens for Halloween Haunt and WinterFest....is the cost of having the animations made up again by Holovis and programmed by IOE really worth it? Not to mention, both companies likely had other projects to do. It's not like they finished up on Mystic Timbers and were sitting around waiting for another project to pop up. 

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silver2005 KIC Immortal

silver2005

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I think the shed adds a little more charm to an otherwise boring part of the ride.  Especially nice if they ever have to stack.   

One thing I would suggest they do is to change up small things every once in a while, like the music selection from the radio.  

I don't mind things being a bit cheesy at amusement parks.  To me, that's part of the appeal.  Case and point- Adventure Express' ending. 

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Hmrapp KIC Local

Hmrapp

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@Outdoor Man... You could be sweltering on a brake run in the 90 degree, summer, Mason heat. I understand the disappointment that many recieved. However, the shed adds character, theming, and excitement to an already fantastic coaster. I believe that if everyone’s pre-conceived ideas were obliterated, the shed would have been considered a plot deepening element.

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YOULLBEBACK KIC Junky

YOULLBEBACK

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Great post @TombRaiderFTW

The shed is fine.  The coaster is awesome.  I'm more curious to see if the dispatching will be as awesome on that ride as it was this year, as well as how the popularity holds up.
 

In a perfect world, I think we'd see a ton more theming all over KI...improved, updated, etc.  It doesn't cost a ton in most cases...all it takes is some time and manpower. 

I could imagine one of KI's biggest issues is manpower itself.  Where do you find the people to do the work when you have a constant schedule of offseason maintenance, building, cleaning, etc.  Then when the season starts they seemingly can't find enough help to man the most basic food stations, or so it seems.  Not a knock on the park, just an observation. 

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dtk1378 KIC Enthusiast

dtk1378

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I have no problem with the shed, like others said it was hyped up to be much more than it really was. I do think it would be neat to change the videos every now and then especially during special events like Haunt & Winterfest, but I do understand the point that there is costs associated with that.

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Shawn Meyer KIC Star Member

Shawn Meyer

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I have no problem with the shed except that maybe they could adjust the timing so the whole train of riders can see the animation. It would be cool if they waited until the animation was almost done and then dispatch the train into the station. Also you have the tree, the snake, and the bats. It would be cool to see another animal or creature pop in at the end. Maybe you could add a bunch of sheep making it seem like they're going to charge people. I know that sounds corney but to me it sounds interesting.

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SonofBaconator KIC Legend

SonofBaconator

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I think my biggest issue is that it fell short of expectations. I honestly never expected a drop track, a launch, or a secret track like other's did. I expected some type of animation like spinning saw blades, lumber mill sounds or at least an animatronic tree. Tv screens and a radio felt kinda weak for me.

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King Ding Dong KIC Legend

King Ding Dong

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5 minutes ago, Shawn Meyer said:

 Also you have the tree, the snake, and the bats. It would be cool to see another animal or creature pop in at the end. Maybe you could add a bunch of sheep making it seem like they're going to charge people. I know that sounds corney but to me it sounds interesting.

Canadian Geese are extremely ferocious.  

 

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jdawg1998 KIC Superstar

jdawg1998

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Mystic Timbers is a wonderful coaster. One of my favorites. But the shed really puts a damper on things.

I just went to Dollywood this past week and rode what I consider one of the most underrated rides out there - Mystery Mine. Though the theming isn't spectacular and the ride isn't the most thrilling, the two work hand in hand and create an amazing experience. 

That just made me think of Kings Island and their attempts at theming. I get it, the shed adds a "unique" touch to an otherwise boring part of the ride. But nothing just...flows. Going back to Mystery Mine, the entire ride flows. I really don't know how to explain it well, it just does. The ending - with its stop at the top of the lift hill, and just 15 seconds of coaster afterwards, left me happy and excited to ride again. 

The shed on Mystic Timbers, in my honest opinion, ruins the experience for me. The train goes on that final brake run into the shed after a whirlwind of a ride, and I find myself smiling and clapping. Then...I sit there for 2 more minutes, and for some odd reason, see a giant snake attack me on a poorly CGI'd screen. Then it goes into the station. Wait...what?! It just doesn't make any sense. No flow. I don't come into the station clapping and smiling like I do on, say, Mystery Mine. I come into the station feeling like something else should happen.

I apologize for comparing two completely different rides, and if that doesn't bode well with anyone on here, let me know. I just truly believe the shed makes the ride worse somehow. I'd rather be sitting on a brake run in the sun. 

Edit: I'd also like to add that I could vent about Mystic Timbers all day. From the queue to the annoying spieling to the shed. But I will save that. I believe I have already posted my opinion in an earlier opinion thread from last year.

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IndyGuy4KI KIC Immortal

IndyGuy4KI

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11 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Canadian Geese are extremely ferocious.  

 

Especially if you are near their nest. 

I like the shed, a fun ending to an awesome ride. I personally enjoy the 80's music over the sceeens.

I do wish it would change for Winterfest and Haunt.

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SonofBaconator KIC Legend

SonofBaconator

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16 minutes ago, jdawg1998 said:

Mystic Timbers is a wonderful coaster. One of my favorites. But the shed really puts a damper on things.

I just went to Dollywood this past week and rode what I consider one of the most underrated rides out there - Mystery Mine. Though the theming isn't spectacular and the ride isn't the most thrilling, the two work hand in hand and create an amazing experience. 

The shed on Mystic Timbers, in my honest opinion, ruins the experience for me.

I agree 100% with the points you made. I loved the ride but felt like the shed was a poor finale. The ride and the theme are awesome, but the way they executed the actual theming could have been done a better in my opinion. 

On a more positive note, at least they've been adding on to the theming with props in the station and signs for Winterfest. Lets just hope that some more theming will be added in future seasons.

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purdude86 KIC Star Member

purdude86

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I don't think it needs to make any major changes, but I would like to see some seasonal overlays. Some stuff like zombies or other monsters and Halloween type music such as "Thriller" playing on the radio during Haunt. And then do the same for Christmas. Like have Krampus on the screen, maybe still have the tree but give it a wintery background and pssobily some garland or decorations hanging off it, then play Christmas music like Last Christmas on the radio.

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MDMC01 KIC Legend

MDMC01

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On 4/1/2018 at 10:27 PM, TombRaiderFTW said:

Honestly? I like the shed how it is. It adds something to an otherwise dull part of a ride experience. Unlike any other ride in the park (and maybe at any other Cedar Fair park?), it adds a conclusion to a ride's story. And based on the 2017 season (admittedly a small sample, but we've seen theming go downhill in much less than a whole season, like Boo Blasters's fog screen), it appears to be sustainable. To me, based on the park's attempts at themed rides since 1990, that's huge. From Adventure Express to Phantom Theater/Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle/Boo Blasters to Tomb Raider to The Italian Job Stunt Track, the park has proven again and again that heavy theming isn't sustainable and/or of high importance. Whether or not you agree with that focus, I think that one of the things we as enthusiasts can agree upon is that we like it when we can rely upon parks to provide consistent and good experiences, and I feel like Mystic's shed is proving itself to be that for the park.

You know what I think its only downfall is? The marketing approach. I think the park did a very exciting approach to marketing it, and I sincerely applaud it. The downside to the approach they took, though, is that it allowed imaginations to spiral beyond reason without any sort of guidance towards what it ended up containing. People's (and especially enthusiasts') ideas started with drop tracks, then backwards launches, then super-secret hidden track not shown on the renderings... It was a frenzy. Before it was over, I think a lot of people nearly had Cedar Point itself being uprooted and moved to that 25' by 100' shed in Rivertown. Real life never stood a chance compared to the imagination. And I have no idea how the park could have curbed the more fantastical rumors without dampening the excitement, so I can't exactly fault them for not saying anything, either.

Coincidentally, it's the same exact approach that Paramount took with Tomb Raider: The Ride back in 2001... But that was also a time before social media, when there really wasn't a gathering of people on the scope of Kings Island's Facebook page (or even today's KIC) to collectively ponder and get excited about possibilities. There were budding enthusiast sites like CoasterBuzz or rec.roller-coaster, but that's it. There really wasn't anywhere else for their speculation to travel beyond those places, besides word of mouth. If you look through archived forum threads from back in the day, people guessed ahead of time that it was going to be a roller coaster... And that's really all the speculation was. From what I've read, there was a little backlash when it finally opened, but nothing like the backlash the shed got. And I feel like the lack of large online communities working themselves into a frenzy had a lot to do with that. (I'm not hating on speculation by any means--it's part of what makes this place fun for me. It's just something I've noticed.)

Anyhoo, I'm on a tangent. I just think a unique number of factors led to a number of anticipointments, which is why I think so many people don't like it. For me, I like the shed as it is. I'll get off my soapbox now. :)

First off- AWESOME post TombRaiderFTW; I love how you compared the speculation for the shed with the speculation around Tomb Raider back in the day (I thought it was gonna be a coaster too, but somewhere along the line, I heard it wasn't, so I didn't know what was in there until I rode).

Also, I agree the shed was way overhyped in our minds, however, the shed has grown on me. I think if they stuck with the #rideintotheunknown hashtag/slogan (which I personally think is a better hashtag than #whatsintheshed) and just left the shed as is, people would have been blown away. But yeah, a lot of people(myself included)'s expectations were extremely built up. I remember waiting 2.5 hours for my first ride and thinking the ride was awesome, but then when it got to the shed, I was like that's it?  I mean, I get why they did what they did (the mysterious shed is a part of the ride...), but people's speculation was too high and then they got let down. 

That being said, I cannot wait to ride Mystic and Firehawk in 11 more days!!!!

EDIT: Also, I'm not sure what factors (the spread of social media, newer element options for dark ride sections- like Thirteen) exactly led to the shed overhype vs. Tomb Raider's significantly less hype. I'm also curious to find out...

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