Universal's Epic Universe Construction Thread

[PerceptiveCoot]

And those same theme park nerds are saying it's nitpicky and too early...

Well they're saying it's too early, but in cases where the ride has opened, they're saying wait for the trees to grow and you're looking the wrong way, and 90% of people won't care

I'm sure a large portion of people don't care about any of this, but a large portion of people don't care about the quality of literally any entertainment product. I'm really not interested in orienting all criticism relative to that standard, especially within an enthusiast context.

 

[Brian G.]

Well they're saying it's too early, but in cases where the ride has opened, they're saying wait for the trees to grow and you're looking the wrong way, and 90% of people won't care.

Let me tell you buddy, I'm sure a large portion of people don't care about any of this, but a large portion of people don't care about the quality of literally any entertainment product. I'm really not interested in orienting all criticism relative to that standard, especially within an enthusiast context.

I don't appreciate that tone, buddy.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I don't appreciate that tone, buddy.

That did come off as snippy, and I apologize, suspend me if you must.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

And those same theme park nerds are saying it's nitpicky and too early...

I agree that it's early... but I just provided additional images from this year showing the drop showbuilding to still be highly visible, even 5 years after the ride debuted. Yes, we've had a hurricane impact the area... which is why I firmly believe why we can't just rely on trees to hide showbuildings. I can care how the backside from the parking lot looks like, but I prefer for the in-park views to be much better.

 

[Brian G.]

suspend me if you must.

I'm not a monster.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I'm not a monster.

This you?

What are you talking about? You're meant to literally view the HTTYD theater that way... since that's the entrance.

For Hagrid... that's the queue entrance... your're meant to overlook the entire Forbidden Forest area...

I'm not saying this specifically applies to Hagrid, I'm just saying, when it comes to matters of sightlines, the goalposts of the argument and the conditions under which an issue should be viewed tend to move within a spectrum that holds complete ignorance of glaring issues on the one hand to an unattainable standard on the other. I was just trying to express my frustration with the cyclical nature of the conversation, but it came off poorly.

 

[Brian G.]

This you?

My toddler.

I'm not saying this specifically applies to Hagrid, I'm just saying, when it comes to matters of sightlines, the goalposts of the argument tend to move until ultimately the ride ages and the conversation becomes less contentious.

I just want to remind all that at the start of all this was whether AK or EU would be better themed, and the difference might come down to the show buildings we may or may not see.

I also think "Letting trees grow" is not moving the goalposts because it's part of the design and intention - it just takes time, unfortunately.

Additionally, I do wanna say "This is a theme park nerd forum, we nitpick" isn't a fair defense - as it's understood we're all theme park nerds in here. It doesn't offer immunity just because the opinion differs.

 

[ReelJustice]

I'm not a monster.

We love our benevolent dictator

 

[sonoma15]

I think it'll be comparable to IOA, but I wouldn't compare Epic to DAK. DAK has no areas where it lacks in theming/attention to detail (lacks in ride, but what's there is top-notch quality). There are parts in IOA (and I hate saying Epic) that temporarily remove you from the immersion with visible showbuildings and BoH views.

Based on concept art/video, models and Bio's aerials... I think it's fair to critique some of the park's decisions when it comes to specific areas. I haven't critiqued the design choices of what's being built, but I think it's fair to judge the lack of theming on some of the showbuildings that will be seen quite easily like the HTTYD theater (which per Universal's concept art will have a forest mural painted on it), and the backside of the SNW-area just having a flat painted jungle instead of additional temple theming.

I hope I'm wrong, and want to be proven wrong. I want nothing but the best for the parks.

Sorry to rehash this conversation but its hard to say DAK has no areas where it lacks in theming/attention to detail compared to Epic when it has a theater with much less theming than the HTTYD theater has already (and it's still under construction):
and not to mention that whole dinoland thing.. the amount of money Universal has decided to pour into Epic is insane and I believe it will live up to the hype. Every theme park has bad sightlines in some areas, it's just something that will always pop out when you actively look for it.

 

[belloq87]

In my post a couple days ago that seemed to ultimately prompt this debate, I was clear that my two areas of concern bordered on being nitpicks, and that even with them being open questions, the park looks to be in the conversation for the best-themed in Orlando. And I often try to caveat with some variation of “We’ll see what the final product looks like when we're actually there.”

Additionally, I do wanna say "This is a theme park nerd forum, we nitpick" isn't a fair defense - as it's understood we're all theme park nerds in here. It doesn't offer immunity just because the opinion differs.

I don’t think it’s a question of looking for immunity, but perhaps hoping that these conversations wouldn’t turn as hostile as they sometimes seem* to. We all care and are passionate about the theme park medium, otherwise we wouldn't be here. There's no reason for any of us to get truly heated about any of this.

* Yes, tone is hard to read in text, etc.

Sorry to rehash this conversation but its hard to say DAK has no areas where it lacks in theming/attention to detail compared to Epic when it has a theater with much less theming than the HTTYD theater has already (and it's still under construction): View attachment 22240

We can pick out the worst area of any Orlando theme park and it will look pretty bad. I don’t think even people who absolutely love Animal Kingdom love this theater.

The only difference I would offer (and this is not a defense of this theater!) is that the theater is basically located in a thematic DMZ between Asia and Dinoland. The two buildings in question in Epic are in (what should be) thematically coherent and cohesive lands. And from the ground, hopefully they will be.

 

[Brian G.]

I don’t think it’s a question of looking for immunity, but perhaps hoping that these conversations wouldn’t turn as hostile as they sometimes seem* to. We all care and are passionate about the theme park medium, otherwise we wouldn't be here. There's no reason for any of us to get truly heated about any of this.

* Yes, tone is hard to read in text, etc.

Immunity may have been a poor choice of words. Ultimately, it's just a weak excuse was the larger point.

And no heat from me. Frustrating? At times - but never heated.

Honestly, your post was rational to me, You admitted it was a nitpick and it was still too early - and you were in a "wait and see" position. That makes sense to me.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Sorry to rehash this conversation but its hard to say DAK has no areas where it lacks in theming/attention to detail compared to Epic when it has a theater with much less theming than the HTTYD theater has already (and it's still under construction): View attachment 22240
and not to mention that whole dinoland thing.. the amount of money Universal has decided to pour into Epic is insane and I believe it will live up to the hype. Every theme park has bad sightlines in some areas, it's just something that will always pop out when you actively look for it.

The panels on the top rim of that building are pretty nice though.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Sorry to rehash this conversation but its hard to say DAK has no areas where it lacks in theming/attention to detail compared to Epic when it has a theater with much less theming than the HTTYD theater has already (and it's still under construction): View attachment 22240
and not to mention that whole dinoland thing.. the amount of money Universal has decided to pour into Epic is insane and I believe it will live up to the hype. Every theme park has bad sightlines in some areas, it's just something that will always pop out when you actively look for it.

To be fair, this theater is only visible in the nearby area as it's built into the ground itself (surrounding area is elevated), so this is the only portion of the theater you actually see. Pretty well hidden, and like what beloq said, it's in a weird area of DAK.

 

[Scott W.]

The problem with the painted buildings is always the sky as it changes so much, there's no perfect way to do it.

The HTTYD show building concerned me when I first saw the model years ago but it's no where near as bad as it was, plus I think they've added more trees and theming to the building.
I'd be more concerned about the HTTYD coaster being able to see outside the land, especially with Stardust right next to it but that's the price you pay for a thrilling coaster.

As for sight lines in general.

Potter won't be an issue as you're surrounded by 4-story buildings.

SNW is equally walled in. Slightly interesting to note how the Mario showbuilding is coated vs the HTTYD building.

Monsters will be mostly fine with some outside seeping in when on the coaster but it's a spinner, so who cares.

Celestial park will have some views of the Orlando Eye.



We're getting into the final stages of construction where all the small guest facing things are being added in. Even if the outside world is going to be slightly visible, what's directly in front of you is going to be so overwhelming, it doesn't matter.

 

[Disneyhead]

In an Epic Construction related post, I drove by today, and I think they removed a 2nd tower crane without any of us noticing. I think there is only one left.

 

[saint.piss]

 

[saint.piss]

Sorry to double post but wow!

 

[Tobias]

Sorry to double post but wow!

This might be the first time a garden gave me a jump scare, because where the heck did that come from?!
In all seriousness, looks great! Also, I'm digging the touches on the medallions being two sided on the Chronos. Best example is SNW with both a present-day Mario on one side, and a classic 8-Bit Mario on the other.

 

[Disneyhead]

This might be the first time a garden gave me a jump scare, because where the heck did that come from?!
In all seriousness, looks great! Also, I'm digging the touches on the medallions being two sided on the Chronos. Best example is SNW with both a present-day Mario on one side, and a classic 8-Bit Mario on the other.

It looks like there could be some spinning action involved with the Kronos.

Or not. Who knows? Awesome kinetics if true.

 

[Tobias]

It looks like there could be some spinning action involved with the Kronos.

Or not. Who knows? Awesome kinetics if true.

Looking closely, the Time Turner is currently tilted, and kind of looks like there's some motors attached to the main topper along with some wiring and such, so we could very well see this gyroscope in motion and fully agreed on that being awesome kinetics!