TOC2 – Week 2 – The Job’s a Game
The video game industry is a $100 billion a year industry, earning roughly twice as much money per year as the film industry. But for some reason, the video game industry is having a rough time getting a real foothold in markets outside of strictly video games.
You have been chosen to put together a water park designed around video game IP.
You may not, however, use any video game IP that has been licensed to a park, or has had a movie made on it. Therefore, you may not use, Nintendo, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, Lego, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc, etc, etc. The IP that you use needs to have only ever been a video game…or series of video games. Off handed mentions of a video game in a movie don’t count, and for the purposes of this challenge, anything in Ready Play One that fits these guidelines is still fair game since the movie has not been released yet (filmed, yes, released, not yet). You may use multiple IP’s but only if they are from the same developer (not the same publisher, just the same developer). So, for some examples, the baseball game shown at the beginning of Princess Bride is fine to use (since it is only obliquely referenced). You could (if Batman wasn’t made into movies and TV shows) use the Rocksteady Studios’ games thereby giving you Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Knight, and Urban Chaos: Riot Response, but not Arkham Origins, because Origins was made by a different developer. I would say that the games used in Pixel should be okay, since the actual game stories were not really mentioned…although I haven’t seen the movie.
Feel free to make your park as big or as small as you would like, but it would need to be a full day water park with a full collection of rides. Your description will need to show us all of the rides with complete walkthroughs of any that have story elements, as well as any lands, shops, or restaurants that you choose to put in.
And just to make this a bit easier on you, we are going to define video game as any interactive software for amusement that is played on a gaming system of any kind including a computer and/or smart phone. The term “video game” can be very narrowly defined by some people to exclude anything that doesn’t include full video cut scenes (which would therefore mean that Pac-Man is not a video game, but Dragon’s Lair is a video game). We are going to be very loose with our definition here. If you have any questions here, please send a message out to the judges.
15% of your score will be the “fun” factor of your park.
The deadline for your submission is midnight website time on Saturday 6/3/2017.
Good Luck!
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At its peak: 245 Million players a month
In the mid-90s, a company called Argonaut Games pitched a concept to Nintendo for a 3D platform game based around the character of Yoshi. Unfortunately, Nintendo felt the game was not likely to be a success, so they ended up rejecting the concept. Not to be deterred, Argonaut modified much of the game, eventually releasing it as Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Known as one of the first three-dimensional platform games, Croc saw reasonable success and has spawned a sequel and several spin-off games. While forgotten among most casual gamers, the world of the game has been reborn as a family friendly tourist attraction.
Gobbo Island Waterpark
Gobbo Island takes its name from the race of the Gobbos, small furry creatures who serve as Croc's adopted family in the franchise. For the most part, the creatures live in blissful happiness, but one day Baron Dante and his army of Dantinis arrives to wreak havoc on their tribe. Therefore, the player of the game is tasked with rescuing the Gobbos and restoring their former way of life. While elements of this storyline are present at the park, Gobbo Island is largely atmospheric and embodies the locations, rather than the events, found within the games. It is a place the Gobbos have created to share their blissful happiness with tourists from far and wide.
Technical Details:
Gobbo Island is located south of the California Bay Area, approximately a 30 minute drive south of San Jose along US-101. While this location is a short distance outside of the Bay Area, Gobbo Island's use of a creative IP and family friendly theme increases its appeal and allows it to draw from a market shared by both Raging Waters San Jose and Waterworld California. At 35 acres, the park is also the largest waterpark in the Bay Area.
Admission to Gobbo Island is reasonable, with prices of $37 for adults and $28 for those under 48" tall (online purchases at least 3 days in advance pay the child's rate). For those who want multiple visits, season passes are available for $70 (less than the price of two regular tickets). In addition, all visitors receive free parking, free sunscreen, and free soft drinks.
Gobbo Island operates from late May to mid September (daily operation from Memorial day to Late August), with additional weekends added earlier in May or later in September if the weather warrants it. The park opens at 10 A.M. on all operating days, with closing times varying from 5 to 7 P.M. depending on the day.
Gobbo Island is split into five villages, each with a distinct appearance and unique attractions.
Sailor Village
Upon arrival at the park, visitors enter the Sailor Village. This section of the park resembles a tropical island, with palm trees, wooden rope bridges, and sandy or grassy terrain. Buildings in this section generally resemble wooden huts, and everything is surrounded by small rocky hills.
Upon entering, guests find restrooms (which are present in each area of the park), changing rooms, and lockers located to their left. To the right is Swap Meet Pete's, the park's primary retail outlet. Here, guests can purchase all waterpark essentials, as well as souvenirs branded with the park's logo (a golden Gobbo) or other elements from the franchise. Next to the shop is Cannon Boat Keith's Galleon Galley, a quick service restaurant located inside a shipwreck. Here, guests can purchase theme park favorites, as well as a few seafood offerings. At the end of the entryway, Croc, King Rufus, Baron Dante, and occasionally other characters from the games appear before a statue of Croc. Beyond this statue, guests find the two attractions in Sailor Village.
Soveena's Harbor: Named after the giant squid, Soveena's Harbor is the park's wave pool. A sand beach covered in lounge chairs lines the million gallon pool, which generates waves in a 5-4 pattern (five minutes on, four minutes off). Guests may swim in the waves, or may ride on a tube crafted from the remains of barrels or crates. All guests are welcome, but those under 48" must be accompanied by a supervising companion and wear a life jacket.
Clockwork Treehouse: Fun for all ages, the Clockwork Treehouse is a ProSlide RideHouse 400 featuring dozens of interactive elements and several kid-friendly slides. Everything here appears to be constructed from driftwood and debris, with gadget's reminiscent of Disney's Swiss Family Treehouse. With enough to keep most children occupied for an hour or more, this is a great place for parents to pull up a lounge chair and watch their children play. Thanks to there being no pool and therefore no risk of drowning, there is no height requirement for this attraction, but children must be at least 42" tall for the larger slides.
Beyond Sailor Village, guests reach Crystal Plaza, a circular area decorated by the five colored crystals (red, blue, green, yellow, and purple). From here, they can access any of the four other villages, which will be covered in clockwise fashion. While the Crystal Plaza is the only connection between Sailor Village and the rest of the park, the other villages are each connected to their neighbors to ensure smooth traffic flow.
Caveman Village
The smallest of the park's villages, Caveman Village is primarily designed for younger children. The area has a prehistoric look, with plenty of caves to explore, dinosaur bone shade structures, and heated water resembling a thermal spring. Dense foliage surrounds the grassy area and provides plenty of places for guests to throw down a towel and relax. This section of the park contains only a single attraction.
Goldrock Mountain Lava Ponds: Located behind the village proper, Goldrock Mine Lava Ponds is the waterpark equivalent to Tom Saywer's Island. Occupying three acres, the area consists of eight different activity pools in full view of parental spectators. Pools in this area range from 1-4 feet deep, with the lower depth pools specially reserved for children under 48" and their parents. Each pool offers different play elements, from water sprayers to small slides to water basketball and lily pad crossings. Connecting the pools are a series of small serpentine slides, all supplied by ProSlide (who is the core supplier for the entire waterpark).
Cossack Village
Themed to a snowy mountain, Cossack Village would not be anyone's first guess for a water recreation area. However, due to an unusual heat spell, the village has turned into the premier water slide destination.
Upon entering Cossack Village, guests will find several buildings resembling Viking dwellings. Among them is Lava Lamp Larry's, a small snack stand serving typical theme park treats and signature Gummi Savers. In addition, this area contains one of the park's soda stations, small huts that help with serving the park's unlimited soft drinks. In addition to Coca-Cola products, Gobbo Island has developed Ginger Soda, a unique non-alcoholic beverage similar to Ginger Ale, which is available at beverage locations around the park. Beyond this small village, guests see Mt. Chumly, home to seven of the park's waterslide attractions (note: All slides throughout the park are built by ProSlide, and all slides requiring an inflatable use a tube conveyor for guest convenience).
Ice Wheely: A CannonBowl slide, Ice Wheely takes guests for a dizzying spin. After boarding a one or two person tube, riders descend an enclosed chute into a frost-covered bowl. Riders complete several revolutions around the bowl before dropping down another chute to the splash pool. 48" height restriction.
Funnel of Chill: The most extreme attraction on Mt. Chumly, Funnel of Chill is a Tornado slide. Guests board a cloverleaf tube seating 2-4 riders, then head down a dark cavern twisting and turning through the mountain. The climax of the ride comes with a four story plunge into the 60 foot diameter funnel, where guests oscillate several times before sliding out the exit into the splash pool. 48" height restriction.
Ice Racers: A 6-lane ProRacer, Ice Racer allows guests to challenge each other to an aquatic drag race on melting ice. Riding head first on mats, guests descend over several dips down the front of Mt. Chumly. 42" height restriction.
Snow Surfers: A pair of Pipeline tube slides, guests ride a twisted course from the summit of Mt. Chumly to a splash pool at its base. This attraction shares a launch platform, splash pool, and tube conveyor with Ice Wheely. 42" height restriction, guests under 48" must wear a life jacket.
Roger Red Ant's Triple Threat: Roger the explosion loving ant is back with a vengeance, and this time he is offering guests three different challenges. An animatronic of Roger greets guests at the entrance to this attraction, then they pick which of the three challenges they wish to take. Riders must be 40" tall for Fuse Chase and 48" for the other two slides.
-Fuse Chase: A Mammoth raft ride seating up to 5 riders, Fuse Chase is a race against the clock. Guests race down the mountain on a serpentine course, attempting to reach the bottom in time to extinguish a burning fuse.
-KA-BOOM Wall: Two riders at a time board a Whirly Wheel tube and plunge down a three story drop and up a Tornado Wave, attempting to get high enough to trip a switch on the far side. If they don't reach it, everything will go KA-BOOM upon reaching the bottom, blasting riders with water cannons.
-Bomboarder: An enclosed Pipeline attraction that features slideboarding technology. While riding down the slide, guests must press buttons to clip colored wires in the proper sequence. In order to be successful, guests must defuse the bomb before the reach the bottom.
In addition to the slides, Cossack Village is also the main entry point serviced by the Gobbo River. This lazy river attraction serves as aquatic transportation around the park, surrounding all but the Sailor Village and allowing entry and exit at three locations. All guests are welcome to use the river, but guests under 48" must wear a life jacket. In addition, all guests must be on a tube, so those boarding at other locations must wait until one is available (empty tubes are collected and stored at the Cossack Village entry).
Inca Village
Inca Village is a bit on the smaller side, but it also serves as the visual weenie seen from the park's entrance. Surrounding a stone pyramid, Inca Village consists of a cluster of ancient Latin American buildings housing a soda station and the park's main restaurant: King Rufus's Kitchen. Featuring dishes from throughout the Americas, this restaurant offers both something for the adventurous and something for the timid. Built on the bank of the Gobbo River as it passes under a waterfall, this restaurant offers a great view for diners as they sit under the trees and watch guests drift past. Inside the pyramid, guests will find two of the park's attractions.
Inca Swirl: The bigger brother to Ice Wheely, Inca Swirl is a BehemothBowl. After boarding a cloverleaf tube seating four, guests head through an enclosed passage within the pyramid. Riders negotiate several twists and turns before tubes plunge down a chute into a gigantic bowl, which guests swirl around several times before dropping down a short chute to the pool below. 48" height restriction.
Secret Passage: A pair of enclosed serpentine Pipeline slides hidden within the pyramid. Guests ride a single tube through a deviously twisted tunnel full of surprise audio and visual effects. 48" height restriction.
Baron Dante's Castle
What is a good villain without a stronghold? Baron Dante's Castle looms in the back of the park, towering over everything but the Inca pyramid. This section of the park is surrounded by stone walls, and it is impossible to see the details of its interior without entering yourself (even the river exit is outside these walls). While the castle does contain a soda station, its primary draw is the seven extreme waterslides.
The Tower of Power: The main attraction inside the castle, the Tower of Power rises ten stories above the waterpark. From this tower, guests can get a great view of the park and its surroundings before picking one of four adventures for a thrilling descent (all attractions have a 48" height restriction).
-Dungeon of Defright: Two high-speed enclosed Pipeline tube slides twist down from the lower level of the tower. Riding on a single tube, guests are completely alone as they wind through over 500 ft. of twists, turns, and dips. Special projection effects enhance the experience, and hidden waterfalls drench riders when they least expect it.
-Tunnel of Terror: A pair of high speed enclosed TurboTwisters, these are a couple of the most intense body slides in the United States. Riders descend from the top of the tower through numerous twists, turns, and helices, all occurring in complete darkness.
-Dante's Freaky Donut: Guests begin this experience inside a Skybox launch capsule. After a countdown, the floor drops away and they plunge down an enclosed chute and through an inclined loop. The experience is over in a matter of seconds, but it is one most won't forget.
-Leap of Faith: Another slide that begins with a Skybox, this is a ten story Plummet at an 80 degree angle. It is 3 seconds of freefall from the top of the tower, but few can complete this attraction without uttering a scream.
Dantini Racers: The most innovative attraction at Gobbo Island, Dantini Racers is a pair of dueling RocketBlast water coasters. Unlike the HydroMagnetic rides, RocketBlast uses water jets to push rafts upwards. Guests wishing to race wait in an enclosed queue area, where an animatronic of Baron Dante explains the rules of the race. The queue then splits, allowing guests to choose either the red or blue team. Guests board a four rider inline raft, and after a rules briefing they are dispatched up a seven story conveyor lift. At the top, two rafts are lined up side by side, then riders race over 8 drops, 7 blaster sections, and several serpentine curves over a 1,000 ft course. The real challenge comes from the incorporation of slideboarding technology to determine the winner of the race...the more targets you hit along the way, the stronger the water blasts are. It is a thrilling experience and is one guests will want to ride again and again. 48" height restriction.
While not the largest or most impressive waterpark in the world, Gobbo Island succeeds at recreating the carefree blissful lifestyle of the Gobbos and taking guests along for the ride. It is designed to be enjoyed by all, with a few nods thrown in for fans of the Croc games. With over twenty water attractions, the park is sure to provide a full day of fun from all who decide to give the island a visit.
UNCHARTED: ALBION
Nathan Drake is back for another adventure and he needs YOU on his side! Based on the critically acclaimed series from Naughty Dog, Uncharted: Albion will transport guests to a mystical and forgotten realm which holds a wealth of secrets and treasures begging to be explored!
The Uncharted Franchise
Developed by Naughty Dog entertainment (responsible for such critically and commercially acclaimed hits such as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Dexter, and The Last of Us) the Uncharted series has become one of the most well-respected, recognizable, and commercially successfully video game franchises in recent history. With over 37 million units sold across four titles, the Uncharted series has established itself as the golden standard for single-player action-adventure titles. The Uncharted franchise follow the adventures and exploits of Nathan Drake, long-lost descendent of the infamous explorer, Sir Francis Drake, as he makes his way across the globe seeking treasure and answers to some of history’s most well-known mysteries. Featuring beautiful visuals, breathtaking locations and rife with intrigue, action, exploration, and mystery, the Uncharted franchise will now be realized as a state-of-the-art waterpark!
Park Stats:
Location: Uncharted: Albion will be located in Selma, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio. With the regional pull of neighboring Texas metropolises (San Antonio, Austin less than 100 miles away, Houston just over 100 miles, and Dallas a little over 200 miles away), and warm and hot climate which extends for six months of the year, Selma is an ideal location for Uncharted: Albion.
Size: The park will be situated on approximately 30 acres of land, with additional land purchased for expansion if demand and need arise.
Operating Months and Hours:Uncharted: Albion will open seasonally, from late April through late September. The park will be open in April, May and September from 10A,-6PM. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the park will be open from 9AM-8PM.
Parking, Admission, and Upsale Perks: The parking structure is a multi-leveled Parking Garage to reduce risks associated with the oppressive Texas heat as well as save space. Parking is $12/Day for Autos and Personal Vehicles, $20/Day for R.V.’s, buses, and other oversized vehicles. Single day park tickets will go for $44.99 USD ages 3+. Children 3 and under are free. Multi-day Tickets reduce the cost of each day by $3/day per ticket with a maximum multi-day ticket of 5 days (@ $30/day. Total of $150 for a 5-Day ticket). Season Passes are available for $200 excluding parking, though guests can add an unlimited parking option for an additional $40 per season pass. Initial season passes have blackout days for Memorial Day Weekend, July 3-5 (for 4th of July holiday) and Labor Day weekend. Apart from these dates, there are no blockout dates.
Guests have the option to purchase the “Any Means Necessary” upgrade for their pass—which allows guests to enter a special queue in vein of Fast Pass/Express lanes seen at other parks—for $30/ticket per day (cost is reduced by $2/ticket per day for multi-day ticket purchasers). This is upgrade cannot be attached to season passes and must be purchased by season passholders on each visit if they wish to utilize its perks.
Luxury Cabanas can be purchased. There are two varieties of cabana’s available. The first tier—officially titled Campsites--will run $50/per day and feature a covered cabana with chaise longues, padded chairs, and a private setting away from the rest of the park. These can accommodate parties of up to 8. The second option—officially titled Base Camps--are featured on raised platforms and are completely covered with amenities such as a HDTV with full channel selection (minus the ‘naughty’ channels, naturally), high powered fans with misters which can be toggled on or off, as well as full drink and food service. With the purchase of one of these cabanas, each party is entitled to ten free drinks and one free meal for up to five guests. These can accommodate 10-15 people and will run $150 per day.
Lastly, guests will have the opportunity to purchase access to the Council of Elders (detailed below) for $15 upcharge per ticket. Annual passholders can purchase this upgrade for an additional $100 per annual passholder.
Expansion Opportunities: Uncharted: Albion will be the first park in the new effort by Sony Entertainment to properly expand into the themed design industry. As the cornerstone of the venture, Uncharted: Albion hopes to springboard Sony into the industry based upon their line-up of top-notch first party titles such as Uncharted, The Last of Us, Infamous, Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Dexter, Ratchet and Clank, Bloodborne and many more—as well as their line-up of fantastic film franchises.
BACKSTORY, SETTING, AND AESTHETICS:
Nathan Drake, the notorious treasure hunter, has recently come out of retirement. Now a family man with a daughter, Nathan has sworn off of the rogue’s lifestyle. He has been spurred on by the urging of his peers as well as some of the worlds most world-renowned archeologists and institutions, due to the recent discovery of what is believed to be ancient Albion—the land of the ancient pagan Anglo-Saxons and what has become the mythical origin of the Isle of Britain.
Albion is a land stepped in mystery, intrigue, and mythology. It was commonly believed to be found by Brutus of Troy, true first King of Briton. Ancient sources detail Albion of a place of great mystery, and although it has now become synonymous with modern day Great Britain, its mythical origins tell a different tales. The Island of Albion is believed by some to have not been Britain but, in fact, a separate island off the coast of Britain. Shrouded in mist and ruled by Giants, ancient Albion was the birthplace of the British, Irish, and Scottish people. In ancient days it was ruled by the obscure and mystical Druids—of which little is still known to this day. Legends say that Albion is the true location of Avalon—the mythical location of Camelot and King Arthur—and with it, the location of all of its ancient and magical treasures such as Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and the Round Table. Who knows what other secrets lie waiting to be discovered?
Now, Nathan Drake has invited guests to help him excavate and search this mystical land in hopes of unlocking its secrets and sharing it with the world. But beware, as the legends tell of terrible beasts and monsters who inhabit the island. Roving giants, screeching banshees, malevolent druids, and devious treasure hunters may be lurking around every corner. Do you dare to discover this ancient land of myth and magic?
Uncharted Earth App
Uncharted: Albion will open alongside the launch of the new Augmented Reality application, Uncharted: Earth. Augmented Reality is a type of enhanced reality function available on smartphones, tablets, and other hardware devices which allows the use of a built-in camera to “augment” the reality which users see around them. The most popular and well known use of AR is Pokemon: Go. Uncharted: Earth is a new AR game where guests are tasked with discovering and unlocking the mysteries which the world has to offer. Using their smartphone or other mobile device, players are tasked with discovering the mysteries which surround them everyday. Utilizing the app, players are tasked with hunting down historical, mysterious, and sometimes magical items. Once discovered, it is logged into the app and players can reference their collection at any time. Once collected, players can inspect and learn from each collected item. Local and regional data is pulled from the internet through sources such as Wikipedia and Google to allow accurate historical information regarding the item and its place in the world. As an example, a player in Boston may be tasked with hunting down a tea barrel in the Boston Harbor, where the Boston Tea Party occurred. Once collected, the player would have the opportunity to inspect the barrel and read up on historical information regarding the Boston Tea Party.
Uncharted: Albion will utilize this app to unlock the mysteries which the park offers. Upon purchasing a ticket, guests are given a “Ley Crystal”—an RFID chip inserted into a wristband. They can utilize these crystals to explore and unlock many of the mysteries of the park. On the back of each crystal is a unique code. Guests will enter this code into the Uncharted: Earth app and all data collected during a day at Uncharted: Albion will be uploaded and loaded into the app. Guests must return their Ley Crystal upon their departure of the park—though guests will have the opportunity to purchase their own Ley Crystal for permanent use if they so choose.
GENERAL PARK AESTHETICS
The general park aesthetic takes cues from ancient and mythical Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. Its main color palette emphasizes lush green, dark grays, and mystical blue. The general setting is an ancient Druidic mountain, with ancient cairns and stone circles—as seen at Stonehenge—as the core driver of theme and setting.
PARK LAYOUT AND LAND BREAKDOWN
Uncharted: Albion features four major lands (detailed below). Guests enter the park from the south from the parking garage. Approaching the park proper, guests can see the rolling hills and ancient cairns which make Albion the magical place that it is. The ticket windows are built into these hills, carved into the ancient rockwork which resembles a cross between hobbit-holes and Celtic Cairns. It is here where guests can purchase tickets. Once guests have purchased tickets, they can pass through the ticket gates. Ticket Takers/Scanners are also equipped with Ley Crystals and it is here where they will be administered to guests. From the entrance, guests have the option to head to the left (west) into Nate’s base camp, or straight into the park.
If guests head into Nate’s Basecamp, they will be treated to a short introduction to the backstory and setting of Uncharted: Albion. In a secluded underground cairn, guests will be treated to a projection based show (similar to those found in Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts). Nathan Drake, alongside his wife Elena, their daughter Cassie, and his longtime friend and colleague, Victor “Sully” Sullivan, has recently come out of retirement, lured by the world’s leading archeologists, historians, and treasure hunters, to explore the newly uncovered realm of Albion. Albion, it is described, was the ancient name for the Isles of Great Britain. Historical tradition attributed the realm of Albion to the real Isles of Great Britain, but this new discovery has thrown all of that out the window and the Albion of Myth has become reality. This is the realm of the ancient Celtic Druids, and the fabled kingdom of King Arthur, and the Irish homeland of Cu Chulainn. Nathan explains that he is no longer a rogue treasure hunter, insisting instead to do things “the right way” and he needs the guests help to unlock the treasures and mysteries of Albion. Nate also explains how to use the Ley Crystals provided to guests, saying that they hold the power to unlocking Albions most ancient secrets, before demonstrating how to use them properly (guests must search for clues on their in-park map and then when they find a Ley Line Portal, really just fancy RFID scan locations, scan their Ley Crystal to register the finding). After the short introduction and tutorial, guests can then enter the park normally. These presentations occur every ten minutes, so guests will not have to wait long before heading to their adventure.
After guests have received their introduction to the park, they can then enter the park proper. Passing under a large cavern, guests proceed north, where the park is finally revealed to them.
Beinn Crionnacht
A Reference Rendering for Beinn Crionnacht. The look would be similar to this with more steep and sheered cliff faces (similar to a plateau) and with large Stonehenge-esque stones on top rather than the castle.
Once through the cavern, guests are treated to the first and largest land in the park—Beinn Crionnacht, the Mountain of Wisdom. It is a massive mountain made of imposing dark gray rock. Green Moss and various tress of all sorts (Wych Elm, Birch, and Oak primarily) dot its plateaued structure. At the top of Beinn Crionnacht is a druidic stone circle (think Stonehendge). Small rivers descend to form a series of waterfalls, the largest of which pours off of its shear sides and into the large wave pool below.
Attractions:
Loch Cinniuint: Loch Cinniuint functions as the parks largest and most open area for guests to set-up for the day. As the waterfalls of Beinn Crionnacht fall into the Loch, it churns with new life, as the ancient druidic forces causes waves to continually pound this lakeside paradise. This is the parks large wavepool, which extends 80 yards from east-to-west. Loch Cinniuint is unique for wave pools as the majority of the wave pool is situated inside a large cave under Beinn Crionnacht. The inside of the cave is lighted by mystical energy, emitting green and blue light and dotted by ancient Celtic statues and crosses of kings, warriors, druids, and poets from a lost time.
Nate’s Lift: While many guests will no doubt want to walk up the path to the top of Beinn Crionnacht—as it abounds with Ley Crystal opportunities to be discovered, Nate knows that saving energy is important. To this end, he’s crafted a makeshift chairlift which will take rides from the base of Beinn Crionnacht to the top.
Loch Seanoir: Located at the very top of Beinn Crionnacht, this relaxing infinity pool offers unprecedented views of the entirety of Uncharted: Albion, while providing for the many waterfalls and river falls which abound throughout Albion. The mystical druidic stone circle which surrounds it hums to life with ley crystal locations and energies causing some of the smaller surrounding pools to be warmed by its magical energy. Guests in these pools will find the standard large pool as well as relaxing and constantly heated spas and Jacuzzis while enjoying the views offered from such a high point.
Trean Dhearthair-The Mighty Brothers (48” height Requirement): Located on the left (west) side of Beinn Crionnacht, these three body slides—one enclosed, two open—wind their way through and around Beinn Crionnacht before ending their run in a large 60 degree speed slide finale into a splash down. Estimated Average slide length is 500 Ft.
Test of Faith (48” Height Requirement) Enter an ancient Burial Cairn and test your faith if you dare! Guests are challenged to test their faith in a trio of daring speed slides, each featuring a trap door drop. Situated side-by-side, these three slides function as the parks marquee ‘thrill’ attractions. Accessed by climbing to the top of Beinn Crionnacht or taking Nate’s Lift, these slides offer a thrill and kinetic energy to the park as riders dare slide down the front of Beinn Crionnacht from unbelievable heights at unbelievable speeds. The two outer slides function as traditional speed drop slides—with an open air drop of 100 feet at a 70 Degree angle where guests can reach speeds of up to 60 MPH. The third slide, situated in between the two outer slides, features an enclosed 120 foot drop down through three hills before a final plunge of 40 feet. The most thrilling part of these there slides is that they pass through Loch Cinniunt, in glass tubes, allowing both riders and guests in Loch Cinniunt exciting thrills and views.
Trean Deirfiur-The Mighty Sisters (40” Height Requirement): Located on the Right (east) side of Beinn Crionnacht, this trio of tube slides—all half enclosed, half open, with two single tube slides and one double tube slide-wind their way through and around Beinn Crionnacht before splashing down at the bottom. Estimated Average slide length is 650 Ft.
Avalonian River: Guests are invited to grab a tube, a couple noodles, or just themselves and relax as they drift along the Avalonian River in a Lazy River which traverses the park in a counter-clockwise manner. Along the way, they’ll travel through the belly of Beinn Crionnacht encountering some of the mountains mythical denizens such as Giants, Shape-Shifting druids, and Banshees. Guests are free to exist the River at certain points to explore and discover many Ley Crystal opportunities as well as explore the caves of Beinn Crionnacht, were shrewd and studtious guests will unlock many of the mountains many secrets.
Cairn of the Kings: Deep within Beinn Crionnacht lie the tombs and bones of the ancient kings of Albion. Curious adventurers must brave the various traps and magical wards of these ancient underground tombs and unlock their mysteries to help Nate and the mission of the Albion Expedition. This is an elaborate walk-through attraction, rife with obstacles such as rock walls, ziplines, caverns and caves all which lead to unique and tough-to-find Ley Crystal energy locations.
Dining:
Sully’s Tavern: Sully has set up his own watering hole at the base of Albion! Stop in for some hand-crafted martini’s, a wide-selection of fantastic craft beer, and a great range of wine, all while enjoying the common amenities of modern life such as live television.
Chole’s Café: Nate’s long-time friend, Chloe Frazer, has also come to help him out, and she’s bringing her culinary talents with her. This is one of the only full-service restaurants in the park and features a full menu of traditionally British, Irish, and Scottish dishes such as Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, Corned Beef Hash, and Clootie Dumplings. The menu also features some more traditional American cuisine for the less adventurous such as burgers, chicken sandwhiches, chicken tenders, and an array of salads.
Giant’s Gift: The Giants who inhabit Beinn Crionnacht love food, but their favorite are the frozen treats which the new guests call “ice cream”. A simply Ice-Cream stand offering all of the standard Ice-Cream staples such as Ice-Cream Sandwiches, frozen bananas, and strawberry-lemonade bars.
Druid’s Enclave: Located at the top of Beinn Crionnacht, this open-air restaurant offers gorgeous views and a full-service bar menu as well as an assortment of appetizer and entrée options which include salads and cold and hot sandwiches.
Avalon
The mystical land of Avalon, forever enshrined in Arthurian Lore, has now been uncovered! This is the land where many of the Arthurian Legends most important figures learned, lived, fought, and died. Perhaps no other land in the whole of the Arthur Saga is more riddled in mystery and intrigue than in Avalon. It is the place where Excalibur was pulled from the lake. Where Merlin was forever encased in an oak tree by the lands trickster goddess, Niume—the Lady of the Lake. Standing proud to the left (east) of Beinn Crionnacht, Avalon is itself its own mountain. Though not as large or imposing as Beinn Crionnacht, Avalon is still a wonder to behold. A veritable paradise on earth, Avalon is rife with natural scenic beauty. Tranquil streams flow through the land as large trees and flowers of all types cause the land to explode in color and life. Fruit trees of all sorts—from apple, to peach, to plum and other types—litter the land. In the middle of it all stands the mysterious barrow down of Avalon—a large, almost mountainous hill—where the Lady of the Lake is said to reside and protect her land from all interlopers. 
An artist’s rendering of Avalon
Attractions:
Escape from the Enchantress (40” Height Requirement): The Lady of the Lake suffers no trespassers into her sacred realm, but that won’t stop Nate and the crew from trying. Guests are invited to join Nate, Sully, and Elena on a mission to find the legendary Excalibur—the sword in the stone—rumored to reside deep in the heart of the moors of Avalon. Guests board a boat on this classic chute-the-chutes attraction. Yet this is no simple lift, turn, and drop ride. Once on board, guests will be in for a fully realized dark ride experience, featuring projection effects, full scale animatronics, and of course a massive 80 foot splash down climax. The story follows that of Nate and the crew as they excavate deep into the heart of Avalon. Before they get far, they are set upon by the Lady of the Lake and her beguilements. She looses the full might of Avalon upon Nate and the guests, as malevolent Dryads and naids hunt them mercilessly. Shape-Shifting druids—taking the forms of wolves, bears, and hawks—charge to stop their advance. Banshees and spirits of long dead Avalonian warriors lash out in anger of this blasphemous trespassing. Towards the end, as Nate finally finds the sword in the stone, the lady of the lake herself appears in all of her terrible splendor, before sending riders plunging into the Lake from whence Excalibur was cast.
The Tomb of King Arthur (40” Height Requirement): Legend holds that after his ill-fated battle with his son, Mordred, Arthur was taken to Avalon by the mystic priestesses of Avalon in an attempt to heal and save his life. This, unfortunately, did not work and Arthur died in Avalon. The location of his burial location has been lost to legend and history—until now. All Nate and company have to do now is find the damned thing! Guests board small rafts in this Aqua Coaster adventure which takes them through the hills and gardens of Avalon in an attempt to find the real tomb of King Arthur. This is an Aqua Coaster with dark ride elements, and shares a show building with Escape from the Enchantress. It features simple animatronics and elaborate indoor themed areas as the Aqua Coaster constantly shifts from slow-moving dark ride-style show rooms to exhilarating Aqua Coaster lift hills and drops before finally finding the lost tomb of King Arthur.
The Lady’s Well: Guests board large family-style rafts as they careen down a couple of swift turns before plunging straight into a Tornado funnel and oscillate up the sides before finally splashing down. This Tornado family slide is built deep into the side of Avalon’s lush hillsides, covering the large Tornado spiral in great themeing.
Path of the Lady: Explore the mysteries of Avalon through this long and winding obstacle course. Guests will have to brave rock climbing, zip-lining, balance boards, and much more as they explore the beauty and magical mysteries of Avalon. This path cuts through the entirety of Avalon and even enters the show building for Escape from the Enchantress at certain points. An adventure and exploration trail which abounds with Ley Crystal discoveries and other intriguing surprises.
Dining:
Nadine’s Dock: Nate’s rival Nadine has also found her way to the shores of Avalon but this time she’s not after treasure, just the wallets and stomachs of all who visit Avalon. Nestled upon the shores of Avalon, Nadine cooks up some of the most flavorful dishes from her native land of South Africa as well as some more familiar options to explorers of all backgrounds.
Camaaloth:
The ancient kingdom of King Arthur has been uncovered, but time has not been kind to this once proud and noble walled city. Now an ancient ruin, Camaaloth still holds a veneer of its storied and fabled past, as imposing dark stone ramparts stand guarding the elegant and otherworldly castle of King Arthur. This is not the pristine Camelot of fantasy and myth, this is the real, gritty Camaaloth of history, replete with crumbling turrets, ramshackle castle ruins, and teeming with mysteries waiting to be discovered. 
Camaaloth—better known as Camelot—as depicted here complete with Moat
Attractions:
Ruins of Camaaloth (48” or under height requirement): Time and nature has reclaimed Camaaloth. Now young explorers have can explore the Ruins of Camaaloth and have some fun to boot! A vast and large non-entry play area designed specifically for younger adventurers, this play pool is a triple-leveled playground of fun. Kids will have the opportunity to dump ‘boiling pots of pitch’ (really just water filled buckets) down on each other as well as spray each other with water ballistae’s, catapults, and water cannons. The Ruins also feature a plethora of small and safe slides for kids, including two tube slides and six small body slides.
Camaaloth Moat: Guests of all ages can enjoy this smaller lazy river which gently sends guests drifting around the moat of Camaaloth.
Knights Training Hill: Located on the backside of Camaaloth, guest grab a mat and race down the ancient training hill of the legendary Knights of the Round Table. This is a twelve-lane mat racing hill.
Man the Battlements: This duo of mat slides go bobbing and weaving through the ancient battlements of Camaaloth Castle before splashing down.
The Round Table Chute: Families and friends will have a blast careening down this 1200 ft. white-water raft ride, which features rafts themed to the mythical round table which seats up to six people. This family raft ride will twist inside, around and down the interior and exterior of Camaaloth.
Camaaloth Exploration Trails: Guests can spend hours searching for all of the hidden clues and treasures which abound in the realm of King Arthur. These trails feature more standard obstacle course challenges, all leading deeper into the bowels of the ancient castle. Explorers who persevere may even be able to discover the Holy Grail or the legendary round table itself.
Dining:
The Arthur Inn: Grab a seat and your favorite ale in this old and antiquated Inn which features open-air patios. Here guests have a plethora of beer choices as well as a wide-menu of standard American cuisine such as cheeseburgers, fries, fried chicken, and others with a distinctly Celtic twist such as Guiness Beef Patties used as burgers.
Sir Gawain’s: A quick-service dining option which offers a variety of soups and fancied up appetizer options like Anglo Nachos (Nachos with corned beef, roasted potatoes, Guiness Aoili Drizzle, Onions, and melted cheese), loaded fries, Potato Leek Soup, and Clam Chowder.
Council of Elders:
On the backside of Beinn Crionnacht, facing North, is the imposing Council of Elders. It is here that the most wise and brave of Druidic Elders honed their craft and tested their strength.
Attractions
Elder Falls (48” Height Requirement):Careening down the backside of the mountain, older guests can find a playground of thrills, excitement and fun. Featuring a large 60-yard beach-entry pool guests can slide down any one of the six ramp slides, where they will fling their bodies high into the air to flip, twirl, and dive down into the 13-foot deep end pool. These slides are flanked on each side by ancient statues of Albion Kings and Queens of Old who spout and drip water out of their mouths, adding some extra splash to the guests fast-paced trips down the launch ramps. Below is a video of how many of the slides featured in the Council of Elders would function and feel like (complete with sexy girls and righteous dude-bros):
Cu Chulainn’s Fjord: In addition to the Elder Falls, guests can catch a wave with Cu Chulainn in this Waverider attraction.
Due to the extreme nature of all of these attractions, guests must be 18 years or older to enter this area (13 or older with a guardians consent and signature of waiver). All guest must also sign a waiver and receive a tutorial video prior to receiving a special wristband which allows access to this area. As detailed in the Pricing section, this is an upsale area which requires additional admission to access.
Dining
The Elder’s Table: Located at the foot of the Lake of Elders, this large bar and restaurant offers the best views of the daring guests attempts to best the elders at the Council of Elders and even better food. Featuring a full-service beverage and food menu, this two-story restaurant offers unique cocktails specific to Uncharted: Albion as well as a food menu which ranges everything from sandwiches, burgers, pastas, and meats.
Well of the Mystics: This mystical watering hole offers guests frozen treats such as Icee’s, Ice-Cream, and a wide-selection of soda.
CONCLUSION
Uncharted: Albion is an unprecedented attempt to combine elaborate themed design, thrilling attractions, and integrated story telling into a unified water theme park which utilized the Uncharted franchise to the fullest. In the off-season, the various exploration paths of Beinn Crionnacht, Avalon, and Camaaloth, as well as the Escape from the Enchantress are open to the public on weekends, from 11AM-5PM for a small price of $15.00. This will allow those who wish to utilize the Uncharted: Earth app to its fullest. Uncharted: Albion will be the cornerstone of what is sure to be a successful themed design enterprise for Sony.
Imagine a birds eye view of a water park pool. Inflatable rings sitting on the water…
You tried to swap that yellow one with the pink on the right didn’t you? Don’t deny it.
Welcome to the Candy Crush Aqua Park. Coming soon to San Diego, California
Candy crush might not be the most obvious IP for any sort of theme or water park, but this is to its advantage. Candy Crush appeals to guests outside of the hard-core gaming audience, allowing the park to be accessible to families who will potentially have players of all ages. Its also one of the highest earning games ever and part of the cultural zeitgeist.
The game has been downloaded over 500 million times, and its revenue is in the billions. Even 4 years after release it was still making $53 Million a month. This is without counting its sequels!
For those who are unfamiliar with the IP (and outside of an armish community, how many can there be?), there is no pre-knowledge needed, meaning tag-along family members won’t be excluded. The themes are also generic enough that if the IP is lost, or no longer of value then the park can be hastily genericised or adapted to other IP.
This isn’t a water park as you know it. Its an “Aqua Park”. Water parks have to date focused on pools and slides. Whilst this is certainly “Water” related, there is more to water than pools and slides. The Candy Crush Aqua Park certainly does include Pools and Slides (good ones at that), but it also includes other ways to experience the water.
As this is candy crush inspired all buildings and facilities are designed to appear as if they are made of giant candy. As you may know soft plastics, which many candies and chocolates are wrapped in them, are a huge environmental concern. The wind often carries litter to the sea (and their light weight and surface area makes this movement rapid whilst recycling is difficult (to the point that in many areas they are simply sent to landfill) but not impossible In order to help reduce the impact of candy litter, as many of these candies will be made with recycled soft plastics, allowing them to be hard wearing and positive for the environment.
Queueing system and Gamification
Despite early teething problems at a competing resort, virtual queueing contains within it a lot of advantages that ensure that abandoning the idea would be rather foolish. The Candy Crush Aqua Park will use a specially adapted version of the Q-Band/Qbot system for its queues: guests can view queue times for most of its rides before selecting one, as well as be informed when their ride comes up. Those experiences that aren’t in the Q-Band system are intended to as much as possible be operated as walk ons (or throughs)
This is not your grandpa’s Q-Band system though. The Candy Crush Aqua Park uses gamification to add the game experience to your theme park experience. This allows for a lot of benefits to the park and guest by rewarding guests for completing challenges, as well as controlling guests flows.
Upon entry, guests will be immediately assigned a number of “Candy Crush points”, and will slowly gain points for just being within the park. Additionally just relaxing on your assigned inflatable when you arrive can boost your point gains - whenever there is an unbroken line between you and two other inflatables of the same colour you’ll gain a bonus (just like matching in the game). You can gain further one time point for achieving certain milestones or achievements in the park, and points can be transferred from one person to another in the same family group.
In ordinary use, you can use the Q-Band like the normal Q-Band system, to wait in line for one ride at a time. However, you can redeem your points for the following ride wait bonuses:
*Play On - Having waited the normal wait time, you can immediately ride the same ride again.
*Sugar Rush - Your wait time is reduced (by how much depends on the point spend)
*Extra Move - You can wait for an additional ride
*Free Switch - Changed your mind? Move into another queue at the same place
*Lucky Candy - Ride your selected ride without waiting
These points amounts aren’t fixed: If a particular ride is seeing a lower level of demand than other rides then the system can be used to help encourage guests to spread about the park. Where a ride is seeing extraordinary demand additional rides can be unlocked by staff.
Points aren’t just for riders. For Parents or grandparents who are just there to supervise the younger ones and don’t intend to ride you can redeem points for discounts in store, or free drinks and snacks. You can also transfer your points to members of your party (points cannot be transferred to persons out of your party).
Depending on park traffic upsell “boost” packages may also be available, and guests returning on a “rainy day promise” can also get a complementary boost. Staff can also at their discretion add points to make a “sweet moment”.
You can also pre-emptively select a boost, with your band alerting you when you have accumulated enough points to earn it.
This might sound strange at first, but it is intended to model how the game is played… After you lose enough times you need to wait to earn more “lives”, or “earn” them some other way. This wont be nearly as oppressive as the real game (as the goal isn’t to keep you out unless you spend) but will be enough to be both reminiscent of that and allow for crowd management, and negate the long headline wait times seen at other virtual queue innovators.
The band is also used to track guests flows, and can be used to link to payment cards and lockers negating the need to take anything else around the park.
Layout
A wireframe of the layout is bellow
Candy Town and admissions
Guests will enter through the ideal borough of Candy Town, with the entrance buildings a candied town hall. After admissions guests are encouraged to collect their first inflatable candy (you can store or swap your candy at any time, but slides are intended to be ridden on the inflatable and use of the lazy river requires its use also). At your first pickup you will be issued with a complementary souvenir towel-robe in the colour of your choice.
In addition you can find your usual range of park amenities, including guest services, Free lockers, stroller and wheelchair hire (bringing your own stroller is not permitted), and changing facilities. Free sunscreen is also available and highly encouraged, as is free cool mineral water.
Candy Town includes two experiences that guests can visit. On the West side of the town you’ll find the Candy Town Chocolate Experience. In this experience you’ll learn the history of chocolate, including a tasting of the bitter drink that Atzecs believed would give them amazing strength, the sweet drinking chocolate that quakers hoped would replace beer in the workman’s diet, to some fresh modern styles. Guests will also get to see how chocolate is made by mixing some of their own.
On the East side, you’ll find The Sugar Factory, a similar experience on making other candies, focusing on the chemistry of candy making, such has how different temperatures results in different textures and flavours.
In the centre of town you’ll find Mr Toffee’s Sweet Spot; Mr Toffee is one of the first characters you’ll meet in Candy Crush, so its only appropriate his “Sweet Spot” is right by then entrance to the park. This location is both the greatest sweet shop in the world, with a range of hand made sweets that your grandma would recognise from her childhood… But on top of that during otherwise off peak times you can meet Mr Toffee for a photo op.
From Candy Town you’ll find two stations for the Liquorice RopeWay over Soda Springs and Marshmallow Mountains, and up to the Candyfloss Cloud Kingdom. The Gondola are wide, but inflatables are not permitted at peak times (you can get a replacement at the other end), This is a walk on attraction.
If you’re not taking the Cableway, you can cross the bridges over the Raspberry River to either Soda Springs, the Mocha-Choca-Jungle or the Sorbet Sea. If you don’t feel like walking, simply drop your inflatable into the river, and ride the lazy river current to your destination.
Soda Springs
Soda Springs is the part of the park that most resembles a traditional water park. Unashamedly it is about pools and slides, with a soda twist. This lakeside community is backed by the base of the Marshmallow Mountains.
Standing out in this area is the Soda Fountain. The Soda fountain is a large oil derrick with a jet of soda water shooting through the middle. At the top of the derrick (accessed via stairs) is a circular platform from which 6 different spiral slides spiral around the derrick, with the final turn away from the structure a very high banked turn for airtime before entering an appropriately coloured pool. Each slide is in a different “Flavour” with the water slightly coloured to match the flavour of the slide (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cola, Grape, and Bubblegum blue). The “Winner” of each race down gets a small points boost.
In the centre of Soda Springs is the Lemon-Lime Lake. Lemon Lime Lake is our take on the classic wave pool you’ll find in other parks. But Lakes don’t have waves I hear you say. Just off Lemon-Lime Lake is the Soda Factory which pumps the waves into the lake. Only the purest white sand is used on the fringe and at the base of the lake in order to evoke a sense of walking on sugar granules.
You can taste the rainbow on our GumDrop 7-lane racing Slides (one for each colour of the rainbow). Although intended to be a walk on attraction, the winner of each race can again win a bump in their points total up.
You’ll also find the exits to the Sweet and Sour slides as well as the Vanilla Thrilla, here, but more about those later.
For those looking for a rest, you’ll find a large number of benches, sun loungers, and other rest places where you can simply relax and soak up the sun.
Hungry? Head over to the Lemon-Kist Grill, where you can find grilled shrimp skewers, grilled fish , and grilled steak sandwiches, served with your choice of salad. At the Sugar Shack you’ll find all the beach essentials - sunglasses, souvineer towels, shirts, and more.
The Sorbet Sea
The Sorbet Sea more than any other area breaks the “water parks” mould
The Sorbet Sea models a traditional seaside fishing town, based around a sheltered bay. Guests can relax on the sandy beach, or walk the long boardwalk. Traditional fishing village huts align the boardwalk making up the infrastructure of the area.
Rock Candy Reef offers a great way to connect with nature. Our Marine Biologist will lead you and a party to snorkel (or for special needs guests, ride a glass bottom boat) over our living reef. Although the bright coloured tropical fish might resemble candies being moved around in the game, these fish are absolutely real.
Take one of our Pedal Boats through our SodaCannon Challenge course. Try to avoid the jets of water and fire your soda cannon at our targets to beat your friends scores. Those who score high will get a bonus candy crush points.
Can you make it to the end of the end of SaltWater Taffy Obstacle Course? . Race your friends through our rolling logs, hurdles, and other obstacles, or simply take one of our mounted water cannons (unlock-able with Candy Crush points) to distract other racers. Good times get a points bonus. You can also battle your friends on Gummy Guardian’s Bridge, seeing who will be the last man standing, and who’ll end up in the drink - the loser gives points to the winner.
Although Gelatin dates to the 1400s, Jellyfish have been around for 500 million years. In Jellyfish Lair, an unticketed walk through, you can experience the land of the Jellyfish, from the large and gelatinous to the small but very deadly. Actual Jellyfish aren’t all you will see here, you can also experience the denizens of the deep ocean who are as bright as the Jellyfish seen in game.
For those who do like to be beside the seaside, but can’t imagine doing so without an ice cream in hand, you’ll enjoy our Gelaratea, perhaps the worlds greatest Ice Creamery. The number of flavours varies with expected demand, but on peak days we’ll have more flavours of sorbet, Ice Cream, Frozen Custard, Frozen Yogurt, Gelatmaro and Sherbert (the frozen desert, not the fizzy candy) than anywhere else on earth.
If you’re after something a bit warmer, the Golden Dubloons Inn serves a series of pub classics including Soups, Stews and roast beef/lamb/pork sammiches.
Marshmallow Mountains
Marshmallow Mountains serves as the base camp to some of the more extreme slides in the park. As the name suggests its appearance makes it look like marshmallows (mostly pink but with some white) but covered with powdered-sugar snow; If you’re not quite ready to try the slides here you can visit the Yeti in his filled lair, and visit Base Camp to get mountaineering inspired gear. Those of you looking for a bite should head to the The Far North for the best Pancakes, maple ham and other staples of a Canadian Sugar Shack
Marshmallow Mountains, and the CandyFloss Cloud Kingdom behind it, exist on an artificial platau. There are stairs from the Sorbet Seas and the Mocha-Choca Jungle; the Liquorice Rope Cableway is of course the easy way to get up (riding it down will net you a small gain in points)
The Sweet slides are a series of 4 racing Aqualoop slides (Orange, Raspberry, Lime and Cola). Riders can expect to reach speeds approaching 40 miles an hour before entering an inclined loop, exiting into a pool in Soda Springs. The slide itself goes through the Marshmallow mountain.
The Sour Slides - Sour Lemon and Sour Grape - are a pair of single-rider Boomerango, mirroring each other and again allowing the riders to race each other down, with the winner again getting a points boost.
Vanilla Thrilla is the tallest slide in the park, and is accessed from the highest peak in the mountain, . Guests in this freefall body slide will reach speeds of 50 mph whcih isn’t a world record breaker, but given the bad press that the record breakers have had, this isn’t a bad thing. Unlike other speed slides the base of the ride has a longer, more protracted section at ground level, with a water jet allowing riders to maintain higher speeds for longer, and water jets shooting into the air heralding their approach to the splashdown pool. The fastest clocked riders will get a points boost. Vanilla Thrilla stands out as a landmark in its own right
Candyfloss Cloud Kingdom
This area appears as a land build on a giant cloud of Candy Floss, and is intended to be a place for the more younger guests.
In the centre of Candyfloss Kingdom is The Peppermint Palace - A candyfied version of an arabian palace. In here you’ll find the Genie Jellybaby, as well as Tiffi (the main character in the series) and her sisters Milly and Kimmy ready to meet guests.
Surrounding the front castle is a shallow moat draining into a shallow pool intended for toddlers to play in. For slightly larger (and braver) guests there are a range of small slides into this pool, straight and spiral, that can be ridden with parents.
Joining this (and in front of the castle) is a large water play area with dancing fountains, jets, lillypads, and mini obsticle course for junior guests to try their hand on
At the top of the Peppermint Palace is the Minty Sultan’s Tea Rooms. Here you can have a selection of sandwiches, pastries, and light bites in a setting that just screams “tea party”. You’ll also be able to get a selection of Royal outfits and other merchandise in the Royal Dressing Rooms
Mocha-Choca-Jungle
This artificial jungle celebrates the one thing that makes living worthwhile - Chocolate.
The main staging post in this location is Camp Sucrose. A Candified version of a 16th-17th century explorer’s outpost.
From here you can ride Tezcatlipoca’s Revenge. This river ride takes you on quest to Help the Easter Bunny. Its not a well known fact that the Easter Bunny stole the forumula for Chocolate from the Aztec Tezcatlipoca (portrayed as a demon like figure), and protects the world’s supply of Cocoa from him. In anger, Tezcatlipoca has Kiddnapped the Easter Bunny, but local Aztecs are on hand to guide you to through the jungle to a stepped Pyramid where the Easter Bunny is being held. After moving through several scenes inspired by tales of Tezcatlipoca, eventually finding the Easter Bunny and triggering an exit into a splashdown… The splashdown being into a brown river that resembles chocolate. This is thrilling enough to be exciting, but not too thrilling that all the family can’t ride it.
The Temple of Xipe Totec celebrates the Aztec god of Fertility, and is surrounded by cocoa farms. There are two versions of this Dark Mammoth 4-person raft slide - “Milk” is the “regular” version, whereas “Dark” is the turbo version of the Dark Mammoth, faster and longer.
You can also relax at The Mocha Fountain. This Jungle pond resembles the Willy Wonka Chocolate Room crossed with an old fashioned swimming hole, with a Chocolate waterfall feeding the pond. From the top of the Waterfall cliff are a pair of small slides into the pond. You’ll need to watch out for the Pond Denizens, such as the White Chocolate Frogs which have a habit of spraying guests who get too close…
The Temple of Tonatiuh, a sun god, is where you can get your hands on the greatest tex mex cuisine you'll ever find. Tacos, Enchilada, Chilli, Fajitas done your way can all be found here, whilst at The Last Outpost your young explorers can find treasures that everyone can take home
Conclusion
Candy Crush isn't your traditional IP that you would use to create a themed attraction, and fittingly the Candy Crush Aqua Park isn't your typical water park. Its IP is known well beyond the gaming community and requires no complicated back story or prior knowledge making it the perfect IP to develop into a landmark attraction. Fans and Non Fans alike will be amazed by the stunning scenery and able to experience all it has to offer without feeling like they're missing part of the story.
Myst: World of Ages
In a world that often becomes boring and repetitive, we often long to visit far-away worlds. So, naturally, the ideal video game for a challenge such as this is one that gives guests the opportunity to visit lots of fantastical worlds that are far different from the one they live in.
I present to you, Myst: World of Ages
For those of you who are not familiar with the game, Myst takes the player through several different worlds, known Ages. The player is first transported to “Myst Island”. Here, the player finds two books (one red and one blue) each containing one of two brothers; Sirrus in the Red book, Achenar in the blue. The game’s main objective is to travel to each Age and collect the missing book page for each brother. The game has multiple different endings depending on choices made by the player.
Myst is unique among video games in a variety of ways. It is a puzzle-based game, with no apparent enemies. This type of game works well in a water park setting. Nobody wants to visit a place where everything is out to destroy you. It is far preferred to go somewhere where you can just take in the scenery. Additionally, the gameplay lends itself nicely to interactive gameplay within the park.
In Myst: World of Ages, located outside Austin, TX, guests can actually play through the game! Upon purchasing tickets, guests are given either a red or blue TravelGem bracelet containing an RFID chip. The cast member giving guests their TravelGem bracelet explains the rules of the interactive gameplay throughout the park. Based on their TravelGem color, guests have been assigned to the Red team or the Blue team. (Families are assigned to the same team unless otherwise requested.) Each team’s goal is to find either Sirrus’ or Anchenar’s book pages (Red team finds Sirrus’ red pages, Blue team finds Anchenar’s blue pages) that have been scattered throughout the park. However, they are not traditional book pages, they can be found as images or engravings of pages throughout the park. (This includes: on walls, in rockwork, etc.) Upon finding their book page, a guests must scan their TravelGem to the image of the page. By scanning their TravelGem, guests earn a point for their team. At the closing of the park, an announcement plays over the park’s sound system telling guests which team won and which brother has been freed. The winning team’s color is now shown in laser lighting that can be seen throughout the park.
Within the park, the TravelGem has another important advantage. According to the lore of the park, it gives guests the ability to roam freely between Ages, rather than using the traditional method of book-jumping.
Myst: World of Ages has been divided into five distinct ages, based on the original game (although additional Ages are featured in later games). They are: Myst Island, Stoneship Age, Channelwood Age, Mechanical Age, and Selenitic Age. The park uses a “wheel-and-hub” setup, with Myst Island serving as the entrance land.
In addition to walking, the creation of the TravelGem has also opened up a new way to travel between ages. Stranger Stream, named after the primary character of the game (The Stranger), allows guests to travel around the park on this not-so-lazy river. At points throughout the ride, guests may experience rapids, waterfalls, or splashing water. There are surprises around every bend on Stranger Stream.
Each age is designed to be reminiscent of an island. In the center of these “islands,” sits Myst Pond. This massive pool connects to each land, and each land features it’s own entrance to the pool. It can be used not only to swim in, but as another means of travel between Ages.
In keeping with the spirit of puzzles and adventure, this waterpark features dozens of hidden pools, hot tubs, and splash areas that are not on the map, but instead must be discovered individually by guests. This keeps the park new and fresh, as there is always something new to explore.
Myst Island
After walking down a heavily wooded walkway, Myst Island appears from the lush forestation for guests to explore. This is a mystical land with surprises around every corner. A massive spaceship, a tall tower, and a walkway of pillars are all here. This island is the entryway and gateway to the rest of the park. However, that does not mean it is without adventures of its own.
Guests enter the area by walking over Stranger Stream on the Pillar Walkway. After this, they come across several attractions.
Attractions
Tower Drop
The Tower is central to the design of Myst Island. It’s striking height and shape are the first thing guests are likely to notice, as it stands in the centre of the park. Once inside, guests find a well-lit library, supposedly the one in which the story of the game unfolds. On video screens, guests can see the two brothers arguing. This library extends upwards within the tower, as guests spiral around the main slide, they can see guests as they fly down the nearly vertical, clear tube. Once they reach the top, guests stand on a platform within the tube that will eventually drop out from under them, releasing them into a near free fall of over 125 feet.
Rocket Racers
While not a particularly complex attraction, Rocket Racers is sure to draw guests to its cue. WIth six side-by-side slides, guests board a mat and, as the name suggests, race other guests to the finish line. Timers in front of the exit for each slide show how long it took guests to reach the finish line.
Dining & Retail
Atrus Apparel
The major retail location in the park, this is where all souvenirs can be found. From beach towels to bathing suits, sunscreen and sunglasses, this shop has everything you could need to enjoy and remember your day at Myst: World of Ages.
Attached here is the towel rental, as well as changing/locker rooms.
Myst Food Court
This is the largest restaurant in the park. It has multiple stations: One for salads, burgers, chicken, and Miscellaneous. The building design is based on the Log Cabin from the game, and the decor is built to match. The cabin is starting to fall apart, made obvious by some logs out of place or broken.
Myst Island is a place that creates the perfect entryway to the other Ages. More than this, however, it provides its own share of unique and exciting experiences for guests to enjoy.
Mechanical Age
Continuing our journey clockwise, guests enter the Mechanical Age.In the Mechanical Age, guests leave all life behind. Instead, the paths are lined with streams, and the paths themselves follow very direct routes, all straight lines.
The name of this land is misleading. Although it is called Mechanical, there is very little here that is actually mechanical. Instead, the sharp natural shapes give the area a feeling of being mechanical. Much of the age evokes a feeling of steampunk, but everything is made of stone, rather than metal.
As guests enter the Mechanical Age, they see The Fortress down a path to their left. The Fortress serves as the entrance to Mechanical Falls. The Fortress is suspended two stories off the ground, over a large pool open to guests. Guests who do not walk toward the fortress find themselves passing another entrance to Stranger Stream on their right.
Attractions
The Gear Pool
This pool, shaped like a gear, is a fun spot for kids of all ages to swim, play, and splash in the jumping fountains. The pool’s depth is between 2 and 5 feet, depending on where in the pool you are, meaning that adults can stand anywhere in the pool. It also serves as the exit for The Loop.
Mechanical Falls
Mechanical Falls is a set of two single-person tube slides. Guests can choose which slide to go down once they reach the front of the queue, but both slides are extremely similar. Both slides are designed to spin guests around as much as possible, and create an experience similar to tubing through rapids. Guests complete their journey with a splashdown in the pool below.
The Loop
Each of these four slides features a vertical drop followed by an inclined AquaLoop. One of the most thrilling attractions in the park, this experience is only available at a handful of water parks around the world. It is quite possibly a once in a lifetime experience that thrill seekers will come from far and wide to enjoy.
Dining
Code Cafe
Named after the encoded messages found throughout the age, guests at Code Cafe can find traditional counter-service dining. The menu includes (but is not limited to) Burgers, sandwiches, and fried chicken. Seating can be easily located outside under covered pavilions.
This area combines nature and machinery in a way that makes for a truly immersive experience. It transports guests into the expansive world created by Myst, as well as providing lots of opportunities for having fun in the sun.
Stoneship Age
This entire age is a weenie in its own right. It is a massive mountain with a sailing ship that goes through it, with the helm located 90 degrees from the stern. The mountain also consists of a wooden spiral pathways connecting to various attractions located around the mountain. The mountain appears to rise out of the ship, as if the ship existed first and the mountain pushed its way up through it.
This age seems untouched by humans in an almost eerie way. Clearly, people were once here: the boat is evidence of that. But now, these people are clearly gone, and the stone mountain and remnants of a once-great voyaging vessel are all that remains.
Apart from the main mountain, a small island sits in the main pool, it holds a lighthouse, long abandoned and beginning to decay. The lighthouse is yet another symbol of the human presence that once dominated here, but has long gone away.
This area is smaller than the others. Because of this, the age is designed to fit the most fun into the smallest possible space.
Attractions
Below-Deck Hot Tub
Hidden in the underbelly of the ship is a warm oasis for all those looking for a moment to relax. Within the context of the game, this area is flooded, so it makes perfect sense to fill this space with warm water, providing a getaway from the excitement throughout the park. This is the perfect spot for those looking to take a break from the day.
Stoneship Falls
Groups of 6 board giant rafts on this voyage down Stoneship Mountain. Guests weave in and out of caves, under waterfalls, and around the mountain as they experience this family raft ride. There are many opportunities for surprise splashes as guests go down the mountain, and there’s no chance that anybody will leave this ride without getting soaked!
Lighthouse Launch
After a spiral climb up a flight of stairs within the lighthouse, guests board one of 4 drop box slides, each one made out of a see through tube. After a short drop straight down, they begin to wind around the lighthouse, the slides intertwining with each other, with two people occasionally passing within a few feet of each other, each in their own slide. This is a thrilling adventure that utilizes what is already a landmark of the Stoneship Age
Dining
The Galley
In the belowdecks of the ship, lies The Galley. Here, guests can enjoy a variety of fish dishes including fish n’ chips, fish sandwiches, and more in a nautical environment. Through windows in the walls, guests can even find Sirrus’s and Anchenar’s bedrooms.
All together, Stoneship is a ton of fun packed into a tiny space. With waterslides spiraling around and in and out of the mountain, this Age can be seen from around the park, and is a draw for people to come to this area.
ChannelWood Age
Guests in the ChannelWood Age find themselves in a forest with large trees shooting up from the ground. They also find that the paths they walk on are suspended bridges with large platforms where paths intersect at trees. The area is decorated with dark green vines, as well at wooden huts that serve as restrooms, changing rooms, and other facilities. The pathways in the area are built on several levels crossing over and beneath each other, with several staircases going up to higher levels.
The ChannelWood Age is an area unlike anything the waterpark industry has seen before. Instead of a traditional area with queues and attractions, the ChannelWood Age is designed as an easy ropes course and splash park. The area includes: tightly knit rope netting pathways, water spray from floor fountains, fountains in artificial flora, and guest-manned cannons, several staircases and rope ladders/inclined pathways going up to higher levels, and smaller slides going down to lower ones. Guests can also find 2 smaller pools and 2 hot tubs on larger platforms, some of which are hidden gems not listed on the park map. Maps of the ropes course are posted on all four levels.
ChannelWood Challengers
From the top of the ropes course guests can find the ChannelWood Challengers, a set of three slides beginning from the same queue. The queue winds through the forest of the ChannelWood Age. When guests reach the end of the queue, they choose one of three unique slides of equal length. Each slide curves around trees and the ropes course of the ChannelWood Age, ending on the second level of the ropes course.
Forest Fall
Forest Fall, like the above, can be found after increasing levels of the ropes course. The queue begins on the third level, but includes a staircase leading up to the start of the slide, which is 50 feet tall. There are three slides, and each ride is identical. Guests enter a skybox, and then enjoy a simple five-story drop in the dark down to ground level. From the outside, the slides are nearly invisible because they are encased in artificial trees.
Overall, the unique design of the ChannelWood Age makes it into a combined ropes course and water park. This design is so complex that it does not leave space for Dining and Retail, but they surely will not be missed in a land with so much to explore.
Selenitic Age
The Selenitic Age is nearly the opposite of the ChannelWood Age. Guests who enter the Selenitic Age have entered a barren land, with small pools of water and a large waterfall from the top of the canyon. The area around them is now red-orange rocks with the occasional rock spire.
Guests entering from the Stoneship Age find an entrance to Stranger Stream on their left. The main path turns right down a ramp, taking guests into a canyon. To their left, guests see the exit area for Cavern Crash. Here, the path splits. On the path to the left, guests travel into a cave, where the path takes them back to Myst Island. On the path that continues forward, guests go up a steep ramp toward the queues for Cavern Racer and Cavern Crash.
The Selenitic Age has no buildings. Instead, all of the changing rooms, restrooms, and restaurants are built inside caves in the rock walls of the canyon.
Conveyor belts bring the tubes required from the exit of the slides to the loading areas, thus avoiding the pain of carrying tubes on staircases.
Cavern Racer
Cavern Racer is a water-coaster that rushes through the caves of the Selenitic Ages’s mountain. Guests board either one, two, or three person rafts at the top of the mountain and are sent on an adventure into and out of these caves. This water coaster features sudden lifts and falls, both light and dark portions of the ride, and a final splashdown into the end pool.
Cavern Crash
Located inside the mountain, Cavern Crash is a thrilling bowl-type waterslide in the dark. Guests board four-person cloverleaf tubes and embark on an exciting trip through the fluorescent cave, ending in a drop under a waterfall.
Dining
Meteor Morsels
Selenitic became barren after a heavy meteor shower hit it, so it is only fitting to pay homage to that in the name of the restaurant. This restaurant, which serves falafel, dumplings, and popcorn chicken, focuses on bite-sized finger foods.
As a whole, the Selenitic Age is a rocky land that is filled to the brim with exciting slides and water rides. It is also packed with hidden pools that do not appear on the map, to give it that sense of adventure the whole park should have.
Conclusion
Myst: World of Ages is an exciting water park with new adventures waiting just around every corner. It not only features a system of interactive gameplay, it also boasts some of the world’s most thrilling water slides. This park allows guests to travel to a variety of different Ages unlike anything they’ve ever seen, each brought to life in its own unique way. Myst: World of Ages is a water park that rises above the rest.
Douglas Hindley – Minecraft Creek
I hate to start with something extremely nitpicky, but I have liked what I have seen up until this point, so it is the first: a guest should never have to turn in their RFID wristband at the end of the day. It should be a souvenir, since they are cheap, easy to make, and easy to program. Playing the wristband police at the end of a park day is only going to insult your tired guests. I like the idea of making the entire park an extension of the game, but feel like a better explanation as to how the mining would work is probably in order. I like the idea of a huge lazy river that traverses the whole park like a train in a regular theme park. I’m curious why the waterpark supply shop is called “The Library”, this would seem rather confusing on a map, but my hope would be that it would be perfectly obvious what it was when walking past it. I like that you have a section of extreme rides set off into its own area. So far as managing crowds and keeping hyperactive teenagers away from families with little kids, this seems to be pretty smart. I get the feeling that The Mineral Vein might be a little high end for a water park. Well, I think you nailed it right on the head, the interactivity with the RFID bracelets, takes this waterpark from being a well themed but middling park into a full complete themed experience. I worry that there is not enough waterpark elements in the park to make this a full day park, and worry about the kinds of lines you will have. Still, though, great use of your IP, in which this adds something to the mythos instead of leaching anything away.
AJ Hummel – Gobbo Island Waterpark
Right off the bat, you are taking some serious risks by using an IP that is not well known. Having just judged Douglas’s Minecraft park and now judging your’s, there is no doubt that if the two parks were exactly the same, the Minecraft park would be more popular based on the IP chosen. This gives you a bit of a hole to try and dig out of. There you go: pull a page out of Holiday World’s playbook and go with free parking, sunscreen, and soft drinks…well played…if only any other real parks did that… In Soveena’s Harbor, I worry about rafts made out of “barrels or crates” as you will have regular swimmers nearby and getting conked on the head by something like that could easily knock out a swimmer…I’m going to assume you meant themed to “barrels or crates”, but actually using soft air-inflated tubes. It’s an interesting choice to have the clockwork treehouse right in the middle of the highest traffic area. If this is like an interactive Swiss Family Treehouse, then it would be up and out of the high traffic areas, but there would be no rest and lounge chairs for parents trying to keep track of the kids. I really like the Roger Red Ant challenges. These seem like a really good way to add re-rideability to what appear to be fairly simple slides.
Blake Meredith – Uncharted: Albion
Near San Antonio seems like an extremely risky place to put a waterpark as that is the home turf of Schlitterbahn, and is the home of two of Schlitterbahn’s parks nearby in New Braufels, less than 7 miles away from your proposed location. Not only are their two Schlitterbahn parks nearby, but they have shuttles running between the two parks and one admission covers both parks. I hate to say it, but you are going to need something spectacular to compete. Oh, and all of those ProSlide items that everyone wants in their park, you won’t be able to get those, since Schlitterbahn won’t allow ProSlide to sell to a direct competitor. While your daily pass is $11 cheaper, Schlitterbahn’s season pass is $55 cheaper. Schlitterbahn also has free parking, which negates any type of economic advantage you had since you charge $12 per day even with a season pass. I hate to do such a direct comparison, but this is what happens when you put your park in someone’s back yard. Your front of the line passes are cheaper, though. Here is a duplicate complaint someone else received: “Guests must return their Ley Crystal”. Guests are going to do what they want to do and are going to find a way to not stick with your rules. Now…is there a deposit to entice them to return the Ley Crystal, or are we just going off of people’s goodwill. Or do we have to play the Ley Crystal police as people are leaving the park? What about if they are only going across the street to their hotel? And the problem with asking for a deposit is that many people will choose not to participate at that point. This is one of those cases where you might need to increase the cost of the park to include the Ley Crystal and then guests can do whatever they want to with them. It seems like a bad idea to slow down the admission gates to give people their Ley Crystals…particularly if everyone needs one. Shouldn’t the ticket sellers be dispensing these, or have a huge bin of the things as people go into the park. Since this needs to be tied back to a different login and application, this all seems really bulky and time consuming to do while blocking the line into the park. So I read down a bit further and find that there is an introduction video now to get into the park…this all seems way too complex for your regular waterpark goer. I worry that having a wave pool mostly inside is going to be a nightmare for the lifeguards. I really like your lazy river…it is lazy, but with elements of theming all around it. This will make in a slow ride a must-ride. While I understand the desire to put more than just waterpark elements into the park to round it out, there is no need for two different places in your park that have rock climbing walls and zip lines. In fact, and I didn’t want to have to say it, but since I’m already typing: bikinis and rock climbing and zip lines don’t really go well together. So…I have played the Uncharted games and beaten all of them at least twice. I totally understand how beautiful the park is going to be and how immersive the theming is going to be and how cool this park will be, but in the judges card, we have a field for “reality”. And while I love this park, the reality score is going to be a bugger for you…since the reality of the park has some major obstacles to get past.
Chad H – Candy Crush Aqua Park
You have an interesting choice for IP. As you have outlined, while not a “gamer” choice, Candy Crush is widely known across many different demographics. ((FYI – Amish, not armish)) While I understand that this is themed to Candy Crush, I wonder if the Candy Land people are going to try and sue you into the stone age. The Candy Town Chocolate Experience and The Sugar Factory seems very out of place in a waterpark…since this is a waterpark, people will frequently be wearing very little and letting them play with hot things such as melted sugar for candy making has all the hallmarks of a bad idea. This is also assuming that people are dry enough to participate. The park traversing lazy river is a very good idea. I hate to say this, but Lemon-Lime Lake sounds like industrial pollution…just saying… It seems like you went off into a different direction there at the end of your proposal, from sucrose goodness to Aztec. Maybe the problem here is the theming that was chosen, since it feels to me like this is not a cohesive idea and more of a whole bunch of different ideas cobbled together. And while I like the idea of using RFID tags to make this park an extension of the game, it felt as though not being an avid user of the game was excluding to the enjoyment of the park.
DPCC Inc – Myst: World of Ages
You have an interesting choice of IP, old and now obscure even though it was the coolest thing ever in the mid 90’s. I’m not seeing the significance of a drop tower in a themed water park. I wonder about all of the little nooks and pools you have all over the place that would make lifeguarding this park a near impossibility. Your IP is griping me. The original Myst game was about a certain serenity of being abandoned on an island and needing to figure out how to solve the puzzles in order to hopefully get off the island. While it is not mentioned in your descriptions, this park will be literally teaming with crowds and people, with janitors, food vendors, and ride ops all over the place breaking down the immersion you are looking for. This would be an outstanding idea for an escape room, or escape waterpark as the case may be, but as I imagine this place being crowded, I’m not that enthusiastic about it. And this has been a constant complaint this week: climbing walls, ziplines, and bikinis don’t go together very well. As a mixed use park of traditional rides and waterpark, maybe that would fly, but this week’s challenge was for a waterpark. This is very disappointing for me. I believe that you have designed one of the better parks this week, but at the same time I feel like this park is a low volume style of park, thus we hit a reality problem as the theming that you will have is very expensive and will need to be paid for by getting the ton of people through the gate…and thus wrecking the atmosphere of the park. Typical catch-22.
I’m going to start out by saying that I’m not a gamer. Other than Panda Pop on my phone and several editions of Monopoly and Clue, I’m not very gaming-savvy, so I decided to bring in a gaming expert to advise me-my 18-year-old son Anton. He’s not going to write the critiques or anything, but will help explain things to me when I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
One more thing to remember- I won Water Park Apprentice. I won the Tournament of Champions. You may have brought your toys, but you’re playing in my pool now. Challenges of these sizes make it impossible to write a critique about everything you presented, good and bad, so if I leave out something you think is brilliant, then I probably do, also. If I leave out something that you thought was lousy but you put it in and hoped I would miss it, I probably did or didn’t realize how lousy it was.
Blake Hindley Minecraft Creek
Minecraft was an excellent choice for a water park theme, and Glendale is an excellent choice for location, it being underserved in the water park world. I do have some reservations about your hours and dates of operation, since Arizona days get hot and stay hot much earlier and later in the year, and night’s stay warm much later than in much of the rest of the nation. I would extend the regular season earlier and later in the year, probably April through September (with earlier evening closing as the temp. dictates) and would keep the park open later in the evening during the peak heat months of summer. Much of the Phoenix area shuts down in the heat of midday, and keeping the park open later at night would attract people to the evening hours, especially after work.
Your prices are reasonable for a one-day pass, but too low for a Replay Pass. I think the price of a season pass should be at least twice if not three times the price of a day pass to make it financially beneficial to the park yet reasonable for the consumer. Minecraft Creek would be a high-enough quality park that visitors would want to make the required multiple visits to experience everything, so why not make them pay for it.
Overall, Minecraft Creek would be a visually amazing experience, quite unlike just about anything else in the world. The cubist theme ubiquitous to Minecraft, actually brought to life in this park, would make it immediately popular with all ages whether they played the game or not. Much of the special features, such as using the Minebands to scan items and earn points for redemption, would have to be explained to non-gamers, but would make a day at the Creek a more total adventure- but you’d have people who would just go from kiosk to kiosk scanning their bands, racking up points and doing nothing else just to win the Minecraft-spawned Cubic Kewpie Doll. There would have to be a way to limit scoring points without actually doing other activities, such as requiring them to be validated on the miniband at the end of riding a water slide, etc. You can’t just earn points- you have to actually do things to earn them.
Now I have to get really general. Your four Biomes and Sunflower Plains Village are excellent if also obvious choices for “lands” in your park, and uniting them with Mount Steve is also a good idea if a weird name for those not familiar with the game. Overworld Creek is also a good unifying feature. I assume that each Biome is accessible from the Creek. The variety of different environments in the Biomes offers both visual diversity and an opportunity for theming specific to the Biome, and the very nature of the game offers multiple choices. I thought you had a great variety of attractions including those for younger children.
At one point, you mentioned “boxy inner tubes”. Would all of the inner tubes in the park be square as opposed to the traditional, normal round? I wonder how that would affect the aquadynamics of them. Would a square tube be more stable in a water slide, less prone to rotate in a lazy river? Easier or harder to get into or out of?
The inclusion of Slideboarding was a brilliant idea, a perfect addition to a park themed to a video game. The other story-themed water attractions you included would be great fun, and generate great lines that could be frustrating without some sort of reservation system using the Minebands.
I liked the utilization of a.a. throughout the park. It would be noticeably absent if it had been forgotten, and using it in non-ride areas was a good visual addition.
Minecraft is a great, if obvious, choice for a video-game-themed water park. It practically handed you choices of environments, themes, story lines, characters, etc. to use. Perhaps it was a safe choice, one that you didn’t have to really use your imagination to create the park, but you did a great job of sifting through the huge amount of material available and putting the playing pieces together in an entertaining, imaginative way. Minecraft Creek would be a hit.
AJ Hummel Gobbo Island
You chose an EXTREMELY obscure video game to create a park around. This was brave, and I think you approached this in a very smart way. You decided not to really bother with the story line of the game (which would not really be needed to know in an atmospheric park like this) and just let people enjoy the strange lands that compose the park. Perhaps some explanatory signage could be added to explain who is who and what is what, because some people might actually care, but most wouldn’t.
Once again (hope this isn’t becoming a trend), I take slight umbrage with your hours and prices. If a summer evening is warm or hot, leave the park open longer. I visited WaterWorld in Denver in the summer- the park was packed, the day was hot, and at 5 p.m. they made everyone leave even though there was plenty of evening left for people to enjoy the park. I felt cheated. Evening swim can be a great time- less chance of sunburn and possibly less crowded. Also, your prices for season passes are too low. It should require at least three visits at regular price to make it worthwhile, but for regular visitors they’ll pay it. Throw some extra benefits in- discounts for merchandise, food, etc. and people will fork it over.
Your arrangement of the park and its lands seemed wise, especially keep the areas featuring attractions for children near the front of the park for easy access. For some reason, having the park’s main wave pool located in Sailor Village which, along with Caveman Village are the two main children’s areas, bothers me. I would probably move it somewhere else, and if needed have a smaller, shallower wave pool here for younger visitors.
Cossack Village contained a great combination of water attractions for older guests. I really liked the Roger Red Ant’s Triple Threat, although I didn’t totally understand the tripping the switch or clipping the wires part that seems to be important in the Kaboom Wall or Bomboarder attractions. I liked your inclusion of the Slideboarding technology, though, which seems to be the next big innovation in water park rides. Good luck in keeping guests in their inner tubes on the Gobbo River- I have yet to see a lazy river where people are- for some reason unknown or understood by me- walk along pulling their inner tube with them if that have one at all, and all the lifeguards do is tell them to get in the tube, which they do until they turn the corner out of sight and jump back out.
Inca Village, with its pyramid (which btw Incas didn’t build but I’ll go along with it for this) would be a good visual weenie for the park, and including a restaurant over- looking water is always a safe bet, but how many Gobbo River riders would think it’s funny to splash diners in the restaurant as they floated past? Probably too many- it’s hard to screen out stupidity at the security checkpoints.
Having Baron Dante’s Castle as the site of the most adventurous attractions is a good way to keep things centralized and control crowds, and these attractions would attract lines. All are fairly standard thrill water rides, which is not necessarily bad, but the only one with any real inventiveness is Dantini Racers. THAT would be fun, challenging, and extremely popular, with lines so long that some riders would think they were truly in one of Dante’s seven levels of hell.
AJ, after writing and judging these competitions all these years, you should know what I’m going to say about your last paragraph. “While not the largest or most impressive water park in the world…”…DON’T SAY THAT!. Don’t tell me that- let me decide. Your job is to make be believe that it really IS the most impressive water park in the world! Do all the lands go together? No, not really, especially outside of knowledge of the game itself, but who cares? Neither does Disneyland’s various lands, but people really don’t care outside of Theme Park Insider psychos who are overobsessed with carefully-integrated themes. I liked your park. I liked the incongruous locations of a tropical village next to a caveman village next to a Cossack village. Is it your best work? No, and your time limits due to your cross-country coastering adventure showed, but you did a great job of creating it using an obscure game. For that, I give you lots of credit. Don’t take it away by telling me it’s not the best thing in the world. In a proposal, you have to make me believe that it really IS the best thing in the world.
Blake Meredith Uncharted:Albion
Impressive. Epic. This is more of the theme park with water attractions than it is a water park with a theme. I find it hard to believe that you inferred you were limited in the time you had to spend on its creation with your trip to Florida.
I felt your operating dates, prices, upcharges and additional prices, and location were all well-conceived and appropriate. Your choice of a video game franchise was a brilliant one, giving you a rock-solid theme and loads of flexibility for attractions.
Nate’s Basecamp was a good opportunity for those of us who might be a bit technically-unsophisticated (not that I’m talking about me personally…uh…anyway. It would allow first-time visitors to both understand that this is not your normal, everyday water park, and also to understand how to get the maximum use (or any use at all) from the Ley Crystals in their wristband. However, unless I missed it, can these wristbands also be used for purchases throughout the park? This is becoming such a common convenience that I would be surprised that it wasn’t an option.
It seems almost appropriate in the water park that so many of your major attractions are practically “dripping” with theme (get it- dripping…I’ll keep my day job). Your choice of attractions is aggressive, and the inclusion of several walk-through attractions (which include some obstacle course features that some of us would find challenging- I don’t do rock-climbing) would need to be able to be skipped. Overall, though, I was extremely impressed with the imaginative themes that you created for so many traditional water attractions. Visually, this park would be remarkable to just walk through, and even more so to experience aquatically. I loved the inclusion of some water rides traditionally not included in water parks- in Escape from the Enchantress you turned a traditional chute-the-chutes up, around and down boat ride into a dramatic, aquatic adventure, one of the best ever created for this type of ride.
Council of Elders fills a need that has been avoided by water parks, probably due to liability issues. I applaud you for braving to include it, because it could be an extremely popular section of your park. So popular, though, that you might want to charge even more for access to it- you’re going to need a lot of lifeguards to safely cover it. And for God’s sake don’t let the splashdown pool look like a vat of green jello mixed with cream cheese like the video showed! They’d be dredging the pool for days looking for the bodies of people who didn’t survive the landing! Honestly, though, this land would be immensely popular, especially because of the rarity of its attractions, and this would make Uncharted Albion a destination water park, not just a local hang-out.
I do have an issue with some of the names of your attractions. While many of them use regular, easily pronounced and common names, some of the use Celtic or Gaelic names that, while probably historically and culturally accurate, are next to impossible to pronounce or even remember.
Your dining and retail locations are plentiful and appropriate, bordering on really attractive and inviting. You had me at Bangers and Mash and Shepherd’s Pie- I’m a glutton for British cooking.
I had a bit of trouble visualizing the actual layout of the park and the relationship of each land to the other. Either a simple map or a simple description would have been appreciated.
Over all, Uncharted Albion would be probably the most beautiful, most unique and most influential water park in the nation. It’s powerful emphasis on incorporating theme into its water rides would set the standard for water parks, and once guest saw how water rides can be both thrilling, soaking and entertaining, they would expect it from their “home” parks.
I won Water Park Apprentice. I doubt I could have conceived of a water park like Uncharted Albion.
Chad H Candy Crush Aqua Park
You had me laughing at your header picture and first few lines. Yes, I tried in my mind to swap the yellow with the pink! You got my attention from the start.
As I have often stated, I am very low-tech, approaching Aztec, yet I found your descriptions of the Q-band system fairly easy to understand, and the flexibility you described shows that you didn’t just throw out the idea because of some glitches in other parks. You thought it through, simplified it and made it work for your park. It also made it possible for someone to have no idea what Candy Crush is and still have a great experience with their group.
I had my first bit of cultural confusion when you talked about collecting your “inflatable candy.” To me, and inflatable is some large, like an inflatable slide that you rent for a kid’s birthday party. When I realized that you were describing an inflatable “inner tube”, which is, yes, shaped like a candy (what we call “Life Savers”) then I understood what you meant by taking your inflatable on the Licorice Ropeway.
I realized that, as I read your proposal, I was laughing out loud multiple times. I hope you had as much fun creating some of the titles for your creations as I did reading them. They were all across-the-board fun, and caught the whimsical feeling of this entire park perfectly. I especially loved the Vanilla Thrilla, but if I had any reservations (probably because I’m getting old and crotchety,) it’s with Tezcatlipoca’s Revenge. First if all, I laughed loud and long at the Easter Bunny having stolen the secret of chocolate but then being kidnapped by the god, and having to be rescued. I thought that story line was drop-dead brilliant, but the final splash-down into a brown river of chocolate...right. Chocolate, on a ride with the last word of the title being “Revenge.” My son would love it and would be joking about it and laughing about it for the entire ride home. Never mind- I love the title. Your naming talents are first-rate!
At first I wasn’t sure what I thought of the Sorbet Sea section, but the more I thought about it the better I liked it. The attractions were unique, and in many ways a refreshing change from the traditional water slides, etc. found in the rest of the park. Some, such as the Jellyfish Lair and Rock Candy Reef, are quite unusual in an aqua park, or water park, or whatever park. I could see myself spending a lot of time in this land.
You inferred that you weren’t sure if this idea for a water park was a good one or not. It was. No, IT WAS! You created a water park that would make guests feel happy from the time they walked in until the time they left, worn out from the adventures but buoyed by the levels of sugar they either consumed or absorbed by osmosis. I can’t remember having more fun reading a proposal about anything than I did from reading Candy Crush Aqua Park!
DPCC inc. Myst: World of Ages
Myst: World of Ages is a video game franchise rich with possibilities; visually bizarre yet understandable blends of styles, a relatively simple story that park visitors could play enthusiastically or ignore totally as they chose, and plenty of water-based experiences that would be ripe for the water park designer to choose from.
The layout of your park seemed very simple and efficient in your general description of hub-and-spoke, but when you started taking us through the park it got really confusing. The maps you created did not do what they were intended to do- they did not help us visualize the layout. I’m not sure what art medium you’re using (it appeared that you did a painting of some of the lands, then scanned them in and posted them) but the medium doesn’t allow clear enough detail to make it easy to visualize what is where, or even what the relationship between the different lands to each other is. They did you a disservice. The pictures were excellent, but the drawings were substandard for a competition of this caliber. There is nothing wrong with finding someone to assist you with posting artistic presentations, hand-crafted maps, etc. that will help you, as long as you are the one creating the basic concept, choosing the images and being the one that creates the core design. No man is an island, even a Myst Island.
There are some things about your proposal that I liked very much. So often entry lands have nothing in them other than shops, services and food outlets. You have a kick-butt drop tower and the Rocket Racers, two great attractions that set the tone for the park.
Is there a reason that Mechanical Age is not mechanical, but stone? Confusion for the sake of artistic authenticity is still confusion if it can’t be explained. The attractions here are very good, and the Aqualoop looks amazing to ride- a great addition to your park. The three remaining Ages all have a good mixture of rides, services and unique theming, and as a whole Myst: World of Ages would be a very fun water park to experience.
Scanning the TravelGems might start out as something that people do, but let’s face it- we’re all animals, and we want some gratification or we’re not going to keep doing something. If a guest knows that they’re not going to stay to closing, why bother to look for the right colored pages, and even if they do stay, just having a certain colored light show is really not all that big an incentive. I understand the idea, but I’m afraid that most people would soon not bother looking or scanning anything. People need to be rewarded for their actions, especially a day-long adventure that doesn’t really give them anything in return.
It was not a requirement to list days and hours of operation, prices, etc. so I won’t score against you for that, but at this level of competition you need to include certain things like that, especially after everyone else had posted and you coulda/shoulda/woulda seen that they did and added it to your proposal. The minimum requirements are just that- the minimum. You are capable of much more than just the minimum- give us all you got!
*Dogulas Hindley - Minecraft Creek*
Right off the bat, I think your choice of IP is perfect. While I wouldn't consider Minecraft at the true height of its popularity these days, it's still a massive cultural phenomenon, one that is easily well known by gamers of all kinds, and even non-gamers. Your use of the arm bands really brings out the creative nature of the game, giving the tedium of walking between lands and attractions a bit more oomph, and being able to use your "findings" to exchange for prizes is a concept I've always thought has been untouched by theme parks (at least in my experience!) - it could be a case of the technology not being particularly viable, of course, but it's one I personally would love to see implemented. The use of various biomes gives your park a lot of variety in both visual aesthetics and slide/attraction types, and even manage to incorporate the storyline and lore of the game, which I'm sure the more hardcore Minecraft fans would appreciate. Overall, excellent work!
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*AJ Hummel - Gobbo Island Waterpark
This is my first time ever hearing of the Croc: Legend of the Gobbos IP, and I say that as someone who has played video games pretty consistently for much of my life. With that said, I think you did a good job of making the park as accessible to the general audience as possible. I like the park layout you went with, with a central hub that makes all of the different lands easily accessible, and each land was designed nicely to account for the various park demographics. I feel like the park overall was just missing that punch to push it from good to great, but for such an obscure IP, I think you did a solid job of crafting an enjoyable water park.
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*Blake Meredith - Uncharted: Albion*
Excellent choice in IP: like many others, the Uncharted trilogy is one of my favorite franchises (have not yet played the fourth though!), and with a proposed film adaptation (albeit one stuck in development hell for what feels like forever) in the works, there's no need to worry about relevancy. I feel like placing the park's backstory within the later half of the lore might be problematic for the casual audience with little to no familiarity with the franchise and various character relationships, even with an in-park explanation: perhaps leaving the time frame more open-ended and taking an approach closer to Indiana Jones, who feels like a much more "episodic" character than Nathan Drake, might prevent any confusion about where Drake stands as a character within this park's lore. Like Douglas' proposal, I like the idea of the wrist strap that adds an extra layer to the park experience, although the explanation here is a bit complex: I fear this is all going to be too complex for the average park-goer. As far as theming and attractions go, I think this work is pretty impeccable. Could all this be plausibly pulled off, this would be an unprecedented water park experience: it's a big "if", but I think you've got me leaning towards the positive here.
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*Chad H - Candy Crush Aqua Park*
Another great IP to use for your park. I was never on the Candy Crush train, but it's a hugely popular game, especially among more casual gamers, so that really works in your favor for attracting the not-so-hardcore gamers to your park. I like the queue system, it aims to be helpful while also having that added touch of feeling like it comes right from the game as "power-ups." The idea of getting your own "candy" puzzles me when not too much later, you mention that you may have to leave it behind at peak times and just get a replacement: seems simpler to just have it all candy themed across the whole park, with the standard pick-and-return of other water parks. I love the variety in attractions - you made great use of the park as an "aqua park" than a traditional "water park" - but I think the theming fizzled out by the end of your proposal. Perhaps there's an Aztec themed section of the game (again, I have no familiarity with it at all), but it feels a bit out of place compared to the more "generic" (not in a bad way, just lacking a very specific theme) lands.
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*DPCC - Myst: World of Ages*
Myst is another IP I don't have much experience with, outside of its sort of cult classic status; I think I just missed the boat on that one, between growing up with consoles over PC games and missing out on that early 90s time frame when it seemed to be at its peak. The team based game of the park is an interesting idea (although I'm not so sure about the payoff when compared to your competitors' similar ideas), as is the idea of hidden pools to be discovered. I'm left wondering about the theming. I'm still a bit confused about the park layout outside of the hub-and-spokes design, and I would've liked to have seen a more in-depth description of the park's atmosphere overall. Is it as foggy and spooky as what the game appears to portray? I think the ride variety is serviceable, although there's an occasional attraction that feels out of place for a water park (a drop tower?). I think this IP has huge potential for an atmospheric experience, but I'm not quite sure you're 100% there (could be my inexperience with the game, but I have no time to play it and find out). Like AJ's, it just needs that finishing blow to knock my jaw to the floor.
MINECRAFT - my critique is fairly brief because quite frankly you covered the waterfront for me. I like the sit down restaurant that specifically caters to guests who might be wet and in bathing suits. Since I'm not familiar with Minecraft, I'm not sure why the menu choices in the park are what they are. you indicated there was a reason, and I would say to explain it for those like me who don't know.
I liked the Blacksmiths Shop where you trade for souvenirs. what a wonderful concept. and you also included a proper retail store.
Great illustrations and I'm impressed with the artwork of the whole park.
GOBBO ISLAND WATERPARK - Would have liked to had more details on the food selections. You seemed to gloss over this for the most part. Food and drink are an important part of any park.
From personal experience in wave pools, especially considering the not so bright people often in wave pools, tubes made out of remains of barrels or crates seems to me to be a recipe for a lot of injuries. I personally have been clobbered many times by kids and adults in tubes floating in wave pools.
Did I miss the retail shops?
UNCHARTED ALBION - Again, not much to criticize. very detailed with in depth descriptions. An interesting concept of an immersive park where you can not only swim and cool off but be a part of the game
CANDY CRUSH - I was confused by the paragraph about litter in the sea. I reread it several times and I'm still not sure what exactly you were saying, or how it related to the park itself.
I particularly like the idea of the point system being used to spread out the guests and relieve congestion in some areas. Actual theme parks could use an idea like this.
Candy Town Chocolate Experience and The Sugar factory are great, but how do you integrate that into a park where most of the guests spend the day soaking wet and in bathing suits? The idea of a hybrid park that has elements of both a waterpark and a themepark is a great idea, but explore it more and show us how it would work and how the park and the employees would accommodate the guests.
MYST WORLD OF AGES - This one I am very familiar with as I have played the entire Myst series. You picked a very rich game platform. You are off to an excellent start, and the framework you laid out is excellent. now you need to take it to the next level. be granular. In the world of Myst you have so many things to play with. You had a great idea about including Sirrus and Achenar and their pages, but you didn't include Atrus and the white pages. one thing that I thought of was on Myst Island doing a ride with the sunken boat at the dock. In the game you must raise it to find the book to go to one of the other ages... wouldn't that make a great ride?
Your proposal was superb. but since you're in the TOC, take it to the Nth level. if you think you've gone too far, you probably haven't gone far enough. That being said, you reminded me of how much fun I had in that world. if there was a themed park I would go to, this would be it.
Week 2 Challenge:
1. Douglas Hindley
2. Blake Meredith
3. AJ Hummel
4. Chad H
5. DPCC Inc.
Overall Standings
1. Douglas Hindley
2. Blake Meredith
3. AJ Hummel
4. DPCC Inc.
5. Chad H
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MINECRAFT CREEK
Glendale, Arizona
Video games and theme parks share many similarities. First-person adventures! Massive explorable worlds! Endless interactivity! Explore as you like, play as you like, the only rules are what you make!
No game does this better than Minecraft, perhaps the ultimate “sandbox.” Massive, procedurally-generated worlds are to open explore, mine, and alter. It’s basically virtual Legos. There are really no stories or characters beyond the player’s own imagination! Thanks to this, Minecraft has become the second-highest selling video game of all time (behind only Tetris), a cultural phenomenon for nearly a decade, hugely popular in the U.S., a property ripe for expansion.
Welcome to the new Minecraft Creek waterpark! Located in Glendale, Arizona, here guests (“players”) play their way all day. Cast members (“NPCs”) provide safety and fun for everyone. Water slides beckon the brave, while shaded beaches attract the restful, and game-like exhibits engage the creative.
Minecraft Creek’s look stays true to Minecraft’s charming block-based aesthetics. Every structure and surface is made from prefab 2-foot cubes. Blocky shells cover the water slides, replacing all curves with right angles – it’s the anti-Toontown! Landscaping is done with rectilinear topiaries and square patches. Even towering rockwork reflects this same visual style, like real world pixilation. The game’s soothing, ambient soundtrack provides the aural landscape.
SUNFLOWER PLAINS VILLAGE
All lands (or “biomes”) are based on the different types of natural worlds which Minecraft generates. The first biome players encounter is the quaint Sunflower Plains Village, a secluded medieval hamlet with homes of wood and stone. A motionless Iron Golem stands guard. At the center is a well, which serves the crucial function of providing free water bottles to all players. Simple limited-motion pigs, cows and chickens roam the outskirts. Raised garden beds appear between structures.
With such sights, you would hardly imagine we’re a mere 16 miles from downtown Phoenix, in a former field very close to Cardinals Stadium. But we are! Phoenix is America’s sixth-largest city (and growing), with a warm and dry climate ideal for waterparks...and yet there are few. Minecraft Creek would only truly compete against Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix and Big Surf Waterpark in Tempe.
Changing Houses are found primarily in Sunflower Plains Village, with additional Changing Houses in the other biomes. These humble rural cabins allow players to change and to shower. Lockers within are free to all players!
The Church dominates upon entry. Here is the main park service center, handling ticketing and operations. Minecraft Creek is open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hours generally are 10 am to 8 pm. One-day tickets are $40 (save $8 by buying online!), while season passes (Replay Passes) start at $70.
MineBand RFID wristbands are made available to every player free upon entry. (They are returned at day’s end.) These provide many services which are already commonplace in waterparks, services such as cashless purchases, locker access, and limited line reservations (at an upgrade).
More excitingly, MineBands gamify the entire park! Everywhere, on walkways and waterways and slides, are raw materials (wood, stone, plants, animals) which players can “mine” with simple MineBand gestures. Players access their inventory via app, Shelter consoles, or through convenient “treasure chest” kiosks. Raw materials can be used for in-park games, or can be traded with NPCs in select stores. Trading works similarly to the gift shops at Dave & Busters, where souvenirs are only available via trade, not purchase. (As souvenirs thus have no cash value, “winning” them is distinct from gambling.) MineBands encourage play and exploration much like Minecraft itself!
ATTRACTIONS
Overworld Creek is a lazy river (by ProSlide, like nearly all our attractions) traveling the entirety of Minecraft Creek clockwise. On blocky inner tubes, players float past all the park’s biomes. Overworld Creek is a relaxing mode of transportation, and a perfect intro to our world.
DINING
The Butcher Shop is a cozy sit-down restaurant – a unique proposition for a waterpark, but with heaters and towels and swimmer-friendly accommodations, an effective one. Enjoy indoor dining by torchlight, or picnic outside overlooking the waterways. Smoky roast dishes include beef, pork and chicken, plus mushroom stew with carrots and potatoes, all familiar to game fans.
The Farm provides a quick service stand alternative. While specializing in fresh watermelon and golden apples, The Farm also provides hungry players with classic waterpark fare such as hotdogs and hamburgers and pizzas.
RETAIL
The Blacksmith Shop is the flagship MineBand trading post. Here players may trade out their raw materials, found throughout the park, for goods such as branded clothing, costumes, pixelated foam pickaxes and swords, toy creatures, and a wide selection of Lego Minecraft sets.
The Library, despite its staid appearance, is actually the best store for waterpark supplies. Here are towels, lotions, sunglasses, hats, sandals, water shoes, everything players need for a day in the sun, all necessities available for purchase, not trade.
LUSH BIOME
Minecraft Creek is dominated by the iconic Mount Steve. This peak is inspired by the more surreal of Minecraft’s mountaintop seeds, all curlicue formations and illogical waterfalls. Lush Biome commands views of both Mt. Steve and its low-lying lagoons in a luxurious land of jungles and beaches. This is a peaceful subtropical biome, a convenient retreat and a perfect “spawning point.”
Shelters are rentable open-air cabanas fashioned after first-night houses made by many a novice Minecraft player. Iron furnaces issue warmth. Here, players may order snacks or make MineBand ride reservations. Big physical blocks allow for real world Minecraft building. Console screens let players enjoy the game the old-fashioned way.
ATTRACTIONS
Alex Lagoon dominates the biome, a wave pool the size of two football fields! Ocean waves swell from a distant island dominated by gigantic square mushrooms. Enjoy these waves freestyle, in a tube, or take a bodyboarding lesson from our certified NPC lifeguards.
Floating Island Paradise is a gentle swimming pool located below several picturesque floating islands. These islands stay aloft by supports hidden within tumbling waterfalls. Players may splash in these falls, or enjoy a freeform swimming area alongside the forested shore.
Wide Open Sandbox is Minecraft Creek’s main beach. The sands offer panoramas of Alex Lagoon, of Mt. Steve, and amenities such as lounge chairs and flower-shaped umbrellas. Boxy buckets let children create rectilinear sandcastles, and foam cubes let them build Minecraft architecture. Docks at water’s edge even allow for simulated fishing straight out of the game.
Flower Forest Flumes introduces youngest players to aquatic fun with toddler-appropriate slides and pools. ProSlide Kidz models include scaled-down versions of our many other attractions. A zero-depth splash pool, set amidst a field of purple flowers, completes the experience.
Jungle Temple Sprayground is a water playground set within an ancient stone ruin. Here young players slide down mossy steps, play music on note blocks, fiddle with redstone levers, and tame wild ocelots. Water pipes overhead continually fill an enormous bucket, which threatens to soak everyone.
DINING
Witch Hut Brews on the edge of the jungle serves up cauldron-made brews – specialized drinks, both virgin and alcoholic, with names like Nether Wart and Magma Cream. Players may patronize the hut either from land or from Floating Island Paradise’s semi-submerged swim-up bar.
RETAIL
The Woodland Mansion is a luxury estate reclaimed by the jungle. Inside is a shop dedicated to Minecraft’s wonderful world of dyes – note the plant species on display. Colored clothes sell here, as do large foam building blocks. A back room offers enchanted items for trade.
COLD BIOME
The treacherous central slopes of Mount Steve are home to shocking extremes – extreme cliffs, extreme sights, and extreme slides. Players are surrounded by a northern redwoods forest full of stupendous sights and steep drops. Only the bravest dare Cold Biome’s slides, but all escape with stories to tell.
ATTRACTIONS
Extreme Plunge Plus towers menacingly atop the highest peaks. This is Minecraft Creek’s most fearsome feature, four frightening drop tower slides. The region’s tallest and steepest, at 80 feet and 75 degrees! The floor literally falls out from under players! Slides intertwine with waterfalls down arabesque slopes.
Extreme Hills Speed Slope nearby is only comparatively tame – two parallel speed slides which pit player against player in a frenetic race to the lagoon below. Redstone-activated trap doors open simultaneously. Gravity does the rest, plunging players down a unique triple-down element, guaranteeing airtime!
Extreme Hills Racers are six side-by-side racing slides which navigate scenic crags past AA llamas. Pixilated mats increase speed. Entering splashdown, the lucky winner is “congratulated” with gallons of water dropped from above.
Mega Spruce Tornado hides its unique elements within a dense taiga forest. Players receive four-person cloverleaf rafts at the top (like all our rafts, conveyor belts save players the hassle of carrying them). Players then slalom through an enclosed cave tube into a Tornado Wave – a huge halfpipe cone of checkered colors. Through another mossy cavern, and into a Tornado Wall, sending rafts straight up, then backwards into the drink!
Stone Beach Dive seems at first like a standard enclosed body slide...until the transparent chute carries players under the ocean’s surface! They glide, surrounded on all sides by a submarine wonderland, dominated by the mysterious Ocean Monument.
DINING
Ocean Monument Grill is Minecraft Creek’s fanciest sit-down dining experience, boasting a spectacular underwater setting. Players enter a grotto at the ocean’s edge. They travel deep inside the Ocean Monument, with aquarium views of the undersea world beyond. Seafood dominates the menu, particularly Mediterranean favorites like calamari, shrimp pasta and grilled salmon.
RETAIL
The Mineral Vein is a natural crevasse entered via moss stone boulders. Within the earth sit glittering jewels. All manner of souvenir gems – diamonds, gold, lapis lazuli, redstone – are available for MineBand barter.
SNOWY BIOME
On the far arctic side of Mount Steve, white snow covers all surfaces and freezes the waters. Snowy Biome houses many of the park’s most interactive, game-like attractions. Snow golems – snowmen with jack-o-lantern heads – abound. Exploration is mandatory, with caves and mineshafts everywhere.
ATTRACTIONS
Rainbow Caves Slide ‘n’ Play is Minecraft Creek’s most unique, game-like slide! Rafts synched to players’ MineBands glide deep into a glacier. Inside one of four slides, transparent ice walls reveal beautiful, multihued minerals ready to mine. Players collect by pressing colored raft buttons, like if “Simon” were a thrill ride! This “slideboarding” is wildly interactive, sure to appeal to the gamer in everyone!
The Creation Dungeon, nestled amidst snow-capped pines, houses a palace of virtual reality experiences. Players (carefully dried off by NPCs) don VR headsets designed to resemble blocky Minecraft heads. They then explore wholly immersive virtual worlds! It’s just like playing Minecraft at home (because it uses the same engine), only it surrounds you!
Frozen River Rapids snakes throughout the perimeter of Snowy Biome. Intrepid players upon boxy inner tubes enjoy a 2,500-foot-long “action river” that is at times peaceful, at times hair-raising. A conveyor belt carries players to a gentle mountain stream, offering views of AA polar bears and rabbits. The stream narrows, until players plunge down a wild white water trough past AA wolves!
Ice Plains Plunge is the very essence of a water park – the body slides! Four unique ProSlide Twister slides, each embedded in a glistening ice sheet, twist and turn down a maze of frozen spikes to a warm pool below.
Cold Beach Burst lets players step out onto the frozen shores and board frigid rowboats. Turntables speed up – for this is a Mack Rides Twist ‘n’ Splash – and players battle each other with interactive water cannons. A gamified version of the classic teacups, where players may spray at each other or at MineBand targets.
DINING
Cold Taiga Snack Spikes offers up soft serve ice cream and popsicles from within a beautiful ice spire. Also try fan-favorite pumpkin pies and cookies.
RETAIL
The Igloo is a small shop upon the ice plain flats. It is another outlet for waterpark supplies available for purchase, a useful amenity so deep in the park.
WARM BIOME
This arid southwestern desert seems unforgiving, but slot canyons just out of sight teem with lush waterways. Warm Biome hosts many family-friendly attractions inspired by Minecraft’s endgame quests, making this a perfect adventure all can share together.
ATTRACTIONS
The Nether: Voyage on the Lava Seas transports players to a strange alternate dimension, The Nether, a hellish world of flame and magma. While Minecraft is mostly player-driven, it does feature two endgame quests. Players enter the Nether on their first mission, to summon and destroy the Wither, a task which is outlined wordlessly with pictorials in the strip mining queue.
The Nether is an enclosed family raft ride, the show building hidden within a monumental mesa. Players ride blocky “mine-rafts” up a conveyor lift...and through a Nether Portal. Indoors, a fiery hellscape surrounds them. Lighting “transforms” the water into lava. Sights and MineBand resources abound, including AA Zombie Pigmen, Magma Cubes, and flying, flame-belching Ghasts.
Mine-rafts navigate the snakelike 2-minute course. Players slide into an oppressive Nether Fortress made of netherrack, where they face the dreadful three-headed Wither seen looming over a 270 degree turn. Explosions surround the Wither, signaling its defeat. A 45 degree dive through another Nether Portal transports players outside, for a climactic splashdown!
Fossil Falls is the very first ProSlide Flying Saucer in the West! This family raft ride rampages through twisting halfpipes encased in fossilized ribcages. Players then enter the first of three “flying saucers” – unique discs featuring the steepest wall turns in water slide history!
Desert Temple Typhoon hides two parallel drop slides within the stairs of a derelict desert pyramid. Aesthetically, stepped pools make this Minecraft’s Hanging Gardens. Experientially, it’s a less intense Extreme Plunge Plus, a perfect “bridge” attraction for novice players.
Pitch Black Ravine takes players on a two-person raft sliding deep into a savanna ravine. Soon players are entirely underground in pitch black darkness, making every drop and turn to come totally unexpected!
The End is it! The final quest. The ultimate dimension. To reach endgame, players must brave this cosmic realm of shadows and destroy the mighty Ender Dragon.
First they queue inside a Stronghold, beckoned by hovering Eyes of Ender to a portal chamber. Here they load into 4-person “mine car” toboggans, ready for a thrilling 1,650-foot wholly-enclosed ProSlide water coaster! First toboggans climb a conveyor lift hill, with views of the End’s floating obsidian landmasses. Soulless AA Endermen roam. Projections on the domed ceiling depict the Ender Dragon, which constantly pursues toboggans.
As an experience, The End is very much like Space Mountain on water. Linear induction motors (LIMs) propel toboggans up slopes. Multiple dips, airtime hills and pipes hurtle players through an enclosed pretzel loop layout. It all crescendos with a faceoff against the physical AA Ender Dragon and an escape outside to the Overworld!
DINING
The Hunger Bar is housed in a desert well, an adobe hut housing a natural spring. This is a quick snack shack stacking up corndogs and pretzels and churros – the perfect desert meal.
RETAIL
The Beacon appears near the exit of The Nether, an immaculate pyramid of only the most valuable minerals, with a signal beam at the summit. Around its base is a MineBand barter shop dedicated to enchantment and alchemy.
SEASONAL EVENTS
During off-seasons and nights, Minecraft Creek extends its utility with a series of fabulous seasonal events.
Spectator Mode is a summertime concert series. On select weekend evenings, the park hosts a rotating selection of popular musical acts, all opened by our in-house rock group “Mine Band.”
Survival Mode is a Halloween haunt done Minecraft style! Buildings are emptied, waterways are drained, and all are converted into ghoulish mazes populated by mobs of zombies, skeletons and slimes. Monsters cannot spawn in torch-lit areas. The iconic Creeper hosts this scarifying party!
Creative Mode is a holiday showcase highlighting creativity. Artists are invited to design amazing buildings within the Minecraft engine, buildings which are then constructed in real life throughout the park for all to admire!
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Minecraft Creek takes an enormously popular video game franchise and faithfully realizes it in the waterpark format. Not only is Minecraft Creek a super fun water adventure, filled with the widest variety of slides and pools, it is also an engaging interactive gaming experience – thanks largely to our RFID MineBands. As both parks and games are explorable, first-person mediums, this is a natural fusion. Whether it’s thrills, relaxation, or an outlet for creativity, Minecraft Creeks delivers!
“Can you dig it?”