THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606220360
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: 89 lines
The disembodied head of King Arthur pleads for help as it floats amidst flames. Arthur's sword Excalibur has been stolen and his kingdom is under siege from the dreaded ``Shadow People.''
Only Merlin the magician, the brave owl Pelinore and a ``magic gondola'' stand between Camelot and disaster.
There's melodrama aplenty in Busch Gardens' latest thrill, a 3-D, computer simulator ride called ``King Arthur's Challenge'' that opened Saturday.
``It's technically one of a kind,'' said Gregory P. Klich, Busch vice president of park operations. ``We wanted to be the first to display this.''
Computer simulators have been around for years and are routinely used to train astronauts and pilots. Amusement ride designers have adapted simulator technology, souping it up with more powerful computers and sophisticated software.
``Simulators add a different dimension,'' Klich said. ``They're not as thrilling as our coasters. But they are invigorating.''
The decision to create ``Arthur's Challenge'' came last November, in the aftermath of an international theme park convention held in the Netherlands, Klich said. Busch executives were so impressed by software demonstrated there, and the enhanced 3-D effects it made possible, that they decided to replace Questor, their existing flat-screen simulator ride that dated to 1990.
Replacement began in February. Busch officials refuse to divulge the cost, but say that roughly 300 have worked nonstop to make sure Arthur's Challenge opened on time.
``It hasn't been easy,'' said project manager Larry Giles, Busch's design and engineering vice president. ``But part of the beauty of these machines is that we can change the ride concept without changing all the hardware.''
Busch called in an army of specialists that paid close attention to detail. And there is a lot of it: the color and height of spectral flames that greet guests in a pre-ride antechamber; the shape of flagstones at the ride's exterior entrance; the frame-by-frame planning for the simulator film; and a series of live-action sequences.
Giles said that computer programmers wrote ``thousands of lines'' of software code to control simulator movement, and to synchronize it with the projected images on the ride's 150-square-foot screen.
For the full 3-D effect, riders must wear tinted plastic glasses. The images they see are transmitted by high definition video projectors, the same kind used by NASA to train astronauts for space shuttle missions.
There are actually two simulators, each showing the same film. To insure a steady flow, riders are alternately funneled into one or the other. Arthur's Challenge can handle about 1,400 riders an hour.
Busch uses four computer workstations to manage several control systems, including those that enable the cabin to pitch, roll, yaw, surge, sway or heave, depending on the on-screen action.
``Simulators allow you to go places you couldn't otherwise go,'' Giles said. ``The only thing that restricts you is your imagination.''
Simulators can make even the hardiest of coaster enthusiasts queasy, according to Steven A. Thompson, treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club and co-editor of the club's monthly newsletter.
That's not to mention headaches, or claustrophobia, which can be brought on by the enclosed simulator cabin.
``A couple of years ago, I felt more and more parks would go toward simulators,'' Thompson said. ``A few have -- the Busch parks, for example, and a couple of the Six Flags parks. There's one simulator at King's Dominion (outside Richmond). They haven't caught on in a big way.''
Building a simulator ride from scratch is expensive, says Garry Bickett, senior vice president of marketing for Paramount Parks, the company that oversees operations at Paramount Kings Dominion. He points out that an elaborate ride can cost up to $60 million. Cheaper thrills can be had for about $5 million.
``Days of Thunder,'' the Kings Dominion ride that premiered in 1993, cost $6 million, Bickett said. And that didn't include making a film. They already had one sitting in Paramount vaults. A new film would have doubled the project cost.
Bickett advises not to look for an explosion of simulator rides in theme parks anytime soon. Traditional attractions like roller coasters remain as popular as ever.
``There's a place for simulators,'' Bickett said. ``They're another entertainment choice that a person has when they visit a park. I don't think people will quit building roller coasters. There's no technology available that can replace the type of thrills you get from the real thing.'' MEMO: [For a related story, see page D2 of The Virginian-Pilot for this
date.] ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
VICKI CRONIS photos
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