Am I the only one that is unimpressed with SWGE - where is the juice?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It is not that it was too long to wait. It was that the ride wasn't a "must do" to anyone in our party, even my sister who had never done it. We all said we would wait if my nephew wanted to ride it. He said "we can skip it...I've already been on it 3 times." And then he chose to ride Pirates, and we waited 25 minutes, and then we went over to DCA and waited 40 min for Incredicoaster.

I found it curious that this 8 year old boy, who is Star Wars obsessed was like "been there done that, don't need to do it again." He was Kylo Ren for Halloween last year, a Stormtrooper the year before that, and a jedi the year before that. He is all in on the new trilogy. And he is just like "meh."

Yeah you didn't say it was too long just that your traveling party didn't want to wait 55mins for it or had the high interest in it. That's why I didn't quote your comment. I quoted another poster who mentioned long wait time who had quoted your comment. I hope that makes sense lol.

Wonder how he'll feel for Rise. I'm hoping that will be more exciting for me personally

 

[fatmanatee]

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, much bigger than Harry Potter. But I too would choose Hagrid's rides over Smugglers Run. In fact, I'd probably choose it over many of Disney's rides. It's a really good ride.

I think the Harry Potter lands at Universal, and frankly the whole Harry Potter franchise, lends itself better to a theme park experience than Star Wars. Star Wars is made up of many locations, with a big appeal of the whole thing being spaceships, lightsabers, and using the force. That's a little hard to recreate in a theme park. Whereas Harry Potter takes place in really only three primary locations, all of which have been recreated. Plus, you don't have 30+ years of different movies, shows, books, etc. on the subject matter as you do with Star Wars. And, certainly not last or least, but you have the new movies that Disney is trying to promote while also trying to please people that only care about the older movies. Star Wars is just a much harder thing to bring to life in the theme parks.

This keeps coming up and I don't think people quite understand that Hogsmeade makes perfect sense as a theme park "land" and nothing from SW quite works the same way (this isn't their fault, you don't make movies thinking about how they might look as a theme park land 40 years later), which I imagine is partly why they went in this direction. What they ended up with was basically a hopped up Mos Eisley, which I think works. Obviously some others don't feel the same way!

 

[DLgal]

Yeah you didn't say it was too long just that your traveling party didn't want to wait 55mins for it or had the high interest in it. That's why I didn't quote your comment. I quoted another poster who mentioned long wait time who had quoted your comment. I hope that makes sense lol.

Wonder how he'll feel for Rise. I'm hoping that will be more exciting for me personally

Yeah, that's why I clarified. The adults were all like "not worth it" but we would have waited if the kid wanted to. We left it up to him, and he deemed it not worth it either.

We are all excited about the new ride, but I am very skeptical that it will run reliably. I hope I get to experience it without too much drama.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah, that's why I clarified. The adults were all like "not worth it" but we would have waited if the kid wanted to. We left it up to him, and he deemed it not worth it either.

We are all excited about the new ride, but I am very skeptical that it will run reliably. I hope I get to experience it without too much drama.

Agreed. I expect maybe a few issues here and there as with any new ride. As it stands it will be years for me to get to ride Rise but I hope for everyone that it's just those small blips vs large ones especially with neither location getting that ride when the land first opened.

 

[SMRT-1]

Yes! I thought you threw out a random ‘192’ but with all the types, hilts, and color combos, I can now see how that was a calculated amount on your part.

Yep. Although, now that I look at it, I screwed up and forgot about the switches, so it should actually have been 384, not 192.

[WARNING: IF YOU DON"T WANT TO READ THE BIG SCARY MATH, LOOK AWAY NOW! ]

Each set at Savi's contains the following.
2 emitters
4 sleeves in 2 potential places (above or below the switch)
2 switches
2 endcaps

Since any given pair of sleeves can be configured in 2 different ways (swapping above/below the switch), it's order dependent, meaning that a permutation is required to calculate the number of possible variations (which in this case evaluates to 12 possibilities).

So that's 2 x P(4,2) x 2 x 2 = 2 x 12 x 2 x 2 = 96 possible configurations for each set.
There are 4 different sets, so 96 x 4 = 384 possible unique lightsaber hilts that can be built at Savi's.

I left out the color options, since the kyber crystals can be purchased separately outside of Savi's. However, for the sake of completeness, if one did want to get every hilt with every one of the 4 colors available at Savi's, then that would bring the total up to (4 x 384) = 1536.

 

[EmJ]

Yep. Although, now that I look at it, I screwed up and forgot about the switches, so it should actually have been 384, not 192.

[WARNING: IF YOU DON"T WANT TO READ THE BIG SCARY MATH, LOOK AWAY NOW! ]

Each set at Savi's contains the following.
2 emitters
4 sleeves in 2 potential places (above or below the switch)
2 switches
2 endcaps

Since any given pair of sleeves can be configured in 2 different ways (swapping above/below the switch), it's order dependent, meaning that a permutation is required to calculate the number of possible variations (which in this case evaluates to 12 possibilities).

So that's 2 x P(4,2) x 2 x 2 = 2 x 12 x 2 x 2 = 96 possible configurations for each set.
There are 4 different sets, so 96 x 4 = 384 possible unique lightsaber hilts that can be built at Savi's.

I left out the color options, since the kyber crystals can be purchased separately outside of Savi's. However, for the sake of completeness, if one did want to get every hilt with every one of the 4 colors available at Savi's, then that would bring the total up to (4 x 384) = 1536.

Screen name checks out


I spent a ridiculously long time trying to figure out the chance that any one person in our party of three would receive a pilot card. I went through four sheets of paper on a legal pad and googled scary equations that I SWEAR I knew in high school. But now “n!” just looks like what I cry out when I hit my toe in the night but don’t want to wake my son. So I still don’t know

 

[Turksmom]

Screen name checks out


I spent a ridiculously long time trying to figure out the chance that any one person in our party of three would receive a pilot card. I went through four sheets of paper on a legal pad and googled scary equations that I SWEAR I knew in high school. But now “n!” just looks like what I cry out when I hit my toe in the night but don’t want to wake my son. So I still don’t know

Next time invite 3 friends who don't care what position they have. No math

 

[EmJ]

Next time invite 3 friends who don't care what position they have. No math

I’m hoping DH gets to be pilot, but if not, we will all live. Neither The Boy nor I will pilot, so if any of us get it, we will give it to DH. If two of our party are lucky enough, we will give one to DH and trade the other. I was just curious about the probabilities, but clearly I’ve let certain key brain cells atrophy, lol.

 

[LanceQ]

I think the Harry Potter lands at Universal, and frankly the whole Harry Potter franchise, lends itself better to a theme park experience than Star Wars. Star Wars is made up of many locations, with a big appeal of the whole thing being spaceships, lightsabers, and using the force. That's a little hard to recreate in a theme park. Whereas Harry Potter takes place in really only three primary locations, all of which have been recreated. Plus, you don't have 30+ years of different movies, shows, books, etc. on the subject matter as you do with Star Wars. And, certainly not last or least, but you have the new movies that Disney is trying to promote while also trying to please people that only care about the older movies. Star Wars is just a much harder thing to bring to life in the theme parks.

Totally agree. The degree of difficulty for a SW land was much higher than that for HP.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It's not that long especially given what it is (ETA: meaning the it attraction in the new it land and no FP to artificially inflate the wait time). Not wanting to wait in a line with that wait is different. 4hrs for FOP now that I will agree is long but 55mins for this brand new attraction? No.

But some people just don't want to wait in a line, it's understandable. There are people on the Boards that are in the "if it's more than 20mins nope" good for them but for me that may mean I never get to ride X ride. You're speaking to someone who gets to WDW about every 6 years and has no plans to go back to DLR anytime soon so no not about being a local or having an AP.

If it helps, we usually keep most waits under 25, but we were also willing to make an exception for the new Star Wars ride to see a brand new ride.


*****
I just posted this math in another thread, so please forgive the slight off-topic:

Time is $.
1 adult party ticket = $84 for 5 hours = $0.28 per minute.
Tootsie Rolls = $14 for 700 (current Target price) = $.02 per Tootsie Roll ("Midgee" size)
11 minutes of party time = $3.08 per adult.

So 11 minutes in line for 20 Tootsie Rolls = spending $3.08 for $0.40 worth of candy!
******

If 4 adults spend 55 minutes of party time for 1 ride = $61.60 for 1 ride.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If it helps, we usually keep most waits under 25, but we were also willing to make an exception for the new Star Wars ride to see a brand new ride.

I think maybe we're getting our conversations crossed in at least what we're meaning; maybe just best to leave it at that

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think maybe we're getting our conversations crossed in at least what we're meaning; maybe just best to leave it at that

Understood. For my part, I was following that you were toggling between my comments and comments by DLgal.


******

I just find it interesting how differently we perceive time in different settings.
Few folks realize RNRC is only about 90 seconds long. Why?

I also appreciate DLgal's observations. We rode the new SW ride twice: once standby and once as single riders. We could have gone on the ride a third time, but none of us felt like going for a 3rd ride.

That marks a bit of a contrast for us. When Toy Story Mania was new, we were really excited to ride it multiple times, despite the fact that pulling the cord gets rather tiring.

The new Falcon ride was okay, but we didn't feel that same desire to improve our score.

 

[monkyby87]

Understood. For my part, I was following that you were toggling between my comments and comments by DLgal.


******

I just find it interesting how differently we perceive time in different settings.
Few folks realize RNRC is only about 90 seconds long. Why?

I also appreciate DLgal's observations. We rode the new SW ride twice: once standby and once as single riders. We could have gone on the ride a third time, but none of us felt like going for a 3rd ride.

That marks a bit of a contrast for us. When Toy Story Mania was new, we were really excited to ride it multiple times, despite the fact that pulling the cord gets rather tiring.

The new Falcon ride was okay, but we didn't feel that same desire to improve our score.

It's also hard to understand how the score works on the Smugglers Run ride. I think a lot of people didn't realize there really even was a numerical value attached to it. For me, I enjoy this ride, but it's not one that I'm going to want to do every time I visit Disney. I feel the same way about FoP to though, so maybe my opinion on rides is skewed, haha.

 

[yulilin3]

It's also hard to understand how the score works on the Smugglers Run ride. I think a lot of people didn't realize there really even was a numerical value attached to it. For me, I enjoy this ride, but it's not one that I'm going to want to do every time I visit Disney. I feel the same way about FoP to though, so maybe my opinion on rides is skewed, haha.

I think they need a better system in the queue to educate guests on the different positions, how to do each one, and emphasize that the CAN control the ride and the outcome. A lot of people think it's like any other attraction where it's fixed and they just move the handles and press the buttons thinking it makes no difference
I have gotten 100% on Engineer because I figured you can only touch the buttons that are lit, if by mistake you press one that isn't your score goes down. Using the play app you can get very competitive and after the ride Hondo gives you xxx credit amounts on the overall team, not just your score
Also the legendary 3rd coaxium case that some have said to have captured with a perfect flight....I need to see that

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think they need a better system in the queue to educate guests on the different positions, how to do each one, and emphasize that the CAN control the ride and the outcome. A lot of people think it's like any other attraction where it's fixed and they just move the handles and press the buttons thinking it makes no difference
I have gotten 100% on Engineer because I figured you can only touch the buttons that are lit, if by mistake you press one that isn't your score goes down. Using the play app you can get very competitive and after the ride Hondo gives you xxx credit amounts on the overall team, not just your score
Also the legendary 3rd coaxium case that some have said to have captured with a perfect flight....I need to see that

I agree.

All 3 times we rode it it was very chaotic inside when they gave you your cards. The first time we rode it and got Engineer it was hard to even hear and fully understand what we were supposed to do. We double checked and was told 'press the button' Ok great but after that I had no real connection to what I was doing inside the ride to what my position was.

I think what may also help is a quick stats rundown on the screen before you exit the vehicle. I think the

Spoiler

hitchhiking part at the end

took up that time that could have been used to show people what their actions did for that particular ride. ***I added spoiler tags in case people hadn't ridden it yet didn't want to give details away of the ride if people didn't want that***

We didn't play the Parks game while there--maybe our bad? kinda was trying to conserve battery life on the phones too. Are the credits only given on the Parks app game then? You can tell that obviously we didn't have the full knowledge of the ride then if I have to ask that question lol.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You know...I almost posted earlier that we found the Smuggler's Run scoring a little deficient in some way, but I resisted, because I can't quite put my finger on why we felt that way. Generally, we really love the rides with points: Buzz (could use some updating), Men in Black (be even better with say, 25% less spin), and TSM.

I recently watched part of the SWGE infomercial, and it did give me a little better sense of what the land creators were trying to accomplish with the new land. Many of the ideas they had for the new land are noble.

I like the idea of characters interacting in fun ways. The stormtroopers are a highlight of the new land. I LOVE that they get to be themselves, and do more than stand for autographs and photos.

It just feels like the execution of the ideas needs more revision.

I thought it was comical and telling when they showed the Imagineers wearing VR goggles. Ah, the new land is supposed to be like a VR game!

So do the light sabers interact with the land or anything? Will they have some kind of a role/benefit in the second ride? If so, that could be interesting.....

 

[disneyseniors]

RE: Smugglers Run: I don't want to ride an attraction where the outcome of what I do or don't do affects 3 other people. I don't care what you are supposed to do; it's a ride. I want to be able to watch the action on the screen and not worry about someone getting mad because I am just not as into SW as they are. I probably won't bother with it, but I do like Star Tours.
It is probably frustrating for someone who is a SW fanatic and the out come of the ride is very important to them. I get that. But I think there are a lot more like us who just want to be entertained and experience a ride without worrying about what we do or don't do. I think it is Disney's fault for setting it up this way. Maybe they could have made a version for the uber fan and another for those who could care less about doing the right thing and just want to enjoy it. Just MHO.

 

[monkyby87]

RE: Smugglers Run: I don't want to ride an attraction where the outcome of what I do or don't do affects 3 other people. I don't care what you are supposed to do; it's a ride. I want to be able to watch the action on the screen and not worry about someone getting mad because I am just not as into SW as they are. I probably won't bother with it, but I do like Star Tours.
It is probably frustrating for someone who is a SW fanatic and the out come of the ride is very important to them. I get that. But I think there are a lot more like us who just want to be entertained and experience a ride without worrying about what we do or don't do. I think it is Disney's fault for setting it up this way. Maybe they could have made a version for the uber fan and another for those who could care less about doing the right thing and just want to enjoy it. Just MHO.

I respect your opinion, and I agree to an extent; I enjoy rides that don't necessarily require the individual to make work. But that was the whole point of this ride, to make it more interactive than just sitting there, to make it feel like you are actually taking an active part. It's not going to be for everyone.

Having ridden several times, I have yet to encounter someone that actually cared about their score or how the other people in the ride performed. Frankly, I was always more concerned with my own tasks and watching the screen than thinking about how other people performed. The "outcome" really isn't anything; it only affects your score, not the actual operation of the ride. I just really don't think the actions of the other people in the cockpit affects the ride in any sort of way as to make it a lesser of an experience, or alter your enjoyment of the ride. There's enough movement in the cockpit at all times that there's just no way to tell who is or isn't doing something.

But I do respect your feelings, I'm sure you're not alone.

 

[yulilin3]

RE: Smugglers Run: I don't want to ride an attraction where the outcome of what I do or don't do affects 3 other people. I don't care what you are supposed to do; it's a ride. I want to be able to watch the action on the screen and not worry about someone getting mad because I am just not as into SW as they are. I probably won't bother with it, but I do like Star Tours.
It is probably frustrating for someone who is a SW fanatic and the out come of the ride is very important to them. I get that. But I think there are a lot more like us who just want to be entertained and experience a ride without worrying about what we do or don't do. I think it is Disney's fault for setting it up this way. Maybe they could have made a version for the uber fan and another for those who could care less about doing the right thing and just want to enjoy it. Just MHO.

there are plenty, basically all the rides at WDW and UOR that are like the one you describe. Sit and watch the action. Disney decided to make an intricate ride system where you actually control different aspects of a ride. I think it's innovative in that sense, for the sit down and watch the action, I'll just walk out of SWGE and go to adifferent arrea

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I respect your opinion, and I agree to an extent; I enjoy rides that don't necessarily require the individual to make work. But that was the whole point of this ride, to make it more interactive than just sitting there, to make it feel like you are actually taking an active part. It's not going to be for everyone.

Having ridden several times, I have yet to encounter someone that actually cared about their score or how the other people in the ride performed. Frankly, I was always more concerned with my own tasks and watching the screen than thinking about how other people performed. The "outcome" really isn't anything; it only affects your score, not the actual operation of the ride. I just really don't think the actions of the other people in the cockpit affects the ride in any sort of way as to make it a lesser of an experience, or alter your enjoyment of the ride. There's enough movement in the cockpit at all times that there's just no way to tell who is or isn't doing something.

But I do respect your feelings, I'm sure you're not alone.

There was that poster a page back talking about being yelled at by other people in the ride vehicle for their performance. I do remember last year and earlier this year when we were all talking about just what this ride was that people were concerned on both fronts--concerned that they would get talked about by other guests in terms of their performance and concern that other people (I think it was more aimed at children) would affect their performance leading to disappointment.

I never really paid attention to what others were doing either in all honesty. However, I cringe when I think of that poster and how that probably has happened to others.