Not dead!

Project is not dead, sorry for the lack of updates I am working on the ride building and having a bit of trouble, also birthdays and work have hindered me slightly.

The ride building

I started work on the ride building and the upstairs area. I decided to have a recreation of the house of the future in it that kids can explore and use a tablet device (attached to the wall or a stand) to activate certain things.

Living in Mesa Verde

Continuing through the new Mesa Verde guests are shown inside a special desert home. The home scene would replicate that of the original ride with a cake being baked and presents. The home would have special air conditioning and anti- UV windows to prevent strong sunlight getting in. A dehumidifier would be featured somewhere as well as sensors to detect sandstorms. The Omnimover would then enter another theatre showing travel from Mesa Verde to Seacastle.

Mesa Verde

On exiting the theatre the omnimver takes guests through the new Mesa Verde with more realistic Wheeled robots pulling a trailer with numerous arms for harvesting the crops. Also A redesigned control station would be put in place.

The city of the future

The next scene would show a city street from the future with more homes and roads off in the distance either using a small model or large wall painting to achieve this effect. From here A small show is presented in a second theatre about desert greening and farming in the deserts.

The home of the future

After a large screen showcases new technologies and a travel through a theatre, possibly an omnimax although on my plans it is far too small to be, the home of the future scene begins. This would show what living might be like in a city of the future using smart home technologies to allow complete control through voice commands or tablet devices.

Location 2

From looking at EPCOT I have had an idea. Put Horizons back in its original spot. In order for this to work Mission: space would have to be removed, but there is an empty pavilion just sitting unused (Wonders Of Life). With an  overhaul it could become a space pavilion using the domed roof as a Planetarium showing stars and galaxies. Have Mission: Space moved to an exterior building connected to wonders of life and add in a few more space rides then a true space pavilion exists.

Looking back into the future

This is the section of the ride that will remain mostly the same. Using scenes reconstructed from the original showing the future from Jules Verne to the 80s. I felt the ride should focus most on the 80s original to really show how things have changed in such a short period of time, also to link the new ride into the original. The scenes I would say should be chosen for each are as follows. For Nova Cite use the old narrators living room. For Mesa Verde the harvester scene with the control booth and hover vehicle (Pegasus). For Seacastle the boyfriends solo sub repair room. Finally for Brava Centauri probably either the science lab or the anti gravity room with the dog and the child's missing shoe.

Location

The ride will need a good location within EPCOT, anyone have any ideas?

Entrance and queue area on initial plan

Here is the Area I have made in 3D so far. I wanted to keep this close to the original but also update the look to a more modern feel. I could possibly change the backing colour from black to white but this might give it too much of a clinical feel as opposed to an adventure into the future.

The Queue Line

Using the same omnimover system from the original, Throughput should not be a problem for the ride so the queue is relatively small. To tie it into the original queue I added a small Hexagonal protrusion on one side to fit a screen showing small clips of each destination featured in the ride. I also added some key phrases from the original ride to the wall changing Horizons 1 to Horizons 2.

The ride Foyer in 3D

For the ride foyer I tried to be as faithful to the original ride as possible while also keeping it new. I added a tourist information desk that a Cast Member would stand behind almost as if it were a real tour center. The logo is on the front of the desk and the futureport sign from the original on the right wall. Of course in keeping with the design the original tagline of 'If we can dream it, we can do it' had to be included alongside the salmon and blue stripes.

Ride storyline and ideas

Obviously with new technological advances and ideas about the future the original rides ideas can not be included. I wanted, however to stick to a similar layout plan to the original ride. Starting from Jules verne and looking back through history at different periods, putting focus on the 1980s with 4 scenes from the original (Nova Cite, Mesa Verde, Seacastle and Brava Centauri). I then wanted to update these 4 locations showcasing new ideas about the future. Also, keeping with the original, a choose your ending and birthday scene to finish the ride. Because my new track layout all fits on 1 floor dipping down lower for one segment there is room for an upstairs with activities similar to the old Imageworks but focusing on the future.

Floorplan Layout

Here is the floor plan for the ride show area (ignoring backstage and maintenance). I think that keeping the rides original footprint and building shape is the best idea, possibly with an exterior redesign to bring it up to modern views on the future. As of now you can't read any of the text but ill go into it all in more detail.

About

Hello everyone!

I have decided to start building and designing a Horizons 2.0. I am currently using Google Sketchup and just wanted somewhere I could show people what I was doing. Feel free to share around and give me ideas!