Tower of Terror: Untold Stories
This article refers to an older generation of the Tower of Terror series. You may be looking for Tower of Terror or Tower of Terror: The Definitive Edition.
| Builder(s) | |
| Status |
Ongoing |
| Class |
Entertainment |
| Start Date |
May 2017 |
| Completion Date |
September 2017 |
| Coordinates |
-2x -2z |
| Website |
N/A |
| VP Suite | |
Tower of Terror: Untold Stories is an attraction developed by GSK exclusively for Virtual Paradise, and the fourteenth generation of the Tower of Terror series. Untold Stories introduces new technologies and development methods powered by the TX ride system (introduced in 2013 with the tenth generation and the first to use a cinematic presentation) and is exclusive to Virtual Paradise, including smoother camera movements, seamless transitions, and increased animation counts. A probability engine was also developed that could be used to determine slight differences between ride sessions at any given moment, but it was not used until Tower of Terror: The Definitive Edition.
Tower of Terror: Untold Stories takes place inside The Hollywood Tower Hotel, an elaborate facade created to house the ride and its operations systems. According to the original backstory, riders are placed inside a seemingly ordinary hotel elevator, from which people mysteriously disappeared under the influence of a supernatural element many years prior, though Untold Stories deviates from this.
Key features
Whereas Tower of Terror Remastered was ported and upgraded in quality from ActiveWorlds, and had been in use since 2013 and therefore subject to that platform's restrictions, Untold Stories was developed for Virtual Paradise from the ground up.
- Seamless transitions: With Remastered and iterations prior in ActiveWorlds, cell limits required teleporting the user between navigable scenes before and after the main attraction. Untold Stories makes the entire experience seamless, so there's no interruption from start to finish.
- New architecture: Most iterations, including Remastered and The Definitive Edition, use a Pueblo Deco architectural design similar to that of the attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, France. Untold Stories uses the Neo-Mediterranean and Spanish Gothic architectural design similar to that of the attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park in Florida.
- Expansions: Remastered used one singular ride profile in the beginning, but when additional profiles were added onto it (i.e. The Rectal Thermometer Battle Memorial Update), a "menu selection screen" was used to allow a user to select which ride profile they wanted to experience. With Untold Stories, when new ride profiles are added that are permanent additions, new parts of the basement queue will be opened up to accommodate the new profiles, further adding to the seamless transitions promised for Untold Stories.
- 8X Texture Resolution: Most textures in Remastered are 256x256, which a small minority being 512x512. Textures in Untold Stories are 2048x2048 in resolution and utilize normal and specular mapping.
Stories
Tower of Terror: Untold Stories introduces new stories based on the original The Twilight Zone® Tower of Terror attraction at Disney parks.
Classic
Tower of Terror: Classic is based on the original attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, though, due to technical limitations, the ride itself uses the same track as the one previously located in Disney California Adventure. It is available to ride throughout most of the year.
After Dark
Tower of Terror: After Dark is a new story that mixes The Twilight Zone® Tower of Terror and The Haunted Mansion, with new lighting, revised show scenes, and a remixed soundtrack. It is available to ride only in October, and receives renovations and upgrades every other Halloween.
Cabin Fever
Tower of Terror: Cabin Fever is a new story that mixes The Twilight Zone® Tower of Terror and the world of The Shining, with new lighting, new show scenes, and a new soundtrack. It is available to ride only in December, and receives renovations and upgrades every other year.