Beyond Westworld: What Would Your Fantasy Amusement Park Be?

[Quilt Fairy]

The original movie Westworld also had a Roman World and a Medieval World of which we saw only brief glimpses.  A poster (in the Media Thread, I think) linked to an interview with one of the Westworld showrunners who intimated that although those two particular worlds wouldn't show up in the TV series, some others might. Which got me thinking, what other worlds could there be, and what would my own personal amusement park be like? My first thoughts were FabricWorld and GardenWorld, but I quickly realized that although infinite amounts of fabric to buy or gardens to visit would certainly give me pleasure, they weren't the total immersion experience that Westworld provides. But while the old West is a classic American mythos, as I've posted in the episode threads I think the primary demographic for Westworld is male rather than female.  And historically, in what eras was it really great to be a woman?  The only era that comes to mind (suitably romanticized, of course) is Regency England. So without further ado, I give you JaneAustenWorld, where everyone is impeccably polite, servants do all the grunt work so you may spend the entire day amusing yourself, and there are plenty of Mr. Darcys and Colonel Brandons to go around.

What would your fantasy park be?

[tiramisue]

I'd be down for a FabricWorld. ;)

For me it would probably be a Harry Potter World, though that could be difficult with the magical element of it all. Come to think of it, with the robots it should be possible to have talking animals, so that could be a great world for kids perhaps going on adventures with a talking lion cub and some fairytale aspects riding around the park on unicorns and stuff like that. 

[snowwhyte]

My first thought was also regency world, although that would be dependent on not having the constraints on women tt existed then. Trying to balance the realities of a time period with modern expectation is one of the most difficult things for them i think. If women are more inclined to go for a regency world rather that a Western World they might find it not as much fun as they think. With a Western world there is an inherent lawlessness and freedom to it whereas Regency England was about rigid gender and class roles. I'd want to try both but as a woman i think i would actually find Western World more fun.

[BigBeagle]

Glutton World, where I could all the delicious foods I wanted without gaining weight :-)

 

Seriously, I would love to visit a Sci-fi park aka Star Trek. That would be cool.

[Shanna Marie]

I was thinking about this, too. The experiences I'd want are tame enough that I wouldn't need robots. I wouldn't want to kill anyone, and I prefer sex to come with a relationship, but why start a relationship with someone who's just part of a game? So the only reason I'd need robots in my theme park would be for controlling the environment and story lines in a way that couldn't be done with human actors. I finally decided that I'd want a kind of Narnia land, where you go through a doorway in an old house and find yourself in a magical world where there are things like talking animals and magical creatures. They could use the technology to simulate magic. Guests could go on adventures and quests.

[Bongo Fury]

I'd like a Lord of the Rings fantasy type world with elves and dwarves and orcs, giants, dragons, etc. But in a more mature world with Game of Thrones type political intrigue. That would give you a world where you could do the D&D type dungeon crawl adventure, or a heroic quest adventure, or sing songs and listen to poetry with the elves, or feast with the dwarves, or engage in castle politics in one of the varied kingdoms. I think there would be enough variety in such a setting that it would appeal to a broad range of interests for both sexes.

[ennui]

2 hours ago, Bongo Fury said:

I'd like a Lord of the Rings fantasy type world with elves and dwarves and orcs, giants, dragons, etc. But in a more mature world with Game of Thrones type political intrigue. That would give you a world where you could do the D&D type dungeon crawl adventure, or a heroic quest adventure, or sing songs and listen to poetry with the elves, or feast with the dwarves, or engage in castle politics in one of the varied kingdoms. I think there would be enough variety in such a setting that it would appeal to a broad range of interests for both sexes.

Until then, the LotR film set in New Zealand is open for visitors.  

[Bongo Fury]

1 hour ago, ennui said:

Until then, the LotR film set in New Zealand is open for visitors.  

That sounds totally boring, where's the fun in traveling half way across the planet to just LOOK at stuff? Even the local Renaissance festival offers something you can actually DO.

[abcfsk]

Well a Jurassic World would be pretty cool. Not sure how they'd make it so the big t rex teeth can't hurt you though. 

[Maximum Taco]

Probably Star Wars or a similar space themed park. There's so much possibility in a world like that, it's also draws from a lot of the same motifs as the Wild West though, mixed a bit with the whole "Glory of War" type shtick, of course war isn't all that glorious, but it's a fantasy right?

White Hats

- Play a Jedi Knight, travel the stars and guard peace and justice.

- Play an ace X-wing pilot for the Rebellion/Resistance.

- Play a Rogue Agent, infiltrate Imperial Strongholds and gain intelligence.

- Search the stars yourself for Luke Skywalker and the first Jedi temple (this could be a high level, "find the maze" type quest)

Black Hats

- Play an Inquisitor. Sniff out Jedi survivors in the aftermath of Order 66 and mercilessly slaughter them for the Empire.

- Play an Imperial soldier/pilot. Crush resistance and rebellion from the seat of your AT-AT, or Tie Interceptor.

- Play a gangster, build your criminal empire and become feared in the Outer Rim.

Grey Hats

- Play a roguish smuggler. Travel the stars in your own ship, avoiding imperial blockades in search of the highest dollar.

- Play a bounty hunter. Track and search for the most dangerous prey. Bring them in, dead or alive.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[Bongo Fury]

51 minutes ago, Maximum Taco said:

Probably Star Wars or a similar space themed park.

Robot NPCs are done via the robots. How would you handle spaceships and multiple planets? I think the premise of this thread is: given the technology of Westworld, what other scenarios would appeal to you. At least that's how i took it.

[CabotCove]

TechWorld

Edited October 17, 2016 by DCLeague

[arc]

If TWD's monster success is any guide, a real Delos' first project probably would have been a zombocalypse world, not the Wild West.  But exegetically, HBO's not going to make a show that's half about zombies, even robot zombies. (Also, philosophical questions about host sentience would less compelling in a scenario where a lot of them would be scripted to act practically braindead.)

Anyways, zombie apocalypse isn't really my bag. But my other fantasy worlds would mostly involve me with insurmountably higher levels of physical skill, which I don't think is part of the Westworld package. Parkour World. NBA Hall of Famer world.

[Gobi]

Given the popularity of historical re-enacting, I would think that a Civil War or World War II park would be popular.

[meep.meep]

Anything that doesn't focus on killing!   Just because current video games are all shoot em ups, why does the future have to be like that?

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, Gobi said:

Given the popularity of historical re-enacting, I would think that a Civil War or World War II park would be popular.

Yep.  If I can't have time travel, then I'd settle for watching the Lincoln-Douglas debates, sitting in on the Constitutional Convention, or being at Yalta with Churchill, FDR, and Stalin.  The Roaring Twenties might be fun, as would Memphis in the 50's -- see Elvis before he got fat.  I don't know what I'd do except watch, but if the programming was right, just watching would be enough. 

[Shanna Marie]

After seeing this week's episode and the fact that there are apparently no discretely hidden restroom facilities, I need to add to my Narnia-like world setup. Because I'm a weenie who likes my creature comforts, there would be cleverly disguised pre-planned hotel-like stops for the quests, like with good mattresses embedded into the ground and disguised as a nice mossy patch and a pond with a waterfall pouring into it to serve as tub and shower, with a nearby cave with modern toilet facilities inside. So, the robot guide leading the quest would know the right place to say, "This looks like a good place to stop for the night. That springy moss makes for a comfortable bed." And if you're going to add the sex stuff to the adventure, that gives you a comfortable surface, plus the pond and waterfall allows for that "spotting the other person bathing" scene to play out.

I don't even like going to Renaissance festivals that use Portapotties instead of having real bathrooms. I don't think I'd be up for paying $40K a day to sleep on the ground and pee behind a rock. How many people who could afford the price for this sort of thing would be up for that?

[magicdog]

Maybe a TV World in which people could interact into their favorite TV show (drama or sitcom) and get involved in the action and "meet" characters they've enjoyed watching.

Perhaps a Mystery World in which people can get involved into a mystery solving adventure - perhaps pick from Sherlock Holmes (Victorian or Edwardian era), The Thin Man (1930s-40s), et al and try to solve an original mystery.  

[Gobi]

On 10/18/2016 at 10:44 AM, magicdog said:

Maybe a TV World in which people could interact into their favorite TV show (drama or sitcom) and get involved in the action and "meet" characters they've enjoyed watching.

Perhaps a Mystery World in which people can get involved into a mystery solving adventure - perhaps pick from Sherlock Holmes (Victorian or Edwardian era), The Thin Man (1930s-40s), et al and try to solve an original mystery.  

This was something that occurred to me. If Westworld were real, I believe actors would be licensing their characters for use in the park. Guests would  walk into a bar and see Clint Eastwood's man with no name  sitting there, in a town where John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn is sheriff and Lee van Cleef and Eli Wallach are gunslingers.

ETA: In one of the street scenes in episode two, there was a character in the background dressed as the man with no name.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Gobi
Content

[meep.meep]

On 10/18/2016 at 7:44 AM, magicdog said:

Maybe a TV World in which people could interact into their favorite TV show (drama or sitcom) and get involved in the action and "meet" characters they've enjoyed watching.

That was actually a plot point in Fahrenheit 451.  

[arc]

I GOT IT! The high fantasy version should be called Westerosworld.

[djsunyc]

trumpworld.

[Maximum Taco]

On 10/16/2016 at 1:55 PM, Bongo Fury said:

Robot NPCs are done via the robots. How would you handle spaceships and multiple planets? I think the premise of this thread is: given the technology of Westworld, what other scenarios would appeal to you. At least that's how i took it.

Ah, see I didn't get that at all. I just figured it was "Given unlimited resources, what temporary fantasy park would you want to visit?"

I guess if we're limited to Westworld's resources, maybe some kind of high seas pirate adventure. The world would be a large ocean/sea and there would be several islands scattered around.

You could either book as a single and be the captain of a crew of hosts, book a group and all crew the same ship, or get randomized into a ship of hosts and other guests.

[PreBabylonia]

On 10/17/2016 at 11:46 PM, Shanna Marie said:

After seeing this week's episode and the fact that there are apparently no discretely hidden restroom facilities, I need to add to my Narnia-like world setup. Because I'm a weenie who likes my creature comforts, there would be cleverly disguised pre-planned hotel-like stops for the quests, like with good mattresses embedded into the ground and disguised as a nice mossy patch and a pond with a waterfall pouring into it to serve as tub and shower, with a nearby cave with modern toilet facilities inside. So, the robot guide leading the quest would know the right place to say, "This looks like a good place to stop for the night. That springy moss makes for a comfortable bed." And if you're going to add the sex stuff to the adventure, that gives you a comfortable surface, plus the pond and waterfall allows for that "spotting the other person bathing" scene to play out.

I don't even like going to Renaissance festivals that use Portapotties instead of having real bathrooms. I don't think I'd be up for paying $40K a day to sleep on the ground and pee behind a rock. How many people who could afford the price for this sort of thing would be up for that?

I very much like your fantasy world, especially given the subtle addition of creature comforts, as you suggest. Either Narnia, or the Shire. Also like the pub - The Dancing Pony, I believe - so I would enjoy visiting various Hobbit towns before or instead of embarking on a great quest. Or perhaps visiting the Elves.

On 10/17/2016 at 5:25 PM, arc said:

If TWD's monster success is any guide, a real Delos' first project probably would have been a zombocalypse world, not the Wild West.  But exegetically, HBO's not going to make a show that's half about zombies, even robot zombies. (Also, philosophical questions about host sentience would less compelling in a scenario where a lot of them would be scripted to act practically braindead.)

Anyways, zombie apocalypse isn't really my bag. But my other fantasy worlds would mostly involve me with insurmountably higher levels of physical skill, which I don't think is part of the Westworld package. Parkour World. NBA Hall of Famer world.

Unfortunately, I think you're right. I enjoy TWD but have no desire to live within that world, although I like to fantasize that I would be good with that Katana.  But I remember reading a poll of fantasy worlds that fantasy fans would choose to live within, and I think that the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse was either the top choice or pretty close to it. I have no idea why anyone would want to live in that world. Only the self cannibalism of the Red River Odyssey (?) sounds worse.

[Uncle JUICE]

Why not the revolutionary war? It's the war we learn the most about when we're young, so it's a little romanticized, and there's plenty of characters in it that we'd recognize, plenty of cool events to go see during your week there. I think the Westworld idea is probably the top one, though, because it's so essentially American. Even watching Deadwood, I used to marvel at what a weird moment in American history that is, where we are literally creating the American dream, shaping the land and the future of towns, etc. 

[NutMeg]

I'd be happy with Renaissance Italy (or even the whole of Europe), there were so many differences in styles and crazy between Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice that that could keep me happy for months.

[David T. Cole]

[Pippin]

Because I am a big wuss, I would vote for some sort of Tolkien/Harry Potter/Narnia fantasy land where all the animals talk and I could have wonderful magical adventures with them and the assorted witches, wizards and elves, looking for lost rings (the Three, not the One; in this world Sauron took a hike a long time ago.)

Mind you, spending a week at Rivendale and then having a pleasant, (all modern facilities discreetly available) journey to Gondor via Lorien would be a nice, restful,  relaxing and positively stimulating (imagination wise) vacation.  Of course, YMMV.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

Some kind of theme park where you can be a member of:

- Henry the 8th's court 

- Marie Antoinette's court (pre-Revolution)

Both assuming you can't lose your head and that there's some kind of hidden a/c & system, modern toilets and that the hosts' "personal hygiene" isn't too realistic.

I'd be down for the Wild West (and I don't even like Westerns that much), if there were definite story lines for being "recused" or even just shown the town by a hot cowboy like Teddy. Or the brothel offered up some hot straight men for the ladies. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[Willowy]

I like the idea of being a participant in your favorite tv shows. Like I could be Spencer Reid's love interest, stake vampires with Buffy and the Scoobies, or a member of the Serenity crew. Wow, I'd never want to leave!

[Dobian]

Sitcomland would be fun, popping up in episodes of Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, Cheers, M*A*S*H.  I could talk all day with Granny Clampett, she busts me up.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Dobian

[jeansheridan]

I think a Star Wars world is possible given our virtual reality capabilities.  Or it could be a Star Wars world on planet versus flying around (the best bits of Star Wars for me are on the planets or inside the ship).  To hang out with Wookies would be so much fun.  And you could have adventures.  

To me the sex is the least appealing aspect of Westworld.  They have yet to show it be remotely romantic or relaxing.  Which may be the point.  Sex would not be the point of my world.  

Also future world could potentially be less sexist.  Harry Potter world has that possibility too.  

[huahaha]

I'd be Lorelai Gilmore in Stars Hollow for the week. Trade dirty stories with Miss Patty, seduce Luke, and fight off the evil machinations of my wealthy family.

Interacting with famous people from history would also be interesting, but I'm not sure how authentic that could feel.

[arc]

On 10/17/2016 at 2:25 PM, arc said:

my other fantasy worlds would mostly involve me with insurmountably higher levels of physical skill, which I don't think is part of the Westworld package. Parkour World. NBA Hall of Famer world.

The incomparable netw3rk (Jason Concepcion) pitched a much better NBA World than I did:

Quote

Dunkworld is an entirely bespoke experience. Every prop, building, and host in Dunkworld is scaled to the guest’s height in order to simulate the experience of being a 7-foot NBA player. For instance, if you’re 5-foot-8, the rim is set to 8-foot-8, and the Dunkworld LeBron James host is calibrated to 5-foot-4. Ceilings, cars, hotel beds, everything is adjusted to the guest’s height to create a fully immersive simulated NBA experience.

Edited November 8, 2016 by arc

[arc]

West Wing World, where we walk & talk and everyone on both sides of the aisle are competent and well-intentioned.

[A Boston Gal]

On 11/9/2016 at 0:48 AM, arc said:

West Wing World, where we walk & talk and everyone on both sides of the aisle are competent and well-intentioned.

Sign me up for this, pronto.

[arc]

Gonna need at least a month of decompression time to adjust back to the real world though.

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

This might be cheesy, but I would want some child's storybook type world. You could be Prince Charming or the court jester, live as a fisherman in a sea zhanty, go out in a little country village. People could learn old timey trades or sit and talk in the pub. It could have different parts so people who want to get drunk and have sex would be in certain places, while those who want something nore family friendly could be somewhere else. 

That, or Alice in Wonderland. That'd be cool. Or a Roaring Twenties world. Speakeasies and dancing galore!

[arc]

It's obvious what our dream park would be.

Come experience the Old West, and then the Mesa Hub... at Westworldworld.

[Gobi]

I would like Exposition Park, where everything you wanted to know about your favorite tv shows, movies, books, etc. was explained by the characters.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Gobi

[okerry]

10 hours ago, arc said:

It's obvious what our dream park would be.

Come experience the Old West, and then the Mesa Hub... at Westworldworld.

LOL I used to live in Phoenix, too, and always think of that other Westworld when watching this show!

[arc]

Oh, I had no idea I was making a Phoenix reference. I thought the "Mesa Hub" was what the giant hidden building in the show was called.

[okerry]

http://www.westworldaz.com/#about

[arc]

Immersive Therapy World. Hosts are patterned after your friends, family, enemies, frenemies, and so on. From various points in your life, even.

[Abernathy]

PlayboyMansionWorld

[Gobi]

A park with realistic dinosaurs. Cretaceous World, maybe?

[magdalene]

A world based on some of my favorite book series - like Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, or TV series like BTVS/Angel or Black Sails.   However,  I would want my worlds to be strictly PG and R rated at most.  No actual torture, no sexual exploitation, no exploitation of the hosts period - they should be there out of their free will and be compensated for their participation.  I would also want to have AC and modern bathroom facilities available no matter what the time period of the world is because "roughing it" is not my thing.

[NutMeg]

The following is inspired by an episode of Black Mirror:

I'd love to go back to any decade of my youth (teenage, college, etc.), as a person looking exactly like I did back then (i.e. no ageing) or as I wished I'd looked (i.e. a better version of me). Push that a bit and make me be able to chose any decade in say the last two centuries, in any part of the world, and with me being any age I want to be, from young ingenue to old crone, with me able to chose personae like mean ingenue, young witch, benign old wise woman, or man, for that matter. 

[arc]

In a similar vein to Dunkworld (everything scaled down so you're 7' tall in Dunkworld), what about BoxingWorld, where heavyweights are scaled down a bit and more importantly, slowed down so comparatively you're as fast as Muhammad Ali? In easy mode, they'd even signal with their eyes what punch they'd throw next.

[ChipBach]

GangsterWorld - Capone, Luciano, cute Prohibition parties...