InterGame looks at how simulators continue to play an important role in the FEC mix

Simulators are attraction pieces - always have been and always will be - but more and more, they are becoming an integral part of an FEC’s mix of amusement machines and are continually evolving to suit the needs of the location’s customers.

Where once simulators were large, expensive systems that needed to be manned and were only really suitable for large theme parks, they can now go as small as a kiddie ride, costing under £5,000.

While the larger spectacles costing a quarter of a million pounds still have their place in the amusement sector, the simulation market has really opened up, allowing operators with all sorts of budgets a slice of the action.

"The large systems needed a high concentration of people over a small period of time to make money," said FX Simulation’s Alan Fleming. "Exhibitions, air shows and so on were the biggest markets for them. They also needed an operator and there were problems tracking the money and the size of them restricted where they could be placed.

"With small coin-operated simulators they can make a lot of money from a small flow of people. An X2 two-seater simulator only needs to have six customers an hour over a 12 hour day and it will pay for itself within a year."

And just in case you thought the smaller simulator might well fit into a location better, but doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to thrilling the customer, you would be wrong. According to a scientific test done on UK television by the Gadget Show, in which heart rate, adrenalin and grip were measured, FX Simulation’s X2 provided a much greater thrill than a larger simulator and was almost on par with the thrill of a roller coaster.

"Simulators need to scare people in a safe environment," said Fleming. "Think about it this way. Would the roller coasters at theme parks be as fun going at a tenth of the speed… no they’d be boring and your mind would start to wander. On a full speed roller coaster you don’t have time to think about anything else apart from what’s going on in front of you. It’s the same for simulators, you need to grab and hold people’s attention to give a good simulation."

As the simulator sector has evolved, certain trends have become apparent and for Steve Kim of Simuline the world of 3D is one of the biggest trends of the moment. "Commercial movies such as Avatar and 3D televisions and equipment have provided a major boost to the sector and we have seen a big shift towards using 3D technologies in simulators.

"At Simuline we have utilised innovative features such as 4D special effects to simulate wind and snow blizzards to improve the quality of the ride experiences. These 3D/4D motion theatres were developed for larger venues and theme parks but we have developed a four and eight-seater compact, transportable and maintainable motion ride theatre."

According to Kim, the coin-op market hit a slump and arcades weren’t doing too well with general earnings and investment in new machines decreased. This saw manufacturers such as Simuline develop smaller two-seater interactive driver simulators such as Aquarace and Hummer (developed in cooperation with Sega).

"These machines proved that the income from sites doubled compared with the single-seater games," said Kim. "Now passengers are couples or parents accompanying children so the profitable games are the ones that people can enjoy together."

Sega’s Justin Burke adds to this: "Simulation has gone from being quite sci-fi orientated to more attraction pieces. Pieces such as Out Run and Hummer have really taken the idea of simulation on board to provide the game with a bit of wow-factor. Simulators used to be quite technical and they have now become plug and play pieces making life a lot easier."

##image2##

It would seem that simulators are also recession proof to some degree, as all of the industry professionals InterGame interviewed agreed that there has been no noticeable drop in the number of machines being sold.

"Operators are still willing to invest as long as it is the right product," said Burke. "Simulators are long-term investments and will stay with the operator for five years or more."

Kim adds to this, commenting: "During the global economic crisis operators have been hesitant to invest in some coin-op games but at Simuline we have sold a number of four-seater motion ride theatres in single locations across Korea.

"With the right technology and business plan the market re-emerged as our small scaled four-seater and eight-seater 3D/4D simulators satisfied the ever-growing demand for high-tech products and fantastic ride motion."

However, there are those in the industry who believe that bigger is most certainly better and for Tony Rose of Smiling Lion, exclusive distributor for Doran simulators, coin-op simulators can’t possibly produce the same experience as a full-size simulator. He told InterGame: "The technology used is inferior, the screen is smaller and the motion of a large simulator is impossible to replicate."

Whether this is true or not is probably irrelevant as regardless of whether a simulator can seat 12, six or two people, the key to making it work is to make it as realistic as possible within its capability and the fact that there are smaller simulators on the market opens up the doors of opportunity for more people. According to Triotech in Canada, the more realistic you are with your simulation the more success you will have with it.

Gilles Ravel told InterGame: "We make sure our product delivers the best experience and to do so, we use only the best components to build them. The key elements for a successful product are a great platform that generates realistic movements; a high quality movie and the interaction between the two needs to be flawless - add to that a low maintenance system and a quick ROI and you have a pretty good recipe for success."

Simulation is not, however, restricted to just machines and more and more locations are introducing the idea of sports simulation, typically more the bar locations and so on. Visual Sports provides locations with an interactive real golf and multi-sports simulation. It sells a six in one package that includes golf, football, baseball, basketball and hockey, meaning six sports can be played via the same system and in the same space.

As the popularity of 3D and 4D continues to increase there are clear growth opportunities for simulators worldwide and the motion technology behind them will continue to improve to meet customers’ high expectations. According to Fleming the growth of the simulation industry will come in two forms. "Firstly in the motion platforms as industry trends show which platforms are more popular and are therefore developed by more manufacturers and secondly in the ride experience area," he said.

"Today big capsule simulators are showing the same rides they rolled out of the factory with, 20 years ago. With today’s society ever-demanding more quality and greater content, the ride film development will be just as critical, if not more so, than the actual hardware. After all, there is no point having a fast car and only driving it along a straight road."

Kim adds to this, telling InterGame: "More 3D content will be introduced and accordingly 3D monitors will advance technologically. Therefore simulator games will use advanced 3D technology and in the very near future, there will be no need for 3D glasses in the single or two-person interactive type simulators, enabling operators to invest in more games."

First published April 2010