Business

 

 

Contents

Concept Summary   
Sample Games    
Operational and Technical    
Financial    
Location and Demographic Factors
Building Requirements
Maintenance    
Delivery    
Further Information

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Introduction to Cyberdrome

Formed in 1989, Cyberdrome developed the Multi-Game Arena concept and proved its viability at their first stand-alone operating site – The Crystal Maze – which opened in Blackpool, UK, in 1991. Further sites followed in the UK, operated under licence in Family Entertainment Centres by First Leisure Corporation plc and others. In 1995 the concept was successfully introduced into Japanese shopping malls, the second operation opening in early 1996.

With the company’s expansion have come further capabilities in design, project management and construction, enabling complete turnkey systems to be supplied. Existing sites are constantly refreshed with new themes and challenges, with over 15% of turnover being ploughed back into development.

Summary of the Concept

The Cyberdrome Multi-Game Arena concept, now internationally proven over six years, is a leisure attraction offering a 15 to 30 minute, physical adventure experience, with an expected payback time of eighteen months. Its puzzles and physical challenges appeal to a broad range of customers, especially families and corporate groups. Guns and gambling are not involved. Each arena contains up to twenty games, and is designed to be capable of operation by one member of staff, though up to three will be required at busier times. The system entertains teams on an individual basis and enables throughputs in excess of two hundred per hour to be achieved. A high level of repeat visits is guaranteed by having three difficulty levels to choose from, different combinations of games played at each visit and a certificate to compare with other teams’ or past performance.

Games and Challenges

New challenges are constantly being developed and made available to our operators. Here are six of the games from the current library.

TIMEBOMB

The team reads out “Trivia” questions from the screen while the player “answers” them by treading on fluorescent floor tiles in a futuristic cell. A correct sequence of answers leads the player to a “timebomb” which must then be defused by remembering the sequence of tiles trodden on. Higher difficulty levels give harder and more questions. As time ticks away, a throbbing heartbeat gets louder, increasing the tension. If the team fails, the timebomb “explodes” with special effects.

SENSOR CELL

A “diamond” glows at the back of a blackened room full of coloured fluorescent poles. The player must squeeze between the poles to reach lit buttons on the far side and return to his team without knocking the poles and triggering the sensor each contains. The team can see a digital display showing the time remaining, so they get agitated as the countdown nears zero and the player still has not returned. This is a very popular game amongst players and is very attractive visually. On higher difficulty levels the penalty for knocking a pole gets tougher and the number of buttons the team must reach increases.

THE SNAKE PIT

The player, or potential victim, must leap across a 1½ metre gap onto a ledge, using a climbing rope. Once on the ledge two buttons must be pushed simultaneously. This might require the help of a second team member. If the players try to cheat, sensors detect them, the team is “told off” and must start again. Those falling into the pit – a 0.6m drop onto a soft mattress – are allowed to start again. On the “Fiendish” difficulty level, players have to climb a second rope to an even higher button. This is one of the most popular of all the games. The “Average” level is very simple, and gives players a chance to let off steam, swinging on a rope. The “Fiendish” level is hard for anyone not used to climbing ropes.

TARANTULA’S LAIR

The player is told to climb into a dark space which contains the spiders “web”. Once he is there, UV lights allow his team to see where he must climb to reach the crystal. If he disturbs the web (by moving the nets or poles which have sensors) he incurs a penalty. The team, meanwhile, must guide him and read him the instructions from the screen. Only some of the poles have sensors, and these are set off by moving them up or down. The player eventually finds himself in a small enclosed space “The Black Hole” from which he can poke his hand up into a window box containing the Tarantula (a painted fluorescent one) and the prize button. He can’t see the button though, so he must be guided by his team, which isn’t as easy as they think!

SWING THE CAT

The team is asked to choose a “cool cat” to play this “swinging game”. A stuffed cat hangs above a pit, on a long rope just within reach of the player, who stands on a ledge behind a railing. The cat must be swung at a selection of “rats” stuck to the far wall of the cell. Each rat has a score painted by it, which is added to the team’s running total on screen (a “pile” of rats) when the rat is hit. Any attempt at cheating or treating the cat too roughly results in a “Yeowl” from the cat and disqualification for the team. There are several differences according to difficulty level, making this game popular and challenging for first-timers and regular players alike.

BRICKHEAD

An entertaining mental game in which the team must rebuild a brick wall, using combinations of the trackerball and buttons to control “Brickhead” – the on-screen bricklayer. Depending upon the difficulty level, Brickhead may have to build a wall with a complicated pattern of bricks, deal with a dog which treads in his cement, and constantly hitch up his trousers as his belt isn’t tight enough.

FINALE GAME: THE CRYSTAL DOME

As the team waits to enter, they see how the previous team is getting on both by watching them and seeing their score mount up on the monitor. When they enter the dome, they see they must hit the flashing crystals, and that unlit crystals must be avoided. The MazeMaster’s voice counts down to the start, and then tells them how much longer they have every ten seconds. After the excitement they see their score on the monitor, before being asked to collect their certificate. The game is fairly straightforward on “Average” although it is hard to avoid unlit crystals. On higher difficulty levels three extra “hidden” buttons come in to play. At random intervals the game appears to stop, and the hidden buttons must be pressed (in varying combinations) in order to start it up. On Expert level, these “panic” button light up. On Fiendish level they don’t, and they have to be found while a siren screams away in the background!

Operational and Technical details

Players participate in small teams of between two and six. The team is told of their objective – eg to score as many points as possible in the “Crystal Dome” – and how to achieve it, eg to gain as much time as possible in the Crystal Dome by winning “time crystals” at each of a number of challenges they face as their adventure unfolds.

Having logged on to the system (receiving a smart card or Personal Zapper) and received an introduction from a “MazeMaster” the team enters a themed arena comprising a maze of cells, zones, challenges and obstacles.

After each challenge has been completed Merlin (a computerised character) appears on a nearby monitor and tells the team how they’ve got on, what their total score is and where to go next. Merlin “knows” where all the other teams are in the maze, so he makes sure that the next challenge is available. This gives the maze a very high throughput capacity. He has a huge library of pre-recorded digital phrases at his disposal and seems to treat each team personally, using sarcasm and humour where appropriate (“You took your time getting here”…”Pick a victim…sorry, a volunteer, for this game…”). Merlin is bilingual if necessary, and knows which language the team prefers.

The maze is very effective in generating repeat visits. A key feature is the choice of difficulty level. As they log on, teams choose Average, Expert or Fiendish level. This will affect the gameplay of all the challenges they face. Even if a team returns and plays on the same difficulty level, the challenges they face are likely to be quite different each time. Firstly they will play fewer than half the challenges available each time, so new ones will be encountered on the second and third visits. Secondly most challenges play differently each time. In the TimeBomb example, the questions are drawn at random from a limitless pool of questions. Repeat players are constantly encountering surprises and new challenges, and learning new tactics to achieve higher scores each time. A first-time team might achieve a score of 40 in the Crystal Dome, and a team playing for the fiftieth time (this is not uncommon) will still be improving, with scores around 4,000.

The “computerised” aspect of the adventure is kept to a minimum from the players’ point of view, with emphasis on physical tasks throughout. For the benefit of the operator the games and challenges are networked together, with a modem link to Cyberdrome’s Bristol, UK, headquarters.

Financial Performance

Cyberdrome attractions are designed to pay back their capital cost in 18-24 months. When ancillary spend on food, beverage and amusements is taken into account, payback is seen to be quicker than this. Table 1 below shows operating costs for a typical Multi-Game Arena forming part of a larger leisure centre (costs quoted in pounds sterling, GBP).

Wages and salaries

 

 

60,000

 

 

Rent

 

 

30,000

 

 

Marketing

 

 

20,000

 

 

Licence fees & royalties

 

 

20,000

 

 

Insurances

 

 

8,000

 

 

Maintenance

 

 

6,000

 

 

Other miscellaneous costs

 

 

10,000

 

 

Total

 

 

154,000

 

 

Table 1. Breakdown of costs

Normal price per play obtained in the UK ranges from GBP3.20 to GBP3.99. In Japan the price is 700 to 800 Yen (GBP4.20 – GBP5.00). The price is typically the same as a game of ten-pin bowling or 20% higher than a laser game. Discounts are usually offered for multiple plays and off-peak use.

For a typical 250m2 Cyberdrome, approximately 120,000 visits per year will be required to return a 50% operating profit. However, with operating costs so low, revenue from another 10,000 visits will drop straight through to profit, increasing the return to 55%.

Location and Demographic Factors

Cyberdrome Multi-Game Arenas have performed well in coastal/holiday resorts and in urban/out-of-town leisure centres. The pattern of use varies, however, as illustrated by the figures in table 2 below.

 

 

Holiday Resort

Inland Urban

Year 1

120,000

142,000

Year 2

138,00

121,000

Year 3

140,000

120,000

Table 2. Pattern of annual visits in different locations

In a holiday resort location, initial awareness of the attraction is
low and builds slowly. Each year there’s a higher starting awareness level, and returning holidaymakers will play again. Our Blackpool, UK, attraction achieved a rising curve of annual visits over a five year period.

In an inland urban location, local awareness builds quickly
over the first nine months. Teams who play every week during this period may revert to less frequent visits. Nevertheless, when the “honeymoon” of the first year is over, with continued promotion and an adequate catchment area, visitor levels should settle at 75 – 80% of initial levels. This reflects the continual flow of new players and the high level of repeat plays 

The catchment area required for a location with no holiday visitors or tourists is approximately 400,000 within a half-hour drive. Holiday locations with as few as 50,000 local inhabitants require an annual influx of one million visitors into the region in order to support a seasonal operation. For locations with both local and holiday markets, table 3 may be used as a guide. A flexible approach to opening hours will be necessary during off-peak times.

Local Population

(30 mins drive)

Holidaymakers

(annually to the region)

400,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

500,000

100,000

750,000

50,000

1,000,000

Table 3. Minimum catchment area to
support 250m2 Multi-Game Arena

The younger the demographic spread of the local (or holidaymaking) population, the better. Table 4 shows use of a Multi-Game Arena by age range. Theming and design can be used to increase the appeal of the attraction to specific market segments, but it is likely that the under 25 age group will always
be the most important.

Age Groups

Percentage of Users

6 – 15

28

16 – 25

33

26 – 35

18

36 – 45

16

45+

5

Table 4. Age distribution of users

Building Requirements

The space required is ideally between 200 and 350 m2 (2,000 – 3,500 sq ft) with head room in excess of 5.5m (17 ft) over part of the area to achieve the optimum design. Most of the arena can be built within a height of 3m (10ft). A concrete floor is ideal but loadings are minimal.

A 20-game arena would require 45kW of electrical power . Air conditioning in addition is preferable, depending on location. Fire alarms, exit signage, emergency lighting and sprinklers (if required) are assumed to form part of the building. Consultation with the various authorities would form part of our design brief.

Maintenance

Cyberdrome Multi-Game Arenas have proven themselves robust and reliable. Day to day maintenance will involve site staff in cleaning and simple replacement of lamps and switches. For more technical requirements Cyberdrome offers a full back-up maintenance service including 24-hour telephone support
and a modem link to enable software enhancements to be downloaded to the site automatically. It also allows Cyberdrome to check the system’s performance remotely.

Delivery Times

Following the initial order it will take 4 – 8 weeks to prepare and
agree upon a design and specification. Once the specification is agreed, the Multi-Game Arena will be ready for shipment in 4 – 6 weeks. Time required for installation on site is 4 – 6 weeks. Total lead time is therefore 12 – 20 weeks plus shipping.

Further Information

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