My name is Neil and I write regularly for this blog, as a massive fan. I was extremely lucky to once again be invited down to the Crystal Maze TV Studio to test the games again for this series (2019), and also see the new Eastern Zone for the first time. Testing this year would be different for us, we arrived on Camera Block day so we donned microphones and performed the games in front of the cameras and Production Crew. This involved a lot of patience - stopping, starting, resetting and trying again - but I was in my element, to be honest. I was living my dream for real again. Not many people get to go to the real Crystal Maze Studio twice, let alone get to work on it. I was really living my ultimate dream since a child once more.
My first game to test was the zig-zag ball balance in Aztec - balance and roll three balls along a spring-loaded zig shaped course and into a basket to release the Crystal. I won this game, but it was quite hard with the pressure of the cameras. My hands were shaking so much. Then I was soon taken away to put on a high tech morph suit, which I struggled to put on correctly a few times, as it had to be worn in a particular way. I had already gone up to the toilet once, so I didn’t want to keep wasting time – so I went into the back part of a set and this turned out to be a game cell for the new Eastern Zone. I was now getting changed, rather hilariously in an oriental themed game cell. There was an information plate on the wall that said ‘spot the difference’, along with an oriental-themed white dividing screen and various Asian style props on shelves. It’s a good job I didn’t leave any of my clothing in there! Choosing this place to adjust my clothing, meant that I was probably one of the very first people who had set foot in the brand new Crystal Maze Zone, the first since Ocean in the 1990s.
I came out of there and returned back to the crew. Multiple orange coloured sensors and wires which were zipped within compartments of the morph suit itself. Mocap Studio Technology. It was very tricky to get the morph suit on, as it had to be put on in a precise way, with feet and thumbs through certain holes. Shoelaces on my trainers had to be loosened fully, as sensors were also wired into each of them. My feet, shoulder-length, legs and arm span were measured with a tape measure and this data was fed into a computer by two people operating at a desk with two computers – there was high tech gadgetry and a large router. The suit connected wirelessly to this router. There were no other sensors in the game cell. I was wired up like a robot! Sensors were even placed in each glove of my hands and even from a headband that I had to wear as well. I then had to wear the traditional contestant Maze boiler suit over the morph suit. This was a bit tricky to get on over the glove sensors, but I did it with some help from the runners. Neale Simpson, Executive Producer of The Crystal Maze, walked past, shook my hand and said hello and “look at you!”. After a bit of waiting, we were ready to start the ‘calibration’ of my suit. This involved standing on a grey footprint marker point in the corner of the white empty cell. I had to stand natural and still until told otherwise. The computer was putting my profile together – I then had to walk around the cell a few times back and forth, and return to the footprint again to calibrate again. This was quite a painstaking process. I had to also record the position of myself grabbing the crystal, as reference points for the mocap system.
Finally, it was time for an attempt at the game with my teammates. I left the cell and was told instructions. I then went in, with cameras and mic on and went straight over to the grey footprint starting mark in the corner. My teammates had to shout me a series of commands – e.g. left, right, duck, sidestep, half a turn, etc until I had navigated what was for me, an invisible obstacle course. To them on the futuristic monitor, however, they could see a 3D representation of my body moving in a 3D world of virtual obstacles. They guided me through on the first run and I had no idea what I was avoiding. They eventually led me to the middle of the wall on the opposite side of the cell and told me to grab a ‘hammer’ in front of me. I couldn’t see any object in real life, this was on the 3D view they could see. I kept scurrying with my hands against the wall to pick the ‘hammer’ up, but they were telling me I wasn’t grabbing it. After a few minutes of looking like a tit with some questionable looking moves, I was told it was an issue with the system itself. I got told to be patient and stand perfectly still, like a statue on the calibration footprint marker.
I was more than happy with this. I was stood there looking around, pinching myself that I was back in the real Crystal Maze. There is something truly special about being here. It is far different from the live experience. This is the real Maze. The real mysterious, nostalgic world I watched as a child. I was stood there in awe looking up at the ceiling at all the lights, the backs of the sets whilst hearing my friends in a game scream to get another crystal.
They had to debug the whole Mocap system and adjust some coding script. They kept getting me to replay the game, and even asked me to deliberately ‘die’ (e.g. walking into an obstacle). Each time you hit an obstacle, you had to return back to the calibration point. It eventually transpired that the computer coding did not allow me to pick the ‘hammer’ up, after dying initially. The tech gurus from Mocap got me to step forward and back multiple times, whilst they investigated the technical issue. They even got me to start by walking around the outside of the white cell floor area, and back into the cell against the wall, to bypass all the obstacles and go straight to the virtual ‘hammer’. Finally, after about 45 minutes of patient waiting and testing, they finally fixed it – and I could now virtually pick the hammer up. I was then able to smash a virtual door and get the crystal, the only part that was in real life – a crystal on the ledge of the wall, on the far right of the starting position. I was so happy to have helped test such a pioneering new game to the Crystal Maze. I had only been shown afterward, what it had looked like on the actual footage. It looked like a Tron World. Amazing. Virtual saw blades to duck under, along with other various obstacles. This was like Knightmare meets Tron meets Crystal Maze. The game has been received very well by viewers this year. With the growing popularity of Virtual Reality, this was the perfect addition to the Maze. After a long time on this game, I had missed some of the other futuristic games my team mates were playing. But I wasn't too bothered, the game I had played was excellent. I got changed in a workshop area in the corner, and inside I was shocked to see most of the Medieval Zone - scenery, gargoyles, skeletons, medieval stain glass windows, clocks, props and pillars stored in there. I was like a kid in a sweet shop, gobsmacked by what I had just seen. I was quite excited that Medieval was there in storage, despite being replaced by Eastern. I'm so glad I got to see Medieval Zone in 2018.
We then returned back to Aztec. (Phil – playground rope style climbing net with various Aztec symbols to match either side. Then there was a letter game, and a lasso game with a crane hook to swing across – Liam did this in 46 seconds.
We then got escorted to the new Eastern Set with James Dillion. This was a staggering new zone. I asked him about it and he said they did write a list of potential new zone contenders, (10-12 ideas). Ocean was on it as was wild west and winter tundra. But Eastern won – amazing set detail throughout. They were still adding finishing touches to it ready for filming. Apparently, they used the old Medieval Zone Carcass and flooring for Eastern.
Then, at 6pm it was soon time for dinner with the crew. (A lovely meal I must add).
Then industrial – bomb – had to fill a fake bomb with gunpowder, and light the effect with a real lighter – got told it was a firework fuse but would not explode, then got told to hide behind Industrial Props – rope spindle etc and a real explosion happened and we ran into the set. Played gas mask sliding puzzle, with memory numbers to read underneath, to then go back up and remember code to open safe. Won this, had to go back in a few times to test sound as couldn’t hear teammates properly. Then gutterballs. Adapted from the last series, now spinning with up and down parts. Won this one, despite last part not fully lined up. Then coloured ball sort that Adam played. Then I played a letter game (‘Answer Material’ various furniture pieces in shape of letters – some clues all-around a workshop themed cell -e.g. on a keyring, etc. Crew said they wanted to move some objects around so it would be easier to film. They came in with drill to move L shaped coat hook to another side of the cell. Then Crystal Incinerator – amazing visual game, crystal on conveyor heading towards flames, (Real!), the only way to stop it used real coloured cables and solve real clues. We were stuck on a musical note question and what year was Ruby Wedding!
Then we finally wrapped up after an epic day in the Maze once more. I am really honoured I helped with the testing for the virtual reality game. That game really brought The Crystal Maze into the 21st Century.
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