Steve Ritchie Speaks (again)

[Xiaou2]

 Steve Ritchie Speaks (again)

 Full Interview:

 http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?s=6d012356f0bf96c206c43741e614b456&showtopic=6775


 Highlights:

===
(Noah Fentz): Personally I feel the only chance the industry has involves you. If Vegas were to set the odds of you getting back to doing what you do best, what do you think they would be?

(Steve Ritchie): I don't know the odds. Stern doesn't want me there. I buck his whole system of cheating customers of rich pinball play.

===
(Theguyoverthere): Do you think Stern would be better off focusing on the home market?

(Steve Ritchie): Pretty much supporting the business.
(Steve Ritchie): I think that Stern is focusing on the home market, but in the wrong manner,

(Joe): In what way?

(Steve Ritchie): One ramp games don't get it, and other cost reductions mean 1 toy per game at Stern.
===

The Hermit) : As your Avatar pinball was canceled will you use that layout again in the future or maybe sell it for use on a virtual machine?

(Steve Ritchie) : I have other layouts in mind now that I don't have to live with Gary Stern's ridiculous requirements and limitations.

(The Hermit) : smile.gif Do you have an ideal number of ramps/loops/targets/etc. that you like to use?

(Steve Ritchie) : No ideal number. The game gets drawn and massaged until it becomes a good fun working system....
(Steve Ritchie) : I let games evolve.
===
(Noah Fentz) : Do you think a license is all that important, or can games like Medieval Madness still cut it on the market?

(Steve Ritchie) : A game can be GREAT with or without a great license.
===
Steve Ritchie) : (joke) My favorite rule is one flip from each flipper then game over
(Noah Fentz) : lol
(Noah Fentz) : That must get expensive to play
(Shooby Doo) : Or you're really good!

(Steve Ritchie) : machine with my new rule would work perfectly with the new Stern earning model....
===
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't know what will happen at Stern. They have a new investor that has bought into Gary's scheme. It too bad really
===
(Steve Ritchie) : I think that the loss of P2K playfield space to the virtual features was not appreciated by many.

-----
Great minds think alike.  Stern Sucks  

[Jeff AMN]

Well, Spider-Man is only 3 years old, and that's fantastic.

Anyway, I think as Steve is getting older, and he's getting more removed from his time working with Stern, he's getting more and more bitter over the situation. I do think he got screwed over, but there comes a time when you need to buck up and move on. Steve isn't the only one to be outspoken about Gary's hardheaded approach to running his business, so it's not like Steve is wrong here, but he's definitely embellishing things a bit. Pat Lawlor doesn't want to work with Stern at this time either, so that says a lot (Pat just loves to pump out games).

I think Gary is smart to cut costs where he can, but he's silly for his hard and fast rules that he sets in the design process. Games like Simpsons Pinball Party and Spider-Man have been great in spite of his limitations, not because of them. But still, people are all enthused by Big Buck Hunter over at RGP, so at least they're still putting out enjoyable games. If Batman ever gets that update, it could really help that game out too.

[Jeff AMN]

The only thing it really shares in common is the 3 bank target in the middle and the W-E-B placements. The third flipper and a few other shots really change it up. It's more a spiritual successor than it is a remake or revisit.

The thing about Steve is that he's probably the most stubborn man in the industry. It's worked for him in the past, but the industry is much different today, and he's unwilling to adapt. I like his games, for the most part, but I've never held onto them because it seems that once you get the shots down that they turn into endless loop fests. The Getaway was a lot of fun while I had it, until I realized I was getting to 5th gear on the first ball every game within the first few minutes.

I hope he can keep designing games, but I wish he'd be a little more humble in his approach.

[Xiaou2]

BBH - HOT?!!  Your out of your mind.   If anyone is talking, its merely that the
game isnt AS BAD as the other Nightmare Piles that Stern has released.

 Its far from Good. And Lightyears from Great.

 Stern has limited all the designers to his way of cutting costs, and his cheap
approach is why you dont see a much more complex game like LOTR... which ALSO
had him cutting corners on it.

 Sterns approach, IS shooting itself in the foot.

 Steve is Correct, that the only reason Pinball is alive, is because of the home
buyers.  Either directly, or used off the remaining Ops.

 It wont continue to work, when Sterns pins are so lackluster that they dont
even compare to even the most basic games of the 80s... let alone touch
anything made in the 90s.

 Nobody can judge anything Steve made for Stern, because Stern made him
change his design process.  Completely destroying what Could have been
decent Playing machines. Id be bitter too, if I had to work for that Jackass.

 And I disagree.  Steve has made some great pins.  Yes, they have easy
smooth flow to them... however, they are fast and fun because of it.
Stop-n-shoot games are slow, clunky, and plain Suck imop.

 

Well, Spider-Man is only 3 years old, and that's fantastic.

 No. Its not even close to Fantastic.  Its boring.  Its gets old in 3 minutes of
play.  Just like Iron Man will prove to be exactly the same.  You cant remove
half a game, and expect it to be enticing.  LOTR Crushes either of those two
games... and LOTR isnt even that good.

 Sterns new games are getting to such a low level, as to where they will be
about the same compelxity as a Zizzle maching!  

 What a Joke.

[Malenko]

Fact - Steve's a bitter jackass that hasn't had a good playfield in 30 years.

thats an actually opinion......

Fact - he's been fired from three pinball companies

but that is a fact.

[LLUncoolJ]

I'd rather see them not pay the license fees and pour that money into the game itself. I'm not sure how much money the fee actually is on a per machine basis. Let's face it, some of the licensed themes actually take value away from machines in the long term. DM is a decent machine, but the theme is from a rediculous movie. The Shadow is another one, I don't want to look at that backglass, but it's a reasonably fun machine. Sometimes it makes sense. I'm sure Stern sold a shitload of Family Guys because of the theme. It's a pretty unremarkably playing machine. But just to crank out a machine for every movie or TV show that comes along isn't really a strategy. I have seen every episode of 24, but I wouldn't want that machine in my basement, and I doubt I'd play it a second time if I saw it in the wild.

But I guess the arguement to license or not to license is for another thread.

[Jeff AMN]

The license argument has its reasons on both sides. The license is cheap, it's like $10 per game. The fact is, however, is that licensed games sell much more than the generic themes do. I'm not saying a generic theme can't work, because I think it can, but over the course of pinball history it has been the licensed titles that ops have gobbled up. The decision to go licensed titles only was one that was kind thrust upon Stern by the operators.

[Jeff AMN]

Family Guy was a bad choice. The game design is great, but it's not a family friendly theme at all. Something that was popular at that time that would have sold better would have been Ninja Turtles (appeals to the mid-30s guys right down to the 4 year olds) or something similar. Shrek still gets asked for, from what I understand, so people do dig on the gameplay.

Stern's not wanting to work with Disney anymore is kind of unfortunate. A Pixar movie theme would be great. How many more quarter drops could they have picked up with Cars over NASCAR? I'm guessing quite a few, even though Cars isn't even one of the good Pixar films.

Not getting Harry Potter hurts too, but that was Rowling's decision, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

[Jeff AMN]

Huh, recent estimates for home sales seemed to put it around 10%. Maybe figures thrown out there aren't all that reliable, so who knows.

All I know is that if they make a Ghostbusters pin, I'll buy it sight unseen.

[shardian]

I would totally believe 25-30% direct home sales.  That's only like 1000-2000 pins per model! There are easily 1000 people in this country who buy a NIB pin each time a new one comes out.

[Xiaou2]

Xiaou2, I'd really like a pic of you playing a Stern game or two as evidence that you've actually touched one.

 A few local collectors have them, so Ive played them.  They disappoint on Free-Play,
and pale in comparison to just about every other pin in their collections... with
very few exceptions.

 I actually put money into an Indy, because I love IJ movies, and wanted to see
how it compared to williams IJ.  It was a train wreck.  And given my experience
with playing half the stern collection, you wont find me putting money in them
again.


LLUncoolJ.. be careful man... people who troll here do not like people who actually
make logical sense!  heh

 

The fact is, however, is that licensed games sell much more than the generic themes do.

 Nope.  Thats called an OPINION.  One that can easily be proven Wrong.

1 - it gives people an idea of what to do (load the couch on simpsons, shoot the ring on LOTR)

 LOL!  Umm, sure, like nobody can figure out how to shoot the trunk on Theatre
of Magic?!      Get real.  That argument is pathetic, and only a mindless
zombie would eat that crap up.  Its called "marketing excuse".  Companies always
use idiot marketing BS to try to justify their poor decisions.

 Stern could not make a non-licensed machine because they dont even have
an Artist!  Their photoshop guy would not have any pictures to cut and paste!


 Stern does not believe in spend money to make money.
He follows the concept of:  "Theres a Sucker born every minute".

2 - it keeps the resale value of a pinball high - Simpsons & Harley Davidson will be popular the rest of our lives - so operators can resell them in a couple of years and make a good ROI

 Right - and guess what, Haunted House will Always remain an alltime classic,
as will TOM, MM, and many more that will always be chosen over the Cheap
quality Sterns.

 Plenty of people know WOF, but that does not mean they want a WOF pinball,
and WOF isnt Always going to be popular and well sold for the rest of someones
lifetime.  More horsecrap on a stick.

 Also, there has been a Simpsons done before, as well as other well known
themes, which do not do well, and are not highly desired at all.

 I bet those Ops Loved the Burn they got from buying Riplys... thinking that if they
suck, they can resell them.   Instead, they got a $4000 boat anchor.

3 - it appeals to home buyers.  it's not some dud movie that everyone will groan about someday

 DM is a groaner movie IMOP.  As is T3.  WOF is a groan just thinking about it.
TMNT, a decent theme... a poor game.  There are tons of examples that blow
right through these marking lies & excuses.

 And what IS a home buyer?  Some mindless dummy who has $3000 to drop?!
Get real.  There are far more people out there that actually do some research
before they drop +$2000.

 You know what appeals to me?  Stuff that looks, plays, and sounds Good. 
Guess what, Im a Home Buyer.  Ive Bought 3 pins to date, one of which was $3000. 
Im one of the idiots who drop boatloads of cash on machines... who could be
keeping pinball alive, buying newly used machines... and possibly brand new
machines.
 
 There are a Ton of people out there, old and new generation, who are considering
Pinball as a new part of their entertainment.   But you are not going to get them
to bite if the game is not a real amazing machine.  You wont even get a person to
play the thing on location if it isnt interesting enough... AND, even IF they play Once,
if the game isnt good enough, it isnt going to get played again repeatedly... nor
are they going to be interested in future purchase of that machine.

 For me, BK2K was the game that I dropped over $10 at a time in back in the
arcades... and became my first used pin purchase as an adult.  Williams IJ however,
was a game I played at a laundromat in more recent years... and I fell in love with it.
$3000 was a very large sum of money to spend for me, but I simply could not
live without it... and out came the credit card.

Anyway, I look at all that as pretty sound reasoning.  Unfortunately, they've gotten unlucky with some themes that fit that model (NASCAR, Ripley's), and really unlucky on themes that didn't fit (WPT, CSI, 24).

 Man, thats comedy gold.  Unlucky?!?!?!!!!!!   Its called Bad Decisions!!!  That
Logic and Reasoning is pure and simple BS... and Stern proves it just about
every time.  They just seem to be really good at getting sucker investors to keep
buying into it.

Frankly, I think they're doomed.  The 'electronic entertainment' market is huge but it's shifted entirely to consoles.  I mean you're looking at several million to $10B there.  Pinball's dropped from ~$150M to maybe $2-3M if you look at 1990 - 2005.

 Pins are not selling? (no market)  Wrong.  Watch ebay seller "Fun".  Fun sells Pins like they are cases of Cola.

 They are doomed because of poor choices.  Not because there isnt a market for
pinball.  In fact, Id say that the market for pins is actually growing, not declining.
Population is increasing, awareness of Pinball is growing. Demand will continue to
grow... and pinball prices are going to skyrocket over the coming years.

 A great example of this is MM.  Went from like $2000 used... to $7000 in a few years
time.  The difference is the technology.  Today, anyone can see all the games made
from the 1900s to Present.  They can hear, see, and read about these games on the
net.  Watch videos.  Even Play these games with emulation.

 Want to play them for real? The internet will help you find where they are 'on location',
or will lead you to Pinball shows and events.

 They even include a crappy Pinball game with Windows.  And we all know that
almost everyone on the planet uses Windows, and has at very least Tried the pin game.

 Pinball has been on various video formats and consoles from nes, turbogfx, and
various pcs... as well as most recently, on modern consoles.   And while this is good
advertisement... everyone knows that video pinball just does not match the real
deal.

 Poorly designed, generic, cheaply made (too many corners cut) product = Poor Sales.
Plain and simple Fact.

[Xiaou2]

he's been fired

 Right.  And Id been fired from Namco, because they thought that low sales were manager
faults.   Guess what... the location closed about 2yrs after my replacement.

 The new guy, would be the equivalent to working for Stern.  You know the ship
is going down because of a mad captain... and yet, you want / need the money..
so you stick with it.

 Getting fired from Stern means Squat.  Getting fired from Williams?  Most likely the
Same exact thing.  Williams made too many mistakes, and were sinking rapidly.
Their idea to made pinball into a video game was a huge mistake, and it ruined
and real chance of survival / revival.

I would totally believe 25-30% direct home sales.  That's only like 1000-2000 pins per model! There are easily 1000 people in this country who buy a NIB pin each time a new one comes out.

 These numbers dont speak much about anything.  In fact, a lot of Ops are buying them,
and selling them off beat up in a year or two, to home buyers.   This Does count as
home buyer numbers, because there is no way these Ops would be buying machines
like this, if they didnt think they could offload them in a short time.  (short as in,
getting initial money from people who may try it once... but sold before there is no
longer any money coming from mere curiosity.  IE: No repeat business = major losses
on a $4000 machine)

[Jeff AMN]

Xiaou2 lives in his own crazy world with different rules that define logic.

And no, it's not OPINION that licensed titles sell well, it's FACT. Anybody can fact check, do some. Oh wait, you live in fantasy land where everything is different, let me get you some real world numbers.

Licensed Games
Sales over 20,000: The Addams Family
Sales over 15,000: Terminator 2, Twilight Zone
Sales over 10,000: Indiana Jones, Star Trek: NG, Star Wars
Sales over 5,000: Demolition Man, Bram Stoker's Dracula, World Cup Soccer '94, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Doctor Who, Corvette, Judge Dredd, Jurassic Park, Hook, Last Action Hero,
Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Simpsons Pinball Party.

Unlicensed Games
Sales over 20,000: None!
Sales over 15,000: None!
Sales over 10,000: Getaway, Fish Tales
Sales over 5,000: White Water, Road Show, Theatre of Magic

Yeah...sure looks like opinion to me!  

Also 99% of what Xiaou2 says is demonstrably wrong. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

[Xiaou2]

 Let add Time to the equation fool.  You are just as Dense as the marketers.  Which
is exactly why entire industries have fallen to pieces.

  Back then, Ops were in high competition with videos, as well as the shear fact that
Opps didnt get to play the games.  They ordered what they Thought would do well.

 And how did that work out  "FOR THE OPS?"

  Sometimes good, sometimes Not so good. 
(Way better with Williams than Stern for sure)


 Sterns uses all licensed machines, yet have the majority of the Worst machines
for the ops. 

 And now that Home buyers are the main drive for pinball, the entire game has
changed.  Quality is expected and desired.  Beauty is a factor.  And gameplay is key.
People can see these machines on Youtube, and in a second, can make a pretty
good assessment on how good or bad it is.  Not to mention, there is a lot of
chat and message posts to be read.

 You cant just put out a turd with a big name, and expect it to sell well.  Those
days are Long gone.

 I can assure you that if you put TOM next to a BBH, the TOM will get all the money.
And, if you were to reproduce TOM and sell it along side of BBH, TOM will outsell it
1000 to 1, even if the TOM was priced higher.

 A License makes it easier to make a game.  But that does not mean the game will
be good... as Stern has shown us time and time again.  The ops are going to get
tired of low repeat business, and low resale values to the home buyers.

 Today, a non licensed game can do just as good if not way better than a licensed
machine.  Especially such crappy licenses that Stern has given love to.



 
 

[pinballwizard79]

 

[Xiaou2]

Sorry, but King Of Diamonds isnt an exciting game.  Most people are more
interested in digital williams than an em style game.  Heck, if your gonna
do an EM remake, do something interesting like Flying Turns. Even Id buy
one of those.

 You dont need a price tag of $10,000 to make money on selling machines.
There are plenty of people who would rather have a brand spanking new
Williams remake over a Stern.

 MM remade, would bring down the inflated cost that its selling for currently,
but would still sell more than sterns best: LOTR.

[LLUncoolJ]

I'd seriously consider buying a MM repro if the price were in line with current new games. Problem is they have to sell enough to get the price in line. BBB had an extremely small run, less than 200, hence the hefty price tag.

While there repro-ing, have them hook me up with a CV...might as well ask for a unicorn as rare as those seem be.

[Jeff AMN]

It's not too hard to find a Cirqus Voltaire, but they're almost always in mint condition so they go at an extra premium. CV is a game I just don't get. It's really cool to look at, but it's clumsy, easy, and the ball gets stuck on the Ringmaster a lot. I also don't like the ball on the left side. The game can also be a huge SDTM drain monster. It's pretty, I'll give it that, but I don't think it's especially fun to play.

[LLUncoolJ]

I admit I've only logged 3 games on one. The only one I've ever seen, the guy I bought my ToM from had it. So it may very well be as you described, but first impression, it was awesome.

[Xiaou2]

The BOM on Big Bang Bar allegedly ran around $10k, so I think that price point is a very conservative estimate on what a remake would sell for.

 Umm, are you joking?   The BBB was a very low quantity run,  using
new vendors, who messed things up.  Not a dedicated factory, such as
Stern has set up.

 Btw - do you think LOTR was cheap to make?  And LOTR was not that
big of a run either... and MM would outsell LOTR 10 to 1 guaranteed.

You can type all you want - there's no market for remakes.

 - You can type all you want.  But it wont change the fact that your wrong.
Im not even going to get into Movie remakes, or old school toy remakes
either...   Old gen and new gen, there is plenty of desire and demand
for remakes.


I seriously just have to shut down my ears whenever someone's got a tired old idea for 'saving pinball'.  It ain't happening, there's no demand.

 - Pinball Didnt have a market about 10yrs ago.  However, pinball is
in the spotlight now... and demand Is rising.  Just not rising for Piles
that Stern is crapping out.

  You can get fun fully working games on E-bay for less than $1,000 all day in just about every part of the country.  If there was this big demand, the market would be hungrier than that.

 - You cant get a brand new MM for $1000.  And you cant even get a
decent beat up DMD pin for under $1200 in most cases.  Yeah, we know
You like many non-dmd games... however, its pretty much universal that
DMD machines are the hot sellers.

I know you think that there's some magic title that transcends basic supply/demand, but it's not true.  People that are willing to pay $10k for a MM are so desperate that they're probably willing to pay $2k for something else just to scratch that pinball itch.  How come that isn't happening?

 - MM is more than a mere judge dread.  Its a masterpiece of enjoyable
art in motion.   Thats like saying that just because someone has some
extra money... they will drop it on a RX7 instead of a Lamborghini.

 There are many levels of Pinball people out there.  Some of which are
buying the $1000 games, and eventually trading them up for a higher
priced machine.  Some dropping a new or used machine on a credit card.  Some paying outright cash.  Some rich guys buying top of the line
restorations, and or new pins.  And of course, the Ops... who will
either keep a machine if it earns well... or sell if off it it does not.

 I can assure you, I know several people out there willing to pay decent
money for a new MM, including myself.  I cant pay 5k... but
3k, and Id be in the game.   Make them in a cheap labor country, in Massive
quantities, and you could probably sell them like Hotcakes for $2000 each.

 Heck, at this point, even if you sold all the needed parts as a build it
yourself kit... many people would still buy them like mad.


 And BTW - BBB is Not very good.  Ive played the repo at a collectors house.
The game sounds nice (with exception to the horrendous repetition of annoying phrases) , and looks nice... but gameplay wise?  Ugg.

[RayB]

- Pinball Didnt have a market about 10yrs ago.  However, pinball is
in the spotlight now... and demand Is rising.  Just not rising for Piles
that Stern is crapping out.

uh, What?!
Let me try to figure this out... 10 years ago there was no demand: pinball companies all shut down and "new" Stern was just starting up.

Now you say there is demand, demand is rising (I question that but will ignore for now). The ONLY company that's been in the game for the last 10 years is Stern.

So... I guess the logical conclusion is that Stern saved pinball and created rising demand as well as putting pinball in the spotlight now (your words).

Maybe you should stop crapping on the company that saved pinball. They obviously did something right.

[Xiaou2]

Actually no... its more like widespread broadband internet saved pinball.

 Before the Internet, many people didnt even know you could buy a pinball machine...
even if you wanted too.   The price was thought to be well out of reach of the
common man... and where would you in fact get one?

 Today, anyone can pull up youtube and see a pin playing.  They can pull up
a pinball site, and get details, pics, specs..etc.  They can pull up Ebay or craigslist, and
get one shipped to their doorstep. 

 People are now more aware of Pinball shows and Auctions, because of the net.

 A whole world of opportunity exists now, merely because of the Net.

 Stern isnt saving pinball.  They are merely 'existing' ... for now.

[Xiaou2]

But here's the thing, Xiaou2 - with all this access to supply, the demand hasn't skyrocketed.  Games are the cheapest they've been in 10 years.  Sure, it's a recession, but we're dealing with a finite supply of parts and games here.

 Depends on what you are trying to buy.  Demand for an EM may be much lower
than a DMD...  and demand for a game like Jokers, will be much lower than for TOM.
The demand is based individually based on how good that game is.  Eventually,
you are probably going to see the top pins get out of hand, and start getting prices like
MM.

 

And when push comes to shove, you're talking about an expensive, large, 300lb box that doesn't match anything in the living room.  It doesn't do anything else.  It's a game system that plays one game.  A TV that only has one show.  For everyone in here, what they do is enough.  For everyone else, it's not.

 This is not really a good argument.  Coin ops dont match furniture either... but this
entire site is loaded with them.  People have entire basements filled with mere original
machines - that have only One game.

 But unlike a video game... Pinball is a completely different experience every time.
A game of skill, and some luck.  And thats why a lof of collectors I know, have sold
off all their coin ops, and bought all Pins.

 Pinball is something that either grabs you, or it doesnt.  But honestly, I think its only
the completely boring people that dont get / like pinball.  And its merely a matter of
time before someone who didnt get into pinball, will eventually find and get into it.
And once you get the fever... those pins begin to multiply.

 As a side note..  Pinball can be so much more than it is currently.  You could for
example, sell upgrade kits which expand upon a games rules, sound effects,
musical score...  as well as entire new playfeild drop-ins.

 Pins could be hooked up to the internet, and live competitions could take place.
New features could be downloaded.  Custom features could be user made/programmed...
and spread to others.

 Pins could be networked together, and you could battle each other.  For example,
by hitting certain things, you could temporarily reverse your opponents flippers..
leave one of his flippers stuck up for a while, or leave it dead for a short time.

 Anyways, Pinball is just really getting started Imop.

[smartbomb2084]

Pinball WILL eventually die simply because the children today aren't interested in it.  They have way too many other things now to entertain them. I still play pinball as an adult because I enjoyed it as a kid.  Gottlieb EMs were everywhere.  There was no internet, no PLAYSTATION, not even cable TV.  When all us 'old' guys die so will pinball.  The children of collectors may love the game when they grow up but it seems to me that most of those kids don't play their dad's games either.  If MY DAD likes it, it can't be COOL.

[LLUncoolJ]

My kids love playing mine. And for the most part, anyone who comes over and goes downstairs, which we have set up pretty nice with the bar, tend to wind up playing the pins. Much moreso than the MAME or the Touchmaster or even the jukebox. The problem is exposure...not many kids are exposed to pins anymore. The only place I ever see them, other than auctions or the local pin arcade, is bowling alleys...and they usually have a non working flipper.

For a noob, pinball machines are intimidating. They are big, fragile, and have a ton of electronics and moving parts. I was always fascinated by coin-op stuff. I bought and sold an arcade game, then built a MAME before sticking my toe in the pinball water. I consider myself pretty far above average as far as willingness to take on projects I don't know much about. I think most potential home pin owners of average means are simply intimidated. I'm always asked by guests how I know how to do this stuff. I tell them you just read, research, ask questions, and tinker, the internets are a wonderful thing.

Xiaou2 actually has some cool ideas. It would be nice if Stern and other future manufacturers would build in easily accessible ports for upgrades.

[FrizzleFried]

I read an interview with Gary Stern back in 2008 or 2009 where he claimed the home market represents about 10% of his new pinball sales... that the home market is more a used pinball market.  He then went on about building a quality machine so that it can stand up to 2-3 years of on-location abuse and then still be in good enough condition to be made available to the "home market".

[Xiaou2]

 No Offense PBJ, but your pins are not the most appealing nor fun Pins.

 I know many collectors who can tell you that their young ones and
young friends go gaga over pinball.


 And yeah,  Stern is full of Contradictions.


 I will say, that Pinball on Location does have one major flaw..  and that is,
"How to Play".    In the old days of pinball, the tables were made in
such a way that showed you they were meant to be shook around.
As pinball developed, they reduced the flipper spacing, and was more firm
about how much tilt used..  but adults understood the shaking, probably
from the older style pins.

 Todays youth however?  Not so sure.  Information is out there... but
I dont know if they get it without a person showing them personally.

 Then again, I see people who own pins, who dont understand who to
bump a pin properly.

 This could very well be solved by an LCD in the backglass which on
occasion showed how to play in 'video' form.  It could also display
advertisements for future pins, as well as sponsored adds for extra
income.

 A home buyer could turn off the adds & Tutorials, and or add their own
materials to be cycled.

[Xiaou2]

You got an excuse for everything, don't you?  I've owned plenty of 'great' games, and it's made no difference.  I go for oddball games now because they're what I like.

 I could find 10 quotes to your 1 of people who own Pins and the kids who enjoy
playing them.

 So, there must be a reason... such as your breath smells like a sewer, the kids dont
like to hear the equal brown that you literally spout, ohh.. and theres cat piss on the rug.

That's been done and nobody paid attention to it.

 Umm, What?  Where?  Ive never seen an LCD in a pin till the new french company
came alone.   The only pin that had video was the pk2s, and AKAIK, they didnt
show Flipper & Bumper tricks.   Also, being that is was a small screen 'In the game',
and not on the backboard...  of course people would barely pay attention.  Most
especially because it was Episode 1  !!!  Ugg.  What a pile of crap that movie was.
I could barely stand to look at the machine just out of Hate and Disgust of the movie.

[smartbomb2084]

Face it, pinball is just not popular with young people. If pinball was popular across all demographics then WILLIAMS' would still be in business pumping out pins like they now pump out slot machines.  There is no current demand for pinball let alone a future one.

[Xiaou2]

 
 I say present a video on how to use 'machine bumping' to better control the ball,  and
you spout out about Rules. 

 You insult me with your mere presence on this earth.



 

 

[Xiaou2]

 One reason I didnt get into pinball too much as a kid, was because I sucked at it,
and didnt know why.  Basically, I had no understanding of all the tricks that you
need to have a decent length game.   Sometimes the ball just robbing me completely
in mere seconds.

 When I grew up, I saw some bumping going on, but I never really understood how
to use it.   I also didnt know things like the Flipper pass:



 As well as many other such tricks.

 Things like this shown in video form, on the backglass lcd, would incite people to
try them... keep from getting their spirits crushed, and give them a goal to work
towards.

 The old timers may know these things... but the young guns just never have been
round when Pinball was merely all about bumping and tricks.

 
 

[smartbomb2084]

Just for the record, 'bumping' or 'shaking' a pinball manipulatively while you it play is known as JUKING the game to us 'old' guys and it IS an ART.