Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Arcade Collecting => Pinball => Topic started by: smartbomb2084 on January 04, 2011, 05:54:54 pm
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Here is an interesting bit of information for you...
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack.html)
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This is the same guy that was all, "yeah, I'm not making as much money on those Lord of the Rings as I want to, so you all have to pay an extra $500. And if you post about this on rec.games.pinball I'll cancel your order." Still manages to have a personality cult on there, though.
Be interesting to see what happens...
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I didn't know the extra $500 was just to give him a bigger cut. Sheesh, that seems a bit high. $100 I could understand, but $500 is a huge mark up.
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Looks like it was $400....
From RGP:
> Greetings:
> Next week we expect Stern to start shipping our LOTR LE games.
> Due to a price increase way beyond our control we need to get $5399.00
> for each game plus shipping.
> I cannot absorb the increase and I understand that this has been a
> long time in the order-build process. We have already advanced money
> to Stern so they had money to build these games. If you are still in
> and want the game....e mail me back and you will get your game after
> payment of your balance in full.
> If you want out, we will refund your money. If you post this on RGP
> your order will be cancelled and your money will be refunded as this
> is between us and not the whole world.
> Either way, this has been too long, too much time and effort for
> absolutely no money to our company. This really turned into a big
> favor that I'm happy to do to bring the game to our customers. Our
> competitors made plenty of money off of our backs on this title. I
> hope you enjoy the game if you decide to stay in, but this is not
> something that I will do again with Stern.
> I need to know by this Sunday Night at 8 PM Eastern Time either way.
> please e mail me at j...@pinballsales.com or pinballsa...@aol.com. If
> you are in, let me know how you will pay the $400 difference. If you
> are out, Katie will contact you about your refund.
> Best Regards,
> Jack Guarnieri
> www.Pinballsales.com (http://www.Pinballsales.com).
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I got that notice and that's actually when I canceled my preorder. The way it's worded makes it look like Stern raised the cost on him, not him raising cost on the customer. That's pretty sneaky, man.
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Who raised cost on him doesn't matter in the slightest. Telling you "if you communicate this to the world we will cancel your order" is flat out shady.
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Oh well, $5 says Qbert buys this thing sight unseen and then I make a trip to wherever the hell he's living at that time to go play it.
The Elaut Wizard of Oz crane game or whatever the hell is a cosmetic abomination. :P
(http://www.elautusa.com/images/news_11_10/card-game2_.jpg)
http://www.elautusa.com/images/news_11_10/card-game2_.jpg (http://www.elautusa.com/images/news_11_10/card-game2_.jpg)
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That doesn't even look like a real picture. High odds on that being a mockup.
We just got an announcement locally of a 150+ vid and 70+ pin arcade opening up next week. It's an hour from me. Maybe they'll get it.
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:whap
http://www.elautusa.com/video/new/woziv.wmv (http://www.elautusa.com/video/new/woziv.wmv)
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I didn't say the game wasn't produced. It's very common to use a 3D mockup of a product instead of actual photos in advertising materials so they can release promo flyers and stuff way in advance. A tiny company like that? Who knows either way.
The main point we're both making is that thing is fugly.
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We just got an announcement locally of a 150+ vid and 70+ pin arcade opening up next week. It's an hour from me. Maybe they'll get it.
Where???
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I really have to wonder how he's going to manage to pull this off. I guess I could listen to the podcast where he gives his interview, but I just haven't had time yet. Is he partnering with a professional designer, or doing this himself? If it's a lone wolf type of project, this thing could take much longer to happen than he's saying it will.
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He manufactures crap already for Elaut like, uh gee, the Wizard of Oz coin pusher we're discussing in this thread?
;D
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I really have to wonder how he's going to manage to pull this off. I guess I could listen to the podcast where he gives his interview, but I just haven't had time yet. Is he partnering with a professional designer, or doing this himself? If it's a lone wolf type of project, this thing could take much longer to happen than he's saying it will.
He has Joe Blacer designing the game, same guy to work on Apollo 13, South Park, Simpsons Pinball Party, etc. Apparently he has a year of work already into it, and support from names like Roger Sharpe. He claims many big names are involved.
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I checked Snopes, it said BS.
JK
Hopefully Dave the yoke man isnt helping
Whatever happened to that brand new but old EM looking pin that was going to be all over the place?
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Oh well, $5 says Qbert buys this thing sight unseen
:puke
Not if it looks like that
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Whatever happened to that brand new but old EM looking pin that was going to be all over the place?
I played that abomination almost 5 years ago and it was "any day now" back then. I may be getting my stories mixed up here, but I seem to recall fondling a miniature mirrored Fireball reproduction backglass and being told Herb Silvers would be reproducing those "any day now" over 10 years ago. Clearly, neither of those days has ever come.
I personally think that unless the originals are selling for $5,000 all day long, there's absolutely no room for a $4,500 reproduction. King of Diamonds is a ~$1,500 game.
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I personally think that unless the originals are selling for $5,000 all day long, there's absolutely no room for a $4,500 reproduction. King of Diamonds is a ~$1,500 game.
::) I think you know who would buy one. KOD is a good game too
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::) I think you know who would buy one. KOD is a good game too
It is? I've had one folded up in my garage for months...
Maybe I'll toss it up on its legs. It's complete but the backglass is junk and the head is falling apart....
:dunno
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According to www.pinballnews.com (http://www.pinballnews.com)
Update:
Jack has now revealed that artist Jerry Vandersteldt will be in charge of the art package for the Wizard of Oz game.
Jerry created the art for one of the best regarded pinballs of recent years with his sumptuously detailed designs for Stern's Lord of the Rings. He subsequently produced the artwork for Stern's Elvis game and now is set to extend his pinball portfolio with Jersey Jack Pinball.
In other developments, the price of Wizard of Oz has been set at $6,500, but that price is only valid for pre-orders made before 1st March 2011, where a $250 refundable deposit is required.
When the pre-order deadline is reached on 1st March, and additional $1,500 deposit is required to continue with the pre-order, otherwise the pre-order lapses and the deposit is returned.
Game bought outside the pre-order process will cost $7,500 - a $1,000 premium over the pre-order price.
Special game serial numbers can be requested, although number up to 120 have already been reserved.
Anyone wishing to place their pre-order for the game should visit the Pinball Sales site and make their payment.
© Pinball News 2011
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There is always hope... but man, this is pretty ridiculous.
Wizard of Oz? Another Horrible theme Imop. Most likely chosen because he already had the License. Ugg.
If they want to go fairy-tale, they should have gone with something better... like
a Tripped Out "Alice in Wonderland".
Jerry Vandersteldt
For the 1st time, I decided to look up this guys other works. Some of them are pretty good... but holy hell, they had better do a better job of reproducing them on a pinball. As all non-cartoon sterns look washed out / drab, and super LOW resolution. Totally ruins it.
Id personally prefer to see a Comic artist crew do the art in Pins. Many of the better Comics have mixed media which is simply amazing. Ink, paint and airbrush.
The look is stunning, and stands out much better than the stuff that artists like Jerry does. Much more suited to games... where his stuff is much more suited to movie posters & book covers.
$7,500
Wow. I have a hard time believing it will live up to that price. Then again, Sterns have been getting away with selling absolute Junk for close to that.
It will be interesting to see what develops regardless.
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There is always hope... but man, this is pretty ridiculous.
Wizard of Oz? Another Horrible theme Imop. Most likely chosen because he already had the License. Ugg.
If they want to go fairy-tale, they should have gone with something better... like
a Tripped Out "Alice in Wonderland".
Jerry Vandersteldt
For the 1st time, I decided to look up this guys other works. Some of them are pretty good... but holy hell, they had better do a better job of reproducing them on a pinball. As all non-cartoon sterns look washed out / drab, and super LOW resolution. Totally ruins it.
Id personally prefer to see a Comic artist crew do the art in Pins. Many of the better Comics have mixed media which is simply amazing. Ink, paint and airbrush.
The look is stunning, and stands out much better than the stuff that artists like Jerry does. Much more suited to games... where his stuff is much more suited to movie posters & book covers.
$7,500
Wow. I have a hard time believing it will live up to that price. Then again, Sterns have been getting away with selling absolute Junk for close to that.
It will be interesting to see what develops regardless.
I second his opinion!
It feels reinvigorating to watch a new pinball company born with big names brainstorming for a kick ass pinball machine. Let's just hope they value the old-school techniques of designing a pinball table.
We want old-school fun as opposed to new technology cheapness...
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http://pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack5.html (http://pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack5.html)
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I don't know about the buttons. They look a little more toyish rather than good mechanical buttons.
I do like the idea of the witch coming and going as randomized. Maybe when the witch pops up ramdomly, scoring to other targets is shut off, or decreased by half, maybe timers time faster than normal.
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This guy already promised a completion date of "2011 holiday season".
All we see so far is a rough unfinished playfield toy. I fear his first ETA will pass & then 1-2 years later this whole project will go into a black hole.
I wouldnt put up a deposit.... but I do hope this goes well & results in a cool machine!
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They are doing the classic mistake of seeking too much attention now, rather than shutting up and catching the limelight when they actually have something finished. They talk too much about what they plan or want to do. That's a bad sign. I've seen the same thing from amateur video game developers. Experimenting with toys isn't the hard part. I can't help picturing them ending up with all these separate ideas and prototypes for stuff which they then add up the actual costs for and it turns out each finished pin would end up something like $12,900.
They probably do it because they need pre-orders, but ohhhhhh... it could turn into another RAM Controls so easily!
(AHH, but it's also easy to be an armchair critic. ;D I'll shut up now.)
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I don't know if you guys listened to the music sample from the above link but it sure sounds a little like the ADDAM'S FAMILY theme to me and the repetition is somewhat annoying.
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I hate being the resident hater around here sometimes, but I hate reveal toys. It was awesome one time and that was Addam's Family. There's a few EMs with similar gimmicks and I didn't care for those either.
The witch melts into the playfield. Why does she need a huge ass box around her the whole time?
I dunno, I'm wait and see on this thing. I think dragging in the old guard was a mistake that nearly ran Stern into the ground and I'm skeptical it's going to work this time around.
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I see this thing easily ending up as "these machines are costing me more than the preorder price to make - preorder price is now up to $10,000 or you can cancel your preorder".
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I'm all for more players in the game, but I'm starting to feel a little weary of Jersey Jack Pinball as well. They hype is getting out of hand, and it seems that they're shooting for the moon at every step. Unless this thing meets the hype, game #2 will be a tough sell. Heck, I'm more excited about Steve Ritchie's next game at Stern right now.
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I'm all for more players in the game, but I'm starting to feel a little weary of Jersey Jack Pinball as well. They hype is getting out of hand, and it seems that they're shooting for the moon at every step. Unless this thing meets the hype, game #2 will be a tough sell. Heck, I'm more excited about Steve Ritchie's next game at Stern right now.
Man, Steve Ritchie... I have the same reaction to most of his games.
There's a brief "oh man, this is AWESOME" honeymoon period and then it turns into "there sure isn't a whole lot of game here..."
Just went through that transition with Firepower. Lights and sounds and a couple shots and that's about it.
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No way! We love our F-14! The lights are awesome! The couple of shots are amazing!
Aw, ---fudgesicle--- it, you're right. I barely even turn it on anymore.
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Oh, I agree about Steve Ritchie, but I'm just saying that he has more of a proven record at this point. In fact, I think Steve's best game is actually Spider-Man, which he admittedly designed as his version of AFM. But hey, if playfields are destined to become more and more sparse, you might as well have a designer that is obsessed with flow at the helm rather than one that likes to focus on one or two toys.
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It looks like all you pinball monitor yahoos are getting your wish, in the backbox at least, not the playfield.
As this WIZARD OF OZ fiasco deepens, it has been reported that a 26 inch monitor will be gracing Dorothy's back glass.
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack6.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack6.html)
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Nothing says "pinball is still relevant" like a theme from the 1930s.
I bet I have more fun with my $500 beaters than qbert will have with this $7,500 boondoggle.
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The monitor image should stay black & white until completing the first mission (tornado mission maybe) & then go color afterward.
That would be a nice tie in or nod to the theme.... You do know if they do that it was all my idea right?
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The monitor image should stay black & white until completing the first mission (tornado mission maybe) & then go color afterward.
That would be a nice tie in or nod to the theme.... You do know if they do that it was all my idea right?
It is a cool idea. Someone mentioned it on rec.games.pinball a few months back.
I'd love to be excited about this, but the theme is just so beat. I've heard the music clips and thought they were cool, I've seen the melting witch toy and the prototype house and they're neat, but I'm having trouble caring about the end result because I have zero interest in the Wizard of Oz.
Like Wheel Of Fortune or Shaq Attaq, its just something I wouldn't want weirding up my gameroom (even if I could afford it! :lol )
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Modern LCD monitors for coin-op are junk. Just ask any operator running TouchTunes jukeboxes. Some of these monitors are only a few years old and they already need their Inverter Boards and A/D Boards recapped... or worse.
The ION monitor in a Megatouch isn't much better.
I have a HURRICANE with the original Dot Matrix Board and Controller board. This game has lived a long hard on-the-route life and the display still works. It does have the usual 'burned' appearance when it is off however but it is still running just the same. I would like to see an LCD last as long. Twenty years that is.
Besides, I was told by a full-time monitor tech that LCDs are being phased out due to the Mercury that is present in the Cold Cathode Flourescent tubes used to back light the display.
LED monitors will be our only option for replacement.
I also wonder... How long do you think the 128 X 32 Dot Board is still going to be made? I mean, what else have you ever seen it used in except a pinball machine?
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They make LED replacements for DMDs and they're widely available - they're installed in everything Stern sends overseas. Pretty sure one of Qbert's games has one... 24? and I couldn't tell any difference.
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I don't know any operators around here that would spend $7,500 for a pinball machine. This "thing" looks awful IMO. I wouldn't play it.
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So far "thing" is the best description yet for this... 'thing'. :cheers:
Although I would PLAY it just to check it out and see how far off that $7500 suggested retail price is. ;)
We can't get any ops around here to spend $4700 on a new STERN let alone $7500 for this 'thing'.
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We have this 128 X 32 LED display:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bally-Williams-Pinball-PinLED-128x32-Dotmatrix-Display-/330325154213?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ce8e9d9a5 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Bally-Williams-Pinball-PinLED-128x32-Dotmatrix-Display-/330325154213?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ce8e9d9a5)
And we have this 128 X 32 LED display:
http://www.vishay.com/displays/graphic-led/ (http://www.vishay.com/displays/graphic-led/)
The first one has 16 separate 16 x 16 displays added together and the second one has 64 separate 8 X 8 displays added together.
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$219 for that while a comparable size "monitor" solution would cost under $100 wholesale...
I wonder if their choice of going 26" will cause heat issue.
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That's a $219 RETAIL price. Wholesale for a LED Dot Board is probably similar but a retail price for a monitor, especially a coin-op one, will likely be more.
Here's a link for a cheapo Vision Pro monitor from Happ Controls. It is only 22 inches and the price is $425.00. A similar consuner product WITH a Tuner and sound and related electronics is likely half that price retail.
http://www.happcontrols.com/wp/item_search.p?ITEM-NO=49-10441-00 (http://www.happcontrols.com/wp/item_search.p?ITEM-NO=49-10441-00)
You do have to cosider though that for your extra money you are getting a larger display with REAL video not four shaded color dot animation in 'beautiful' orange.
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Some pics of the lower left playfield corner. After ball falls down outlane, there is a bumper and 6 targets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63736421@N07/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63736421@N07/)
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Some pics of the lower left playfield corner. After ball falls down outlane, there is a bumper and 6 targets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63736421@N07/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63736421@N07/)
This is a pretty neat idea. If you could hit all the targets on the way down and it gave you a Shoot Again, that'd be pretty badass.
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It is a neat idea, but it's also the same idea he had for Pirates of the Caribbean and you could argue it's old hat if you look at enough EMs.
Anyway, I'm just hoping he puts enough flashing LEDs on it that Qbert will buy one....
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So, if we have to spell W-I-Z-A-R-D with the left drain I take it that we have to spell O-F-O-Z with the right?
Talk about being obvious and asking dumb questions....
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So by the looks of that drawing, it's going to be a widebody?
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I'm not even really paying attention until I see a whitewood.
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So by the looks of that drawing, it's going to be a widebody?
How can you tell by the picture it is going to be a widebody pin?
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How can you tell by the picture it is going to be a widebody pin?
I'm guessing based on the # of lanes in lower left, and comparing it to a Williams Road Kings. Of course the flaw in my comparison is whether or not modern pins (ie: Sterns) are wider or same width as an old Williams from the 80's. :)
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Same width but $10 says this game isn't a widebody.
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Here's how it lines up on a RK playfield:
(The red lines indicate the limits of the RK playfield width)
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Here's how it lines up on a RK playfield:
(The red lines indicate the limits of the RK playfield width)
Certainly a possibility. I am going to lay down the cash for WOZ. We'll see if it's worth it.
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Not a widebody, it's the same cabinet as cactus canyon apparently.
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It's mini playfield time...
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack7.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack7.html)
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I'm still having a huge problem getting excited about this theme. Though if they can sell half as many as Wicked manages to sell licensed crap, then maybe they're onto something.
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(http://www.ballerride.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/the-homer-car-simpsons-powell-motors.bmp)
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Apparently he had over 400 preorders before any picture, artwork, etc. We're released. Thats a lot of money to throw out on something you never even saw.
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I believe the preorder syndrome is merely because its something rare. That some collectors believe the pins will gain in value over the years.
Of course, there are those who intentionally buy machines to keep the industry alive. Ive seen it from local collectors. While I appreciate their efforts... their money deserves much more than what even this machine will probably end up offering.
I do like the drain target feature. Thats the most innovative thing seen on a machine in a long time. But, the horrible theme kinda kills any drive to want to play it.
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Apparently he had over 400 preorders
Sure he did. He also used to hype the hell out of Stern games and has done nothing but talk crap about the same titles since he's headed out on his own from what I've read.
:P
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Sounds like a sound business practice to me...
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Haters gonna hate...
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I believe the preorder syndrome is merely because its something rare. That some collectors believe the pins will gain in value over the years.
I know that inflated the numbers, but man I wishihad that much money to blow on a sight unseen product.
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themes a bit lame. but this pins starting to sound pretty sweet with all the toys/tech
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themes a bit lame. but this pins starting to sound pretty sweet with all the toys/tech
Gotta agree... nothing screams 2011 and the "future of pinball" like a 50+ year old wore as all hell theme...
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Gotta agree... nothing screams 2011 and the "future of pinball" like a 50+ year old wore as all hell theme...
Sorry Rolling Stones!
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Exactly...
It's obvious that "old people" are making decisions.
I mean... think about it. The key to pinball's survival is NEW PLAYERS. Do you really think THE ROLLING STONES or WIZARD OF OZ themes are going to pull in new players?
How about a RELEVANT theme for the times you old farts?
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The curtains continue to come down...
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index2.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index2.html)
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Pay no attention to what's behind that curtain.
Duh.
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I am hoping they do a gone with the wind pin next
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It's fun to bash themes, but I don't really have any great ideas either. Stern's theory for awhile was going with 'sure things that have been around awhile' and it worked with LOTR and Simpsons. I don't think games like 24 or CSI set the world on fire.
What I find interesting are the earnings reports that say 20 year old pins earn just as much as the new stuff. I think your average person in the arcade couldn't care less about the theme. Home buyers are another matter...
I suppose one nice thing about Wizard of Oz is that it can't get any older... it's permeated our popular culture and will be around the rest of our lives...
:dunno
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My neighbour had his brother visiting from england. The guy's about 27. He had never even SEEN a pinball machine. He ended up playing my Road Kings a good 20 to 30 times, and he kept talking about wanting to buy one.
I don't have a conclusion to this post. Maybe its *something*something* about pins needing to be out there more and younger players would play them?
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I will play just about any machine I come across, even if the theme is lame and one one of the floored is broken
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I will play just about any machine I come across, even if the theme is lame and one one of the floored is broken
:dizzy:
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You don't see them that often out and about. Yeah I won't dump tons of credits in a broken one, but I will play just about any one I cone across
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I think he was questioning WTF this means:
"...even if the theme is lame and one one of the floored is broken"
...and I'm right there with him. Huh?
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I think he was questioning WTF this means:
"...even if the theme is lame and one one of the floored is broken"
...and I'm right there with him. Huh?
.... kay ...
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Well, can't speak for the one one of the floors, but there's several games I won't play....
Scared Stiff, NASCAR, Junkyard, Twilight Zone, World Poker Tour, Williams Indiana Jones. Can't stand any of those and the local ice skating rink, of course, has two of them side by side. All of them have been passed by in recent history. Cirqus Voltaire is about to join that list. Every single one of them I've played has been exceptionally nice and I suspect there's a reason.
Funhouse is another one I won't touch anymore. Enjoyed it a lot, but played it into the ground and I'm sick of it.
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my Road King
I can has?
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Scared Stiff, NASCAR, Junkyard, Twilight Zone, World Poker Tour, Williams Indiana Jones. Can't stand any of those and the local ice skating rink, of course, has two of them side by side.
well given the choice between ice skating and pinball... I would choose pinball.
granted I don't own a pair of ice skates, and I would have to rent a pair *shudders*
back OT... yes the WOZ theme is bad, but given that "Sterns" money has about run out, and Tron might be the last machines from Stern we see... ya gotta give it to Jersey Jacks for digging deep to pull this one out.
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back OT... yes the WOZ theme is bad, but given that "Sterns" money has about run out, and Tron might be the last machines from Stern we see... ya gotta give it to Jersey Jacks for digging deep to pull this one out.
Say what? Stern hired back one of the greatest pinball designers of all time and have 3 rumored games in the works... Its never going to be the mid 80's/early 90's again, but pinball seems to be on a bit of a rebound.
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Say what? Stern hired back one of the greatest pinball designers of all time and have 3 rumored games in the works... Its never going to be the mid 80's/early 90's again, but pinball seems to be on a bit of a rebound.
:laugh2:
Are you one of those guys that buys a game and then posts on RGP "interest seems to be up a bit on this title"? (marketers call that selective distortion, btw)
Stern ran Steve Ritchie off because every single one of his Stern games is mediocre and none of them sold very well. No idea why they brought him back, but given that he was liquidating everything he owned a couple years ago, I imagine he's broke and willing to work cheap.
:dunno
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Are you one of those guys that buys a game and then posts on RGP "interest seems to be up a bit on this title"? (marketers call that selective distortion, btw)
Stern ran Steve Ritchie off because every single one of his Stern games is mediocre and none of them sold very well. No idea why they brought him back, but given that he was liquidating everything he owned a couple years ago, I imagine he's broke and willing to work cheap.
:dunno
Thats a big "Nope" to your question. I'm actually not crazy about most Steve Ritchie games, other than F-14. I just know a lot of other people are.
Edit: messed up quote tag. :P
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Cirqus Voltaire might be one of the most overrated pins of all time. It's gorgeous, but it's a bit of a stinker in regards to play. I've tried it many times, never once thought it was any good.
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Pic of the full playfield, minus inserts.
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it really doesn't look that bad, stuff changes. but all in all it's a thumbs sideways for me.
wait an see.
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That sort of looks like Super Mario Bros.
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Simpsons 2: Over the Rainbow
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I see the Mark Ritchie "X" :-\
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Looks like the playfield has a Good and Evil side, which could be kind of cool. Despite not loving the Wizard of Oz theme and knowing I would never drop 7 grand on a game of any type, I still think its neat to watch this progress.
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Drawings and pictures are nice but if this game is going to be under your Christmas tree this year I think they better start getting on with some physical production.
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Drawings and pictures are nice but if this game is going to be under your Christmas tree this year I think they better start getting on with some physical production.
:stupid
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Are you agreeing with me or slamming me or both?
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Agreeing 100%. They're going to have to start moving really, really quickly....
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I was wondering if they're actually further along and purposely trickling the info out. They released the full playfield art to coincide with the end of the pre-order special. Just a thought, no facts to base it on.
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I am hoping you are right. Only let out enough info to keep 'em guessing. On the other hand, they may have bitten off more than they can chew and what's been released is all they have, which is fine, just don't rush it to make some deadline that may be unrealistic.
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Pretty easy to meet deadlines you can set for yourself.
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Just like you always meet your self-imposed deadlines. I know I always do! :laugh2:
Didn't you say your fantastic body wasn't perfect?
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Didn't you say your fantastic body wasn't perfect?
Well, yeah, but my dick works and I can wipe my own ass.
:dunno
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Didn't you say your fantastic body wasn't perfect?
I think when I said that I was talking about Hilary Swank.
Not sure what jim is on about.
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Lol wut?
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The problem with deadlines when working on a new product is you don't know what you don't know. There can be all sorts of production caveats that they will blindly run into and slow production down. Unless of course the team they hired is experienced enough to know the caveats.
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The aussie distributor says production isn't till december so unlikely done before christmas
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The problem with deadlines when working on a new product is you don't know what you don't know. There can be all sorts of production caveats that they will blindly run into and slow production down. Unless of course the team they hired is experienced enough to know the caveats.
I don't know about the manufacturing, but the designing crew is all very experienced:
http://www.jerseyjackpinball.com/ourteam.asp (http://www.jerseyjackpinball.com/ourteam.asp)
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Just passin' it on here...
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index4.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index4.html)
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Oh, awesome, he's got Matt Riesterer on his team. That's the guy that sells all those awful pinball mods... and saw fit to send out e-mails to collectors trying to unload all his junk for cash to hide it from his wife during their divorce.
::)
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Matt's a great guy and his mods are awesome! Just look at what was my CSI.
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UPDATE...
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index5.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index5.html)
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Does the ball exit the munchkinland ramp toward the upper right flipper? Maybe it is designed as a munchkinland / witch combo shot?
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It does kind of look like the munchkinland playfield does exit to the upper right flipper. If you look at the full playfield drawing that TOK provided in this thread previously it also looks like there may be a playfield magnet just above the upper right flipper to stage the ball for the next shot.
For our $7500 suggested retail price I want to know if were are going to get dedicated Williams' type lamp boards for playfield inserts or are we going to get the crappy STERN individual plastic ones that are already brittle and breaking on our SHARKEY'S SHOOTOUT.
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So by the looks of that drawing, it's going to be a widebody?
Looks like you were right! I think a message was sent out to buyers today indicating that it is a widebody.
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That's a shame, widebodies are rarely any good (and Williams didn't make the few fun ones, either)
You've got decades of R&D involving every aspect of game play, and then decide to expand the playfield size but keep the ball, coils, targets, etc all the same size. :P
Ah well, Qbert, you buying?
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Here is a FULL playfield picture---mostly. http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index6.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index6.html)
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Those shoes on the flippers gotta go.
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(http://i53.tinypic.com/24lsdb9.jpg)
This thing looks more and more like a trainwreck nightmare with every update, to be honest. :-\
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Those shoes on the flippers gotta go.
+1... they look awkward.
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It looks like it is too open in the center and too clogged up on the sides.
There is a lot of pressure on the undisclosed FLYING MONKEY feature to be something stupendous if it is to save this game from the looks of things so far.
I agree... the Ruby Slipper flippers gotta go...now!
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I'm hoping that the slippers on the flippers are a bit of a wink instead of what they're really planning on doing. That looks bad.
I don't worry about it being a widebody. I've owned a few, but Twilight Zone is the only one I've kept around as it's basically the only one that I've enjoyed and my guests liked. I don't think there's anything inherently bad with a widebody concept, but the space has to be used well.
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its an option.....you can get it with or without the slipper flippers....
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It looks like it is too open in the center and too clogged up on the sides.
There is a lot of pressure on the undisclosed FLYING MONKEY feature to be something stupendous if it is to save this game from the looks of things so far.
I agree... the Ruby Slipper flippers gotta go...now!
I think the lack of art and inserts is making it look more open than it is. Lots of games have that much open area in the bottom and center.
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Oncetheyfillthemiddlewithinsertsitwilllookbetter.Maybetheyhavesomeplansforaflipuptargetareainthearea...
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Oncetheyfillthemiddlewithinsertsitwilllookbetter.Maybetheyhavesomeplansforaflipuptargetareainthearea...
This post could use some space.
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for some reason the mobile version of the site message box is only 1 character wide...and apparently does not accept spaces :lol
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Oncetheyfillthemiddlewithinsertsitwilllookbetter.Maybetheyhavesomeplansforaflipuptargetareainthearea...
This post could use some space.
Like the edges of the machine, amirite?
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Winkwinknudgenudgestillnospaceswhatthehellissgoingon?!??
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So by the looks of that drawing, it's going to be a widebody?
Looks like you were right! I think a message was sent out to buyers today indicating that it is a widebody.
I WIN!!
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So by the looks of that drawing, it's going to be a widebody?
Looks like you were right! I think a message was sent out to buyers today indicating that it is a widebody.
I WIN!!
:applaud: :applaud: :applaud: congratulations!!!! :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: here is your prize...
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2268723921_1291aeda97_o.jpg)
:laugh2:
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Whitewood playing video.
This will be on location in Vancouver, I'm looking forward to trying it.
WOZ whitewood first full flip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDrRZeaQ5JI#)
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Seems like a bit of a snoozer to me so far.
There is EVEN MORE pressure on the FLYING MONKEY feature to save this game.
I hope there is a software game situation that turns off the MUNCHKINLAND flipper after x amount of revolutions or we are going to be here all day just going around in circles even worse than NO FEAR.
Did they have to use a TWILIGHT ZONE cabinet? Why not hack up a JUDGE DREDD instead?
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I like the hand assist into Munchkinland at 1:40.
Did they have to use a TWILIGHT ZONE cabinet? Why not hack up a JUDGE DREDD instead?
I thought they were trying to be a pinball manufacturer and they haven't even MADE a cabinet for this? :dizzy:
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The design seems very flawed.
The point of a 3rd flipper is usually to be able to send the ball into an exciting, hard to reach area, or a nice flowing loop. In this case, its just sending it to the pop bumpers. Hitting the witch targets seem easy enough to hit with the standard flippers.
The left mini field doesnt seem to have the proper angles to hit the targets, which is compounded by the drop hole.
The right mini field is boring, with its singular use. Its speed is also a little too quick, esp. after a 2nd hit.. (which might be fixed if the house assembly is somehow powered by the ball... )
In a theoretical layout design, one could for example, use the 3rd flipper to feed into the house-spin loop.
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Looks like a good first try. Can't wait to see the finished product.
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The FINISHED PRODUCT is indeed key here. It is all too easy to critically bash the progress but ultimately that is how these things finally get done. Things are tried, accepted, rejected or modified.
That being said I think that the upper right pobumper on the left side will be quickly destroyed from head-on shots without some kind of target in front of it for protection.
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LMFAO
Proof positive that if someone has been fired four times because he cant sell enough games... He shouldn't get a fifth chance.
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In many ways, its not fair to access designers based on past pinball sales. The reason is because in the past, Operators just bought whatever theme looked like it would be popular. Most of these arcade Opps never saw or played these games, ordering blindly.
For example, Batman would be more popular to an op than Theatre of Magic. But no Batman pin has ever came close to trumping TOM. And on location, TOM will out-earn any batman pin 10 to 1 (or more).
Also, you have to consider what limitations and forced changes that the company instilled. A design can go from gold to tinfoil with a single omission or change.
But, generally speaking, I know that if Ive played 10 games by designer X... and wasnt all that impressed... that I shouldnt expect to be impressed by further works from him.
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soooo...big empty space in the middle = mini playfield underneath?? ???
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Still wondering why it had to be a widebody.
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In many ways, its not fair to access designers based on past pinball sales.
When they're advertising the designers, then I think it's quite fair.
I think we're going to see a final product with deep roots in redemption games. This is reminding me of Stern's Simpsons redemption game with the addition of flippers.
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For example, Batman would be more popular to an op than Theatre of Magic. But no Batman pin has ever came close to trumping TOM. And on location, TOM will out-earn any batman pin 10 to 1 (or more).
How much do you want to bet? I personally know an operator that has The Dark Knight and Theatre of Magic in the same location and I know what they take in.
Spoiler alert!
Batman crushes ToM. Your casual passerby would rather drop a few quarters into a Batman machine than a generic magic theme. It doesn't mean that they're playing the better game, but in their minds they're playing the better theme.
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In many ways, its not fair to access designers based on past pinball sales. But, generally speaking, I know that if Ive played 10 games by designer X... and wasnt all that impressed... that I shouldnt expect to be impressed by further works from him.
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Oh, and I know another operator that is trying to get me to fix up a guy's Lord of the Rings so that he can trade his Tales of the Arabian Nights for the Lord of the Rings because TOTAN no longer earns any and the one LOTR he has is doing really well. I have a LOTR and he wants it too, but I won't part with mine. Basically it's what we've all come to find lately: location machines rely heavily popular themes well before actual gameplay, art, or designer street cred.
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That's because there are alot of clueless people in the world.
They are spending their money on what they know--- mainstream movies and media. Any obscure theme is automatically garbage because they didn't make a $100 million dollar movie about it.
They know zilch about pinball and are likely only playing it for the 'wrapper' not the 'candy' inside.
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Well, licensed themes are cheap to go for and you basically get some free marketing by attaching yourself to a license. I don't always agree with the theme selections, but I understand why they do it. Heck, going back to the early '90s it's always been the licensed games that have sold well and it's a huge gap between the best selling licensed games and the best selling original themes.
Transformers seems like a case of way too late though. I know that's Stern's next game, but Michael Bay has done plenty of damage to that license already.
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Sorry, but I had a perfectly working Batman in the mall arcade. It made NOTHING.
The No Fear was trouncing it in earnings. Twilight Zone and Whirlwind even did better than the batman pin.
Its one thing to walk up to a game and play it once as a test. Its quite another to actually get hooked and play it several times a month.
And its quite another, to invest in a very expensive machine for the home... on a game merely based on generic theme.
The days of highly successful generica are over. Internet word of mouth can kill a lame game in mere minutes.
Edit:
And BTW - check up on the Opps machines. I pretty much guarantee that the TOM has some sort of issue. Unlike with my games, I knew that both worked 100% perfectly, because I cared enough to keep them in excellent shape. Not just in mechanical functionality, but weekly cleaning, proper 'hearable' volume, non-glare lighting, and proper leveling. Being at a mall location, on-premises over 45 hrs a week enabled me the ability that no typical Opp had.
It also proved itself on replay value.. because a mall has repeat regulars, who return often... rather than trying to gauge a game by mere passerby traffic in some airport niche. Theres a HUGE difference.
Anyways, go look over the games. Photograph them. Play them.
Stern games are newer, so theres less chance of damage and malfunctions on them. They also might look nicer merely out of a shine and 'clean' that will soon fade due to lack of time and effort. If the TOM was brand new, and the Batman looked and played like a +20yr beat to hell pin, you can bet the stats would be opposite.
A license never did anything for me when I was growing up playing machines. I saw one look at Johnny Numonic, Judge Dredd, Dracula, and countless others, and walked right past them. Starwars PB2K? Once for a test, and never again.
I remember playing Funhouse, cause I liked the idea of a Ferris Wheel ball lifter. Pinbot, cause it seemed interesting. Jokers for the cool card theme and ramps, BK2K for the Awesome knight theme and kick butt soundtrack, Haunted House... cause of the great music, theme, and 3 levels.
Remember, Batman or Harry Potter were not known in mass when they first came out. It was the desire and interest in people that lead to their popularity. And samely, someday, there might actually be some more excellent Original material produced that people will fall in love with. Till then, we have to suffer thru craptastic remakes of previously Original material.
The Irony of Circular Logic... Ugg. :dizzy: ::)
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When exactly were you working/managing/owning a mall arcade? I ask because Theater of Magic came out in 1995 and that date doesn't match your other timelines.
BTW, Cyclone and Hurricane have the ferris wheels, not Funhouse. Black Knight 2000 is an awful game, too.
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BK2000 is indeed a terrible game. It's a one-sided game with so few shots that it's kinda fun until you master those 2-3 shots and the it's a snoozer. Sure, good music and art, but the gameplay is atrocious.
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I worked for a Namco Owned Mall Location Arcade, from around 1996 to 1999.
I never said we had a TOM. We had a Batman, TZ, No Fear, Bram/Dracula, Judge Dredd, ...and various others on rotation from other locations. Usually only 2 or 3 pins at one time. NF & TZ stayed around the longest.
3yrs working in the arcade, felt like 20yrs. Always something breaking down, some jammed coin mechs, customer arguments over drinks, little kids taking 20 min to pick out a toy, entire assemblies being ripped off games, employees that would play games on shift after I left, District MGRs that were total Tools, Stupid Namco rules... such as putting new games at the front entrance - which made them impossible to play due to reflection-glare, waking up once a week at 5am to collect & count tokens from 42 games + write down hard to find & read Coin Meters.. all before store opening. Staying an extra hrs to assemble a new game kit & get it operational. Getting called back after-shift frequently due to a problematic bill changers going down. Driving an extra hour to clean and collect money from kiddie rides in distant off-site locations. Getting yelled at for beat up game that keeps breaking down (given to you from a busy location that trashed it, hacked wired it as barely operational, fudged collection numbers, never really could or would fix it properly... but now its Your problem). Getting a call from an employee that stated a customer had kicked in the glass prize case due to a heated argument... I could go on and on about the nightmare.
The best was when Namco tried to blame all the Mgrs of somehow embezzling money, because they couldnt accept the fact that sales were sliding down the tubes. Soon after, stores started closing in rapid succession.
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We had a pretty nice Namco arcade near me. Well, it was nice for a few years and from one day to the next it seemed to go right down the crapper. I remember feeling completely deflated after going out to the place one time and all of a sudden there were multiple broken games, dirty machines, and they had rotated out some of the bigger machines to fit in more generic smaller cabinets. It didn't take long to die off after that.
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3yrs working in the arcade, felt like 20yrs. Always something breaking down, some jammed coin mechs, customer arguments over drinks, little kids taking 20 min to pick out a toy, entire assemblies being ripped off games, employees that would play games on shift after I left, District MGRs that were total Tools, Stupid Namco rules... such as putting new games at the front entrance - which made them impossible to play due to reflection-glare, waking up once a week at 5am to collect & count tokens from 42 games + write down hard to find & read Coin Meters.. all before store opening. Staying an extra hrs to assemble a new game kit & get it operational. Getting called back after-shift frequently due to a problematic bill changers going down. Driving an extra hour to clean and collect money from kiddie rides in distant off-site locations. Getting yelled at for beat up game that keeps breaking down (given to you from a busy location that trashed it, hacked wired it as barely operational, fudged collection numbers, never really could or would fix it properly... but now its Your problem). Getting a call from an employee that stated a customer had kicked in the glass prize case due to a heated argument... I could go on and on about the nightmare.
So that's where you get that easygoing demeanor from. ;D
Even though your description of an mall arcade in the late 90's sounds a tad more eventful than the cobweb-caked funeral parlors I have personally seen back then in the malls around me, I don't doubt that Namco would have been a ---smurfette--- to work for.
My short stint working at a theme park on the arcades was a cakewalk. We contracted AAA, which was perfect, because I didn't work for AAA. If something broke, I would take a golf cart over to the machine, see if I could easily fix it on the spot, and if not I would put it on the list for the next time the AAA guy came. Morning golf cart trip to fill the change machines, evening golf cart trip to empty the arcade machines and other coin-ops around the park. Spot check between on busy days. Everything went into commercial automatic coin and bill counters. We had amazing security, so if there was any problem, they were a radio call away. We had a cleaning dept that would take care of the routine cleaning, AAA would take care of the rest.
Damn, I miss that job. :afro:
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I always thought the Namco arcades were kinda strange... they always had all of their games for sale but it was amazing how much runaround they'd give you. Oh, it's gotta be serviced first. Oh, it doesn't work so you can't have it. Oh, the guy that signs the paperwork is out today. We don't have the form, blah blah blah. Then you'd come back a month later and they had sold it all in bulk to someone else.
Prices were all over the map, too. I seem to recall the Pin2ks were $1,500, some piece of junk like Power Stone would be $450 and then a Soul Calibur would be $75.
Anyway, it did have the ripple effect of flat out killing prices in Texas for a lot of stuff.
It was always kinda fun to go into those arcades with a pocket full of tokens from other places. Their mechs were so poorly adjusted you could have probably shoved washers down a lot of them.
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Dunno about Texas but up here the tax laws are different for a "retail store" than a "coin op establishment". I don't think Namco ever really intended to sell many games.
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http://www.namcoarcade.com/Game-Sales.asp?search=All (http://www.namcoarcade.com/Game-Sales.asp?search=All)
::)
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There is a very large local arcade here that does the same thing. "Every game is for sale". Few games ever actually get sold, none are marked with a price, and the fact that they are for sale is barely advertised. It's a tax and zoning issue.
Didn't you just say yourself that "it was amazing how much runaround they'd give you"? Why do you think that was?
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I worked for a Namco Owned Mall Location Arcade, from around 1996 to 1999.
I never said we had a TOM. We had a Batman, TZ, No Fear, Bram/Dracula, Judge Dredd, ...and various others on rotation from other locations. Usually only 2 or 3 pins at one time. NF & TZ stayed around the longest.
3yrs working in the arcade, felt like 20yrs. Always something breaking down, some jammed coin mechs, customer arguments over drinks, little kids taking 20 min to pick out a toy, entire assemblies being ripped off games, employees that would play games on shift after I left, District MGRs that were total Tools, Stupid Namco rules... such as putting new games at the front entrance - which made them impossible to play due to reflection-glare, waking up once a week at 5am to collect & count tokens from 42 games + write down hard to find & read Coin Meters.. all before store opening. Staying an extra hrs to assemble a new game kit & get it operational. Getting called back after-shift frequently due to a problematic bill changers going down. Driving an extra hour to clean and collect money from kiddie rides in distant off-site locations. Getting yelled at for beat up game that keeps breaking down (given to you from a busy location that trashed it, hacked wired it as barely operational, fudged collection numbers, never really could or would fix it properly... but now its Your problem). Getting a call from an employee that stated a customer had kicked in the glass prize case due to a heated argument... I could go on and on about the nightmare.
The best was when Namco tried to blame all the Mgrs of somehow embezzling money, because they couldnt accept the fact that sales were sliding down the tubes. Soon after, stores started closing in rapid succession.
Which Batman game? DE Batman or Sega Batman Forever? Just Curious.
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Taxes an zoning?
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Namco's Base-Office, told the managers that certain games were for sale. However, then the district Mgr. would tell you not to sell certain games without his permission. I sold like 4 games to a vendor one day, and I got reamed because there was nothing immediately available to replace them with. Also, if a game did well in your location, you were told not to sell it.
If you sold a game, you got a small commission. Which still was better than nothing, considering the crappy pay I was getting.
We had a multi-cart Neo-Geo for sale one day.. and I really wanted it for myself. $300 was pretty cheap, but my finances were too restricted due to a brand new car, and super high insurance because I was a new driver. I decided to set a price on the game to $400... and when the game was sold, Id write it up in my name, pocket the extra 100, and get the commission. I didnt figure it would be all that big of a deal, because I could have just bought and sold the thing off anyways - off location.
But the buyer was a game-store owner, who found out the prices from other locations... and threatened to turn me in unless I gave him the extra money back. I got nervous, and folded. I wish I would have just bought the thing and got someone to get it home for me. It had an excellent monitor.
Which Batman game?
Sega Batman Forever
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The best was when Namco tried to blame all the Mgrs of somehow embezzling money, because they couldnt accept the fact that sales were sliding down the tubes. Soon after, stores started closing in rapid succession.
We had a multi-cart Neo-Geo for sale one day.. and I really wanted it for myself. $300 was pretty cheap, but my finances were too restricted due to a brand new car, and super high insurance because I was a new driver. I decided to set a price on the game to $400... and when the game was sold, Id write it up in my name, pocket the extra 100, and get the commission. I didnt figure it would be all that big of a deal, because I could have just bought and sold the thing off anyways - off location.
But the buyer was a game-store owner, who found out the prices from other locations... and threatened to turn me in unless I gave him the extra money back. I got nervous, and folded. I wish I would have just bought the thing and got someone to get it home for me. It had an excellent monitor.
Heh, you ever think there may be real reasoning that Namco suspected their managers of embezzling money? :dunno
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It never ceases to amaze me how penny ante employee fraud tends to be. Yeah, we could all use a raise, but was it really worth losing your job over 3 days of pay?
:dizzy:
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It never ceases to amaze me how penny ante employee fraud tends to be. Yeah, we could all use a raise, but was it really worth losing your job over 3 days of pay?
When I ran a couple of Subways it always amazed me how little people would get fired over. I would be forced to fire people over pocketing a $20. It just never made sense to me that someone would be willing to lose their 40 hour job over a single twenty but it did happen. Maybe they think they won't get caught and can keep doing it. I would tell people clearly that if the drawer comes up under part of my job was to review the tapes from the cameras visibly pointing right at the register. They'd still do it. :dunno
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Yeah, man, you don't screw around with the register. What you DO do is eat all the food, drink all the dusty wine bottles, and float the keg (and give the Bud guy a free pizza if he tells the owner that the keg is 'old' and 'needs to be replaced' rather than 'empty').
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Heh, you ever think there may be real reasoning that Namco suspected their managers of embezzling money?
What I did wasnt embezzling. Namco set the game price at $300, and thats exactly what I paid Namco. I just got an extra $100 from the person I re-sold it to.
The theft they were talking about, was managers who sold game tokens out of their own pockets, rather than by machine. Basically, taking the cash for themselves, with no record in the system. Fudging numbers in paperwork to cover things up.
After the suspected theft, they changed certain rules. It used to be that employees could play free after hours as a perk. Just open the coin door and credit the game up. After lockdown, they actually told the managers to giver each employee like 30 tokens a week or something like that. Its been so long I dont remember the exact amt. Any credits added on a game due to malfunction, were to be logged from that point on as well.
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What you did was illegal. In the position you were, you had a duty to operate on the best interest of Namco, you didn't, you operated in your own self interest. It's a pretty clear case of breach of fiduciary duty and self dealing. What you did was pure theft. The guy bought a 400 machine from NAMCO, and you attempted to steal 25% of the price. You had no right to that money, you can't pocket money for selling something that isn't yours. What you should have done is sold it for 400, told your bosses and asked for a bonus, raise or promotion
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I would also call is embezzlement, misappropriation of property and fraud. It wasn't yours to sell. Company set the price and setup the network to sell the product at that price. You mislead the buyer that they were purchasing the product for the set price from Namco. You took $100 from him that he believed he was paying to Namco.
If I work at McDonalds and sell a $1 hamburger for $5, I can't justify it that I bought the hamburger immediately beforehand and resold it for $4 personal profit. That customer went to McDonalds, not me. That person believed McDonalds was selling the hamburger for $5.
From Wiki:
Embezzlement is a crime against ownership; that is, the owner's right to control the disposition and use of the property.
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual
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Heh... I knew the wiki experts were gonna jump all over him.
People do that kind of crap all the time.
If you're so certain that it's worth more than the asking price, buy it first and flip it elsewhere and you're fine.
:cheers:
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Yeah, the wrongdoing happens when he sells it off the Namco floor for more than Namco's price. All he had to do was buy it for $300 and sell it out of his own home and there is no problem.
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Exactly.
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assuming there was no refund issued because of it, is it wrong to pocket jammed coins then?
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The world is black and white :P
Yeah, the wrongdoing happens when he sells it off the Namco floor for more than Namco's price. All he had to do was buy it for $300 and sell it out of his own home and there is no problem.
Correct. I shouldnt have done it, but, I was pretty desperate at the time. New car was $250 month, and insurance for a new driver, even at my older age, was like $240 month. It was a P.O.S. cavalier to boot (which didnt even come with a stereo). I didnt take anything from the store, but the customer was going to pay more. Had I a van, I would have carted it home.
Asked for a raise a few times, and even doing an excellent job, the DM wasnt budging. I was stupidly busting my butt +45 hrs a week, in a skilled and highly responsible position, for a mere $9.13 and hr. (no overtime. fixed salary) Even considering that I didnt do board work, thats really sad for a Mgt. position, let alone for all the mechanical repairs I did.
FYI - not that it makes it any more right... the gamestore owner drives a gas guzzling decked out hummer. And parks some sort of high speed racing / sports car in front of one of his many shops.
assuming there was no refund issued because of it, is it wrong to pocket jammed coins then?
It was extremely rare that any coins were jammed, because the entire room ran on tokens. Tokens left behind were put back into the coin box.
In fact, many of us Mgrs were trying to make the most sales per week. Trying to break a record. Compete against other locations..etc. The better you ran the store, the more that could show, in the form of income.
Me personally, I always loved games, and so I actually had the passion and motivation to fix them properly. Sadly, this actually gt me frowned upon... because they wanted a person to just rig it and keep it collecting. I spent more time on it, but my fixes would last yrs... rather than break down every week. (such as when I re-wired a road blasters wheel with heavy gauge speaker wire, cause the thin stock wires kept shearing) Heh, I was probably the only Namco arcade Mgr. whos T2 had both working force feedback guns, as well as the holographic explosions (working flasher lamps behind the 2way mirror).
In the end, the DM gave me about 6 'destroyed' redemption games right before busy season, with the intent of setting them up after the seasons end. I never had time to work on them. After season ended, I was still repairing games that made decent money.. and then the DM came in with a prize case and reamed me out for not being ready.
I believe I was being set-up, now that I think about it. He gave me like a 2weeks to get a list of things done or Id be fired. I got everything done.. but he sat there and told me he was letting me go anyways, cause he had someone who he 'thought' was more motivated. Id found out he had been training another guy from a different location for some time. I probably could have fought it, but by this time, I was burned out, and just so sick of it all.
The "Kid" they put in there was Useless. Didnt care one bit about the place. Didnt know how to repair even the simple things, nor cared to even try. The place sunk like a stone in no time flat because of it. I think it was one year after he took over, before they shut the arcades doors forever. It was Sad, but it brought a bit of a smile to my face because of my poor experience with them. The DM that axed me, was also let-go.
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I may speak out on the legal side of your past situation when you worked there, but I'm not gonna play the part of moral crusader. Meh, you did what you did. It's just good to see you are not kidding yourself about the reality of your actions.
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Namco's Base-Office, told the managers that certain games were for sale. However, then the district Mgr. would tell you not to sell certain games without his permission. I sold like 4 games to a vendor one day, and I got reamed because there was nothing immediately available to replace them with. Also, if a game did well in your location, you were told not to sell it.
If you sold a game, you got a small commission. Which still was better than nothing, considering the crappy pay I was getting.
We had a multi-cart Neo-Geo for sale one day.. and I really wanted it for myself. $300 was pretty cheap, but my finances were too restricted due to a brand new car, and super high insurance because I was a new driver. I decided to set a price on the game to $400... and when the game was sold, Id write it up in my name, pocket the extra 100, and get the commission. I didnt figure it would be all that big of a deal, because I could have just bought and sold the thing off anyways - off location.
But the buyer was a game-store owner, who found out the prices from other locations... and threatened to turn me in unless I gave him the extra money back. I got nervous, and folded. I wish I would have just bought the thing and got someone to get it home for me. It had an excellent monitor.
Which Batman game?
Sega Batman Forever
X... admitting to fraud? Wow...
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and you know people will remember it when xiaou next jumps on his moral high horse. :laugh2:
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Theres a huge difference between charging a person more for something, than to belittle, troll, be a racist, etc. Our entire society is based on buying and selling things... and sadly, its almost never a fair deal.
In fact, what I did was nothing compared to the thousands of part-time employees that gave out free credits, sold or traded their tokens off for meals and other things. Gave away prizes from the cases. Didnt shred tickets - and recycled them to get large prizes...
But anyways, I have no problem admitting when Im wrong or have done wrong things. Its those people who cant admit things, and do not change, that are the people that have the real problem.
People who cant say they are sorry, People who have no conscience, People who wrong & torment others for their own amusement... There are things are far more wrong that people do, that there are no laws pertaining to.
Edit:
Additionally, Just because a person has done something wrong, or been or acted in a wrong manor in their pasts.. does not mean they are now forfeit from scolding others for the same or similar behavior.
We all make mistakes. We have the capability to grow, and change, and be better people. We should expect to be scolded, expect to scold others when needed, and forgive, help reform, and understand... rather than permanently condemn.
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Theres a huge difference between charging a person more for something, than to belittle, troll, be a racist, etc. Our entire society is based on buying and selling things... and sadly, its almost never a fair deal.
In fact, what I did was nothing compared to the thousands of part-time employees that gave out free credits, sold or traded their tokens off for meals and other things. Gave away prizes from the cases. Didnt shred tickets - and recycled them to get large prizes...
But anyways, I have no problem admitting when Im wrong or have done wrong things. Its those people who cant admit things, and do not change, that are the people that have the real problem.
People who cant say they are sorry, People who have no conscience, People who wrong & torment others for their own amusement... There are things are far more wrong that people do, that there are no laws pertaining to.
Edit:
Additionally, Just because a person has done something wrong, or been or acted in a wrong manor in their pasts.. does not mean they are now forfeit from scolding others for the same or similar behavior.
We all make mistakes. We have the capability to grow, and change, and be better people. We should expect to be scolded, expect to scold others when needed, and forgive, help reform, and understand... rather than permanently condemn.
:o wow, that was actually... genuine, earnest and whole-hearted. (checks temperature)
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Being straightforward here, X2, ok? 8)
The core of the issues when you get into your moral lectures on people is that you place yourself in as the judge of all things ethical. If someone was genuinely hurt or bullied online, I am all for standing up for that person, more power to you. You however tend to find an "invisible victim" You take offence at things because you think that someone out there in the world might be offended. You then take it upon yourself to crusade against that person, call them names, accuse them of your personal interpretation of the post, and genuinely offend and hurt others here on the board by insulting one of the members. You also don't realize that the posts you go out against were not made to intentionally hurt, troll, belittle, etc. You look for an apology where none is due, and especially not due to you.
Most people here don't want want to see anyone bullied here either, that is why they stand up against your posts. Things just end up turning ugly. :-\
You don't seem to realize that you are causing more hurt that the original post, and end up derailing threads in the process. I am trying to be sincere when I say that you would do much more good just reporting the issue to Saint, because if it is something that can be seen as offensive, Saint is the first person to want it off of his boards. It saves him going through a post and cleaning up every bit of the scuffle, anyway.
I'm not looking for a response or a fight here, just giving you some food for thought. Say what you will to disagree, but I am just glad to get this message out to you without it being in the middle of some pointless argument. I really hope this helps make things better on the boards. :cheers:
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just to add my 2 cents,
when reading something on paper and when hearing it from someones mouth are 2 completely different things.
when you hear someone say something, you can tell by the tone of their voice, by the way they carry themselves, by how fast or slow someone says it... it's very easy to determine if someone is joking/kidding around/serious by these cues.
when simply reading text, you don't have those cues to go by, but simply words. therefore the reader "says" it in their mind and tries to insert the expression from sterile text. it is extremely easy to take something the wrong way without those cues from the person. it is all in the current mindset of the reader.
keep that little tidbit in your mind when you read things on the internet, you are only getting part of the whole picture.
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Yep, I'm looking forward to the new project from Jersey Jack too.....
chirp chirp, chirp chirp (crickets)
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Theres a huge difference between charging a person more for something, than to belittle, troll, be a racist, etc.
You are right... one is illegal ...the others are not.
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(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQx_-Q1Hf3TdBhLEI_yhhk8WOnqVq7HvZuammOCHW0uL08piBXjRQ)
:lol
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If you guys wanna argue about stupid stuff and wring your hands all the time, I HIGHLY suggest permanently migrating to RGP. You've got about a dozen autistics you can count on to respond to any thread at any time of day, so you won't run out of reading material.
The writing's on the wall with this hobby... enjoy it while it lasts. There wasn't a single person on that episode of American Pickers younger than 45. :P
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If you guys wanna argue about stupid stuff and wring your hands all the time, I HIGHLY suggest permanently migrating to RGP. You've got about a dozen autistics you can count on to respond to any thread at any time of day, so you won't run out of reading material.
The writing's on the wall with this hobby... enjoy it while it lasts. There wasn't a single person on that episode of American Pickers younger than 45. :P
I think one of the issues is the expense. I have plenty of relatives that are younger and love playing the pins at my house, but there are very few people in their 20's that will drop kind of money required to get a nice, working game... A N.I.B. pro model Stern costs more than a lot of them paid for their cars.
I really like pins and still get sticker shock. You can get a whole row of nice vids for the price of even a moderately desirable pin. The only way I've been able to justify it is by getting games that need a little work.
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That's just not true. There are a lot of games that are well under a grand and are fun to play. Don't confuse your personal preferences with the entire hobby.
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I've got exactly one game (WCS 94) in my pile that cost me more than a grand, two others that are close, and the rest were $600ish or less.
:dunno
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Yep. My high is $1200 but that includes a few A list titles like Twilight Zone, Revenge From Mars, and Fathom.
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I think the problem is that pinball restoration and collecting just doesn't seem to be such an accessable hobby for newcomers. At least, from an outsider point of view. For me, someone who doesn't know the ins and outs of a pinball machine itself, I steer away from taking the plunge on any old machine to learn on. I don't know the availability of parts, wouldn't be able to access the condition, and am worried I might get in way over my head when I would need to work on it. Not to even get into the real estate it could take up to work on.
Right now, I am holding out, waiting for that "opportunity buy" to come along. For my first pin, I don't think I would be willing to pay much more than $150-200 for a one that seems to be in reasonable condition. I just have the fear that costs would grow exponentially, and I would end up biting more than I can chew.
:-\
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Well, you're either motivated enough to jump in on a cheap machine and figure all that out, or you're not. Not trying to be a dick but that's pretty much the line to cross or not cross.
I would say grab some cheap machine that you can physically inspect. Don't cherry pick a title. Look for obvious damage to the circuit boards. That's the big one. Art and such are easier to fix for novices than the PCBs and isn't even required. Damages to look for on the PCBs would be obviously broken or burned parts. You don't have to understand what you're looking at to notice a big black spot on a PCB. Pull up the playfield and make sure there isn't anything obviously wrong like a vermin nest or a bunch of cut wires around an empty spot.
Other than that, so long as you didn't invest $750 up front, the risk is minimal. Jump in and have at it. There are more online tutorials and parts vendors for pinball than any technical hobby I've tried yet.
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Naw, I don't see that as a dick comment, just a dose of reality that I have been coming to realize. I know a few guys that have had good $50 machines fall in their laps, I am not ever that guy. I have been browsing for pinball machines along with arcade machines for a few years now, and I believe I have passed up number of good purchases, while trying to convince myself that better one will come along. I've been wanting a pinball machine more and more recently, so I guess next time my project fund fill up, I better take the plunge.
Also, I'm guessing that it is really good advice for what to look out for when looking to buy a machine. Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. :cheers:
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Drive to Texas, I'll load you up. I'm passing up deals left and right because I'm out of space. ;D
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Drive to Texas, I'll load you up. I'm passing up deals left and right because I'm out of space. ;D
Which is in total contrast to the scene up here in British Columbia... I've been searching for a pinball to get my hands for close to seven years, and its only been in the last year that I've been able to score one (two actually, I got really lucky).
There's a small number of pinheads in Vancouver and Victoria that literally buy up everything that comes onto the market, do a quick shop job to clean it up, then try to flip it for triple what they paid for it. Basically, if you don't reply to the ad within 15m of it being posted, you're not getting it. And more than once I've been in the car, on the way over w/cash after speaking to the seller, only to get there and find out that they're not interested in selling any more as "He's coming over from Vancouver w/his truck tomorrow".
My first score was a Space Odyssey I picked up at a local silent auction (so thankfully, the ad was basically never seen by anyone interested in pinballs), but it needed a lot of work. Started pulling it apart back in Feb, still have it in pieces right now (touch-ups done, clear is curing). Its been a whole lot of work to get it looking nice, but its finally coming together.
Second score was a Black Knight, which I only got because I (for once) managed to be the first person to respond to the ad, and the seller was an honest enough guy to not sell it out from under me while I drove ~90m to go see it. I've seen (and lost) six other Black Knights over the years here on the island, most of which were "~$12-1500, not working", so to finally get one was a nice surprise. This one also needs some work, but I'm hesitant to whether or not I really want to go whole hog on touching up the playfield; although it'll look real nice when its done, that's gonna take more time than I want to spend right now. Ah, decisions decisions... :D
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(touch-ups done, clear is curing). Its been a whole lot of work to get it looking nice, but its finally coming together.
That's the sort of advanced work that is totally optional. It's great to do but a clean and shopped game will play just as well if you don't touch it up and clear it.
I know what you mean about the deep pockets crew. The scene is very competitive up here in New England, too. We have the benefit of a lot of machines creeping northwards from NJ. It gives us enough supply that there are enough B/C list games to supply the regular joes while the deep pockets crew fight over the same 10 Williams titles.
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Sure, competitive buyers can be a pain, but we've got sellers playing dumb, too.
For example, yesterday, a Getaway hit the San Antonio Craig's List for $150. The seller didn't post his real e-mail, address, or a phone number. I sent him an e-mail, within an hour or so of his ad, asking his number, where he was located, etc. His response is "Close to downtown, I'm currently taking offers."
Yeah, well, this isn't my first rodeo.
Call up another collector, sure enough, this seller is on a fishing trip for a price war and has us all lined up to see who will take his bait.
In Houston, a couple of them have gotten sick of it and they're doing things like, "oh, man, I'll give you a thousand bucks for that thing if you can give me 20 minutes to get there... wait... can I call you right back?" -CLICK!-
Anyway, not my thing, I don't play games like that but it's kinda funny. Also doesn't help that non-collectors get idiotic with the high offers, either. Lost out on a Zaccaria to some guy that paid twice the asking price and had no idea how to fix pinballs but had a pile of dead ones in his apartment.
I mean, yeah, he owns it and I don't, so I guess he "wins", but what is the point??
:dizzy:
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Here is the rub, it all depends on local markets, since shipping a machine is several hundred, and involves you buying a machine sight unseen. The thing also, is that I o ly have room for one or two pins, so I want a nice one. Getting a beater EM for 100 bucks just isn't what I would want. So, since I can only have one or two pins, I would want a more modern, DMD pin. Also having never worked on a pin, not getting one in good shape is something I am not sure I would want to invest the time, expense, frustration to get a beater working again. Criticize me all you want, just giving you a perspective. That's what makes it hard to break into the hobby unless you few up a pinhead and have a passion for all pins. Most people o know have probably only played a handful of machines in their entire lives
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Of course that makes it hard to get in because of how you want to do it. You want a game in the deep end of the price pool that doesn't require much work. That doesn't make it the fault of the market. You're just asking too much.
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I think it is the simply the reality of the situation for a number of people interested in the hobby. The repair work probably only seems more daunting than it is. So you look at a pin that does not seem scary to a rookie, in reality at most only has some burnt out lights and needs a bit of cleaning. Yeah, it is stupid of us to be so freaked by the prospect of learning on the fly. I'm not gonna lie...I'm in that boat myself.
Most people probably end up just buying something fully restored, make a virtual pinball machine, or buy nothing and pursue other interests. I am thinking I want to take the plunge though, I am pretty sure I am just being a baby about the whole thing.
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I had been dying for years to get a pinball in my place.
I would ritualistically scan Craigslist with nothing great for me.
Then I stumbled across a Pinball League and signed right up. Suddenly I met a group of people who had lots of knowledge and connections in pinball and lots of access to games I would have never seen/played by just hitting local pubs and arcades. Immediately I made a connection and ended up buying a pin from him a couple weeks later.
If you are looking to buy, I highly suggest joining a club or league, even if it's just online.
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Nah, I am with you. I would only want to fix something that I would want to keep around and play. Id I fou d one in bad shape, I wouldn't be able to assess what exactly was wrong with it until after I bought it, then there is the risk of dumping even more money into it, along with the time, frustration and space. I would want a DMD game because in general they have deeper rules and have better replay ability. I wouldn't want to constantly rotate games out every fee months, at least not at first. So really I would need to find a fun DMD machine for around a grand that is in good working order. If I can't find that, I won't make the jump
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Vigo, I just took that plunge and bought a Bally Harlem Globetrotters off of a local dude on craigslist. I am in NC and the market is slow around here, not fast like texas. The ad came up, I went to see it and finally bought it for $550. It was playing fine but with some lighting problems. Got it home, and the main board crapped out within a few days. I've since gotten everything working mechanically and electrically (With help from several here) and am really enjoying the thing.
This thing next to an arcade game is like an AC cobra next to a corvette, you know which one people will be drawn to like flies.
Bottom line, watch the ad's, take the plunge, realize you are going to blow $200-300 beyond the purchase price to get the thing happy. Get a SS for the first one. EM's are tougher to work on, DMD's are $$$$. Try to get one that at least partially works. The sourcing, soldering, replacing parts and researching are fun. Unlike PC's, there's rarely much mystery, nearly every problem has been solved and diagnosed a million times before.
bottom line, just do it. :cheers:
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Haha. the peer pressure! Argh, Arcade cabinets were just the gateway drug! :cry:
I think I'll will, don't worry. Thanks for the perspective from someone who had just gone though with it. :cheers:
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I really don't understand the problem. You might spend $200 on an EM, fix it up, play it awhile, and sell it for a $100 loss? Who cares? You blow $100 on dumb crap all the time.
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All th EMS in my neck of the woods are ridiculously overpriced, people feel like because something is old, it's worth a lot
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I really don't understand the problem. You might spend $200 on an EM, fix it up, play it awhile, and sell it for a $100 loss? Who cares? You blow $100 on dumb crap all the time.
Yeah, depending on how long I have a game, I don't mind taking a $100 hit on a sale. Part of the fun is fixing them anyway, so I see that as time enjoyed. Usually I at least break even or make a few bucks when I sell my stuff though.
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I have always believed that half the fun of owning a pinball is working on it. If you aren't 'mechanically inclined' as they say then owning a pinball really isn't for you unless you are just going to turn it on and have it look pretty. It WILL break if you are actually going to play it for any extended length of time and if you don't know of a good reliable home tech then you are out of luck if you can't fix it yourself.
If you have had a game for some time and you sell it for what you paid you are not really even but actually ahead because you got to play it for FREE as long as you owned it.
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(touch-ups done, clear is curing). Its been a whole lot of work to get it looking nice, but its finally coming together.
That's the sort of advanced work that is totally optional. It's great to do but a clean and shopped game will play just as well if you don't touch it up and clear it.
Agreed; I didn't have to go to this effort on the machine. When I first picked it up I thought I was just going to do a quick cleanup on it, but as I got into it I realized that although my first impression was "not that bad shape" there were more and more things piling up each time I looked at it... multiple spots worn through to the wood, heavy planking, major cupping on all the inserts. I laughed at myself, and decided that I guess I needed another "summer project" to work on, so I stripped the whole thing down and basically started a restoration of the puppy.
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Don't get me wrong, I think that's great. But as a pin-noob I just want a fun machine to play on, I wouldn't want to spend and a few hundred bucks on something not working in my garage that I don't know exactly how to fix. I know these things break, but I think it would be easier to fix something that you played and knew worked rather then getting something that didn't play and try to get it working. Anyhow, I would rather pay 1200 for a cleaned up, working pin than 650 for a beater pin, at least for my very first pin.
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I really don't understand the problem. You might spend $200 on an EM, fix it up, play it awhile, and sell it for a $100 loss? Who cares? You blow $100 on dumb crap all the time.
Yeah, depending on how long I have a game, I don't mind taking a $100 hit on a sale. Part of the fun is fixing them anyway, so I see that as time enjoyed. Usually I at least break even or make a few bucks when I sell my stuff though.
I bought the HGOT for market for a player, and I've got $400 in parts and tools. If I can't fix the original control board, I will never see my cash back out of this thing. If I can, I can resell my $200 replacement main board for about $175 (says ebay) so I'll be fine. Gives me some incentive to get soldering. but, it was worth it because I've got the game to play while screwing with the board. Then, once my mame rig is done, it will be easier to break the thing down for some more fun restoration to increase the $.
I will be happy if I clean it, touch up the field and repaint the case and clear enough cash to get a soldering station.
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This is entirely off topic here but I want to know... Is your red, white, and black 'Album Cover' a reference to THE WHITE STRIPES?
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This is entirely off topic here but I want to know... Is your red, white, and black 'Album Cover' a reference to THE WHITE STRIPES?
I thought that by his name "Top Jimmy Cooks" and the "Album Cover" (Eddie's favorite guitar), that he was probably a Van Halen fan?
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I averaged it out once... figuring what I spent on buying, repairing, maintaining, and losses/gains on sales versus number of times I played them.
It came out fairly close to about $1/game and figuring realistically I'm playing 300-400 games a year spread across all my machines, that's not all that bad.
Those guys that buy them, clean them, and flip them are making less than $5/hour doing it and don't believe another word they say if they insist it's much more than that.
Truth. The truly profitable flips are few and far between. Maybe you break even on a really good one these days. Most you don't and you're doing it because you care about the machine.
The part that I don't get about the $100 loss scenario is the newly acquired skills involved with fixing the game. That's the main thing I get out of it. When I got into this hobby I didn't even understand what soldering is nevermind being able to do it. A few years later I'm the guy everyone gives their expensive stuff in need of repair because "Chad can fix almost anything". Granted, a lot of that is just being able to find the right forum for advice, but the electrical repair and basic PCB troubleshooting I've picked up is worth way more than $100/machine. I save more than that every time an appliance dies and I don't have to spend $100 just to get a repair guy on site to look at it. I have fixed my water heater, my washer twice, my dryer, my dishwasher, and a couple other things with the skills I've picked up from this hobby.
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This is entirely off topic here but I want to know... Is your red, white, and black 'Album Cover' a reference to THE WHITE STRIPES?
I thought that by his name "Top Jimmy Cooks" and the "Album Cover" (Eddie's favorite guitar), that he was probably a Van Halen fan?
I like the White Stripes too . . . and don't worry, this thread was thoroughly derailed before this tangent cropped up. :cheers:
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Haven't seen an update on this in months. This still on track or cancelled?
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It's still on track, but there seems to be an odd lack of urgency to get the product out. Some days I think it looks amazing, other days I think it looks like pinball soup and confusing. I really can't wait to see how it all plays out, but it is a little unsettling how slowly it's coming together.
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I'm having trouble coming up with a reason to be emotionally invested. Yeah, I'd like to see a new pinball vendor, but I don't think I'll ever see one of these. Or if I do it will be for 10 minutes at some gathering from behind the crowd of guys around it who don't respect people waiting.
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While I can say it will be nice to have another Pinball vendor out there, it actually won't be. They are aimed at making massively priced home use only games. Not really the type stuff many of us will ever see and no one in their right mind will put out a $7,500 pinball on route. I wouldn't at least, yikes!
I just hope a lot of the parts are going to be common and easy to replace. Nothing like a $7,500 pinball with ultra expensive parts or impossible to find!
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They'll be using Bally/Williams parts.
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The other problem is that there just isn't the market for games to be sold in the 10,000+ mark anymore. It seems like games may move into the ultra expensive HUO. I am really really curious to see how this does in the private market AFTER their first pin. Then again with how long it has taken to make this first pin who knows how long the second will take or if there will ever be one?
My biggest bummer is the chance of playing this is slim to none. None of my friends have $7,500 for a pinball. I need new friends obviously
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i will take pics when we get it :applaud: :applaud:
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i will take pics when IF we get it :applaud: :applaud:
Fixed...
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"i'm talkin' bout my Doorbell, when ya gonna ring it - when ya gonna ring it" with m' pinball machine?
I don't see the economics of one pinball machine with 5-6 well known engineers & designers working on it for months/years. Say 7K per machine, they sell 2500??, thats 1.75 mil. Say these dudes make 75K/year and work on the project for 1 year each that's a third of a mil right there. overhead, mr' jack's cut, etc. gotta cost something to buy the parts and make the thing ($3K?) anyone know the cost of pinball parts like they do with phones and tablets on ifixit? Making one game at a time with no ongoing pipeline of machines a/la stern is not a model I would invest in.
I really hope it gets made and is a good thing for the buyers, and I'd love to play, I'm no snob, I enjoy all themes and play styles so far. 'course these guys are big in the redemption game biz and have forgotten more about the game than I ever knew. I just don't see how the business model makes sense.
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New picture(kind of?) of the prototype
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Ohh man, I dare say this will be the most Hideous Pinball ever produced.
>.<
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It's Cirqus Voltaire all over again!!! :puke
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New picture(kind of?) of the prototype
Yeah, that's a straight up (poor) photoshop job.
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If this game is going to use WMS mechanical parts does anyone know if the boards will be WPC based too?
Or is all we care to do around here is bash bash bash someone elses work?
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I dunno... I don't see that as being any worse than Avatar. Most people don't hate Avatar.
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I just think that after all the Photoshop bashing from the JJP team, they release a machine that's got Photoshop-Fu all over it.
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Personally, I cant stand those cheezy break into song movies anymore, with rare exception. Its very annoying. Imagine a pinball using video clips, singing songs from the WOZ? Thats no treat to me.
Maybe they think this will attract a lot of children or something. But thats Way off-base.
For one thing, Pinball isnt a childs game. And when the kid is finally old enough to be good at them and enjoy/appreciate them, they are not going to be interested in WOZ one bit.
As for the 'Art', its just not happening. Even if this is hand painted, with one of these hyper-realistic artists.. it LOOKS like a collage of Photos. It carries no artistic interpretation, and so it looks cheesy as hell. (like the movie itself)
At least with Avatar, the movie wasnt a bunch of full grow actors in badly made Halloween costumes, and sets that looked like they came out of a high school play.
Of course, I dont like Sterns Avatar look either. But just sayin..
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Personally, I cant stand those cheezy break into song movies anymore, with rare exception. Its very annoying. Imagine a pinball using video clips, singing songs from the WOZ? Thats no treat to me.
Heh, yeah. Thinking about it, I can't imagine a much more grating set of songs to have during play. Now if it played Pink Floyd during play.... ;D
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If it played Pink Floyd anyone under 45 would walk away.
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If it played Pink Floyd anyone under 45 would walk away.
I'm 33 and love Pink Floyd. Even started to collect vinyl PF albums.
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If it played Pink Floyd anyone under 45 would walk away.
I'm 33 and love Pink Floyd. Even started to collect vinyl PF albums.
I'm 33, love Pink Floyd too. Dark Side of Oz was pretty neat, and I wasn't even high or anything. I guess Chad thinks Pink Floyd was a 1 hit wonder?
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If it played Pink Floyd anyone under 45 would walk away.
I'm 33 and love Pink Floyd. Even started to collect vinyl PF albums.
I'm 33, love Pink Floyd too. Dark Side of Oz was pretty neat, and I wasn't even high or anything. I guess Chad thinks Pink Floyd was a 1 hit wonder?
Tell that to Roger Waters...
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I'm 33, love Pink Floyd too. Dark Side of Oz was pretty neat, and I wasn't even high or anything. I guess Chad thinks Pink Floyd was a 1 hit wonder?
I'm 26 and watched what we called Pink Oz (apparently it's also Dark Side of Oz too) 10 or 11 years ago. Pink Floyd's not bad, I'd rather this pin play that than those damned Wizard of Oz songs...
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Hey! I'm 33 and like Pink Floyd as well!
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speaking of music pins http://pinballhead.com/tag/stern-acdc/ (http://pinballhead.com/tag/stern-acdc/)
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If it played Pink Floyd anyone under 45 would walk away.
I'm 33 and love Pink Floyd. Even started to collect vinyl PF albums.
Seconded on the loving pink floyd and being 33. Not on the vinyl thing. LAst thing I need is another ---goshdarn--- thing to collect.
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I'm 33 and love Pink Floyd.
I'm 33, love Pink Floyd too.
Hey! I'm 33 and like Pink Floyd as well!
Seconded on the loving pink floyd and being 33.
Hmm... I don't suppose you guys all drink Rolling Rock and attend secret meetings as well?
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6072772055_23c44fc031.jpg)
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Why bother to click posted links, smartbomb? Much easier to talk trash. ::)
No need to click posted links when we can have you do the reading for us. You are all too eager to oblige.
As far as trash talking goes I'm learning from the best around. You.
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Hmm... I don't suppose you guys all drink Rolling Rock and attend secret meetings as well?
No, but I did go to club 33 at Disneyland this year...
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Hmm... I don't suppose you guys all drink Rolling Rock and attend secret meetings as well?
No, but I did go to club 33 at Disneyland this year...
Lucky bastard! :angry:
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PBJ, then you would be missing out on some sweet clubs! The key to getting in to a good club is a great business card.... "Stan Bruckheimer - Dolphin Trainer" ...
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Now that we're totally off topic - I actually went to a 'Barber Club' yesterday. Great concept (mens club that you can get your hair cut at, shave, etc.) with poor execution, unfortunately. Haircut is worse than the ones I get for $15, they overpriced their groupon to make it look like a deal, and just wasn't the experience I was expecting.
So...pinball.
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Now that we're totally off topic - I actually went to a 'Barber Club' yesterday. Great concept (mens club that you can get your hair cut at, shave, etc.) with poor execution, unfortunately. Haircut is worse than the ones I get for $15, they overpriced their groupon to make it look like a deal, and just wasn't the experience I was expecting.
So...pinball.
Maybe Jersey Jack will offer a sweet Groupon for this machine?
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I figured on a forum like this everyone's mom still cuts their hair? Either bullcut or buzz? no? Hmm...perhaps only I still get mine cut by my mom. Bummer
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I just cut my own with some Wahl clippers. They paid for themselves years ago.
On a similar note, anyone here shave with a real straight-edge shaving razor? I have tried about a dozen different razors and shavers, and about everything I try chews up my neck. I haven't tried those $200 shavers yet, but I am thinking I might want to try a straight-edge next.
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Haha! The way these modern razors all vibrate and spew lubricant, you would think they were specifically designed specifically for the lady in mind. :lol
I think I have tried that Gillete fusion. If I remember right, I really liked it, but the blades didn't last long, and refills were horrible in price (I guess they all are though). Maybe I am just missing something about blade cartridge maintenance?
:dunno
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I got tired of bad hairdays due to very thin hair that wont do anything without tons of hairspray. I was getting my hair cut very short per a girlfriends request, but when my hair started thinning and receding... it made me look like I was partially bald due to the translucent nature of light colored hair.
So now, I just let it grow long, and ponytail it up. The thickness of the extra hair bunched up helps cover over the thinning spots, and it so easy to deal with. Brush back, tail up, and go. No more fighting with bad hair, no more sprays, no more expenses on cuts (except every once in maybe 3yrs).
Ive also thought about the straight razor thing too. But the startup expense to get into it is a little intimidating... as is the amount of skill to keep the bladed honed just right, so that they are both sharp and long lasting. Its also time consuming.
Currently Im using 3 bladed norelco shaver. (Ill look up the model later) Its doesnt chew up my neck like everything else does.. however, I believe that is part in fact due to the lower RPM of the motor. Which basically means, that it takes 3 times as long to get the entire job done. (and it never gets blade close obviously)
Disposable Razors tend to irritate my skin, making it glow bright red.
These type of razors are not meant to last. Made of cheap low carbon (probably stainless) steel... they will wear out quick.
I stupidly bought a cheap straight razor in Chinese shop once. Its blade is dull as a butterknife, and I can barely get it sharp enough to cut paper. (it wont cut my whiskers at all) Found out the hard way, that you need a high carbon steel blade to be able to sharpen them decently/more easily. I think only precision machines can get a decent edge on a S.S. blade.. and even then, it wont hold that edge like a carbon steel blade.
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I use a straight razor when I'm camping or such. There really isn't much to is so long as you know how to sharpen a blade well.
No, it's not going to hold a shaving edge. You need to polish up the edge every single time you use it.
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Ive seen some east indian way of shaving using some string and twisting it to rip the hair out... no thanks :o
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don't think anyones posted this yet?
(http://pinballhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/woz-inserts-large.jpg)
apparently sets a record for number of inserts or summint.
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They are probably trying to cover up poor shot/flow gameplay, with a 'deep ruleset'.
The Arrow inserts are total Cheeze Factor. If you want to make a triangle insert to direct people, thats one thing... but an actual arrow? Ugg. Looks horrendous.
I guess they wont have to worry much about horrible playfield art.. because theres almost no place left that isnt occupied with an insert. Heh
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*we have over 9000! cases of inserts in the warehouse, let's use em' up!*
*actual quote by Keith Johnson
*not actual quote
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Another sign of inexperience maybe? "Less is more"
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Another sign of inexperience maybe? "more is better"
Fixt ;D
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Yeah I meant it in the sense that "less is more" is a golden rule they are forgetting.
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It's like someone packed inserts into a shotgun and they shot the playfield a few times.
I have full faith in Keith Johnson though. The Simpsons Pinball Party and Lord of the Rings are masterful in regards to the modes. They have some of the most fun to complete modes in all of pinball, and the Simpsons ones even make sense according to the theme. Stuff like Bart's Day (shoot the school, Kwik-E-Mart, Treehouse, and TV) or Homer's Day (nuclear towers, Moe's Bar, Garage, TV, Couch) are fantastic.
But man...SO MANY INSERTS. That does worry me a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot.
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... but an actual arrow? Ugg. Looks horrendous.
The Harlem Globetrotters' feelings are hurt by that remark . . .
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tK0d_YwcD2I/Th-WV3bxQXI/AAAAAAAAA1k/_IeannfwLAs/s400/100_1393.JPG)
The rest are circular thankfully
On the WOZ I kind of like the flying vee ones, but I agree there are too many. Swiss cheese.
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I wonder how the structural integrety of the playfield is going to be with all those holes. I wonder if its going to warp.
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Still going strong
http://bit.ly/zmCUjn (http://bit.ly/zmCUjn)
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Yeah I suddenly want one now, hmmmmm the wife IS sleeping >:D
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Drags out the one and only whitewood and shows it in an empty room.
Man, I'm convinced.
:lol
here you go...
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=108350.0;attach=180729;image)
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oh yeah and this cutout job they did for the LCD animation makes me want to vomit. spend more than 10 seconds next time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT36wWz070I
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:cry: :cry: :cry:
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Whatev, I might get one. My pal ordered one & I cant wait to play it.
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Update!
I'm #396 & really excited.
Jeah!
Edit: had wrong # on OP
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In case everyone didnt see yesterdays big updates... or a few previous ones for that matter.
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index.html (http://www.pinballnews.com/games/wizardofoz/index.html)
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Interested to get your feedback on it when you get it.
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I retracted my preorder so I will not have an "owners review" for you all.
My friend is still getting his (I think) so I can likely offer some opinion then.
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Why did you cancel?
End of the month.....Wife saw the credit card statement?
Here is a little presentation JJ did.
http://pinballhelp.com/tpf-2012-complete-jersey-jack-presentation-woz-status/ (http://pinballhelp.com/tpf-2012-complete-jersey-jack-presentation-woz-status/)
Don't ask how I know, but the next one is going to be The Hobbit
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LOL, no thats not it, my wife is cool & etc.
Yeah the Hobbit talk has been rampant recently, hope it works out well, should be great.
I have viewed all videos/updates & just decided on purchasing a WOZ after they are in stock.
No doubt the machine looks dope & I will certainly own one eventually.
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Dogh, must have overlooked your first post PBJ regarding the deposit.
The deposit plan as of now = $2250 + 90 days to pay $5250 + $250 shipping
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Here are some updates that are floating around for all you haters to enjoy....
Cabinet production Part 1 Cabinet Production - WOZ Backboxes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxiRxyfxLM#ws)
Cabinet production Part 2 Cabinet Production - WOZ Video 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgGS4FHVk8U#ws)
Playfield art (VERY slow loading picture)
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1104524641178-156/WOZ+Playfield+.pdf (http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1104524641178-156/WOZ+Playfield+.pdf)
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Agreed... :cheers:
These little updates are only some of the yellow bricks needed to complete the road.
I think we can also agree that 30 second YOUtube videos showing progress are a hell of a lot better than excuses.
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2084: I'm not a hater, I will buy a WOZ after they are built.
There is NOTHING wrong with buying something in stock, thats how it works... I refuse to preorder pizza 2 years in advance too ;D
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Here you go gener-populated playfield
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(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/024/183/500pxShopped.jpg?1318992465)
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Very Shopped.
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That's what I meant by generated populated. Sorry, the sarcasm didn't come through enough there. :P
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updates
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I have no dog in this hunt, but what's with all the hate on Jack or is it just the WOZ pin?
Granted the WOZ theme leaves a LOT to be desired and wouldn't be my 1st choice for a pin, however it seems it was more a stab at Sterns "Saying look I can get licenses too", more than lets build an awesome theme.
I've read the weirdness surrounding the $400 price increase on LOTR LE/threats on RGP which never has been explained to my satisfaction.
Is there something I'm missing? or should Jack be lumped in with Mr. Foley? :dunno
DrArcade
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It's also a matter of looking at any business that takes money without having an actual product with a degree of skepticism.
As for the theme....Wizard of Oz seems a risky copyright to deal with. It is weird that they chose it. It has been a hot spot of copyright debate for a few years now. Partially because many assumed it was public domain, but Warner's litigations made it so it was not the case at all. I think when dealing with movie imagery and music, that is 3 maybe 4 rights holders to deal with. (Sony, Turner, Warner, Garland). I don't know what they did as far as securing rights to make this using music and movie artwork, but with Disney looking successful in their attempts to rake in rights for a possible remake film, it seems like the whole theme could be killed in one stroke of a pen from Disney lawyers. I noticed that on the Jersey Jack artwork, it lists Turner as copyright owner on the artwork, and does list Garland for use of the Dorothy imagery, but I think Warner is the one who gets credited for merchandising rights.
I hope Jersey Jack has their ducks in a row for rights to this theme. I am not assuming otherwise, but when there seems to be so many issues with a really dated copyright, why risk it when an original theme could do way cooler. What is wrong with pinning an almost nude chick on a pinball machine like they used to?
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. . . . making tangible progress. What the hell is that team he assembled doing all day??
:dunno
They should retire the old guys and get those ladies from the Stern assembly line. I think they showed stock footage of the Stern line in the Tilt documentary and they were wiring playfields at light speed with soldering irons the size of baseball bats, about 3 connections per second. Awesome.
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That's an interesting concern, Vigo, but there's already a lot of licensed Wizard of Oz coin op stuff.
In fact, wasn't a big part of the reason we got this theme because they (Elaut) had already negotiated the rights for it on the coin pusher?
Ah well, here's to hoping we'll get something besides a bunch of faked mock up photos some day.
Yeah, that makes complete sense to me. Although the Elaut machine seems to be much more generic and use only one stock image that a cheapo license would seem to have. Being that this machine supposedly is using all sorts or movie imagery, music and horribly butchered movie clips, I have to wonder if Warner really gives away such lax licenses. I think Warner doesn't have control over music either, I think Sony owns that.
A lot of my concern is more that I read way too much copyright news. I see stuff like how the Hobbit pub in UK almost got shut down because of the new Hobbit movie, which has been around since the 70's. It's kinda sucks how previous agreements can get wiped away when a new hand gets dipped into the copyright jar. I personally wouldn't touch Wizard of Oz with a 40 foot pole.
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They should retire the old guys and get those ladies from the Stern assembly line. I think they showed stock footage of the Stern line in the Tilt documentary and they were wiring playfields at light speed with soldering irons the size of baseball bats, about 3 connections per second. Awesome.
yeah that and on "How it's made" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpLxSzN0pvA
and that's why the damn things fall apart every 30 plays. i just went to fix a LOTR pinball 20 minutes ago that i dropped at the location 2 days ago and the damn thing broke already :angry:
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Thanks for the link, lilshawn.
Soldering question- were they dipping the ends of those wires into melted solder to connect them together?
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flux first, then a tub of molten solder.
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and that's why the damn things fall apart every 30 plays. i just went to fix a LOTR pinball 20 minutes ago that i dropped at the location 2 days ago and the damn thing broke already :angry:
What went wrong with it?
DrArcade
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there is a rivet that holds a ridiculous plastic nub on the flipper. it's supposed to touch the EOS switch telling the computer to switch the duty cycle of the flipper coil to just hold the plunger in. the rivet broke off and platic thing they riveted on was gone. the tiny metal arm left isn't long enough to reach the switch and activate it.
so someone playing the game holds the flipper button and the coil stays on full power until the fuse burns or the coil burns up.
luckily the fuse blew.
If stern was SMART about it they would have had the computer go... "oh!...I fired the solenoid and the EOS switch didn't close... maybe i'll just keep the high power on for X time then switch to hold power so we don't kill it."
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http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/woz-playfield-pics-1 (http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/woz-playfield-pics-1)
dayum, pretty awesome
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(http://www.bobsliberace.com/decades/1970s/1970s.image/hotpants.jpeg)
If you're implying that the playfield is one of the gaudiest things you've ever seen then :stupid
Late to the party I know but Wiz of OZ... WTF? Ever since I started watching that one aussie build Coconut Island I've wanted to tackle a custom pin one day. Thought about all kinds of crazy ass themes. Last Star Fighter, Michael Jackson, Neverending Story. Never contemplated Oz, figured it would be garish. Looks as tho I was right.
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Last Star Fighter, Michael Jackson, Neverending Story.
You just forfeited your right to complain about WoZ as a theme.
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The Wizard at E3
Wizard of Oz Pinball at E3 2012 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UiDRJXiVEY#ws)
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I'm going to jump in here.
Disclaimer, I've only been following this pin from the Jersey Jack emails. I did not dig into the background, criminal records, birth certificates, work history, etc of the people working on this project.
But just looking at the pin I actually like a LOT of things about it. The playfield has some nice features, and is printed with bright colors, and it looks like all of the key elements of WoZ are included. I like the idea of the screen for video display and extra "wow" factor too.
What I don't like:
RGB LEDs going NUTS with color changes. I am a believer in subtle is better. I think that people will get a headache looking at all of the cycling colors on th eplayfield.
The theme... While I think that they are doing well with the WoZ theme, I am not sure what "market research" said that people would pay a massive price for a WoZ pin.
Which brings me to the price. Really? Do I even need to explain? Although Stern has 4 different versions of their latest AC/DC themed machine with the top one priced around $9000. Better be a LOT better than the base $4800 one for that price.
The LCD screen. Yes, I listed this above as a neat thing, however the backbox looks STUPID. The LCD seems so "dull" in the videos compared to the bright printed colors elsewhere. Also, I would have made the whole "backglass" the screen, not a top static banner printed out and a (dull) LCD below it that sits back 1.5" from the glass itself.
I am sure that if I put more thought to it I could come up with at least another positive and another negative, but you get the point. I think that some people are way to harsh about this pinball, and others just overly excited. I guess it is their money....
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The theme... While I think that they are doing well with the WoZ theme, I am not sure what "market research" said that people would pay a massive price for a WoZ pin.
Not to mention he said the goal of the machine was to attract and introduce the young generation of kids into pinball. Last time I checked, WoZ was the antithesis of cool. You could do a generic zombie themed cabinet and already grab much more attention from teenagers.
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Ha. Right on... A zombie theme *could* be cool.
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The theme... While I think that they are doing well with the WoZ theme, I am not sure what "market research" said that people would pay a massive price for a WoZ pin.
Not to mention he said the goal of the machine was to attract and introduce the young generation of kids into pinball. Last time I checked, WoZ was the antithesis of cool. You could do a generic zombie themed cabinet and already grab much more attention from teenagers.
My friends kids age 3 and 6 list Wizard of Oz as their favorite movie. Of course, their favorite movie will probably be something else tomorrow, but they love it. If you want to make a timeless table, WoZ isn't that bad of a way to go.
Personally, I will search for it out of curiosity, but I am WAY more excited about the upcoming Predator table. The X-men table looks like it could be really fun too.
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When I was in high school, the only kids really into Wizard of Oz where the ones who wore homemade clothes and looked like they should be pushing a shopping cart around town collecting cans out of recycling bins.
Not saying I don't like Wizard of Oz, I actually love the movie as well, but it is not a cool theme for teens or college students. Not saying I personally like the idea of a zombie table, but I would be venturing down that path if I was going for was that age group. I know what you are saying about timeless. I kinda wish pinball machines didn't necessarily need to attach a name brand to it these days. Machines with scantily clad women on it has plummeted as well. :-[
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When I was in high school, the only kids really into Wizard of Oz where the ones who wore homemade clothes and looked like they should be pushing a shopping cart around town collecting cans out of recycling bins.
Not saying I don't like Wizard of Oz, I actually love the movie as well, but it is not a cool theme for teens or college students. Not saying I personally like the idea of a zombie table, but I would be venturing down that path if I was going for was that age group. I know what you are saying about timeless. I kinda wish pinball machines didn't necessarily need to attach a name brand to it these days. Machines with scantily clad women on it has plummeted as well. :-[
They were going to do a Twilight pin but they couldn't figure out how to play a game that didn't have any balls.
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Twilight, as annoying as it would be, might actually reach beyond the "52 year old single male" demographic for once.
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Well, I was able to play Wizard of Oz a couple of weeks ago. It didn't have the final code in there, but the playfield was complete (minus GI lighting). I have to say, it was a way, way more fun than I thought it would be. I thought that they were packing too much into the machine, but it actually had a nice flow. One of the best things I can say about it is that it really wasn't clunky at all. Too many games are just clunk fests where you're constantly hitting posts or the edges of ramps. They designed WoZ so every time you flip you're almost always hitting a target of some sort, making the ball rebounds much more forgiving.
The outlane pop bumper was cool too. I really like how they built that section.
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Too many games are just clunk fests where you're constantly hitting posts or the edges of ramps.
You mean like all of the Williams Sys11 games? ;D
Don't get me wrong, those are among my favorites, but damn if they aren't clunkfests sometimes. F-14 Tomcat especially.
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PinballNews WoZ PPE1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYmfq1apDuQ#ws)
Wow'd some people at PPE
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Getting better for sure. Too bad I'll never see one in person.
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I'm glad they fixed up that multiball animation...that one i linked a while back was :puke
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I've been following this pinball for some time, but I couldn't even stand to watch 5 minutes and however many seconds because the game play was so bad. I've heard of unlucky, but my gosh... nothing happened.... OK, SOME things happened, but it seems hard to actually get it up that one ramp, and the person playing couldn't hardly get the ball to do anything but hit the target next to the ramp and hit the slingshots...
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My gawd... please... make those horrible sounds stop. The music repeating again, and again, and again, and again, followed by the cackling of the witch?
Couldn't hold out to watch the full five minutes, that was unbelievably bad.
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holy crap that was a long writeup PBJ...
I do appreciate it though... you capture the moment quite well.
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holy crap that was a long writeup PBJ
:embarassed:
sorry, I hadn't woken up yet, thought i was done, and obviously wasn't :lol
what i meant to say was
"that was a long write up.
PBJ, you reading the same thing I am?!?"
:dunno :dunno :dunno :dunno :dunno
I'm just going to avoid doing anything first thing in the morning.
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Can't really tell about the good/bad from the video. the best review of a
vid Pin is a known trusted player(s) review of it. i.e. if Bowen Kerins posts a video and says it's awesome gameplay I'm on board. I def. agree the person playing wasn't expertly putting it through it's paces in a demo kind of way, just kind of banging around a bit.
As far as the Ugly, I have to agree with X2- it's a 3 out of 10 theme no matter how well it's implemented in the end.
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Can't really tell about the good/bad from the video. the best review of a vid is a known trusted player(s) review of it. i.e. if Bowen Kerins posts a video and says it's awesome gameplay I'm on board. I def. agree the person playing wasn't expertly putting it through it's paces in a demo kind of way, just kind of banging around a bit.
I have played with Bowen a couple times. He ran up and down ---my bottom--- like Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson. He is an amazing player.
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What a box full of suck.
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What a box full of suck.
You mean a $7500 box full of suck!
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The worst part is that if anyone ever actually sees one on location it will be at least $1/play.
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The majority of the pins in Vancouver are already $1 or $2 for 3 credits. But we also have an amazing operator who has 3 MM's, TOM, CFTBL, SS's, Batman, Superman, TZ's, TAF's and Transformers LE to name the best. They are all on location and always kept in stellar playing condition. He is getting a WOZ EC for the route too. It gets pricey having drinks and playing, but I am always able to enjoy top quality A games.
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Played it at NY Comicon...
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Played it at NY Comicon...
And your thoughts on it?
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Played it at NY Comicon...
And your thoughts on it?
I was gonna post photos but turns out they look like crap.
It was ok. I played 2 games. All I seemed to do was try to aim for ramps. I know this isn't much different than a lot of pinball games, but I dunno. Maybe since there's so much stuff all over this game, I felt cheated that I didn't get to activate any of it. On the other hand, maybe for home-use this is a good thing, unlike Sterns where sometimes you hit whatever and seem to trigger every available mode without trying.
They said the software was unfinished.
There's a side-flipper that's a dark color and isn't noticeable. IMO flippers should stand out.
There's a spot in the upper lower right where a flying monkey takes the ball up to the castle in the upper left. Thought that was neat.
Machine looks alright. Didn't notice the video screen much.
That's about all I can say. I'm not an expert on pin flow.
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Where I live, I'm guessing I'll never be able to play this. However, there are only two pinball manufacturers left....I hope they survive to make sumthing original that I want to play.
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Played this at the RMPS last weekend. Even though I despised the theme when this was first announced and was a doubter of JJP, seeing this machine in person and playing it completely turned around my opinion of the game. The build quality is TOP NOTCH. Sterns look and feel like children's toys compared to this. WOZ is the only pin I've come across that is as much fun to watch as it is to play. I'm so impressed with JJP that I'm probably going to end up preordering The Hobbit. If you ever get a chance to play this machine, don't pass it up! :cheers:
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There is one on location at the arcade where my son and I compete in league. I agree with Nephasth about the build quality. It feels very well built. The control of the lights, with everything being gradient control of RGB LEDs, is awesome. There's still a ton of holes in it because the software is far from complete but the platform has serious potential.
The crystal ball really disappointed me. The video image, at least as of now, is a big honking square inside the ball. And only the player can see it. There is zero viewing angle for onlookers.
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I have played Wizard of Oz Pinball. I was impressed at the quality for a start-up company. it is still a prototype but a good game. The RGB LED lights at add a lot to the gameplay, especially when you think of the Oz line "We must be somewhere over the rainbow". The video screen adds a lot too. The gameplay is kind of a mix between some of the old electromechanical action combined with many features you would find on a newer mechanical pinball. They also implemented many of the famous quotes from "Wizard of Oz" and even some video scenes from the movie. Some of the former Stern designers are now working for Jersey Jack. According to the founder, Jack Guarnieri, it is one of the best selling pinball today. If you are in San Diego, you can find it at Nickel City Arcade.
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I spent about a half hour playing it this past sunday. The software is coming along. The crystal ball image is better than it was last time I commented but you really have to focus away from the ball to see the image. Still not all that useful to the game. I think it's going to be a winner but the real winner is probably the platform itself. Lots of future potential.
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Not to mention he said the goal of the machine was to attract and introduce the young generation of kids into pinball. Last time I checked, WoZ was the antithesis of cool. You could do a generic zombie themed cabinet and already grab much more attention from teenagers.
I present to you - A VPCabs production.
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Not bad! I think that would grab my attention pretty easily. I like the blood dripping from the legs.
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Poor Pinball2000. I like SW and RFM.
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Just look at that Predator in the background... Mmm...
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I like the blood dripping from the legs.
It is a nice effect for sure.
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A customer of mine runs a mobile arcade trailer for birthday parties and events.
They rented the Jersey Jack Wizard of Oz machine for a big event and they were impressed with it.
I only saw the videos on it, seems pretty cool. It's nice that there a new pinball manufacturer around where only one was left.
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I'm still waiting for that other new pinball comapany, San Antonio Jim, to start up...
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I'm still waiting for that other new pinball comapany, San Antonio Jim, to start up...
So, "Cash in hand" jackpot I'd guess. :D
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Lower playfield design released for The Hobbit today!
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=108350.0;attach=289292)
Joe and the Team are going full out on The Hobbit Trilogy. Joe says "This design is going together better than any layout I have ever done. It will include several different elements than my other games. It is a more expansive flowing game with fast shots and multiple ramps. The main mechanism is Smaug which will be very interactive. The game includes subways and a mountain-scape. Aside from WOZ Joe has designed some of the best loved highest earning games including our own TheWizard of Oz, The Simpson's Pinball Party and South Park. Joe continued; "We are all having a lot of unexpected fun creating this game"
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I will never own any of their games... Heck, I won't ever own any other pinball than the Theatre of Magic that I have unless I build a virtualpinball. I, like many of us, just don't have that kind of cash laying around.
I wish I could find a place to play some of the more rare machines (Medeival Madness is on my "play before I die" list for example), or new machines.
I travel a lot for work, but never seem to find a place that I can get to in less than an hour's drive. I hit up a place in Downingtown, PA, and while there were about 20 machines there, I didn't find much that was that enjoyable. Not saying that they all were bad, but I think that I hung out for about 30 minutes tops.
I would love to try out a WOZ at some point once they are out there more, but I can't seem to find any place that has pinballs that are worth while.
Anyway, not trying to de-rail this thread, just making some side comments. No need to reply here...
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Check out the Pinside Archive (http://pinside.com/pinball/archive). It's got an interactive map that lets you find where a particular machine can be played in public. It's got 170 locations listed where you can play Medieval Madness publicly.
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Check out the Pinside Archive (http://pinside.com/pinball/archive). It's got an interactive map that lets you find where a particular machine can be played in public. It's got 170 locations listed where you can play Medieval Madness publicly.
Anybody ever check out the archive and then think about that movie Gone in 60 Seconds? Would be pretty cool to do a pinball version.
<Intentionally penned as open ended to make the reader question whether I'm talking about a movie or a heist>
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<Intentionally penned as open ended to make the reader question whether I'm talking about a movie or a heist>
IC what you did there.
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Thanks Nephasth! I see a Medieval Madness located 35 minutes from one of my offices in the New York area. I will have to look for WOZ and some others. And to think that I only used that web site for the Top 100 list.
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Sometimes you have to eat it and drive the hour. I do it all the time. Sucks but that's just how it is.
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Sometimes you have to eat it and drive the hour. I do it all the time. Sucks but that's just how it is.
Oh, it isn't the hour or so drive, it is just that my travels are for work, so that comes first since they are paying for me to travel and I usually don't get out of the office until at least 6:00-6:30 pm. Add a stop at the hotel to get changed into something more comfortible and hit the road and it can turn into a lot later evening just to get started. A lot of the places I was seeing closed at like 7:00 - 8:00 pm making it difficult.
I will just have to be a little more strategic in my planning...
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Been there. Totally understood. It's like a pinball tease. 60 mins away but you need 4 hours to actually go there.