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Beelzebozo posted:
Niiiiice. Let me guess, their QC guy just got a laptop to use at work
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Nov 8, 2012 01:30
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It turns out FarSight actually have a Community Manager. 
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sethsez posted:Normal Transformers sucks. Transformers LE is really good, though. I am conflicted about Stern's current set-up what with the Pro models and the LE models. I understand the Pro models are meant for the operators as they don't have as many expensive parts and the LE models are more so for the collectors as they are prettier and have a few extra bits and pieces. However, I feel that some of the Pro models really get the shaft. The AC/DC Pro model is baaaaaad. They have some really lovely photo of the band in the top right corner that just looks so goofy. There's not a whole heckuva lot on the table compared to the LE models, like the lower playfield and the swinging Hell's Bell. The collectors are where the market is heading though so maybe it's the best market wise. I just feel as a player I'm losing out on some features that could make the table more enjoyable. Nonetheless, I am glad we still have a company that is building pinball machines and I guess it could almost be considered like DLC, just a couple of grand if I want the extras. The biggest cop out though was for TRON Legacy. The LE edition had the fiber optic lights running along the ramps. They could have at least added that feature to the pro. Maybe it's more expensive than i think???
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Nov 8, 2012 02:19
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Der-Wreck posted:AC/DC is a pretty weak table too. Classic Steve Ritchie design, what with the two ramps but it too has a nasty STDM shot, Hell's Bell, and how that center lane is the drop-out for the bumpers. The only thing to really do is light multiball then go from there. I adore AC/DC, both versions. The pro version is a lot faster, since it doesn't have any drop targets, but man does it have one of my favorite rulesets for any Stern. Lyman Sheats and Ritchie are a perfect team, and this and Spiderman are two of my favorites. It's also hard as poo poo. I learned how to be a better nudger from playing a ton of games of AC/DC. I liked X-Men on release, but I've sort of chilled on it a bit.
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Nov 8, 2012 04:40
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Finally got Lyman's Lament. Now I once again lament that in both PBA and William's collection I will never finish the last two wizard goals in Medieval Madness, they will remain, forever, the one mark of incompleteness.
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Nov 8, 2012 12:05
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Does anyone know of a place that makes or can make the cabinet art decals? I know there are some out there for the more popular machines, but looking for one of Dr. Dude. Basically the front is in crappy shape and want to replace it.
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Nov 11, 2012 15:38
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Niwrad posted:Does anyone know of a place that makes or can make the cabinet art decals? I know there are some out there for the more popular machines, but looking for one of Dr. Dude. Basically the front is in crappy shape and want to replace it. Not sure what sites there are, but you'll probably have better luck searching for sites that sell NOS (New Old Stock) parts for pinball, rather than new graphics. The BYOAC Forums might be able to help as well, I know they have a pinball section there. Maybe the Visual Pinball Forums too, those guys are cuckoo for pinball puffs.
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Nov 11, 2012 19:48
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Niwrad posted:Does anyone know of a place that makes or can make the cabinet art decals? I know there are some out there for the more popular machines, but looking for one of Dr. Dude. Basically the front is in crappy shape and want to replace it. Have you tried over at Pinside.com? Someone there may have one or know where to get one. They have a thread with a bunch of online suppliers - who may have something - http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/online-pinball-parts-shops Barring anyone having new old stock or a repro, I'd think your best bet would be someplace that did vinyl car wraps. I'd stay local because you could probably talk them into doing it as a one off, if there's a copyright notice on the art that may scare some places off. And talking art, I don't know what a shop would want or have to do to what you have to make the piece work, so that may jack up the price.
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Nov 11, 2012 20:40
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Another day at my local pinball place. TOTAN and the usual suspects continue to be much better in real life than on iOS. What do people think of NASCAR? Obviously the theme is a bit of a downer but I had a lot of fun with it. Also I played NBA Fastbreak, which was gimmicky and a little repetitive but a fair amount of fun for a few games.
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Nov 12, 2012 01:54
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What's with the low free-play scoring thresholds on the two latest TPA tables? Having never played or even seen the tables before I reached the scores first game out on both, still having no idea what the objectives were. Not much incentive to buy them?
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Nov 12, 2012 11:14
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ROFLBOT posted:What's with the low free-play scoring thresholds on the two latest TPA tables? Having never played or even seen the tables before I reached the scores first game out on both, still having no idea what the objectives were. Not much incentive to buy them?  They seem like a pretty good free demo of what you're buying to me. You can replay them to that free-play score as many times as you like. If that doesn't give you enough information to make a confident purchase decision, then what would you prefer instead?
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Nov 12, 2012 13:59
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Twilight Zone must be coming soon. Got 2 emails about choosing my format. Woot woot.
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Nov 12, 2012 23:40
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MarxCarl posted:Have you tried over at Pinside.com? Someone there may have one or know where to get one. They have a thread with a bunch of online suppliers - who may have something - http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/online-pinball-parts-shops Thanks to you and Bloody for the recommendations. Didn't realize how many parts places were out there. Never thought about the vinyl car wrap idea, sounds interesting though. Do you know of people who have done that before? Here is a picture of the machine front that has the problem. It's unfortunate because the rest of the machine is in good shape, especially the playfield. 
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Nov 12, 2012 23:41
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Niwrad posted:Thanks to you and Bloody for the recommendations. Didn't realize how many parts places were out there. This appears to be who currently owns the license, they've got the back glass, but not the front decal. They might know who does, though. Also, figures that a giant pinball thing should open in San Jose a year after I moved away. http://www.planetarypinball.com/
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Nov 13, 2012 00:02
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Niwrad posted:Thanks to you and Bloody for the recommendations. Didn't realize how many parts places were out there. I don't know of anyone whose used the vinyl wrap idea, I just figured that's how the graphics were originally made and you could probably do it like that. Someone on Pinside worked with the Planetary Pinball guy to get F-14 Tomcat cabinet decals made - http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/f14-tomcat-cabinet-decals-available-soon - the original cabinets were painted and this is both sides , front, and the backbox sides and that's running $239, which probably isn't too bad in the long run and I would assume you could only buy a complete set from a supplier. So you might want to speak to him. Here's another thought after seeing your damage, and the patterns on there. Can you just get some vinyl parts of the blue and white background done , and the "Pull This" sticker and carefully using an x-acto knife cut out and replace the damaged sections? You may need some black also, but just follow the lines and fit it in? FishBulb posted:Twilight Zone must be coming soon. Got 2 emails about choosing my format. Woot woot. Did you get one from Farsight that was just reply to this email and then one from Kickstarter that you went and filled out an online form on the Kickstarter site? Those are the two I got.
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Nov 13, 2012 04:21
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Thanks again for the help, contacting those guys right away. I haven't bought the machine yet. It's one of the few I've found that have all the parts working and a good playfield available. Shame on the cabinet though. With the price being good, I was hoping I could purchase it and fix that up even if it cost a few bucks. Part of me though is wondering if I should just pass and put that money into a nicer machine that has parts readily available and wouldn't be a problem down the road. Monster Bash seems way out of my price range, but Twilight Zone and TOTAN would be great to have. Little scared that TZ will jump in price once it's released on devices. Does anyone here own one of the more expensive machines? I'm trying to convince myself that it's not a total waste of money as I'd be able to sell it for something if times got rough. That these things are unlikely to lose too much value if it's kept up.
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Nov 13, 2012 07:13
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Spent 3+ hours at the Seattle Pinball Museum yesterday. They only had about 20 machines running as they were remodeling the upper floor to add more. Highlights were a nice Arabian Nights, Revenge from Mars, and a smooth playing Hurricane with LED lights. The Hurricane was for sale at $1600. If it was a Cyclone, or Earthshaker from the same time frame, I might've made a bad marriage decision. Also noticed that Google maps Street View now goes into the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame. Nice views of each aisle there. I badly want that Crossbow shooting game.
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Nov 13, 2012 17:50
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Farsight posted pictures of Twilight Zone in action on Facebook. There's some weird orange lighting on it but the table itself looks pretty drat well done.  
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Nov 13, 2012 23:32
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Zeether posted:Farsight posted pictures of Twilight Zone in action on Facebook. There's some weird orange lighting on it but the table itself looks pretty drat well done. It's still not gonna stop me from purchasing it Day 1 but that smog haze effect is not very flattering for a real classic Lawlor pin. Robnoxious fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Nov 14, 2012 |
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Nov 14, 2012 08:59
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You know I have to bitch about this table for once. Growing up I really loved Rocky and Bulwinkle cartoons and yet, I finally came to the conclusion today that I really _really_ hate this god damned table on Pinball Arcade 2. I want to like it because the sound effects and music bytes are straight out of the cartoon and the table looks somewhat cool but that loving CURVED OBNOXIOUS OUT OF PLACE TRAIN TRACK IN THE CENTER OF THE TABLE bothers me so much and just completely wrecks the flow of the table for me. Sorry I would normally just play a different table since there's so many between pinball arcade and zen pinball but christ, I finally got fed up with this table today.
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Nov 15, 2012 06:18
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I've spent way too much time with 'no good gofers' on PA lately. That table is just so much fun and I consistently get higher scores on it than I do on MM, my previous fav. Didn't like it at all first few times playing it but it grows on you. It has all the signature Lawlor toys and gameplay that he had time to perfect since his first games and the excellent score by Vince Pontarelli has me tapping my foot as I play. One of the few tables I like to play as loud as possible. I'm sure a better player will get tired of it but the rules and play are very good for an intermediate player like me. Unlike MM for instance the game never punishes you for taking shots you are supposed to do. MM has some really bad examples; the trolls, the castle and the peasant ramp can lead to very 'unfair' drains imho. MM also has a skill gap between novice and expert players since you can only start one madness multiball before you get stuck with hurry ups. If the gamelogic allowed you to start any unlit madness it would really help bridge that gap. Slip the ball into the merlin hole too early by mistake and you are hosed.... As it is I feel like I've hit a point where I have to get much better before I seen any meaningful improvement of my scores, whereas 'no good gofers' have a more linear and forgiving progression. On the other hands, what's up with the opaque ramps? I don't remember them from the real version (admittedly that's like 15 years ago...) nor do I see them on pictures online.
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Nov 15, 2012 22:43
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cat with hands posted:On the other hands, what's up with the opaque ramps? I don't remember them from the real version (admittedly that's like 15 years ago...) nor do I see them on pictures online. They're supposedly there for performance reasons. I think it's a remarkably stupid choice, since in certain camera angles they block the top flippers and in almost every angle they block the entrance to the outlanes.
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Nov 15, 2012 22:50
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sethsez posted:They're supposedly there for performance reasons. I think it's a remarkably stupid choice, since in certain camera angles they block the top flippers and in almost every angle they block the entrance to the outlanes. You'd think they would at least make it optional. I'm sure some people are playing PA on devices capable of next gen effects like 'transparency'. Too bad really since the right outlane is the only cheap drain on that table when you can't see it. It's very easy to lite the kickback so I don't think the left outlane is as much of a problem.
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Nov 15, 2012 23:20
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cat with hands posted:MM also has a skill gap between novice and expert players since you can only start one madness multiball before you get stuck with hurry ups. If the gamelogic allowed you to start any unlit madness it would really help bridge that gap. Slip the ball into the merlin hole too early by mistake and you are hosed.... Sorry if this is obvious, but you you know you can redo Multiball Madness, right? After you trigger it, you get hurry-ups for each Madness goal you complete, but if it's a goal you didn't already have lit it lights it at Merlin. Get all of them lit and hit Merlin and you get Royal Madness and a chance for an extra ball, and reset the Multiball Madness lights. Sorry if you already knew this.
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Nov 16, 2012 08:47
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Alcoholism posted:Sorry if this is obvious, but you you know you can redo Multiball Madness, right? After you trigger it, you get hurry-ups for each Madness goal you complete, but if it's a goal you didn't already have lit it lights it at Merlin. Get all of them lit and hit Merlin and you get Royal Madness and a chance for an extra ball, and reset the Multiball Madness lights. I know they can be reset with the royal, it's just that getting a good madness multiball is so important for a high score and I'm not at the point where I can easily complete several madness 'laps' during a single play. It's rather frustrating when a small slip up has such huge impact on the final score.
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Nov 16, 2012 10:05
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Ok, I figured you were aware of it. I actually like the feature, speaking as a pretty bad player - it feels like you're rewarded for controlling the ball well. Triggering an early Madness is a mistake that costs you potential points but not a ball, and I enjoy that. Plus, I like attempting to get all of the Madness goals as close to triggering as I can so that I can trigger them all at once. It's nice that there's so many tables now, though, so we can all just play another if we don't like an aspect of one.
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Nov 16, 2012 12:03
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Alcoholism posted:It's nice that there's so many tables now, though, so we can all just play another if we don't like an aspect of one. True, I've found myself playing a lot of 'Big Shot' in the past days. All the other old pins are snoozefests to me but for some reason this one is pretty fun.
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Nov 17, 2012 02:50
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Interviews with Joe Balcer, Keith Johnson, and Jersey Jack from IAAPA: Joe Balcer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stWCzeIP4pQ Keith Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZVq-TmtvG4 Jersey Jack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fevlXYvtU7g Also, managed to play X-Men at the Houston show, the game has some neat shots but the code is seriously lacking, also there's an annoying trait of the Magneto lock to just release a ball STDM. also some bragging (IPM): Hurricane at the Houston show:  Whirlwind at the Houston show: 
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Nov 18, 2012 03:50
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I just noticed that there's an AC/DC pinball game for iOS. Is it the same as the Stern table? Any good?
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Nov 20, 2012 12:52
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Original_Z posted:I just noticed that there's an AC/DC pinball game for iOS. Is it the same as the Stern table? Any good? Not the same and not nearly as good. It's far below the likes of Pinball Arcade/Zen Pinball. Having said that, I still play it from time to time, it's not outright terrible. It's by the same folks that did War Pinball, Pinball Collection HD, etc.
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Nov 20, 2012 13:29
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Voltaire just called me a show-off for getting three perfect 10s on an end-of-ball bonus in Cirqus Voltaire. I love this table.
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Nov 20, 2012 15:10
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So just watched the video of Jersey Jack at the Southern Pinball festival, available here: http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jersey-jack-pinball-presentation-at-spf-2012-jack-kevin-joe. Some interesting bits: He said that Wizard of Oz should start shipping in 6 months, those who ordered the most will see them first, so if your an operator and ordered 10 you get priority, least the way it sounded. 2nd machine will be themed, sounded like they went back on the unlicensed 2nd game. Jersey Jack owns the rights to all the Bally/Williams games so they could re-run old machines at some point. Pinball Circus is a venture of Python Anghelo, Planetary Pinball and some Euro distributors and if they get the money together Jack will run the game.
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Nov 21, 2012 02:40
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That's really interesting about the Williams/Bally games. There are some gems in that bunch that I'd think would be in huge demand with a modern upgrade. Take the same table, upgrade parts, maybe add some tweaks, put in an LCD monitor and wow. I'm curious, are the themes/licenses that important to people? It seems that's the route Stern takes and I've just never been drawn to a pinball machine based on a specific license. Sure I dig artwork and playfields, but I've never been interested in a machine just because it was made after a TV show or band I like. I think they'd be better off saving the money on the licenses and just going with originals.
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Nov 21, 2012 02:48
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOtNer0zbQ I suppose I should Google it, but I wonder how much this would cost compared to buying an older, common pin.
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Nov 21, 2012 03:57
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Niwrad posted:I'm curious, are the themes/licenses that important to people? It seems that's the route Stern takes and I've just never been drawn to a pinball machine based on a specific license. Sure I dig artwork and playfields, but I've never been interested in a machine just because it was made after a TV show or band I like. I think they'd be better off saving the money on the licenses and just going with originals. I think it's more that operators are still a decent portion of the audience and people are much more likely to play a licensed machine they're passing by than a themed machine, so operators purchase more licensed tables than not. I don't have the cash to be buying new pinball machines so I'm not exactly in the target market anyway, but I'll also admit to wanting a few tables based on the licenses - the Tron LE table is one I'd love to have for that reason.
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Nov 21, 2012 04:02
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BetterWeirdthanDead posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOtNer0zbQ $2999 US. Amazon exclusive in the US at least. Interesting target to shoot for, doesn't seem to have worked in the past, but those were more cut down machines. I think the price point is a little too high, if it was 1500 I'd consider one. I believe it's made in conjunction with Hasbro. And from the video of the wiring and internals, I think they used it as a starting point to modernize their pins going forward. FYI Sterns next pin is The Avengers, based on the film, George Gomez of Monster Bash designed. Supposedly will have a Hulk toy on the playfield.
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Nov 21, 2012 04:12
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MarxCarl posted:
Hulk toy will be single "Hulk Hand" acquired at thrift store.
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Nov 21, 2012 04:15
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Niwrad posted:That's really interesting about the Williams/Bally games. There are some gems in that bunch that I'd think would be in huge demand with a modern upgrade. Take the same table, upgrade parts, maybe add some tweaks, put in an LCD monitor and wow. I believe the licensed machines are more profitable. To the general public, are they going to care about a Theatre of Magic? Is a kid going to get excited about White Water? I've spoken with a few operators and the current Stern machines are steady money makers. Look at Iron Man. Somebody will see that and think "I saw Iron Man and Avengers! Oh cool, look at that Iron Monger!" And maybe dump a dollar or two in there. On the other hand they might walk on by from an an Addams Family machine. Yeah, it's one of the most popular machines but only to pinball nerds. Average Joe might not remember Addams Family or care for it and Joe Jr. wouldn't even know what the hell Addams Family is. But, they would know TRON or Spider-Man. One thing I've noticed lately as well is the amount of AC/DC machines in my city. AC/DC is a pretty popular band and have been all over the place lately so having an AC/DC pinball is gonna catch a lot of eyes. Especially for the middle aged crowd who played pinball as grew up with AC/DC. At this point where pinball machines barely scrape by, licensed tables are smart because you have the outside appeal. I have a good feeling a lot of Avengers tables are gonna pop up in the wild due to the huge buzz over the movie.
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Nov 21, 2012 04:53
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MarxCarl posted:So just watched the video of Jersey Jack at the Southern Pinball festival, available here: http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jersey-jack-pinball-presentation-at-spf-2012-jack-kevin-joe. Just for reference, he said that last year too. Oz was supposed to have shipped by this year's SPF.
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Nov 21, 2012 05:04
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Niwrad posted:That's really interesting about the Williams/Bally games. There are some gems in that bunch that I'd think would be in huge demand with a modern upgrade. Take the same table, upgrade parts, maybe add some tweaks, put in an LCD monitor and wow. In the August Retro Gaming Roundup podcast (episode 50), they interview Jersey Jack and ask him about this. I don't remember the exact amount, but the licensing costs for a pin are actually not that much, of course it depends on the license but I was surprised at how low it was in average. It's a good interview overall, might be worth checking out if you have the chance.
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Nov 21, 2012 05:19
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Der-Wreck posted:I believe the licensed machines are more profitable. To the general public, are they going to care about a Theatre of Magic? Is a kid going to get excited about White Water? I've spoken with a few operators and the current Stern machines are steady money makers. Look at Iron Man. Somebody will see that and think "I saw Iron Man and Avengers! Oh cool, look at that Iron Monger!" And maybe dump a dollar or two in there. On the other hand they might walk on by from an an Addams Family machine. Yeah, it's one of the most popular machines but only to pinball nerds. Average Joe might not remember Addams Family or care for it and Joe Jr. wouldn't even know what the hell Addams Family is. But, they would know TRON or Spider-Man. It's funny you mentioned Addams Family. I remember walking by it, turning around and playing it because I loved the movie. Granted, that was like in 93 or so, so it was a little more in the public consciousness than it is now.
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Nov 21, 2012 05:36
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