Hey, I’ve got a local Alice Cooper machine that’s a shitshow.

None of the middle lanes/switches register, the scoop shoots SDTM every single time and the game randomly resets during play.

Apparently this was like first off the line and has a ton of build issues.
It was recently sent back to spooky and totally rebuilt but it still has tons of issues.

I was offered to give it a shot to fix it.
Any suggestions on how to approach? I’ve never touched a Spooky machine but I’d love to work on it and try to make it better.

And people want to be first in line to get a new machine??

Is it bad form to tag @spookycharlie, @spookykt, @spookyluke, FawzmaGames or @bkerins?

I mean, we’ve all invested faith and cash in this lovely little company - and only asking for the odd update on what‘s happening in the future, if anything...

Mine did the exact same thing!!! Called Spooky, they made or right but that was before they finished production on it.

New Alice code out as at August 1st.
Sorry to hear people having issues with their games. Switch menu should help identify the problems there. Cool setting should easily be able prevent stdm from the scoop. Check backbox connects as first this if multiple things going on. I've found transporting the games can easily mess with them.

Wait.. what? New code? Was this announced somewhere?

Not that I've seen. Looks like just some bug fixes

That's a good thing.

There goes my high-scores...again... :-p

Games and balls played (stats) were not wiped this time though.

Anything notable in the update?

Nope! Just some bug fixes. I'm shocked that this is all, given the list of known issues.
Also, the General setting for disabling speed run if a weapon is used, but I didn't set that yet.

01/Aug/2020
V1.1.0.2
https://www.spookypinball.com/game-support/

Matt from Back Alley posted his new bowling ball mod for TBL on Facebook. I commented that would love something similar for ACNC. He responded that he is currently working on one. What do you guys think it will be? I'm hoping for a big black widow spider with a lit up red hourglass mark.

Screenshot_20200806-182628_Facebook (resized).jpg

Sounds like you have a bad switch board. Try swapping the two switch boards. Be sure to adjust the dipswitches.

As with ANY other pinball game, adjust the scoop. You can do this a NUMBER of ways, from loosening the screws and adjusting the whole mech, to angling the top scoop of the kickout, to adjusting the solenoid power.

If this happens on the latest version of code, get a new CPU board. If you're not on the latest version, update to the latest version.

While I like this:

General - Option to disable speed run if weapon is used

I am still confused by the "Speed Run" phrasing. It's not a "run". It should be a timer. Like "Speed Timer" or "Mode Speed" or something. Yeah, I'm being nitpicky, but I had to have someone here explain to me what "Run" was on the HS list, and now reading this, I had to stop and really think about what the heck they were referring to, heh.

Brain in a backlit yellow resin cast would be cool.

How about a plasma start button? Like the plasma pop bumper caps?
maxresdefault (resized).jpg

Need some clarification. Lately I've been doing 4 player coop by myself to get to Billion Dollar Baby (no friends, and Covid). Can get through all the monsters pretty consistently with balls to spare.

Question is, sometimes Billion Dollar Baby won't start. I chatted with Fawzma and he said Monster must be completed. Other times I have started BDB without Monster being green (finished) but have started his multiball a couple of times in the game an probably done more than 3 ramp shots - so maybe the games thinks it's finished?

Can we also clear up you have to his the white Vampire target to collect the weapon in the room? I've seen the Formalin on the bench for Etheyl, and it didn't seem to do anything. I had the dynamite on the bench yesterday and started Zombie, but still needed 5 shots to finish. The rule sheet on the Spooky website is from Tilt Forums and out of date. Love and updated one here if possible.

Tried to upload my latest BDB game to my youtube channel, but it rejected it because of copyright laws of course.

Noticed something weird with my game. Seems like the upper drop doesn’t come up very often at all. Practically never and getting frank has become impossible. Shots to ball lock 2 just go out the left ramp. The drop is working in test mode just fine. Any thoughts? That drop used to come up upon starting a game but not anymore. On the odd time it does come up, hitting it doesn’t give the lock 2 ready screen. Frank is just not possible to get.

Sounds like you understand it fine. Just pull the glass and test it. This will tell you what to expect. I haven't noticed it not working for me so far. There may be bugs. I haven't done this in depth yet, but planning to. I haven't seen all combinations of weapons/battles yet either.

I've been keeping the one on tiltforums up to date with the code. It should be accurate as far as collecting weapons is concerned

It’s got to be your switches on that drop target.

Seems like I'm having outhole/trough ball counter misreads, and left upkicker/hidden passage (the hole to the left of the stand-ups under the upper pf) misreads.

I didn't see any broken wires, is anyone able to tell me what switches I need there (not at the game, it's on location under lockdown).

Thanks!

Make sure you balls didn't get magnetized. This happened to me and the balls stick to each other in the trough and don't sit down properly on the switches. A dead give away is when two balls stick to each other on a flipper and won't roll down it defying gravity!

One time they had to stop filming on Mr Belvedere because the guy who played Mr Belvedere sat on his balls. Google it.

I did enter at own risk
Regards Pat

After 6 months of ownership, I finally beat Billion Dollar Babies!!! Was on cloud nine for a good hour or two afterwards!!

33D91192-D01A-405A-A3C6-6CD7F4A66CFC (resized).jpeg

C502615F-B333-41FA-B17F-ED6A35171D13 (resized).jpeg

E94E487F-8265-4FD8-9B86-5B395964E781 (resized).jpeg

Standing belly clap!

Anyone had to fix this rubber? I need to do some research but it looks like the upper play field needs to come up.

20200816_144532 (resized).jpg

I've changed these and you don't need to lift upper playfield. See link below.. Start at post #352

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alice-coopers-nightmare-castle-club-enter-at-own-risk/page/8#post-4951520

Weird problem...never had this before, especially from a new game...white smoke coming up from underneath the guillotine!

I noticed a couple of days back that my frankenstein lock / diverter wasn't working and my guillotine wouldn't trap the ball after the second pass-through shot. So the fuse in the backbox had blown. So I replaced it.

Turned the game on again and the frankenstein diverter worked for a bit and then stopped, then a minute later smoke (and a lovely charred fragrance) came from under the guillotine. I guess Alice is trying to tell me something? Servo is dead?

I have yet to contact Spooky for support. I plan too soon enough.

Any thoughts? I'd like to see what is frying down under the apparatus / playfield but need to find the time to undo things.

Thanks for any input.

-Ned

Thanks! I work on it tomorrow. I might as well just switch them all out.

In fact, I remember just bending that plastic piece above the rubber rings up far enough (without fully removing it) to slide the rubber rings on.
FYI, my Titan post rubbers are the slim beveled type, and they're holding up better than those Perfect Play original ones did. I have the Glow in the Dark ones.

Just got this on loan for a bit. Thanks lancestorm !!

Game is addicting as hell.

One thing that would be cool to add:

During pit creature phase 2 none of those shots have any sound effects when you’re reducing the timer. It would be nice to add something audible so the players at least know they are making progress towards the end of that timer.

I love all the compensation ball saves for cheap drains.

Are the X multipliers playfield multipliers? So I can get the playfield up to 8x in one ball? Lasts the whole ball?

Is the spinner used for anything?

Ya it’s a great game. Does need some work but still I keep going back time after time.
The X multipliers are for the Bonus. And the spinner just spins as far as I know.

Okay so there’s no shot or playfield multipliers on this game? Just wanted to make sure.

No pf multipliers. But when you defeat a monster the hurry up can pay big.

Been really busy recently so haven’t been playing much of anything really.

I said to Danni the other night, “right, I’m off to beat Alice Cooper”

Boom - 312m - only one mode to BDB ... didn’t quite beat it but it was enough to get the GC on the latest code install.

Such a great game - but only if you can make your shots. For the “average person” this game will just kick your ass.

I helped out with the code testing - I was always “please make it a little easier for the average person” so I am very happy with the progressive mode starts. I think it is perfect.

My other thing - I think the “hurry up” at the end of the mode should be a little slower. I had 35m hurry up in that game, only had enough time for 2-3 shots at the target, which is very tricky to hit. Shit, it’s great when you nail it though!

rd

What’s the progressive mode starts? I’ve only played this newest code so I’m not familiar with how it was before.

Also how do the weapons help you in modes? I’ve collected a couple, but didn’t see a difference in the modes.

The game is very fun when making shots, but the margin for error is so small it’s a little too difficult for my tastes. My buddy said it best about this game, “easy to live, hard to prosper”

Also. Is it possible to get a mystery award that isn’t advance 2 rooms? Haha.

Also noticed that the rulesheet on tilt has been updated for the current code. Cleared up my weapon questions.

http://tiltforums.com/t/alice-cooper-nightmare-castle-rulesheet/3950/15

No more 'difficulty' setting. First 4 or so monsters, two shots and you're fighting a monster. After that, iy's three shots until you have two left, then it's all 4. (Going through all the rooms.)

Give *US* the option. It's nice for regular or new players, but ... ffffk.

It was never random, and likely won't ever be.

No. I’ve literally only gotten the advance 2 rooms award. Why is that?

I've also gotten "advance one room" and "one million points". I think it goes in a set order, or can be affected by the game state

Set order makes sense. I’m not sure I’ve gotten more than one in a game yet.

Came up with my first mod ever to address the significant air ball issues off the left ramp. I tried the little tree air ball preventer from pinball life, but it didn't really do much. https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1274-wpc/04060-alice-cooper-left-ramp-tunnel-

It's the first award. It's always been fixed, though with the difficulty change back, the initial first award (Fight Monster) was scrapped.

Cool. So I guess it was a lot harder to start the first monster before?

Not really that much. Three orbits instead of two