Ok..I think we are in good hands.

Has a great rep in my house and I'm hoping Alien is just as fun, fast and flowing.

I got a little tingle of excitement reading this. Honestly, this is the only new pin I am really looking forward to right now.

I couldn't disagree with this more. You know that just because a rulebook exists, people don't have to read it. I get that some people want to explore on their own and don't want to know anything they didn't figure out themselves, but others don't have the time or the energy to fully explore all the permutations of different play tactics, especially if they're not good enough players to full execute what and when the opportunities arise. I'm somewhere between these two extremes. I'd like to save the "surprises" but get the details on play strategies.

I don't have the time or attention span to learn what impacted what fully on my own. But I will read rulesheets and try to execute those strategies. If you want to be surprised by everything, just don't read them.

I can tell you for sure, that I have gotten SO MUCH more enjoyment out of games after reading rules and strategies. Back when I first started collecting I would print off the rulesheets from pinball.com and read about all the modes and scoring tactics. This made the games so much more fun. More recently, I have a Hobbit and didn't know what I was doing. I was seriously thinking about selling it. Now that I've read the rules, I'm really loving it.

By not releasing rules, you are hurting the people that want to read them and learn strategy in that fashion. On the other hand, by releasing them you give people the choice. I don't read spoilers online for shows I'm watching. Players that like the suspense can do the same thing here.

I don't think this should be the Number One objective.
Getting rid of that airlock thing and making sure the game is rock solid should be Numero Uno.

no no, let's put on the pressure and then complain when it's incomplete

Great! Sounds balanced to me.

They are doing it right to not release everything IMO. That doesn't mean that all of the rules and strategies won't be released. They will. Just not by the manufacturer, which is usually the way it goes. Someone will take the time to make a rule sheet or a video just like every other game ever made. The manufacturer is rarely the one to publish all of the rules/strategies.

pinball arcade has some nice rule sections...maybe they'll grab Alien someday

I like the idea of changing the airlock toy to a small LCD screen or just a better example of the airlock and please take ur time Andrew, a few more months to perfect everything is the smart move, but I'm in love with this pin already.

Admittedly, this question is a little facetious, but....

Is anyone thinking about doing a "topper" like the T2 Terminator with Machine Guns, but with an alien loader twist?

T2-topper (resized).jpg

aliens-powerloader (resized).jpg

Seems like a humble & honest post...thanks for acknowledgeing the missed dates instead of just throwing out new ones.

Sorry if I've let my disappointment in things get the better of me at times.

I know you guys are workin hard over there.

I think the key is to remove the roundish appearance that it has which allows it to rotate. Instead of a scoop, have the ball VUK up into a full square shaped air lock, that will have a yellow flasher inside and a coil that will blast the ball back out at you (similar to the Borg ship). It will give the appearance of something getting blown out of the air lock and will fit the scene in both movies where this takes place, instead of just the queen in the second movie. If its not a main air lock sequence, then it can just quickly eject it out without any drama, otherwise give the whole flasher/cut scene/sound effect. Maybe that's too much?

I sent some mails in the past few weeks to Heighway and received a response with some delay from Andrew himself.

Today, I receive a surprise phone call from him asking if I received his answer and if I still have any questions about my order.
It's not a lot but thanks to him to spend some of his precious time to take care of me, I feel "special", not an anonymous customer.
I'm still waiting a phone call from Gary after spending more than 50K€ in Stern LE (or at least my Stern T-Shirt normally offered with Metallica LE that I never received).

Honestly, I'm not fully convinced by the artwork but I'm sure that the game itself will be great. So, I'm still in as I want to help someone that I think that he tries to make it right without delirious prices like latest Stern or JJP announcements (At least for us Europeans).

Thierry (Alien LE#52)

Agreed....this insures the steady cash flow. People like the game = $$$..... done.....

Your two examples, IM and BSD...

Those are two of the best examples of "Risk vs. Reward" in modern pinball, IMO. 50 mil for DOD is too much given what you get compared to everything else, in MY opinion, but I can easily see how someone could disagree, and frankly, as much work as DOD takes to get, and how many dangerous shots you have to make to get to that point... it's really more of a minor disagreement for me than an OMG YOU SHOULD UPDATE TO LATER CODE IMMEDIATELY, IT'S SO UNFAIR!

THIR-TEE-MEEELION falls in the same category. It's so ridiculously hard for most people to set up, frankly almost everyone would be better off just taking the 2x stack at 20 million and going with it. I've won tournaments on 10 million point jackpots on BSD because everyone typically has a hard time with it and if you're not scoring while trying to do something, you're definitely not going to win, but if I ever had one in home use, you can BELIEVE that I'll be trying for that 3x stack.

I'd love for Alien to do something similar. They did a good job of it on Full Throttle from what I saw of Bowen's video.

Newer code starts the countdown at 35M.

I know that. He specifically said in his post that he left it on old code because he likes the 50m old value better.

If you don't have the time/energy for discovery.. then let other people do it and write rulesheets (its how everyone does it anyway) and is no different from what you have now.

Joe is talking about not just dumping the full knowledge out. It does take away from the discovery and fun people have from exploring the game. This concept is the same in so many places... who wants to know the conclusion and details before they even start the story?

Well said!

Well, you dont have to read the rule sheet if you dont want to. I have one game and I am glad I know the rule set. It helps me focus on different goals, so I can put those goals together and get some decent scores. Like he said, it makes the game more enjoyable. When I buy a new car, or a new whatever, I like to have the owners manual to ensure Im getting the most out of it. Some people dont read the owners manual and never full understand what they have bought.

Again, If Alien releases a full rulesheet, great for people like me, and great for people like you, who dont have to read it. Win Win!

Andrew, please note that most fans of Alien would rather the pin be slightly delayed to improve the airlock/queen than just go with what you have to ship due to pressure. A small delay will be easily forgotten due to an improved game design element. I realize that there comes a point when you must finalize the design, but if there is a better option on the table then I hope that you and the team pursue it. Just be clear with the communication and I believe all will agree with you. You have been great updated people on this forum. That said, I looved the game at Expo and would take it in its current design. My only gripe was the Queen and wish she was more like the Lotr Balrog that spun around and was larger in size that jerked around a bit. Please do what is best for Heighway pinball.

(Alien LE #57)

It's kind of a tough call with the rounded chamber as no matter what they put there the scale is going to look very odd compared to the large Alien head. Normally I could cares less about scale but this item is literally and inch or two away from what I'd like to think is the showcase for the game... the head.

They could go even smaller to not steal attention from the head but then what could that be, scale-wise, that would look appropriate?

I sorta like the idea of ANOTHER equally sized Alien head... the mother alien with the more elaborate head design sitting next to the other.

Then you've got the two main iconic alien designs - right next to each other in appropriately large scale... commanding your attention.

I think in a dark game seeing those two menacing heads back there would be intimidating and to me another slickly designed 3d alien in large scale is good thing. Can't have too many good looking aliens in this game.

But this came to mind literally as I read the last post so don't punish me too hard

+1. Poor documentation is one of the many things that limits access and causes frustration in pinball.

I don't think adding another giant head is solution IMHO.. or prob feasible. I do agree though it's a challenge given the giant head 'show piece' right next there.

Wasn't there originally a small LCD there? That would still work there (sits in background but can be used to put some very dynamic content there if wanted for the right mode) but overkill since they already have the screen plus now the back box screen.

Maybe make a static figure approximate scale it is now and that area more about flashers and killer lighting effects? Could take the saved BOM and apply it to a sick gloss finish on the head and a tongue plastic.

By the time I got to Expo I had worked on the Alien sound package for nine and a half months (which is a long time compared to projects with previous clients) and I had never flipped it. I had a little anxiety. Brian has created a very good game simulator so I was confident about the rules and AV integration. Finally at 3:30AM Thursday (the day of the reveal) we got a chance to flip it for the first time. I was relieved and exalted. It flips great. Dave's work on top of Dennis' initial design has resulted in some great flow with good shots from all four flippers. While I test with the glass on I am not more than an average player and I actually hit a four shot combo within my first 5 minutes! It was very sweet. Now we need to define some nifty rewards based on the possible combos. I am blessed in 2016 to be working on two great shooting pins (not always the case) and pinball fans are going to have great purchasing options moving forward.

over and out
ddt

Yes, combo systems that reward making them are a lot of fun. Xmen gets that right with the various unique combo callouts and animations.

Oh sure!….you give us some good information and leave….

Heighway is lucky to have you, David. Your work on Tron's sound package was beyond good, it was ludicrous. You could barely even tell what was yours and what was original, it's an amazing piece of work, and I'm glad that I've owned the game twice. Looking forward to seeing Aliens...hopefully at TPF in the spring.

You didn't buy the car just for entertainment- you play games for entertainment, not function

This is starting to sound like the people crying they had the game for a week and haven't gotten the wizard mode yet.

There is less reward if the outcome isn't hard to get

Discovery is part of the journey... Don't like it, wait for others. But if Joe dumps it all, it's ruined for everyone.

Yes! X-Men is the King of Combo's!!!

I can't agree with this enough. And David has some more spectacular work in Alien. I've told him many times that I know the music is good when I forget to shut down the simulator while I'm coding... it's just playing the game music in the background. I've heard it a thousand times by now, and I'm still not in any hurry to shut it down. Great stuff.

My personal favorite might be David's work on Hypersleep Multiball. He's created this gradual build-up in the background music as you progress through the jackpot levels; I can't recall another game with a similar effect. (Closest thing that comes to mind would be the way Whitewater's background music gets more and more enthusiastic as you progress rafts.) It's very orchestral and wonderful.

I just know how this is going to pan out for me. I get my Alien LE, complete with Full Throttle playfield kit. Then.....I buy an empty Heighway cabinet, lol.

Its been 3 weeks since expo. I hunger for dialed in, by lose sleep over Aliens!

After playing about 25 games, what gets me, haunts me, and intrigues me is the code.

I feel and hope we will be rewarded with one of the best shooting games created.

Aliens can of course be played for fun, but the depth of code, and the rewards that come,
will make this game something unlike others.....hard to describe, its just a gut feeling, but its been haunting
me since Expo.

You're not alone, my friend ( well, about the Alien stuff...you're on your own w Dialed In )

Yeah, I am looking forward to playing Dialed In but Alien LE in the house will be something special for me.

Played Dialed in at expo....no thanks.....my phone shall never touch a pinball machine....

Dialed In theme versus Alien? Comical by comparison.

Where did I put that " comic book" they passed out at the reveal?...oh...left it in my seat, as I was running out of the room.....whew....feeling nauseous just thinking about it....somebody was taking selfies and they were showing on the screen....Hazoff....you've been warned.....

I just want to try it, you played it and witnessed the selfies in person so in fact you are now tainted plus owning a WOZ, for shame. I could never own Dialed In but its still new pinball and like WOZ, WWE and TH I'll have to play it, I do accept the warning/reprimand.

LMAO!!!....I actually love my WOZ ( and really like JJP), and yes, I'm tainted because I can't unsee it. Just approach with caution.....

Exactly - if things are just handed to you, you don't value them the same. The balance of engaging without needing a primer is a key value for games out in the public. Some of the recent games are a bit too tough on that (TWD, MET, GB) and I think people are over-reacting in response.

You want the game to encourage people to keep pushing deeper while not confusing them and frustrating them. That's part of the art of the game and of course not everyone gets it right every time. The detailed rulesheets are great as the game has matured and as a way to capture and share knowledge... they shouldn't be part of the 'out of the box' experience IMO.

Use the tutorial to show the players the path to discover... not necessarily the x-ray map of the game

I will, I might have to go and play it several towns away while wearing a fake mustache. I just want Aliens LE, watching Aliens on AMC right now and Dialed In can suck it.

A wise man, you are. ......Alien, even though in beta state when I played it, is just in another league...pure immersion like I've never experienced w a pinball machine...can't really describe it, but cool as shit!!!

Standard Alien $6450 kit $4350. That's almost 70%. Still good value for the kit when you compare what you are getting on the game with other manufacturers "pro " games but at 60% ( $3830 ) people would have thought they were getting a half-price game. I think they will get away with it on this great license but to really kick off this concept the kits shouldn't be more than 60% imo.

Exchanging the playfield is replacing a lot of BOM and a ton of assembly labor (playfield more complex than the cabinet/PC assembly).

This is where if you are grading on swappable playfield approaches ALONE, Mulimorphic is superior. Less redundant parts (I.e., your paying for flipper assemblies and the LCD screen over and over on highway).

But if you asked me which one I'm more interested in checking out, it's Alien.

Andrew very generously donated some copies of the translite artwork for us (Northern Lights Pinball in the UK) to raise money for charity. We've just listed the last one on to eBay now and would love to see it raising a good amount for the Teenage Cancer Trust, to help kids battling this terrible disease.

If you're as excited as we are about seeing the final product, please consider a generous bid! :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232135452390

Thanks

alien (resized).jpg