Alien (Heighway Pinball)
Heighway Pinball, 2017Quoted from frolic:I'm pretty certain Andrew said the cones and lights on the LE can be bought as separate mods for the standard.
I think the LEs are really for people that love the particular theme and see keeping it dedicated.
Oops..forgot to copy your other point I agreed with....in my case, the LE will stay intact....
Quoted from bemmett:I feel this is a big issue and needs to be addressed to make everything interchangeable possibly including trim? I want the LE features but seems silly if it doesn't allow me to transition it to the next game(s) well then seems standard is the way to go. Curious to see how this all plays out.
You raise a very interesting point, and it also allows me to explain a part of our system that very few people know about.
We have all seen how tatty cabinets can become over time. Worse still, vandalism can make a game look very poor. Nobody likes to see "I LOVE MY MOM" etched into a cabinet side! So, it's a good time to report that even the cabinet side panels, cabinet front panel and backbox front frame are all interchangable too. This means that should a panel ever become damaged, for example, then it can be easily replaced. In the future, new trims will be available to allow customers to fully customise their machines. For example, your sitting room may have a lot of pine in it. So, you will be able to purchase a pine-effect trim package for your cabinet in the future to allow your game to really blend into its environment. Such a changeover should take no more than 10 minutes.
So, back to the metal trim and Bemmett's question. The LE's are meant to be 'collectable' items, so customers will likely not want to swap other games in and out of their LE cabinet. However, this is a question of preference only because there is nothing to stop any other HP game being switched in and out of an LE cabinet.
The question then becomes one of metal trim. Currently we do not offer LE 'upgrades' because this becomes very complicated from a hardware perspective. However, we do intend to sell SE metal trim packages. Therefore, an LE owner could buy an SE cabinet and/or metal trim package to convert their LE cabinet back to an SE cabinet - should they wish to.
We will go into more details about pricing on these different scenarios closer to the release of our second game.
So no matter what version pin you buy, if you convert it to the next released playfield you either keep the trim you started with or optionally replace with an SE trim. So nice to have options.
Quoted from Yipykya:So no matter what version pin you buy, if you convert it to the next released playfield you either keep the trim you started with or optionally replace with an SE trim. So nice to have options.
Yes.
The SE trim will always remain the same
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:So, back to the metal trim and Bemmett's question. The LE's are meant to be 'collectable' items, so customers will likely not want to swap other games in and out of their LE cabinet. However, this is a question of preference only because there is nothing to stop any other HP game being switched in and out of an LE cabinet.
The question then becomes one of metal trim. Currently we do not offer LE 'upgrades' because this becomes very complicated from a hardware perspective. However, we do intend to sell SE metal trim packages. Therefore, an LE owner could buy an SE cabinet and/or metal trim package to convert their LE cabinet back to an SE cabinet - should they wish to.
Actually, I would think the main question is the LE features, like the spinning light topper and the neon ramps. Can those be added to the standards and what will they cost? Your response above makes it sound questionable whether those will be available since you only addressed the trim. Back in November I emailed you and you gave me the following response:
Me: Will the Alien LE features be available as upgrades to the standard?
Andrew: Some of them yes, like the Topper and the Ramp Fibre Optic Kit.
Is this still true? I want the LE features, but I don't love Alien so much it needs to be a dedicated machine. I want your games for the swapability, but I don't really want to compromise features either. If I want one Heighway cabinet and a bunch of Heighway playfields, can I still have all the LE features like the toppers and ramps?
If this has already been answered I apologise, with so many of the Playfield mechanisms pushing through the playfield ( pop bumpers, flippers, slings ) there are a lot of exposed edges that potentially will wear in the long run, the type of thing we " cliffy " all the time. Does anyone else see this as a problem?
For the record I like the idea of pushing the whole mechanism through the playfield, will be much easier to work on, just a bit worried about these edges. Any chipping/wear is going to be particularly visible right below your eyes at the flippers. Hopefully Andrew has this covered somehow.
Quoted from Cheeks:Is this still true? I want the LE features, but I don't love Alien so much it needs to be a dedicated machine. I want your games for the swapability, but I don't really want to compromise features either. If I want one Heighway cabinet and a bunch of Heighway playfields, can I still have all the LE features like the toppers and ramps?
Then what makes it "LE"?
There would be no point in anybody buying an LE from a collectable standpoint if you could just buy a regular version and make it one.
If there are no differences, by adding all the features for the regular, then I'd have to rethink my LE decision.
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:So, back to the metal trim and Bemmett's question. The LE's are meant to be 'collectable' items,Currently we do not offer LE 'upgrades' because this becomes very complicated from a hardware perspective. However, we do intend to sell SE metal trim packages. Therefore, an LE owner could buy an SE cabinet and/or metal trim package to convert their LE cabinet back to an SE cabinet - should they wish to.
I read this as you could go backwards from an LE to an SE, but not the other way, because they don't offer LE upgrades ( except certain pieces, like the beacons).
Quoted from Cheeks:Me: Will the Alien LE features be available as upgrades to the standard?
Andrew: Some of them yes, like the Topper and the Ramp Fibre Optic Kit.
Is this still true? I want the LE features, but I don't love Alien so much it needs to be a dedicated machine. I want your games for the swapability, but I don't really want to compromise features either. If I want one Heighway cabinet and a bunch of Heighway playfields, can I still have all the LE features like the toppers and ramps?
Again, some, but not all of the features...
I agree w Ice on this....an LE should be an LE ( beyond the plaque and machine count), otherwise, why bother, as there would be nothing " limited" about it. No way is Heighway going to make a 500 unit run of "30th Anniversary Alien LE" machines and not keep them unique. It should ( and does) command a higher tag for that reason, and addresses a segment of the market.
Quoted from iceman44:Then what makes it "LE"?
There would be no point in anybody buying an LE from a collectable standpoint if you could just buy a regular version and make it one.
If there are no differences, by adding all the features for the regular, then I'd have to rethink my LE decision.
If you cannot add the beacons and ramp lights, there is no way I would be purchasing a standard either. What a tightrope these guys have to walk with these limited editions. I'm not going to preorder, yet I require a full featured game when I do purchase. So, you impact LE sales or standards either way.
Quoted from iceman44:Then what makes it "LE"?
There would be no point in anybody buying an LE from a collectable standpoint if you could just buy a regular version and make it one.
If there are no differences, by adding all the features for the regular, then I'd have to rethink my LE decision.
What we are told over and over and over is
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:The LE's are meant to be 'collectable' items, so customers will likely not want to swap other games in and out of their LE cabinet.
Your asking about LE VS SE playfield features. Tough for Heighway to address this now since they haven't had the playfield reveals yet. What we do know so far is the LEs will have special trim specific to each title. And the Alien LE will have different commemorative cabinet side art and back glass art.
On the Heighway forum the official response to the question of differences between the SE and LE has been this: "...I can assure you they will be significant and something special for the collector!"
Wouldn't most "collectors" want the Alien LE for what it is and leave it as a dedicated machine? Is it likely to turn into a grail-like "Flagship" Heighway model in the future? Will collectors not mind buying a second complete Heighway SE title unit to swap playfields through just for the sake of the exposure to cycle through multiple games on the cheap?
I think Heighway anticipates selling SEs for commercial venues and recognizes the limited LEs for people that are buying for their home game rooms and personal collections. Am I wrong in thinking the "collectors" who already have multiple pins and plenty of space are going to be the ones buying the LEs? Pure "Players" perhaps will be the ones that only buy a single SE unit and multiple playfield titles (as they become available) to swap through the unit that don't necessarily have the money and space?
Quoted from bigdaddy07:If you cannot add the beacons and ramp lights, there is no way I would be purchasing a standard either. What a tightrope these guys have to walk with these limited editions. I'm not going to preorder, yet I required a full featured game when I do purchase. So, you impact LE sales or standards either way.
I think he did say the beacons and ramp light kits would be options. I'm sure all models will be " full featured" ...I just don't understand the rub of getting everything an LE has at an SE price.
My TAF is "standard" ( and one of my favorite machines), don't even think about Gold
SM...same thing
TRONLE.....played them both, liked the LE better, and bought one..extra price was worth it for me ...
What's wrong w choices?
Quoted from Yipykya:What we are told over and over and over is
Your asking about LE VS SE playfield features. Tough for Heighway to address this now since they haven't had the playfield reveals yet. What we do know so far is the LEs will have special trim specific to each title. And the Alien LE will have different commemorative cabinet side art and back glass art.
On the Heighway forum the official response to the question of differences between the SE and LE has been this: "...I can assure you they will be significant and something special for the collector!"
Wouldn't most "collectors" want the Alien LE for what it is and leave it as a dedicated machine? Is it likely to turn into a grail-like "Flagship" Heighway model in the future? Will collectors not mind buying a second complete Heighway SE title unit to swap playfields through just for the sake of the exposure to cycle through multiple games on the cheap?
I think Heighway anticipates selling SEs for commercial venues and recognizes the limited LEs for people that are buying for their home game rooms and personal collections. Am I wrong in thinking the "collectors" who already have multiple pins and plenty of space are going to be the ones buying the LEs? Pure "Players" perhaps will be the ones that only buy a single SE unit and multiple playfield titles (as they become available) to swap through the unit that don't necessarily have the money and space?
Think you are spot on with this ......
Quoted from MK6PIN:I think he did say the beacons and ramp light kits would be options. I'm sure all models will be " full featured" ...I just don't understand the rub of getting everything an LE has at an SE price.
My TAF is "standard" ( and one of my favorite machines), don't even think about Gold
SM...same thing
TRONLE.....played them both, liked the LE better, and bought one..extra price was worth it for me ...
What's wrong w choices?
I'm totally for choices, I just don't like being forced to pre-order to get a full featured game (not saying that is the case here). I would like to have the choice of the games, once I've seen the fully populated playing game. If the beacons and ramp lights are addable, then I'll make the choice of an LE or standard once the full games have been released. That is if LEs are still available.
Found this from earlier in the thread, the upgrade costs for a Full Throttle owner to buy Alien playfield, and vice versa.
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in getting you upgrade info.
So, here is the pricing info:
Full Throttle - Standard Edition Upgrade
2 x Cabinet Sideart
1 x Printed Backbox Artwork Panel
1 x Fully Populated Playfield
1 x Game Software
Prices:
UK: £2,800 (including 20% VAT) + Delivery
Europe: €3,600 (including 20% sales tax - this may vary depending on country) + shipping
USA/Canada: $3,750 (net - no sales tax added, but may be applicable) + shipping from USA warehouse
Alien Pinball - Standard Edition Upgrade
2 x Cabinet Sideart
1 x Printed Backbox Artwork Panel
1 x Fully Populated Playfield
1 x Game Software
1 x Shooter Rod Plate Assembly (if this appears on the finished game)
Prices:
UK: £2,900 (including 20% VAT) + Delivery
Europe: €3,700 (including 20% sales tax - this may vary depending on country) + shipping
USA/Canada: $3,900 (net - no sales tax added, but may be applicable) + shipping from USA warehouse
Ordering for SE Upgrades will be available via our website next week
Limited Edition Upgrades, for both games, are a little more complicated as there are different options depending on trim, hardware, etc...
We will post more information, including pricing, on LE upgrades next week
Quoted from nephasth:I, for one, intend to leave my LE as is. If future titles spark my interest, I may buy an SE cab for PF swaps. But that remains an unknown at this point.
My choice for this title, as well.....
Quoted from ZenTron:After a few years and some titles released this SE cabinet w/ swappable parts sounds like it has some great potential with its versatility.
Agreed...
My two cents: Beacons and lit ramps aren't exactly "gameplay" features, but they interact with the ball (I assume, no idea how the ramp lights work). I'd prefer personally that anything that is actually tied to the gameplay be available to anyone. Have a Full Throttle and want to convert it to an Alien? Pay extra and get all the features.
Let the LE be limited to more cool stuff that's not really gameplay related. Special powdercoat sure, but maybe an exclusive art package that only the LE can have. That keeps it limited, but not at the expense of people getting the full game.
That just seems to fit with the "modular" idea. You don't want to feel like you can't get a full game upgrade. But it still makes the LE special for people who love the theme and want a really dedicated cabinet for it that shows that they got the special version.
I guess I just would prefer things to be player first, collector second, in terms of priority, while still be sensitive to the concerns of both sides, since they both matter.
Quoted from Aurich:My two cents: Beacons and lit ramps aren't exactly "gameplay" features, but they interact with the ball (I assume, no idea how the ramp lights work). I'd prefer personally that anything that is actually tied to the gameplay be available to anyone. Have a Full Throttle and want to convert it to an Alien? Pay extra and get all the features.
Let the LE be limited to more cool stuff that's not really gameplay related. Special powdercoat sure, but maybe an exclusive art package that only the LE can have. That keeps it limited, but not at the expense of people getting the full game.
That just seems to fit with the "modular" idea. You don't want to feel like you can't get a full game upgrade. But it still makes the LE special for people who love the theme and want a really dedicated cabinet for it that shows that they got the special version.
I guess I just would prefer things to be player first, collector second, in terms of priority, while still be sensitive to the concerns of both sides, since they both matter.
Agree completely. I really like the Alien theme and am very interested in this title, but I don't have such a hard on for it that I need to have it for the collectability nor do I need it to stay a dedicated machine. I have a lot of games and not many I want to get rid of, so space is a premium. That said, I want all the gameplay features in their swappable format.
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:You raise a very interesting point, and it also allows me to explain a part of our system that very few people know about.
We have all seen how tatty cabinets can become over time. Worse still, vandalism can make a game look very poor. Nobody likes to see "I LOVE MY MOM" etched into a cabinet side! So, it's a good time to report that even the cabinet side panels, cabinet front panel and backbox front frame are all interchangable too. This means that should a panel ever become damaged, for example, then it can be easily replaced. In the future, new trims will be available to allow customers to fully customise their machines. For example, your sitting room may have a lot of pine in it. So, you will be able to purchase a pine-effect trim package for your cabinet in the future to allow your game to really blend into its environment. Such a changeover should take no more than 10 minutes.
So, back to the metal trim and Bemmett's question. The LE's are meant to be 'collectable' items, so customers will likely not want to swap other games in and out of their LE cabinet. However, this is a question of preference only because there is nothing to stop any other HP game being switched in and out of an LE cabinet.
The question then becomes one of metal trim. Currently we do not offer LE 'upgrades' because this becomes very complicated from a hardware perspective. However, we do intend to sell SE metal trim packages. Therefore, an LE owner could buy an SE cabinet and/or metal trim package to convert their LE cabinet back to an SE cabinet - should they wish to.
We will go into more details about pricing on these different scenarios closer to the release of our second game.
Oh how I love Heighway Pinball. You guys do such a great job of responding to and incorporating fan feedback. I'm excited for Full Throttle to ship so I can get a chance to play one. The game looks like a lot of fun!
Quoted from Aurich:My two cents: Beacons and lit ramps aren't exactly "gameplay" features, but they interact with the ball (I assume, no idea how the ramp lights work). I'd prefer personally that anything that is actually tied to the gameplay be available to anyone. Have a Full Throttle and want to convert it to an Alien? Pay extra and get all the features.
Let the LE be limited to more cool stuff that's not really gameplay related. Special powdercoat sure, but maybe an exclusive art package that only the LE can have. That keeps it limited, but not at the expense of people getting the full game.
That just seems to fit with the "modular" idea. You don't want to feel like you can't get a full game upgrade. But it still makes the LE special for people who love the theme and want a really dedicated cabinet for it that shows that they got the special version.
I guess I just would prefer things to be player first, collector second, in terms of priority, while still be sensitive to the concerns of both sides, since they both matter.
Don't disagree w this at all....fwiw, I'm a player (average at best) first, and don't even consider myself a "collector" as I only have 8 pins, which I play all the time (not just stare at).
As long as the "LE" designation makes it an "ultimate" choice for this title, that's all I care about. No way it can be limited, if everything is interchangeable. I'll trust Andrew and Team to make the designation valid....no worries here (but I do have the room and desire to keep this machine "intact"). I'm anxious to see later offerings for the playfield swap concept (quite sure i'll jump on that too after playing them)....mark
Quoted from Yipykya:On the Heighway forum the official response to the question of differences between the SE and LE has been this: "...I can assure you they will be significant and something special for the collector!"
The key word for me being "significant" as far as the differences go.
Quoted from MK6PIN:As long as the "LE" designation makes it an "ultimate" choice for this title, that's all I care about.
Me too.
Quoted from frolic:I'm willing to bet a lot of people will consider getting one, knowing Alien is a $4k "upgrade" down the road, so it doesn't have to be an either/or choice.
I'm not sure this is actually true....I seem to remember reading that FT and Alien were going to be stand-alone games and you couldn't put Alien in an FT cabinet, but that subsequent games after Alien you would be able to do this with.
True?
Edit: I stand somewhat corrected...although the issue seems a bit more confusing than I thought.
Well, I hope you are wrong there, Robotoes, since I have bought Full Throttle with an Alien playfield add-on, and paid for both of them in full already 
This is the main reason why I went with Heighway pinball. The playfield swapping sounds really innovative and a perfect choice for me. If this turns out great (and I have a feeling it will) I will probably jump in on future tables no matter the theme of the machine.(well, almost)
Walking dead, Mustang and Wrestlemania is not themes I feel I must have and there is too many cutbacks on Stern's pro models. The price difference (at least in my part of the world) from a Stern Premium to a Heighway playfield is huge. If I could have had those 3 latest Stern games for half the price then sure, I would consider them.
Just to confirm - our games are fully swappable between cabinets, whether they are SE's or LE's
We will have a full 'Alien Pinball' update for you this coming Friday
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:Just to confirm - our games are fully swappable between cabinets, whether they are SE's or LE's
We will have a full 'Alien Pinball' update for you this coming Friday
Thanks Andrew.
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:Just to confirm - our games are fully swappable between cabinets, whether they are SE's or LE's
We will have a full 'Alien Pinball' update for you this coming Friday
Any chance of seeing *some* artwork in this update??
Whitewood looks great. I like the layout so far. I'm not sure what direction the art will take. I don't think a bunch of dark textures with a bunch of Alien creatures will do. Much like the movies, I think the Alien (or Aliens) should be hidden until key parts in the game. You have to have the motion sensor and all those great sounds to build up tension just like in the movies. Of course, you absolutely, without any question, have to use Bill Paxton's "game over" sound bite at game over or ball drain. Look forward to more updates!
Great interview while you wait
http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-153-an-evening-with-andrew-heighway_44154
A little bird chirped a tune outside my window that sounded suspiciously like "Alien updates are coming tonight" just now. 
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