Off topic but i would love a lower cost alternative for non reflective glass...
(Topic ID: 106728)
Linked Games
Alien (Heighway Pinball)
Heighway Pinball, 2017
Topic Gallery
Quoted from Rondogg:Off topic but i would love a lower cost alternative for non reflective glass...
I was talking with a friend of mine who is a museum curator (let's just say it's one of the museums you've heard of), and he was amazed at how CHEAP Invisiglass is. He said it is thinner but the same stuff is used for museum glass, and it is crazy expensive. Add that play field glass is thicker and he was talking $1000 a pop. Neither he nor I really know the mechanics of how it's made but the bottom was he thought there wasn't much margin on that stuff at the $300 price point. I hope he's wrong 
Riverton, WY
Quoted from nephasth:So how does the no-name non-reflective glass compare to the PDI stuff?
Not sure if you were directing that at me, but "museum glass" is pretty much the same thing as Invisiglass, very very low reflection, probably would still see the DMD a tiny bit
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Not sure if you were directing that at me, but "museum glass" is pretty much the same thing as Invisiglass, very very low reflection, probably would still see the DMD a tiny bit
Think he is referring to the generic glass Heighway seemed to be referencing. I went with PDI as my choice as I know them and they are good but curious who this new "no name" company is and if they can produce a similar product for cheaper, all the better and hopefully comes available retail if so.
On a side note as I was finalizing my options for my Alien LE, I had asked a few questions on e-mail and as side note to e-mail told Andrew to call or e-mail me for clarification on a few items I was kind of confused about. Within about an hour Andrew called me and as always was super informative, answered all my questions and has been listening to the feedback being given time and time again to try and produce best product. Met him at shows and always top notch class A guy. Way to go Heighway pinball, excited for this game and all future ones, you all rock!
I have a suggestion for the Alien pinball 
I think the game looks great!! But there is one thing that I don't like, it's the plastic part under the flipper that sticks in the playfield. The color is so wrong. It looks good on Full Throttle but on Alien it has to be black.
So Heighway Pinball, please order thes parts in black for the Alien pinball
Thank you.
Quoted from pascal-pinball:I have a suggestion for the Alien pinball
I think the game looks great!! But there is one thing that I don't like, it's the plastic part under the flipper that sticks in the playfield. The color is so wrong. It looks good on Full Throttle but on Alien it has to be black.
So Heighway Pinball, please order thes parts in black for the Alien pinball
Thank you.
good suggestion!
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:will also have the option to upgrade to PDI if they wish
Well, this completes my wishlist for the LE (except anxious to see hardware options). Time to tally up and write a check!!!!
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Not sure if you were directing that at me, but "museum glass" is pretty much the same thing as Invisiglass, very very low reflection, probably would still see the DMD a tiny bit
Invisiglass is NOT PDI...just an fyi....Andrew made the right choice......
Leicester
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:Yes to both questions.
Currently we only offer an un-branded non-reflective glass. However, we are about to offer a second alternative - PDI. Anyone who has purchased the non-branded one will also have the option to upgrade to PDI if they wish
Is the glass on your games a non-standard size?
Quoted from DCFAN:Is the glass on your games a non-standard size?
No...standard wide body.....
Quoted from MK6PIN:Invisiglass is NOT PDI...just an fyi....Andrew made the right choice......
Agreed. Comparison video below shows Invisiglass on the left and PDI Glass on the right.
Quoted from PACMAN:SO WHAT'S REPLACING THE AIR LOCK CHAMBER??!!
Yes I'm yelling.
As soon as FOX officially approve it, we will show it.
London, ON
Quoted from Wickerman2:Rotating Jonesy, fingers crossed
Hisss!
Quoted from HeighwayPinball:As soon as FOX officially approve it, we will show it.
So is production held up waiting for approval, or are games in production right now?
Slightly off topic, but are there any topics or videos or blogs or anything that talk about how the lighting effects are done at Heighway?
I'm not going to lie, I'm completely ignorant about what technology is "under the hood" in Heighway machines. Probably not too hard to look up, but I'm more interested in the process and the software. Specifically, do you guys have your own proprietary software for sequencing the lights or open source software or does someone code it all out by hand (I can't imaging the latter in this day and age).
I'd assume some sort of "virtual" environment for trying things out. But, just curious about the dev process and the tools you have available. If you can comment or link to anything, I'd appreciate it.
I was really impressed with FullT's lights and I still haven't played a game with the fiber optic ramps (which look great).
Can't wait to see what they do to Alien it'll be great.
Quoted from Lamprey:Slightly off topic, but are there any topics or videos or blogs or anything that talk about how the lighting effects are done at Heighway?
I'm not going to lie, I'm completely ignorant about what technology is "under the hood" in Heighway machines. Probably not too hard to look up, but I'm more interested in the process and the software. Specifically, do you guys have your own proprietary software for sequencing the lights or open source software or does someone code it all out by hand (I can't imaging the latter in this day and age).
I'd assume some sort of "virtual" environment for trying things out. But, just curious about the dev process and the tools you have available. If you can comment or link to anything, I'd appreciate it.
Software is proprietary and not open source. I've considered ways of opening it up slightly to allow for some customization, but that hasn't been a priority.
Yes, we have a virtual environment to develop in. Much of Alien was coded and tested well before the first playfields were ready.
Not sure exactly what you mean by "coding by hand". It is probably somewhere in between the two extremes you are thinking of. In other words, we're not coding lamp by lamp all the time, but we certainly can if we need to achieve a certain effect.
Quoted from RTS:So is production held up waiting for approval, or are games in production right now?
Production is going ahead right now and we are not being delayed by approvals at this point. There is only one element we are waiting on and this should come in any day now
Quoted from musketd:Yes what is replacing the air lock chamber is it a cool interactive toy Andrew?
We would rather show you, rather than tell you Derek.
As soon as we can show you, we will
A nice topper, perhaps.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO5THKW/ref=gbps_tit_s-3_bb19_708f2e4d
But this one is cool...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016JGSTPG/ref=psdc_2514596011_t1_B01CO5THKW
Quoted from PBFan:Anybody note that the end of the article says it will rotate to reveal a 5" LCD screen?
As far as I know this was the initial idea but did never make it to the prototype. The alternative was the Queen's chamber as we know it now, but that also does not make it to production as it will be replaced by something that will be revealed by Heighway in the very near future.
Quoted from PinballRulez:As far as I know this was the initial idea but did never make it to the prototype. The alternative was the Queen's chamber as we know it now, but that also does not make it to production as it will be replaced by something that will be revealed by Heighway in the very near future.
Revealing!!
A few weeks ago we showed you a teaser video for the 'Find Jonesy' mode in 'Alien Pinball'
This is the extended cut of this video.
Coming Friday 23rd December - 'Ambush Multiball' mode teaser video and a sneak preview of the replacement for the Queen's Chamber
How about a blood splatter graphic at the end rather than Jonesy exploding?
Love. Love. Love the audio
Have played both dialed in and alien pinball and in my mind alien is so much better then dialed in; don't get me wrong dialed in is cool, but the theme is just not that great and just wierd the sound, animations, and toys on alien are way better at this point.
Quoted from musketd:Have played both dialed in and alien pinball and in my mind alien is so much better then dialed in
Sci fi Horror vs a theme that could be on the Treehouse network is a an easy win.
Quoted from musketd:Have played both dialed in and alien pinball and in my mind alien is so much better then dialed in; don't get me wrong dialed in is cool, but the theme is just not that great and just wierd the sound, animations, and toys on alien are way better at this point.
^ I couldn't agree with this more. the shots on dialed in feel good, build quality and effects seem nice - but it's probably the least engaged i've ever felt while playing a game.
I played this at Expo and loved it. It continues to improve with each new video released and is destined to be a huge seller. I have a Full Throttle LE and am eager to receive my Alien kit. I plan to add the topper, extra lighting, etc.
Andrew, there is a lot riding on this game - as you well know. I realize that there must be huge financial pressure to get the revenue flowing, but continue to be true to your vision. You are on the brink of making this the very best game you can.
It's just color changing balls - what is that suppose to be?
Quoted from drinkduffbeers:How about a blood splatter graphic at the end rather than Jonesy exploding?
Love. Love. Love the audio
Quoted from PACMAN:It's just color changing balls - what is that suppose to be?
Jonesy is just watching the person die from the Alien, he ain't exploding! NO ONE KILLS JONES!!!!! He lives forever!
Bit off topic but goes with the theme. Have any of you checked out the band Aphotic Apathy? I hear the new album is pretty much all Alien/Predator stuff but this is from an earlier album:
I got yer topper right here... 
http://www.amoktime.com/neca-alien-foam-replica-fossilized-space-jockey.html
Promoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
