Alien (Heighway Pinball)
Heighway Pinball, 2017This is the best beacon I could find. Yeah it's led but with the lens you might not know. I like the shape. And it's 12v so it's easy to power. Plus it's probably an unlimited qty and the price is right. If anyone finds and old school rotating incandescent one for the masses let us know! I've ordered this already and will post up a vid as soon as it arrives.
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:The F-14 pin does though and it's fucking awesome.
I've owned several F-14 pins since 1992, and I still reckon the multiball start when all the 3 lights start up is one of the coolest things in pinball.
That is all.
rd
Quoted from rotordave:I've owned several F-14 pins since 1992, and I still reckon the multiball start when all the 3 lights start up is one of the coolest things in pinball.
That is all.
rd
Agreed, the beacons can easily be changed which makes their current size a non issue as long as the immersion is there Alien will be amazing with big or small beacons 
Quoted from rotordave:I've owned several F-14 pins since 1992, and I still reckon the multiball start when all the 3 lights start up is one of the coolest things in pinball.
That is all.
I will probably own another one again too. It's still one of my wife's favorite games. What a great game.
Quoted from Whridlsoncestood:We have a kit ordered for our full throttle at The Sanctum. Andrew said Feb for us. So if no one is bringing one to Allentown, I can Ted.
-Jim
Holy shit!
After watching this again I'm cool with waiting a bit longer and really have nothing negative to say at all.
Quoted from ezeltmann:We've seen a production video , side view in full lighting. Funny enough I watched the Alien movie over the weekend and was surprised that, in that scene, the projectile tongue (or whatever its called) looked more like what is in the Alien promotion video than i ever thought it did.
I expect that from the player perspective in show lighting , the effect will be downright chill-inducing.
I think what the mech will do, will be very cool... BUT if your expectation is that it's going to look exactly like the film... you're in for a HUGE disappointment. It's a tiny little mechanical toy in a pinball machine. As long as you keep that in mind, it'll be great!!
I think this is shaping up to be a nice pin. Congrats to the entire team for accomplishing the marathon of getting it this far, and good luck with the Iron Man Triathlon of actually getting it in homes!
Quoted from Hazoff:Slam Tilt you tube post shows those beacons in action, look pretty nice actually.
» YouTube video
Looks like that far left ramp needs some work, the angle is so tight it bounces the ball back almost every time.
-EDIT- Looks like that's an old video, i think its been fixed.
Quoted from PACMAN:-EDIT- Looks like that's an old video, i think its been fixed.
Yeah that's an older vid, in the latest video the ramp is smooth.
Andrew, catching up on this thread makes me wonder why you have no PR manager.
Managing things such as refunds & timelines seems to be such a challenge.
Quoted from MapleSyrup:I think what the mech will do, will be very cool... BUT if your expectation is that it's going to look exactly like the film... you're in for a HUGE disappointment. It's a tiny little mechanical toy in a pinball machine. As long as you keep that in mind, it'll be great!!
I think this is shaping up to be a nice pin. Congrats to the entire team for accomplishing the marathon of getting it this far, and good luck with the Iron Man Triathlon of actually getting it in homes!
Agreed. When I see people expecting this to be "downright chill-inducing" I have to laugh. In the grand scheme of special effects, this is a crappy little mechanical toy. Every effect in every pinball machine is. Doesn't mean it isn't neat, and sometimes cool. I still love blowing up the castle in MM. But they're just not very sophisticated effects. There's no chance this is going to have more than a crude resemblance to the way the scene in the movie looked, and that's OK. That said, some people expected Smaug to breath fire and fly around their basement too, so this isn't too surprising.
Quoted from Cheeks:Agreed. When I see people expecting this to be "downright chill-inducing" I have to laugh. In the grand scheme of special effects, this is a crappy little mechanical toy. Every effect in every pinball machine is. Doesn't mean it isn't neat, and sometimes cool. I still love blowing up the castle in MM. But they're just not very sophisticated effects. There's no chance this is going to have more than a crude resemblance to the way the scene in the movie looked, and that's OK. That said, some people expected Smaug to breath fire and fly around their basement too, so this isn't too surprising.
Magnet grabs ball. Strobe on Alien head. Scene from movie where this type of thing happens. Scream, shaker, some loud bass (add subwoofer) etc.
With proper sequencing , i stand by my expectation and furthermore DEMAND the chills! 
This will (or might) be more about projecting a death scene of the movie into your head as opposed to seeing the mechanism with a spotlight on it. IMO.
One guy can dream. Others can laugh. I Respect the opinion.
Quoted from ezeltmann:Magnet grabs ball. Strobe on Alien head. Scene from movie where this type of thing happens. Scream, shaker, some loud bass (add subwoofer) etc.
With proper sequencing , i stand by my expectation and furthermore DEMAND the chills!
This will (or might) be more about projecting a death scene of the movie into your head as opposed to seeing the mechanism with a spotlight on it. IMO.
One guy can dream. Others can laugh. I Respect the opinion.
To be clear... I would never laugh at another man's dreams. I will however, make fun of another man's expectations. 
The good news for everybody is that regardless of the mech, the beacons, the art, and whatever other complaints or issues... this is looking like a really good machine. Congrats to the team, and I look forward to playing it again.
Quoted from 3pinballs:At first I didn't like the look of the playfield ....the bare wood pic without all the hardware.
I have to say with the hardware, LCD's, It looks Excellent! Great job everyone...well done!
For real. I'm so glad they didn't Stern it up and slap a giant clip art head of Sigourney Weaver right in the middle of the playfield.
I hope one shows up at Allentown. I can't wait to play it.
Quoted from RandomGuyOffCL:Andrew, catching up on this thread makes me wonder why you have no PR manager.
Managing things such as refunds & timelines seems to be such a challenge.
No I dont, but that sounds like a very good idea. As we continue to grow, that will become a priority
Quoted from musketd:Andrew just curios if the alien ball lock mechanism is working yet? Can't wait to see it in action
The mechanisms are built and the coding is complete. We have some testing to still to complete.
Quoted from Whysnow:I have to say things keep getting better and better on this title!
yes but what about the beeeeaconnnns?
Quoted from Whysnow:I have to say things keep getting better and better on this title!
I have to agree. I like every update I see. This game is going to be fun.
Quoted from chadderack:Not that it would matter to me (If I ordered the Aliens game) but maybe this is what's bothering people...
not the height as much as the shape. IIRC the beacons looked more like the first type than the second, but what do I know... (close to nothing)
The beacon shape wouldn't matter to me at all, though.
Yeah, I like the "squared-off" light better, but I like the taller light better than a low profile one. I want the light sweeping around the room "proper"-like! 
Quoted from J85M:If there is a self destruct mode/hurry up with the beacons going with playfield flashers and some of the GI out that's going to be great and really immersive, if there are plenty of moments like this in alien then the last thing anyone is going to be worried about is the size of the beacons.
I'm hoping for that too. Can't wait to see one in person!
Quoted from Lamprey:Yeah, I like the "squared-off" light better, but I like the taller light better than a low profile one. I want the light sweeping around the room "proper"-like!
I'm hoping for that too. Can't wait to see one in person!
The taller profile of the beacons will certainly allow the light to sweep the room better so that's a plus and like a lot have said its a really simple aspect of the game/package to mod if the buyer wants to.
I like the idea of hurry up modes with the beacons flashing, Alien hurry ups and self destruct hurry ups with the beacons spinning, MUTHUR voice over going the countdown and alarms/sirens (sound lifted from the films) would make for some sweaty palm moments
Quoted from Cheeks:Agreed. When I see people expecting this to be "downright chill-inducing" I have to laugh. In the grand scheme of special effects, this is a crappy little mechanical toy. Every effect in every pinball machine is. Doesn't mean it isn't neat, and sometimes cool. I still love blowing up the castle in MM. But they're just not very sophisticated effects. There's no chance this is going to have more than a crude resemblance to the way the scene in the movie looked, and that's OK. That said, some people expected Smaug to breath fire and fly around their basement too, so this isn't too surprising.
With enough drugs, anything is possible in a pinball machine. Everyone was going on and on about what colours they wanted their rails in, they should have just been asking for LSD dipped rails.
Quoted from J85M:I like the idea of hurry up modes with the beacons flashing, Alien hurry ups and self destruct hurry ups with the beacons spinning, MUTHUR voice over going the countdown and alarms/sirens (sound lifted from the films) would make for some sweaty palm moments
David Thiel mentioned specifically at last year's Expo that the MUTHUR voice-overs on the Alien pin are custom call-outs by a sound-alike (which just so happens to be his wife)...
Later,
EV
Quoted from EchoVictor:David Thiel mentioned specifically at last year's Expo that the MUTHUR voice-overs on the Alien pin are custom call-outs by a sound-alike (which just so happens to be his wife)...
Later,
EV
Thanks for the reminder EV, I know what I have heard so far in previous and gameplay videos sounds pretty indistinguishable from the movie original, when ever David is involved/lead on sound you know your ears are in for a treat.
Quoted from 27dnast:Is there custom speech in this game, or what?
Only if somebody just posted that David Thiel's wife is doing just that.
Quoted from 3pinballs:At first I didn't like the look of the playfield ....the bare wood pic without all the hardware.
I have to say with the hardware, LCD's, It looks Excellent! Great job everyone...well done!
Talk about judging a game early lol.
Quoted from Roostking:Talk about judging a game early lol.
Haha!
Quoted from PoMC:While I appreciate gameplay videos posted by players trying out the game for the first time, they can be painfully boring to watch when that player cannot accomplish goals and proceed through the game.
Any chance for a complete, official gameplay video by a player who knows and understands the game? The teaser videos don't demonstrate any flow or shots being made - they only show a flipper hitting a ball and balls dropping into holes.
Painful to watch. Brings me down. Hopefully someone can play...
Quoted from 27dnast:Is there custom speech in this game, or what?
Hopefully not, that tends to ruin it for the most part unless its done really well and that hasn't been the case in pinball with the exception of only a few.
Quoted from Hazoff:Hopefully not, that tends to ruin it for the most part unless its done really well and that hasn't been the case in pinball with the exception of only a few.
I think custom speech with pinball vibe call outs ("Shoot the ramp", "Ball locked", etc) are critically important to most games, especially modern games that are based off of movie themes. I think some custom speech is bad (Walking Dead for example) but I still rather have it in the game then hear nothing but music and sound effects. With David Thiels wife providing custom speech for "mother" hopefully custom speech for jackpot, ball locks, etc were also recorded.
Custom speech recorded by someone who is actually part of the theme (for example Ernie Hudson for GB, Elijah Wood for LOTR) can really make a game stand out and make that "world under glass" feeling even better.
I would personally not buy a NIB or modern game today without there being custom speech for callout in the game.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:With David Thiels wife providing custom speech for "mother" hopefully custom speech for jackpot, ball locks, etc were also recorded.
Custom speech recorded by someone who is actually part of the theme (for example Ernie Hudson for GB, Elijah Wood for LOTR) can really make a game stand out and make that "world under glass" feeling even better.
I would personally not buy a NIB or modern game today without there being custom speech for callout in the game.
Well "mother" custom speech is a great thing and I agree call outs are important but not when they suck exp. Met, ST, TWD and so many others, for me the 90's dmd's are riddled with very bad custom call outs, I'm all for the ones that give direction with in the game and are kept simple but when they go into attempts at humor or catchy one liners then they have the ability to ruin an otherwise great machine.
David Thiel reported that 173 custom Mother callouts have been recorded for the game. Some of them aren't used in the code yet, and some probably never will be (stuff we were brainstorming and said "well, as long as you're in the recording studio, get these lines, just in case..."). But Mother is definitely there to help guide the player. If you listen to the recent gameplay video recordings, you'll hear some of them.
Quoted from Ferret:David Thiel reported that 173 custom Mother callouts have been recorded for the game.
That's incredible! Just as long as MUTHUR taunts me during Self Destruct mode, telling me I have "X minutes to reach minimum safe distance", while the beacon lights are lighting up my game room & I frantically struggle to hit my shots for big points
Now that I'm thinking, I'm not sure if this was answered before.... will there be an adjustable setting in the menus as to whether the individual game modes are playable as selectable, random, or linear? I can see multiple reasons for these adjustments, either for home use or tournament play.
I get that people like to see all the modes in a game, but to me it would be kind of silly to play the modes out of order, like Self Destruct before something like Acid Burn. I guess it might depend how the scoring rules were setup, but I think it might be more immersive & increase the stakes for the player if the modes were played in order.
I suppose if there was an adjustable setting, people could set their own game up as they want. I mean I've had my Metallica for years now & still haven't seen End of the Line, and probably never will. But that's what keeps me coming back for more
Quoted from Hazoff:Well "mother" custom speech is a great thing and I agree call outs are important but not when they suck exp. Met, ST, TWD and so many others, for me the 90's dmd's are riddled with very bad custom call outs,
OT, but the Spiderman VE callouts are starting to grow on me.
Quoted from HoakyPoaky:That's incredible! Just as long as MUTHUR taunts me during Self Destruct mode, telling me I have "X minutes to reach minimum safe distance", while the beacon lights are lighting up my game room & I frantically struggle to hit my shots for big points
Exactly that.
I have to say, the audio/visual work done by David Thiel and Kelly Mazurowski when the Nostromo blows up is superb. And the rules ensure it always happens when the ball is captured in a device, so the player gets a few seconds to simply enjoy.
Quoted from HoakyPoaky:Now that I'm thinking, I'm not sure if this was answered before.... will there be an adjustable setting in the menus as to whether the individual game modes are playable as selectable, random, or linear? I can see multiple reasons for these adjustments, either for home use or tournament play.
That's an interesting thought. Currently the next mode to be started is selectable by the player. However, Self Destruct can only be played after the other 4 Alien modes have been played. (Likewise for Aliens, Loader Battle is unavailable until the 4 Aliens modes have been played.)
Thanks for all the info, ferret. Much appreciated.
One thing that is on my mind: I really hope that Alien has sounds when you hit targets (standups and drops etc)
This is one of the things I think I miss the most in Full Thr.
It sounds so naked and unsatisfying to hit targets when nothing is happening, sound wise.
Quoted from karl:One thing that is on my mind: I really hope that Alien has sounds when you hit targets (standups and drops etc)
I am fairly sure that every single switch has at least one, and in most cases multiple (depending on game state), sound effects when hit. David Thiel is very meticulous about that sort of thing, and I've been trying my best to do justice to all the assets he has provided.
Quoted from Berserk:I am very interested in seeing how the Meltdown and self destruct modes will play, the alarm sound in the original Alien movie was so awesome!
Meltdown? You're looking at waaaaay old pictures. The Aliens mini-wizard mode is Loader Battle, representing the climactic battle between Ripley (in the power loader exoskeleton) and the Alien Queen.
They're vaguely similar to each other yet quite different. Both have three phases. In the first phase of Self Destruct, you activate the self-destruct sequence of the Nostromo, then run around the ship gathering supplies (including Jonesy! must have cat) and evacuating to the escape shuttle before the Nostromo blows up. In the second phase, you're in the shuttle discovering the alien hiding there, blasting it out the airlock, and torching it to smithereens. If you're successful at all that, the scene converts to a victory multiball where you can rack up big points. (This victory phase has some very clever and unexpected displays that go with it... I'll save the details for people to discover in the game. )
In Loader Battle, the first phase involves you fist-fighting (for lack of a better word -- watch Aliens to understand!) the Alien Queen until you both tumble into the Airlock. The second phase involves Ripley climbing out of the Airlock and blasting the Queen into the vacuum of space. Again, if you're successful at all this, you get promoted to a victory multiball.
In both cases, the scoring is dependent on how well you did in the other 4 of the movie's modes. You can time out all the other modes just to rush your way to the mini-wizard features (Self Destruct / Loader Battle) if you really want, but then you'll be quite disappointed in the point value of the mini-wizards. Conversely, if you kick butt in the primary modes, the mini-wizard modes become very lucrative ... which also puts more pressure on you to succeed in the first two phases of the mini-wiz modes to advance to the multiball stage with really high point values on the victory shots.
Quoted from Ferret:I am fairly sure that every single switch has at least one, and in most cases multiple (depending on game state), sound effects when hit. David Thiel is very meticulous about that sort of thing, and I've been trying my best to do justice to all the assets he has provided.
Meltdown? You're looking at waaaaay old pictures. The Aliens mini-wizard mode is Loader Battle, representing the climactic battle between Ripley (in the power loader exoskeleton) and the Alien Queen.
They're vaguely similar to each other yet quite different. Both have three phases. In the first phase of Self Destruct, you activate the self-destruct sequence of the Nostromo, then run around the ship gathering supplies (including Jonesy! must have cat) and evacuating to the escape shuttle before the Nostromo blows up. In the second phase, you're in the shuttle discovering the alien hiding there, blasting it out the airlock, and torching it to smithereens. If you're successful at all that, the scene converts to a victory multiball where you can rack up big points. (This victory phase has some very clever and unexpected displays that go with it... I'll save the details for people to discover in the game. )
In Loader Battle, the first phase involves you fist-fighting (for lack of a better word -- watch Aliens to understand!) the Alien Queen until you both tumble into the Airlock. The second phase involves Ripley climbing out of the Airlock and blasting the Queen into the vacuum of space. Again, if you're successful at all this, you get promoted to a victory multiball.
In both cases, the scoring is dependent on how well you did in the other 4 of the movie's modes. You can time out all the other modes just to rush your way to the mini-wizard features (Self Destruct / Loader Battle) if you really want, but then you'll be quite disappointed in the point value of the mini-wizards. Conversely, if you kick butt in the primary modes, the mini-wizard modes become very lucrative ... which also puts more pressure on you to succeed in the first two phases of the mini-wiz modes to advance to the multiball stage with really high point values on the victory shots.
Thank you team Heighway!
Quoted from chadderack:OT, but the Spiderman VE callouts are starting to grow on me.
If you mean like some kind of terrible wart that won't go away, then I'm right with ya.
Quoted from Ferret:I am fairly sure that every single switch has at least one, and in most cases multiple (depending on game state), sound effects when hit. David Thiel is very meticulous about that sort of thing, and I've been trying my best to do justice to all the assets he has provided.
Meltdown? You're looking at waaaaay old pictures. The Aliens mini-wizard mode is Loader Battle, representing the climactic battle between Ripley (in the power loader exoskeleton) and the Alien Queen.
They're vaguely similar to each other yet quite different. Both have three phases. In the first phase of Self Destruct, you activate the self-destruct sequence of the Nostromo, then run around the ship gathering supplies (including Jonesy! must have cat) and evacuating to the escape shuttle before the Nostromo blows up. In the second phase, you're in the shuttle discovering the alien hiding there, blasting it out the airlock, and torching it to smithereens. If you're successful at all that, the scene converts to a victory multiball where you can rack up big points. (This victory phase has some very clever and unexpected displays that go with it... I'll save the details for people to discover in the game. )
In Loader Battle, the first phase involves you fist-fighting (for lack of a better word -- watch Aliens to understand!) the Alien Queen until you both tumble into the Airlock. The second phase involves Ripley climbing out of the Airlock and blasting the Queen into the vacuum of space. Again, if you're successful at all this, you get promoted to a victory multiball.
In both cases, the scoring is dependent on how well you did in the other 4 of the movie's modes. You can time out all the other modes just to rush your way to the mini-wizard features (Self Destruct / Loader Battle) if you really want, but then you'll be quite disappointed in the point value of the mini-wizards. Conversely, if you kick butt in the primary modes, the mini-wizard modes become very lucrative ... which also puts more pressure on you to succeed in the first two phases of the mini-wiz modes to advance to the multiball stage with really high point values on the victory shots.
Sounds awesome Ferret, your posts about the rules, David's audio and mode integration gets me more excited for Alien than any video or image shown so far, the fact you could sell Alien on your rules alone is a clear testament to just how awesome your work on the rules sounds 
I hope Heighway bring you back for pin #3, do you have lots of ideas for a Back to the Future Trilogy pin 
Quoted from Ferret:In both cases, the scoring is dependent on how well you did in the other 4 of the movie's modes. You can time out all the other modes just to rush your way to the mini-wizard features (Self Destruct / Loader Battle) if you really want, but then you'll be quite disappointed in the point value of the mini-wizards. Conversely, if you kick butt in the primary modes, the mini-wizard modes become very lucrative ... which also puts more pressure on you to succeed in the first two phases of the mini-wiz modes to advance to the multiball stage with really high point values on the victory shots.
This is great, I recall something like this being in Star Trek the Nect Generation, it really helps the risk/points on the scoring.
Quoted from Hazoff:If you mean like some kind of terrible wart that won't go away, then I'm right with ya.
Quoted from Ferret:I am fairly sure that every single switch has at least one, and in most cases multiple (depending on game state), sound effects when hit. David Thiel is very meticulous about that sort of thing, and I've been trying my best to do justice to all the assets he has provided.
Meltdown? You're looking at waaaaay old pictures. The Aliens mini-wizard mode is Loader Battle, representing the climactic battle between Ripley (in the power loader exoskeleton) and the Alien Queen.
They're vaguely similar to each other yet quite different. Both have three phases. In the first phase of Self Destruct, you activate the self-destruct sequence of the Nostromo, then run around the ship gathering supplies (including Jonesy! must have cat) and evacuating to the escape shuttle before the Nostromo blows up. In the second phase, you're in the shuttle discovering the alien hiding there, blasting it out the airlock, and torching it to smithereens. If you're successful at all that, the scene converts to a victory multiball where you can rack up big points. (This victory phase has some very clever and unexpected displays that go with it... I'll save the details for people to discover in the game. )
In Loader Battle, the first phase involves you fist-fighting (for lack of a better word -- watch Aliens to understand!) the Alien Queen until you both tumble into the Airlock. The second phase involves Ripley climbing out of the Airlock and blasting the Queen into the vacuum of space. Again, if you're successful at all this, you get promoted to a victory multiball.
In both cases, the scoring is dependent on how well you did in the other 4 of the movie's modes. You can time out all the other modes just to rush your way to the mini-wizard features (Self Destruct / Loader Battle) if you really want, but then you'll be quite disappointed in the point value of the mini-wizards. Conversely, if you kick butt in the primary modes, the mini-wizard modes become very lucrative ... which also puts more pressure on you to succeed in the first two phases of the mini-wiz modes to advance to the multiball stage with really high point values on the victory shots.
I'm extremely excited with updates, as this gem is definitely close. More confident than ever many of the details have been sorted pre- release. Counting on this to be special, and well worth the delays. Looking forward to having one in the game room soon!!!...
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