I'm not sure where the 4th is coming from? If the price of all 4 side blades and 2 translites are in the LE price structure then I am also assuming the bezel with minimal artwork required for the addition of the LCD display in the BB is included in the LCD upgrade price of $550. They print these in house, the plastic and printing can't be that much. Hopefully that is correct. I certainly wouldn't expect to pay $100-$150 additional for a piece of clear plastic with some eggs on it to be able to pay them an additional $550 for the LCD.

Order a game, see what they say. I did already, and I know what I was told. Extra BG=extra $$.

Catching up on this thread, I can't even count the number of configuration options Alien has now. From a business standpoint, managing all of these different options would be my nightmare. How many of each part do you buy? Which popular configurations do you assemble, box and have ready to ship? Which configuration do distributors receive and how does anyone involved support every variation being offered?

If it is not too late to do so, I really think it would be helpful for Heighway to switch to selling far fewer variations "made to order" and instead sell mods packs for the user to install themselves. The pinball consumer who loves to trick out their pinball machines would certainly buy a mod pack with a nice instruction manual (the cost of creating the manual and documentation worked into the mod's price) and install it in their game.

I have certainly never run a pinball manufacturing company before, but I have run a business for 17 years. There are things we have done in that company that have taken a long time to figure out and to get right, but that was all service and software. My eyes were opened wide when we started FAST Pinball and began working with physical product. Where every design, prototype, revision, re-revision, new prototype, better prototype, incorrect part order shipping cost, correct part order shipping cost, correct printing or printing mistake, hauling pinball to different shows around the country, all cost real time and real money. Seeing everything that Andrew has shared, I see it from the perspective of a business owner first and a pinball fan second.

I am sure I will get blasted by some for saying this, but from one biz owner to another, Andrew don't lose focus on shipping the kickass pinball game that Brian, David, Kelly, Aurich and all the others have worked so hard on by getting lost in the "infinite configurabilty" trap.

I look forward to playing Alien with my friend David Thiel (and hearing all about why he did what he did in the game) at the NW Pinball Show in June. Keep your eye on the prize and make the tough business decisions critical to ensure you get these games delivered and can continue to deliver new pinball to the masses for years to come.

Aaron
FAST Pinball

^^^^ Good advice.

I did, day one. I'm number 8 I believe. I never heard anything about any of this because frankly it was nowhere near being on the radar then....

Will Alien be at Pinfest in Allentown?

When will we see 10 games a week coming off the line? Is there something that is still being worked on?

LE artwork and fiber optic ramps are both revealed, I'm not sure what else is holding things up now. Time to start cranking them out.

Played finally the Alien SE yesterday.

Was a good positive surprise despite the fact that I am typical not a wide body fan. It really catches the mood of the Alien movies (of which I am a fan) in sound and visual effects. Softwarewise there was already nice stuff to do. The Alien toy didn't work (awaiting the new assembly) so didn't see that in action unfortunately (gives me also a reason to go back ). Than knowing this has the price of a stern pro in Europe makes it a better bargain for the pinball and Alien lover.

Congrats to Andrew and his team. Now two challenges for them remain: crank these babies out and make sure quality is OK. They realize this for sure as I see them redesigning stuff after delivery of the first units in the field.

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That's great that they caught these issues and can fix them before shipping more games.

When will shipping start back up?

That's an interesting data point.

Not that there has been anything major, but certainly lots of little issues with the game I have at home already, I would say everyone is better off with some patience and letting Heighway sort out a lot of these issues at the factory. They have been extremely communicative with me about every issue as they have arisen, but again much easier if it comes to you with these issues solved.

Would it be possible to put a smaller screen in and keep the LE artwork? Then when the machine is in attract mode (?) the art would fill in on the screen. Maybe quivering, etc.....Just a thought....

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American Pinball have done a similar thing with Houdini. The picture on the screen (the curtains) blends with the translite art.

That was originally my plan when i placed my order, but they said awhile back that the small screen would no longer be an option. It was disappointing (to me at least no one else seemed to care). My current plan was to just typically leave in whichever backglass i prefer and pop in the large LCD when I'm having several guests over (which isn't too often). I don't however, expect to pay more for the privilege....

That's exactly what i expect. The website for the LE still says:

Exclusive ’35th Anniversary Edition’ Backglass And Sideart (+ Standard Edition Artwork Package Also Included)

so I'd love to hear the Bill Clinton-level explanation from them about the definition of "included" and why i need to pay $100-150 more simply because i already chose to pay them $550 more for the screen. It would be particularly crappy since there's no small screen option to split the difference. I still have faith in them though and suspect this is just another non-issue like so many others that regularly pop up in this thread.

Are you trying to delay this machine even further mate?!
Please. No one suggest anything more

At this stage of the game there should no longer be any surprises all SE/LE details should be confirmed now (unless they already have and I missed it) to allow people to swap from SE to LE or vice versa prior to production ramping up.

I can see more people upgrading from SE to LE than downgrading especially if the LE extras and goodies are solid! So it would be in Heighways best interests to confirm all details including genuine production timelines.

That's why I followed that up immediately with "if the LE features and extra goodies are solid".

As far as I know the extra goodies of the LE haven't been 100% confirmed which goes back to my original point at this stage there should be no more surprises or questions for buyers everything should be 100% confined and finalised now.

3D is really bad for your eyes. You keep focusing different depths, but your eyes don't change angle. It creates a disjoining between your eye movement and focus. That's why so many get a headache.

Do you have a source for this fact that you can share?

It can cause short term discomfort, but it's false to state that it's really bad for your eyes:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/3-d-movies-glasses

Did you know that the world is in 3D and yours eyes are constantly doing this?

I'm on board with that. No more suggestions..............just SHIP!

Doh! Of course...but watching a 3D movie and 3D "Life" are VERY different things. Although I agree 3D movies will not damage your vision (but may cause discomfort or headaches for some).

That's not true at all. In the real world, your eyes come together for something close and spread apart for something far. With most 3d systems, you're not changing the angle of your eye while you are adjusting the focal length. Of course it depends on which system you are using.

I was at CES some years ago and a manager at a 3d glasses company had crosseyes the whole time... I found the pictures. Although the photo doesn't capture it fully, it was so noticeable that I took the pictures.dsc01751 (resized).jpg
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This guys eyes were screwed too.dsc01755 (resized).jpg

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The Opti-grab!

Exactly...

3d has been on movie screens in a big way since at least Avatar, and there isn't an "opti-grab" situation going on like with what you saw with that dude. He was probably cross eyed to start with, those people are out there.

Obviously if life imitated art and opti-grab was a thing, by now we'd be seeing class action lawsuits.

All I know is rarely 3D is rarely done properly or enhances a movie.

TRON Legacy and Avatar has some of the best 3D and Prometheus had some phenomenal 3D which actually enhanced the experience especially when David activates that holographic world map

Anyway back to Alien Pinball! HeighwayPinball now LE artwork delays are dealt with can you provide a definitive production timeline?

This was panasonics display promoting 3D. 2011 was a great year to learn how 3D was taking over.dsc01796 (resized).jpgdsc01795 (resized).jpgdsc01797 (resized).jpg

I know everyone is fixated on the LE art, but what does that have to do with production delays? People keep saying that since LE art and ramp lighting is released, now games can start rolling off the line. These have nothing to do with one another and apparently there are other issues preventing full-scale production. I won't speculate on what those might be, but it's disappointing to say the least. I'd like to see fully functional and relatively issue-free games start going out.

Sin City 2 - A Dame To Kill For... Jessica Alba in 3D. Contemplated wearing full football gear so it didn't hurt when I jumped into my screen.

How do you ramp up from 10 games a month to 100?

Purchase more parts and hire more labor

Even then it appears we are in for a slow long slog.

Visualize the Stern assembly line in your mind, and now picture how Heighway is going to get there overnight?

One should be mine to already planned for it to be on the floor to.
Should get a lot of play this weekend.

Well if there's a Full Throttle LE owner out there, I'm sure they can tell you that those LE's shipped WAY after the first standards began shipping. I can't recall the exact timeline, but I'm pretty sure it was many months later.

Makes perfect sense to me to get the production process & issues worked out on some standards first, before building the LE's, which is the exact same thing Stern does if I'm not mistaken. And since Heighway's facility is on a much smaller scale, it's obviously going to take a while to get them built & ramp up to 100/month. Add in a few various delays (LE art approval, Xeno head boards, waiting on parts, etc etc) and it's not surprising that production schedules have been pushed back. But I mean come on, standards are getting built & shipped right now (mostly to Europe sounds like), just not at the pace some people would like.

That's why I assumed going into this that it was going to take a while to get my LE. Is what it is.

Yessir...thank you for putting it on free play this weekend! Can't wait

Mine is the other lol

It was bad enough to cause Nintendo's biggest failure in modern history

http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/retro-gaming/feature/a562419/virtual-boy-retrospective-nintendos-disastrous-foray-into-vr/
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/04/a_usd50000_cure_for_virtual_boy_headaches

I like pinball cuz itz 3D

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....mmmmmm.

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..aahhhh....

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Thanks for the pics SunKing this pin looks badass! Great job to all who put their blood sweat and tears into this work of art. I know millennials want this yesterday however the team looks like they are finishing the last touches to make this pin the Medevil of our time.

when you play your alien with the 2 screens, which one look at you?

Creepy question.