(Topic ID: 106728)

ALIEN PINBALL - Game Over, Man, Game Over

By HeighwayPinball

9 years ago


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  • 30,026 posts
  • 1,091 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 20 hours ago by Averell
  • Topic is favorited by 293 Pinsiders

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There are 30,026 posts in this topic. You are on page 360 of 601.
#17951 6 years ago
Quoted from delt31:

I'm just clipped as well didn't see either.
I'm heading home now and will confirm the back and side light suggestion to fix. I DEF have my LED set to high so this very well could fix it. Must be a bug in software

Yes, bug confirmed. The general brightness should be set to 8 or less. 9 and 10 aren't working. We'll fix that.

26
#17952 6 years ago
Quoted from bcd:

Yes, bug confirmed. The general brightness should be set to 8 or less. 9 and 10 aren't working. We'll fix that.

Backbox and side lights NOW work. Great find @waldo!

#17953 6 years ago
Quoted from mnpinball:

I've been playing 3 hours straight, just got mine set up late after driving 3 hours round trip to meet my other friends at the shipper depot. Got the first 3 games in Minnesota.
Powered the game up and away I went to immerse myself into the game !
Thank you to the whole team Heighway crew. HUGE thanks to David Thiel, my god the sounds, music, effects and call outs are simply amazing ! This is a dream theme and it's a dream to play.
I've seen and played the prototype at expo 2016, and Texas 2017 and it's so nice to see this finally shipping. This game is a certified hit. There is no reason this shouldn't sell huge numbers as it's so well done.
The layout and shots are fast, smooth and satisfying. Such a breath of fresh air.
Out of the box I seemed to have a xeno jaw/tongue issue as the tongue was not retracting completely and hanging up on the jaw. After going into xeno test and hit calibration I could watch the position from 0-400 ? The first 2 attempts jumped then try 3 and 4 the scrolling of numbers was smooth. Seems my potentiometer position switch was sticky. Now it's working fine.
Very happy with this purchase. Thanks to Cointaker and Nitro pinball for the collaboration of getting these games stateside. Crank these pins out and sell sell sell !
Comet the pinball cat give this 2 paws up !
Assholes and elbows ! Love the code and the Bill Paxton call outs.

I was going to say too - completely different experience playing this in a dark room at home vs at a show, immersive to say the least!

#17954 6 years ago

So, I see this thread count spike and I get get all excited to read some good ole pinside drama and tired arguments. Instead, I find people actually getting games, posting pics, and helping each other out. So much disappointment and so little schadenfreude.

Congrats on finally getting your games! Maybe this is the real turning point for Heighway.

Hopefully the one at Alt Brew is still there when I head up for parent weekend at UW-Madison in November.

#17955 6 years ago
Quoted from jonesjb:

Come'on guys, where are the gameplay videos?!

On facebook

#17956 6 years ago

Whats that?

#17957 6 years ago
Quoted from cosmokramer:

The individuals who worked on this project (ferret and the rest) are really stepping up, where as the HP company themselves are just shooting themselves in the foot with lack of communication....
Great job ferret

The number of people needing immediate support has grown following delivery of first batch of Aliens to N America and second batch to EU. Where's the support hotline HeighwayPinball HP !! you need to provide a few methods of contact for live technical support!! Come on man, quit hiding in the shadows .... COMMUNICATE !!

#17958 6 years ago
Quoted from Lame33:

Maybe this is the real turning point for Heighway.

The turning point for Heighway is when they issue all the requested refunds, get people the service and parts they were promised and communicate better.

#17959 6 years ago

This game has such an immersive feel for a pinball machine. The theme, music and atmosphere are really unique. It’s got some issues like balls feeding from the trough and the shooter not always getting the ball up every time but certain shots are so much fun.

Plus the start of Ambush / Xeno Head has to be one of the best use of Theme toys seen to date. Awesome.

#17960 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

The number of people needing immediate support has grown following delivery of first batch of Aliens to N America and second batch to EU.

Besides delt31 who needed "immediate support" from the latest batch? Even delt could still play the game. Mine (so far) is working as it should.

18
#17961 6 years ago

Received my game today, planning to unbox tonight. Hoping others receive their games quickly and others to receive their refunds. Watching Rufers video, this game looks incredible. Wishing the new Heighhway owners much success.

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#17962 6 years ago
Quoted from GAP:

Received my game today, planning to unbox tonight. Hoping others receive their games quickly and others to receive their refunds. Watching Rufers video, this game looks incredible. Wishing the new Heighhway owners much success.

Which video?

#17963 6 years ago

EDIT 1 - PF LCD still doing this overlay nonsense.

btw - I love how much this game really integrates the built in PF LCD. At first I thought it was overkill but try playing ambush without it. The screen itself is also very clear and really just works. I find myself looking at it more than the backbox LCD.

GOING DOWN!

EDIT - did anyone get their shaker or beacons btw?

-11
#17964 6 years ago
Quoted from Astropin:

Besides delt31 who needed "immediate support" from the latest batch? Even delt could still play the game. Mine (so far) is working as it should.

Off hand I remember seeing pics of others experiencing unlit side panels, unlit string of insert lights, freezing mini LCD screens. Who could these people have contacted at Heighway Pinball for live technical support?? HP is off radar, working in their secret lair. Fortunately, those with issues here, found common learning and have fixed their issues. What about buyers not on Pinside that must have had similar issues.? They don't have anywhere to turn to learn to check their fuses against recommended ratings.... because HP hasn't published schematics or an Operator Manual yet. AND because there is no live technical support from Heighway Pinball. If they have a small issue - they are SOL.

HP is a joke, and that is laughably sad. I'd bet a class of fourth graders could run HP smoother than the current cast (of characters). The first week of being told go - the kids would have communication to customers established - via phone, eMail, web, twitter, Facebook etc. multiple ways to access tech support, support queue, hotline etc and with a published list of times available. Week two - they'd have permits, building licenses, legal documents, incorporation docs in place. Probable have a team - vetted and in place for handling procurement, engineering, HR, tech support, customer support. Oh well, we have HP

#17965 6 years ago

If I would venture a guess it would be a book with faces ?

#17966 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

This company is a joke, and that is laughably sad.

While you will get no arguments from anyone that their communication is non-existant on Pinside - they seem to be in regular communication with Cointaker regarding current customer machine troubleshooting. I also agree that communication with outstanding "old Heighway" issues is abysmal in specific cases. However, what other pinball manufacturer has "Live Support Hotlines"? Stern? JJP? You can email or call those companies like you can Heighway....and get varying degrees of success (not taking into account long distance and time difference). I will not argue about peoples valid frustrations - and they exist! But making up some metric out of thin air that applies to no one else just to dismiss everything 100% out of hand....seems ridiculous.

11
#17967 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

Off hand I remember seeing pics of others experiencing unlit side panels, unlit string of insert lights, freezing mini LCD screens. Who could these people have contacted at Heighway Pinball for live technical support?? HP is off radar, working in their secret lair. Fortunately, those with issues here, found common learning and have fixed their issues. What about buyers not on Pinside that must have had similar issues.? They don't have anywhere to turn to learn to check their fuses against recommended ratings.... because HP hasn't published schematics or an Operator Manual yet. AND because there is no live technical support from Heighway Pinball, if you have a small issue - you are SOL. HP is a joke, and that is laughably sad. I'd bet a group of forth graders could run HP smoother than the current cast (of characters).

So the three items you're describing are from me. I will tell you that HP (Morgan and Helmut) along with CT are all in contact with me and have been helpful. This was fairly immediate. I would tell you otherwise but I have been happy with the feedback. EDIT - The unlit string of inserts (10) and the LCD display issue still a problem. There is also a replacement available to swap so either way there is coverage.

game is sick.

Bottom line is that I've been happy with the feedback and although you don't see them on pinside, from my experience they are responding timely. I'm 95% at this point.

-1
#17968 6 years ago

^^^ Cool. Very good news!!! Enjoy your time in space. Where no one can hear you scream!!

#17969 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

Off hand I remember seeing pics of others experiencing unlit side panels, unlit string of insert lights, freezing mini LCD screens. Who could these people have contacted at Heighway Pinball for live technical support?? HP is off radar, working in their secret lair. Fortunately, those with issues here, found common learning and have fixed their issues. What about buyers not on Pinside that must have had similar issues.? They don't have anywhere to turn to learn to check their fuses against recommended ratings.... because HP hasn't published schematics or an Operator Manual yet. AND because there is no live technical support from Heighway Pinball. If they have a small issue - they are SOL.
HP is a joke, and that is laughably sad. I'd bet a group of forth graders could run HP smoother than the current cast (of characters). The first week of being told go - they would have communication to customers established - via phone, eMail, web, twitter, Facebook etc. multiple ways to access tech support, support queue, hotline etc and with a published list of times available. Week two - they'd have permits, building licenses, legal documents, incorporation docs in place. Probable have a team - vetted and in place for handling engineering, HR, tech support, customer support. oh well, we have HP

Helmut is the Heighway technical support contact. A pricey boutique pinball with limited ASAP technical support would be an odd pinball machine to buy for someone incapable of minor troubleshooting, but I'm sure those few souls who have gone down that path appreciate your concern for them.

#17970 6 years ago
Quoted from Agent_Hero:

A pricey boutique pinball with limited ASAP technical support would be an odd pinball machine to buy for someone incapable of minor troubleshooting

That describes the entire pinball hobby (all machines both new and old). This is not the best choice (as a hobby) if you are not willing and able to dig in and fix things. Unless you don't mind paying big bucks to have someone come to your home in person and fix them for you.

#17971 6 years ago

delt31 we need more gameplay videos! loving what you put up so far! I just got in on the next shipment with CoinTaker

#17972 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

The first week of being told go - they would have communication to customers established - via phone, eMail, web, twitter, Facebook etc. multiple ways to access tech support, support queue, hotline etc and with a published list of times available. Week two - they'd have permits, building licenses, legal documents, incorporation docs in place. Probable have a team - vetted and in place for handling engineering, HR, tech support, customer support. oh well, we have HP

You could bang all that out in 2 weeks? You might give them a call and ask about a job opening.

#17973 6 years ago
Quoted from VividPsychosis:

delt31 we need more gameplay videos! loving what you put up so far! I just got in on the next shipment with cointaker

stranger things season 2 and Alien. Fantastic combo. I will try to get something up by end of night

btw - I found a good strategy with these guns you obtain. I believe shotgun provides you with 2 Xeno hits when you press it. Well the game also announces when you are down to 2 xeno shots before MB. I happened to have the shotgun and was down to 2 shots. I ended up draining before hitting the two shots and as the ball was going down, I pressed the launch button to save the drain and went right into MB. Talk about a great feeling. It was like TWD bombs.

This game......love it.

#17974 6 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

Off hand I remember seeing pics of others experiencing unlit side panels, unlit string of insert lights, freezing mini LCD screens. Who could these people have contacted at Heighway Pinball for live technical support?? HP is off radar, working in their secret lair. Fortunately, those with issues here, found common learning and have fixed their issues.

I must be confused, I saw both programmers contributing to the thread, offering help, acknowledging what caused that error, acknowledging the solution, and saying they will fix it in the software. Are you reading the same thread here?

Do other manufacturers have a way bigger level of support and info and contribute to Pinside threads as the first machines are delivered? If you read all the Stern threads about ghosting, playfield mechanical problems, cabinet problems and software problems it's mostly buyers figuring things out, solving their own problems, lodging complaints, and waiting years for code updates and new playfields. No one is perfect at this stuff, but I'm not sure why you are expecting more from the new Heighway than we've seen from other manufacturers. It's a learning curve and this is their first game with new people that just took over the company a few months ago. NIB games often have minor problems, this is true with all manufacturers. I see no reason to get the pitchforks when everyone getting the new games seem really stoked.

#17975 6 years ago
Quoted from nwpinball:

I must be confused, I saw both programmers contributing to the thread, offering help, acknowledging what caused that error, acknowledging the solution, and saying they will fix it in the software. Are you reading the same thread here as the rest of us?
Do other manufacturers have a way bigger level of support and info and contribute to Pinside threads as the first machines are delivered?
If you read all the Stern threads about ghosting, playfield problems, cabinet problems and software problems it's mostly buyers figuring things out, lodging complaints, and waiting years for code updates. No one is perfect at this stuff, but I'm not sure why you are expecting more from the new Heighway than we've seen from other manufacturers. It's a learning curve and this is their first game with new people that just took over the company a few months ago.

18
#17976 6 years ago

SDTM pinball: Unboxing an Alien pinball machine with gameplay

#17977 6 years ago

I don't know if it was mentioned before but the playfield does not come with any mylar anywhere. Placing a mylar strip on the ball kick out, around the magnet and also at the ramp ball drops on the out lanes is a must, Also mylar in the pop bumpers is also recommended to protect your game.

Needs a Cliffy protector. I hope one gets made.

#17978 6 years ago

Where it's at!

#17979 6 years ago
Quoted from mnpinball:

I don't know if it was mentioned before but the playfield does not come with any mylar anywhere. Placing a mylar strip on the ball kick out, around the magnet and also at the ramp ball drops on the out lanes is a must, Also mylar in the pop bumpers is also recommended to protect your game.
Needs a Cliffy protector. I hope one gets made.

I was considering putting mylar over the playfield display as well, any thoughts?

#17980 6 years ago
Quoted from spfxted:

The turning point for Heighway is when they issue all the requested refunds, get people the service and parts they were promised and communicate better.

How about a little credit for step 1?

When r u getting your game ?

#17981 6 years ago

SDTM, thanks for the video but it was too short.

#17982 6 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

How about a little credit for step 1?

Credit given when credit is due.

-3
#17983 6 years ago

I bought an Alien LE and Full Throttle LE in full and I can’t get Morgan to respond to me. Andrew promised me ‘front of the line’ by paying in full. If I can’t get Heighway to answer my emails I will start legal action. Hopefully this won’t burn whatever cash they have left in defending against a lawsuit. However, I will give them every opportunity to make things right before I get aggressive. If anyone has an ‘in’ with Morgan, tell him to email me back and save Heighway and ‘Andrew’ some financial pain.

#17984 6 years ago
Quoted from Davidus56:

I bought an Alien LE and Full Throttle LE in full and I can’t get Morgan to respond to me. Andrew promised me ‘front of the line’ by paying in full. If I can’t get Heighway to answer my emails I will start legal action. Hopefully this won’t burn whatever cash they have left in defending against a lawsuit. However, I will give them every opportunity to make things right before I get aggressive. If anyone has an ‘in’ with Morgan, tell him to email me back and save Heighway and ‘Andrew’ some financial pain.

Um, Alien LE hasn't shipped yet. There is nothing to say that you aren't at the front of the line. Am I missing something?

#17985 6 years ago

You aren’t privy to my emails with Morgan. I offered to switch to standard Alien and Full Throttle if they weren’t shipping LEs anytime soon. The thing that irritates me is Morgan has not answered my emails. And I have been very cordial.

#17986 6 years ago
Quoted from Toads:

Credit given when credit is due.

Like shipping and delivering pins? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Some people will always whine, bitch and complain, no matter what, regardless of whether they are involved or not.

#17987 6 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

How about a little credit for step 1?
When r u getting your game ?

Agreed.....seeing these start to show in the wild is major good news for anyone that wants in, or wants their refund processed ( which seems dwindling)..

#17988 6 years ago
Quoted from Davidus56:

You aren’t privy to my emails with Morgan. I offered to switch to standard Alien and Full Throttle if they weren’t shipping LEs anytime soon. The thing that irritates me is Morgan has not answered my emails. And I have been very cordial.

Correct. I’m not privy to your emails with Morgan, so just going with what you’ve shared here. But I’m not sure if that means they’ve broken their promise to put you at the front of the LE line. Why not ask for a refund, or have you already?

What are you hoping to achieve? Letting you downgrade? A refund? Or some clarity on when the LEs are shipping?

#17989 6 years ago

Sorry for the poor camera angle but I was a one man show tonight. Wanted to get some more gameplay up though. My screen was good too so this is prob a connection issue

Queens nest is my favorite mode so far.

11
#17990 6 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Like shipping and delivering pins? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Some people will always whine, bitch and complain, no matter what, regardless of whether they are involved or not.

Easy to say. Some people are waiting for refunds for months now. Their frustration largely overrules the feeling of joy of seeing Alien pins being shipped.

Some early adapters do not getting the support they need to get a full functional game.

Yes, maybe 2 dozens of Alien pins have shipped. Do you really think Heighway is ready for mass production?

13
#17991 6 years ago

Here are are some pics of the game being unboxed and set up. The game plays great, I had a small issue with cpu randomly resetting. , but tightened cables, tightened up couple of cable screws to cpu, seems to have fixed the problem. Also little tweaks here and there nothing major. ALIEN heads needs a little adjusting. Going to g o over machine tomorrow and dial it in. Great game, very fun and challenging.

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#17992 6 years ago
Quoted from mnpinball:

I don't know if it was mentioned before but the playfield does not come with any mylar anywhere. Placing a mylar strip on the ball kick out, around the magnet and also at the ramp ball drops on the out lanes is a must, Also mylar in the pop bumpers is also recommended to protect your game.
Needs a Cliffy protector. I hope one gets made.

Mylar is definitely a must in high wear areas. Great suggestion.

For the pops you can make a template out of paper, get it sized right, and then trace the edge over a sheet of mylar before applying it. For anyone attempting this apply some wax to the area first and buff it out as it makes removal of the mylar much easier if needed.

I'm surprised that in 2017 Heighway is not putting mylar down in high wear areas. At these prices it should be installed at the factory. JJP originally didn't put any mylar down either during the first year of WOZ production and as a result some games had severe playfield wear in the pops and state fair areas. To be fair it was JJP's first game ever made and they later sent out mylar kits free of charge. With Alien being Heighways second game and knowing (I hope) of JJP's early issue one would think they would be applying mylar at the factory.

#17993 6 years ago
Quoted from GAP:

Here are are some pics of the game being unboxed and set up. The game plays great, I had a small issue with cpu randomly resetting. , but tightened cables, tightened up couple of cable screws to cpu, seems to have fixed the problem. Also little tweaks here and there nothing major. ALIEN heads needs a little adjusting. Going to g o over machine tomorrow and dial it in. Great game, very fun and challenging.

Hey you got the beacons!

Do your side "blades" light up if you turn the main lighting down to 8 or so? This was described as the bug that stops them from lighting up when the lights are all set to ten.

I ask because most of these new vids I see sadly have the interior side lighting out... and I suspect that would help light the PF and add some atmosphere. Maybe some new owners don't even realize they are supposed to light up?

Congrats to the patient folk over here.

#17994 6 years ago

Very excited to see machines getting in to people's hands. Fingers crossed that Heighway address initial concerns - they deserve success. Hope they don't get hit by too much negativity. They're still new to this game.

#17995 6 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

Hey you got the beacons!
Do your side "blades" light up if you turn the main lighting down to 8 or so? This was described as the bug that stops them from lighting up when the lights are all set to ten.
I ask because most of these new vids I see sadly have the interior side lighting out... and I suspect that would help light the PF and add some atmosphere. Maybe some new owners don't even realize they are supposed to light up?
Congrats to the patient folk over here.

I think that the lighting of the interior side blades is an option on SE.

#17996 6 years ago
Quoted from Elwood_BE:

I think that the lighting of the interior side blades is an option on SE.

Yeah after I wrote that I started to wonder if they were indeed a standard feature on every model. That would explain it.

#17997 6 years ago
Quoted from GAP:

Here are are some pics of the game being unboxed and set up. The game plays great, I had a small issue with cpu randomly resetting. , but tightened cables, tightened up couple of cable screws to cpu, seems to have fixed the problem. Also little tweaks here and there nothing major. ALIEN heads needs a little adjusting. Going to g o over machine tomorrow and dial it in. Great game, very fun and challenging.

You got beacons and shaker installed. Nice. Did you anticipate that bc I wasnt aware that any of the ones that came in had this installed

#17998 6 years ago

Is there still RGB lighting behind the backglass?

#17999 6 years ago
Quoted from Hazoff:

Is there still RGB lighting behind the backglass?

no although not sure that was going to be standard but you can add that. I was going to do that to mine.

#18000 6 years ago

Wow,thanks for the video. This game looks way better than the one I played at York.
The lighting is terrific and moody, I wouldn't change a thing to make it brighter.
The Xeno mouths opening slowly and closing slowly at 2:40 is super creepy, love it!
The small led screen has nice direction for the player.

Very impressive.

Quoted from delt31:

Sorry for the poor camera angle but I was a one man show tonight. Wanted to get some more gameplay up though. My screen was good too so this is prob a connection issue
Queens nest is my favorite mode so far.
» YouTube video

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