Barry,
Just curious but what will the total production number be for Houdini?

Wow - does "final" mean final forever (no more Houdinis will be made after these 45) or just final for the time being?

Not sure what the final number will be.

It is certainly possible we could do another run down the road, but there are no specific plans for it. I don't really think it will happen, given the custom parts required. Possible that when we have production capacity if we have sufficient parts some more could be made.

That is some "top secret information". Maybe we will release that number at a later time, but either way, it isn't my place to say.

We never said it was limited to some number, so that could be an option down the road, but at this time, we want to concentrate on bringing new products to market.

Thanks Josh & Barry - kind of what I figured (i.e. never say never).

Glad I've already got my Houdini nonetheless. It's a bitchin' game and Oktoberfest is on my watchlist!

Yes my Thanks goes to the whole AP-Team!
Hope you have enough spareparts for Houdini

Can't wait to play Oktoberfest here in Germany

I hope the code is going to be polished up for a few more updates. It seems good but still a bit rough.

Also I hope that special parts like stage mechs and playfields will be available for a good long time.

We gotcha covered. I believe Josh is gonna release an update within the next couple weeks and I am sure there would be at least 1 more update down the road.

As Always.
Top notch updates and information from Barry!
I am also optimistic that down the road demand will grow and it will be time, say 2020 to build another 50 Houdini's or more.

How do you determinate the serial numbers of machines? Is it random?

It was an encrypted mess... You need an enigma machine to figure it out.

While reading the Pinball News American Pinball visit article, this stood out to me:

"American Pinball source their playfields from two different suppliers, and there are a few telltale differences between them, such as the type of pattern used to diffuse light in the inserts and the hardness of the wood."

Does anyone have details on the difference in the patterns used in the inserts? Someone earlier in the thread mentioned frosted vs jeweled. Is that the difference?

Thanks

https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/10/17/american-pinball-visit/

I wondered about too, would love to know more. I'll also be sure to closely compare mine to the other one(s) at our upcoming local show.

After getting this news, I can no longer sleep at night....

Got it covered: http://enigma.louisedade.co.uk/enigma.html

Now hand over the codes...

Houdini knocker sold out again...?

The credit slip is burning a hole in my pocket !

Well, speaking of new product, here are some half-baked ideas that might make sense for API.
- Winter Olympics. Just license the logo. Include curling, hockey, snowboarding and that shooting/skiing thing.
- New Zealand. Yup, do the whole country, with all the extreme things to do there. Bunjee jumping, mountaineering, etc. Shoot a ball into a (unlicensed) Hobbit hole. Have a subterranean playfield represent underwater caving.
- A haunted game such as Amityville Horror, or The Conjuring series (if they want to try a license). Make it scary, not funny. The last really scary pinball was Bram Stokers Dracula.

Barry said it was coming soon. They just had a busy expo week, and now there is a few things to catch up on.

I got the chimping penalty on straightjacket tonight. After a couple warnings, it was "Jackpot reduced." I was trying to cradle, with inverted flippers, by holding in the buttons.

IMG_0159_1296x (resized).jpg

I do think the chimping penalty is too easy to incur particularly when you have either or both Trunk / Seance MB going too. It's still a blast and I always choose the inverted and reversed option.

Chimping...is that when the software thinks you are cheating by using both flippers at once?

Yup, chimping is penalized against your jackpot score during strait jacket multiball.

Ya, chimping is not fare!
I get it sometimes when im just reacting to balls.

I have the same problem. I constantly try to fire the flippers independently when there isn't even a ball there just to try to reset the 'watchdog'. Haven't figured out if it helps. Not sure what Rosh is checking to determine if someone is trying to cheat besides both flippers being used at once. Number of times total, per sec, etc.?

Never had a reduced jackpot, but been warned plenty tho.

Hiya everyone!

First time post, and it's a big one! I'm about ready to buy a Houdini, (my first pin ever, and hopefully one of many!) from Hemispheres Amusements, and was wondering if @Rosh, BarryJ or anyone with any direct info, knows whether current production is including the newer power supply? Just wanting to know before officially getting my feet wet!

Oh, and are there any protectors or anything I should order and install before play?

Welcome to Pinside!
Congratulations on your Houdini purchase.
My guess is no on power supply if distributor already has it in stock. Talk to distro and have them hook you up.
Protectors are at Little shop of games.
And I make a cool Planchette and Header.

Get the game now as production is ending on it.

Same thing I am experiencing too..Also only happens on 2 Player games for My Chickie Poo & I

I'm really appreciating this game more every time I play it. Stage alley shot is hard and I'm not sure what is meant to happen once you hit it. Are the red arrows meant to stop flashing (in general play)? And when you shoot key lane when it's flashing what does that do?

92 years ago the Master died on Halloween.
Happy Seance day! Take a moment today and lets play a game and bring him back from beyond.

20181030_212946 (resized).jpg

It will be up this Friday or next Monday.

Entering the stage that ways doubles the value of the stage mode.

you should know things like that are kept secret. However, I will make a note to investigate some potential adjustments based on some of the comments here.

I don't know, have not been spending any time in production. I know most recently they have beed doing games headed outside the US, and I think those might have the new ones. But talking with your distributor would make sense.

Personally, as a big sports fan, I would love to do an olympics themed game (I have actually done curling), but suspect licensing on that would be quite expensive.

Funny thing is there has been more than one show where two Houdini's were sitting side by side with the different playfields and no one noticed, so I guess that tells you something right there. We have been happy with both, but at one point we had some concerns on availability which is why we brought on a second supplier. I will let the super sleuths figure out what is different and report back.

Two big pay-offs from the key lane are opening the stage if closed via one-shot instead of needing multiple hits to the stage door after the first illusion has been performed. (The first shot to the stage door in a game opens the door, subsequent ones need multiple hits). Once the door is open hitting the stage via the stage alley rewards 2x scoring for that illusion.

If the Key Lane is flashing it's because it is for an illusion (Red). It is always the first shot for Chinese Water illusion and can be lit eventually in Bullet Catch, it will also flash to indicate Pops are lit for Handcuff. Hitting it for the illusion progresses you towards the next step in that illusion (next shot will be lit or flashing red). More details on the rules can be found here: http://tiltforums.com/t/houdini-rulesheet/3934/15

Edit: Key Lane Also Flashes to indicate hitting the target will open the stage curtain when closed, forgot about that one.

I'm still seeing it sometimes even on single player games. I had an instance just last night were I started Trunk MB. Ball save is flashing and one ball drains very quickly but it doesn't get saved and I have two in play, I'm bricking everything and lose another ball and it saves that one leaving me with a 2 ball MB instead of three. This is just one example of stuff I see happen more often than I care to count. It can be tough to know what should be happening at times because of the random way the game decides where to release balls from.

Can anyone tell me how to buy the newer version of the power supply? Thanks. I can’t find it on the website.

Wonder if there's any 'easter eggs' in the game that show up today.....?

Im going to look, that's deep code.
Knowing Rosh, its a possibility.

This has happened to me also.

Sweet! I guess I’m clanking that shoot too often for it to be effective more often than not. Will have to look at maybe adjusting it a little.

Thanks for that. I’ve done it once or twice before and I’ve seen a 2x on the screen and I thought I clicked with it being that. It’s just that the shot will bounce around in that small area (same with the key lane shot) more often than going all the way through to the stage. Is it an adjustment or just my poor shooting? I’m guessing the later...

Those are really nice, and thanks for the advice on the protectors. I'll definitely consider the planchette down the road a bit!

Are the protectors pretty self explanatory for installation? Definitely a must for a new table?

Yeah, I kind of figured now was a better time than down the road. It was between this and the Hobbit for my first table, and from what I'm hearing, that will be around a bit longer than this, and maybe had a larger production.

Thanks for the direct info, and all of your hard work on this table! He mentioned to me that only if I had a lot of tables and bad wattage, that this might be an issue. I might just order the power supply for down the road, and grab that sweet topper with the credit!

Definitely get it as a preventive measure. And though I know none of us would EVER think of selling our Houdini.. for those with small collections if you ever do need to sell, a good buyer will ask if you have the supplementary power supply.

It will come up, is all I’m saying. And then the seller is the guy who “well, I never had any issues...” and the buyer gets it home and his power Situation is different, and...

Thanks for the tip! I wanted to get the topper anyway, so that can be bought using the credit, plus extra.

Are these plastic protectors useful if I'm getting the basic, non catapult, Cliffy set?

https://littleshopofgames.com/shop/playfield-plastics/houdini-8-piece-easy-break-plastic-protectors/

I'm so new to this game, I'm just not really sure what the best preventative measures are.

Oh, and I did this Houdini painting twenty years ago in art school. Figured it appropriate to post for today, of all days!

PSX_20181031_153902 (resized).jpg

I bought the entire Cliffy set and can see the benefits of the catapult protectors. Lots of dropping into place. Im thinking the protectors address different aspects of the game’s vulnerabilities.

However, a couple of must have items in my opinion that do absolutely nothing to protect the game are the Modfather drink holder and the ball launcher/plunger from Mods for Your Pinball. Both really well made and they look great.

If you don’t have the shaker motor, that’s very nice. I’ve played with and without, and it’s really a good addition. Another good use of your credit. In for a penny...

Really cool painting by the way. Thanks for sharing.

A little tidbit of info since it's Oct 31, the day of Houdini's death...

Magic points: 52 His age of passing

Magic points: 1926 The year of his death.

I know I saw a pretty cool drink holder when I was window shopping the Hobbit! Thanks for the headsup, I'll definitely look into those two suggestions!

I do have a shaker motor installed, I was told from the factory, there's an installation fee for that, and the art blades, pre-installed. Is that accurate info?

And thanks for the kind words, figured Houdini deserves all the send-ups on Halloween no less!

Mine came with the shaker, art blades, and magic glass. As I recall, I was charged an additional $300 for the three items, there were no additional charges for installation. I’ve heard that installing the art blades is pretty difficult, so I was happy to have them do it.
All in all I’m very happy with the purchase. Game looks awesome - especially with the cupholder

I've heard that too, that a wet installation is best, and I'm not too keen on that myself. I'm getting charged $7450, payment in full/via check for blades and motor pre-installed from AP, (No magic glass) and shipping with full coverage insurance, and being switched to a larger shipping pallet. Does that sound pretty normal?

Now I really have to check out that cup holder!

If you use the wet method, installing art blades is dead simple and very forgiving. The dry method is the one that will likely leave most first-timers in tears, especially with the paper-like art blades Houdini has (which have been changed for Oktoberfest, thank god!), so never try a dry art blade install.