OK, tell me Knowone else thought he meant something else when he said he provided "KY Hospitality"!?!?!?!?

now that’s just a little too friendly.

Seems like it'd be a bit less friendly hospitality without KY involved...

Any Distributors in Las Vegas, or the Los Angeles area?

So, stupid question. The features sheet says two catapults says two catapults..i know about the one by the milk can, but is there a second? I don't recall seeing any video if it.

Out of the box up to a wireform in the back

For you folks hungry for American Pinball news, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast interviewed Blake (didn't catch his last name) who gave a recap of his AP factory tour during Expo week. He had very good stuff about AP and Houdini. Blake had played in a back when it was first shown at TPF and again at Expo and had some nice things to say about all the tweaks since then. He felt the shots were better. Starts at 19:55 - the audio is spotty due to Blake's cell phone connection but still worth listening too.

https://soundcloud.com/kanedapinball

We're in Texas and can ship across the country. Which with you being out of state you benefit from not having to pay sales tax. ...just sayin'

Ohhhhhh. KY as in the state...whew, I read that totally wrong.

See ya next week in Nashville.

Okay, so to move us off the discussion of KY, although it certainly did provide for a good chuckle, here is a photo of one of the playfield test stations. This is where all the switches, LEDs, GI, coils, stage mech, etc. get tested before the playfield gets put into a cabinet. Issues can be fixed here, or if necessary can be routed back to the station in question. You will notice there is box with all of the needed buttons, that has a magnetic back, so it can either be held or moved to the front and attached to the rotisserie for easier access. As I think I have mentioned previously there is only a half dozen or so wires that need to go from the playfield to the backbox or cabinet, so hooking it up for testing just takes a few seconds.

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Hi,
Great looking game.
What is the current release date?

This pin is going to be a grand slam..

I know one thing about this game (for myself of course), when they end the run of this machine and move on to the next, I would hate to be on the outside looking in. For me, this is the rebirth of Williams/Bally, at least from what I have seen. I was hoping JJP would have been it, but Jack's titles do not interest me, although I do not doubt the quality is there because everybody has said it is outstanding. Maybe a future title from Jack, but for now this is the one to own for me. I have been on the sideline since Wayne Gilliard announced the remake of MM and I get in on that, so it's been a while.

It's not licensed. They can build them as long as there is demand for them.

The waiting is killing us but I am seeing so many cost-saving innovations that I think that is the real "killer app" for AP. The games have to be fun and marketed in such a way that they are appealing - but they also have to be cost effective to build. The more "behind the scenes" stuff Rosh posts, the more it is clear AP is being very smart about keeping the game easy to maintain and to swap out. I bet the assembly line is modular as well... all good, GOOd things..

That is true, but most Williams/Bally machines were not licensed either and when they moved on, they moved on. I do not think it would be easy to produce two or three machines at the same time. There has to be a ton of parts and game specific parts would have to be completely isolated from one another not to mention the people it would take to roll two or three different production lines. Stern has been doing it, but his key to success must be that most machines share a lot of the same parts and only have a few changes when it comes to theme specific items or he completely stops production of one game and restarts it for a previous title.

I'm loving Houdini and hope to own one, but for me the rebirth of Bally/Williams has been The Big Lebowski. Hopefully, more than the current 55 TBLs will make it to the real world.

This is looking amazing! I love what I've heard of the music too. It sounds mesmerizing, like MM.

Di was the rebirth for us. To me it is what b/w wld be manufacturing today if they were still around.

To be a Rebirth don't you have to be a Real company making Real games? So far DP and TBL have been nothing more than a Rebirth of Bernie Madolf! Sorry, Love the theme TBL Deeply but I feel Very sad for the people that bet on that company of scammers and worse for the people that send them more money to pay off their First credit dept. AP is doing EVERYTHING right and I am Very happy that I bet on this team as they have given no reason to question their direction as they have been transparent from day 1.

Who is selling Houdini in Australia. Seriously thinking first NIB...

Thanks, but no worries - my Houdini and TBL are both going to look great alongside my future TRON VE!

BTW - go Wheaton! Although it has grown a lot (and changed somewhat) since I lived there as a kid, I have many fond memories of it.

WMS had set development and production schedules with a constant conveyor belt of new titles. Once a title's run was done, it was on to the next. There's no reason why that should be the case here, especially when subsequent titles will likely be "done when they're done".

Mis en place and proper storage aren't very difficult or expensive to set up. They just take a bit of time and effort ... which it looks like they are taking care to do anyway. Compare the shots of the JJP facility or recent ones of AP's, to CGC / Churchill's, or worse, Stern. The former look modern and organised. The latter look haphazard, chaotic and to some extent dangerous.

There's no reason to have multiple lines, they can just do as CGC / JJP do and switch between runs of each title. Assembly will be broken up into small enough stages that one guy isn't putting together half the machine, so there won't be a significant relearning period each time.

I don't think production is anything like as hard as most companies have made it seem, in recent history. If you have adequate funds and competent people overseeing it, and you aren't trying to chop huge chunks out of costs, it should be pretty smooth.

Small world. Not much has changed. Same everything including the Taxes!

Does anyone have some more extended gameplay videos? I am having withdrawal from seeing Houdini!! I can't wait for mine to come.

Check out SDTM on youtube. We had it here in my showroom for a week and Zack and I played it for a while. VERY fun game.

[email protected]

Hey Larry, it’s Sean. Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out.

Wayne has the distributorship. Will be getting a sample game when ready PinPatch

Houdini Seance Night.
Will we hear from him?
What's the secret word?
One year from tonight when I have my game we will have a party or something, seance.
Happy Halloween Everybody.

Josh Kugler

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I'm sure there are others, but here is one, although I guess a little too late . . .

This years Houdini Seance will be held Halloween, October 31st, starting at 11:30AM at The Sojourn Restauant on E 79 Street, in NYC, Houdini's first New York home as a child.

There should also be one tonight at his gravesite, which is also in NYC.

Unlike Beetlejuice you only need to say my name once or just time it right for when I am looking at piniside.

This is certainly true, at the same time, the BOM is built based on costs that are often tied to large quantities. You are not getting a fully loaded machine like Houdini if we were buying parts for just a couple of hundred games, our costs would be significantly higher, so either there would be less in it or a higher sticker price. So, if there is demand we will keep building, but not like we would order custom game specific parts for just 100 machines, the costs would get way out of whack. So at some point is do we think we can sell X more machines, and if so, go for it, if not, start setting up for the next title.

Here is a holloween treat, some photos of assembly stations being loaded up with parts. I believe these are being stocked for 20 games at a time.

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All I'm saying is, if the machine (and its reliability & build quality) live up to the hopes it has latterly raised, after the very rough introduction, I think there will be viable demand long beyond the initial 1000 units you said you'd legislated or ordered for.

Particularly as your markup in EU is low, and it sits half way between a Stern Pro and JJP / Stern Premium in pricing (yes, a Stern Premium costs the same as a JJP non-LE here). Also all the more reason for you to try to get a couple of machines to DPO Expo in 10 days time. You occupy a gap in the market here, and it's the biggest show of the year in Europe.

i was wondering if there will be another distributor on the other side of canada.
don't feel great about paying for shipping and have it shipped across the country.

We really need a quality gameplay video highlighting the various features, shots, etc.. With JJP's Pirates (and Dialed In for that matter) and Stern's Guardians of the Galaxy coming out, a high quality video would go a long way in selling these machines. From everything I could gather from Expo, the verdict on the machine was a bit of a mixed bag due to what sounds like annoying power issues. I definitely expected better info, mainly gameplay vids, to come out of expo. I'm holding strong with my preorder spot but there seems to be some potentially solid competition for my money. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly excited for this game but need to have something to be truly excited about.

Rosh - Give the pinball world what they crave and get us some sweet video action!

Yeah! If you bring the game I'm coming over!

Dont you guys have Starburst there still? Or Player One whatever they are calling themselves?

I'm in the process of getting the right stuff to be able to shoot decent video. As far as the power, don't worry about it, the game has power to spare, big time. Expo was off due to the power issues in the building and Joe setting things a little too low at the start and that was also done before many games int he hall were power up.

We certainly hope to do more than 1000. We had planned to get a game to DPO, but due to some vendors missing commitment dates, does not look like it is going to happen. I'm not happy about it, but, was somewhat out of our control.

Put an existing one in a suitcase and fly over.

You can stay at my place and I'll drive you and the game over.

(Ok, maybe your legs would fall of after a 2 hour drive in a Wagon R with a pinball machine in the back but it fits.)

Unfortunately my passport has recently expired and I need to get it renewed. Plus I don't have a suitcase big enough.

It's seriously sad that you can't make it.

Since now first retailers list the Euro price on Houdine it's getting even more attractive with being exactly the same as a Stern Pro machine.

Edit: Writing BS here. It's 1000€ more then a Pro but still 1500€ less then a Premium.

Can't wait to see it for real.

Maybe not what you want nor Spielberg quality but there are Dozens of videos on YouTube that show most of the play and Rosh has said the code is not complete to his perfection. Just a place to consider.

Whatever happened to the seminar video of American Pinball? Still coming?

nope, they don't sell this one, that'd be a good thing i'm 20min. away.

The vast majority of the vids are from several months ago and there have been both hardware and code changes since then. Rosh knows what I'm talking about and I'm happy that the wheels are in motion to get some content out there that truly highlights the game and all of its glory.

Rosh - Spielberg would be a great choice...all you'd need to do is up to the price to $50k per machine to afford his services

Probably reasonably expensive to get one or two air freighted on short notice, but I suspect it would be more than worth your while.

There simply isn't anything else on the market that's near it in price and features in either mainland Europe or the UK.

Spike 2 Premium / JJP Standard is a €1500 ($1750) jump above Houdini, which is pretty enormous.

There won't be another show this big with as many travelling from around Europe, until it takes place again next year, by the look of it.

There isn't another show of any major size (and reach) AFAIK until EAG in London in January, but pinball's presence is quite small, as it's mainly arcade and amusements stuff, and it's aimed at operators and distributors.

I think it's a huge opportunity for the company. JJP can't produce enough to meet demand in a reasonable time frame (and a couple of EU dealers have recently dropped them as a result). Stern Premium and LEs seem to be doing very badly now due to both the extortionate pricing, and poor quality / features / code. Punters are waiting for an alternative, but they need to see it.

I am pretty sure the one here is going to sell them. Closer than out west.

you are right, i just saw that Player One added Houdini to their inventory, so that means it will be in montreal. case close.

I got it pushed up today. Two clips, one of the presentation one of the Q&A. Probably only worth watching if you need a sleep aid.

Hey @rosh, hope you had a nice Halloween. I had a few questions about the game I hope you could help answer. 1. Do the lights inside the chains near the mid/bottom portion of the playfield represent anything related to the gameplay or your journey through the game, or are they just for aesthetics? 2. What is the function of the second catapult? Lastly, and related to a different topic, the shop on your website appears to not be functioning correctly. I attempted to purchase a Houdini shirt, but no size option was available and after it showed 1 in the cart, when I went to check out it just says nothing is in the cart...

Cheers!