(Topic ID: 183206)

American Pinball Houdini thread

By lllvjr

7 years ago


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Topic index (key posts)

41 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items.

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #145 Houdini Pinball initial flyer Posted by HighProtein (7 years ago)

Post #184 Initial reveal at TPF Posted by SilverballNut (7 years ago)

Post #190 Introductory Price of Houdini Posted by 1iblind (7 years ago)

Post #198 Initial Pictures of Machine Posted by lllvjr (7 years ago)

Post #229 Playfield Close-Up Pics Posted by bigd1979 (7 years ago)

Post #284 Machine feature details Posted by rosh (6 years ago)

Post #312 More feature details Posted by rosh (6 years ago)

Post #385 Double switch lane picture Posted by pinballrockstar (6 years ago)

Post #420 Pinball show appearance schedule for Houdini Posted by rosh (6 years ago)

Post #434 Houdini pics from Allentown show Posted by PinballSTAR (6 years ago)


Topic indices are generated from key posts and maintained by Pinside Editors. For more information, or to become an editor yourself read this post!

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#1065 6 years ago

Curious what other folks thought of the ball speed and flipper strength. I have one on order, but I was a bit disappointed at the show in how slow the ball seemed. This was Thursday night, so maybe things weren't set up quite optimal yet (I know the leg levelers were screwed all of the way in). I thought maybe if the angle were increased, the ball would be faster and give a better bounce on the flip? And maybe I was just off my game that night...anyone else that played it have any thoughts on the feel?

#1095 6 years ago
Quoted from rosh:

with levelers all the way in, the game will sit at 6 or 6.5 can't remember which insures on location it will be at least at that, which is not a bad level, but personally I like it a touch higher. Obviously if all the way in is 6, you can get this pretty damn steep. The bigger issue, especially on Thursday and part of Friday, was the flipper strength was turned down too low. Joe likes them softer than I do. He complains anytime he comes into my office that the flippers are too hot (which might a touch true) and he did the set, and this was when the hall was pretty quiet, as more machines powered on, etc. the power dropped and they were way too low. When the JJP presentation ended and you had a ton of folks come back into the hall (and more machines turned on), there was a drop. I increased strength on the different machines throughout the weekend, pretty much any time I played a game on it. You can change the strength of most coils via the settings, and I'm sure a few of you saw me doing it. I think they were at 18 at the start of the show and on Saturday I had them up around 25. I also had increased the pops and sling strength. I think it is important for the left sling to have sufficient power so you can the occasional hit up into the scoop, that is important with novices playing since it helps them start Seance. You also want enough pop action to get the ball into the jail/magic shop and the play off the upper stand-ups. Pops in this game are not just a place to banging around and do nothing, they are needed to advance through the game.
One thing to note, when you guys get these at home, is that the strength of the flippers and the pitch can impact rules, meaning stronger flippers are going to spin the spinner faster so for Magic Shop and Haldane of the Secret Service in particular, the settings may need to to be adjusted to not make it too easy/hard to complete haldane and in the case of the magic shop too frequent/infrequent.

Rosh, thanks for addressing this, it at least validates what I experienced, and gives me a solution. It also shows you are willing to look at criticism and address any issues rather than ignoring them. I can deal with a lot in pinball, but the one thing I dislike the most is a mushy flipper, and I appreciate your interaction here. Very refreshing. My order is still intact........lol

#1153 6 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

I haven't seen a privately owned machine with those PF mylars in over 25 years... from any company... why not simply include them in the bag and not stick them down?

Ask JJP and the 1st owners of WOZ how well their games lasted without the mylar and why it is installed as standard now.

#1172 6 years ago

Rosh, if you need a Beta-Tester, ship my game early....I am just down the street! lol Excited to see production on these ramp up soon.

3 weeks later
#1317 6 years ago

Was slated to be there but unfortunately had to fly home to set up hospice care for my dad. Flight back got delayed and after all of that I just couldn't bring myself to concentrate on pinball. I'm glad the reviews are positive and I am really looking forward to this pin. I even have a good animated topper idea in mind.

1 month later
#1576 6 years ago
Quoted from Aquapin:

By the time of the match sequence the show's over. How about an empty stage with a janitor sweeping which reveals a number on the floor or triggers the trapdoor that reveals a number. If it matches the curtains days open if it doesn't the curtains close. Just the opposite of how the game starts.

I'm thinking the match sequence should be the code Houdini reportedly gave to his wife to prove he was communicating from the afterlife. Hit the right code and he is not dead..........

1 month later
#2084 6 years ago

Gameroom is getting a new floor next week and then I have to fill the spot or lose the space to some needless piece of decorative crap.........Houdini need to appear soon! lol

1 month later
#2740 6 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

Bought this today to ease the sting of the wait over the next several months...

At the rate things are going, you probably have time to buy the Chinese version and learn to read the language......... (it was tongue in cheek folks...)

3 weeks later
#3249 5 years ago

Mine ships Monday. Looking forward to finally having this pin in the new stable.

1 week later
#3471 5 years ago

Got my box of magic today...but in true Houdini fashion, nothing is as simple at it seemed. Through a completely understandable error, my pin made the trip from Chicago to Colorado and back to Chicago before finally showing up here in Kansas. Lol. Working on the setup tonight and will fire her up tomorrow. With that said, I found these 3 fasteners rolling around in the cabinet, which is understandable, given the miles it traveled. Does anyone know where they belong? And should i look for another before firing up? Thanks.

1525311945035735963175 (resized).jpg1525311945035735963175 (resized).jpg

#3474 5 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

They're off the coin door. One top, one bottom on each of the two coin acceptor mechs.

Nice, thanks for the help!

#3651 5 years ago

Had this game for several days now, and I really have to say I love the way Houdini feels and plays. For those that complain about the "tight shots", I have several other pins that have just as difficult shots, and a couple that are much worse in my opinion. No question Houdini is tougher than some pins, but that is the part I like the most. As others have said here, "it will make you a better player", and I believe that to be absolutely true. I suck at pinball....I am a casual player only. I am not ranked, and I hate to play in tournaments or leagues.....I just play for the fun of it. With that said, Houdini is one of those games that is challenging enough to keep you thinking about your shot placement, and deep enough to be really rewarding, but at the same time you don't need a PHD to figure out the next shot or strategy. It's possible this is just a by-product of playing more pinball since I got Houdini, but my scores across the board have come up, and I think it is more in regards to actually thinking about what I am doing rather than just smacking the ball around. Trust me, if you play like me and take that method to Houdini, the game will make you pay in quick fashion. Love the artwork and layout, and Josh is doing stellar things with the code. It's cool to see all of the subtle industry humor interjected in the oddest places, and as one that doesn't pay much attention to the screen during play, it is nice to hear the callouts on what to shoot.

The only real negative things I can think of about the game are purely cosmetic, and at least one item I know is being actively worked on. The music is a little repetitive, but you really don't notice it much if you are concentrating on the game, and while I completely get the tongue-in-cheek humor, I could do without being told I suck on each ball launch.......lol. (I already know I am not a good player) I am guessing that would be an easy fix. My only other suggestion would be the ability to double-flipper past the 'magic out of the hat' scenes and such to where you don't have to watch the video, but can flipper to a final award screen, just to keep more of the flow of the game. Guys like me that play casually, don't necessarily want to stop the game play to watch the same sequences over and over.....although I will admit there are some fun gems hidden into the sequences.

But again, all of that is cosmetic, and nothing that would stop me from playing the game. Houdini is as enjoyable as any of the last NIB games I have purchased, and whatever the reason, it has done more for my game than any of those last NIB's purchased (BM66LE,WOZRR, AFMRLE,GBLE). I am really looking forward to this code progression and for what Josh has planned next.

1 week later
#3979 5 years ago
Quoted from Malibu-SS:

once the coil strength is higher it does,cant seem to find a happy medium.

The plunger moves freely and sometimes the trough works 100%

Thank you...I will check this out and see if it helps.
It has always done this...now it keeps getting worse...to the point that it is annoying
Thanks

Try the suggested fix first, but if that doesn't work, try changing out the balls. I had one that gave me fits in the scoop eject, and once I replaced it, all is fine. May not work, but an easy try to just swap them out from a different game.

1 month later
#4723 5 years ago

I'm sure this is covered somewhere and I am missing it, but every time I lift the playfield, I have a ball in the subway. I am assuming it gets held during multiball, but shouldn't it eject at the end of of the game? It is before the subway diverter, and I have verified the subway optics work. Thanks

#4750 5 years ago
Quoted from Bartzenegger:

I would love to but there is not one in my area. Thx
It’s Houdini, dialed in or batman66!
I have played the others.

I am in Topeka and have Houdini and BM66LE along with a GBLE, AFMLE, and WOZRR. Short drive over and You can try them to your hearts desire for free..........how easy is that? Just PM me sometime.

#4790 5 years ago
Quoted from Bartzenegger:

A big shot out of thx to Manimal ! For welcoming me into his lovely home and playing some pinball and having some beer. Houdini was fun
I did not think the shots were to hard and I loved the milk can shot. It’s a fun pin
Bart

Not a problem, it was good meeting another Pinhead. Hopefully I can join up with you guys in KC some weekend.

#4839 5 years ago
Quoted from Yelobird:

airbrushed for authenticity.

I am saying this tongue in cheek since I like your mods, but I am going to use this phrase on my next restoration project.....................

3 months later
#6976 5 years ago

What voltage do you run in your home? Maybe you were told you didnt need the regulated supply because you are not suceptable to the fluctuations seen in the US 110v system.

1 week later
#7220 5 years ago

Anyone else have trouble losing the ball in the trunk during the needle trick? My trunk shot never loses a ball unless i am in the indian needle illision. During that illusion, if i hit a ball into the trunk, it sits until a ball search releases it into the tunnel. Re-created that multiple times last night. Once released, the ball comes back into play, but i lose most or all of my time. Anyone else see this?

#7224 5 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

This hasn't happened to me exactly, but I was losing balls in the catapult itself for a while - turned out to be a switch issue. I'd be willing to bet it's the same here. VERY Slightly bend the switch up a tiny tiny bit and it should register. Not sure why it only happens to you in Needle mode, but maybe something to do with how it lands when fired from the catapult.

Switch is registering just fine...this only happens during the needle illusion. Trunk lock is 100% the rest of the time.

2 weeks later
#7416 5 years ago

Epic game of 5 ball last night. I had my wife photograph when the score started going crazy (Yes the glass was on)....anyone notice anything missing? Or is this a known thing? I have never come close to a score like this, so I think I am liking the new code...lol

Score (resized).jpgScore (resized).jpg

#7419 5 years ago
Quoted from CUJO:

And one decimal place...
15 million? Really? Congrats! And it looks like only ball 3 was in play.
I guess the game wasn't designed to properly show over 9,999,999 in the BIG numbers with the old skool ratchet wheels. lol

And I am not really sure how I got there to tell you the truth. I got to the movie binge mode and the scoring just took off. I think I played ball 2 for like 40 minutes. For the record, balls 4 and 5 lasted less than 5 minutes each. I never got to the part where the game ended though...I'm sure there were things I still needed to do.

#7433 5 years ago
Quoted from rosh:

At some point I'll at least make the commas move to the right place. As you can see, the full score is captured above.
Nice game. Movie Binge can be very valuable if you did well on the movie modes, especially if you then 'complete' them in the binge in the optimal order, or you are able to keep as many balls in play as long as possible to collect those scores multiple times. What I mean by optimal, since balls in play act as a multiplier, ideally you want to first collect the lowest scored movie, when you have just one ball in play, then when that gives you a ball, you now want to go for the next higher and then work your way up so you have the max multiplier when collecting the highest scored movie. Then once you complete them all, then go the opposite way, focus on the highest scoring while you still have as many balls as you can. Second time through it is six shots vs three the first time to collect that score with the multiplier. It only adds a ball the first time you collect a movie's binge bonus.
Scoring for the binge might be too high, relative to competition play, where focusing on getting through the five movies to get to the binge, might be too easy a path to really high scores. Might just need to make it harder to collect those binge bonuses a second time.

I do think the scoring there is really high. Things were happening so fast, I didn't understand all of the extra balls that were in play, so this makes a lot more sense. I was afraid is was some sort of error....lol

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