(Topic ID: 192072)

Attack From Mars Remake (AFMr) Owners Club

By Pin_Guy

6 years ago


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  • Latest reply 5 hours ago by WillM
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Topic index (key posts)

26 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 #1 PinGuy's links to unboxing and SOL potential issue. Posted by Pin_Guy (6 years ago)

Post #5 SOL protector issue Posted by Pin_Guy (6 years ago)

Post #73 LED info Posted by stpcore (6 years ago)

Post #145 Cliffy install info Posted by evh347 (6 years ago)

Post #149 Firmware 1.0.0 Posted by Pin_Guy (6 years ago)

Post #189 info on using AFM cliffys Posted by GorillaBiscuits (6 years ago)

Post #357 Topper connector issue Posted by LTG (6 years ago)

Post #366 Image of Cliffy addition to scoop. Posted by sparechange1974 (6 years ago)

Post #368 Cliffy install info Posted by sparechange1974 (6 years ago)


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#521 6 years ago

Can anyone update me on:

The flashing lights in front of the 3 bank targets not being correct out of the box? ie cant distinguish if they are flashing separately or not. I noticed this when I played it at TPF. Someone mentioned a menu setting should fix it, but haven't had any confirmation.

Has anyone noticed the "flipper delay"?

#528 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

What do that do by changing it to incandescents?

On the original, with the target bank up, the 3 lights indicate which shots need to be hit (blinking) or which shots are already hit (solid) in order to lower the bank. You want all 3 solid, then it drops.

On the AFMr I played, the LEDS were blinking so fast, you couldn't tell if it was solid or blinking. I think this is default from the box.

Apparently changing the light setting n the menu fixes it. I don't own one yet, so cant tell you which setting works, but try them all until it works.

#533 6 years ago
Quoted from pinchamp:

Yeah I have noticed flipper delay... not sure if anything can be done about it

Have any MMr owners also reported it? Anyone have both?

#537 6 years ago
Quoted from SuperPinball:

I own both MMr and AFMr as well as a bunch of other original Bally/Williams titles. I notice no absolutely no difference among the machines in terms of flipper delay.

I don't remember any delay when I played it at TPF, so I'm surprised it's become an issue. And I had literally just sold a restored original, so it was fresh in my mind.

I'm thinking it's just condition. You really need to compare a nib AFM (not possible) to a nib AFMR. My restored AFM was as close to new as possible (brand new pf etc) so maybe that's why I didn't notice the difference. Maybe the ball is moving faster on the brand new AFMR so the flippers appear delayed?

Otherwise Aurichs experiment. Anyone?

#551 6 years ago

So "Flipper Delay" = "Fake News"

1 week later
#651 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Spoke to Cliff, and he said his protector set from the original game cane with a protector for the drain hole behind the ship. Can anyone confirm that this would work for the remake?

When I restored my afm, I used mantis on the SOL and cliffy under the saucer. I think mantis does one for the saucer as well, but for some reason I thought the cliffy was better for this area - probably since you can't really see it, so more surface protection the better.

#655 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Do you think there's too much pinball on the mind when you pass by a drive-thru speaker and think VERTICAL UP KICK!

Absolutely. This one always gets me:

1513448618748945702 (resized).png1513448618748945702 (resized).png

#690 6 years ago
Quoted from MK6PIN:

Umm, I guess TEX will be ruling mine for awhile.....geez, How can I like a hobby so much that I'm barely average at?

It's not easy to accomplish all that. But it's definitely attainable. That's part of what makes it a good game . The ultimate goal is hard, but not so far out of reach that us mortals can't do it.

#760 6 years ago
Quoted from Pin_Guy:

Yuup

Correct, you need to score an orbit for it to count as a combo; however, the left and right gates block orbits until you complete the 3rd capture (left) or complete the atomic blaster (right).

The lock ramp and locking a ball will provide a combo shot when lit; starting a multiball ends combos as they cannot be scored during a multiball ... exception: the lock ball ramp will award a combo during martian multiball; if you trap one ball on the left flipper, you can repeatedly nail this ramp to get your combos...my record is around 20.

As stated above, starting a multiball ends combos as they cannot be scored during a multiball

Cool. Had no idea. Such finely tuned code - the Lyman factor. I wonder if the code was ever revised during its life?

3 months later
#2085 6 years ago

My launcher issue is maybe 1 in 10, so not really much to worry about, but would be interested to see how cgc fix it. Personally, given it seems A bit random, i think it might be the amount of play in the plunger. It wiggles around a fair bit. Would seem the plunger could strike at a different angle every time. With that said, I don't think I have ever owned a game that has perfect ball launch 100% of the time, including AFM original.

The only thing that's starting to annoy me however, is the irregularity of the SOL eject. Anyone else?

#2144 6 years ago
Quoted from abagwell:

Well I noticed my outlanes had slid up as well, moved them all the way down after wanting to throw the thing outside from all the constant outlane drains. I adjusted my left flipper again as it still seemed a bit off, and it actually seems like the head of the flipper is a bit higher then the right flipper...will take a pic later to show what I'm talking about. At any rate, very first game with the outlanes moved down:

Might be time to open the outlanes back up- at least to half way.

#2254 6 years ago
Quoted from gjm7777:

everything is fine except now about 3/10 times the sol pops out a weak ball and it goes STDM.

Same. Can't work this one out.

#2427 6 years ago
Quoted from TOLLS:

Total change of conversation. Right in the centre of this shot is what I can best describe as a hexagonal riser with an open top thread. It can be easily unskrewed but seems to serve no purpose. Any ideas what this is. Is something missing.

Not missing anything. It's just to prevent ball hangs..

1 month later
#3347 6 years ago
Quoted from pintechev:

Not a single issue. Got mine early in August and have played it a lot. No edge chipping or any other issues.

What about if you weren't working for CGC/PPS/BAA?

#3350 6 years ago
Quoted from pintechev:

I don’t. And if I did, I would disclose it.
I would love to work in the pinball industry; sounds like fun.
And if you’d like to inspect my games that I paid full retail for, please do.

Apologies if I mistakenly drew that conclusion, but it does come across like that. I've never heard of a single game from any supplier of any era that did not have a single issue.

#3391 6 years ago
Quoted from PinLen83:

My DILE has ZERO wear at around 700 plays

With no cliffy’s? My DILE scoops showed signs of chipping after 20 games before I put cliffy’s on.

And I’ve had both the other games, both of which required major tweaking/complete playfield swaps.

#3393 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Eventually everyone loses at Russian Roulette. Don't play it.

PinMonk ‘s Public Service announcement! Ignore at your own risk.

#3400 6 years ago
Quoted from snaroff:

It's kind of odd that the SIM card scoop is where most of the damage crops up, despite the shots well known difficultly *AND* it isn't a VUK! Weird...
snaroff

Quoted from PinMonk:

I think it has to do with the irregular shape of the hole and the speed/distance of a made shot. An extended flipper to the SIM hole is shorter than from the lower flipper to the phone hole, and there's no metal on the back side of the SIM hole to protect it even a little like there is at the phone scoop. You're taking a rocket shot straight to exposed wood on the inside back of the SIM hole if the SIM hole is unprotected.

The edges aren't bevelled either on the sim scoop. That's where the clear chips. Plus its a weird angle - hits the side wood first.

#3438 6 years ago
Quoted from Who-Dey:

I agree and i would even like to see what CGC has to say about it and i would also like to know why these games don't come from the factory with protectors on them. Im not being critical or bashing these games at all, but im just kind of afraid to buy one of their games because there seems to be alot of problems with them at the moment. At 8k per game i expect top notch quality.

It's rare that any manufacturer installs cliffys ex factory. I've only seen dialled in and Aerosmith. Most Stern games need them yet aren't shipped with them. I'm not sure why they don't just install then on all scoops and shooter lanes. And then they could design the scoop to be a little wider to accommodate the cliffy - like on AS.

#3448 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Until Dialed In NO factory games had Cliffies. Stern just ripped off the idea - they weren't and aren't Cliffies. Jack stepped up and moved the ball forward by installing Cliffies from the factory, starting with Dialed In, and he should be applauded for that.

Aerosmith

#3453 6 years ago
Quoted from MrSanRamon:

When I talked to Cliffy about this, I believe that he told me that these aren't his products.
I could be wrong but that's the way I remember the conversation.
I don't think that any pinball manufacturer is buying actual/real Cliffy's...but I'm OK with someone correcting me.
Robert

Correct. In using the term cliffy as a generic term for thin metal protectors.

#3454 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

? Your post is too brief. What are you saying?

Aerosmith came with a factory cliffy installed (left scoop) before Dialed In.

#3461 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

No it did not. It came with a ripoff of a cliffy-style protector Stern did with no input from or reimbursement to Cliff. Scummy, but Stern. If Cliffy didn't design it, it's a metal protector, not a cliffy.

Quoted from cooked71:

Correct. In using the term cliffy as a generic term for thin metal protectors.

#3483 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Which is not good for Cliff because it encourages his product being ripped off. If Gary Stern can get you saying Aerosmith has Cliffies, he'll keep ripping off Cliff, which isn't cool. Drawing a line and only calling actual Cliffies by that name respects Cliff's work and the fact that he's helped the hobby a LOT by coming up with the idea all those years ago and still banging them out now.

Aerosmith "thin metal scoop protector" is very good since the scoop was designed with it in mind.

Naming a category of products after a brand that is the original or market leader is something that has been happening since brands were a thing. Walkmans, Ipods, Esky, White Out, Band Aids, Biro's, Uber etc etc. Happens all the time. Good or bad, its usually a reflection on the fact that the original product is so groundbreaking that it has created a whole new category . No different with Cliffy in this case.

#3486 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

JJP should be applauded for doing what's right for their machines, customers and Cliff by using real Cliffies on Dialed In now and compensating Cliff for it.

If I was to guess, id say JJP only offered the real Cliffy on the scoops after they realised how crap their home made ones were (which I received and since had to buy Cliffy's) and didn't have time or volume to source their own ones in a thin metal. He was a quick source and made the game playable compared to their other crap ones.

I would imagined if they were to offer "thin metal protectors" on future games, they would source them directly themselves at a cheaper price.

But that's all speculation. I hope Cliffy himself can benefit as he is a huge asset to pinball. Not sure JJP or any other manufacturer care about that enough over saving money.

#3615 6 years ago

Looks like wood filler in between the black bits. There no wood grain and it’s a different colour than the rest of the grain. Also looks like there’s no actual damage to the clear. And the most of the area between the black marks is too far up the shooter lane for normal shooter lane wear. Are you sure this isn’t how it came from the factory? In which case it should definitely be going back.

#3637 6 years ago
Quoted from Lermods:

I’m finding that damage hard to believe too. There should not be any black, there is nothing under the clear except the wood. Even if there was filler, it would not be black like that. Can you post a full pic of the pf with room lights on and game off. I’d like to see the rest of the game?

That is putty. It’s under the clear. There is no chipping. There is no way the owner has done it himself. Looks like there was a fault in the ply that only became obvious after the shooter groove was cut - probably a black knot in the wood - that was filled with putty before it was cleared. Was deemed satisfactory by CGC, but given its location on the shooter lane shouldn’t have been. It was a questionable QC decision is all - happens all the time. No big deal as long as CGC look after him.

I can’t beleive the vitriolic attack on the owner. The guy has a faulty pf. That’s it.

33D426D0-8BED-46C9-B359-C00F5C50F58D (resized).jpeg33D426D0-8BED-46C9-B359-C00F5C50F58D (resized).jpeg

#3674 6 years ago
Quoted from Onwallst:

Look at text and pictures to see it in the below link. Walking Dead listed in “the multiple screens for various games” picture and so is GB.
http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/churchill/index.html

Off topic, but great article I somehow missed.

#3808 6 years ago
Quoted from Lermods:

Why is the color variation an issue? Is it because it doesn’t match the original? For tspp, there are at least three versions of the playfield with the car on those playfields varying in color from pinkish to different shades of red. Mine is pinkish, which I consider most authentic relative to the show, but in terms of resale, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Because on the one hand CGC excuse themselves from fitting “Cliffy” style ( PinMonk ) protectors on the lock hole because it would offend the purists, and on the other hand they expect us to excuse the faulty/misprinted playfields as “artistic interpretation”.

Having said that, the pink playfields could be the new rare collectibles.

#3811 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

If they made a deal with Cliff and shipped with actual Cliffies from the factory like JJP is now on Dialed In, I'm sure the accolades would far outweigh any complaints from the purists. It's just an excuse.

Thats my point. I was just tagging you to show you I'm not using Cliffys name without due credit.

13
#3818 6 years ago
Quoted from pinballaddicted:

If I was your distro I would be doing my best to get you a good resolution.

And that's the difference usually between a good and bad experience.

I found a similar experience to Onwallst when dealing directly with CGC. In my case it was a cabinet issue, but it seems that anything to do with playfields and cabinets CGC act a little defensively. "We are the best cabinet and playfield maker, therefore there cant possibly be a problem". To which my response was "I appreciate that, but I have a problem. Just because you are the best, doesn't mean there is not a problem".

Fortunately my dealer stepped up and helped me out, and full credit to him for doing so. But the one thing I learnt is I wont be buying another NIB game without first opening and inspecting at the point of sale. OR ill buy 2nd hand.

The CGC response that "We are the best cabinet and playfield maker, therefore there cant possibly be a problem and we wont address it" is completely disingenuous. If you truly are the best, then you stand by your product and correct it immediately. That's how you prove you're the best. You don't try and bluff your way out of it. You say "We are the best and this is not up to our standards. We hold ourselves to these standards because we are the best."

Plus, they are the manufacturer of the playfield and cabinet. The cost of them addressing the issue is substantially less than other manufacturers.

It cant be worth the backlash and unhappy customers. Don't look at what each replacement costs relative to one game - look at what it costs to address the issues relative to the entire value of your business. It costs nothing and the benefits of gaining an incredibly loyal and happy customer base are priceless.

#4142 6 years ago

In fairness though, do we know the result of the shooter lane putty incident? Did the owner contact CGC and get an answer?

#4145 6 years ago
Quoted from Nexyss:

It is sad, because we are discussing a really great machine. I think most of the issues were easily fixed, but they don’t go away because of other issues. The plastics, the flipper issue, the ball launch issue; all of those resolved pretty quickly, and with pretty minor inconvenience to the owners.
The clear chipping is a polarizing issue. I bought an ac/dc in 2013. Every post I read said that I had to install a full cliffy set before playing it, or the playfield would be destroyed. I did it. It was a pain in the ass, but it protected all of the holes in the game. Now the same exact recommendation is being given for afmr. After installing them on ac/dc, I will wait to see if I need them on this one. Whether it is chipping or wear, I think they all need to be protected. With enough complaining, the manufacturers might do it someday, but there are probably plenty of ops buying pins who just aren’t as picky as we are to make that not a necessity. I paid over $600 in sales tax on this pin. The price of cliffys aren’t really the deciding factor for me here.
The only unaddressed issues, as far as I can tell, are the screening mistakes, and the questionable qc on the blanks. I have only seen a couple of people post that their playfield were screened with the wrong colors. I think these were a mistake that should be replaced. At the same time, if mine had that I could probably live with it if I had to.
This is only my opinion, but the only absolute show stopper here is the putty filled shooter lane. Whoever let that through needs to be fired, and that playfield replaced. That one, I don’t even have to think about. If I don’t have a guarantee that won’t happen, I am not a future customer. There is no wiggle room there at all. I would return a $20 item that looked like that.
The Metallica thread has stayed mostly positive for years, even though there have been a lot of issues with that game. This game is good enough to get there, And I think it will. But, probably not if these last two issues are ignored.

I’m with you. It’s a great package. Solid build and real upgrades over the original. CGC set out to build a collector quality product and for the most part they did. Like all suppliers, they have had some QC issues and have addressed them.

But it appears they’ve made a few judgement calls on isolated games that have caused more damage and noise than they should have. They need to back themselves and prove they are the best. Not downplay these isolated incidents as if they’ve got something to hide.

Look at Apple. In my experience their repair/replacement policy is the “gold standard”. Companies like CGC, that are positioning themselves as the Apple of Pinball need to follow suit.

Other than that, it’s a great remake and improvement on one of the great games of pinball.

#4146 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

I'm pretty sure in the post contact was made and the response was "that's the way it is", but I should probably go back and look it up to make sure I'm not confusing it with the nude color playfield mistake.

I think this is the last we’ve heard.

Quoted from chancegino:

I am opening a ticket with CGC but I thought I’d check with other owners too to see if anybody else had that this issue. Not sure if I’ll bother updating anybody since BitPatrol accused me of being a troll.

#4259 6 years ago
Quoted from hoby1:

Still waiting to see a list or speadsheet with all these wide spread major issues.

I think PinMonk needs to create a graph.

#4469 6 years ago

Have to agree it’s pretty toxic in here at the moment.

#4542 6 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

I don't know how CGC does it, but JJP and others you can request a number so the number and the manufacture date/order are not really connected since they don't go in order.

Well you can order MMr matching numbers from CGC and they got produced early, so not all sequential.

1 week later
17
#4650 6 years ago

These suppliers, and many of the fanboy trolls on this site, like to shift the blame for these issues to the buyer by implying the buyer is being unreasonable and over-reacting. They argue these problems are "not real" , only aesthetic, have no impact on gameplay, are part of pinball, and therefore the buyer shouldn't be complaining.

Onwallst 's experience sums up why many buyers are not happy to accept these "non-issue" issues. The end result was he lost a significant amount of money as a result of losing the NIB lottery. Fanboy's and suppliers will argue "that's pinball, you cant expect to open a game, play it and get your money back". But the fact is Onwallst had hardly played it. The game had no damage from actual gameplay. He was just unlucky enough to get a bad PF out of the box. The used market proved that buyers saw this as issue and would only accept it at a discounted price.

The result was pretty concrete - he paid in cold hard cash for the ineptitude of the supplier when in fact the supplier should have taken the hit themselves. Onwallst paid the equivalent of having to swap the playfield that was deemed not up to standard by the used market, when that cost should have been borne by the supplier.

It must be an embarrassment for CGC that some buyers are now purchasing Mirco PF's to swap in to their AFMr's.

1 week later
#4761 5 years ago

Still seems odd they don’t use it on the Classic Edition DMD surround panel and is missing from the translite of any model.

1 week later
#4842 5 years ago
Quoted from Nickrc3:

My#873 LE was delivered last Sunday by Curly from Little Shop of Games. Outstanding distributor, great customer support. Won't hesitate to purchase my second pinball from him.
Machine plays fantastic. Lights, graphics and sounds are mesmerizing, however, I'm getting murdered by this game! It's a serious drain monster, especially the two outlanes. The ball constantly swings over into these two lanes. No amount of nudging can change the trajectory. Other drains from Stroke of Luck VUK or SDTM are manageable.
Having played GB many times, I really feel AFMr is a hell-of-a-lot more challenging in terms of ball-time longevity.
Since last Sunday, I registered 289 games and cannot obtain a score higher than 7.2B.
Spending my childhood and adolescent summer years (60's-70's) at the various pinball arcades in Seaside Heights NJ, I've always considered myself a better than average player, but man, this pin is frustrating.
Achieving annihilation, super skill shots, Martian multi-ball, etc. is not terribly difficult, and consistently obtained, but getting past four countries has not been achieved. The sad part is I set the game up for 5 balls. How these Guy's are getting mega-high scores and Attack Mars mode on 3 ball is beyond me.
Playfield level is set at 6.8 degrees, horizontal level is 0, flipper strength set to default (minimal airballs). Tilt is disabled.
I did notice the outposts are off-center (see pic) favoring the outlanes, but I'm not about to take a Dremel to enlarge the hole in order to shift position. I also re-centered both slingshots.
So, do I basically suck, or just need more patience to advance in the gameplay? Any suggestions or tips on game play is much appreciated.
Thanks Guys.

Move the outlane post down as far as you can by unscrewing the bolt pictured under the playfield. Then you’ll probably be able to go back to 3 ball. As you get better, gradually move it back up (more open).

Work out safe shots (eg. backhand the scoop from the right Flipper, ramps). Avoid dangerous shots (ie. The red Centre targets are sucker shots that will usually get hit eventually just through ordinary play). Know where your extra balls are - there’s quite a few in AFM (after 2 Cities, Stroke of luck, strobe multiball). Know your multiballs and save them for when cities are active - particularly in later cities which require heaps of hits.
1620A1D5-9260-4C78-ABEB-955E994EB1E5 (resized).jpeg1620A1D5-9260-4C78-ABEB-955E994EB1E5 (resized).jpeg

1 month later
#5084 5 years ago
Quoted from Mrawesome44:

Hey guys how does pitch work? I'm trying to make my game a bit easier and reduce all the drains down the middle. This is currently what my front and back legs look like. Does the bubble at the bottom means its easier or harder. Also im having a problem with the upkick. Sometimes if a ball slams into the lock or through the ship hole. When it goes to kick the ball up it doesnt come out. It usually comes out the second time. Only once it took 3 times to kick the ball out. Is that normal or does something need to be adjusted.

You’ve got them back the front - especially with the front legs on carpet. You’ll want the back legs a lot higher and the front legs all the way down. There’s an iphone app called PinGuy which works well. Set it to 6.5 at least.

This would most likely explain your Vuk problems - fix the level and play a few games before trouble shooting the other stuff.

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