Yeah I could not own a remake either, just too different. I respect those who feel they're the same, but can't agree. Spooky's getting close; I think the flippers are better than before, but then again I'm not getting phantom flips either. Right now my biggest problem is choking and not being able to make shots in Moonmen.. ugg LOL

Can we get the "Lil' Bits" sketch added as a cable clip in the next update?

Maybe "Man Vs. Car" too?

I love the cable clips...and I choke on my own laughter every time I see those sketches on the Interdimensional Cable 2 episode, especially at the very end.

I haven't followed too closely, but I don't remember hearing about any of these flipper issues on TNA. I own both games and I've had flipper quirkiness on R&M that I have never experienced on TNA. Not sure why they are so different since they use the same board set.

My flippers started out good, but are now showing issues
Have never had a problem at all on my ARMr - Zero issues

I just installed the portal hole protector from Mantis and it was quite easy, and looks clean. I'm not sure if there is high risk of damage without one, but I didn't want to chance it. Very highly recommended if you want the extra protection.

I just got mine today. Gonna install it this weekend. Any tips, or is it as straightforward as it looks?

Easy. Remove the 6 screws and the plastic (good opportunity for a cleaning while you have it out). Use two screws to bolt in the top half, then remount the plastic. Just be careful removing the plastic, I slid mine downward very slowly as to not agitate the surrounding wiring/switches.

Mine just arrived yesterday as well. Plan to put it in this weekend.

Has anyone bought either of the custom launch buttons advertised here and made by Super Skill Shot Shop? I like the look but would like to see pics of it installed on a machine. It's a bit on the pricey side so I want to be sure. Thanks all.

So, like a lot of you, I'm having issues with my flippers. I adjusted the EOS switches and have them where they need to be. Still getting weak flippers and knock down problems. I turned up the power on the coils and blew a fuse. Is anyone else blowing fuses when they turn up the coil power? What power settings are optimal for the flippers to get the best performance possible?

Never blown a fuse (knock on wood), but I had the same issue where even turning up the power I had weak flippers. Turn the timers too low and you get flutter.

I ended up setting everything back to default and adjusting the timings. It's not perfect, but much better than after the update.

On a different note..oddly I've only got the moonman adventure once so far.

Also adjust the flipper switches. Adjusting EOS helped...but I was still having issues. I then dialed in my flipper switches (where the buttons are striking), and things improved more. It is far from perfect, but I'm pretty much at the default settings now and I'm not seeing much fatigue.

There is a setting in the Features that will more evenly go through the adventures. I noticed I was getting the same 3 or 4 adventures often, because I was better at hitting right ramp. I changed the following and now see a much more varied set of adventures:

Adventure Easy Qualify Count: 5

If proc is also used in previous games without flipper issues... why is there flipper issues on this game? :/

Unboxed 3 weeks ago, and have had nothing but issues. I've resolved most of them, but the flipper thing eludes me.

No matter what I put the settings at, or adjust the EOS to, a ball coming down the playfield (from top or middle) will cause the flipper to slightly dip and auto flip. The harder the ball hitting the flipper, the more obvious.

I've owned enough games to know this is not normal, and judging by the fact I'm not the only one having issues, and previous Spooky games didn't either, this has to be something in the code.

So, my understanding from what I've seen is if you are getting auto flips, your timings are too low. Do you have them default or adjusted down?

Also, EP has stated that this is something he has to fix. What is confusing/concerning is that it doesn't seem that what he is seeing is the same thing as others (and even in different games seem to see different results).

The important baseline that needs to be set is that people who are adjusting their EOS are adjusting them to about the same spot. Anyone know if Spooky started adjusting them at the factory in the last few months? I know mine weren't.

... nobody knows...

Obviously there are more than a few people with flipper issues on their machines. I have full confidence that Spooky will do whatever they can to help their customers fix these problems. They are a great company for a reason. I’m sure they are reading these posts and working on a solution as we speak.

I've tweaked my flippers to latest update and did not see any knockdown issues in a short game, will see how rapidly the coils heat up on a long playing game but most R&M games are short. Follow these steps if you want to try my method:

Match all of your coil settings to ones in the pics
Make sure your EOS gap is small and switch is closing right at the end of stroke "see video"
My flipper positions are just above the marks on playfield, not sure if they come from factory this way or previous owner moved them but may make a difference in performance.

20210423_222037 (resized).jpg

20210423_222048 (resized).jpg

20210423_222118 (resized).jpg

20210423_222224 (resized).jpg

(do a lot of experimentation, settle on flipper control that works well on game I have; game is released)

f419bf0c64afa6c667994c294c1693cc (resized).jpg

"This game gets flipper knockdown sometimes. This is the worst. They should do something!"

(does something)

"Now the flippers get weak too quickly, and they're hot. This is the worst. They should do something!"

(does something)

"Why do the flippers dip and recover? This is the worst. They should do something!"

animalypics-noose.gif

"The game is phantom flipping on it's own. This is the worst!"

I assure you, there is no code to flip a flipper without a button closure. Is your switch so close together that the shaker vibrates it closed?

Have any of you guys tried going back to the "ORIGINAL" hold setting?

I tried setting everything to default and it wasn't great. My settings at the moment are similar to Manadams, I think my lower flipper timings are adjusted down by 4.

Hey Eric,

In an ideal world, flippers shouldn't need so many "knobs" (power, hold, pulse, recovery). Their existence complicates life and reflects the challenges you've been dealing with as more games are getting played. On my other games, dialing in flippers at most involves adjusting the bushing gap and EOS. That's it. I've been in this hobby for 20 years and don't recall ever having to play with software settings to get the flippers to function properly (my collection has been dominated by B/W and Stern games from 1990 to today).

Since this is my first Spooky game, I don't really mind if dialing in the flippers is a bit more involved, but the "trial and error" is the frustrating part. If the EOS switches are so critical to R&M lower flipper behavior, why doesn't the upper flipper have an EOS switch? Based on your comments in other posts, I imagine that isn't your domain and wasn't your decision. Nevertheless, it effects the code. My upper flipper gets knocked down VERY easily...I posted a slo-mo video 9 days ago that you responded to. The upper flipper shots are freaking amazing on this game and it's a bummer when the flipper is so prone to knockdown.

Thanks for continuing to engage with us in this thread. You know how much we all love the game and work you've done...

Lots of different people making lots of different adjustments makes for lots of different variables!

Keep up the great work Eric!!!

Hey btw, “like groovy” background on the one year later pic.

Cool your jets sherlock, it’s a spongebob thing.

Party pooper

Speculation is fun and I’m kinda hoping for a Scooby pin so... just having fun.

Well said.

The thing with flippers is, it should be a "solved problem" that for some reason everybody but Stern still seems to be struggling with to one degree or another. I have no insight into why Stern's flippers work so well, but they do. And the reality is they are the market leader and set the expectation for all others to meet, at least in terms of flipper feel.

This goes beyond Spooky, I've never played a JJP game where I thought the flippers felt strong, and many people aren't thrilled with the Chicago Gaming remake flipper feel either. Seems like these games flipper systems got too clever for their own good. Saving a dollar by removing EOS switches? Clever, or foolish?

I did some testing of my own and even on Aggressive / High settings the resistance offered by the R&M flippers feels like a fraction of my Stern games. I just wish people would match Stern's flipper strength and feel. That is all.

Yea I played a GnR LE on location that couldn't get the ball all the way up to the UPF half the time. Not just a Spooky issue.

Flipper strength and fade is definitely an issue not unique to Spooky. But none of the other manufacturers have the wonky flipper behavior that R&M suffers from.

I've experimented with this over the last couple of days, adjusting the EOS ever so slightly, and even with a tiny almost unnoticeable adjustment, The flipper behavior changes dramatically.

I think this will be the big challenge, since every game will be different by design, and every user adjustment will make that difference greater.

What works for one game, won't necessarily work for another if I'm right about this temperamental EOS.

And if I'm spot on here, then Spooky will have to figure out the root cause.

I want to love this game, but when you can't make shots after playing for 5 mins, or the flipper is flip on it's own, it's hard to enjoy.

I'm planning to keep this game for a long time, so here's hoping the team can figure this one out

So, I installed my hole protector for the house this morning and figured I'd post this here for anyone else that runs into this issue:

Here's the hole protector as it was recieved:
IMG_4235 (resized).JPG

Note the extra hole at the bottom left. My slots weren't lining up 100% and I didn't want to mess with the alignment of the subway, so I drilled a new hole to expose the existing screw hole. I also had a screw end poking out of the playfield about 1/8" right on the edge of the piece (not shown). You can see the scuff marks on the wood where I used a dremel tool to cut off the excess and make it flush with the playfield.
IMG_4238 (resized).jpg

Here it is installed. I replaced the two bottom screws with 1/2" ones to give them a little extra bite into the playfield. The originals just felt a little too short with the added additional thiccness of the protector plate.
IMG_4239 (resized).jpg

Here it is from the top.
IMG_4240 (resized).jpg

Overall, I'm happy with the piece and think it will do well to protect the hole from excessive damage.

Edit: Because I've been asked a couple of times now where I got this -- https://mantispinball.com/product-category/rick-and-morty/

epthegeek - I think I have another new bug to report. I still am not sure if this is the right place to report these, so I will also send this info to your email which I think is in this thread somewhere. Also, I am not sure if debug logs help at all when the game doesn't crash.

Summary:
During gromofolite MB, the scoop switch becomes inoperative and the scoop stops ejecting. There is no ball search and the game essentially is stuck.

How to reproduce:
I am not sure. I have seen this two times now and only on the latest code. In both cases I was running a mode (moonmen the first time, total rickall the second) and the MB simultaneously. For the most recent example, I started the MB and the mode at the same time (can't remember if this was true for the other time, but I think it was). The MB/mode started while in a dimension. In the recent example, I changed dimensions during as well. Sometime during play a ball would go into the scoop and then just never come out. The game continues to run otherwise. It's hard to remember exactly what's going on when it stops working, but it seems to me the ball getting stuck in the scoop coincides with draining a ball down the middle (no outlane switch triggers). So perhaps there is a scenario when both happen simultaneously, some kind of race condition is exposed. I can imagine this will be tricky to find.

Other Notes;
Since I had seen this before, I was a little more prepared to run a few experiments. While the game was stuck in this state, I pulled the glass off and tested a few other switches. They all worked fine. Thinking about it more, I probably should have confirmed that I was testing switches that share the same switch board to see if it was a serial communication loss with the whole board. I then pulled all the balls out of the game (this time I had managed to get 3 balls trapped in the scoop) and manually manipulated the scoop switch. It did not trigger. I then lifted the playfield and manipulated the switch from below, it didn't trigger. I went directly from game stuck to switch test and without changing anything, I confirmed that triggering the switch in the same way showed correct behavior in the switch test. I also went into switch test immediately after my first time seeing this bug and also confirmed the switch was registering as expected. To me this rules out flaky hardware.

@epthegeek, I was switching between the "Original" and "Default" Flipper Hold settings and come across an interesting (and repeatable) glitch.

When I first power up R&M on "Default" Flipper hold settings, my flippers buzz at a low frequency and are prone to knockdowns. The following is the sound of the left flipper hold, then the right flipper hold:

But if I:

1. Exit to Settings
2. Change to "Original" Flipper Hold setting
3. Start a game
4. Exit to Settings
5. SWITCH BACK TO "DEFAULT" Flipper Hold setting
6. Start a game

Then my flippers buzz at a much higher frequency, they have excellent power and absolutely no knockdowns. I am also able to make the garage shot with no difficulty at all. Listen to this:

I would love to keep this as a default setting, it's fantastic! But once the machine is power cycled, it goes back to the low frequency buzz and spastic flippers on the default setting.

So for those of you who are still on "Default" Flipper Hold settings (particularly those of you claiming to have no issues) which of these two clips sounds more like YOUR machine?

Also, could the frequency of the flipper buzz help as some sort of baseline from which we can compare our machines? Just wondering if all machines behave the same for this variable.

My flippers were starting to flutter last night, made shots pretty frustrating because you'll get a light tap and send the ball into an outlane. Opened it up this morning and adjusted the EOS switches like manadams showed. Played a couple really good games this morning without the flutter.

I just love how well balanced this game is, the 15 second ball save digital display, the pop bumper slam save, the somewhat easy to build up multiball, the meeseeks add-a-ball, the antigravity outlane save. You never really feel like you got cheated, there are so many ways to keep the ball alive so long as you know what you're doing.

Are you guys lining up your flippers to the toothpick holes, or the ball guide?

If toothpick, with or without rubber on?

After keeping them at the factory position for months I just last week played with this. IMO, a no-rubber toothpick setting was too far the other way from how they came from the factory. Not that the game was unplayable, it wasn't and I'm sure I'd get used to them but I decided to split the difference and give it a while.

Looking at it now, the outer edge of the rubber is lined up directly above the toothpick hole but this means that if one was to use a toothpick (with the rubber in place) it would push them up more, closer to how they came from the factory so I'd call it still less than factory but not what we think of as true toothpick alignment. Game has been shooting fine, and while I haven't tried much, I have noticed that I can sometimes still backhand the right ramp. The shot I'm making now more than before - by a noticeable amount, is the tight u-turn shot on the right side. Before, I could and most often never would make that other than by accident or due to a ricochet.

Just watched your video. Is the flipper spring stock? The stronger the spring, the more it'll want to pull down the flipper and the more coil strength (higher PWM setting) it'll take to hold it up, which of course generates more heat.

- Gerry
https://www.multimorphic.com

I'm guessing they're stock, first owner may have changed them but I doubt it.

Ok - it looked unusually large to me. Maybe an optical illusion.

- Gerry
https://www.multimorphic.com

This is a really good observation Gerry. I have a harder time with drop catches on this game. My thought has always been that the return springs seem stronger than other games and it messes with my timing. Interesting...

Maybe I'll try replacing the spring now and see if that does anything. I'll report back.

Can someone who is having no problems hitting the left ramp and has not changed the alignment of their flippers, send a photo so I can see where they are lined up.

I mean, it is pure speculation on my part. I haven't checked anything to confirm. But it tickled my brain when Gerry asked the question. The last thing we need is another rabbit hole to chase

One thing right away is that the spring is much wider than a Stern or B/W part.

Anyone know if maybe these are the wrong springs that are currently on?

I recently had an issue with Stern where they were using the rubber pads from the VUKs on the flippers by accident.

So just asking.

Also, can anyone post a pic overhead of their flipper position? Thanks!

PXL_20210424_204507393 (resized).jpg

Where my flippers currently are...

PXL_20210424_210433516 (resized).jpg

Yours are a bit higher than mine. On the left, I basically have it eyeballed so that the flipper rubber is right at where the alignment hole starts. The right flipper I have it maybe 1mm higher than that. This wasn't quite where they were from the factory. I dialed these in to prioritize the right orbit (from the left) and backhanding the right ramp (from the right). I am really happy with how my game shoots.

20210424_141201 (resized).jpg

It looks like Spooky has used bigger/beefier springs which may explain at least part of the problem everyone is having.

Yeah I noticed the stronger return spring when adjusting the flippers back in the day... I'll swap some WMS springs onto my mechs and see if that changes how they play.

What confuses me is how some peopysay the game shoots great, and others like me, can't even play because I can't get the ball up the left ramp.

Here are videos of the EOS setting (I've altered it) and a slow-mo of me shooting the ball from the cradle. On this shot, it goes up the ramp right to the peak, and rolls down, as 90% of my shots do.

Is anyone else having a problem not being able to shoot the left ramp, or is my game a complete lemon?

I've never pulled the glass out more on a game, especially one I've had for 3 weeks!

Thanks

Your EOS gap could be smaller like the thickness of a credit card. Try swapping out the spring with the smaller Bally/Williams one also, maybe on to something here with Spooky stock springs being too restrictive.

The “higher” frequency is likely the original pattern; it’s basically doubletime compared to the new “default”. I’m not sure why it would have stuck on “original” even though you changed it. I’ll look into that I guesss.

Your right flipper looks almost 1/4" higher than mine. This would definitely effect making the left ramp. I make the ramp with ease, but I also moved the ramp over a tad (centering it wrt the cutout that it was designed to fit into).

IMG_3757 (resized).jpeg

Fixed my weird flippers. They would double and random flip when the ball would hit them hard if the flipper was up. Before the last update they were dropping with hard ball hits. I left everything default...just did a good adjustment to the EOS.