Lol

I set that interview up.

Dean interviews all sorts of people from huge rock stars to movie stars to comedians to people who make leather belts.

He gets millions of listens per year.

Compare that to the pinball podcasters who boast of “2000 listens!!”

Dean is a fan of pinball from way back ... but not a “Pinside” pinball fanatic like us.

Dean has had Tim from PHOF, Steve from Modern Pinball, Charlie from Spooky, Gary Stern and now Tim on his shows.

Getting pinball out into the mainstream is why I set these things up. More people heard those 5 interviews than all the pinball podcasts added together.

rd

You could definitely tell from his questions/comments that he knows pinball, not necessarily the absolute latest fanatic stuff though. I thought it was a really good interview with great appeal outside our bubble.

I'm not in the club (yet) but after "live happened" and I'd sold my whole pinball collection I'm back in the game, having my eye on BKSoR since it came out, played it on our bowling alley (when it was open) - but never played the Premium/ LE.

So before pulling the trigger I wanted to play the upper playfield Version and man did I never read an explanation of how I personally felt they differ.

I mean, I like my DennisK and ZMeny (who prefer the Pro) and going by video footage I agree that the up tier version has less flow.

But I didn't know why there was a drop on the left lane. I didn't see in the Videos that on the LE, the flail lane is closed after each shot, while you could basically hit it all day on the pro.

So you actually have to fight the Knight, with all these mean short distance shots, to even get to that upper playfield.
That really makes it a "second level" for me. It feels like "I'm in (front of) the castle" or at least have fought my way past the enemy line and can now launch & land my attacks (relatively easy and save as a reward).

I can see that people may not like how it shoots but man, wow, that is some of the best theme integration into the playfield layout (the shots itself) I've ever seen.

Aaand now I have to save up even more money to get a Premium/ LE... XD

To be clear, BKSOR is out of production?

Does Stern have any plans to re-run this? (I assume: not at this time, maybe never).

Does anybody know of any pros available at distros?

Thanks

Yes ("Last Chance" for ordering was last fall).
Your assumption is correct. (No plans yet, as said on FB.)
I know of NIB available Pros (in Austria), but I dunno where you're from.

You're welcome.

thanks Dude...I'm looking in the USA.

Thanks! I've sent off some emails...

Scoring Strategies for Cat' MB?

I'm just wondering how people are attacking Catapult MB.
I have a Wiki rules sheet but it oddly omits Cat' MB. Clearly the only Supers are up in the Cat' lock, but what else should I be doing and what should I do *before* I start the MB? I'm assuming the size of the Supers is determined by the number of Jacks. It seems I can start modes *after* the mode begins, although I could be wrong. I just know that I often have modes running during Cat' MB.

I scored about four hits during Black Castle today - and that's three more than I have ever scored in the past!
Not sure I will ever reach Rage MB. Have you? What kind of music does it have? Is it that crazy track that sounds so fast it's more cartoony than anything? I only know it's there because I stumbled on it in the "Speaker" part of the diagnostics in the Service Menu.

Anyone have a decal that can cover up this chipped off of artwork?

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FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

I *think* Cliffy has a protector that would cover that damage. Look for his DP rail protector.

My game did the same, I was able to hand touch-up the missing color with some hobby paints and then covered with a small piece of mylar - after installing washers under the rail supports to life it off the playfield to avoid any further damage. I can't fathom why Stern hasn't figured out they need to lift these rails a few mm...

Finally in the club!!!
(Still want an LE but this will do for a while. )

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Thanks! I'll look into that. I also bought some jet black vinyl and was thinking about drawing up a spacer I could 3d print that could also double as a concealer.

Edit: Found it. Looks like it would work! http://www.passionforpinball.com/deadpool/DP-katana-2.0-inst001.JPG

They all do this

I'm sorry about your chip. That's a drag. Stern will send you some nail polish if you bring it up to their customer support team. The Deadpool Cliffy is specific to that PF's rail and may not work in this case as the distance to the nearest anchor bolt is different on your game, etc. It's worth telling Cliff about it. He may even be interested in making a prototype for you as there's some chance he could sell these to other BKSOR owners in the future.

If you want to actually repair it, I would de-anchor the rail all the way to the other side of its first elbow, then pull it up and away from the PF so you can work on that spot. You will get little done if you try to do your repair with the rail in place. I would cut away the ragged part of the artwork that rims the "hole" left behind by the chip with an X-Acto Knife and then flow some low-viscosity epoxy into the hole. Make sure the epoxy comes right to the edge of the artwork/clear because it has to create a bond there. Use a wooden match stick to help you push it around while it's still fluid. If you leave it alone for a moment or two before the epoxy sets up, it should lie down nice and flat. If you flow the right amount in there, you won't have to sand at all - and that's important, as sanding/blocking a PF without depopulating it would be a serious challenge. I think you could also use a heavy CA glue, rather than epoxy. If you can find a black epoxy - is there such a thing? - that would spare you the chore of painting your repair.

Chips like this should remind everyone that this game needs chip proofing *before* you put even fifty plays on it. You have to detach the rails from the PF and put #10 washers at each anchor bolt. Smaller washers are less helpful as they force the rail to sit too high above the PF. The rail between the two spinner lanes isn't hard to do, but the rail for the Shield lock is a bear as you have to remove the Black Knight himself. Also, the right-orbit rail is a bear because it requires that you pull the shooter lane ramp(LE), the return ramp(LE) and one plastic. It may be slightly easier to access it on the PRO, but I'm not sure.

Shaker Motors:

Do the shaker cues in BKSOR make a shaker a must-have?
Does it shake for anything apart from jacks, supers, WAR hurry-up completions, and hits to the BK during BC?
Who is running a Pinball Life generic shaker?
Who has the capacitor kit from Stern installed to beat the slam-tilt switch issue?

I was pleasantly surprised with the shaker motor integration on my BKSoR Pro. Relatively subtle, but effective. I have the generic PBL Spike 2 shaker. No idea what you are referring to re: slam tile switch issue?

I'm enjoying the game but the lack of being able to achieve the multiballs sucks. Especially for newer players. I hope in the much much needed NEW CODE they will do something about this.

Play better!

But srsly, it‘s not „that“ hard to reach tripple Knights Challenge, easy to reachCatapult Multiball (not on Pro), and the difficulty to spell „Knight“ to get BK Multiball is adjustable.

I really feel like the pingulp needs to have a disclaimer that reads: "Warning: If you just filled a glass of beer and you happen to be having an animated game, have clorox wipes and towels on standby to clean up the ridiculous sticky mess you will undoubtedly make on your sideart from nudging the sh*t out of your machine!"

I have the pro. The issue is people who are new to pinball or just not that good, loose interest in the game quickly. Especially when it is nearly impossible for them to ever achieve a multiball. The lack of multiball modes in the game makes it even less fun. Generally I am able to achieve the Triple Knights Challenge on a set three ball game. I am not always able to achieve knight mb on a three ball game though. I hope that in the new code they would add another multiball.

Has a code update been confirmed? Or is that just rumor?

Sadly there's nothing official as far as I'm aware. I don't think there's even a solid rumor of one.

Just us hopeful owners wanting to see the game bugs fixed and Tim give the game some much needed polish and improvements.

That's generally the experience at my place. People are attracted to the machine by the name, the art, the music and ofcourse - the topper. But often lose interest quickly due to the difficulty and lack of lower level content they can enjoy while they developing skill on the game.

(

It really should not be that difficult for Tim to add these features (including a new multiball mode) to the new code. Especially since it's not tied to a movie or music license.

The sad thing is, the code is good...there are some really, really good ideas there...especially for Tim's first outing. It is SO close to greatness...but just not quite there, and the things stopping it short are some pretty big things. I think we all had high hopes that Tim's obvious passion for pinball would carry over into his work and he would be the type to really push it over the top into greatness. Unfortunately, so far, he hasn't done that. I really hope he circles back to it and puts it over, but at this point I think it is what it is.

It would be the simplest thing in the world to at least throw the pro a bone and give us catapult multiball. Map light lock to either the drops on the right or standups of the left (prefer right so we have some reason to use the left flipper). Virtual lock at the left scoop (which looks like a catapult anyway). Done. The assets are already done. A few minor tweaks to how the balls lock and relock and you're done. That alone would go a LONG way in our enjoyment and faith in his work. Tweak Black Castle difficulty (at minimum make it carry over to the next ball like every other battle), maybe do some work to the supers system (not sure exactly what, but it needs...something), and it would be great.

To really push it into awesome, I would make at least one of the two crazy difficult to get to multiballs (RAGE and RANSOM) more obtainable. As it is, very few players will ever see either of them, especially not on a regular basis. They are already there and great...make them easier to get to and that would be a big boost to the available content for most players. Or if both stay that difficult, an additional obtainable multiball or similar mini-wizard mode would go a long way. You just can't keep such a big percentage of the "cool stuff" locked so far away from the average player. If there was more easier stuff to do, sure, lock that stuff away. But as-is...it's harsh. Catapult would help the pro hugely, and another 1-2 obtainable modes would help everyone. I consider this stuff optional, but would sure make the game amazing.

If this is Tim's first outing, why did he give up on updating the code so quickly??? Great idea for adding the catapult multiball to the pro. From the onset of owning the BK I always said it need another multiball and more aggression. I would also like to add adult language to the game as well.

Easiest way to get more Ransom and rage multiball is via a mysterie award. That would be easy to get in the code. Tournament mode can leave out these awards. Everybody happy.

I wouldn't go as far as awarding those huge modes directly from a mystery. I would be all for awarding a KNIGHT letter from mystery though, and as an award for other things besides battles and WAR. That would make getting to Retro and then RANSOM much easier. Make it more like TWD multikills. KNIGHT letter for a super skill shot (give me a reason to get it...right now it's a negative since I lose a WAR letter for a few extra points), for so many jackpots in TKC, for so many u-turns, for so many drop target completions, etc. That would be a good option for making RANSOM obtainable. I do not want it to be a gimme, but make it obtainable for the average/good player. I would default to no spotted letters then though, otherwise Retro would be even more of a gimme than it is now.

I think Rage would solve itself by making Black Castle slightly less brutal. Let it carry over between balls and cut down on the sheer number of dangerous center shots needed. Let's face it, those three shots are luck (especially the center standup)...there is very little if any skill in hitting them safely. Maybe only require one "knight shot" per volley of hits instead of all three. Rage should still be very hard to get to, but not the nearly impossible it is now.

Let go TIM it's time to put some much needed love into Black Knight and add the multiball mode!

Thanks for your take. It's encouraging that you're able to use the cheaper PBL shaker without a problem.

The capacitor kit is described here...

https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Stern-ShakerMotorAdvisory.pdf

Interesting. I've had no issues at all with my shaker without that kit. I only bought it last fall though so maybe PBL updated their design or something to avoid the slam tilt issue?

+1
I'm with you 100%! New code *must* include progress carry-over from ball to ball on BC. Every time I drain on BC I am pissed that all that work just went out the window because I had to risk a SDTM drain on any of those uber-dangerous shots! What's more is the fact that BC can't be stacked with any MB (as far as I know), where it could be completed with relative ease.

BK is a hard game in the way you can't miss a shot... this because features are close from the flippers, and all the posts from the ramp to the scoop are more than deadly

else, the pin is easy when talking about code/rules
if i can give you 1 and only 1 advice : you have to learn what to shoot with which flipper (understand that most of the shots are safer in backhand)

I just got to Dark Castle for the first the other day too. Couldn't beat it, but I was doing pretty good.

You can actually listen the music in the dianostics screen. You can also listen to it in DJ Mode, which is much more awesome.

To get into DJ mode:
- Have the latest Game code (version 1.0.2).
- Have the machine set to Free Play.
- In attract mode, hold both flipper buttons down until a menu pops up.
- Use the flipper buttons to cycle the options. DJ Mode is one of the options.

I made a few suggestions for code updates to resolve these problems.

1.) Offer a continue option (I suggested a countdown timer, similar to the one found in Robocop) where all completed modes, KNIGHT letters, and locks carry over to a new game.

2.) Add a new 2-ball multiball mode called Double Knights. This mode is found in the two previous BK tables.

The mode could be activated two ways. The first way is as random reward. The other way will be similar to BK2000's activation by making a couple of U-Turns and quickly hitting the castle upkicker to active it. The "add a ball" light will flash for a short period of time to indicate it is lit.

In the multiball mode itself, spelling WAR each time will net you 1 million points. I suggested using the catapult mb's music for the pro version and the rage mb music for the premium and LE versions.

I’m seriously considering selling my LE. Just can’t get into it as much now. New code tweak would be good but I’m not hanging out for it. Still debating as best topper ever and I’m a huge topper guy but if I’m not playing it well then out they go.

Both suggestions for the new code are excellent. I would enjoy seeing a two ball multiball especially since it was found on the previous BK games. Naming it Double Knights Multiball would just add to the games history. I really hope Tim does something like this when he updates the code. It would really enhance the game and make it more enjoyable.

I saw it asked before but didn’t see an answer. Has anyone done custom apron cards? I’m looking to get some as the standard are not my cup of tea. Thanks!

Have a look at these and see if any grab you:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/custom-apron-cards-printable-versions-only#post-5154072

Are those able to be printed off a home computer? If so what is the size?

I printed mine at home using those, but you need to resize them first.

To resize them, I used a free tool called Inkscape and it's a pretty easy process.

1 - Decide on the apron card images you like best
2 - Open Inkscape
3 - Drag / drop the image on to the page
4 - Left click on the image to select it
5 - Measure the size of your current apron cards
6 - Adjust the width of the image to (I use mm, but you can use cm or inches) to the desired size. Ensure the padlock between width and height is closed so height is adjusted accordingly.
7 - File Menu -> Print.

I printed to gloss photo paper and then laminated.

bksor_inkscape_resize (resized).png

Looks good.

Perfect, thank you!!

New to the club after a few months of waiting. Can't wait to power it on and actually play it! Still haven't actually played bksor but I miss the hell out of the BK2K I once had.

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I was reading up on sound options and it seemed there was some sort of 'retro' option I could select. I thought I did that in the menu but I don't really notice much difference. Did I misunderstand what that is or did I presumably do it wrong?

Polishing the upper was a DISMAL failure but it still looks less awful than it did...I guess. I should probably go ahead and order the $150 replacement from PBL to have in hand for an eventual swap.

Otherwise, today was quite the adventure. But she's in my basement, nestled next to my EBD and playing well again.

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There’s a menu option to select alternate soundtrack. It’s completely different so you’d have noticed.

For the upper play field, what did you try? I assume that paper towel was a wipe down of something else, but hopefully not used on the plexiglass? If you didn’t do this already, try Novus 2 with a microfiber and buff it as best you can given the tough spacing to work in. Then go to the finer Novus 1 and repeat. For me it cleaned it up 75% and no huge swirls like you got there.

I guess 'alternate soundtrack' doesn't say 'retro'. So I probably did notice the difference and it just wasn't what I thought I was getting. Other than the retro multiball (which I've come nowhere near achieving yet) which I understand does play some 'retro' sounds/music/whatever, is that all that serves as any kind of throwback to BK/BK2K? I probably just misunderstood what I read in the update notes, nbd.

I did a quick (GENTLE) wipe with the paper towel as the upper had BLACK dust on the bottom. Then I switched to a microfiber and novus 1, then 2, then I used a headlight power ball / 18V drill and Meguirs ultimate polish. I'm assuming the ball was just...too rough. I probably should have used my DA instead, but it's got 6" pads and I didn't think that was going to do me much good, at least without stripping it COMPLETELY down. It still looks better than it did but yeah.. That sucked.

I see PBL sells new uppers for $150 so I might just buy one to have laying around. Idk. Looks like there's a TON of crap on it to remove and reinstall which looks... Less than fun. I'm fine with it the way it looks--for my personal use--I just would hate to have that be something that tanks the value down the road (I'm NOT looking/planning/considering selling, I just like to keep that in my back pocket, for all of my machines).

Loving the game thus far although it's definitely a mean-spirited bitch! Lots and lots of super quick games...

The whole 'regular' Soundtrack is retro/ a modern version of the BK2K OST plus additional songs for the modes.