i misunderstood than, was thinking you did beat BC with 6 hits...

Aha, that makes more sense! Sad to say, in 15 or so months of ownership, I have YET to get past Black Castle. I can get there about 1 out of very 5 or 6 games, but I just can't get past it. I will eventually, tho!

we're OK now
sad that Tim did not tweak his code (even if of course he surelly think it is as it has to be !)

i've beaten BC because pin on which i did it was very friendly with the tilt setting (operator pin), else i would not have done it, let's admit...
good luck !

Keep going - you'll get there! I've owned my Pro for two years now and only defated Black Castle 4 times. When you consider I've put in over 1800 games, it's not a strong conversion rate

To beat Black castle, I think it's 17 hits on the Pro using default settings (not sure on the prem / le models).

Complete the 3 center targets (flail, knight & shield), which then lights 4 shots (left scoop, left orbit, lock target, right orbit).

Repeat that 4 times (16 hits).

Shield then lifts - hit the VUK behind the shield to complete - (17 hits).

I don't mind a challenging final battle (and Black Castle is one of my favorite battles in the game), but it's more about luck than skill to survive. I've lost count of the times I've drained on the first few shots because of a an unlucky deflection from 1 of the 3 most dangerous shots. Then you have to start all over again... Thanks Tim.

Owned for a few weeks now and still fav pin in collection; just perfect pinball. Bought it with very low plays and zero issues till last couple days.

Now having issues with flail getting stuck nearly every game, as of recent, making it fairly unplayable as center lane is completely blocked. It happens when the fail is vertical and gets smacked, it pushes it back a bit and then gets permanently stuck until a mode starts that would spin it… but modes are largely blocked without registering a shot up center lane. What could I be looking at to fix this?

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Check the 6 screws holding the metal ramp in place. They may have loosened, lifting the ramp up enough to connect with the flail.

Ah that would make sense, but I’ve looked very closely and it certainly does not look like the flail makes contact with ramp; there’s still a good amount of gap there.

If there's a gap then it's not likely to be the case. But maybe there's some movement during play, so try tightening the screws anyway just in case.

It would be worth lifting the playfield (with the machine off and balls removed from the trough) and make sure there's nothing interfearing with the flail assembly below the playfield (e.g a wire / cable getting in the way). While you have the playfield up, check the connector going to the small opto PCB attached to the flail assembly. Also check the connector running from the flail motor.

Another thing to look at is the flail test. Open the service menu, select diagnostics, select B.K and select flail motor test.

Using + and - buttons on the coin door you can test the motor movement in forward / backward directions and at different speeds.

Doing this test may make it easier to see if something is getting in the way of the flail.

Another thing worth checking are the two opto switches on the ramp (one in front of the flail and one behind it). Go into the switch test mode and make sure both of those are operating correctly too.

Geez, these are some super-awesome-thorough leads - cheers!

Nothing to do with your flail, but change those rubbers, I never seen a machine with low plays and those beaten up rubbers on the posts (other than JJP GRN

Ah, good call, didn’t even notice! Have never changed rubbers before (new pin owner as of 45 days ago). I think I’d like to change all rubbers as there’s these orange silicone looking bands on flippers, slings, etc. (Titans?) and they are so mushy/floaty. Post passing is near impossible on this pin. I’m assuming buying factory rubbers is easy at a parts/mod store?

Oh, one other question. I notice on the center target and to a much lesser extent the catapult lock target, that I need to hit it dead on and with force to register, and I mean dead on. Is this normal?

The stock BK came with Superbands. My LE came with glossy post rubbers not the normal dull black rubber ones. The slingshots are normal rubbers. I changed them ones to silicones to go back to the originals since they bounced way too much.

Question - is there an add-a-ball for the retro BK multiball? (On premium/LE)

If there is, I don’t know what it is.

rd

(Added “retro” for clarification)

On the Premium it's the drop target on the left lane that takes the ball back to the upper PF...you hit it once and it lights it, hit it the 2nd time and it adds a ball. This is for both MBs the Knight's challenge and the catapult.

Phoebe

The center target shifts to the right slowly over time. It will be stuck against the small rubber just to the right of it. Lift the field. Loosen the two screws, alight it, and CRANK down those screws. It happened to me about 4 times until I said the heck with it and really wailed on the screws. Hasn’t moved in many months.

Hi ya Phoebe!

Yeah, that adds a ball for the main MBs but doesn’t seem to for the Retro BK mbs.

Maybe the retro MBs don’t have an add a ball?

rd

I don't believe there is an add a ball for the first retro mode.

The second retro mode (BK2K) is a timed mode with unlimited ball save, so there won't be one there.

Yeah sorry Dave I didn't see the "retro" part of your question!! So ^^^what he said!!!^^^ There isn't an add-a-ball for either retro mode...

Phoebe

Okay so I played this pin at a local store (they had a seriously overpriced LE there for sale) and fell in love with it. I have been looking around online and have been a bit shocked to find it not being offered anywhere, even for preorders.

Is Stern not reproducing this game at all anymore?

If not, it seems odd since they are reprinting older pins (IE Jurassic Park and Iron Maiden).

I don't believe they are. It's a 2019 game that didn't really sell very well. JP and IM appear to be doing much better for them. Not surprising with JP, and IM is just such a good game, I'm not surprised there either. Kinda like Metallica which they made for 47 years lol

Sadly for a lot of people I think BKSOR will end up just being a forgotten game and will never truly get the acclaim it deserves. Too damn many games coming out these days certainly doesn't help imo.

Sure as shit, stuck on right rubber - thanks!!

The flail motor test doesn’t appear to work, I select it and it does nothing.

Ah, I needed to hold in the coin door high voltage safety switch to test.

Holy shit yo, this was it! The tests showed that it was in fact hitting the ramp. Screws ended up being quite a few turns loose, and after tightening, barely touches ramp now, and certainly doesn’t get stuck.

Easiest fix ever - you da real MVP!!

Oh really??? Interesting. This would be my first time playing with superbands then; how the hell do you post pass with it? It jumps more than it should, hits the other sling and comes back to same flipper.

This pic is superbands then?

That's good news! Now, get back in there and defeat the Black Knight!

God, you won’t believe this. After a few games I defeated all monsters and saw the purple lightning bolt for the first time, which I can only assume is BK. Missed my first two shots cause I’m amped up and the third shot I hit and he seemingly threw the shield down to block; is this a thing? Seconds later I drain… FAHK….

But then in later games, the flail stuck again. Tightened down screws once again and all good. So I obviously need to put down blue loctite or this will become “a thing.”

that's the BK ultra-secret trick to f*ck the player !!! well done to have discover this new easter egg

mainly STERN fault
this pin could be another gem, the perfect last piece of the trilogy, but...

(a cab magna save button, and Tim polishing the code)

I want a pro, but not for sale NIB in nothing parts, and the second hand 6200€ HUO

I no longer like Easter

That seems a bit harsh. I agree, I get the feeling the sales were not close to those of the more modern IP licenses.. however, the game definitely has a stable following by stronger players.. relative rarity will only increase desirability, and it's a serious a$$ kicker, I know I am preaching to the choir, but I don't think a game with such a great toy, music, art, rules and so forth will be forgotten by any serious players.

I must day though, and may be pitching to

This would do it. I must admit, of all my pins, I play BKSOR 95% of the time. It’s just… perfect (almost). It knows what it is and executes perfectly. I can’t imagine any other pin that’s more pinball-incarnate than BKSOR.

I don't mean it to be harsh -- I *love* my BKSOR premium. It's not going anywhere unless someone basically forces my hand with an absurd offer (that goes for basically everything I own). I just have heard all sorts of "meh" type opinions on BKSOR, primarily from casuals/players who aren't super serious. I agree, I think those who are skilled pinball players can derive a whole lot of joy from this game. Casuals (like myself) can also, with a bit of a learning curve. But for those who aren't willing to put in a bit of time to get up to speed, it's one that I could definitely see dunking on them 2-3 times in a row and they never touch it again. The split between Pro vs. Prem/LE doesn't help, either, as that just further splits opinions and can make it harder to sell one vs. the other.

I don't see BKSOR ever slipping to bargain-bin pricing, but due to the fact that it offers such a split between players across varying skillsets (and more or less dropping off those who are...well..bad at pinball) I just don't personally see it being a title that commands the kind of attention that would keep value way up there for years and years and years (See: Metallica), and similarly one that can be a bit difficult to sell at times. Those who know...know. And they'll keep it relevant in the scene. Because it really is a great game.

This is all just my opinion, certainly not something I'm pushing as 'fact' (aside from the poor sales figures which I've heard repeatedly so I think those have a bit more merit than being just my opinion -- but it's not like I can PROVE that, either).

No, BK did not come with superbands for the flippers or other usual rubber. I think he was referring only to the small post rings around the center shots. Those are a slightly different design and may be silicone (possibly even superband brand, not sure). Not the first time Steve Ritchie has used those...I think my Star Trek had them too (or maybe SW? Can't remember for sure). But the flippers, etc are good old regular rubber.

As for post passes, that isn't always a function of rubber type (though it can help/hurt). Some games just aren't as easy as others to do it on.

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For sure, I was just responding to this part:
"Sadly for a lot of people I think BKSOR will end up just being a forgotten game and will never truly get the acclaim it deserves."

Game is just too good (both flavours) with a strong following of decent players to be forgotten... but I guess we'll see how it ages in a few more years.. so far so good..

I hope I'm wrong! I'm always happy to see other people pop up randomly on FB speaking highly of bksor. I think it's a great game and easily the best in the series (imo)...although BK2K still stands out to me as the best sfx/music pin of all time.

lol . Yeah, I have to say, I think retro-mode is my favourite. I try really hard to keep that mode going when the music is playing.. I dream about trapping up after the ball save is over and just rocking out to it..somehow, I just drain a bit too quickly on that one.

BK2K mode is definitely my favorite, at least from what I've hit, even though it's not QUITE as cool as BK2K itself. It's definitely very short lived for me lol.

BKSOR is still *easily* the best of the three games as far as I'm concerned. Truly a great game.

Ransom (BK2K) mode can't be short lived...it's timed with unlimited balls! Then again the time limit is never as long as you want it to be!

Such a pain to get to, but what an awesome mode.

This is exactly the issue, but the problem I always have with these sort of tips is that there is no adjustment that can be made. There are two screws with screws holes, not an adjustable slider-hole, so if I loosen the screws, there’s no left to right movement since screws need to stay in their holes. I’d need to putty old holes and create new ones to move it away from rubber contact. What am I missing??

Anyone install powerblades before? I took out the mirror blades, and the powerblades just don’t fit… it’s all the way against back brace but severely overlaps screw/washer and not close to flush?

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There are large holes in the metal bracket of the target. Should be plenty of room to adjust it around the tiny bit you need to, once the screws are loosened. Myself and multiple friends with the game all have had to do this and there’s always wiggle room to adjust it as needed without redoing the holes foe the screws in the wood.

I installed the same powerblades in my BKSOR. I removed the screw and washer and gently trimmed the powerblade to get it to fit properly around the nut that holds the flipper. Be patient and work slowly.

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Man I'm jealous of those. I wanted to order some when they were on sale but they weren't in stock... and I didn't really have the cash anyway. Hopefully eventually.

Thank you!!! But I must say, why is everyone so ok spending oodles of money on a hobby where nothing rarely works 10/10 oob? Fascinating hobby, and I suppose it’s niche enough where everyone can get away with it, but one shouldn’t spend $300 on PB and then have to mod the mod, or need to do these QC fixes on a NIB pin. I don’t care if one enjoys/expects it, cool, you’re old and like to tinker, but… this is just such an interesting hobby where everyone puts up with it and doesn’t demand better. But I guess it’s pinball, you take what you can get from a once dying enterprise, and I get it, I’m fully guilty of it myself. I’ll still pay $8K on NIB Premium cause I want it and will make it work; but doesn’t excuse the QC issues. However this here seems simple… measure, make, deliver; why wouldn’t they make this fit to order?

I keep having lazy shots get stuck here. No issues from hard shots. I haven't taken anything apart yet and it looks like there's some kind of gate there..is it probably just not actuating properly?

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