Awesome game - most reviews from people that have played the new code more than handful of games are very positive. The unflaterring reviews don't know what they are talking about or don't like zombies

I think a lot of the initial reviews were based on the poor quality of theme integration. I'm a huge fan of the TWD show and I put a lot of time on a routed pro version with the intent to buy, but it was on early code. I ended up not buying one and IF I rated it, it would not be very high at all. Luckily, unlike a lot of reviews, I don't rate a game on early code.

RobT speaks very highly of the pin on new code and him and I usually like all the same pins close to equally (except xmen and STLE lol). But, Lyman is sterns best programmer for a reason - he can take a botched license and make it a gem. I can't wait to give the game a second chance on the new code. And FWIW; I hear the LE/prem is now much better than the pros with walker bombs.

The game is challenging and it can drain often at times. So this style isn't for everyone. TWD is not alone in this way as it has been reported in many recent/new games, especially Stern over the last years. But if you like what you see in your TWD play it only gets better in reported experience, with more play and especially in home use. It rewards good/clean shots and strategic play. The game is very deep and is now programmed with multiple avenues to go for big scores. With some time to understand the rules and objectives it becomes easier to follow. It also has a ton of mods and tweaks available, and is coded by lyman/god. TWD really has a lot going for it, especially that one-more-game feel. And when it gets going, the intensity from the multiballs/stacking/light shows/music/shaker/etc is reported by many to be second to none. I agree.

My experience has led me to consider the pinball ratings on this website garbage. Too many people gaming the ratings, vendettas/agendas on pinball manufactures, new vs old game wars, etc. Trust what you find you like above any comments. Some of the early and loud denouncers of TWD now report really enjoying the game, and have even purchased it.

I own the LE and there seems to generally be more love for it, though there are still a lot of people who dump on it. The early reviews were also very negative. It seems TWD machines have generated some strong negative feedback as well as opposing opinions, more than many other machines I've seen in recent memory. There are some other differences in coding beyond the walker bombs that make the LE/Prem stand out over the Pro. Funny, many people early on crapped on the LE/Prem but now many people love it. The added unique Lyman coding to the LE/Prem is appealing in game play for sure.

The only thing on the Pro I'd want to know before buying is if the pops STDM is a non-issue. Early on people complained left and right about STDMs in play on TWD machines, usually in the Pro and in routed machines. Not so much at all on the LE/Prem model. It took a while for owners to get through to the community that STDMs are not an issue with proper setup and levelling. This was acknowledged multiple times on the LE/Prem (not surprising as those are often home use), but less so on the Pro. I don't have any Pro experience and there isn't much on the forum here in the way of STDM pro issues being fixed from earlier posts, though there is not much talk of it still being an issue either. Still, I think I read a recent Pro review again mentioning pops STDM issues.

Adding to the negative vibe of TWD machines on this forum, many people have complained early on about various issues with the game, from STDMs (prison, well walker, pops) to ramp issues (airballs, poor flow), and slingshot issues (airballs); generally in routed machines. Well set-up machines play well as reported by owners here. Most owners, including myself have none of these problems (most owners posting here are home use machines). Ignorance about pulsing the magnets hasn't helped. A ramp or a feature may need to be adjusted, but nothing out of the ordinary in general pinball machine ownership. Various outlane and drain mods are available as well, though many people don't bother.

I think TWD can be a keeper for sure. It has the best DMD animations noted by many, it is one of the few truly adult-themed pinball machines ever available, the theme based on zombies has big cross-cultural appeal, and see the first paragraph again.

And have you seen the pinball news TWD Pro review Pro out last month? Very positive. http://www.pinballnews.com/games/walkingdead/index5.html

I mean, the thing is it's really simple: some people like different games. I think TWD obviously has something going for it since there's a group of people who totally love it. But lots of people don't. The question is, which group are you in? They're both valid, just different tastes. (or experiences with code versions)

Only one way to find out. Play it!

Alternately, does anyone know if there's a gameplay video out there with the latest code and a decent player?

Hell, I'd like to see it myself, I've only played on the original code. But I didn't like how it shot, so I'm not really sure that's gonna change. Prefer my Metallica and Tron anyways in the Borg department, and I wouldn't want a third one of his recent games. He has a distinct style, and while his games don't all feel the same, they're kind of in a certain similar category of play. When you only have space for 10 pins it's good to keep some variety IMHO.

This is so well put, exactly how I feel, I just couldn't find the words.

I could do the video................oops, didn't see that heinous "decent player" criteria. For that reason, I'm out.

It's a unique pf layout, great pin rewards for the player who tries to play the pin as opposed to the player who just shoots randomly.

There is a reason Lyman has worked so hard on this one. It's in his personal collection.

Stern did initial marketing damage on license screwups, which omitted voices Lyman originally had setup in code. Wouldn't read much in reviews as this pin is a long term winner, not a one shot horse and pony show. Pin is a strong candidate for home collector.

I had no time for this game after the initial poor reviews and the artwork on the playfield just didn't grab me.....then I actually played it. WOW. It was a unique playfield layout (as underlord said) and I liked the difficulty. I just kept coming back for more. I have been out of town twice now and went out of my way to play this game on location. Definite contender for my pinball collection. I loved the DMD animations as well.

It's a frustrating difficult game that I can't stop playing for the last 7 months

The LE/Premium extras are:

- Well Walker Magnet
- Bicycle Girl lift ramp & bash target
- Crossbow - (laser pointer is now available)
- 2 Spinners
- Woodbury Drop Target
- Zombie Bombs - lockdown bar button
- RGB Color Changing Insert lights
- Zoned LED Lighting
- Fish Tank w/ Zombie Heads

IMO these features are worth the upgrade - the WW magnet, BG, Crossbow and Zombie bombs all add to the "survival" immersion.

Popularity at my house for recent Sterns: Tron > TWD > IM > Metallica > AC/DC > ST
TWD has been getting the most love from the better male players, but loses to Tron when adding in less skilled players and many women don't like the theme.

I would say there is NO WAY teh LE is worth it but maybe the premium. I really think the BG ramp on the LE/prem ruins the feel of the game and was poorly designed. Aside from that the prem features are cool but not worth the mark up. The pro plays very clean and is super fun. I guess walker bombs are a nice thing, but also think there is a good chance we will see those intergrated into the pro in some form with one of the next 2 code updates.

In more general terms "why is the new code fun"?

I love the on the fly decision making. Things change very rapidly on TWD and it really is a 1 ball game > meaning at anytime you can have 1 ball and just blow it up. Stacking BB with well walker along with a lucrative mode on top of BGramp plus get teh 2x pf multiplier plus build up your inlane X value and then cash it in at the exact right time.

new TWD has lots of choices on how to attack the game. Add on the 2x pf and inlane X and strategy on the fly just skyrockets.

In short that is what I really like about teh current code.

What would I like to see on future code updates?

Walker bombs on pro.
2x pf and inlane X also go towards walker kills. This will add more strategy to using them and provide a much better chance of making it to last man standing (I think me personal best is 59 kills?)
Crossbow needs to be dialed down a bit
Siege? what is that? still no idea. I think you have to do really well on Prison to unlock it? Either way I think that needs to be dialed down slightly also to be more achievable.
More dedicated combo rewards (for example if I hit tunnel, right ramp, woodbury then I want a special reward) (if I hit left ramp, left ramp, left ramp, and THEN barn I want something special) (also uniquie combos with cool awards).
More mode stacking, but just a little. Would be great to more easily stack 2 or 3 modes (BG, CDC, BARN, and RIOT all at once would be awesome scoring opportunities and challenging but I do not think this is currently possible)

Walker bombs on a Pro make no sense. How would you activate the bomb with only 2 flipper buttons? The only way to do it would be to add an extra button. Going with your mentality that the Premium/LE is not worth the upgrade, why would Stern want to lower the value of the upgrade by adding more to the Pro? Especially a feature that would require physically modifying the machine.

You can make lighting Siege easier by lowering the requirements in the menu. I think the default is 12 Jackpots, so just lower it to 6 or 8.

I would not want to stack the modes on top of each other more. Part of the fun is having to focus on the active mode, stacked or not stacked with multiball. Stacking CDC + BARN + RIOT would just be too much. You can stack BG with anything/everything already.

I agree with you. Modes represents situations that occur within the Walking Dead Universe. There is not a barn adjacent to the CDC when the characters are having to fight for their lives. There is not a Prison Riot Guard pouring out of the tunnels.

Each mode represents a moment in time when survivors have to overcome a serious situation. Keeping them separate is the best way to integrate the TWD Universe, IMHO.

Marcus

easy >> outlane switch triggered during Horde; if walker bombs in storage and both flipper button hit simultaneously, then iniate walker bomb. There are plenty of easy ways to utilize the walker bombs with zero modification to the physical machine.

I understand that many LE owners are very defensive about the extra dollar they spent, but form Sterns point of view if they want to sell more of the greater selling model (the pro) then this is an easy thing to add that only takes a small amount of code to implement and no added physcial cost to machine parts or labor on the line. There was no expectation of this being in the game from onset and they managed to sell all the LEs based on the list of added physical features. Nobody is buying a LE just for walker bombs, that is for sure. Better business is to make more of your customers happy rather than being concerned with some feeling they are jipped because someone with a pro model can intitiate a walker bomb...

good point but based on how little siege is accomplished they should just adjust the default down in the code.

did not know that as I have never seen the show. Just a pinball game to me and I would like to stack more since this is already a "stack" style of play. It does not need to be easy to do these stacks but the game could add more depth and strategy by making it possible. Also very easy to code for a turn off stacking for people that are more interested in staying true to the show rather than concerned with variety of game play options.

another thought... On the LE I assume you only use walker bombs when your last ball is draining during Horde? If that is the case then the button press itself is not even needed.

Just have an "If walker bombs in storage during horde and 1 ball in play and outlane switch triggered then use all wlkaer bombs" woudl do the trick.

Walker bombs are used for much more than just Horde. They are similar to Troll Bombs on MM or Monster Bombs on Monster Bash. Once you have qualified a bomb, you can activate it when you want. It simulates a successful shot on the target.

So if you have a Well Walker Bomb, you can use it to complete a shot on the Well Walker. You could use it to start Multiball. But you could also use it just to advance your attacks on the well walker.

Same for prison mode. The Prison Walker Bomb advances the Prison mode. If you use it for the last shot, you will start your multiball. Or you can use it to simply remove a shot.

The choice to use or not use the bomb is part of the strategy of TWD. Having all bombs go off when you drain defeats the purpose of the spirit of the walker bomb.

Marcus

OK, then Lyman could code like I suggested before. Create a button hold/press combination that triggers the bombs.

Something as simple as holding one flipper button for x and then hitting the other x times rappidly would work. Plenty of simple ways it could be coded into the pro which would not be an issue.

I originally ignored this title because of the bad reviews. Then I had a chance to play a PRO and I really liked it. I played it some more and decided to purchase a Premium.

I have had the Premium for a little while now and I love it. It is definitely a keeper. The code is great, the shots are challenging, the light show is awesome, and it just has a great vibe to it. Like you are in a battle to survive against zombies. I think this is one of the things I like most about the game. There is a story and you are in a battle.

I also have AC/DC Premium, and as much as I like it, I feel like the lack of story progression holds back my enthusiasm for the game. That's just me - I like games that progress a story/modes.

As far as the call-outs, I don't mind them at all. I know a lot of people have complained that the voices are not the actual actors. I even tried the modded code that adds in the sounds from the show. As great a job as was done on those mods, I actually went back to the original official Stern code. For me it just was better integrated.

The post above about Pinside ratings is spot on:

If you like the game, that's all you need. No one should tell you what is a "good" game or a "bad" game.

It is definitely a keeper for me.

Twd pro people love it !! People hate it !! Witch side are u on ?? Personally its my funnest pin / holy grail pin the pro is fast its crazy light shows are amazing and has that one more game effect

As much as I agree with your previous posts, and as a premium owner I would have no hard feelings if Stern added this feature to the pro... I still have a feeling of doubt that it will be added. If I were to buy a pro now I would buy under the assumption that the bomb feature would never happen for me.

IMO any "special" flipper combination (for Walker Bombs or anything else) is not a good idea. When you are playing you don't want to do special flipper combinations in the middle of all the other flipping you do. Additionally, you could very easily flip the special combination unintentionally while playing (like hitting both flippers).

The exception would be holding in a flipper button long enough to initiate something special - like the Extra Info screens. This wouldn't work well for a game play feature that is meant to be fast and interactive. For example - I'll stop my ball now -> hold the button long enough to activate the special feature and use my walker bomb. That would be a decent amount of extra work (coding) for a pretty lame feature that would slow down game play and make the game less fun.

Also - the coding effort would be even more significant, because you'd have to add DMD notifications of when Zombie Bombs are available. The current notification is simple -> the button lights up.

And More - an unknown/hidden flipper combination is a bad idea, because it's complex and no one will even know it exists - unless it gets publicized on pinside and you happen to read about it. Special flipper combos are better reserved for hidden Easter Eggs - not game play.

Sorry for all the text - not trying to rant or anything, but there are just so many reasons why this is not a good idea.

You could put an option in the menus to enable the "Start" button for walker bombs. You would have to make it so players would have to "Long press" the start button (Hold 3 seconds) to add players or to restart a game so that those things wouldn't be done inadvertently while you're bombing walkers. This shouldn't be the default option and would likely not work well on route (may confuse players) but for home buyers this would be a cool option to have.

T7 >> I think your are trying to make it much too complicated as a desire to lobby against the Pro getting walker bombs??? If you like the feature, you should be thinking of ways to get it into the PRO is my opinion.

There are numerous flipper combinations that are rarely hit in normal play in a specific time frame. It is relatively simple to state something like "flip R +L 2x in .2sec = walker bomb. This couls also EASILY be added to a DMD animations to teach people about it.

There are also many ways to use insert lights not commonly used when walker bombs are present. Forexample, use the "40" walkers killed insert. Make it flash when walker bokmbs are present. Reality is that the 40 walkers insert is rarely needed. killed 42 walkers, then light the 40 and the 2. Killed 42 walker and have a bomb, then the 40 flashes.

Another insert of possible use would be to flash the "bit" inserts. Flash L only means 1 walker bomb. Flash both means 2 or more in cue.

It really is quite simple to code this in if Lyman desired to do so. The question remains, if he desires to do so. Being that he is a player if the wlkaer bomb code adds substaintially to the game play (most LE owners sure seem to think it does) then I would think he will want to add it to the pro.

This is another great idea for how it could be used/coded!

You would not even need the "long press" to be coded. Just set the priority in the code that "if walker bomb in cue, then start button ONLY eleigble to be used for walker bomb" "if no walker bomb in cue, then start button can restart game"

Sorry, but I'm a software engineer and these ideas fall into the areas I try to steer clients away from because the feature would be some form of "hack" because the hardware doesn't match up and the result would be kludgy and non-intuitive. I understand having a pro and wanting to get every game play feature, but IMO this would be a waste of development resources. It would be better to focus on the rest of the game/rules - like a great Last Man Standing, improving Crossbow Multiball or adding a Fish Tank mode.

Regardless - the Pro and the Premium/LE are all great games. This doesn't break the pro at all, it's just one small feature.

Stern made the outlane virtual kickback for Star Trek pro.

W/B long before

Williams and Bally long before? What do you mean?

I picked up a pro yesterday.

I've had lots of games on it prior to owning, but never really got to hear the game.

After one day of ownership, my initial impression is I'm impressed Stern put out the $'s to have George W. do all the callouts.

The sound mod is absolutely in my near future.

I just meant W/B had the virtual kickback in the 90s. I see now that really isn;t relevant to what you were saying, my bad.

I think that a kickback is kind of against the theme and feel of play for this one. I would certainly benefit from one on that God damned Grand Canyon known as the left outlane, but I'd rather keep it brutal. Oh hi there left drain #5938270000. I figured you'd be here soon

I don't think he was recommending it for twd, I think he meant it is an example of a code change without the initial hardware. As well as they used the "T" light flashing as the signal of it being lit.

They really needed to do that on ST and it made perfect sense, because you had the 2 "Shield" targets with interactive lights that did nothing on the Pro. Kind of an obvious misstep on that one until they fixed it by adding the virtual kickback.

Well, instead of kickback you could call it an amputation, and thus still play/live after a drain/bite

You make a valid point. The brutal outlines are hard to get mad at since the entire game structure is trying to kill you. 'Every good shot is the one that keeps us alive!' I'm paraphrasing here but there you go.

I got upset at TWD at first and thought about modifying the outlanes, but kept them as is. I'm much better at body checking my pin now.

Play with one flipper. Left drain amputates left flipper .lol .. i like it.

That would be cool!

Call it "Tourniquet Ball Save" with a "Tourniquet Hurry Up mode"...

- If you have a tourniquet, and get bit (lose the ball down the side) -> you use the tourniquet (not in multiball)
- Ball gets kicked out (tourniquet applied)
- Flipper on side you got bit goes dead
- You are now in "Tourniquet Hurry Up" - with 1 dead flipper and 1 shot lit and a timer count down
- You have to hit the one shot to get back to normal (both flippers), before the timer runs out
- If the timer runs out, you die (other flipper goes dead) - lose the ball and get your bonus

It would be like you are wounded on whichever side you got bit on, and the hurry up is required to save your life and restore your health (by restoring the dead flipper).

+1
I wish stern would implement something like this. I don't own a WOZ but the "no place like home" and "TOTO" features are something I really admire.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!!!!

That is so very brilliant. I love it.

Welcome to the club. It's a satisfying thing when you get your ass handed to you on your first several plays, and then start to hit those smooth ramp shots/combos on a regular basis, start getting higher and higher scores and then every once in a while it humbles you by kicking your ass.

I have my pro for a couple days now as well.

Fun, brutal game for sure.

The sound mod is a definite improvement as well. Well done.

As far as strategy goes, it's seems pretty simple to me.

All you have to do is:
Start Blood Bath
Start Prison
Start Riot
Start 2X Playfield
And then hit a couple Riot shots.

It's that easy, lol.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/walking-dead-le-sound-replacement-v-09