For those that have put trees in the game - what did you use to attach them?

Blu tack. Works a treat !

Mine are installed on a lexan platform. Because of that I didn't want them coming off. I used Shoe Goo. Two screws and I can pull out the trees in one piece.

The cartoony Rock Candy one.

After seeing pics of Stranger Things I sure am happy with my decision to get Elvira LE. Just based on the artwork along Elvira is soooo much nicer to look at.

Stranger Things has some interesting features but the artwork doesn’t hold a candle to what Greg Freres did on Elvira (especially the LE). The art has the feel of a Bally game and complements the other two games nicely. Ten years from now Elvira will be seen as a classic from the LCD era just as the previous two games are classics from their eras. Pretty sure Stranger Things won’t age as well.

However I suspect Stranger Things will sell far more copies than Elvira. I don’t know if Elvira games just aren’t really out on location yet but there doesn’t seem to be much general interest/buzz in the game beyond those of us who are old school fans of Elvira and/or the previous two games.

The artwork on the playfield is the same, no?

Yes, playfield art is the same on all three versions. I got the LE because I think the like the cabinet art (and the mirrored backglass) far better than that on the Premium.

This is a few weeks old but has some nice commentary and background by Greg Freres on the game:

I thought the exact same thing. Stranger things, at least the pro version, does not look good at all. Reminds me of one of those “The Pin” home version games. I’m glad I have my Elvira awaiting more code.

We should have code soon. Hearing rumblings of beta tests with a big update. Hoping its tomorrow.

.89 just released!

Looks like two new deadheads and some minor cleanup/tweaks.

V0.89.0 - Dec. 23, 2019
=======================

- Improved loading times for Tilt Warning and Tilt graphics.
- Un Happy Hour and Drive Me Crazy mode timers are reset to 15 seconds
(adjustable) when a shot is made and the timer is below this amount.
The mode will be resurrected if the shot is made during the grace period.
- Removed the moving super jackpot for Wild Women Multiball. The super
jackpot will remain on the center (house) ramp.
- The display effect for completing Trailer Trash (center ramp shot) is
now requested as choreography (stacked behind other effects) so it will
show up after, say, making a jackpot on the center ramp during garage
and trunk multiball.
- Added lamp effects for Crypt 2 & 3 start.
- Cleaned up unused audits
- Record Trunk Lock awards (these were not being recorded).
- Record Hand Of Fate awards (these were not being recorded).
- Record number of Haunts started (so people don't have to add up all of
the individual audits).
- Added Mummy (deadhead) to the Deadhead Family Crypt.
- Improved load time for the Drive Me Crazy background graphics.
- Added speech and lamp effects for Un Happy Hour
- Ignore House Ramp Opto during single ball play after arrival in the House
Lock in case of a rollback.
- Added tilt effects for the haunts. These are requested some percentage
of the time when the game is tilted when a haunt is running.
- Added HSTD for garage/trunk multiballs.
- Display the custom message every pass through the Attract Mode.
- Added Beach Head (deadhead) to the Deadhead Family Crypt.
- Fixed issues with the crypt motor, esp. when the interlock switch disables
the power to the node boards, which results in a loss of communication to
the boards.
- Put House Diverter UP at game over if HOUSE LIT AT GAME START adjustment
is set to YES, otherwise DOWN.

We have been working on a sign mod for the crypt. It's almost ready. Color in one of the pics is pinkish, it's just a test fit, it will match better as shown in other pics. Should be ready in a few days. Will look much better than the stock plastic. It will adhere to the plastic with backing tape so no need to remove the plastic and mess with the rivets.
IMG_20191219_165340 (resized).jpgScreenshot_20191223-194056 (resized).pngScreenshot_20191223-194116 (resized).png

The little tweaks are making the game better and better, but there's one thing still driving me crazy! Speaking of Driving Me Crazy, when I shoot a ball up the house ramp it registers points and seems to do what it should as far as points go... BUT if jackpot or extra ball are lit, it doesn't register and I don't get either one when lit. Anyone else?

To all you owners, can you answer a few questions about Elvira for me.

How does it shoot? Any mech issues or QC issues to be aware of? And how’s the code shaping up? jfh I know your a fellow BM66 owner how is the code, say compared to BM66 Lymans last outing, is it similar at all?

Now I’ve seen Stranger Things I’m seriously considering getting an Elvira, art on Stranger Things is quite simply shit and the games just not blowing me away as I hoped it would, serious lack of features imo.

Game shoots and feels very nice.
Code still has a long way to go but for us there is enough there to keep us going. In Lyman I trust
Our opto mounting screws were loose on the garage, we picked it up and fixed it before we played a game.
Gargoils are super cool.
Haunted House is made out of metal and has plenty of cool lighting inside and out.
Game feels like a 90s BW.
Art on cabinet and playfield is beautiful.
if you like SS you will like 3lvira.

Only downside so far is that the ramp does not go up and down very fast. We have given it a couple of good whacks with the ball and dented it.

For us 3lvira is a winner, we love it.

I’ve had virtually no mechanical issues other than a gargoyle pin coming off, game has been very reliable. No clear coat issues. At first I didn’t think the game would last for me because it seemed so bare and I thought it would repetitive, but it shoots very well. Like stranger things, Elvira is a fan layout, but it doesn’t shoot like one because of the right ramp and crypt. Artwork is great, like scared stiff. The multiballs are done well, no virtual locks. I like the game a lot and it’s only going to get better as code develops.

I think I’m passing on stranger things, I don’t like the way it looks and it’s way too bare, at least at the pro level. A flap coming down to reveal a flower is not what I’d call an interesting toy anode that’s about all it offers.q

Excellent job as usual

Does anyone know what HSTD stands for. Can't figure it out. Just curious is all... I think I'm going to update and wax my game today. Good time to wax it while I wait for the file to download and then wait for it to actually update.

Gotto say I’m often quite critical of mods especially those that really don’t fit into the games style but bravo this is superb!

Easily one of your best mods in a while Ler it’s simple but effective and hands down the best mod for this game so far

Just need something cool and creative for the pop bumper area it’s so empty looking there, how about some sort of creepy water slides for the pool area with creepy trees.

Lermods pinballaddicted thanks for the reply’s, going to get some hands on with both Elvira and Stranger Things at the beginning of the year but I think Elvira is going to be an easy choice, artwork alone is leagues above Stranger Things and the house is friggin cool.

It's Highest Score To Date.

Thanks, we were thinking about the life savers to go over the pops, but house gets in the way and pops aren't that visible. I Iike our tombstone mod for the back area and flying bat.

@pinballaddicted touched on most of the points I would mention.

The game is more fun to shoot than I thought it would be. Almost all of the shots are long and the ramps are incredibly smooth and fast. Some don’t like that they aren’t wire forms but I think the plastic ones are part of what makes it fit in so well with EATPM and SS.

I have not run in to any mech/QC other than typical NIB game adjustments. Like others I had some loose screws (insert pinball collector joke here). I do have an issue with a ball getting stuck frequently at the bottom of the pops but expect I’ll figure that out. The predominant mechanical issue seems to be the cellar ramp shifting to the right. Later production games have a nylon washer which seems to address this. It’s too early to tell if the playfield clear issues are behind us but the clear is noticeably thinner than on other 2019 titles and I haven’t seen any issues (or seen any reported here) yet. Playfield wood seems softer than that from Batman a few years ago so I’ve put a playfield protector on it.

I haven’t played enough yet to know everything that’s in the code but it doesn’t seem quite as deep as Batman was at a similar level. The biggest difference I noticed is that there isn’t anything similar to Parachute Pickup which is a fun mode disconnected from the episode play. I would love to see a mode like that that is something totally different from a haunt. The Haunts are conceptually like Batman episodes but implemented differently and don’t feel similar. Lyman requested specific “Jackpot” inserts and has coded them much like games in the WPC era which is very cool and a nice throwback. It is very evident that Lyman is paying attention to game play detail and that a lot of the little things are getting cleaned up with each release just as he did with Batman. I suspect there is some depth in the game I haven’t seen yet and, based on his comments at Expo, I think Lyman has much more planned for the game.

If your question is also “Is it too similar to Batman?”, I would say no. They shoot very differently; Elvira is a much faster and less nuanced game. Elvira feels like you are playing a deeper more modern version of a 90’s game - doing what Munsters tried to do - and that has a totally different feel than Batman.

I like both themes a lot though I’m a much bigger fan of Batman 66 than the Elvira franchise (if I was forced to keep only one of the Stern games it would be BM66). But I’m very happy with Elvira so far. It is a stunning tribute/compliment to EATPM and SS but also complements Batman 66 well with the campiness and nostalgia better than Stranger Things (which, like Elvira, wants to invoke nostalgia, horror and humor) that feels designed more to take advantage of a hot title than one that will stand the test of time.

Yeah, didn’t really touch on the artwork. Elvira artwork is classic (Greg Freres!) and hand drawn, not some Photoshopped hodgepodge. I’d much rather look at Elvira in my game room than Stranger Things. And the lighting on the house in Elvira during play is beyond awesome.

I look forward to playing Stranger Things, but it’s not a game that fits my collection or will hold my interest like Elvira does.

(But tell yourself distributor no new Stern for you unless they take care of your failed node board!)

Comment on the Stranger Things thread that the layout is very similar to Elvira (and that the ST art is nostalgic in a Miami Vice cocaine sort of way)
1752D1C5-CC17-4CC0-B799-A7DFF43F3FDF (resized).jpeg

(Of course some say the Elvira layout is similar to Medieval Madness too)

Many stern games have similar layouts, acdc, iron Man, sw, got gotg, etc. That's why maiden and jp are so well liked, they are different layouts. Elvira though doesn't remind me of ST because of the crypt and right ramp and the shot to the pops right of the house.

It is very similar. But, the toys and the code should make them very unique to play. Also, the idea of the projection is really cool. But, I'll doubt I'll ever own a stranger things. Not a big fan of kids in my movies or tv shows. My loss I know. I do like short round and goonies.But, those are the exceptions.

Back to pinball...
While on the surface MM and EHOH look very similar. They play completely different. Not just in terms of strategy but the main difference is how the balls return to hte flipper.

In MM you can shoot the castle/moat area and the ball will kick out and it will go safely back to the left flipper. In Elvira the ball has a tendency to hit the left sling. Which can result in it being juggled by the slings and result in side to side which can lead to draining... This is really the greatest danger in EHOH is the slings and the side to side.
While the safe return in MM makes going for the castle a bit safer... Key is safer, as you'll always get a few dangerous returns and SdTM. One thing I like to go for is once I get to castle 3-ish I like to take in a mb to help me destroy it. There is no such strat with Elvira.
Elvira is mode based game and MM doesn't have any modes(video mode doesn't count... Not counting MB's or wizard modes as standard modes)

Then there is the ball lock. The ball lock on MM while perhaps being a bit harder to hit, as its not only a tight shot, but you also need to clear the moat, is a far safer shot than the garage ball lock for EHOH.
That drop target has a tendency to send your ball SDTM. In fact. I prefer to aim for it during ball save time. Or with my left flipper backhand. Its a safer shot via backhand. But, a little more difficult then with the right flipper. But, again the right flipper the rebound is just too dangerous to risk. So the lock in MM is far safer. Less risk. Because if you brick, it'll go into the moat for a safe kick out.

Mode start on EHOH is also dangerous. The ball gets fed into the pops and that can lead to numerous places your ball can drain. So while I'm not hte best pinball player or even the most knowledgeable one. I think it's easier to get control of the ball in MM than EHOH. But, on the other side. I think once you have control in EHOH it shots and flows better than MM. Because, in MM there are shots that it wants to kill you. Trolls, the gate, and then the super steep ramps that if you fail to make it up can lead to drains.With EHOH, when you're in a mode and so long as you keep hitting the shots, you should be fine.

So while yeah... Both MM and EHOH have a big toy in a similar location. They both function different and enough changes in the layouts to make them play and respond different.

I really love MM and I hope to have one someday in my collection.And I don't think they're too similar as to me they play different.

Someone was definitely on cocaine when they did that Stranger Things artwork, it’s all over the place, really disappointing where as Elvira artwork is beautiful from top to bottom.

does anyone have updates for 0.84, and 0.85?

i agree, do not dig the look of stranger things but elvira looks fantastic!

Yep

can you please share it somewhere? noticed i dont have those two, thought i had them all...

How’s your playfield look? a month ago you posted it was dimpling.
Is it evening out or cratering ?
Please post a few pics if it’s not a hassle.
Im still trying to decide if I should install a playfied protector when I get my premium later this year.

Ok, I upload them on my drive and contact you by PM tomorrow.

Thanks!

Nice! Looks great. I had debated making this as well, but questioned how I'd go about preserving the light up insert at the face. Not sure if you found a solution as I expect the mod covers it (perhaps there's a way to tie in a separate light?.. I don't own the game, so I have somewhat limited access to explore).

Won't be touching any of the areas you've modded, but I do have 3D pops already completed (not pool related, and more visible light interaction from player perspective when 3D) and working on a couple others. Plan to reveal everything at once when completed.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to have them all? I’m not even sure you can safely back level the code if there have been node board firmware updates involved.

I have a 65 tb server and I am a data hoarder. Not sure if you can downgrade either but just nice to have them. Could create a new sd card and drop it in and see what happens. I doubt it would blow anything up, though with how robust this system is perhaps it would... :-/

Ha ha! Everybody loves boobies!

Some of us love cocaine too but we would still do a better art package than what we got with Stranger Things

Thanks. That light for the front doesn’t do a whole lot. For the sign, light will still bleed through and it will shine down on the playfield and there’s still the sides of the crypt that will light. I could offer an uplit spotlight type flasher mod to go off on the sign when the light in the crypt goes off, but it’s going to be pricey for a spotlight because it requires the use of a 3 pin z connector and those are NLA so I’m preserving my stock. I think I will offer it, but like I said, it won’t be so cheap. For the sign, it will initially be $49 shipped, which I think is a good deal given the thickness of the sign (~1/4”), the detail and the hand painting. Probably add $25 for the spotlight option.

I think that's the wild value market target, not coded yet:

20191224_235136 (resized).jpg

Which switch are you referring to?

I haven't played it in about a month.
Haven't updated it yet. I want to wax it before i update to the newest.
I work a 9-5 job and I own my business. So I've been very busy and haven't had time for fun. Well... A little time for fun, but no pinball. I hope it'll even out. Its not that noticeable in certain light. But, if the glare is just right you can see the spots.
The thing that irratated me the most was the plunger lane. That minor damage I got could have been avoided if they would have had the proper settings in the code to begin with... Very minor... But, could have been avoided. And should have been...

Let's be honest... Stern is using the same system. So they should have default copy and paste code that they use with their machines. I'm not against this. no one should be against that. So really stuff like ball trough power and adjustment options should be copy and pasted between games.
Yes, there is more to coding than that. But, for the most part they can reuse old code like how I wrote above. Just a bit lazy to be honest. Don't want to harp on stern. As I am a fan of theirs. Big fan. But, they could do a few things better. And that's not asking too much.

When I start playing it again I'll let you know how it goes.
To be clear... All games should and will get unique coding. I'm just talking about the default code for stuff like ball trough. Flipper strength(for standard 2 flipper games) sound adjustment... That kind of stuff can be reused for the most part. The stuff that can't be of course is unique. But, with them rushing stuff out super quick, they should strive better to get their ducks in a row. Because, this led to damage on the machines. My damage is very minor... Some machines were damaged much worse, because of this easily avoided error.

Understood. I don't have great knowledge of the game or light indicators, but know some won't want to block such lighting. $49 is a great price, and still very fair with the spotlight option. Just a suggestion of course as I had already thought about it. Definitely my favorite of the mods you've shown thus far.

I also know these newer Sterns are a bit of a pain to integrate lighting into at times (lightboards, sensitivity to add-ons, etc.), so I wasn't sure if it was even practical (similar to what you mentioned with the skeleton key integration).

v .87 Attic Attack Multiball - Elvira comes on to introduce that multiball, you can see her, but she has no speech while talking to you. Bug reported.

This bug was present in earlier versions also. Maybe they get it taken care of in the next update.