(Topic ID: 144336)

Full Throttle Club - Enjoy the Adrenaline

By PinballRulez

8 years ago


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Service Bulletin 004d - Software Update 1.41 130916.pdf (PDF preview)
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11
#1 8 years ago

This thread is for all people that have in any way interest in Heighway Pinball’s first title Full Throttle.

On 22 February 2016 my Full Throttle entered the building. I am very excited about this game and would like to share my enthusiasm with fellow pinheads.

Below some information that is relevant for Full Throttle. As this is work in progress it may not be complete and all feedback is welcome.

Company:
Heighway Pinball Mission Statement
Our goal is to make pinball mainstream again, by producing fun, innovative, reliable and affordable pinball machines, packed with the latest technology.

What we do
Heighway Pinball – your one stop for new pinball machines. From one-off custom pinball machines to full production runs destined for the global market – Heighway Pinball is equipped to handle all your pinballing needs.
Heighway Pinball is incorporating the latest technical advancements to make its games the most fun, innovative and reliable pinball machines on the market. From new game units that swop into existing Heighway Pinball cabinet units in a matter of minutes, to modular mechanisms that can be swopped over in no time, and with no special skills required, to non-mechanical switches that do not require switch wires to poke through the playfield, to the latest in LCD screen technology that is positioned uniquely in the middle of the playfield surface – these are just some of the ways that make Heighway Pinball unique, and able to offer the best pinballing products possible to the global market.

For more info see: http://heighwaypinball.com/

Info and development:
The following information gives you a good impression about how Full Throttle evolved:
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index.html

Videos:
Heighway has their own YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFrztZU8v9tMsaaTEkmrOBg

Models:
At this moment 3 models are available:

- Standard Edition (SE) - 1 model

Black matt cabinet with silver trim
FT-standard-machine.jpgFT-standard-machine.jpg

- Limited Edition (LE) - 2 models

Black gloss cabinet with red trim
FT-limited-machine-2.jpgFT-limited-machine-2.jpg

Red gloss cabinet with black trim
FT-limited-machine.jpgFT-limited-machine.jpg

Full specs can be found here: http://heighwaypinball.com/fullthrottle/

Pricing:
Complete pin see: http://heighwaypinball.com/fullthrottlegame/
Playfield kit: 60% of complete pin

Upgrades:
Shaker motor: Available
10.1 inch backbox screen: Available
27 inch backbox screen: Available
Fiber optic ramp: Available

Chrome trim (LE only): Availability to be announced

Gameplay and rules:
Bowen has made a video and by watching it you get a good impression about rules and gameplay:

Heighway's own tutorial video:

Shot map:
11953379_126102664404917_8992670855117307047_o_(resized).jpg11953379_126102664404917_8992670855117307047_o_(resized).jpg

Current Software version
1.10 Initial release software
1.20 Major software update, with stable USB update platform
1.30 Minor update, with additional screen support software
1.41 Stonger flippers\pop bumpers, improved shaker motor\fiber optic control

Feedback on software version
If you have any feedback about a software version please post it in this thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-what-we-like-in-future-software-builds#post-3136662

Adjustments
Inner loop ball guide
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/6#post-3073686
Right Outlane
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/5#post-3056500
Install extra padding for glass frame
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/6#post-3090599

Fixes
Speaker - Low Hum noise
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/7#post-3173964

Speaker - High Pitch noise
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/7#post-3175096

Fix for spinning wheel discs falling off
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-fix-for-spinning-wheel-discs-falling-off

#2 8 years ago

Extensive Review
27 March 2016

I have Full Throttle now for more than a month and played a lot of games. Not quite an expert yet but I am ready to give you my thoughts about this game. Please note that this review is based on software version 1.30 and in this version the shaker was not enabled yet. Future software updates might change gameplay and might impact this review. Adjustments will be made then.

The review is based on the topics you find in the rating system on Pinside and I included the score as given in this system. Please let me know what you find of this review and any feedback is welcome

Standard Model
Software version 1.30
Shaker not enabled in this software version

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Design

Playfield layout 6\6
• +Very refreshing
• +Unique and fast playfield layout
• +Different use of geometry. Almost every shot seems to be on a angle you are not familiar with
• +Tight shots (especially right ramp)
• +Special placed spinner shot
• +Inner loop is an awesome shot
• +Big X-ramp
• +No waste of space
• +Placement of playfield monitor
• +Use of inductive switch technology
• - Inner loop drain if ball guides are not in line with each other *1
• - Scoop eject -> hit rubber – bounce to left – sometimes results into a drain *2
• - Right outlane -> unnecessary drains and not much nudge possibilities *3

Game rules 5\6
• +Racing mode is well designed
• +Challenge modes award system is well thought out
• +Stackable modes
• +Playfield multiplier
• +Easy to understand rules
• +High replay value
• - You do not get a feeling you are working towards a final goal

Toys and Gimmics 4\6
• +Nice details in Valentino
• +Bike making wheelie is cool
• +Spinning wheels are a nice feature
• -Interaction of Valentino could be better

Game play 5\6
• +Fast
• +Rewarding shots
• +Cool skill shot
• +Satisfying combos
• +Shots have to be accurate, almost no margin for off angles shots
• +Racing mode is challenging and very satisfying
• +Stacking challenge modes is cool
• +Want to come back for more
• +Game makes you get exited
• +Inner loop shot is very cool
• +Spinner shot is cool
• -Sometimes unforgiving with very short ball times
• -Rules do not give you a feeling you are working to a final goal
• -Lacking atmosphere in the context of not getting the feeling you are part of a greater story

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artwork

Playfield art 5\6
• +Hand drawn art
• +Good text on inserts
• +Eye for detail
• +Well integrated with theme
• +Good color balance
• +Plastic: some plastic (bike chain\ checkered flag) are simple but fit the theme well
• +Nice backboard and apron

Overall all seems very well thought of to bring the art in balance and that is exactly what it is. A total package. Nice and well executed.

Backglass art 5\6
• +Hand drawn art
• +Simple but enough detailed and well integrated with theme

Cabinet art 5\6
• +Hand drawn art
• +Simple but enough detailed and well integrated with theme
• +Backlighted

Cabinet art is like all the other art well integrated in the theme. Simple but detailed and it is back lighted. I for sure do find that a very big plus as this creates a new dimension to how art can be presented.

Animations 4\6
• +Simple but effective
• +Nice execution of dashboard
• -Not that much variation
• -Not spectacular
• -Instant scope award not that great
• -Does not draw you into the game to make you part of a racing team

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sound and Music

Sound effects 4\6
• + Most are good.
• -Motocross sound effect not so good
• -Not that much variation

Music 5\6
• +Good choice of music style. Fits the theme well
• +Enough variation between modes

Quality 6\6
• +Separate amplifier
• +Adjustable treble\bass\volume
• +Good and balanced sound output
• +Separate bass speaker
• +Good quality satellite speaker

Variation 4\6
• +Music variation between modes is good
• -Sound effects and speech could use some more variation

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Aspects

Game lighting 5\6
• +Great use of RGB Insert and GI lightning
• +Pop bumper leds represent country colors
• +GI leds represent country colors
• +Color changing standup targets
• +When a lot of modes are active the color balance is very great and looks way cool
• -GI is on a dark side
• -No spectacular light show(s)

Lastability 5\6
• +High replay value
• -Sometimes very short game times that demotivates to play again

Theming 5\6
• +All aspects of this pin are looked after resulting in a very well integrated theme
• +It’s all about racing
• +Details are consistently seen throughout the game
• -Could use some more atmosphere to pull you into the racing theme
• -Sound effects, animations and use of Valentino need to level up

Fun 5\6
• +For all ages
• +Finishing races and challenges gives you a good feeling
• +Fast combos are fun
• +Overall a very enjoyable game

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall

This is Heighway’s first pin. Can you believe it? Yes, it has gone a long way for reaching its current state but what an achievement in the end. You can see that all aspects of designing this pin have gotten the attention they needed.

In the list of pins I have rated Full Throttle stands next to Twilight Zone now. I think this is a big compliment

This is the next level of pinball. A very user and operator friendly pinball design due to its modular build and innovative design. Very well done Heighway and looking forward to many pins to come. Which one is going to beat Attack from Mars from being my all time favorite game

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 1: See https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/6#post-3073686
* 2: Fix is already available for this. More info will be posted soon.
* 3: See https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/full-throttle-club-enjoy-the-adrenaline/page/5#post-3056500

#3 8 years ago

Love this game!!

#4 8 years ago

I have this ordered as a playfield to come with my Alien LE order. Can't wait. Was a highlight at Expo for me to finally play it. Jagged a 59m point game. It was going off! For about eight seconds.

#5 8 years ago

Mine is "in the next batch"...I was hoping in the UK batch meant on a truck headed to my house but apparently it means "maybe around Christmas".

#6 8 years ago

I'll be getting one as soon as Cointaker has them in stock. I loved it at Expo.

#7 8 years ago

I have a SE with the 27" screen on order and plan to order an Alien playfield when available. After reading all the back and forth on the Alien thread about what makes a LE special it seems to me that the SE is the way to go. Especially considering I went with the large screen. I would imagine I'll be able to display any art I want since it's all configurable.

#8 8 years ago

I'm in on LE #2 and hoping it's soon. Feels like forever.

#9 8 years ago

I just talked to Cointaker and it sounds like things are moving along nicely. I just got in on a standard with the big screen. Pretty excited as this was my favorite game that I played at expo. Hoping to have it sometime in January if all goes well. The next 12 months are shaping up to be really fun. Lots of great stuff coming out.

#10 8 years ago
Quoted from DCfoodfreak:

Love this game!!

Curious to know how it ranks in your collection.

#11 8 years ago

Tough call this early on. Only because I play it the most as its new.
But for me ACDC / MET / IM are the golden trio. It would rank right after that ahead of Tfle and POTC .

1 week later
#12 8 years ago

Could the people that played the game enough rate it?
Just 15 ratings for the game to have a rating on pinside. Would love to see it

#13 8 years ago

I have this game at my location, people love the feel and gameplay. Rules are simple but very challenging. Stacking multiball goes to an entirely different level with this game. Looking forward to many more titles from Heighway.

#14 8 years ago
Quoted from hassanchop:

Could the people that played the game enough rate it?
Just 15 ratings for the game to have a rating on pinside. Would love to see it

Did not play it enough to rate it yet. When Full Throttle is my house I will rate it for sure. Expect a high rating

#15 8 years ago

Just got confirmation that my Full Throttle has begun in the manufacturing line and scheduled completion date. Sounds like it might be to me around X-mas time. Very excited!

#16 8 years ago
Quoted from CCary:

Just got confirmation that my Full Throttle has begun in the manufacturing line and scheduled completion date. Sounds like it might be to me around X-mas time. Very excited!

Wow, that is great news. Are you in the so called second batch of 78 pins?

#17 8 years ago
Quoted from CCary:

Just got confirmation

Did you solicit this confirmation or did it arrive without any prodding?

#18 8 years ago
Quoted from Wickerman2:

Did you solicit this confirmation or did it arrive without any prodding?

I was wondering that too

#19 8 years ago
Quoted from Wickerman2:

Did you solicit this confirmation or did it arrive without any prodding?

This information was emailed to me by Oti for Andrew and Andrew responded to confirm as well. I will let all know when they ask for final payment and shipping. The date they gave me for completion is December 16th...

#20 8 years ago

Spoke with Andrew today. My pin is planned to be ready mid January 2016. Looking forward to that

#21 8 years ago
Quoted from PinballRulez:

My pin is planned to be ready mid January 2016.

...awaiting delivery of more playfields and parts. mid-December anticipated date for completion...maybe mid Jan for everyone

#22 8 years ago
Quoted from Wickerman2:

..awaiting delivery of more playfields and parts

Do not understand that. They do make the playfields in-house I thought.

Quoted from Wickerman2:

maybe mid Jan for everyone

Probably not. I think the pins for the US get done first

#23 8 years ago
Quoted from PinballRulez:

They do make the playfields in-house I thought.

Wood? Who knows? Making pinball is harder than putting a man on the Moon.

#24 8 years ago
Quoted from CCary:

This information was emailed to me by Oti for Andrew and Andrew responded to confirm as well. I will let all know when they ask for final payment and shipping. The date they gave me for completion is December 16th...

This is exactly what I was told as well.

1 week later
#25 8 years ago

Has anyone received pictures of their Full Throttle & shipping dates?

#26 8 years ago

"13 Dec 2015 14:58:33 Oslo - Shipment Received At Tnt Location!"

Wwwhhatt's Haaapppening......My tongue will not stay inside my mouth

Tomorrow "IS NOT" just another day. Ho,ho, freakin' hoo!

#27 8 years ago

Can't happen, a pinball machine delivered when the company says it was to be delivered....on time...outrageous!

10
#28 8 years ago

Hoping for a fun evening

2015-12-14 15.33.28.jpg2015-12-14 15.33.28.jpg

#29 8 years ago
Quoted from karl:

Hoping for a fun evening
2015-12-14 15.33.28.jpg

That looks very good. Only one thing looks better......an unboxed Full Throttle and you enjoying it

Congrats!

#30 8 years ago
Quoted from karl:

Hoping for a fun evening

Let's see some unboxing pics. Did you get the giant screen?

#31 8 years ago
Quoted from Wickerman2:

Let's see some unboxing pics. Did you get the giant screen?

Yes, but unfortunately it wasn't ready in time so they will have to send it later.

Taking a small break right now. As you can (maybe) see from the pictures, I went with gloss black cabinet and a transparent apron with leds(not for sale, I got one of the prototype aprons because Andrew is a cool guy)

I figured that gloss black would work great for all future playfields, also

Sorry about the picture quality. It's pretty dark here in the winter
2015-12-14 16.56.40.jpg2015-12-14 16.56.40.jpg

2015-12-14 16.57.01.jpg2015-12-14 16.57.01.jpg

#32 8 years ago
Quoted from karl:

gloss black cabinet

Looks great!

Is that some deal you worked out? I thought it was more of a satin or flatter black for the standard?

#33 8 years ago

It is an Le. I ordered a standard originally (that's why it says standard on the box)

#34 8 years ago

Cool... first known LE delivered. Would love to see video of the LE light show when you get a chance.

#35 8 years ago

Does the LE have fiber optic ramp tubing? I don't think we ever saw any info on this. Maybe its still in development?

#36 8 years ago

No fiber lights yet, sorry.

I am an inpatient man, so when I got the option to get the machine now and the rest sent when ready, I jumped on.

Not even a goody bag or instructions yet, but that's not a huge deal.

It's exciting to explore a completely new system. Taking it slow. It looks like it is a pretty easy to understand and intuitive system.

The machine is also pretty light for a wide-body

2015-12-14 17.34.59.jpg2015-12-14 17.34.59.jpg

#37 8 years ago

It's hard to imagine that the game is completely playable without the head attached. Enjoy!

#38 8 years ago

Hard to tell but the bezel for the playfield screen looks finished now rather than the bare wood edges that were visible on the earlier games?

(Lit one is the old)

image.jpegimage.jpeg

image_1.jpegimage_1.jpeg

#39 8 years ago
Quoted from karl:

Yes, but unfortunately it wasn't ready in time so they will have to send it later.
Taking a small break right now. As you can (maybe) see from the pictures, I went with gloss black cabinet and a transparent apron with leds(not for sale, I got one of the prototype aprons because Andrew is a cool guy)
I figured that gloss black would work great for all future playfields, also
Sorry about the picture quality. It's pretty dark here in the winter
2015-12-14 16.56.40.jpg
2015-12-14 16.57.01.jpg

I really like the black trim. Me want too

#40 8 years ago

Damn I forgot about the back box

These things take time, you know.

I guess I will get the bezel for the big screen when the screen is ready. Until then it is just the playfield lcd and the small logo between
the speakers

2015-12-14 18.21.10.jpg2015-12-14 18.21.10.jpg

2015-12-14 18.29.56.jpg2015-12-14 18.29.56.jpg

#41 8 years ago

And we're off to the races. See you later. Much later

2015-12-14 18.45.24.jpg2015-12-14 18.45.24.jpg

#42 8 years ago

PS! Yes there is a playfield lcd bezel now. No more bare wood.

#43 8 years ago

I like the looks of the bezel. I agree that it didn't look finished before. It's nice to see that get some attention.

#44 8 years ago

Pinball Rulez asked me what I think of Full Throttle so far, so I thought I would share my impressions with the rest of you as well

To tell you the truth, I have not had the chance to play it as much as I would have liked to as of today. Hectic times right before Christmas and 3 other games entering the house at roughly the same time.

I am really happy with the game so far. Love the rules, the adrenaline, the speed and the overall package

I was really positively impressed by the cabinet, also.

The gameplay is fun, as expected. Really Nice with all the colorchanging leds, also The playfield lcd looks much better in real life than on clips. High-res and clear, but maybe add a few more animations to the code. You get all the information that you need at all times on it and that is big pluss.

Here is the only things I have to mention so far that could have been better:

-There is no cover over the shooter lane coil (that area needs something)
-The sound clips sometimes get cut a bit to quick after a call out when interrupted by another sound clip. Not a big thing, but it could use some refinement
- There is no sound when you hit standups or popbumpers. I hope they change that, because it sounds a bit weird.
-Valentino needs some more movement
- The right ramp is almost impossible to hit from the left flipper. It's doable, but really hard. I first thought that is was only the power of the flipper coils or my lack of skill, but it is back-handable and I have no problem with other shots, so that is not it. More likely the curve of the ramp. This is the only part of the playfield design that is not perfect for me.
- 50 % of the time when the ball comes down from the left orbit, it will go straight down the middle (but that could also be how I have set up the game.
- No level meter in the shooter lane, either.
- I think the Heighway logo on the speaker panel looks small and awkward in that huge black space, but from what I have seen, the logo with Full Throttle under the big screen looks a lot better, so this is only temporary for me, and not a problem for those who chose the small screen in the back, either.
-The playfield could use a spotlight or two, because it can be a bit dark. Not a huge problem for me, since I have the led strip on the apron, but I can see that this can be a problem for some.

I do love the simple but captivating rules regarding the challenges and the stacking opportunities for big points. Also the bronze, silver and gold cup towards the wizard mode is fun. ( I have not gotten to the race wizard mode or red mist yet, so can't comment on those but the races are fun and not too hard to finish)
Also love the gear opportunities for some big point that you can choose when to activate. Big pluss!

Some of the call-outs are a bit cheesy, but I have no problem with that. It suits the theme

Overall, I am really happy with the game so far. Most of the things mentioned above are small things that can easily be fixed.

Really happy that I went with the glossy cab. Looks great.

The game is fast as a shark The inner loop is wild and all the other shots feel great, also. (except the right ramp. The exit on that ramp is not perfect either. the ball can drible out to the playfield instead of going to the inlanes and a slow moving shot on the ramp will not always register the ramp switch)

You still get a few airballs if you miss your shots but not any more than on recent Sterns, so not a problem. Not many airballs from the green lock targets. (I heard that this was a problem in the beginning but works fine now)

It takes a bit of getting used to the new flipper mechs. They are not as tight as new Stern mechs, but they work just fine, have nice controll and you can still do all the usual tricks with them. When you get used to them, they really shine.

PS! Be ready to nudge if the ball travels towards the right outlane. It's easy to nudge it out of there but because there are almost no rubber over there, the ball will spin out the outlane even if you think it is safe, if you do nothing. Not hard to nudge it out of there, though.

The game is different, fun and a great first effort from Heighway so I am really happy with the machine so far And I have great, great hopes for Alien. All the groundwork with the system is there so Future games from this company is nothing to worry about when it comes
to the Heigway system.

PS! I did encounter a few bugs in the software, but nothing mayor. The code seems to be pretty solid at this stage. Maybe reduce the sound of the bike when plunging the ball, just a tad

As I said in the beginning of the post, I need to play it a lot more before final judgement.

So far, so good.

Thumbs up, Heigway!!!

#45 8 years ago

The only temporary problem with Heighway at the moment is that they need to speed up their production line.

Since this is their first game and it takes time to oil those production wheels up to full speed, I think no-one will blame them for the slow production speed as of yet, but come Alien production, things need to move along a lot faster.

They have great communication, the groundwork done for a large production line and the capacity to improve this part greatly, so I am not worried about this yet.

Alien will be the true test to their ability to ramp up production and be a big factor in the pinball business.

They could soon be the nr 2 largest pinball company in the world if all goes well

#46 8 years ago

From the Heighway newsletter:

We are releasing a new software update for Full Throttle over the festive period - Version 1.20 - including new sound, new videos and some bug fixes.

1 week later
#47 8 years ago

Has 1.20 been released yet?

#48 8 years ago

What is the update process for heighway games?

#49 8 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

What is the update process for heighway games?

Good question!

#50 8 years ago
Quoted from Zampinator:

Has 1.20 been released yet?

Quoted from Whysnow:

What is the update process for heighway games?

I do not know. Could not find any section on the site of Heighway for software updates.

I did send Andrew a pm if he can explain how the software update process works.

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