I don't like it I wouldn't add it just play better

Correct yes it does.

I love it, it adds an uncertainty to the play, do you let the ball go and bounce back into play or flip and guarantee a drain, if the ball comes at a perpendicular line it will bounce back into play but if it is coming at an angle it will possibly drain so in that case use the flippers to try and save it.

Kirk posts are there for a reason, it’s a game mechanic and it’s use reflects the skill of the player.
On WOZ you need nerves of steel for that sucker.
My Night Moves has one and in that game it is a major component since Trudeau loved having large flipper gaps, so to avoid constant SDTM the post is there.

All hail the Kirkpost!

The game is either specifically designed to use a Kirkpost or it is meant to be played without one.

No in-between.

I think the center post is a must have. The flipper gap in ghostbusters is wider than normal. It was documented that this was done by mistake during design/manufacturing. I would get it.

carrots flippers makes GB playing like a "standard" pin, and i feel it just perfect as it

of course, why not try the center post ?

but not these 2 solutions at the same time...

Yes, just one of the poor design decisions that make it horribly unplayable. If it’s not too late, stay far away from this terrible game!

My game came with the center post mod. I thought it would make the game too easy but you don’t get many saves off of it. It’s not as reliable as the post on Meteor for example and it sits lower. I would recommend getting it and it’s removable if you don’t like it.

By mistake? I thought it was just a Trudeau thing since many of his games feature the large gap

#playbetter

I thought this was speculation and not actually documented? Where is this documented, for my own knowledge? Thanks

It’s larger than his normal large gap, and it was a mistake that was made on the CAD. By the time they realized the mistake, the game was already in production & it was too late.

Also, keep in mind the context of a wide flipper gap - it’s to keep a simple rule game from being too easy and repetitive. It made sense for games like CFTBL & Congo. For a deeper game with modern rules, not to mention other design flaws like airballs, inlane/outlane hops, and unfair STDMs from rattles, the scoop, and magna slings - an extra wide gap is just one of many terrible design decisions for this particular type of modern game.

Play better does not apply on a game that cheats by flinging the ball over the flippers or from inlane to outlane. Skill is irrelevant on a poor design.

WTH are you talking about? All of these things are minor tweaks to a game and not design flaws. And in regards to the inlane hops in particular, didn't Stern raise the height of those rails slightly after the very first Pro run? I see absolutely NONE of these minor issues on my LE. NONE. So I guess my game was not built as designed?

I think I remember reading that during play testing, it was discovered that the ball drained too much down the middle, so they simply added the post instead of going back and readjusting the playfield layout, since that was the cheaper/faster option.

With our two avatars, I can’t help but read our posts in Ren & Stimpy’s voices.

way before Trudeau was found out I had a brief facebook discussion with Trudeau and the gap is his traditional 7 1/8" flipper post to flipper post as all his dmd games are.

people keep saying it is documented but this has never been proven, Stern never admit to mistakes so I for one don't believe it is documented just like the spelling mistake, pooling playfields etc.

what makes the gap seem bigger is the initial 6 months the flippers were set lower so you couldn't cradle and the flippers were lifted a little after about the 6 month mark. Also the initial 6 months had the outlane guides too low so people were getting alot of lane hop

Lol I wanted to say this earlier but the tension seemed a little high

I don’t have the post, but geez, I’d really like to re position the flipper holes, just can’t bring myself to put the post in

I kind of like the difficulty the gap presents.

I bought a GB recently to put on location. Took the post mod it came with and sold it to another pinsider.

I had a Ghostbusters pro on route. It did okay the first few months then earnings dropped fast. After talking with some of the players, mostly casual, they all complained it was to expensive to play when the ball went down the middle all the time. I installed the center post and it made people enjoy the game. It's a fine line between challenging and frustrating.
Also, it is easily removed. If you want a challenge take it off for yourself. If you want it easier for people when they come over, pop it on.

I see the center post for sale at Pinball Life. Is there another post mod that works better? I love this game but the center drain can be brutal. My carrot flippers arrive tomorrow.

I have no issues with my GB Premium. I have an air ball protector on the left ramp and outlane covers. I don't feel like a center post is needed at all and I also wouldn't get carrot flippers as that will fuck with the geometry of the game.

A local arcade has one with carrot flippers and it feels like shooting bricks.

Maybe you need to just make sure your pin is level or maybe make some adjustments to your scoops.

You guys are acting like it's factory so I'm confused, did they add a center post to GB somewhere in the run?

Does GB come pre drilled for a post or are you guys busting out the Milwaukees?

no, it was never added as factory item

It hangs upside down from a plastic piece that attaches to the outlanes. Completely reversible in minutes.

I've never actually played with it personally, but I have played with carrots and it is a tad more clunky.

Ugh. As a former Night Moves owner...the last thing that game EVER needed was a center post. The ball times are atrociously long without it.

*Edit* Having a center post be installed on a plastic overhang is HILARIOUSLY sad. Can I get one of those for BSD?

Works great for GB. Saves the sdtm balls, but not like it saves every ball. It's a perfect compromise imho.

I agree. It allowed me to tighten up the tilt without completely screwing people with stdm drains.

I doubt you read that anywhere. A center post was never added by Stern.

Yeah, but you gotta admit that it's completely ludicrous that nobody thought of adding a post that way before!

Personally, I don't feel it's warranted, but I understand not everyone can (apparently) 'git gud' enough to enjoy Ghostbusters. Personally, I don't *need* a middle post, nor do I really *need* one on BSD, or Crescendo, or...*any other game with a fat gap*. I like the challenge of playing with it as-is. If you can't enjoy the game at home without the post....pfft...go for it. Just don't have me over to play in tournament or league with that thing installed, because I will make a bloody mockery of your scores with it.

I happened to play a GBLE a week ago with the center post and absolutely hated it. You get used to the gap. It’s not as big a deal as a lot of people make it out to be IMO.

I put on the carrot flippers and I think they work very well. It has not impacted my shots at all. I do not need them but I put them on because my wife and daughter are novice pinball players. They were struggling with the center drains. My family has longer playing games and their scores are much better.

Design & rule/code must work in tandem. BSD is a game with simpler rules, so a wider gap for shorter ball times on a game like that makes sense. On a linear mode based game like GB, short ball times ruin the experience, leading to “Who Brought The Dog: The Game”

BSD is challenging due to excellent design & a ruleset that gels completely. GB isn’t a challenge. It has cheap drains from poor design...player skill has zero to do with how well or poor you do. My pinball skills won’t stop the blue & pop up targets from launching the ball ofer the flippers. They won’t stop the inlane from bouncing into the outlane. They won’t stop the scoop from shooting STDM. They won’t stop magna slings from dead dropping down the middle. They won’t stop the pops exit from dropping down the middle. All poor design that negates skill & true challenge.

If you say so. Come to Dallas, and we'll see how much a difference skill makes on GB. =Þ

Depends on the skill level of the player. My GB doesn't have a post and after owning it and playing it for a while you learn to accommodate for the bigger gap. Its a hard game and can be frustrating but I think that gives it staying power in the home, i dont want a game where I can kick its ass easily all the time, boring. The people that constantly dog it need to play it more and learn the nuances, or just plain up their skills and get better.

The flipper gap for me was never the biggest issue. The hopping over rails and Flippers, and I mean all the time, was much more frustrating.

Then csn you please end the debate once and for all? 6ou have GB and creech, take the measurements please!

Yeah, mine doesnt have the ball hop over the rails issue, maybe a later build. I used to always get massive rejects from the scoleri bros that would fly back over the flippers until I learned to just clip them or hit them softly, after all they are described as “combative” drop targets so I would expect them to fight back. I have more problems with the ball hopping the flippers on my Iron Maiden.

Yeah mine was early build, allll the time, super annoying. From all over the place. I never never had any issues SDTM from pops either.
My Maiden got the standard amount of happing from super fast shots. Got more falling off the ramp return with speed to outsole on that one.

I did explain and had to prove with photos a while back, YES both Creature and Ghostbusters have 7 1/8" centres between flipper posts - what contributes to the wide gap feel is the slightly droppie flippers on Ghostbusters

Ah thanks. It was an urban legend so I couldn't remember which was fact or fiction.

here are some of the facts

my challenge to someone else
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-club-we-got-one/page/136#post-5178245

and here are my comparison photos
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-club-we-got-one/page/136#post-5179539

person agreed with me
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-club-we-got-one/page/136#post-5178855

How many times are people going to keep passing on this false information?
Changing the length of the flipper does not change the geometry of the shot.
You are shooting the same shot at the same distance from the flipper shaft at the same angle . The only difference is now the flipper is longer.
Also the carrot flipper is the same thickness at all points in length as a standard flipper. The extra length is tapered smaller.

Wait for the GB Vault edition...

Stern may describe them as "combative"...but if anyone believes the intended function was for them to tomestone-style brick-launch shots to them....well...either Stern massively screwed up in their thinking or.....no, they just screwed up. You wouldn't want to 'lighthtly brush by' a 'combatant'...and yet, that's the easiest way to not get owned by the Scoleri targets.

Seriously though, in general, I wish more people would learn to shoot chicklet targets and drop targets off-center if they're dangerous. It's something I used for years, and told people (!) to do on AC/DC for Thunderstruck mode, and very few listened. Their loss. Literally. Almost never is shooting these things head on a great idea, unless they're along the outside wall of the playfield, or further up. Hell..I don't even shoot the trolls on Medieval Madness straight on anymore.

I'm not here to argue. I'm just here to enjoy some good pinball. All that I can say is that I put on the carrot flippers and my children's scores are way higher than they were before the carrot flippers. Take it for what it's worth. The air ball over the side rail is a little annoying but it doesn't happen that often. I see a few mods out there to correct the issue.

Not coming to Dallas to play a game I’ve vowed to never touch again. I’ve played enough different GBs to know it’s a poorly designed and skill-free alleged “game”.