I've only been a member of the club for about a week, but I'm really enjoying the game so far. What triggers that blood curdling scream from the librarian? I've only experienced it a few times, but it's by far the loudest thing I ever heard come out of a pinball machine!!!

I didn't even realize there was an adjustment for it. Thanks!

I'm going to order some speaker lights and inserts for the game. Which ones do you guys think look best? I'm strongly considering the "Slimer" ones, but I'd love to see a good pic of what they look like installed.

I'm glad you asked this, because I'm having this exact same issue. The game is still very new to me, so I haven't even really opened it up to check it out closely yet. Where is the switch that registers the right orbit shot? The only one I see is the opto inside the tunnel. I think it may be some kind of bug in the code, because the hologram shot always seem to register, even when the orbit shot doesn't. Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks! I looked for another switch, but it was hiding back there behind the Stay Puft guy. The ball must be getting some air when it goes over the drop target and isn't fully engaging that switch. I'm not sure how to address this.

Those look great! I think I'm going to order them.

No. I ordered some, but they haven't arrived yet. Based on what I've read here, I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to install them. The next time I open up the game, I'll double check the target to make sure it is sitting perfectly flush.

Man, I had my doubts about the magna slings when they were first announced, but they are f***ing awesome!

Making the switch more sensitive should help. The ball is definitely getting air on some shots. I've even heard it clunk into the backboard a couple times.

Yep. That's the switch that Schwaggs was referring to.

This is the closest thing to an official GB Premium club ...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-premium-share-your-info

Welcome to the hobby, and welcome to Pinside!

I'd call it a mini wizard mode.

The main wizard mode is "We're Ready to Believe You!". I've never reached it, and to be honest, I don't even know if its coded into the game yet.

The only protector that's kind of a pain in the ass to install is the one right by the ball trough. You have to pound out these two bolts from underneath the playfield and loosen the ball guide. Definitely check out this video if you haven't done something like this before. It's very helpful:

Getting high scores on this game is all about the playfield multipliers. The other day I started "Don't Cross the Streams" with 6x running and I think I scored something like 450 million on just the video mode alone.

Before plunging the ball, you select one of the three lanes with your flipper buttons. You then try to soft plunge the ball into that lit lane (you cannot change it once you plunge). If you make the shot, you will receive the corresponding reward, the most lucrative of these being the lit playfield multipliers.

During normal play, you want to use your flipper buttons so that the ball goes into an unlit lane. Every time you complete all three lanes, it increases your end of ball bonus x. This can be worth a ton of points after a long ball, especially if your bonus is held.

It's decent, but nowhere near some of the crazy scores I've read about here ...

GB Grand Champ (resized).jpg

Everything on my game is default factory settings. Is that easier or harder?

I just changed mine last night so that you can no longer time out modes. I left everything else factory. I think this is a good change, and it will make getting to WCWSWKIA more satisfying.

The entire Pinball Life kit is in the photo, including the green plastics that prevent balls from hopping the outlane guide.

Has anyone tried swapping out the cheap looking Gozer plastic with something like this?

Gozer (resized).jpg

How tall is the plastic? The action figure is 7".

What's weird is that I was looking for it earlier today, and it no longer appears to be on their site. I'd suggest shooting them an email to see what the deal is.

I agree with this. It's better to just stretch the original spring than to install the new ones.

Call Stern. I bet they'll send you out a new one.

It's the opposite. Screw it in (clockwise) to raise the target, and screw it out (counter clockwise) to lower it. I think there might also be two screws for each target, but I can't remember for sure.

The cliffy exacerbates this problem, but even without it installed, it will still happen. Unfortunately, it's just a bad playfield design.

On the bright side, you avoided that run of bad playfields ...

I'm guessing if you don't play a lot, the larger gap is probably less noticeable. It's the people who come into the game with some decent flipper skills that have trouble adjusting. You have to alter you technique and play more defensively on this game or it will make you pay.

They really need to tweak the video modes in the software. As it stands, I can't see any reason to ever choose ESP over cross the streams. Am I missing something?

Those are excellent ideas! I hope Dwight is reading this. There needs to be some reason to justify the high risk/reward of the mode. As it stands, there isn't one. Cross the streams, on the other hand, is easy points, especially if you have the playfield multiplier(s) going.

Yeah, that wasn't cool at all.

That's a great take on it!!!

I'll second that. My scores have gone up on ALL my games after owning GB for a while.

Yep. You need to maintain a small gap about the thickness of a credit card between the flipper and the bushing.

I've never heard of this. What is it?

After you lift the playfield up high enough to clear all the mechs underneath, you need to pull it forward. You will feel some resistance, but keep on pulling and it will ride over the hump. You can then continue to pull it forward very slowly until it stops. At this point, you can lift up the playfield and lean it all the way against the backbox. Make sure as you do all of this that you pull it evenly and keep the playfield straight. If you don't, you could scratch up the inside of your cabinet, or even worse, drop the playfield into it. It's really a crappy design.

This video is very helpful for new owners ...

I have one of these SPIKE power splitters in the backbox of my GB, and I love it!

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4248

It has a magnetic base, so you just stick it wherever you want. It's great for powering mods like speaker lights, toppers, ColorDMDs, etc ...

Power Splitter (resized).JPG

You are tapping into the power for your aux board in the wrong spot. You want to use the ticket header connection, which is located at the top left of the board. You will need a SPIKE 12v power adapter like this one ...

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3721

The shaker port should be used strictly for the shaker. You don't want to connect anything else to it.

My apologies for any confusion, and I truly hope that my comments didn't contribute to the board's untimely demise. I should have paid more attention to the photo. I assumed the aux board in question was a variation on a standard 12v splitter like the one I have in my backbox. I'm not familiar with this other product.

Yeah, I know some people do it, but I see no reason to wax a brand new game. The most important thing is to get an airball deflector installed ASAP. I'd also recommend cliffys for the shooter lane and drain hole.

You beat me to it. Those red inserts would be the best way by far to indicate the normal and reversed flippers.

Possibly an overly sensitive slam-tilt switch?

You should be able to check all those switches even without taking off the plastics. Just put the game in switch test and then nail the captive ball with a pinball. As each ball rolls up into the lock area, you should see the corresponding switches register.

Yes. As soon as the first ball moves to the top section, a timer starts. If you can lock all three balls before the timer runs out, you are supposed to be awarded everything that is lit. I think there may be some bugs with the awards in the code, but I'm not sure. Obviously, if it times out before you can lock all three balls, all the balls will be dumped back into their original positions.

Since everybody has their own priorities, only you can answer the question as to whether or not the topper is worth the money. I personally would never spend that much on one. I'd rather apply that money towards something like a ColorDMD or PDI glass. The only Stern topper I have is on my GoT LE because the game came with it. I do think it's cool, but you can buy a lot of other stuff with $500.

No, they haven't colorized it yet.

I generally think full playfield protectors are overkill on a modern games. Given how prevalent dimpling is on GB, however, it might not be a bad idea. I'm not sure if it's from the softer wood, or simply because the ball is so wild, but I have more dimpling on my GB than any other game I own.

I'm not sure. I guess it depends on what they're made out of and how thick they are.

Even though I wouldn't buy one, I do think the GB topper is the best one Stern has done to date. The one for KISS is pretty darn cool as well.

I think the L bracket is an excellent idea. I may pick up a couple from the hardware store when I get a chance.

What are ramp/outline issues?

The most important fixes in terms of making the game play correctly would be adding the airball deflector, changing out the hex post for the right ramp, and removing the mylar from the right orbit.

I think this varies from game to game, but a majority of them seem to benefit from this change. Even perfect shots were often getting rejected on my game before swapping out the post.

I could see some wear starting to develop there on a routed game, but I don't think it would be a problem on a HUO game.

There is nothing you can really do about the dimples. It seems that the playfields are simply made of softer wood these days.

Happens to me all the time.

This is just a guess, but it could be the chance of being given an extra ball from the pop bumpers.

Easy fix. Just remove the mylar right before the switch and you'll be good to go.

Yep. That's exactly what is happening.

Freeze spray is unnecessary. Just pick at the edge until you can grab on to it and it will peel right off.

I'm not sure what that was, but I don't think they wax them at the factory.

Yep. I think it's a bug. Sometimes you have to hit Slimer in the ecto goggles to complete it, and other times you don't. And what sucks is that when you nail the hologram, it automatically starts WBTD. I don't think this is how it's supposed to work.

There are quite a few bugs in the current code. I hope they eventually address them all. For example, has anyone shot the ball into the left scoop and then had it immediately kicked out without giving you credit for the shot? The game obviously knows the ball is there, otherwise it wouldn't be kicked out until the ball search. This happens occasionally on my machine. It has to be a bug, right?

I went purple as well on my premium. They look great!

I've never tried the Cointaker ones, but I've installed the PBL ones on many of my games. They are awesome!

That's a great idea! It would make for a nice random award from the pop bumpers.

I do like the topper, and it integrates nicely with the software, but I think it's way overpriced. I would never pay $500 for it.

The pin is based on both movies, not just the first one.

Sometimes a hit to the ecto goggles is required after beating Slimer, and other times it isn't. It seems completely random to me. My guess is it's a bug in the code. It would make the most sense if a hit to the ecto goggles was always required, but that hit didn't start the mode in that ladder.

But what does Dwight think about the fact that when you shoot Slimer in the ecto goggles it automatically starts the next mode in the "Who Brought the Dog" ladder? This seems like an oversight in the rules, no?

I thought this is how it works as well. If so, the switch behind Stay Puft should probably be deactivated for a few seconds once the opto is tripped.

But it isn't just the switch. Removing the mylar also makes the shot much smoother, at least it did on my game. It's such a tight turn that the little bit of air created by the mylar would cause the ball to occasionally get hung up back there on a fast shot. With the mylar removed, that shot is now smooth as butter.

It's not about making the game easier. It's about making it fair. Before I switched to the shorter post, a good percentage of seemingly perfect shots would make it part way up the ramp and then come right back down. I can't imagine this is the way JT intended it to be. Even after the tweak, it's still a difficult shot. I just get way less rejects now.

I disagree. The right ramp can be incredibly lucrative. Want to see some insane scores? Start PKE Frenzy with 6X playifield running and keep nailing that ramp.

I feel like the protectors that Stern is using aren't as durable as Cliffys. Every premium/LE I've played has a dented protector at the subway scoop. The more plays the game has, the more dented the protector.

Yep. The scores are very unbalanced in the game. They could use some major tweaking.

I believe they were originally intended to be part of the proton pack streams, but they nixed that feature before the game went into production. As it stands, I don't think they do much. They certainly don't appear to be coded very well into the game. I'd like to see them used to indicate when the flippers are reversed during Mass Hysteria multiball.

Isn't it designed so that a glancing blow registers but doesn't count for a true hit? I'm pretty sure on mine a glancing blow still triggers a sound.

That's pretty cool, but you need some way to illuminate it.

I understand the argument for wanting to randomize the ladders, but it would be kind of strange if you could get Stay Puft going as your first mode. As it stands, it's your reward for working your way up the entire ladder. Not only is it a longer mode, but it's also a more potentially lucrative mode. Because of this, I view it as somewhat of a mini-wizard mode which should not be seen until later in the game. The rest of the modes could be randomized and I wouldn't really have a problem with it.

By moving the rubber lower, it also closes the switch gap a bit more.

I thought the whole point of tournament mode was to de-randomize stuff like that during multiplayer games.

But in all the other scenarios, you have a choice. With Slimer, you are forced to start WBTD whether you want to or not. I still maintain that the game would be better if this was changed.

Hmm. Now you have me second guessing myself. I could have sworn he only appears in the goggles for the final hit.

Thanks! That's how I thought it works. So when slimer does randomly show up as the last required shot in the goggles, you have no choice but to start WBTD. I don't think even Keith Elwin could consistently hit just the hologram without triggering the orbit switch as well.

Did you play a pro or a premium? They are both brutal games, but I think the magna slings make the premium/LE even harder.

Interesting. I don't have a lot of time on a pro. I just assumed the magna slings would make the game harder, since they don't act at all like normal slings. On a pro, you at least know what the ball is going to do when it's headed towards a sling.

I don't see how removing the mylar would have any effect on a ball coming from the shooter lane. The mylar fix is for fast moving balls coming around the right orbit. For balls hitting the gate when exiting the shooter lane, the solution is a lower tension spring for the manual plunger, and a higher tension spring for the auto-plunger. Some people have also bent their gates a little bit to make more room for the ball. A third option would be a piece of plastic over that area to keep the ball low as it's coming around that turn.

For those of you that have switched to this spring, does the ball still easily make it all the way around the orbit?

One nice change Stern did make is that they now incorporate a splint into the bracket. This helps keep the target from leaning from side to side.

That what slide saves are for ...

I put lightning flippers on mine ...

Do you have Cliffys installed at the drop targets? They tend to cause airballs.

No, I'm talking about the Scoleri drop targets. Some people install Cliffys on them, and they tend to exacerbate the airball situation.

GB-drops002 (resized).jpg

Is your ball getting stuck up there on a fast shot, or is it flying around the orbit but just not triggering the switch? If it's the latter, then you probably just need to adjust the switch actuator. If it's the former, then I'm not sure what's going on. Before I removed the mylar on my game, a fast hit ball would often rattle around up there. After removing the mylar, it always comes around clean.

Then it has to be the switch. Have you tried adjusting it?

Hey, we all have to start somewhere.

It's possible it's just a flaky switch, but I would try adjusting it before jumping to that conclusion. Go underneath the playfield and remove the switch. Then, carefully try to tweak the wire (actuator) so that it sticks out a little higher above the playfield when installed. What you are trying to do is increase the sensitivity of the switch so it is more easily triggered. Hopefully, this will solve your problem. My only other suggestion would be to check and make sure your Scoleri target is sitting perfectly flush with the playifield. It's height can be adjusted by a screw at the bottom of the drop target mech.

I've been waiting for mine for a couple weeks. I reached out to David at Stern yesterday, and he said they are still out of stock. For now, they are just collecting orders and will send out the kits as soon as they get them.

Wow, that's like LOTR kind of ball times! Very impressive! Do you have the center post mod or anything else that would make the game easier?

I've got the purple flipper buttons on mine as well. I think that's the best color for the game.

You will also need a Spike power adapter cable like this ...

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4177

Oops! Sorry about that. Since this is the GB thread, I assumed you were inquiring about a GB topper.