At PAGG, some people were talking about cutting up plastic milk jugs to make diffusers for overly-bright LEDs in Spike games.

Totally agree. For me, with some fine-tuning, my magna-slings went from "interesting" to "awesome". Specifically, here's what I did: 1) Changed to translucent rubber rings from Pinball Life, then, on the slings, moved the large ring lower, and the small rings higher, 2) Adjusted the gap on the leaf switches (to be a just a tad more sensitive), and 3) Using a reliable level, set the playfield pitch to 6.5 degrees (interestingly, according to my Craftsman level, the pitch was only 5.9 degrees when the game's bubble was centered). With this setup, I really appreciate what the designers created. It's as if the magna-slings become "possessed by ghosts", doing more crazy stuff as the game progresses, with corresponding sound effects. And yeah, once in a while you even see two or three balls cluster together in front of a sling, doing some sort of slow dance. Well done.

Pro has the 2" sling rubber. Premium has a 3/16" ring on each sling post in addition to the 2" rubber.

Six months in and still loving my Premium. What are the chances we'll see a Proton Stream add-on kit released along with a corresponding code update? I keep thinking the L-brackets are there for a reason...

I hear what you're saying but I haven't lost hope. I recall Trudeau saying the Proton Stream thing didn't make it into the product release, but I also heard him say (was it podcast or a video) that the toy could still become a reality. Hmm. Jody said they would consider it if there was a lot of demand (kind of what you would expect the marketing guy to say). And regarding the L-Brackets, they sure don't look to me like they're in a position to prevent stuck balls. I removed the L-Brackets from my game hundreds of plays ago... but I saved them, just in case

Was just looking through my audits. What is "POPS-LIGHT LIGHT ALL A BALL"?
...
180 POPS-LIGHT ADD A BALL 34 19% OF GAMES
181 POPS-LIGHT LIGHT ALL A BALL 0 0% OF GAMES
182 POPS-LIGHT ONE GHOST 2 1% OF GAMES
...

I’m fine with the linear ladders in GB. It makes some modes like Stay Puft harder to get to, so it is kinda neat (satisfying) when you manage to start them. However, I’d welcome a new option under feature adjustments called “Linear Ladders (Yes/No)”. Thus, if you prefer non-linear ladder(s), you would have that choice.

For home use, I like to make small, incremental changes until the game feels right. I ended up with ribbed flippers (slight reduction in SDTM drains) and a DIY outlane mod pictured below (slight reduction in outlane drains). I'm not a fan of center posts (I think it's a personal preference, but I found the center post to be mostly an annoyance in T2 and WOZ).

Image1.jpg

Any speculation on what the unused outlane inserts were intended for and how they'll tie into gameplay in the future? ? They are round, red inserts in my game, with no writing or graphic on them. I have a theory that they were intended to be part of the so-called "proton stream" feature that never made it into the game. I'm hoping a the long-awaited code update does something with them.

Here's a thought. They could add a proton stream feature that doesn't require any new hardware. Just some code and a couple of new DMD animations. It would work like this: If you drain down the outlane (when the outlane insert is lit), a ball is autolaunched and a timer starts. Now you are in "proton stream mode". You must make certain shots (with a final shot to the saucer) before the timer runs out. If you're successful, there's a visual/audio treat (you caught a ghost with your proton stream). Then the ball is released from the saucer and off you go... you saved your ball!

The latest Stern of the Union address says this: "With the added resources to our software department, we continue to address updates, enhancements, and bug fixes while adding various polish to our catalog of previous titles including Ghostbusters..."

"Continue to address" makes me think of this classic scene...

Amen brother! Hey Stern, Star Wars, Guardians, BM66, Aerosmith... they're lookin' good. Please, it's time to give GB some love!

I removed the wireforms and reinstalled them with fat spacers (as shown in this post: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-club-we-got-one/page/100#post-4441830). In this game, making the outlane entrance just wide enough for a ball to pass through without interference (and no wider) makes it feel normal to me (you still get outlane drains, but not ridiculous).

Remove the gate in the library captive ball area? Doesn’t that result in a lot of bounce backs? I simply bent mine a little.

Some people use green electrical tape.

I had something similar. Ball got stuck in a weird place and went into a ball search. I slid the glass down to put the ball back in play. Before I could get the ball cradled, the game restarted.

Regarding outlane saves and ways to earn saves, I'd like to see it done something like this. First, you must make certain shots to light the red inserts in the outlanes. Let's call those inserts "proton packs". Then, if you're not in multi ball and you drain via an outlane where the proton pack is enabled, a ball is autolaunched and a timed mode starts. In this special mode, you have a few seconds to make tough shots to save your ball, otherwise the flippers go dead and the ball drains. In this mode, the theme, dots, and sound would depict Ghostbusters trying to catch a ghost using their proton packs. It could be the most fun mode in the entire game (like Toto in WOZ). Just a simple matter of writing the code

Valid point. Could be incredibly fun, but like anything else it needs to be well-designed, with clear contextual cues, otherwise it could certainly confuse noobs.

I'd say yes, it helps. I have a ColorDMD in Ghostbusters set to solid magenta, tile mode. I replaced the stock display shield with a clear one from Pinbits. Tobin's Spirit Guide is quite readable. I experimented with other colors, including the obvious choice, green. I also tried dynamic color changing via ColorDMD's external interface. I kept coming back to solid magenta. It's vivid and bright, and looks great in this game.

Sixteen BM66 updates since the last GB update. Is the guy who has the final say on code update priority also the BM66 designer?

Good discussion. I always thought that "auto starting" the next mode felt "unexpected" as opposed to "intuitive", and made this brutal game seem a little more brutal. However, I decided to keep an open mind and play a couple games trying to use auto mode start to my advantage. Sure enough, if you concentrate on making sure your mode-ending shot goes to the ladder you want to advance, it's noticeably easier to complete ladders. So, I guess it's "OK", but I'm still not crazy about that aspect of the design.

On a side note, one thing did go wrong. I made the left ramp shot after starting Spook Central, and We Got One started, so both modes ran concurrently. When that happens, it's hard to know where to shoot! This weird issue has been reported before in the issues thread.

Great idea about using the red lights as an additional cue when the flippers are reversing/unreversing. In TSPP I crossed my arms when the flippers reversed. In this game, I don’t do that... I use both flipper buttons simultaneously, like a noob, whenever Mass Confusion is running.

Thanks for the summary! I like his thinking on modes like Loopin Supers. That mode is a real treat (the tune, the pressure, the satisfaction as you make the shots). It's under-appreciated, I think, because, quite often, it is running concurrently with multiball or something else. Regarding Are You a God, I was playing around with Pinball Browser a while back and noticed a lot of stuff in the firmware that I've never seen in the game (animations and callouts, including Are You a God callouts). That doesn't necessarily mean Are you a God will make it into the game, but there certainly is potential for neat stuff in future software updates.

Having a visual cue (the red inserts) indicating flipper reversal status would be a godsend. Maybe something like this...

Off = Normal Flippers
Rapid flashing = Get ready, flippers are changing
On = Reversed Flippers