Agreed. I am going to have to take some more time to play and find what I need to tweak.

I did notice right away that letting scenes marked completed if they are not completed was far too easy for progression.

Personally, I never felt the original code was "too hard" but I know im in the minority with that.

Agreed with these updates.

Also - LOVE the new call out for the storage unit....light is green it's clean. Tons of new colors on the PF for shots too. Reduced flipper to soft right away b/c it was way too strong and even soft is doing well.

Yep like everyone else so far really loving the changes, and i haven't even had a big game yet (I know its coming)

after probably 2 dozen games, Ive decided to change to not auto-complete modes, i like that wcws is attainable but I dont want it to be a straight up gimme.

I do like the Ghost target mode shot rule though. In the early modes it doesnt seem needed as its a more dangerous shot than the mode shots themselves and it does put the ball out of control so it is still risky down the road. I wouldnt mind seeing it disabled during multiballs though.

I would still like to see some multiplier adjustments in the settings and maybe a multiplier start qualify adjustment (have to hit captive ball, and a timer adjustment so it only lights a multiplier if you hit it directly on the fly).

I havent explored the wcws from the ramp or orbit ladders, are there any differences besides number of balls to start?

It would be nice to have a risk/reward for going for some of the deeper ladders, something like:
Librarian - 2 ball mb, up to 2 add-a-balls
Ramp - 3 ball mb, up to 3 add-a-balls
Orbit - 4 ball mb, up to 4 add-a-balls

There's a lot of points to be had in wcws, especially with multipliers going and a couple add-a-balls to string things along. it would be nice to incentivize players into playing the deeper ladders as well.

Anyways, I'm really happy with where the code is at, and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into new strategies. It really does feel like a new game to me. My thanks goes out to the "Top Men" who brought it all together!

Loved that callout also.

Anyone have a good setting for the auto launch? I lowered mine to like 210 but still having issues.

You may need to make other adjustments. The GB Issue thread has posts to fix an issue near the top of the launch ramp on the right that can upset the ball trajectory and cause it to not go around.

choose the lowes setting, no problems since.

interesting, ill check it out. thanks..

oh ok, ill drop it all the way down and see how that works..

So with the Ghost Shot Target Mode turned off, does that basically take it back to where you have to hit slimer three times to get a mode started?

Has anyone tested how the ghost shot spotting works. In my limited experience it always seems to eliminate the harder shots, so on the Pro, if the right ramp is lit it seems to spot that shot. If that shot is not lit it spots the left orbit. Unsure after that as I find the other shots to be easier then the ghost, so there was little motivation to shoot it.

Also just noting that they changed how the right ladder modes are started, the ball now has to complete the orbit to count. Previously these modes could be started with a simple backhand. I haven't found this to be the case now, I almost always end up in the pop bumpers with a backhand.

I can always make an orbit with a backhand to start the mode but my flippers are adjusted to be even with the outlanes not below. Also I like to turn off the post that stops the full orbit shot. It creates more flow imo. Anyone else disable that post?

I think its good. I never liked having it start without the orbit. Seems like cheating the system.

The main thing I don't like about it is it just further incentivizes the skill shot exploit.

What exactly is the skill shot exploit?

My guess would be that it is that you can short plunge and not trigger any switches and then let the ball drain and try again. It's less of an issue now that "light multipliers" skill shot isn't an issue.

Was the flipper strength adjusted by default? Or just a setting added? One of my return springs broke on my second game after the update, so was curious...

Oh gotcha. yea i knew about that but getting that damn "K" is very hard to me...

How do you light the "x3" multiplier? I didnt see that get lit last night when playing.

You can plunge the ball a short distance, then plunge it quickly at full strength to automatically collect the skill shot in the right orbit, which is either starting a mode or collecting 10% of your score. Here is an example of where that, combined with the other changes, will make game progression too easy for most players on the default settings.

On BALL 1 use the skill shot exploit to start Who Brought The Dog. It then takes three shots to complete the mode, plus one of them can be spotted with the ghost targets. After this you need to shoot the right orbit to start Spook Central. So that's four shots. It doesn't matter what else you do after this, because worst case you can use the skill shot to start Gozer the Gozerian on BALL 2 and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on BALL 3. If you really want to do things in the minimum number of shots you can time out Phase 1, which I sadly did without trying last night, to light We Came We Saw. This could theoretically be your fifth completed shot. After your first We Came We Saw, if you haven't already collected it, the left scoop will be lit for Extra Ball. This scoop will also start Spooked Librarian. Again, no matter what else happens you will finish the mode upon the drain. This time select the left scoop as your skill shot as you plunge BALL 4. Shoot it to start Back Off, Man. Now you actually have to play mode, but I don't think it's a long one. If you finish that mode your something like ten mandatory shots into the game. You will have lit your second Extra Ball and second We Came We Saw.

PS: I'm not posting this as a negative. Options are always good and, thankfully, we have options in the settings that will help us make game progression more balanced.

Loving the changes so far. Its like a completely different game. Had trouble walking away last night. Def has that "one more game" now feel. Changed my vote in the poll to reflect this.

yea I thought I had a switch malfunction or something when trying to start the right ladder with a back hand. I would like to see that changed back so it doesn't have to orbit all the way around.

I believe someone else in this thread was trying to draw comparison to Lord of the Rings. I currently own both games and here is my take. With the default settings and good strategy, I would put We Are Ready to Believe You at about the same difficulty as starting Destroy the Ring. Actually, reaching Are You A God? would be on par with actually destroying the ring. I haven't beaten Are You A God?, so I can't comment on how that would compare.

EDIT: After playing more games this weekend, I now feel like We Are Ready to Believe You is harder to achieve then Destroy the Ring. Most games I'm playing We Came We Saw, but completing all three of them is still fairly difficult for an average player.

so for the guys thinking this truly transforms the game, just curious what new strategies you now have as I def think there are more ways to open this game up then before. For example, hitting the captive balls more (left and center) - hitting the proton pack area - however I'm still not sure of exactly to do - I just know more is there.

Any idea on an update for colordmds to follow up with the changes?

The same way you light X2. Any time X2 is already lit or flashing, and you "Advance PFX" the X3 will light since X2 is already lit.

I am really loving the new river of slime rules and playfield multipliers. You now have reasons to shoot the right scoop and left proton pack targets. It is a blast to build up the river of slime shot value, cash it in and then start 6x multipliers to blow up a mode. I love the new pink inserts for the river of slime shots. The multi balls are a lot more fun and easier to understand. Very pleased with the new code. I did have a bug last night though. I was playing the Are you a God mode by changing in the adjustments. When I caught 100 ghosts the screen went black but then nothing happened. Was frozen for about a min and then the machine went into ball search but the screen was still black. Had to restart the machine.

It certainly makes it a LOT better. I haven't figured out an exact strategy for high score yet, but I feel it's likely worthwhile to hit the gear targets or captive ball after a left ramp. Lighting those multipliers seems lucrative. I'm mediocre, so at this point I'm not aiming for the multipliers. I miss enough ramp shots that I'm collecting them that way. I think I remember someone saying they were getting some crazy scores from the River of Slime, so there might be something there too. At this point my main focus has been reaching the wizard modes.

can you explain how the new rules work here? Not clear on that.

a lot of games had this or something similar. Early SS games would have bonus carry overs. Which if you had an awesome first ball. It would carry over from ball to ball. Same with BSD. You get bats and rats on ball one. you get killer bonus throughout the game.

For river of slime? Every time you hit the right orbit it lights river of slime in the right scoop. You have about 5-10 seconds to collect it. You can also keep hitting the right orbit to increase the value of the river of slime. Once you are ready to cash in, hit the right scoop and it will make shots across the playfield pink and the value of those shots will be whatever you cashed in the right scoop at. So you sort of want to get river of slime going with a mode so each mode shot is increased by the river of slime value.

The PFX are much more available to strategically stack with modes / multiballs
- You light/advance the PFX (but not start) by shooting the left ramp (collect a gear award), then hit the yellow targets (or left captive ball)
- You Start the PFX by hitting a lit 2X or 3X target (each side of the ramp) - it is active when flashing
- If both are flashing, you have 6X Playfield active

You have better control over which mode to start -> so concentrate on completing any of the 3 ladders
-- the 2 mode ladder is quickest to get to WCWS

The Ghost Collecting is faster and IMO more important now - it's fun to go for Loopin Supers, PKE and Mass Hysteria MB
Awards are:
- 10 - --- light lock SFMB
- 20 - light Tobins (Mystery)
- 30 - --- light lock SFMB
- 40 - light Video Mode
- 50 - --- light lock SFMB + Extra Ball
------------- The following 3 modes are different now...
- 60 - Loopin Supers
- 80 - PKE
- 100 - Mass Hysteria MB

When playing PKE - IMPORTANT - try to keep it going to stack with Mass Hysteria MB. This is the only stack available with PKE.

For PF multipliers, an important change that may not be obvious is that lit OR blinking multipliers disappear on a lost ball. On previous code, multipliers lit, but not started would carry over.

Not 100% correct. You can stack PKE with a librarian mode if it is awarded by Tobins just before the mode is started (i.e. a chain of events on a single left scoop shot).

Such a fantastic update and so much fun seeing parts of the came I could never reach before. However, anyone else surprised that (in multiplayer games) you still don't get a score recap before it goes to the next player. it still looks like the score flashes for a frame and then it calls for next player to plunge.

Xaqery any chance to remedy this in the next (and presumably final) update? ... I know it's such a small thing but when every other Stern pin I have does this, I feel cheated when GB does not. Very anti-climatic. PLEASE HELP!

I agree...I thought it was addressed. Half the fun of pinball is the score counting up....with EMs it's the wheels turning and bells chiming...it should be the same with modern pinballs....that is the psychology behind the addiction man!

All I can say is WOW...... what a fantastic pinball machine. Owned it since new and liked it before but Dwight has redeemed himself and made GB an all time GREAT.

Anyone who still thinks GB is a terrible game just doesn't like pinball.

You can’t NOT like it after the update. I agree!

Bolted to the ground next to IMDN

Any chance The Pinball Arcade will include the updated code?

Let the game sit on the next player for like 2 seconds and it shows the scores.

I have a new pinball machine that has been sitting in my house for the past 3 years.

Just amazing.

I'm not saying "thank you" Stern because it should have been resolved MUCH sooner. So don't let it happen again for 3 F ng years.

It's your duty to your pin buyers that have paid lots of $$$

GB now rises to Elite status for me

It seems my favorite shaker effect was changed. I really liked the last multi-shake sequence at the start of SF multiball. Now it's just one steady shake: kind of lost some character. I wonder why that was changed.

I've also seen reports on the DMD of "Light Tobins" and then it's not lit. Thought it happened on both the left and right scoop.

Love the new update - made a great game even better!! One thing I've always wondered, why did they not use this call out for a ball drain: "What the hell are you doin?" (i.e. the maid from the Sedgewick Hotel)? It always seemed like a no-brainer drain call out to me (also could be used if you miss an important shot, etc). I'm not complaining about what's there (love it), this just seems like an obvious thing (maybe they didn't capture this quote from the movie audio)?

just had a solid session with the kids playing "God Mode" which was a heap of fun and the kids loved it

even better is that the kids interest died there for a while but the new update renewed their interest as they loved the multiball mini game and I can't get them off to play a regular game - which is not a bad thing

thanks Dwight and Team

Had a good session with the kids and noticed 2 bugs during "God Mode" and reported them to Dwight, so keep an eye on them and confirm if it happens with you guys as well.

Bug 1 - left flip + start does not end the game in “God Mode” when at the 2nd and 3rd player point on 2 occasions just added another player

Bug 2 - if you are playing 2 player “God Mode” and during the 2nd player the start is pushed to allow a 3rd player it adds Player 3 BUT it also adds an extra ball / turn to the 2nd player after their God Mode turn is completed but the extra ball is in a regular game and lights mode and not in a “God Mode” - we let it drain and then 3rd player god mode starts as regular. We had this same sort of thing happen a couple of random times as well when we started the comp with 3 - 4 players from the beginning before player 1 starts and it added the weird extra ball after the god mode of player 2 on 2 occassions. So there seems a random bug between player 2 and 3.