I think this is a great thread. There are always a few folks who worry that the designer will be influenced by certain half-baked suggestions and implement something that shouldn't be implemented. From what I've seen, they don't have to worry about that with this designer. I also think that good designers listen to the opinions of their customers and appreciate the feedback (the more the better)... and bad designers get all butt-hurt when anyone criticizes their design.

GB Premium was my first and only NIB Stern. It looks to me like, at some point, before the code is 100% finished, the lead programmer has to start working on the next title. That's how they roll. Hey Stern... hire a couple more programmers! Seriously, why would I buy another NIB Stern knowing that the code is unfinished and the programmer is already working on something else?

I don't think this has been reported before. It's either a bug, or something the programmer did intentionally. Either way, I think it should be fixed. In my GB Premium, during gameplay, the pop-bumper flasher (the big round insert) is normally-on instead of normally-off. When the ball hits the pop-bumpers, the flasher flashes off (instead of flashing on). Just the opposite of what it should do. If it's intentional, I guess it's clever. Problem is, the split-second "off" flashes are a real nothing-burger, barely noticeable. The rest of the time, seeing as how it's a white flasher and it's almost always on, it adds to the bright playfield illumination (which is the last thing GB needs).