When I think the film is dated, I just imagine the river as raw sewage. Makes it instantly feel contemporary.

I love JJP, and I think this game looks super fun. I was about 65% sure I'd buy it if it was good, and 100% sure if it was epic. For me, It's good, but not epic. I was hoping for crazy innovation. I'm pretty disappointed in the LCD compared to Hobbit and DI. Maybe this will improve.

Like BKSR, I'll have to play this one to see, but it's looking like this will be a location player for me.

Coming around to considering the SE, but it’s totally lame that the side art is the same as the LE except they removed Gene. It’s as if they went out of their way to downgrade the art. Stern at least provides great art for their pros. Have to play it I suppose....

What some of you don't seem to understand is that competitors offer great art in this price range. Many of us love and expect great art at $7500. Just because Gene's face might cost more doesn't mean they can't create alternative art. It's absolute BS. I am 100% in if they improve the art and 100% out if they don't. I'm giving my opinion, just as you are. I'm NOT bitching.

We'll see about that. If it comes to selling no game or an SE, we might see some changes. The art doesn't have to be as good as the others. It just has to be more than text. Stern doesn't have an issue giving good art to pro customers. I doubt I'm alone in the art camp. I will vote with my wallet: no art, no buy!

Is there no rule about spamming all of the Wonka threads with ads?

My question was a legitimate question. If there isn't a rule, there isn't a rule. I am following the Wonka threads and got hit with this ad twice in a row for an event (far away from most on average) that is also an ad for sales (the true motivation). What if all of the distros worldwide that support events to sell Wonkas did this in all the Wonka threads? There are many of them. Again, if there isn't a rule, there isn't a rule. No need to attack

Dude, are some sort of Stern shill? This has been discussed to death on pinside. Use the damn search. Here are some reasons Sterns are cheaper and lack quality as you appear to be lazy and/or incompetent:

- No knocker
- Cheap power sources with loud, crap Chinese fans
- crap power switch location
- board system that cannot be repaired. Wait till they start failing, and they WILL.
- mechs made of cheap pot-metal (imdn etc.)
- historical cabinet issues (crap wood)
- cheap leg brackets that leads to splitting
- graphite plumb Bobs
- crap coin mechs
- smaller lcd with larger translites lit by a tiny led strip
- cheap speakers and amp
- etc etc etc. (Use the search feature)

Are they improving? Only because of market pressure. I own Sterns and enjoy their machines, but it does not blind me to their penny pinching business model.

JJP machines have issues, but they are often due to challenges related to innovation, not sucking every dime out of production.

Can't wait for Wonka

Clearly you have a preconceived answer for every Stern criticism, so why bother asking? You sound like a shill, and your previous post supports my suspicion. I call a spade a spade. Your previous responses to experienced collectors were baiting and insulting. You seem to know quite a bit about the companies and their games, easily enough to form your own informed opinion. If not, you have a friend with over 20 games to talk to. Your feigned ignorance is wasting people's time. I hope you don't buy a Wonka - I truly do - as you sound like a horrible customer to deal with. Save JJP the effort and stick to your beloved Stern. Munsters sounds right up your alley with it's wonderful quality and features.

Bring on Wonka!

I was at mom's place... And totally took the new account troll bait. I don't know why, but I can't help thinking internet ignorance can be healed. Must be my age...

It's because of all the prior cost cutting and overall quality. The clips are more convenient, but they are a cost cutting decision. They are also less robust, which may be an issue down the road. The lock down system is not something you want breaking in a routed machine, so it's a fair concern. In home use, I prefer them. I just wish some of the savings went elsewhere in the machine instead of all to Gary.

Wonka!

Watched a lot of the twitch stream, and, man, this game looks fun to shoot. It's so interesting that Pat's games have such a unique feel to them, and I can see this game is no exception. I love the innovation in the lighting with magnets, and the small screen use. The use of the camera is going to make newbs spit their beer out when they watch their face move across the screen! That said, the integration on screen needs some pretty serious work. To hear Gene's voice and see a clip of him not talking reminds me of Karate overdub. It appears that they are listening and moving away from the slot machine experience, which I am grateful for. If they support this game like they have their previous titles, the final code will be grade-A from the sweat and tears of their programmers. I'm stoked! Now if I can just choose a model...

This game will end up with a great balance of clips, sounds and animations. JJP hasn’t dropped the ball once imho. Sure, hobbit’s pf design might not be your cup of tea, but overall, it’s still a cool game. Do they have production issues? Like all complex production companies, yes. Their customer service is second to none though. Go read the early DI threads. Same discussion. What’s your opinion of DI now that the code is pretty much done? Don’t listen to the couch critics!

There is no "awful pattern” here. JJP shows off prototypes, and people get excited. Then the impatient people claim some sort of marketing blunder. Then the game ships and everyone is excited again and we hear things like, ” it took forever, but wow, what a game." People bitched about DI even more, and it's still selling. I love the proto reveals and hope they continue.

Guess I'd have to hear that from Jack's mouth. I still hear about people excitedly buying them, often based on the great reviews and current pinside "press."

Here are some pinside numbers:

PinOwners (resized).jpg

With these numbers in mind, you have to remember that dialed in has an average MSRP of $8500, higher that the average Stern price, which is likely around $7000. This game did half the sales of a crazy licence like Star Wars. If you look at sales of WOZ, considering JJP's production lengths, it's hardly a "flop." I think they hoped for more, but it's not a flop.

Which art are you talking about? The Stars or the subtle swirling behind the title? How is this "art" the best? I can't remember the last game that came out with almost zero side art. It's a huge let down.

The rest of the game looks amazing though. Passing on nib, but can't wait to play it on location!

With Bowen out there, nobody stands a chance. *sigh*

I'd still reseat all connectors.

I had some pretty big QC issues with my DILE. It was made on a Friday. Led board a full cm of the drill guide.... Phone didn't work right.

Great company, and I would imagine it's tough to get good QC with the wages you have to pay to keep prices remotely reasonable.