Could someone take a close up of the socket/wiring on their Pumpkin? I've tightened things but it still spins a bit over time and gets out of alignment. The two lugs on the socket are super close together too, not sure if that's how it came or not. Appreciate it.

Halloween
Ultraman
Scooby
Right when the good shit happens audio goes on library mpde....plain out sucks!

I changed the settings on the amp and then the volume at the door and things are quite good now. They posted a photo of recommended amp settings here not long ago and this is quite close to where I ended up as well. I really don't notice any imbalance when playing anymore.

They changed the audio, cause I had it tuned in the way I liked it, the voices on some clips were toned down for sure, but not all. Like certain previously loud Loomis calls were clearly turned down and edited but then other voices are more clear. Music seems cranked up, so it needs to be changed in settings for me. Don't fear the Reaper is much more clear and better sounding. They improved some of the audio, while I think some of the voice clips got turned down too much.

There is also what appears to be some missing callouts from PJ Soles now?

Would you mind re-posting that photo?

I started messing with the menu audio settings out of curiosity and started hearing what people are not happy with, also the louder I set it seemed to get worse.

I think a big part of the audio problem folks are experiencing has to do with the audio amplifier. Although it gets the job done, it can be very challenging to get the settings right. Specifically, the subwoofer volume knob has a very poor useable range when it comes to dialing it in; the output is mostly either full-off (no sound) or full on (thundering distortion). There is a very small area on the dial where you can get the bass to come on without getting too loud.

Below is a pic of how my amplifier is set and it seems to be working well. However, I'm probably going to give my machine a bit of a refurb later and will be replacing the amplifier with something better.

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It sounds almost like when the variable resistor for your volume is playing up but not with all sounds, doubt it’s an amp issue as too many people are having the issues and it’s certain sounds not all.

I'll try the amp settings as well but what I have heard from day 1 seems to just be the samples not being more normalized. Not sure that these can be adjusted through an amp.

Yea the audio issues with the game basically come down to the clips and music just being out of wack. It just means they need to alter the actual audio files if anything. Though it feels like they raised the volume on some things a bit much with the last update, I don't even have my stuff up high and it's crazy loud the music for example.

When was the last update we have had on code?

I did not mean to say that the amp was THE source of the audio issues. But it might help improve things a bit by checking those amp settings. I was able to improve the audio on my machine.

I do agree that sound normalization definitely needs to be done to correct sound levels between clips.

Like word? Just that they were testing changes to Bob and Lynda mode to try and avoid some of the problems it has when stacked with house mode, as well as them having approved new assets, assuming for the new mode and such. But don't think we've heard much lately.... as well as them tracking down a memory leak issue in Ultraman code, which I don't know if it exists in Halloween?

The photo John C just posted is basically where I'm at as well. That and messing with the volume settings got me to a point where the different volumes don't bug me during play anymore. Hope it helps you too.

I just purchased standard rod to install. The knife shooter just binds too much. Going to see if I can polish it or something to get it to shoot smoother.

My problem with the shooter is the washer they put on it gets stuck in the spring so it doesn't have enough sproing (that's a real word).

You'll be happy after you ditch the knife shooter rod. An old school standard shooter might not look as cool but works considerably better.

My audio settings for the amp are as they were out of the box. The coin door volume level has been set to be reasonable too. Audio levels were fine UNTIL the one game I recently got Jack-O-Lantern multiball. Holy hell "Don't Fear the Reaper" was so loud compared to every other sound or bit of music before that point in the game. I'll double check my amp settings to the picture above, but I doubt it's that far off. It was an unfortunate way to end my best game by far with a score of over 40 million versus previous bests of barely over 20 mil.

All the music it seems got cranked up, cause I didn't change settings either and suddenly the music is blaring. Don't Fear the Reaper is better though as many pointed out how it felt too low before and kept getting drowned out by other noises and voices, so them raising the volume on that was a blessing I think

Check your outer spring. Mine was doing the same because Spooky cut the outer springs shorter to help account for the shorter knife shooter rod. Just replace the spring. You'll get a weak ball contact, but at least it will function.

Try putting an acorn nut inside your shooter rubber before it goes on the rod. Might gain the clearance you need to achieve better contact.

Dang it! Just had my best score game and another crash. Was finishing up the hedge multiball combined with Laurie Slashes back and bang, game over. Sent report

Learn from me. Don’t combine Laurie Slashes Back and Hedge

Matt replied that this issue has been fixed on his end and will be updated in the next release. Love their customer service!

Guess I’m late to the party but got Halloween shipping next week! Nervous and super excited to dive into something different for a change. Will be my first Spooky.

Don’t be nervous. Mine has been absolutely solid for over a year. We love it because it’s so different from our Sterns. If you do find an issue with it… rest assured, Spooky will fix it.

…so, we haven’t really played all that much since installing the latest code.

In past, we’d score 10-20M in average game and our GC was probably ~60M.

I played a game this morning. Had <1M after ball 2. On ball 3 I stacked hedge + cemetery, didn’t complete any modes, and ended up with 80M. I did nothing except have a decent MB with lots of super jackpots. I’m a little disturbed by the seeming randomness and seemingly unearned big score. Can this be right;should you even be able to stack these two MBs?

waaaaaa? I can't even get over 25M on a regular game. I am clearly going to have to try this. The modes are SO low scoring on their own they aren't really worth the risk to complete

My GC score was 35 mil before the latest update. It went to 55 mil about second day after the new code. I am glad they added scoring because there used to be long periods of ball time with zero scoring because you weren't hitting the lit shots and everything else scored basically zero.

I wish there was no stacking. I personally feel, like the movie, each mode should be linear and needs to be completed independently. How can you be at the sanitarium and in the house at the same time? How can Linda show you her boobs while you are trying to kill Michael and getting to the balcony? I care more about progress then just a high score.

nice if we had a choice not to stack!

I guess I’m asking other owners to confirm whether they have seen/experienced the same…or whether something crazy is going on with my pin.

I locked ball in cemetery. I started hedge MB. During hedge MB, I released the ball from cemetery. Then scoring started going nuts.

I have seen some weird things with the cemetery lock, releasing when it shouldn’t as well. Should all be fixed in the next update and hopefully no more added.

The judith MB is supposed to double scoring I believe, which could have accounted for your big scores, along with the new Judith lock scoring objectives that were added which mean even more points. Did you ever get house MB during the play too cause that now has a 2X score multiplier option as well, so yea the last update added several new scoring methods.

Funny as with Bond folks were upset of how things are forced to play in order, as it affected how they can present the game. This was forced by the licensor but also has limited presentation, for example they can't cross over clips, or show bits out of order, and the entire clip has to run through in order, which many do not like.

Stacking is needed, the game would be so restricted on scoring, but just pure fun factor. The biggest problem the game has right now is that some modes take over the game and essentially turn off scoring for large parts of the game. Don't got a pumpkin mode and you are now activated a main PF mode? Well 80-90% of the game does nothing now, which really makes for some boring gameplay. Stacking allows at least more play options, scoring options, and strategy. If they can add it as an optional option, fine go for it, but it would ruin the game in so many ways for many people if taken away.

I still say the game really really needs more open shots and scoring allowed during non stacked modes, being stuck in a main PF mode and being forced to play nothing but a single upper playfield cause nothing else gives you points, just isn't fun.

Watching folks play long games who don't know the full rules, and because the game lacks good instruction on screen, they just bat the ball around for long periods of time and wonder "why am I not getting any points". There needs more clear direction in the game, as well as not shutting off majority of the playfield cause a mode is on. Most games even during modes, you don't turn off the basic targets and features of said game, you don't turn the PF into brickfest, you still at least award basic shot points for what players make. So either turn on normal scoring or give more options to players to do, cause players are forced to stack to avoid bore fest.

Probably had 100 games in my life time and it all started with me seeing Gottlieb s haunted house at the Jersey shore in 1980-1981. I now have 9 in my collection, played them all. Rolled the dice on Halloween….. probably my favorite. Had very small issues over the year. It’s my favorite. Text me 267 971 2843. Or call. I will debrief you. If you want

I try and set that up once a game. Makes for some big points!

Yes, Judith Multiball is now a functioning 2X playfield. Helps one blow that shit up when running.

Some call outs or such for the Judith MB would be nice. As well as indicators or something that the 2x scoring is on. Helpful when a game tells you what is going on with scoring or when you activate a bonus or multiplier in the game

Almost done with my game, and there will be no stacking.

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Whoa! Cool!

And this time I locked cemetery. Started house MB. Started cemetery MB. Started hedge MB. Again, didn’t complete any modes.

The scoring in these stacked MBs really seems to make the rest of the scoring in the game irrelevant.

I actually trapped up during the MB to see if I had a stuck switch giving me fake points somewhere…but nope.

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If you are scoring jackpots with double scoring on, then it's going to add up to alot, but otherwise that is some crazy high scoring for this game. Perhaps need to keep an eye on the screen or record it to see whats counting as your playing to make sure something isn't going on.

House MB and the tombstone MB offer 2x scoring so stacking jackpots during such times is going to get you lots of points though

Also the Judith tombstone MB has it's own jackpots now so if stacked with another MB you got double the jackpot potential now

…but unless something is wrong with my pin, this wasn’t hard to do. This was much much easier to start than it is for me to complete most modes. If my pin is working as intended, then I’m going to claim that the scoring balance is WAY out of whack. (…and I don’t even know what “whack” is!!!).

Air brushing looks amazing

Would need to really see where you are scoring and what's going on really, that seems a bit high with what you are saying, even after the update unless you just really been lucky with stacking. I mean it's not that out of wack nowadays with how pins score, when in a matter of seconds you can get half a million points with some lucky shots in Star Wars, or a good MB in Godzilla can explode for insane points.

But if you feel it's been too easy and that is some high scores, something might be off on your pin, but it would need more careful scrutiny to find out what is going on.

I had some exploding scores early on with mine cause I had a problem with my drops and skill shots were being awarded for free in rapid fire. A friend pressed start and the game just kind of went nuts on the drops, suddenly she had 20mil+ point without having shot anything.

Ugh Bob and Lynda mode. Just had a good game and had Bob and Lynda going, and has the House MB going. House ended and the diverter closed apparently so I could not advance the Bob and Lynda mode which was stuck on the open balcony shot. But the game would not let me back into the house at that point and was stuck in the Bob and Lynda mode waiting to progress, so was kind of stuck until ball drained. It also at that point wouldnt' let me restart House MB for some reason even though I hit the center ramp like 8 times in a row to try and get back in.

My #1 complaint about the game. Once I stopped focusing on that middle ramp it stopped being an issue (because I wasn’t starting House mode right off the bat), and I found the game generally more fun. I LOVE that mode but it just is too easy to start

I totally agree and think this is really all what's missing in the code. The modes are absolutely fantastic (minor bugs aside) and there's plenty of them, but there's not enough general playfield scoring or activity and it feels truly "empty" outside of the mode based stuff. There just needs to be things like:

- Specific combos - yes I know we have combos shots but they all play the same (pretty cool) animation with little fanfare so you hardly notice. Would be awesome to get something like an "EVIL Orbit combo" etc! In fact the right orbit is repeatable (really hard but its possible) so it would be fantastic to have a repeatable loop shot in there somewhere with a callout (every loop could be a "stab" lol) and some extra bonuses tied to it (thinking along the lines of warp ramp in Star Trek). Those orbit shots are super tough but buttery smooth I'd love to see them utilised for something specific like that.

- Stand ups - have something you do on the playfield (again could just be a specific combo that's pretty tough to hit) activate a short, timed stand up frenzy where you just have to hit all 8 stand ups (6 on the playfield, 2 on the sanitarium), then hit the sanitatrium scoop to complete.

That's just 2 quick ideas, there must be tonnes of other stuff. Probably a bit late in the day to ask for changes like that but I think that's really all this game is missing - after the last wizard mode and First Kill are put in of course.

Actually thinking about it - I'd say this is something really missing from Spooky games in general. I have an ACNC - I LOVE that game, but outside of the monster battles/multiballs there's very little to do if anything at all... All I can think of is going for chops in the guillotine (to progress towards extra ball), or combos - and again the combos are generic just like on HW).

That’s a discussion we had some years back in the ACNC thread.

Stern games - you get points for everything. Missing shots, hitting pops, hitting slings, everything. Scoreboard is always moving.

Games like ACNC - if you don’t hit your shots, you get nothin.

While personally - as a “player” - I prefer this as I think good play should be rewarded (as opposed to flailing around willy nilly) - but I fully understand that 90% of people like to see the scoreboard moving so they feel some sense of accomplishment.

rd

I kind of agree there's something refreshing about the pure approach ACNC has and maybe that's why I like it so much. But I'm not sure it just feels like it's missing a little something. I'm not saying it has to be balls to the wall points and things being awarded for every shot here there and everywhere - but maybe just some dedicated combos, and perhaps some stand up target awards for something...? The stand ups literally have one function each (expect for award shots in modes) - the hurry up and to activate the multiplier. Plus the spinner does absolutely nothing in the whole game except make a noise?

It's a fantastic game as it is don't get me wrong, but I think just a couple of extra things outside of the modes wouldn't hurt it any. Just as an example - the orbits are so hard to hit, so why not reward the player a bit more if they manage 2 or 3 in a row. You still get a combo award as it is, but its totally underwhelming and it's the same award and callout as every combo on the game. I think it just could benefit from a little variety and differentiation.

I think that’s the point for most people. 98% of casual players aren’t IFPA-registered and don’t use a power stance while they’re playing.

So being amateurs, they want to at least score some points while monkey flipping. They don’t want scoring to be some arduous task.

Personally, I love how difficult Halloween is. I tend to gravitate to games that are either very difficult or very fast. Like BSD.

Aside from all us pinball geeks, I think the average person playing a pin expects higher scores to go with keeping the ball in play longer and wants to see what happens when something is accomplished or a cool mech is hit. That is certainly the case for friends/family that play my pins. My wife plays Halloween multiple times a week and still has no idea how the rules tie back to score.