Seriously. Nobody? Are you worried that it will harm your great relationship with JJP? Someone pm me. I’ll make it worth your while. I promise.

Looking for the beta code; very much appreciated.

Send me the beta please, I am starting to think that's the best we can get for the machine.

What exactly is supposed to be in this beta?

I thought it was just that online competition stuff

No, there are rule changes, character changes and a couple other items. (did Keith fix the ball search?!?!) Keith Johnson posted an image of a lot of the changes incorporated almost TWO years ago

Here's a link to the post you're referring to:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/186#post-4998088

Well, let's hope that the quality of the code will be proportional to the waiting time

If anybody gets the beta and is willing to share, pm me please.

If that was the case the new code would have 1700 modes, 65 wizard modes, and 500 new characters lol.

I wonder how many people are running the beta code. I have not seen one post from someone acknowledging they have it.

There are a handfull of people that have the code . They were part of the beta testers.

There’s a bunch, there was a whole beta group. I won’t name names but they posted results in the main thread.

Name names. They will receive dms from me

Just wondering out loud if a unique POTC final wizard mode outline/design even exists at JJP at this point. I have absolutely zero knowledge or anything to base this on, but I can't help but start to wonder if there's a chance that maybe they grabbed some of the ideas/gimmicks they had planned for the POTC wizard mode and used them in GnR and/or Wonka code instead?

Again, nothing at all to base this on but common sense tells me that by now (really a couple years ago) there should have been a final wizard mode at least scoped out with ideas on what gimmicks/ideas they wanted to use in it. In that time GnR has now come out with its code developed. So to get that done could they have felt the need to use some of their POTC wizard mode ideas on GnR, because getting that game done has clearly been their priority? And now after GnR they'll likely be on to their next game development leaving POTC even further in the dust.

I'd be very surprised if the two-year wait for a POTC update has anything to do with asset/licensing clearance. That just wouldn't make sense. It really all seems to boil down to them prioritizing first Wonka and then GnR over any POTC update, which just makes me wonder if they might have used the outlines of any ideas they had for a POTC final mode in any modes in those games instead. Again, nothing to base this on except looking big picture at what's gone on so far, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's the case since their focus and priority seems to be on getting everything else done before POTC.

I have no idea whether or not that occurred, but I can tell you I wouldn’t care one way or another as long as Pirates code actually got finished.

Yep I feel the same. But if it has happened then my thinking is would that mean the POTC final mode isn't even on the drawing board yet (unless JJP was content with using the same mode ideas in both GnR and POTC)? Again, just pure speculation and wondering out loud. And I'm hoping I'm wrong but I still have a feeling a POTC update isn't in the near future.

I hope you’re wrong!!

I tend to agree. At this point, with all of the issues that JJP is having to deal with, I think they have their hands full in just trying to survive. JJP sure isn't the same the same company they were just a few years back.

so no more updates??

Faust come on don’t be a dick,share you beta image

In the Telegram beta thread, it was stated again that ALL games would receive an update - and POTC was mentioned earlier in the thread specifically (not by JJP) so I think there’s still a chance. I don’t know if that Telegram thing is an official company channel or what, but it was encouraging

Has anyone tried asking Keith in the JJP Beta software thread? He does seem to respond often in that thread. Maybe a nice inquiry would get him to at least acknowledge POTC. So amazed they completely ignore this title.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-open-beta-program

Would be nice to have an official statement. Strange that they let down their best pinball

I just posed the question.

Your the man thanks!

Woot; I am pretty patient, but even I am like "WTF?"

I did not download the "adds parrots and eyepatches update" as the next one seemed like it was around the corner. That feels like a lifetime ago.

This pinball machine is unique, it so deserves this code. Make us dream.

The last comment he had was that "the POTC update which includes the wizard mode will be the last one" and I assume that means an update which includes the wifi stuff. I know he and the others killed themselves on that game, it still makes me mad how the online coven burned the preorders down through the "discgate" nonsense, which killed production

Fair though I think it was a learning lesson for all. Removing several Rather impressive features (mechs) months after show, orders, and payments are made is not a smart play and can be a tough pill to swallow as a buyer. Highly doubt they will do that again. Having both myself I am still amazed by what the original can do. Both are amazing though.

...and it was nonsense, you're right, the game loses nothing without the triple spinning discs. The animation on screen does that well.

As a caveat, I'll add that screen animations do not make a game - physical interaction with the ball make the game (IMHO) but in this case, the screen works just fine.

What are the differences with the original in terms of gameplay?

Best way to describe is complete randomness. Multi directional, multi speed, spinning lights, random fun. As far as mechs go JJP (Eric) should be applauded for even the effort to create something like this. The screen works no doubt but the complexity they attempted was pure genius in my view.

7E1C94B7-D55D-41A3-824C-343B47835695 (resized).jpeg

Wow !! It is clear that at the level of complexity C is unheard of !! I imagine they were afraid for reliability? And the noise of the gears I don t even imagine. In any case, these guys have the merit of trying and innovating, so thank you to them.

I think it was reliability which was the problem. I seem to remember Eric talking about this in a video. As I mentioned above, they accomplished it in software, and it's fine. But as Yelobird says quite rightly, it was an amazing mech, and it's a shame it didn't make it into production.

It definitely LOOKS much cooler. Having played it a bunch of times, I didn’t find it added very much additional benefit, and I could never read it fast enough to figure out what I got - I know there’s a couple of folks on Pinside who have prototype games, and about half say it’s amazing and half say it adds nothing.

I don’t really know, but I’m sure JJP learned a harsh lesson about retracting very cool features.. I guess?

Anyway, it’s still an awful shame one of the GOATs is basically swept under the rug.

Keith stated in the beta group a few days ago (answering a question about it) that a new beta test version for JJPOTC "is coming very soon ". So it's not abandoned. It seems that they are working on it again.

They will not give details on plans or hopeful timing probably because we will try to hold them to it. It is likely pretty unpredictable on timing so they have to be really vague.

Now that GNR code is finishing up, I am guessing that Keith will be freed up more.

JJPs harsh lesson…Do NOT share game development progress anymore. But in this instance, the ones who canceled their orders…likely had the most harsh lesson of all..

I think that the problem was less that they showed it, and more that they sold it. The backlash was inevitable. It's a shame because it still turned out to be one of the greatest games of all time.

Yeah thats my opinion. Showing is one thing, as soon as you sell it expectations are committed. Still turned out incredible though.

As a owner of the original Prototype and the production machine. I can say that the game with the 3 spinning discs is really a hard game. The discs can spin in all different directions with 50% to 100% speed. It makes the bal go everywhere and even for a verry experience player it’s hard. I can see from a playing perspective that this 1 disc was the best way to go. Also for production cost. As the triple disc system is verry complicated. Also the pcb has multiple opto s to have it stop at a certain award . I know the triple disc is an awsome feature but the noise it makes and the crazy ball grabs and drains. Stick with your game as you have it now it much more enjoyable !

Here I’m cleaning the triple disc setup and tweaking it to work perfect

38FF2D9C-3ED9-4EE1-BEAB-3E7A1923F8F5 (resized).jpegBFD6C830-F1EE-4BD9-871F-B6EFD399FBD6 (resized).jpeg6DB6AE4C-7EC0-48FC-A149-BA11E0FD29BA (resized).png

I wonder if anyone ever made a working mod for that disc? Seems like the spinner encoder from games like Tron would work, although I don't know how the hell you'd get it to interact with the game at this point. I am super glad we got the treasure chest mod. THAT is a must-have.

You can see the original disc in action here:

Having been one of the first to publicly play the game, it looked cool, but I'm glad it's not there anymore. I'm sure it's a PIA to adjust and would make this longer playing game too difficult to get through.

Since the production model is more enjoyable, I will buy yours. PM me.

Then Dan can sell me his CE!

One thing to keep in mind. The prototypes with the 3 discs can’t ever be updated you are stuck with the original incomplete code.

since I’ve never had a game with more than two or three chapters completed I think I’m gonna be ok

I like your confidence Dan!!