Next up:

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Stern's dots aren't even particularly outstanding. Can they handle a big, crisp display with so much room to fill and demand for detail? I still hope that, some day, WOZ will get a display update so it doesn't look like it was made with Powerpoint.

Those are definitely the best ones, but their general dot lineup is inconsistent and sometimes kind of cheap and slapdash (the awkward mix of 3D and 2D in GB, for example. The Bally/Williams dots seemed to be more active - I always think of how vibrant and funny WCS94 is, for example. Even TSPP had oddly subdued dots.

Just my opinion! It makes me worry about how they'll handle the big LCD screen. I do like the BM66 "old tv" frame, I think that's a good title for them to test the waters with (bam! pow!).

It might just be a preference for the jokier style of gameplay that Bally/Williams provided but it seems like there was often more going on in those pins than there is in Stern games. Maybe it just takes longer to get to more content but usually Stern games are just showing me basic score information. I don't know, maybe it's just me being picky - the dot art itself is usually fine when it's not translated from computer animation or video, like the Extra Ball animation on GB or most anything in GoT, but it also seems like there's a lot less of it.

LCDs create a new problem because they need content, and I'm curious to see how they handle it. WOZ was kind of a misfire, the information was just kind of plopped on the screen, with awkward editing, and TH is overwhelming to a new player (all those hexagons). Using film clips can be tough because movies are made to have a forward momentum from shot to shot, and I'd imagine finding a way to make clips work not only out of order but called up to be shown with the action of the ball is incredibly difficult. It's already an issue with mode stacking and overlapping (how often is the hang-on score in Dr Who obscured by the flying ship animation?), and now you have very big images with lots of detail that require lots of attention from the player, and they have to be visually clear and flow in logical order and be stylistically coherent.

I'd actually be really curious to hear from Aurich what their process was for the LCD design and editing on Alien. I like the mix of three distinct elements (video clips, playfield scanner, and Weyland computer [I think?]), and the use of transmission glitches creates a nice overall atmosphere. I almost wish there was more of the scanner imagery, it looks really cool.

This could probably be a whole topic unto itself. I'm curious to see how the different companies approach this new aspect of design.

Aw yea, I love BSD's dots. Even if the replay animation goes on way too long, it's super gorgeous. The overall visual atmosphere is tidy and to the point.

Ugh, why do we have to be reminded of "Dude Looks Like A Lady"?