I am happy to report that yes, we have resolution. It was a bad coil in the diverter mech.
They shipped me a new mech and a new driver board, but the problem was solved by just replacing the mech, which was a very quick and simple swap. I do have to ship the board back to them.
I also got a fresh new piece of Invisiglass that doesn't have spray paint all over it. I have not yet had a chance to replace the decal, and probably won't have time to do so for several weeks.
So, while it was a bit like pulling teeth to get them to send me a replacement mech, they ended up coming through in the end. Now that I can properly start modes, the game is fun to play.
I also have some updated impressions on the game:
Moving from the 0.81 release code to the latest 1.01 code (it's finally up on the website for download), there are several improvements to the overall presentation and gameplay.
On the attract, there is now a rudimentary explanation of the rules and goals, which is nice, and some updated movie footage. I was also updating my WOZ ECLE tonight, and looking at them side-by-side, it seems like the Hobbit's monitor is much sharper and has more color depth. It really pops... makes me wish there were a mirrored backglass for Hobbit.
The new code also fleshes out some modes and adds a bunch of polish, including scenes from the film at the start of the mode, and several new lighting effects that really add to the game. The new software is able to use the spots and a few of the GI lights as flashers, turning the brightness up to 11. It adds a lot of intensity to the start of a mode. Thankfully, this update doesn't start any hurry-up countdowns until the ball is launched, which is a welcome fix from 0.81.
The modes in the game also got a bit more interesting. Instead of banging out the same shot over and over, modes ask you to make a series of shots, like hitting the right ramp, then knocking down all of the drops, and then bashing an orc, for example. My favorite new mode is one with Gollum, where he speaks in riddles, and you have to figure out which drop you need to hit. For every shot you make, one of the drops is eliminated until one stands. It's a nice display of the virtues of drops that can drop themselves. I did, however, encounter a bug where the drops failed to reset.
Another nice mode is one where you have to avoid the left ramp, in addition to a shot with a flashing red insert. It's sort of like fireball in WOZ, except hitting one of the forbidden shots cancels the mode.
The multiballs are still the same, and it's satisfying to stack them. The callouts are a bit improved, and now there is a super jackpot. I did notice for the first time while playing MB tonight that there is a point where the dwarf standups start strobing, and you can hit them by knocking down the drops and then quickly bashing them again.
Other improvements are better Windlance kickback strength, though it needs to be tweaked when you are firing a charged shot with the ring button, since it fires very weakly in that instance.
All in all, it's a nice update that shows how much software can improve a game.
There are still a few issues I've noticed. The start button appears to become unresponsive during the game, making it hard to do a restart (...that is, if you're into that sort of thing...). I've also noticed that occasionally the Smaug magnet won't hold the ball if it's screaming fast, though this effect doesn't really impact the gameplay.
I also do have some concerns about the diverter, as it's just a piece of metal that pops up and causes the ball to hop over to the other habitrail. The ball often hops a bit when it hits the diverter, which makes me think it'd be better to have a small cap bonded to it so that it will deaden the ball. I'm also thinking that this thing is going to nick the ball at some point.
For modes that ask you to shoot for the barrels, it'd be nice to have the magnet in the orbit catch an orbit shot and drop it into the pops like the gates do on AC/DC during You Shook Me All Night Long. That's a software tweak away.
Finally, in terms of build quality, I am noticing quite a bit more dimpling than on WOZ. My WOZ has several hundred plays and the playfield looks like new. Hobbit, after about 50 plays, has noticeable dimpling, especially to the left of the lock rollovers. Whether this is due to more airballs, darker artwork, or lesser build quality, I dunno.
Also, the VUKs are getting weak early. As I said, it's been about 50 games, and already the VUKs are having trouble serving the ball back up. Even adjusting the coil strength doesn't seem to help. I feel like I'm playing White Water...
So, bottom line:
Hobbit is fun. Software is coming along nicely, and is making up for the fairly simple layout. I still don't quite understand what the upper flipper is for, since it doesn't really aim for anything but the dwarf targets. Build quality concerns still remain. JJP support came through in the end.