Oh ok that could be nice, but I still hope JJP will change the White GI to RGB...

I agree this is a huge mistake I think. With all the new games released with it in the GI its one of the best way to completely change the mood and environment of a game.

It must be much easier to create different styles of modes and multiballs with RGB GI. But I guess David Thiel also have a very important part here to create the right mood.

Im sure the music and sounds will be awesome but the lighting with those bright white leds is gonna take away from the game.

Just wait until you judge...

Ive had enough frames of reference to know I don't like bright white gi leds in a game. Its a cost cut plain and simple.

According to JJP, the "thing" in the middle of the backbox should be only a decal and not more.
Thats really too bad.
I wish this will be a big yellow/orange flashlight which flashes/dazzles the Player when smaug spits fire.
That should be very easy and cheap for JJP to realize, right?

My dream/imagination:
Start of a multiball or a special Smaug mission:
All lights out (or GI turns low) - Smaug shout/roar - GI changes red/orange/yellow - Smaug spits fire - the playfield flasher and the big backbox flasher create a flashlight thunderstrom - multiball/mission begins - GI changes to the color of the mission (e.g. blue for barrel escape, green for ...

There are so many possibilities with the lighting in the Hobbit.

_{Post edited by DrDoom: correcting my bad English}

Perhaps the white GI is individual controllable in the brightness, together with the flashers and the right programming this can still bring very cool effects. We have to wait and see.

Wait, Bright white GI costs less than Warm White GI which everyone uses? Not the last time i checked.

Where did I say that? Single color leds cost less than rgb leds. No one here can honestly tell me they would rather have white leds in the gi instead of rgb. If you can youre in the minority.

You mean the no one as in the people who complained the RGB LED's gave off no GI in WoZ? You're right. We fix a problem and people want the old problem back. LOL.

Come on. That problem was 90% light pipes, not the LEDs themselves. Light pipes are gone right? Problem solved.

With respect to pumping out enough lighting for GI, RGB LEDs are just as capable as mono color whites. Let's not cloud the issue here that the change was specifically to fix a problem if it wasn't.

To me, the fact that every light source in WOZ is RGB programmable makes it one of the most visually distinctive games ever made. No other game looks like it. The dark GI complaints were overblown and easily addressed

What if that was the plan all along, and the four beasts we were shown were just a ruse?

_{Post edited by neurokinetik: grammar}

Its a step backward, so JJP didnt get it right on woz so throw your hands up and surrender. Im pretty sure white is a choice of the spectrum of rgb leds.

I think we don not need old technical problems from WOZ.
I personally have no knowledge of this.

I am only hoping for a colorful lighting with atmosphere in the Hobbit.
Smaug's fire goes perfectly with warm yellow/orange/red lighting.

Perhaps there is a new way to have a colorful GI?

I liked the part where they got away by Jar Jar Binks-esque barrel bouncing and head-in-first feet flailing luck. Epic storytelling there.

The idea of escaping in barrels from the elves was indeed in the book. The 20 minute 'Wild River Riot', orc chase, rollercoaster pinball barrel, Legolas prancing, morgul arrow wound incidents in the movie... were not.

b) if you are annoyed because a movie filled with dwarves elves and hobbits fighting a dragon has an over the top barrel escape, you are the problem. Not the movie.

No... pretty sure it's the movie. I quite like the barrel escape from the novel - built on stealth and subtlety, shaping the strengths and the growth of the 'burgler' Bilbo Baggins. The movie overshadowed that with an unnecessary CGI rich action sequence.

But how do you get a surface mount addressable LED above the playfield and say under a sling?

Easy, you bring up the wires to control it, and put it there on a teeny tiny board, as has been done for any number of above the pf toys for time immemorial. Those types of holes are always there anyway under slings. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to find addressable RGB leds in bayonet form factor at this point. The addressing only takes a few wires (and you can still not have to daisy chain and have the WOZ multiple light out problems with the right technology).

Also, you don't need to have 100% of your GI lighting be RGB. Run more than one string and have one be RGB leds. Then turn off (or way down) the supplemental white GI when you use the RGB led lighting for effects.

It's just engineering, I do it for a living as I believe do you. Problem, solve, innovate, problem, solve, innovate...

Almost sounds like there's an opportunity to engineer a solution... Or we could all throw our hands up and say "impossible"

I hope Keith and Ted come up with some exciting modes. Personally I hope that not all modes are timed modes.⌛️ Anyone else has opinions about timed modes? Or ideas for some other type of modes. (Other than multiballs)

I've been thinking about this a bit, too. FWIW, the flyer states: "Player's choice to tackle over 30 game modes through standard timed play or in multiball" which sounds pretty cool to me.

Also, I was thinking that it would be cool if there was some kind of "Book Modes". Each Book Mode would be a simple thing. For example 2x scoring or maybe something that makes a certain kind of mode easier (like all Dwarf modes or all Man modes, etc.) Each Book Mode would be displayed on a page in the book and whichever page the book was open to would be the only Book Mode that is running at that time. It would then be up to the player to turn the pages of the book and choose what mode he/she wanted running at the current time. It could be set up to involve some real strategy in choosing what Book Mode to have running depending on what you were trying to do in the game at that moment.

--Luke

Yes. Like for example you could play a situation with or without the ring on Bilbos finger. (Visible or invisible)

Yeah...I like it!

--Luke

Blah....Blah.....Blah.....

That's about the only worthy response to your post.

Yeah if you are 6 years old and are oblivious.

The only one here who is oblivious is a tub like yourself...budding into conversation your weren't invited into.

GROW UP you idiots!

WOZ GI was improved with aftermarket mods. Seems like it would have been simple to keep the multicolored GIs, and bring in a few more additional lights to make sure the game is lit properly without giving up the colors.

Oh. Shoot. I didn't know I had to be invited to speak on an Internet forum. I am such a "tub" (whatever that means). I will be so much more careful from now on.

On a wholly unrelated note, I am incredulous how immature and obtuse some people can be.

I still think that the GI of this game, also it's cold white can be controlled and fade in or out. And I think Keith could use this together with the flashers and inserts for cool effects never seen before.
And I still think that WOZ is to dark, but the aftermarket mod destroy a few cool effects, so I play it will lights on in the room. And I hope there is no need for that with the Hobbit.
Don't worry Be happy. Let's just wait and judge it when it's complete.

So many people always expect the worst.

That wasn't unrelated at all.

Move along....

You mean during the movie? I thought the end credits song "I See Fire" was pretty good.

Scott

I don't even like that little shithead Ed Sheeran but that song is really damn good. Acoustic intro is very interesting and played incredibly well, vocal melody very catchy and Sheeran's phrashing/tone is just awesome. Powerful and great song.

Last week I found a lotr to play. Personally I thought the machine itself was pretty bad. it was beat up and needed a lot of TLC. It was my first time playing and a lot of the shots were all the same over and over. The ball would get stuck in several different places but what made me keep dropping my coins in this thing was the story line and trying to advance. Now when I look at the Hobbit I am thinking it could possibly play out the same way. where you get a lot of the same shots but I am seeing with all the mods and the story line this game is going to be above fantastic. And with all the new updates I think this machine is going to ROCK!

Does this mean 'it' is ready

http://hobbitworldpremierelive.uk/

I am so perplexed by all of the heat and possibly the bit of light that has been generated on Pinside about this game. I profoundly applaud JJP for its willingness ( and Jack's personal willingness) to put early versions of TH out their for people to see and ultimately criticize. Although I agree the Pinside community has ultimately improved the play and value of the new game, it has come an a significant cost to the production time-line and total number of sales of this machine(see all of the cancellations of the pre- order of TH). As an owner of LOTR and some other games, and as someone who has played pinball for 50 years, I understand Stern's shock and awe approach to the marketplace with 3 games a year produced, vault editions, and relicensing deals. But at some point, we need to recognize and value what Jack has done and is doing. I opened a NIM WOZ recently, and it is simply the most visually stunning pin I have ever seen. And that was before the LCD screen was turned on. I marvel about how excited the community has become when a new color DMD has been announced. Great. How about an LCD for LOTR or MM??? Bottom line.......give Jack a lot of slack here. He is producing a different, higher level product than either Stern or Dutch pinball.

Thanks for posting this! It was very interesting to watch.

You first

So is this game shipping on the 17th of this month to meet that contract obligation from the license that was stated a couple years ago? I haven't seen anything mentioned really regarding production with all the changes going on but it seems like it will be starting asap with the movie releasing soon.

I'm not sure it has cost the production time-line that much. In the end, if the game is tempered by fire and the end product is ultimately better, it will sell more pins. Period. The cancellations of the pre-order is not a result of the criticisms, but a lack of confidence in the early product. That product, as a result of the intense scrutiny, has improved to a point of winning some of those people back.

Jack did his job by exposing his product to the pinside community to critique.
Pinside did their job in relentlessly demanding perfection.
In the end the product is a winner and Jack's reputation for making quality pins endures. He not only has strong sales for the Hobbit, but builds even more confidence (and pre-orders) for his next game.

It is a symbiotic relationship.

Most people recognize what Jack has done and continues to do pushing pinball forward. He takes chances, he makes quality pins. If Jack couldn't handle the heat, he wouldn't be in the kitchen.

Move along.....

I think everyone on the pre-order list agrees that WOZ was amazing. Whether or not the Hobbit is going to measure up to the expectations that WOZ's amazingness has put in place is what the hub-bub is about.

new pics from today, looking fantastic!!

1461590_896380040380593_7537413115791358096_n.jpg1549293_896378233714107_9038370314374420201_n.jpg10846111_896377933714137_840678468650296583_n.jpg10850293_896380010380596_4559405547320458852_n.jpg10858443_896377907047473_5742864088122561486_n.jpg

Looks good

Does anyone know if there are plans to include Smaug's body in the back for the production run?

It's the only thing missing really.

That gold color trim resembles another pin coming out shortly...