OP

Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

I see a number of Houdini pinball machine being resold already. This seems primarily due to the game being difficult so people either don't have fun playing or they get frustrated and decide to get rid of it. My question is for anyone who has purchased a Houdini - what adjustments did you make to help your family to enjoy playing Houdini pinball more?
Menu adjustments allow for the game to be set easier or harder. The default settings are IMPOSSIBLE for most people, and that is coming from someone who thinks hard games are good to find. The objective of the game is to collect Houdini letters and start the wizard mode. I've watched a number of vids where players do not collect a single letter during the game. While I see people playing, I don't see many doing it well. Sure, they bang the silverball around and complete modes and get to see lots of cool stuff, but at the end of the day how many letters did they light?
I suggest adjusting a few of the game settings to make the game easier until you've learned the rules and have seen most everything, while collecting the letters and work towards the wizard mode. The changes which come to mind ...
Standard Adjustments -
Balls per Game - 5 vs 3
Ball Saver Time - 24 vs 12 sec
Max # Extra Balls - 9 vs 4
Replay Adjustments -
Replay Award Type - extra ball vs points
Feature Adjustments -
Escapes for Escape from Death - 1 vs 2
FILM Lit at Start of Game - On vs Off
Illusions for Houdini Letter - 3 vs 4
Illusions for 2nd Houdini Letter - 8 vs Off
King of Cards Throws Per Hand - 8 vs 5
King of Cards Timer - 60 vs 40
Missions Completed for Houdini Letter - 3 vs 5
Movies Started for Houdini - 3 vs 5
Seance Jackpots for Return from Beyond - 1 vs 1 (no change)
Trunk Multiball Jackpots for Houdini Letter - 2 vs 3
Visits to the Magic Shop for Houdini Letter - 3 vs 4
Looking over this list, one might worry they are making their game too easy. I’d say - nonsense! You still need to play well for 30 or 40 minutes to reach the Wizard mode and your chances of success have increased from never to slim. Lowering the requirements increases the average number of letters collected and likely the amount fun people have playing. insert your opinion here ->
Other game settings to consider with default value shown.
Standard Adjustments -
Tilt Warnings - 2
Replay Adjustments -
Replay Award Level 1 - 500k
Replay Award Level 2 - 1M
Replay Award Levels 3 & 4 - 1M (not being used)
Feature Adjustments -
Handcuff Escape Pops per Handcuff - 3
Handcuffs in Handcuff Escape - 6
Jail Escapes for Houdini Letter - 3
Jail Escapes for Extra Ball - 6
Movies Started for Light Extra Ball - 3
That leaves physical adjustments which could be made to the playfield to impact game play. Moving posts, removing rubbers or changing pitch are commonly targeted for this.

OP

Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

Yes there is a row of gas lamp inserts (one circle above each Houdini letter). After qualified they all turn yellow together and maybe pulse too but when you collect each letter, one lamp will be lit a solid color. All colors are different so it will look like a rainbow if you did a good job and got all 7 Houdini letters. and who know what happens once you start Wizard mode.