Correct. I know a couple operators and they work hard to ensure they have quality working games on routes. But it is WORK!!! I have heard the horror stories. I have thought about putting a few games on route but not sure I want the headache.

Now back on topic.....How many more Metallica's must be sold to replace AC/DC as the best selling modern Stern??? Perhaps that is the question we need to ask.....it's still in production so could it happen? I took a Stern tour a couple months back. I asked about the availability of playfields as I want to pick up a spare.....I was told I have PLENTY of time to pick up a playfield. I wouldn't read too much into that but I would say that Metallica will be in production for a little while longer.......

No dimples games still looks great. I put a Mylar circle over magnet though

There is ALWAYS something wrong with location pinball.

Good arcades have a clip board where you can write the problems down (usually next to the change machine).

The guy who goes around collecting the cashbox in a location with a single pin will never know that anything is wrong with the game.

You can write a note and slide it into the coin door, or call the number of the operator and leave a detailed message (do NOT expect a call-back).

Taping a big OUT OF ORDER sign over the lower playfield and turning the game off, will often get needed attention too.

They don't usually just pop up by themselves.

Even if you put 6 brand new Sterns in a bar, that does not mean that anyone would ever play them.

An area has to support a lot of pin play.

So if you knew of a location that had a few poorly kept games, you might have to organize a weekly league.

Then call the number on the sticker for the operator and inform him that you guys want to do a weekly league and need both machines perfectly working, shopped and waxed.

Once the op sees income coming in, they will obviously pay attention to the game.

Once other patrons of the bar see people playing the game, they might actually try it.

-

I know, it's chicken and egg.

But that's how it is.

Cities that have lots of pins on route, have lots of people playing on rout.

Well. I hardly noticed the dimpling until I got close up on it. However I don't think this is to bad. I installed a Mylar Circle over the magnet in hopes of slowing down the wear that is happening there. Entropy!!!!

IMG_1423_(resized).JPG

The newer the game is, the more you see the dimples. The magnet core is soft metal, so it's supposed to look like that. Just don't let it mushroom, and it'll be fine.

Exactly.

You don't want the magnet core being harder metal, and thus chipping up the balls.

For what it's worth I asked Jody a while back about ACDC being the best selling game when I was writing a story about a new Stern pin and this is the quote he was willing to go on record with (quoting from an email from April 30 2015):

"You could say ac/dc is the best selling modern stern game since the recession of 2009."

That's pretty specific language, hard to know what it really means, but it's another data point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As much as I rever Steve Ritchie as a designer, in this case, yes.

That was based on sales comments, not total historical production, provided under context of the words in 2012.
He is a designer not a production manager.
This was also commented as part of sales advertisement for Stern games.
He had several break periods when at Stern in the 2000s in which he was not fully involved in the game production, more of a "start and stop" period, due to some hard personal times.
He was hired on as a "permanent" designer for Stern staff in response to effort by JJP with WoZ at least right now.
He generally does not track game production, even for his own games, even though he is extremely knowledgable.

George Gomez could directly answer the question, but I know Stern will not let him.
Eventually, this information will be released from sources, but it may be decades before numbers are clear.
The same thing has happened with all manufacturers that had significant numbers of game titles produced.
Those that did not will remain a "mystery", especially if less than 500 units were sold, 20+ years ago.

They did not make more AC/DC than POTC, LOTR, and TSPP. That I know for sure.

That would fit with the 2009 quote above that I got. But any details on how you know for sure? Because it's easy for any of us to guess, plenty guesses going around.

Ritchie's epic fuck you to Stern that he posted on RGP was a pretty good indication of a "break period". Those were freerer days in the hobby, when legends like him were more public. And what a rant that was, does anyone have a link for it? I should try and search I guess. Worth reading again.

I really don't care about Stern's business, but I admit to wishing I knew what the baseline for a solid game was. Like with Alien, I have no idea how to measure its success after we get it out. If it sells say 2000 units, is that amazingly good? Kinda sub par? If it's only 1000 (500 LE + 500 standard) is that not actually that bad or a huge failure? If it sells 5000 did we blow away the whole market? (Hey, why not be optimistic lol?!)

We know that Metallica LE sold out in 45 minutes. Jody confirmed that number in that same email I quoted above. That's 500 units. So a hot title can sell those kinds of numbers instantly. But where's the ceiling?

All I know is that Metallica is easily one of the best games Stern has made in my mind, and my LE is something I can't see selling.

If Alien sells 1000 pins go celebrate. Mediocre artwork and who knows what the game play will be. Full Throttle is a very fun layout and game but the whole idea of genericizing a pinball game (the quick switch) destroys the thing real collectors thrive on most and op's are yet to adopt. How many FT's have sold? Good luck reaching 1k on Alien. I wish them the best.

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!msg/rec.games.pinball/pt79ouRvHpw/IFsx_cjge1UJ

Thanks for the link into the state of Stern at end of 2008. Read entire thread and found it enlightening, as so many people were present and it contains lots of wisdom. Stern's fragile financial viability and need for change to undo years of poor management decisions was at the forefront of discussion. Spoiler alert - Stern survives and is enjoying their best years ever. Seven and a half years after this low point and we have seen some of the best titles ever released - IM, Tron, ACDC, ST, MET, TWD, GOT, GB. Besides all of these titles being well executed, the themes (which were also a big point of discussion in 2008) of subsequent games have improved.

Being METs are guesses and this is clearly "what's up w/Stern" month on Pinside, my brain bulb fired and wonders if a resource exists out there that is keeping a running account of the industry of pinball in general AFTER 2000 to present day?
Most docs done stop there.
Museums are treasures and focus on innovation but I find pinballs story since that time fascinating as well.

For the love and history of the hobby, my observation is we have great people here, links, quotes and interviews done up to present but it's scattered on web.
It would just be a shame not to pull Recent history together at some point and wiki at least or lose content at worse.

Maybe it already exists?

Thanks for sharing. I had never seen this before.

Aw yes, thanks PinB! Steve Ritchie makes most people's rants look like amateur hour, he just let loose the cannons!

Curious if at one of the pinball shows where Gary speaks, if someone would ask him his top 3-5 best selling pins in modern Stern era. Don't need numbers, just the top 3-5 games would be cool to know.

4 years on and still selling. Metallica has to be Sterns top seller by now

& rightly so. Fantastic player!

#codesells

I have various sterns with both the metal and wood back box. 101% prefer the wooden ones. Just my opinion of course but the wooden ones feel better built to me and I wish all mine were of the wooden variety. As a side note my wife also prefers the ones made of wood...go figure.

I prefer the metal all the way over the older wooden style.

Ghostbusters has sold more already

Based on??

Wha!? More in the initial year? I could believe that. More in 1 year than MET over 4-5 years? I highly doubt it.

Yea especially with all the issues gb has had

still don't believe it is.

My met pro backbox is made of wood. I prefer it too.

I drove hundreds of extra miles to get a NIB wooden back box MET after selling my MOPLe

You guys are talking units, but it is possible Stern is speaking sales dollars. Big difference, especially with pinflation. There is no doubt in my mind that Metallica out sold ACDC on both metrics. Production stopped on ACDC before it could have its second wind, Stern has been pumping out Metallica for 4 key growth years for pinball. ACDC will be produced again, but it will be saved for a recession........or at least when the economy and market take a down turn.......late 2018 is my guess.

I'm just wondering what difference does it make if the backbox is wooden or metal? I have a bunch of older Sterns with the wooden, and a Mustang Pro I got NIB with the metal backbox, and I can't distinguish anything about it that is inferior. In fact I can't even tell it's metal without knocking on it and hearing a different sound than the wood makes.

Based on what Gomez said, if it hasn't already, it will soon be.

I believe it. Ghostbusters are everywhere here in Florida