Pretty much half of them. It’s incredibly common.

Most people don’t seem to even remember that games like Star Trek, game of thrones, GOTG, Batman, and walking dead were bare bones releases.

I forgot they released game of thrones twice

If you can have at least three different Pinside accounts I can double name check thrones!

Meant to say GOTG.

Games with little code: EHOH, Batman 66 are most notable. Metallica and Deadpool were not great until final few updates

Batman '66. HORRIBLE box of lights where you could see everything there was to see in 20 minutes or so for about a year. Broken launch promises by Gomez to update it every 2 weeks "until we getcha there" when it ended up going about 6 months with no updates at all. It didn't turn the corner until about 18 months. Lyman came through in the end with a great, deep game. But you can't really compare this Bond bare-bones start to a Lyman game. We don't have another one of those. For that reason, Bond is a tossup until much more code is in the bag.

A memory lane graphic from when I was so pissed about spending $15k on the SLE that was a box of lights and Gomez's broken promises of code every 2 weeks, I was graphing updates of the days between updates to illustrate the giant gaps in code updates (all of which were more than 14 days, most MUCH more, and one that was almost half a year) compared to what was promised by Gomez:
Gomez_Drop_10-24-17 (resized).jpg

What’s his 3rd account? Let me guess.. another breaking bad character? Ha!

Stranger Things had very mediocre reviews in the beginning and now ranks in the top 20. It's the same programmer and rules team on this game. Looks like it took close to a year to get to "complete" code on STh.

Stranger Things
V0.82.0 - January 22, 2020 - Initial Release.
V0.84.0 - February 12, 2020
V0.85.0 - February 19, 2020
V0.86.0 - March 2, 2020
V0.87.0 - April 2, 2020
V0.88.0 - April 16, 2020
V0.90.0 - May 4, 2020
V0.92.0 - May 21, 2020
V0.94.0 - June 11, 2020
V0.96.0 - July 1, 2020
V0.97.0 - July 16, 2020
V0.98.0 - August 12, 2020
V0.99.0 - October 15, 2020
V1.00 - November 24, 2020
V1.01 - December 21, 2020
V1.02 - January 6, 2021

Stranger Things started much more complete and ended much less robust than Batman '66. Plus, a long-promised feature was cut from Stranger Things just to call it done and move on (but it would be nice if they actually FINISHED the game they promised with a code update if the game is re-run this year as Gomez hinted). As it stands now, though, Bond->STh at this point in development are not really comparable.

Bond->Batman'66 is very a close comparison at this point in their development. Bond->Stranger Things, not so much. When Bond is done, even if it's best-case with the team it has, I sincerely doubt it will compare to what Lyman ground out on Batman'66 over 18 months. But, in the very unlikely case I'm wrong with that evaluation, I would be very happy. The fun-to-shoot non-Borg'd table Gomez delivered deserves premium code. Let's evaluate in a year when the code is at or near completion.

A couple more Pinstein alt translite images with a bit more (I don't have a lot) room light. Good stuff.

IMG_1491 (resized).JPG

You can spot PinMonk Aqualicious washers on the second one. They look great on this machine as well, a little touch of color.

IMG_1492 (resized).JPG

Haha, there are a number of machines those would work on (LZ LE looks good, too), but this is EXACTLY the machine those leg bolt washers were made to improve. Looks really great.

That translite is just such a massive improvement. Stern should seriously have Pinstein on speed dial to give them options when they think they're stuck with a garbage translite or cabinet art due to licensor restrictions. There's only a "no" until a licensor see something they have to say "yes" to because it's undeniable.

Gorgeous games, but please take the Stern blanket off the machine. It's like hanging a beautiful Picasso on the wall and then putting a sheet over it...

Having played my LE for 50 games or so I am done at least until multiball doesn't cause you to lose your current mode and the villains/henchmen are complete along with the movie modes.

As for the layout - I think it is pretty darn good. As for toys - the car with the ball out the top is excellent, the jetpack may be cool, but we will have to see what they do with it.

The rocket toy could have been much better. I should open and swallow the balls just like the movie. The underwater fight scene is hard to see. I would have liked to see a martini glass that you fill with balls and then it raises up and you bash it to release the balls (call it the "Shaken, not stirred" multiball). There are so many toys that could have been made awesome.

Nah, I keep the covers on them unless we're playing or I'm working under the playfield. I was in the Bond backbox a couple times today and have VooDoo glass on both machines (so awesome) that I'd prefer to protect from the backbox key if I'm getting in there.

Code should be finished at game launch. With proper project management it can be done. Ridiculous that you guys have to wait a year for a finished game.

I start the game and get a villain mode right away, sometimes it starts before the ball is even launched, because the shaker motor went off.

I went into the switch test menu and closed the door. I swiped my finger in the middle of the right ramp through the opto and it registered correctly. I did the same on the side ramp and the right ramp exit and they also registered correctly.

I gave the machine and the ramp a good wiggle and nothing registered.

Then I triggered the top lane right, center, and left switches. They are registered correctly but the right ramp exit did not register.

Then I triggered the pop bumper and POW (little Batman humor) the right ramp exit triggered too. I have checked all of the screws and the ramps, and they are all secure.

Thoughts?

I did reach out to Stern for help and they are engaged via email too.

The owned club is infested with non-owning haters lately.

Is this some kind of SPECTRE infiltration op ?!

Are you an owner or a fan of the game? you do not buy any games so you must be a fan.

I prefer the game to come out with early code. That way you can watch the game develop and learn the rules of the game a lot easier. Every code update is something to look forward to.

I built a custom bracket for the 1:36 version. Message me if you want the file or to buy one.

First time I've seen this and I assume its a 3-D printed shooter lane protector. Is that factory issued from Stern?

pasted_image (resized).png

I’d hate for the code to be finished when it releases. Take Godzilla. Tons of community feedback went into each update. On the other hand you’ve got Toy Story. Code finished. Needs a ton of work.

No

That's mostly the way it was pre-Spike2 when code was burned on EEPROMS and updating was inconvenient. With the advent of Spike/2 and USB or network updating they've adopted the video game mantra of "we'll finish it in post."

I made a chart of time to code 1.00 in the Spike2 era. A few shipped with 1.00, and 1.00 still needed work on a number of them, but it was a consistent metric to use measuring the days from whatever code it launched with until a game had 1.00, across the entire slate of Spike 2 games. The games before this chart almost all launched with 1.00.

I color coded the coders so you can see which games they did. Coder list is sorted by average total days to 1.00 across all that coder's games.
Days to 1 (resized).jpg

Using Lonnie's prior two games, Bond should be at 1.00 between 5/8/23 and 9/18/23, but probably more like 9/18/23 or later since Bond is more like Stranger Things than GotG. It's why I say check back in a year if you're thinking about picking up a Bond.

In olden times (10-15 years ago) they used to put games on location for that feedback and data so they could launch with a pretty much rock solid 1.00. That worked for decades. They've just shifted that part to the consumer side.

Did you see this on site or did you buy a game with it already fitted?

Looks super cool!

It's not factory. Sold in the pinside store here as a "Pindefender" for Bond:

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1426-pinhead-mods

Made myself a little matchy seizure warning cover this afternoon.

IMG_1524 (resized).jpg

And you wouldn’t say there are any differences in game code now than in olden times?

Of course Williams games launched with “complete code.” The entire file is like 200kb!

We want insanely deep code in 2022 with tons of video work. You really can’t compare that with olden times games.

People aren’t happy these days unless games have 5 wizard modes. Addams family has one.

Love it, I'll think I'll do one like that myself!

Haha. The home buyers would love to wait around for that im sure!

Code is way deeper now than before, but most of the size difference in files is not code, it's video, then sound. Compiled code is a tiny fragment of the filesize, in olden times and now. The dots and sound were the biggest part of old games. Video and sound is the lions share of modern game files, too.

They could 100% launch games with more complete code even now by using location testing, and close the window post-launch before code completion (which is sometimes well after 1.00 now). It's just too much hassle, and why do it when the market has accepted the "ship now, complete later" mantra?

On a game like GZ where it had a TON of content at launch and the rest was just awesome, savory gravy, that's fine. For Bond where it's essentially a box of lights and modes are basically unplayable because Multiball cancels them, not so much.

More Team Elwin/Rick Naegele type game launches with more complete code, please.

Steve doesn't write code. I think Tim was the lead on BKSOR and LZ

Haha. Of course you're right. I farted that out pretty quickly offhand and put Steve in there. Tim did those. I'll fix it.

Dur, I also just realized I put Elwin on that coder list. Though they're his games, Elwin's not the lead coder. He's a designer. Fixed that, too.

I picture Steve Ritchie standing behind Tim Sexton on his computer yelling "Code Better!".

Ok so what's up with the pop bumpers? As someone noted previously, on the LEs, the pop bumpers fire simultaneously, regardless which one is hit. Yet today I was on a location with both a Pro and a Premium ... the Premium played the same, naturally, with simultaneous pops -- but the Pro pops worked independently?

What's up with this? I didn't see a bracket joining them in the LE so is this something in the code? This has got to be fixed please, the independent Pro pops were so much lively...

Working as designed, nothing to fix.

Yes, the fluorescent orange is one of the options in the listing for SPECTRE start buttons here: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1282-rocket-city-pinball/07252-3d-start-button-james-bond-007-spectre-versions

Teaser post: my Dragon Tank scene mod is finally fit-checked and field tested. I have one simple minor change I plan to make for cosmetic improvement on the mount, but it's ready to go up for pre-order. I'll try to have it up in the shop later on tonight, along with the installation instruction video.

Screenshot_20230122_205528_Gallery (resized).jpg

I have had your stuff for several weeks in my cart now and I freaking can't decide on a color and design for my Premium.

If you don't like the color, you can exchange it (as long as it's not broken), just gotta cover the shipping.

That is incredibly awesome of you. I actually doubt I would dislike either one, they are all cool.
I think I've narrowed it down to white and yellow, i like the modern spectre design without letters personally the most, but using the old one and have start on it may be more appropriate... Decisions decisions.

Stern told us we wouldn't be able to tell the difference with simulpops vs independent pops. They wouldn't lie just to save a buck, right?!

To be fair, i clocked a lot of games on both types, and i don't miss anything on the premium. I was pretty vocal about my feelings initially before i played it, but now I have to admit begrudgingly that GG was right.

Can't be "fixed" without a new node board. All out of drive transistors on the node boards for the Prem/LE, so they tied two pops to one transistor. Stern cheaping out rather than adding a sub-node board (not even a full node, a sub would do the trick) to expand the number of drive transistors available once they maxed out the existing boards.

That's good to hear. My Premium arrives Thursday so hopefully I agree with your assessment. I'll keep quiet until then.

I fixed the hard edges on my LE today with a couple of the suggested mods from fellow Pinsiders.

1D12BB38-C64C-4A2E-88EE-698B4CDF501A (resized).jpeg

298ADDE0-8A81-4129-8003-ABB13A1BEEFF (resized).jpeg

B76BDAC6-A9EF-4676-A0DE-F959E38F1DCB (resized).jpeg

DC8053C2-DFF4-40E7-8CDD-B7B923DB6243 (resized).jpeg

And I had a totally stuck ball whe trying to complete “SPECTRE”.

5300132A-3DEF-40A6-A6EE-B7A8EF8E98D1 (resized).jpeg

But they set it up differently on the Pro? Weird, from a manufacturing standpoint.

Yeahhhhh... the "simulpops" (cool name) have irked me since day one; they're so slow and clunky. If it was the only game i had or ever got to play, maybe then it wouldn’t be noticeable ... but when I have other Sterns in my collection whose pops individually rapid fire (because the ball can actually hit their skirts), it's definitely a detriment IMO.

Count one in the 'plus' column for the Pro.

Congrats! Thats an impressive start to pinball.

Guys, how long do we think those video cabs will last before being sold to make way for a few more pins? Taking 2 to 1 on 6 months or under.

Anyone who doesn’t like the code and doesn’t want to wait near Arizona and has a pro they want to move lmk. Didn’t expect to love the game as much as I do.

It's really not strange from a manufacturing standpoint, especially once you understand Stern puts bottom line before customers.

Both the Pro and Prem/LE have two node boards. Same two node boards, regardless of Pro/Prem/LE Each have a set amount of drive transistors for coils, etc. The Pro has less features, so it's allotment of drive transistors wasn't used up. So it could have a discrete one for each pop, like usual. The Prem/LE was maxed out on drive transistors due to more features, so the choice was made to tie two pops to one on/off drive transistor rather than pony up another $30 (maybe less?) for another sub-node board that had a few more drive transistors.