Totally. Seems like every few weeks somebody comes here with their hair on fire trying to save us from ourselves. From what I can tell everyone here has been in the game long enough to know the risk. Nobody is buying a Fathom remake as their first game.

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Was curious if anyone ordered a Mermaid game in or near the Massachusetts or New England area in general? I'm in for one and live in Western Massachusetts. Reason I'm asking is usually North American transportation or STI offer a 2 for 1 deal when your shipping a game to same place on same pallet. My thinking is to check if the air shipping option that some are using with DHL might offer this same deal, then two people could split the 1700 dollar cost to get game air shipped to our closest centeral warehouse location where we would both drive to to pick it up. That would save $850 dollars for each of us. Of course, this would mean that DHL or another Air shipping company would be willing to offer the 2 for 1 same pallet deal that North American movers STI does. I figured I'd check here first to see if there's any other person close here in New England that ordered a mermaid and would want to do that before calling DHL to see if that or any other discount could be worked out.

A pallet is 4' x 4'. How would you fit two boxed games on it?

I'd be very surprised if DHL or any other major (premium) courier/freight firm would give you that sort of deal. In reverse, from a much shorter distance than Aus - USA, I was quoted $2200 to for Fedex to send 1 palleted pinball air frieght to Aus from a fairly close Asian country. I politely declined and organised my own 17 day delivery inclusive sea freight for $1000.

Yeh, 2 for 1 deals in freight are a distant memory. These days it’s more likely 1 for 2, and that’s on a good day.

I subscribe to Kaneda and enjoy his show, although he and I often disagree. He's very convincing and jeffspinballpalace was simply echoing the Kaneda philosophy concerning Haggis.
Former Pinsider, dOn, was also a follower and we all remember why he flamed out here.

Some of his devoted listeners need to step outside the Kaneda box and try thinking on their own.

He’s not wrong but the concerns he harps on about transparency and timelines are plaguing the entire industry. Would I prefer more transparency? Of course. We got a lot of education and entertainment from the build process/ update videos Haggis was excellent at making.
I refrained from purchasing the series ticket and opted for the wait and see approach. I think it’s far too premature to make that kind of investment in Haggis’ future especially given the state of boutique pinball in 2022.
I am excited for my eventual machine because the apparent quality and detail far exceeds any expectations I had.
I would love to be comfortable enough one day to pull the trigger on the rest of the series. That ball is in Haggis’ court.

I'd like more transparence too and you're right, it is industry wide and not just Haggis. But look what happened when Haggis posted their last video.

**No employees in that video! - No production line! - What are they hiding!?! CONSPIRIACY just like Heighway!!

You see, Haggis is damned if the do and damned if they don't. I know from running my own business over the years, the difficult and tough decisions are NEVER popular or welcomed.
They are adapting to an unexpected environment and you do what you need to do to move forward.

It's my guess that Haggis made a decision to let their actions speak louder than words. They've decided to quietly take the beating upfront because they know that everything will be forgotten once they're on top of things. And slowly but surely, they are making and shipping games and recently it seems like they're picking up the pace.

This past comparison to Heighway Pinball that got very loud, was nothing but lowbrow drama. A more fair comparison for Haggis would be to Dutch Pinball. Don't forget, Dutch Pinball went completely dark for YEARS with ZERO games going out. Was it 4 years they went dark?

And now Dutch Pinball is a respectable company to those same people that once yelled the loudest at them. In comparison, Haggis right now is light years ahead of Dutch at this stage of their company development.

Does this mean that Haggis will survive and thrive? I hope so but I really don't know for certain and nobody does. But right now I like my chances and theirs.

So true. I've done some complaining about Haggis public relations, but they are nowhere near the top of my list right now on transparency. I want to know where the f*ck are my Mandalorian topper and Rush Expression lights? Hello Stern? Not like they will answer an email with questions like these either. Haha I don't even bother.

Order a Ford Bronco ... at least 3 years for one of those ...

But … they tell you up front … And the deposit is refundable.

But if Haggis is allowing people out by transferring their order to next person in queue and refunding the first person, that is great news. That means there is a way out and that’s all that has been missing. If people can liquidate their spot through the actions by Haggis to match them with a new buyer, then the issue is solved for now. It is only when buyers dry up and nobody is there to take over that it becomes a big problem. This happened early in the production cycle and d0n was there to help with liquidity. But it is no longer an issue as more interested parties have appeared and are buying in as machines are offered.

IF Haggis is allowing transfers?????

You were one of the first to do it months ago.

It's a funny little world you live in.

BTW, turnaround on an email that wasn't where's my game was 24hr's.

it was 2 years on the ford bronco and they had consumer price protection rebates. I ordered mine in 2020 and got it this spring. the dealer is trying to stiff me on the rebate and paid me 1000 out of 2600, but i will likely prevail.

There will always be 'noise' - 'you can't please all the people, all the time' -- But this is not a reason to do a full on retreat, unless you are so thin-skinned you can't face any criticism. I don't think that is a concern here. Dialog usually fills in the gaps, but 'hit and run' snips usually leave big gaps people try to fill in themselves. Meaningful engagement with credible points, not retreat, is how you build confidence.

Sure, but do you try to hide those decisions, or do you inform and try to align the stakeholders on why this was the best option? I don't think Haggis (or any other) should lay their business guts on the table and be ran by the mob... but 'the hunker in the bunker method' is not the only way, and certainly not a very popular way when you are building boutique products for a specialized market.

Nah, they proved they would follow-through on their commitment by shipping a significant # of games to EAs. But everyone is still operating with, at most, a promise with loose obligations and a long way to go before all EAs are made whole. Dutch have shown their resolve no doubt, but everyone is still running with a very high risk of exposure. People are giving them slack as they continue to hope to fall on the good side of the line. There is still lots of 'give and take' when dealing with DPL because people know things are thin and getting 'some resolution' is better than none... even if it costs you more out of pocket then it should.

I mean.. do a simple litmus test for Haggis. They have shipped what we expect is a few dozen games yeah? Imagine if next month they dropped a video reveal for their next game and were taking non-refundable deposits for that game. Would consensus be to rush to it without hesitation? Or would people still be hesitate with concerns about the timing, viability and delivery timelines?

Shipping games is solid progress... be it Haggis or Dutch... but shipping games alone is not the magic wand that makes everything to a happy spot where they can ensure steady success and be 'respectable' as you put it. We are at the 'crawl' stage here.. I hope we see Haggis continue to progress beyond that.

Between this thread and the TNA 2.0 thread there are a lot of people worried about other peoples money.

Luckily I didn't order , heard they are having engine issues, but then again very thing and one are having issues.

Back to Haggis sorry for the derailment of thread.

I ordered a TNA 2. zero worries on getting it. Fathom is a much better machine and value.

The man knows what he has to do, after all it's his business.

Started of with a global kick in the ghoulies and they just kept coming.

He's on track now and concentrating on throughput he said to me.

Nope. According to Cointaker, Dutch Pinball is now offering full cash refunds to any remaining EA's.

As to the remainder of your comments, you and I can just agree to disagree. (hopefully, LOL)

Edit for clarity: Cointaker is offering the refunds on TBL for the EA's.

TBL is awesome. Glad to hear dutch is doing this. I'd imagine it would be a loss to take original price in cash back rather than flip the machine NIB.

In my opinion, with games now selling for $13,000, I think very few would take the cash option. But then you never know.

So if that is cointaker… how does that add credibility or confidence in DPLs actions? At best its 3rd party confidence.

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When you are open, honest and regular with communications and people STILL act like children.
I would absolutely do what they are doing, head down, bum up and let the children play!
I have nothing but admiration for Haggis as they are producing a product worthy of the Australian made logo.
#walkyourownpath

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Hey all

It would seem there are some people who are nervous about sending their balance money in when they receive notification. I understand and can appreciate your reluctance, however I have no such concerns.

If you know my story you would know that I have a 2nd game ordered towards the end of the line.

If your number is approaching build time or further up the line. And if you would prefer to wait and see if Haggis is going to make it or not, I would like to trade spots with you.

I can also offer some cash to sweeten the deal depending how far up the line you are.

I think you'd be crazy to accept my offer, but then again, someone may find it appealing.
Can't hurt to talk so shoot me a PM if you like. - Thanks

Rochester Pinball Collective's Fathom 2.0 is unplayable- it's blowing a fuse and they can't diagnose it because Haggis won't send the schematics. Anyone experience this problem? I can forward you the RPC's information.

Of course as expected in the most pinball Murphy's Law way, 5 days after I pay for my Mermaid, Stern drop Bond. D'oh, talk about an expensive month :facepalm:

You are a theme man, hey?

A mate of mine up here is the same, he get's excited about themes.

Played his newest machine the other day, he got a GZle because he liked the theme.

It works out sometimes i say.

More of a theme integration man, myself.

Theme takes a backseat to how well it's executed and how immersive it is.

Given that all the boards are the FAST system, check out their website, there is some basic information and diagrams about the boards there. If that doesn't help I'd say ask FAST for more info about their boards.

Can confirm that we have this off the floor now for the last few weeks. Since we opened the case with Haggis, Fast has published references for the I/O boards (that or somehow we did not see them initially). It is a bit of a slow go for sure. But we will have parts soon from Haggis, as this is either a faulty coil, or possibly a problem on the 3208 I/O board, unfortunately this means a week or two more as this all needs to go through customs...

I am, but of I take into account designers, build, and gameplay they've put into the machine. I've been around pinball too long to ignore that aspect. It's only here with our tight availability via AMD that we have to worry about 'being on the list' for LE's etc. Doesn't stop one from saying 'no thanks' when the reveal and gameplay comes though.
On the other hand you can't get me to buy a theme I'm not into on the basis 'its such a great playing' title. Fathom is a nice original IP theme, but more an art piece game that plays well to me as an example.

Ah I see. Thankfully I get all my opinions and philosophies from a different podcast.

Ugh. Re-reading my post just now makes me feel a little guilty. Again...

I'm friends with Kaneda and I get a lot of enjoyment and entertainment from his podcast. And like many friends, we can disagree and sometimes argue.

Haggis is a bone of contention between us and sparks fly while texting.

While he's not always correct, he has a pretty good record along with the best rumors and inside scoops out there. If you scratch beneath the surface you realize he really works hard behind the scenes to a bring fresh perspective and interesting chatter.

He does lean towards the negative and sceptic side of things and he too often will beat a dead horse. But like any opinion out there, listeners should take a step back and assess it with a grain of salt. Then make your own determination.

The interesting thing about him going private on Patreon is his listeners can and do make comments in reply to his show. Aside from a few of his fanboys, some pretty thoughtful and sometimes sarcastic people there. They can and do give him some balance and hold him accountable.

$5 bucks a month, no contract and haters need not reply to my comment. Unless they really need to get it off their chest.

Fathom Mermaid edition has finally landed in Vermont.

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It is great seeing these new Fathoms arriving in the USA.

So the replacement board is shipping from AU and not direct from FAST? Is it not a standard FAST part?

Leave the garage door open, I'm on my way up to play it.

Going next Friday to Pinfest Newcastle where i'll get to play a Mermaid.

Can't wait!

See you there. Fathom Mermaid and your Sunset Riders...what a weekend it's going to be.

How does it work when subbing to him? Do you get links to listen to the podcasts or have access to a private server?

The latest Slam Tilt podcast, Bruce stated they have one at the place and it's been a lot of problems. Fuses blowing and not able to troubleshoot easily without schematics or documentation. Anyone else having any issues at all?

Not major issues. Couple of display gremlins but I think that’s more a coding problem.

No issues on mine but I have only had it for a day. Couple small bugs in the code but I know they are working on some of these issues right now.

You can listen directly from Patreon or use a private link that you load into the podcast app of your choice. Once you load the private link to your app it will act like any other podcast you subscribe to and auto update when new content is available.

We reported display issues as well, and have word that there is work being done to correct this, and should have a software patch coming soon. Both for the score/segment displays, and occasional in apron screen blanking/resets..

I did reach out to FAST as well for troubleshooting tips, they reached out to Haggis and also offered to ship a replacement instead of having to have one take a round trip to AU.. Hopefully will have this whole thing resolved early next week..

Folks with a Fathom, can you look to see how the wires to this coil are routed on the large bank of drop targets. Found where I think caused our first short, there was a small spot of insulation worn that somehow we did not see until last night. The wear was just near the lower coil in the picture, maybe where it was ziptied to the mech or possibly had a chance of getting caught by the mech movement itself. Unfortunately I had no other pictures of how it was ziptied or routed, but might be worth a look to see if you might have the same situation.. Our game got quite a few plays the first couple weeks it was on the floor..

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