This was my first impression as well. The code is being worked on so I didn’t even try to think about modes, etc... I was just trying to get a feel for the layout and it was just plain fun to shoot.

Couldn't agree more! I also have 20-25 games in and really think the game is a breath of fresh air from a layout and design philosophy. I really love the layout and how the game shoots. It has long shots, short shots, tough shots, loops and flow, unique ways to save the ball, etc. The sound, display and light effects are also really impressive and the game has great interactive toys. The number of modes and characters is a bit daunting (especially if you haven't watched any of the movies) but I could see that giving it legs in a home collection as there is a ton to explore. And just think of how much all the disc modes will change strategy and how you play the game. The game really feels innovative and JJP is raising the bar in terms of how much technology and features they can cram into a game! My only complaint is the price, but honestly if there is a game that's deserving of an almost $10K price tag this is it. Really hoping to see one end up on location near me permanently as I'd love to play it a lot more especially as code and features are added!

Regarding modes and rules - and this is my assessment of the game, take it as you will.

They keep referring to them as chapters in the stream, not necessarily modes. I wouldn't think of them as 125 different modes, but the chapter section of the ruleset is ONE mode in itself but is played out in different ways based on 3 elements; the chapter itself (i.e. # of characters), your scoring bonus going into a chapter, your chapter X going into the chapter, and any penalties/rewards you have on the character you're playing as. You are then rewarded based on how quick you complete them and on the scoring which plays a later role in the game at each movie's wizard mode. So while it's 1 mode, it has an infinite amount of possibilities of its outcome from game to game.

Breaking modes down more, there are:
+ 1 chapter mode with infinite possibilities of how they're played.
+ 6 multiball modes each with unique rules associated to them. These are unique rules, and not just hit the flashing light and get a jackpot. Obviously, the more stacking you do, the more jackpot possibilities there will be. But, from what I've seen each multiball has cool and unique rules and corresponds to the games theme integration.
+ 5 unique wizard modes. And based on the only wizard mode we've seen so far (movie 1 - curse of the black pearl), these wizard modes will be very involving and appear to be deeper than traditional modes or even wizard modes. I don't suspect it will take long to achieve wizard modes either as players learn their risk/reward strategies in progressing. And will there be a super wizard mode...?
+ 1 Arggh frenzy

That in itself is 13 modes. All played differently and all stackable, and all appears to be achievable from game to game. When it comes to pins that are based on mode stacking, you have to be very delicate where you go with it or you can end up with a hot mess (i.e. see XMEN mode stacking feature).

There is also PIRATE lane rewards that are player selectable. There are TONS of mystery features > I used to love mystery features like in MM and such but that feature has been lost for many many years due to sterns weighted system mystery features. Keith and Joe programmed the mystery choices to be weighted before they are seen, but once shown on the mystery level, all rewards have an equal chance of being selected - no weighted 'non-mystery' mystery awards. This is very welcomed!

And lastly, the map wheel. We have yet to see what integration this impacts rules, modes, or gameplay.

So while this isn't your traditional mode game; i.e. shoot scoop, hit flashing lights, end mode, rinse + repeat. JJPOTC is more of a stackable mode risk/reward strategy up your yin yang style game. If that's not what you want, then this game will probably not be your cup of tea - in which games like Hobbit, LOTR, Star Trek, Dialed In, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc... will be the game for you. Wonderful time to be in the hobby with so many good games to pick from that suit each of our tastes for sure!

Great explanation! Thank you.

About the music:

You guys know it's possible to mod JJP software to have whatever music you want? It's obviously a hassle compared to the game coming with all the tunes you want. However if you really do want the ride theme music or the original movie score it is entirely possible to add them.

I know I'm absolutely gonna add Pirates Life For Me to the endgame or attract mode music. Might add the original movie theme too but I'm less nostalgic about that one.

what app are u using to do so ? pinball browser ?

So only one replay match is possible?! That kinda sucks.

Has there been any discussion of additional video, audio and lighting effects being added after "sinking" a ship? Right now it seems kind of lackluster, you spend a lot of time up on the mini-playfield and finally sink a ship and all you get is a little tiny animation of a ship sinking on the screen?

I asked about that during the stream and they said more choreography is on the way.

I was just planning on connecting to the hard drive and finding the sounds and changing them. I don't think Pinball Browser supports JJP games yet but it would be great if it did. Makes it a much easier process for people!

Can you do that? I assumed they would encrypt the data.

Gibbs voice is similar to the wizard in Oz. Instructional call outs. The chapters are similar to the modes in Hobbit. This game is amazing. Production is coming along as they refine the hardware. Cant rush perfection.

There has been a lot of discussion in this Forum about video and audio integration in JJP's games. Maybe I am in the minority but the videos are one of the things that I really enjoy along with the audio clips and music. I have a WOZRR and a THBA and I love them both. I find they are more fun and more interesting to play than my AFMRLE which I also greatly enjoy. But, that game is just not as interesting as either the WOZ or the Hobbit. I suppose if I were a pinball "pro", like some of the commenters on this forum, I might see things differently. But, I am not. I just an average player that simply wants to have fun in a fully immersive experience and JJP has done a great job in providing that. So much so for me that I have ordered a POTC LE and I am looking forward to more great times "just for the fun of it". But, for $10k a copy, I say each to his own. If others don't like the movies or the video/audio clips so be it. I say keep them coming. The market will be the ultimate decider of what is best.

Give it a shot, but I've seen them say it's at least obfuscated, if not signed, so it won't be trivial.

I know that this is complete guesswork, but what is a reasonable delivery expectation for an LE order placed at TPF - October or November?

Today's video is Epic!

Wow, what a game!!!

Haven't watched yet, but are the map awards integrated?

Does anyone else prefer the underwater bonus screen to the clips? They just changed it and now I miss it

Nope. It was getting old and boring to me. Mix it in with others but just that one was blah.

That’s an interesting statement considering your next was:

Well at least you were kinda right about pinball browser - it does not work with JJP pins. Your completely wrong about being able to “mod JJP software”.

I have to say, I was quite surprised by FlippyD's 'matter of fact' post on the ability and ease of changing out audio. From what I recall reading, this is not an option and that the SSD might be encrypted. I don't know if thats is true or not however.

This being said, it would be neat if there was some flexibility with the music but this would not have any weight in a decision to buy it.

On the topic of audio, oddly enough the one series of call out that has disappointed me on POTC so far is for multiball. They are all just spoken. I love the WOZ EC multiball call out, far more exciting!

I was just thinking back to the GOTG thread where everyone was happy just to get any callouts at all.

Wow, great live stream. This game sure has a ton going on in it. I also noticed more video clips added to the game.

Didn’t watch yet. Were they more relevant to the chapter/movie you were playing and what was going on in game or just generic clips?

Yes, I suppose that this is all relative.

First world problems...

My question is 'when can I get mine?'. I've been holding out for an update from this weekend's show in Texas. I certainly hope that they are going to be close to their 'end of Q1' prediction. I would be ecstatic with a delivery in Q2!

Yes more relevant, from what I could see.

I was told that they are still on schedule. That doesn't leave much time so we'll see. I'm looking forward to getting mine as well.

Any interesting information out of TPF from JJP regarding POTC?

Lots of toys.

Here's my review. Got to play close to 20 games at Arcade Expo in CA.

I agree with what a lot of people say; this game does not feel or play like a wide body. The game design is stellar, top notch; Eric did an amazing job. Every shot feels good. The rules & code utilize the entire play field very well.

The far left orbit shot on videos shows a magnet that blocks the loop shot and diverts the ball back down the left loop. This looked uninspiring on the video, but in reality the magnet really whips the ball back down the loop. It was really a neat feature.

Chest shot; when the shot was a pass thru it whips around to the upper flipper. Good shot. With the chest ramp up, it's a very brickable shot. This shot is probably the most concerning for me overall. It felt cool when you made the shot, but it bricks a lot. Im hoping production games have a solution and/or there's an easy fix adjustment to make it not so ejectable.

The upper flipper shot was very cool and satisfying. The Maelstrom whirlpool does obstruct the top part of the shot; but after a few plays I got the feel for it and was making loops like crazy. It was very satisfying and fun to hit some loops and decide whether it was time to shoot gold targets and collect gold. One time I hit about 6 loops then nailed the gold targets and collected a TON of gold playing as Gibbs. More on that later.

The right ramp to the boat play field is steep and tough. It's much better than it appears but if you don't get it up there, get ready for a brutal return.

The mini boat play field was actually way cooler than I thought it would be. I was able to load the cannon probably 6-7 times; unfortunately, the coil was very weak and could never make it to the other ship.

As far as overall gameplay and rules. This thing is a masterpiece homerun. Everyone did their job...Eric, Keith, Joe, JP, David, etc...This game feels good, looks good, sounds good, plays good, and keeps you on your toes. The PIRATE Lanes are BAD ASS!! So inventive and intuitive. It was much harder than the design team makes it look on the streams to toggle through lane rewards let alone get all 6 lanes lit. I didn't focus too much with the multiplier rules until my last few games where I started getting the hang of the rewards. Overall, this is a very fun feature. Gathering gold is also very fun! Being able to repeat loop shots and decide when to cash out by hitting the gold targets and then collect that cash out with the action button was cool. Way better than doing the tie fighter button mashing in SW. I didn't focus too much on chapters and such since most the wizard modes aren't coded in yet. So My go to characters were Black Beard, Gibbs, & Jack Sparrow - though I did try a few of the others. With black beard I was able to get a huge multiball stack going and started getting some super X's going which ended with a good 560k GC score. But, it wasn't til my last game of the night that I broke that GC score playing as Gibbs. Utilizing what Keefer said in the stream 'it's important to focus on each character's strengths'; I went straight for gold with Gibbs. At one time I looped around 6 shots, hit the gold targets and collected nuggets upon nuggets galore. It was still ball 1 so I decided it was best not to start Tortuga mb with that huge gold collect, but rather get some other multi balls ready and I did just that. It wasn't til that game that I realized how bad ass the Tortuga multiball sound effects and call outs were. I was able to get Maelstrom and Tortuga going, then kept resurrecting multi balls either with add a ball or by starting another multiball just in the nick of time. It was very satisfying! During this chaos I did happen to look at one of my chapter values and it was inching close to 4k so I kept hammering away at the chapter modes. I think I got through 3 or 4 chapter modes of that movie that game. In the end, I blew up that Tortuga multiball with over a 100 gold going in playing as Gibbs and cracked my previous GC for just over a million and had 230 gold champ as well.

All in all; this game is exciting! it keeps you on your toes; you have to think fast and think ahead. It has great shots, fun toys, crazy diverters, wild ball feeds, lots of strategy, feel good moments followed with exciting call outs and more importantly, that one more game feel - it has tons of aspects that make you feel rewarded. This game smokes any other newer game out on the market now. Owners will not be disappointed. I don't see any other game out now, and possibly ever, that can match up to this pin. Yes, it is that good! For me, its not a matter of IF I'll get one, but when.

IMG_0865 (resized).jpg

As much as I like Houdini, and I have one on order, I may need to change it to a POTC. I can buy one NIB pin this year, maybe for the next several years. I like Keith's objective based rulesets the best and POTC appears to easily have the deepest ruleset ever created in pinball and on top of that is also one of the most loaded pins ever created.

The sheer amount of software, sound and animation work going into this pin helps ease the pain of the games price tag. Compared to an average Stern game POTC appears to offer 3-5x the amount of code.

I really want one of these but have been watching the latest stream with the new discs and think they're now way too grippy. It's all good fun seeing the ball get a little action but its crazy now.

Did JJP have a seminar or some type of group discussion at the Texas show? Was there any mention of time-line for release? (Yes I am completely impatient on this, just wanting to know more

It really is. In respect of keeping this thread on topic, I'll pm you my thoughts of Houdini. But, JJPOTC seriously one of the best pins I've ever played. If anyone is in the market for a $7k+ pin, I'd strongly advise them to spend the extra $1-3k and get JJPOTC. Its really worth the price of admission and smokes all the other $7k+ pins on the market right now. But I guess it also depends on what kind of pin that person wants in their collection, some people just don't want great games.

Shipping early summer was what Jack announced.

Good points. Yeah at the $7k price point I think Houdini is offering the most value by far, really loaded game for the price. POTC is another $2500 but I think its well justified as the game is one of the most loaded pins ever created. Exciting times with so many new pin choices.

That's high praise from a good player.

I feel the same way about the game...although you articulated everything better than I could at this point. I'm looking forward to getting my LE and definitely think it has a chance to be one of, if not the best game ever.

July-ish? Damn.

Thanks for responding!

I don't want to completely sidetrack this thread, but I'm curious to hear from those who have both played a number of games on JJPOTC and DI how they compare. I'm planning to get another JJP pin this year, and I'm debating. I was originally thinking DI until I saw the reveal for JJPOTC, and then that one had me drooling. Of course, one I could get sooner, and the other one would need to wait for.

Not sure what the second hand market is like for DI where you are but there are zero here. So... you could buy a DI now, enjoy it until POTC comes out, sell the DI and get you POTC

If we are waiting until summer, the earliest I would expect, then might as well get some play time in!

Sounds like my plan,only problem is I’ve fallen in love with the DI
Is there no standard POTC for $8500?

That would be fun, but I like to hang on to my pins. Still haven’t sold one yet, though now I’ll be forced to due to space reasons. I plan to keep whatever I buy for at least a couple of years. By then, there’ll probably be several other JJP pins that have caught my eye.

I noticed that PinballNews has audio up from the TPF JJP seminar. Does anyone know if the seminar was recorded? There's a lot of interesting information about POTC development but pictures are being referenced in it so a video of the seminar would be great to see.

https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/03/16/texas-pinball-festival-2018-friday/

Also, noticed that Eric mentioned that the starfield map is not coded yet but it will display constellations that will be related to shots, sounds cool. It was also funny to hear that Disney wanted no reference to alcohol (rum in this case) in the game yet the movies reference rum dozens of times, lol.

There is.

POTC (resized).JPG

That's June 22nd at the earliest, and likely July, then.

Couple wish items/questions for the design team:

1. Looking at the map awards, there's a ton! I hope they don't overload the game with handing these awards out like candy and keep the stop n go aspect of the game down to a minimum.

2. I'd like to see a reward of some type, maybe via PIRATE lanes? ... for playing all 5 multi balls in one ball and that PIRATE lane award or whatever can only be collected during that same ball.

Ive played DI on location probably about as much as I played JJPOTC the other day. Dialed In is fun and I really like it a lot. It is more of your traditional mode based game. The modes are a lot more involved, and integrated very well. but it's also more linear for that reason, and ball times appear to be much longer as far as progression is concerned (don't know if this is bad or not for you). The games really are polar opposites; dialed in is more of a smooth flow layout and a much easier game to step up to and understand what is going on where you play one mode after the other and narrates what you should be doing. Whereas Pirates is more spread out where everything is stackable and the rules let you move the ball all around a very big play field layout. I much more prefer the rules style of Pirates over Dialed In and also prefer the audio over it as well. Like I said in my post, Pirates may be the best pin I've ever played. There's more to do, more strategies, more thought, more home use quality aspects going on in Pirates than Dialed In.

Looking at your collection. Dialed In would be more like Star Trek (but with better mode integration) where as Pirates is more like WOZ (but with better/more shots).

Got it. Thanks! That's really useful. I like both types of games, but I'll be replacing Star Trek to get my next pin. Still, I only have had a few games of Dialed In, and when I played the game was not quite "dialed in" as many JJP pins are not on location. I wish I could have turned up the flippers a bit on the one I played. I'm sure JJPOTC will make an appearance at Pintastic this year, the closest festival to me, and I hope to get some games in there, assuming I'm willing to wait.