I was concerned about the cost vs benefits of adding Radcals to my DI build--until the instant I started peeling their protective film.

I think the difference is clear when you can see and touch a game with Radcals for yourself, and definitely when you can directly compare "with and without". Not that standard decals are bad--they're certainly not, but the Radcals are really good.

I wish the Radcals were less expensive, but in a home use situation, particularly if the game won't be in the middle of a lineup, I highly recommend them.

To this point, IIRC the only mirrors we've seen on a PotC in this thread came from Freddy's in Germany.

FWIW, at http://www.shop.freddys-pinball-paradise.de, the same mirror blades are ordered for either Dialed In or PotC ("SB-JJP2").

On that site, part "SB-JJP" is ordered for WOZ and "SB-JJP1" is ordered for Hobbit.

/Not affiliated, haven't bought, just reporting, hope this helps, etc.

I've never seen the movies and don't own the game, but the character choosing makes me wonder if more theme integration and depth can be added to the chapters by adding pingolf-style challenges during them that are based on story events specific to your chosen character.

Attempting, passing, or failing chapter character challenges would award bonuses or penalties, or maybe just neutral if not attempted or failed, immediately and/or as you play further chapters. There could be multiplayer effects too.

For example, maybe you raise the sails during the chapter and avoid the bad situation for the character in that movie scene, or shoot a certain combo and get some immediate bonus plus an advantage in a future chapter, because you "found the magic item" or "avoided the trap" or whatever actually happened to that character in the movie scene.

To the degree those passes/fails can be used strategically as you progress through the game would add yet another layer of depth. Because there's lots of characters and lots of story, I think it would add immersion to focus on your character's part in each chapter, at least when that pairing suggests interesting challenge possibilities that are integrated with the story in appropriate ways.

Not every chapter a character was in would necessarily include an opportunity for such situations, but when the character and the story allow, and the challenges and consequences are theme-integrated, I think it would add value in a number of ways.

I'm talking about a lot of design and assets here, I realize......

In post 1211, Keefer sez:

The wanted posters don't come up often because there's a lot of them, but I'm moving them sooner in attract mode (it's like in the 4th pass now or something). If you keep hitting the right flipper button, they'll show up eventually. (Or left if you accidentally go past it.)

Could also try the Stern button that folks say doesn't bind:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-7791-00

When will the first PotC for sale ad appear including at least 4 pics of how cherry CQ HUO OMG minty fresh the shooter lane is?

An undercab effect that made it look like the game was standing in a shimmering pool of water and the person at the lockdown was standing in it would be, uh, really frigging cool.

I discovered as other have noted that there were no pilot holes in the top of the backbox for installing the PotC CE topper.

Steve Z at JJP support had this helpful info for me that I'll pass along here to hopefully assist others:

"For the position of the topper, I reached out to the Production Manager at the factory and asked about the spotting holes for the CE topper. He said that measuring from the front edge of the backbox, the holes should be 7 and 5/8" and then 8 and 1/2" back from the front edge, and then center the topper (don't put the holes in the center, center the topper) side to side. Four holes total to accommodate the four spots on the bracket."

JJP support continues to get it done. Lloyd and Steve get attaboys from me today for being responsive and helpful. Frank probably woulda gotten in on the act too, but he's on vacation!

Thanks, JJP Support!

If I'm taking him correctly he's just being "on theme" about describing 4-player dollar games, which IIRC was part of the motivation behind building TNA. Credit up, put a dollar in the pingulp and bash until maybe everyone walks away with someone else's dollar, vowing to get theirs back next time.

Say, Keefer-- what about being able to select P1/P3 vs P2/P4 teams at the start of a 4 player?

A few goal suggestions for starting to learn basics (not even talking multipliers):

--Focus on starting each of the multiballs as quick as you can by themselves, then practice stacking them

--Pick Tia Dalma and go for each wizard mode as quick as you can

--Do that for a while and in the process get a good sense of 4-5 characters whose plusses and minuses are a good match for your play style and strengths

Then: control multiballs for jackpots and chapters toward wizards, merrily jacking up multipliers along the way (darn, I said multipliers...)

Agreed. Would like to play a proto game someday to compare, but if I had to guess the single disc ball action probably results in more interesting gameplay.

The screen animation is fine--most people say they really like it--and you avoid the added noise and additional possible points of failure of the 3 concentric physical rings. The ring change is not an issue to me and if anything I would say the production version and the adjustments made to get there represent a great solution. Best possible? Dunno, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

We've "been aboard" since December. Even though we've had more (minor) issues to resolve out of the box than most who've checked in here, I have zero regrets about it because there's SO much value in its single cabinet relative to what else could potentially fill that space.

Big question for me would be: dump it for what else? What's available now or on anyone's radar that is of similar quality and depth to Pirates? What machine can offer more gameplay and quality in all the ways we know that count in that same single-machine space? That's a REALLY high bar at this point. In the meantime? A pirate's life for me.

In normal situations, why do we sell games? We master them. The rules and/or sounds/display are repetitive. There's new shiny objects that by some subjective measure are different/desirable enough to swap for.

Master Pirates? Well, when you can complete Break the Curse in 3 out of 5 games, you probably ought to hit the Circuit like yesterday. Repetitive? Relative to other games Pirates has arguably unprecedented variety and depth in gameplay along with a jolly roger-flying boatload of very high quality audio/video assets, and the code's not even done yet. Shiny objects? Maybe Stern does a theme you just have to have, or CGC remakes your favorite classic, but are they going to be objectively comparable in terms of gameplay value to Pirates? I suppose we'll see. Until then, pick your character and I'm going to try to plunder you blind. (Can you plunder opponents in any other potential replacement game?)

My other games are really good and really pimped out, but the Pirates honeymoon continues. Every time we power it up it's a special treat--a challenging, varied, and exciting gameplay experience with tons of "delicious frosted topping" heaped on. It challenges every pinball skill in a beautiful environment loaded with cool stuff that makes pinheads smile. Weeks after its "landfall" here I haven't tired of it in the slightest, because each game you're off on another path of adventure among so many possibilities, determined mostly by your play--maybe all the way to Break the Curse this time?? Unlikely...but press Start and let's find out. And again. And again...

Folks should buy with confidence. At this point a lot of previous production issues are resolved, and anything else is pretty minor and likely documented here. Support is excellent too.

Excellent!

I had played 9 balls on location before it arrived, and the rest of my house had never played it. I look forward to seeing posts from new owners about how much you're enjoying it. It's a truly special game, and you have an amazing treat in store!

What if pausing Pirates production allows Jack to work with the studio to put Toy Story games in the fifty busiest theater lobbies on its opening weekend?

Maybe put a plaque on them saying "Theatrical Edition" or something. There could be mild interest in those machines not sold to the operators at those theaters...

Would you go see the movie? I think I would.

The invaluable "Find in topic" search tool at the top of thread pages here is your friend. Many folks have made significant documentation contributions here that I appreciate very much.

However, Butch's game manuals are not recognized enough for how reflective they are of the quality of JJP machines. They're easy to admire, but they're even more valuable when you use them! Then they get more admirable.

I found it was set in typical out-of-the-box-display torch mode and had to turn the brightness way down. Where have folks set the contrast?

Pull the monitor out from the backbox so you can access the physical controls on the back of the monitor.

Ideally you want stuff intended to be dark to look dark, while still being able to see details in dark areas of the image. By default brightness is likely turned way up on your physical monitor, so it looks washed out.

It's definitely worth the minute or two it takes to dial in those settings. I was able to achieve what I think was a noticeable improvement in image quality with little trouble.

It would be cool if in the menu they included a reference image to help you set the monitor brightness, like in a horror video game. "Set brightness so this line in the series is just barely visible and the next dimmer one is just barely invisible in the black."

Owner's threads are usually general-purpose and cover about anything related to a game. There is at least one thread about PotC rules, though:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/simple-explanations-of-basic-goals-in-jjp-s-pirates-of-the-caribbean

Another friendly reminder: an external sub is highly recommended for this game.

Seconded! Thanks @tonycip!
You should ask Tony about one of these

Really appreciate this community!

I appreciate your monitoring and commenting.

The game is really fantastic, thanks to you and all!

When you get that sweet stuff, immediately transfer it to a Tupperware or something and happily toss the container of endless aggravation (tm)

The trick in my experience is to tighten the lid until just before it feels like it's closed tightly--then it's not so bad to remove the next time. When you over-tighten the lid past "closed"... well, it can be an adventure.

Got all but the MAP ones in yesterday, not too bad. Thanks to thread all-star evh347 we have these fine instructions for those:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/65#post-4814032

Once most folks have the chance to see and touch Radcals for themselves it's one of those "things that cannot be unseen" situations. The difference is not subtle at all.

Agreed, it's less important if the game is in a lineup, but if you want to save some money on future JJP games, maybe avoid encountering Radcals.

Kudos!!
Great mods for a great gameHope everyone who meets up at TPF has a great time.

I haven't seen any of the movies and had no interest in the theme. After playing 3 games and reading up on the rules, it was clear that if I wanted a game with very long legs for home use, able to offer depth and challenge even to my extraordinarily skilled son, Pirates was a clear winner. Our experience since its arrival in December has only further validated that impression.

As more people get the chance to experience extended free play in quiet environments and get a better sense of the game's very high quality, I expect there will be considerable pent-up demand when they decide it's time to build them again.

This sounds like terrible advice

20190315_191258.jpg

Exactly this. Great idea, especially for ops, as this is a glass-pulling situation for sure. We've had it happen a couple of times on airballs and cannon shots. Really glad this will be available.

After powering up after update, the BP continues rocking instead of the previous once back and forth. Anyone seeing this?

Does it while in menu too... BP gets progressively slower.

No shortcut I know of. The Titan I put in to replace the original left chapter rubber is starting to chew up at that spot too. Looks like this is going to be a regular swap for all of us...

Super cool! Thanks for the pics!
Can you imagine how blown away he'll be when he gets to stand next to one and see how they used all his hard work? Wow!

Thanks to JJP and all of you!