Oktoberfest
American Pinball, 2018Quoted from whitey:Are these being shipped now ?
I know Reboot in Macon GA paid for one but couldn't get it in time for the beer festival this weekend that I was going to help run a tournament with. They actually just picked up a Deadpool Premium instead so unfortunately a lost sale. I was really excited to play it but doesn't look like it's going to happen for me for a little while now.
Will have to reach out to my distributor
Paid in full awhile back. Honestly I’ve never had to have the first one because no matter what there’s always something
Be great if AP built Kingpin ? My Houdini
Plays so smooth and build quality is there
Enough said, don’t want to change the subject but looking forward to Oktoberfest!!!
I posted over in my Oktoberfest thread about my experience with Fest this week at the Texas Pinball Museum. I was really impressed with the game play. Lots of fun shots. It’s an easier game, more flowy game than Houdini. The ramps are hard to make although the magnab makes the keg lock shot much easier.
The art package looks amazing in person. Animations are better in person but still some cringe worthy stuff still in there and it looks like that’s not going to change. I really hope they clean up at least a few of the really awful images. I know it took several months to clean up th Houdini images and animations after release so perhaps there’s still hope.
One of the nice surprises was the skill shot. The bar opens and closes so you have to time it right but it’s pretty easy to make and you get to choose your stein power up. That bar/Otto toy is really cool.
Overall kudos to the API team for an excellent 2nd game.
Quoted from konjurer:I really hope they clean up at least a few of the really awful images
Which are what?
rosh , I enjoyed listening to your interview on K’s Podcast. You’re extremely knowledgeable and passionate about what your working on. I can tell you the interview improved my perception on the game and I’m looking forward to flipping it. Thanks
Quoted from ZenTron:rosh , I enjoyed listening to your interview on K’s Podcast. You’re extremely knowledgeable and passionate about what your working on. I can tell you the interview improved my perception on the game and I’m looking forward to flipping it. Thanks
Ditto
Quoted from Ferret:Which are what?
I already made a post detailing specific improvements that I would recommend.
Additionally, the rollercoaster with the three cars leaving the station is not good; to state it kindly. Thanks Ferrett for listening. Hopefully you can see that I’ve said a lot more positive about Oktoberfest than my disappointments on the quality animations.
OK, gotcha, I had your comments from that message in my notes already... thanks.
FWIW, we’re finishing up the last couple features that don’t have A/V at all before looping back to do refinement... so if y’all play it again soon and don’t see changes yet, know that we did not reject everyone’s remarks. 
Quoted from zaki:Wow.. this game is bad. Where do I start..the animation. Houdini was better
I disagree, I dont think this game is bad at all.
In fact after I played quite a few games at TPF on early code, I thought is was super fun!
It will only get better with code updates.
I thought is was much more fun and original than the new Munsters games setup everywhere.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I disagree, I dont think this game is bad at all.
In fact after I played quite a few games at TPF on early code, I thought is was super fun!
It will only get better with code updates.
I thought is was much more fun and original than the new Munsters games setup everywhere.
Yep - back on the top of my prospective next buy list. Looking forward to playing one at the NW Show!
Quoted from zaki:Wow.. this game is bad. Where do I start..the animation. Houdini was better
You should try one of Houdinis' tricks and...
Exit Stage Left
Quoted from BertoDRINK1:You should try one of Houdinis' tricks and...
Exit Stage Left
I thought that was a RUSH trick....
Quoted from jonesjb:I saw one of these on location in NYC in Sunshine Laundromat, but it seemed out of order. Anyone know what that’s about?
It can be a fickle machine on location. Maybe they don't want to stay on top of it.
I got my email to ask if I wanted the topper today. $100 for a piece of plastic doesn’t seem like a great deal. I did all of the other upgrades, but I think I’ll pass on this one unless I am missing something special that makes it worth $100.
Quoted from Aniraf:I got my email to ask if I wanted the topper today. $100 for a piece of plastic doesn’t seem like a great deal. I did all of the other upgrades, but I think I’ll pass on this one unless I am missing something special that makes it worth $100.
What are all the other upgrades?
Quoted from zaki:Wow.. this game is bad. Where do I start..the animation. Houdini was better
Because you play the animation, lol.
Quoted from Aniraf:I got my email to ask if I wanted the topper today. $100 for a piece of plastic doesn’t seem like a great deal. I did all of the other upgrades, but I think I’ll pass on this one unless I am missing something special that makes it worth $100.
There has been some confusion and mis-communication on this. The plain plastic topper is included. You can also purchase just the topper, and that I believe that is the $100. You can also purchase an animated version of topper done by Pingraffix, that was on display at TPF (as was animated side art). Pingraffix should be making this available soon, I do not know the pricing. A clarification on the topper will be going out to our distributors shortly. Sorry for the confusion.
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:What are all the other upgrades?
Knocker -- which is used during multiple modes during the game, including Duck Hunt and Target Shooting, so it really does add to the game experience and I highly recommend it.
Shaker Motor -- also used in many places, as expected and we are still adding it to some modes.
Magic Glass
Quoted from rosh:Knocker -- which is used during multiple modes during the game, including Duck Hunt and Target Shooting, so it really does add to the game experience and I highly recommend it.
Shaker Motor -- also used in many places, as expected and we are still adding it to some modes.
Magic Glass
Interest piqued a thousand times seeing a knocker integrated with modes. You guys really do a great job at trying to give modes a unique flavor.
Quoted from iloveplywood:Interest piqued a thousand times seeing a knocker integrated with modes. You guys really do a great job at trying to give modes a unique flavor.
Yeah, it's great in Bullet Catch in Houdini especially if you have a MB going during the mode, it's popping like crazy some times.
Quoted from iloveplywood:Interest piqued a thousand times seeing a knocker integrated with modes. You guys really do a great job at trying to give modes a unique flavor.
Quoted from bobukcat:Yeah, it's great in Bullet Catch in Houdini especially if you have a MB going during the mode, it's popping like crazy some times.
I did it on Houdini and seemed to be well received and it gives value to adding a knocker beyond 'match' or 'free game', and since we have two 'shooting modes' in Okto, it was a natural thing to do, but we are also using it (or contemplating using it), in a couple of more places, but we also don't want to over use it. It does have a 'loudness' setting, so you can decide how jarring you want it to be (not sure I have moved that to Houdini or not yet). Right now we are not where we want to be with the shaker use. I think on Houdini I had the right balance of enough use, without being overly used, but we are not quite there yet on Okto, but will get there soon.
Quoted from rosh:I did it on Houdini and seemed to be well received and it gives value to adding a knocker beyond 'match' or 'free game', and since we have two 'shooting modes' in Okto, it was a natural thing to do, but we are also using it (or contemplating using it), in a couple of more places, but we also don't want to over use it. It does have a 'loudness' setting, so you can decide how jarring you want it to be (not sure I have moved that to Houdini or not yet). Right now we are not where we want to be with the shaker use. I think on Houdini I had the right balance of enough use, without being overly used, but we are not quite there yet on Okto, but will get there soon.
I think you could add another use of the shaker on Houdini, if there's one you're holding back on. It's used in such great, unexpected spots
Quoted from rosh:There has been some confusion and mis-communication on this. The plain plastic topper is included. You can also purchase just the topper, and that I believe that is the $100. You can also purchase an animated version of topper done by Pingraffix, that was on display at TPF (as was animated side art). Pingraffix should be making this available soon, I do not know the pricing. A clarification on the topper will be going out to our distributors shortly. Sorry for the confusion.
Knocker -- which is used during multiple modes during the game, including Duck Hunt and Target Shooting, so it really does add to the game experience and I highly recommend it.
Shaker Motor -- also used in many places, as expected and we are still adding it to some modes.
Magic Glass
Thank you for the clarification! I thought it seemed off. My distributor emailed today and told everyone that was incorrect. I would like to see the animated topper. That could be interesting.
We saw the animated topper in Joe's Pingraffix's booth at TPF and, unless my memory is failing me, it was not animated in the sense that there was movement of some sort but rather the back lighting of it did change colors and it did look great. The power pin blades that were also displayed looked great too. If I get an OKT I think both the topper and pin blades would be great additions.
I was finally able to play Oktoberfest at Helicon Brewery in Pittsburgh. Helicon also has BKsor (pro), ACNC, MBre (LE), BM66 and other newer games. Of the 5 mentioned, I ended up playing 15 games of Okto and between 5-10 of the others, primarily because I found Okto to be so friggin unique. I love the theme, really like the art but the animation was not great at all, but I found that I didn't care because the game was so fun. I do recognize, however, that animation can be important. For example, BKsor's was so good that it made the game so much better than it would be without it (btw, I really really liked BKsor (pro) - can't wait to try the LE version). In any event, I was very impressed with the quality of Okto. It's obviously a high end, well put-together game. I loved the tents and that it's a challenging game; it made me want to keep playing. The music was perfectly acceptable and not redundant as I initially feared.
Some problems with the game that I experienced: 1. The right ramp is challenging, but not more challenging than it should be. I never reached the barrel multiball, though, in part because the ball popped out of the wireform on 2 occasions, which was very annoying since it is such a difficult shot to begin with. 2. The ball popped out of the Food wireform on several occasions, too. 3. I achieved the grand champion score (only because it's so new) but the system rebooted while I was entering my initials and I didn't get any credit. 4. There was no match after the game (probably just needs to be set by the owner). 5. At one point the flippers stopped working and I thought the game froze - it turns out that I was in some kind of skill-shot challenge but I apparently did not see or hear any prompting.
Despite these issues, I rank these 5 games: 1. Okto; 2. BKsor (pro) and ACNC - a tie and close seconds; 4. BM66; 5. MBre (LE).
Quoted from zaki:Keep believing you bought a good game...
Are you talking to me? I didn't buy the game. I may, though.
Quoted from mthirkell:I was finally able to play Oktoberfest at Helicon Brewery in Pittsburgh. Helicon also has BKsor (pro), ACNC, MBre (LE), BM66 and other newer games. Of the 5 mentioned, I ended up playing 15 games of Okto and between 5-10 of the others, primarily because I found Okto to be so friggin unique. I love the theme, really like the art but the animation was not great at all, but I found that I didn't care because the game was so fun. I do recognize, however, that animation can be important. For example, BKsor's was so good that it made the game so much better than it would be without it (btw, I really really liked BKsor (pro) - can't wait to try the LE version). In any event, I was very impressed with the quality of Okto. It's obviously a high end, well put-together game. I loved the tents and that it's a challenging game; it made me want to keep playing. The music was perfectly acceptable and not redundant as I initially feared.
Some problems with the game that I experienced: 1. The right ramp is challenging, but not more challenging than it should be. I never reached the barrel multiball, though, in part because the ball popped out of the wireform on 2 occasions, which was very annoying since it is such a difficult shot to begin with. 2. The ball popped out of the Food wireform on several occasions, too. 3. I achieved the grand champion score (only because it's so new) but the system rebooted while I was entering my initials and I didn't get any credit. 4. There was no match after the game (probably just needs to be set by the owner). 5. At one point the flippers stopped working and I thought the game froze - it turns out that I was in some kind of skill-shot challenge but I apparently did not see or hear any prompting.
Despite these issues, I rank these 5 games: 1. Okto; 2. BKsor (pro) and ACNC - a tie and close seconds; 4. BM66; 5. MBre (LE).
Thank you for the insight. I read everything you said above and I will do my best to address all these issues. We have already contacted American about some potential software issues and hope to have these resolved.
I really appreciate you taking the time to give us prespective. Thanks for supporting us at Helicon! I am not sure if you saw us there last night. I was Dr. Strange.
20190426_205257 (resized).jpgQuoted from zaki:Keep believing you bought a good game...
The game is certainly a good one. Whether it will go beyond good is still up for debate. I support all manufacturers of pinball games at Helicon and will continue to push pinball to the masses. This game has been very well received and multiple players have thanked me for having this on site.
Please let me know what your measure is for a game to be considered good? I appreciate all opinions and objective comments etc.
Quoted from cjmjmm2006:The game is certainly a good one. Whether it will go beyond good is still up for debate. I support all manufacturers of pinball games at Helicon and will continue to push pinball to the masses. This game has been very well received and multiple players have thanked me for having this on site.
Please let me know what your measure is for a game to be considered good? I appreciate all opinions and objective comments etc.
The knocker and shaker motor would make this game so much better; that was very good news. Yes, thanks for stocking Helicon with such great, high quality games. I love that there are so many LE versions; that's very uncommon. With all that said, Thunderbirds is a real head-scratcher.
Quoted from mthirkell:The knocker and shaker motor would make this game so much better; that was very good news. Yes, thanks for stocking Helicon with such great, high quality games. I love that there are so many LE versions; that's very uncommon. With all that said, Thunderbirds is a real head-scratcher.
You're welcome. I appreciate the kind words. We are making an effort to represent every manufacturer at Helicon Brewing. Cosmic Cart Racing will be making a return soon in the head to head format so we are excited about that also. Thunderbirds has it's place at the brewery and I can honestly say it has some fans. Now they may not be on pinside but I have had offers to purchase this game by a local pinball enthusiast but I declined and gave him Joe's info at Pinballstar. Some people love this theme. It is not one that is recognizable to me but to each his own.
Thanks for your support!
As a german from bavaria I have to say that this pin looks so great, crazy and funny in my opinion.
And what a unique and different layout.
After many weeks I finally made my choice for my next pin between Wonka, Pirates, BK3 and OKTOBERFEST.
AP will get my money.........OKTOBERFEST comes home to bavaria 
Quoted from cjmjmm2006:You're welcome. I appreciate the kind words. We are making an effort to represent every manufacturer at Helicon Brewing. Cosmic Cart Racing will be making a return soon in the head to head format so we are excited about that also. Thunderbirds has it's place at the brewery and I can honestly say it has some fans. Now they may not be on pinside but I have had offers to purchase this game by a local pinball enthusiast but I declined and gave him Joe's info at Pinballstar. Some people love this theme. It is not one that is recognizable to me but to each his own.
Thanks for your support!
I played Tunderbirds but I didn't get the full experience; the sound was either not working or turned off. I'd give it another shot.
Quoted from zaki:I was not singleing anyone out. For me, I love the theme. Playing it , the animation, playfield etc are a major letdown. I had waited to buy.. after playing, all the glitches etc. I will pass and pursue another game
Are you talking about Octoberfest?
Quick shout out to American Pinball for putting the power switch in the right place under the cabinet where it belongs!!!
Seriously, I owned Ghostbusters for a couple years. If I had a nickel for every time I reached under the cabinet looking for a power switch that wasn’t there...
Quoted from mthirkell:I played Tunderbirds but I didn't get the full experience; the sound was either not working or turned off. I'd give it another shot.
Thanks for the heads up. I will have a look at that this week. I'll be back in touch.
Quoted from Viggin900:What has happened to the bumper car pop bumpers since LAX?
Read through all the threads. They were removed. One or more interfered with the balls going by.
LTG : )
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