There is no monkey in Harry Potter but perhaps the next game will be Project X?

I don't remember if this was on the to do list, thinking about it or already implemented but I recall reading about a banked shot from Prost stand-ups to the bar door should open it immediately, and I tried it out and it didn't open the bar door for me. Prost wasn't fully lit at that point.

Also what does the percentage for the extra ball at 500k do? I don't mean the matching at the end of the game. Does that mean when you reach 500k only x% of times the extra ball gets awarded? I understand how the dynamic increase stuff works but just wondering about the % there.

Would a full plunge always go in the bar? 1/3 of the time it goes in, 1/3 it doesn't and the last third it goes in after banking from the duck standup.

Who do people call when the game doesn't work? It doesn't matter what the arrangement is.. they call the manufactuer.
Who does the licenser hold accountable when the terms of the agreement aren't enforced? The manufacturer...
What do you do when the game with your logo and name on it starts to be used in a way you don't support?
How much more work do you need to invest in the product to make the code base workable by others?
How much of your investment do you want to freely share with others that could take that work and apply it to other projects?

There are lots of reasons real commercial activities don't open up their code. And software licenses may give people a legal footing to protect their work from re-use, but its really hard to put the genie back in the bottle once the code is out there. And generally whenever you work with licensing or third parties, they want THEIR works protected too..

How many real contributors do you think would be out there for these proprietary software platforms? half dozen? If the companies needed help that bad, they could easily contract someone in, and get all the benefits with far less risks/negatives.

Yes, a bank shot from the PROST targets directly to the bar should immediately open the bar if it's not already open. (Also: a left orbit -> bar combo should do the same.)

Sorry, not sure I understand... what exactly are you referring to?

Having a "guaranteed" skill shot to the bar is not the intended design... after all, it's supposed to be a SKILL shot. On my machine, I usually make the bar skill shot with a full plunge MINUS "a little bit". Not quite sure what "a little bit" is, I do it by feel. YMMV. One of the leagues I played this season featured Oktoberfest, and the bar skill shot there was just a bit different from my machine, enough so that I missed the shot at all the worst times. (Thanks, Murphy's Law! )

I just received the game and put it near my Houdini.
They are both really nice games and I enjoy them a lot. I'm a big API fan and I think I'm in for the 3rd game
I love the atmosphere and the musics of the Oktoberfest machine.
I just have a few remarks after a few plays:
- the skill shot under otto is too easy (the hole is almost always opened)
- stein choice is a good idea but it pauses the game too often
- The 2 multiball modes are quite hard to get. Maybe you could change another tent mode into a multiball (other than juggling).

Anyway it's a funny game, a "must have" in a game room

a 90-95% full plunge gets me the skill shot 90-95% of the time for me
(your results may vary)

I'm referring to the "replay percentage" section in the manual which is different from the match type settings and handles on the default setting the award of extra balls when you hit certain scores.

I tend to always go for the Stein since I feel like they are so valuable, I don't think I tried ever any of the other ones.

Regarding the banked shot, I have to experiment with it then. Is it the plate in front of the bar that triggers it it is there another switch in the bar door itself and you have to hit it hard enough?

I do hear every now and then the knock on wood sound from the bar door but as often as I hit it, it should open more often I think, it is rarely ever open.

I do the same thing. I'd love to see the other skill shots worth more. The bar door skill shot is by far the easiest, and in my opinion the most lucrative since every stein can significantly boost up your modes and points. The risk/reward for the other skill shots isn't even worth it, so I never even think of going for them. HOWEVER, I would like to. Maybe instead of points they could be worth a game play advantage - like the mystery target is an extra ball, or the inlane is an instant 2 ball multiball. Something that makes those skillshots actually worth it.

I know this will never happen, as I'm sure it would be a tremendous amount of coding and testing work, but I do think it would benefit the gameplay and add another level of excitement to it.

Um...did you miss the part about loading whatever code? This is easy, you only support the official code... It's not rocket science. But yes, I do understand the protecting of code, I've just never agreed with how it is applied. As for how many? Hard to say, it's a 'love of the art' type scenario. Really no different than any other version of the same thing. No shortage of examples out there in multiple hobbies. In reality, especially in something like this, it is an archaic practice that stunts growth.

Don't misunderstand me, it's a minor thing overall. Just something I've noticed that is pretty common in the digital age that is lacking here.

Pinball Browser is a good solution for replacing media files in White Star, SAM, and Spike without jeopardizing the critical portions of the code. The manufacturer must not acknowledge it exists for obvious reasons so asking for the capability from the OEM is just silly.

I heard an analogy once, I forget where. Updating an operating system in place is like pulling the tablecloth out and putting it back without moving anything on the table. It is amazing that it works at all.

There is an adjustment for this in settings to make it more difficult, and it will get more difficult each time. However, if you had it open at the end of your last ball, it will be open for the skill shot.

One you get to know the steins it is pretty quick, unless it is because you are taking time to think/strategize.

The "replay score" options are either fixed or boost. Percentage is not currently an option, so that percentage setting should not be there. Boosted means each time someone wins it, the score needed the next time will be X points higher, it will then come back down over a number of games.

It is the ball competing the connection between the plate and door. While it will never register 100%, since the ball get be airborne on a strong flipper hit, it is important to make sure the plate and the door are totally clean. Be sure there is no dirt, residue, etc. on either surface.

There is a stein that will also make it easier to open the bar, requiring less hits.

It is a pretty long list of downsides, and pretty much no upside for a company to do it. Imagine if we made this easy for you to do, and you load this 'great and updated' version of the code from Joe Pinsider, and your game literally goes up in smoke. While I'm sure not you, thee are others who might choose to call in and never mention they were running Joe Pinsider's code when looking for warranty, support, etc. Worst is now the company things there is an issue with the game causing it to go up in smoke, is it software? Is there an engineering issue? Bad set of boards? So everyone drops what they are doing to investigate . . . .

Of course the reality is we can't totally prevent this, since pretty much any modern game can be re-coded by anyone with the desire. You are just going to have to start with nothing more than a framework like Skeleton Game. You won't have the existing code, assets, etc. but you have a canvas to work on. You can do what Epthegeek did on CCC, and re-create the current rules, and then expand on them (Eric now working for spooky) or what DP did with BOP2.0 and create a whole new rule set in addition to the current one or what MOcean and Nelly did when the re-themed a SOF into "Buffy the vampire slayer" with an LCD and modern ruleset. None are easy to do, but, as I said, if you have the desire.

Ah, I saw it in the manual - yes, I'm the one dude who actually went through the manual (at least partially...)
No worries if it is actually not in the game. I like how it works now.

I waxed the playfield, and I bet there is a coat of wax on there preventing it from closing the circuit. That is a really cool design, so no pressure plates can go bad or anything! Sorry, my bad for this. What would you recommend for "de-waxing" that plate making sure that I don't hurt anything else?

Thanks for the quick response, PROST!

Talk about a troubleshooting nightmare. Maybe once the last pin shipped is out of warranty.

Well yea, that was really my point. I meant long term, not release day.

My bar isn't registering on any medium to fast hits. I've suspected this for a while but just took the glass off to confirm. If I hold the ball against the bar and bottom plate it registers but a ball at most speeds will not. Any suggestions or solutions to prevent airballs when the ball hits the lower plate?

The problem in the real world is... customers and consumers don't respect that boundary. Even when its not your fault.. its still your fault. Especially risky when you are a young company. The damage to your reputation is too risky.

We all are free to our opinions - but we don't get to make up our own realities. So while you may not agree with those constraints, they don't go away.

Just wipe the plate with alcohol... that will clean off any wax residue. Test the door by hand by rolling a ball to it.

I see enough in tech support just on mods. Plug it in, burn up a board or two. Just because a connector fits doesn't mean you should plug it in. I hate to imagine the what ifs, if people were randomly playing with the software.

Ummm............ you do realize tech support lasts well beyond the warranty ? I don't think the tech support guys need more of trying to figure out what the customer did.

LTG : )

I think an extra ball skill shot to something other than Otto is a great idea

My feeling about the open-source-in-pinball debate is that the "sweet spot" is somewhere between totally open and totally closed. I'm pretty happy with a game like Oktoberfest. Basically, as a home user, an "enthusiast", I like a pinball game that I can "tweak" and work on myself, with a number of settings I can customize, user-updateable software, and some combination of standard pinball parts and unique parts. I wouldn't expect pinball companies to open up their games much more than that (surrendering their intellectual property and/or leaving themselves vulnerable to litigation).

There's something else I've observed about "openness" in pinball: the pinball community at large is capable of producing a ton of crap and a few nuggets of good stuff. Take Pinsound for example. I have one. It's a real marvel. You can totally replace the sound in a pinball machine. Problem is, in my opinion, aside from improved fidelity, none of the "community" generated sound mixes are nearly as good as the original music/callouts created by people like Chris Granner, David Thiel and others. Another observation has to do with virtual pinball. Visual Pinball X is amazing. However, my opinion again, community created virtual pinball tables (originals and re-creations) are nowhere near as high-quality or fun as the commercial tables from Farsight and Zen.

I don't even think there is a debate, just me with an observation.

The left inlane skill shot is worth (theoretically) an infinite number of points, since after you make it, you can shoot right ramp combos for increasing point awards.

And the "?" skill shot is worth a lot of points, though it's admittedly very hard to make. (I've actually had some luck plunging to hit the post below the Beer Barrel ramp, getting a deflection around the FEST targets and then a bounce over towards the "?"... but yeah, difficult.)

How much force are the stand-ups ideally designed to have them triggered? Typically, floaty deflections don't trigger my outlanes or the Oktoberfest stand-ups. They need at least the force of a direct hit from the slings or a pretty bouncy/lively deflection.

Apparently I was smart enough not to wax the metal plate. If the ball hammers against it I don't get the sound but if it is not as quick then it works, so I guess it's the air ball thing but it's ok, it seems to work as intended.

Just played for an hour - the game makes me smile everytime I play it, and I play it every evening when I come home from work. I wish just I wouldn't be so bad at pinball I haven't even beaten all modes yet individually not even talking about reaching Flippermeister.
There is so much to do on this machine. I want to reach food coma and Stein slinging next.

I'm like a 5 year old and get really excited wenn the rollercoaster Multiball starts.

When the game tilts out. Are you supposed to be able to use the service buttons?For the life of me I can't use them only the start button worked to add players. Still having issues with inappropriate saves. Just started up a game tonight and it started throwing four if not five balls out on to the playfield. I don't get it. I've sent in game logs twice. But it is hard to troubleshoot when you can't use the service buttons when the game tilts.

IMG_20191211_200527989 (resized).jpg

When that happens, is there 1 or 2 balls in the beer barrel?

My game was acting up a good bit while ago. Normally if I notice any problems I turn the game off, wait a few minutes, turn it on, and 100% fine again.

BUT, this time I had 2 balls in the beer barrel, still had never gotten that mb, so I kept playing.

FINALLY, after all this time I got the beer barrel mb!

Anyway, I did notice the E in TENT was out everytime the game would act up.

If I keep noticing problems I will do the log send stuff. But in the past anytime anything weird has happened it only lasted until the game was turned off and back on again. The same for Houdini. The only consistent thing is all problems do start while I am having a great game...like system overload or something.

Anyway, I am just having a blast with these 2 AP games while I wait on their 3rd game to come out.

I think with every software revision it gets more stable. I heard today in a podcast that both Houdini and Oktoberfest are getting another update in the nearish future. Since it was a podcast who knows if it's true. I figure they are all working on the new game right now to get that ready. Really Keen to see what it is going to be!

I'm envious that you have both. Which of the two do you like better?

0

Oh, you know, about 1.62 Newtons.

No idea in any practical sense. It is generally true that new standup targets tend to be a bit more difficult to activate, since the backing foam is nice and thick. As that foam starts compressing and wearing down from repeated ball strikes, it offers less resistance, so lighter hits will trigger the target as it ages.

Are you supposed to? Yes. Is that broken in the current code release? Yes. Strangely enough, that bug just got fixed a week ago, so that fix will be in the next code release.

Recent logs will be preserved even if you power cycle. We'll definitely appreciate those logs if you can get 'em to us. Thanks!

We certainly hope so! No one's happy if it goes the other way.

Hey, if it was on the Internet, it must be true, right?!

In this case, though, it is indeed true.

So far Okt by far, BUT, so far I have not spent a lot of time on Hou.

I was looking for something different, seen this thread, was very impressed that the company interacts here, and I said hell yeah, I like beer and amusement park stuff, so I will get a Okt.

When I was picking Okt up at my distributor (only a hour each way, saves shipping money), he talked about he had a Hou in his collection and was trying to talk me into that. I said no, I am here for a Okt.

He said "you will probably like Okt". He was wrong, I love Okt.

So as much as I loved Okt, I wanted the Hou also. I sold a AC/DC prem for a very low price to hurry and pick up a Hou. (we were done with the ac, it was never going to get anymore play.

Hou is very awesome, we have just not made it too far into it, because Okt is still getting played a lot more.

I only have room for one more game, and I plan that space for whetever AP's 3rd game is.

You'll have a great line up then. I know it will be amazing. I hope you love it too !

LTG : )

Ha - as a programmer you have probably heard that song:
99 little bugs in the code.
99 little bugs in the code.
Take one down, patch it around.

127 little bugs in the code...

OOOOOH, can't wait for that, that's a nice Xmas present!

Thanks for the insight! I can't really afford another game right now, so I would have to let Oktoberfest go for the new one and I'm not ready to do that yet, not by a long shot. Unless I really must have the new game on release day, do or die, I'm gonna probably hold on to Oktoberfest at least until towards the end of 2020. Maybe I win the lottery in the meantime

More data logs sent. I don't get it. Is the trough not seeing the balls? Seeing them when it shouldn't be? Gremlins might be the next game?

tenor.gif

Did any of you install cliffys?
I haven't found anything for Oktoberfest on the website.
I guess there is a generic one for the shooter Lane, but I don't know if that fits and quite honestly how to install it if it does.

I love the knocker, anybody got the Shaker?

The shaker is fantastic. I typically don't waste my money on shakers but it's well implemented here.

Nice, just found out I'm gonna get one for Christmas!

Hi ! I'm still discovering my New OF game my best score is 5 millions so far but a friend of mine made a 13. 5 millions score yesterday !

When I push the flippers, the refill led is blinking making me sometimes think during multiball that I still have a ball save (but no) . Do you have the same issue ?

Other question : is API planning to sell the car bumper drivers as a mod ?

Thanks

Nice scores! I had one game with 12M but most games are below 1M for me. I have to practice flipper skills and learn nudging. I lose a lot of balls through outlane drains.

I'll have to look if mine does that too, but I don't recall seeing it blinking when I press the flipper button so far.

I had the same question regarding the drivers. Apparently they interfered with the rollercoaster ramp. I can see that the cars are really close and when a ball goes through mine it touches one of the cars ever so slightly - there is no room. So I don't think it is coming.

There was talk in these threads at one point. If they do, they'd likely be a little different as the prototype ones didn't fit with the wireform and stuff.

LTG : )

I hope those figurines would be sold as a mod, because I saw them in person and they were a very nice touch. I will admit that the clearance with the ball on the habitrail looked very tight, but I didn't see any cases of the ball being obstructed by them. They were very close though.

On a side note, does anyone know where I can buy replacement decals for the flipper bats? The red one on the upper flipper is starting to peel off and I would like to replace it. I didn't see them on AP's website or on other pinball websites that sells mods and flipper toppers.

Please contact them - american-pinball.com I'm sure they will help.

LTG : )

I recruited my drivers from Elvira.

78453839_2939382586080182_780000205943603200_n (resized).jpg

Nice! - congrats on your ingenuity!

While not exactly fitting the traditional Oktobetfest theme, these bumper car passenger additions are an improvement over an otherwise moribund deserted amusement park ride toy.

AP and modders take note: THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED YET!

I thought about making one but there just isnt anyway to fit something under that wireform. The cart almost touches.

How about overserved Oktoberfest patrons that are slumped in their seats?

ya HEY (resized).jpg

Can someone tell me how to get 6 ball multiball going?

Not sure but I have tapped the keg during rollercoaster multiball.

Still hoping BackAlleyMatt produces a set of bumper car passengers. Not sure how such a mod would avoid interference with the habitrail, but if anyone can do it, he can.