I hope someone is archiving all his webpages for evidence? Facebook, his pinball inventor page, the wordpress blogs?

If not - this might have what you need... https://archive.org

just checked the AIW one & its gone ....or he blocked me as I did post up twice in the last few days calling him a fraud & a thief

Applejuice, I feel your pain. It sounds like you poured your heart and soul into this project based on JPop's false promises. I hope there is some recovery in your future.

What board set was this code developed on? Was this done on something common like the P-ROC board set? Or was this custom hardware that John paid or conned someone else to develop for him?

I am hoping it is P-ROC so it is easily reproduced. Because I don't see a custom board set in the future for these machines.

I think the boardset is the one made by quetzal pinball for their small run pinball.

I have asked myself the same questions many times. I wasn't just working on MG either, i worked on multiple projects inc. RAZA and others at the same time. The ramps were late to the party, as I did not get the hand made ones until march 2014, but i had the prototype which was flipping from about may 2013. See below of when i first got it and was installing to my stern cab!

IMG_1475.jpg

I often had to write code based on 'best guess' for mechs, then wait for the real parts to be created and then amend as necessary. Not the best way to go about things...

applejuice - what other projects did you work on? I know about kiss and we have heard that there was some sort of EM project there - anything else?

The sad thing (from an endless list of sad things) is on January 10, 2015 John wrote this:

Mystery Guest

In pinball there is a finite list of great artists, designers and software guru’s who have climbed the mountain of pinball making. Well I was able to spend time this afternoon with one of them, and will begin the process of paperwork and project spec. writing needed for them joining the software team. I will make the official announcement when I am able to properly. Jpop

When in reality he HAD a software guy, who did a lot of work, and John just stopped paying. Then he figures he'd just hire someone else (a year later).

Thank you for posting this. I hope the secrecy vail is finally being lifted and we can all talk openly finally. There were many dark days over the course of these projects, feels like i need therapy!!

Wait...let me re-read that...you had a flipping prototype in 2013?

Kind of makes sense, because John has been telling people he's "almost done" those prototypes since early 2013.

WTF went on for 2 years after that, who knows.

Ice, you should rename this thread and put John's full name in the title for the search engines.

Please please tell me that all the drama, the race for the ramps, the cross country trip all the bs in negotiating with jpoop is being recorded, this has the makings of a documovie that would compete with King of Kong.

If it takes off more than enough money to refund everyone, as well as shaming Jpoop to the masses.

This has been mentioned a few times throughout this thread, including me, it takes 1 minute and accomplishes a LOT, please do this Ice.

The 'EM' project wasn't so much an EM, just a really simple, low BOM game with a throwback style playfield layout that he wanted to sell cheap. They've been in the lobby of his office space for a long time. Anybody that has been there would have seen them. He called it 'Space Mission X'. Jim did the base framework code for that, and I tweaked around on it a little to add some audio, rules and testing functions. But it was never a front burner project, it didn't get a lot of attention.

The Kiss foamcore mockup thing Jim didn't have a hand in. He didn't even know it existed until it was mostly together. I built a shell in a hurry in pyprocgame so it would do something with graphics on the screen for an early meeting. It didn't really do much.

I did the base framework for it, the os and i created the hardware interface to drive the segment displays that it used.

And there's another perfect example of the silo structure. Myself and Eric were talking and working together on some projects, but then another one springs up and John doesn't even mention it to me, so Eric ends up creating a load of stuff which we probably already had in other project areas!! Of course it was only a mockup demo type thing, but still

Anyone get an archive.is of it before the scrubbing?

Recommend people start using archive sites like archive.is to preserve evidence.

The intentional scrubbing means Jpop is well underway towards bankruptcy filings.

Yet another reason to ACT now, file a complaint and contact your lawyer ASAP!!!!

While you are at it, start scouring and saving screenshots and use archive to preserve info now!

I just linked this thread to his facebook page .......lets see how he likes that

If it is JPop scrubbing off the data what he is doing may be considered spoilation of evidence.

He's clearly on notice he has litigation on the way, he has publicly commented on it and received multiple demands. Different states have different laws on intentionally spoilating evidence to hide it from litigation, check out the laws in his state and your home state on this issue...

I personally don't know how to do it but can someone save these webpages as evidence/documentation? He seems to be closing everything down.

Guy's we licensed the games and have borrowed the one MG to finish the damn thing that he seemingly could not finish himself. Once the game is finished we will all be able to see if its even worth making, and like Aurich said, shoots well. That wasn't gonna happen with John and in a locked building with blinds closed. The other huge step is to cross reference what John says is BOM to a factual one which I have the best of the best that are willing to help analyze when complete. At the end of the day, the customers, like myself, will have one more "complete asset" to sell if it proves to be not worth building. The machine is "on loan", this is how I look at it and it will be returned to all of us when and if I get it complete. It would be ultimately stupid of me to spend more capital let alone time building something so toxic no one wants to purchase. In the end it will be well over a 6 figure digit to get it complete and worst case scenario there is at least one complete Magic Girl that will be split with everyone that he owes.

see zombie yetis recent post

https://archive.is/mSLhC - menu
https://archive.is/i31Hx - games
https://archive.is/4Bfls - magic girl

anyone know where he kept the page showing how to order?

At what terms?

HOW TO USE ARCHIVE.IS:

Copy and paste the URL of the site where it says

"My url is alive and I want to archive its content."

Copy and paste the resulting URL into a text document.

Keep things from going down the memory hole.

Is he closing down the 4000 sq ft double-wide art & garbage storage facility, oh I mean shop? Is the production moving to more appropriate location?

The sooner that stops leeching cash the better.

Thanks Bill! That should end that discussion.

I know everyone wants to know what you paid for the license. This is my guess. No money exchanged hands, but you promised to deliver the 15+ Magic Girl's once you can go into production. That would be about 15 games X $15K = $225K

I wonder if anyone else in the world would pay that for the license.

The other option would be to wait for the bankruptcy and buy the IP at auction. I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay more than maybe $25K....pushing it might be $50K, but I don't think so.

If someone did buy the IP at auction for $50K, that would get each owner about $300 back. For $300, I'd rather take a short "wait and see" approach. I am not talking about legal action against John. I am talking about giving you a break, Bill. At least you are protecting the biggest asset that John had.

Plus, you are putting about $100K into this one big asset which I think will benefit everybody by seeing if this game is even worth making.

shipping on Zidware I hope.

And about -$62.50 after the lawyers and court fees are paid...

I posted this at some earlier point in the thread:

Original code was built on PROCs. New board has libraries that make it able to run the same code.

He was sweating the cost of a proven board (what is the wholesale price?, $250 in volume maybe) for a $16k game.....?

As Eric said previously, Antonio created a new control board to replace the p-roc board at John's request. At the time, I expressed my concern that we shouldn't spend time on this re-engineering project and use the p-roc as is for now, as it was proven technology. However my views were ignored, so we set about making this new hardware board.

I helped create 'a bridge' library that could be included into the existing framework and make sure that the game code base (which is built in top of an altered version of the freely available pyprocgame) would run without any changes needed. This was my number 1 stipulation for continuing down this path. I also worked out what connectors we needed to hook up to the driver board, switches etc

All game code projects were written in python following the pyprocgame framework layout, as all my game code projects have been. I actually applied to work with Zidware through adverts he posted in thepinballcontrollers.com forum, showing my indy jones rewrite project that i was working on.

Sorry if this has already been posted. It's impossible to keep up with this thread.

http://www.secinfo.com/d1y42b.me.htm?Render=Form#1stPage

Cool. At least we can count on a common board set. Also hoping that the code becomes open sourced when complete so it can be tweeked in the future. That adds value to me.

I would bet engineering the new board instead of p-roc was 100% ego driven, that he couldn't use an "off the shelf" solution. Just like every part in the machine. What a waste.

Partially true. He definitely wanted everything to "fit" a certain way. He didn't want to use something if he had to alter his design to "fit" around someone else's product. That was "compromise".

in another country no less...

That's the upside for the new group... worst case they spent money, it fails, but they have these one of a kind games in their procession. Best case, they succeed and some games can be built. Middle road, they get further, and find out the games can't be built within costs that make sense.

The last case is my real concern... where despite all intentions, the house collapses because it was never feasible to start.

I think everyone keeps overlooking in the tit for tat... the motivation for the new group is _to get games built__. They have very little liability up front, but they do have to outlay cash to get the thing moving. 'Saving zidware' isn't the motivation... 'righting johns wrongs' isn't the motivation.. It's getting the game built so they have the game and if we can make it work for everyone... double win win. If not.. well it's better than just watching the whole thing implode.

It is very much a 'do something, rather than nothing' approach. People are hung up on correcting all of John's wrongs as a condition for these new guys to come in. The approach I read is 'lets move forward' -- and they hope or have done diligence enough they don't think zidware's implosion will keep them from progressing with the games.

And the comments about john not owning the copyrights/art... that's all based on the contract between zidware and yeti. Given yeti's green-ness, and John's paranoia... I'd bet the deck is stacked in John's favor. Yeti did the work as a contractor, not that he did the work and sold it. He did the work for zidware.. it's zidware's unless yeti baked in some super clauses.

Gone...
image.jpg

It works for me and still shows the re-loading page

and it includes the 'I give money away because I'm a good guy' requirement. That's what people want EMOTIONALLY - doesn't mean it's the right business path.. tho somewhere in the middle is probably best of both worlds.

This kind of "I invested in a sales pitch that ultimately flopped" is as old as time. It hurts that its your money lost... but countless, countless, countless projects spend a lot of money and fail to deliver the promise. I'm a bit confused that people act like this some new level of douch-ery.

Many many of our most successful businessmen in American history have lead failures like these and later had success. Not saying JPOP is one in waiting.. but this is as normal as the seasons. Entreprenuer pounds on doors, gets investor funding, tries to deliver.. and often fails. When they fail, there often is nothing for the investors to recoup.

Forgive my ignorance, but if Yeti, applejuice, GLM, and the other contractors were never paid for their work, does Zidware actually own any rights to its use? Can Zidware use or license out their work without compensating the contractors? In the construction world, at the very least the contractor could place a lien on the goods.

It seems unjust if that is the case.

I was just trying to say that we're not actually discussing the "game". All these thousands of posts and there's not even speculation on the shots or what it will play like. Just kind of a sad indication of where things stand is all I was getting at.

I think it's terrible that you haven't been paid for your work. This whole time we've been saying "who's programming this?" and you've had to sit there silent. Glad you finally spoke up, and you deserve to be made whole for sure.

Questions still waiting for answers:

1. Terms of the license agreement.
2. Why license, with the complicated "we'll make you whole" rigamarole instead of buy-out and clear, legal transfer of liability.

Good to see John at his office working hard.

John can't even scrub his sites in a timely manner.