Holy cow, pop bumpers and star rollovers!
This, my friends, is innovation!
Pops are not even mounted beneath. See how the skirts sit on the playfield. I am rooting for all of you guys!!!! I hope you all get what you paid for and it is amazing.
It's hard to be "retro" without including something retro. Pipe down before he changes direction and renames it FAZA (Futuristic Android Zombie Adventureland)
Is he doing RGB lights? It would be a shame if he's taking so long that the game will be dated by the time it comes out given the innovation thats happening elsewhere. It wasn't there when he started but is happening.
Quoted from srmonte:Pops are not even mounted beneath. See how the skirts sit on the playfield.
What does this mean, is that game not capable of playing with a real pinball?
Quoted from frolic:What does this mean, is that game not capable of playing with a real pinball?
If you look, the rings aren't pushed upward, they are laying on the playfield. It just means the spring hasn't been installed underneath, or the yoke isn't connected. Srmonte is saying his guess is that there isn't even a coil bracket underneath.
since this is Feb., and the month of love (Valentines), I was hoping to see a lot more red hearts here. just saying
That standup target looks a bit strange with the art bleeding over the keyline. Otherwise it looks cool I guess. I like how he is reusing the TOTAN pop bumper "bolt" inserts here. Nice homage to the past. If I recall correctly, those inserts were a major holdup in CPR getting tooling finished on their TOTAN repro playfields.
Iceman, weren't you going to storm the gates?
Where's that fire in your belly from before?
That's the only way this is going to get resolved - through legal pressure. I honestly think Popaduik is a high-functioning autistic.
blog is updated, acknowledging "eod" tomorrow, but from the sounds of it we'll just get a few pics. But we all knew we weren't going to get anything more than that.
Expo '15 anyone?
MGC is in six weeks. That would be the perfect place for John to do a Magic Girl reveal. He could steal the show if it's a Lebowski type reveal. He was there last year with his KISS mock up... does anyone know if he is going this year?
Sorry if this is pedantic, but it isn't the skirts that are resting on the playfield, it is the rings. There probably isn't a mech under the playfield.
Quoted from stangbat:Sorry if this is pedantic, but it isn't the skirts that are resting on the playfield, it is the rings. There probably isn't a mech under the playfield.
Sorry, I carried his misuse of the term to my post too.
Quoted from ChadH:He could steal the show if it's a Lebowski type reveal.
He could roll out a solid gold flipping MG and I still wouldn't give him a dime of my money even if the price was 2K.
If this thread has shown me anything it's that no game, in my humble opinion, is worth the roller coaster ride you get on when you buy a Zidware game.
I wish you all the best but don't drink the cool-aid, even if it is purple and green and has lightning bolts.
Quoted from DevilsTuner:there was plenty of comms while he was searching for backing thats the messed up part.
It's kinda sad how many people the "he" could refer to. John? Kevin? Rick?
Everyone is happy to talk your ear off excitedly when they want you to open their wallet, but who's still there for you after they already have their money?
I couldn't sleep at night leaving people like that. Okay, building pinballs is hard. I think we all see that now. But telling people what's up isn't hard. Much easier to be patient knowing that "this mech didn't work, and I have to wait a month for new parts" instead of complete silence. But I've reached the point where if you don't say anything I just assume it's because things are f**ked and you don't want to admit it to anyone. Or, you're just petty. You can decide which person that applies to.
Ask anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of my projects if they're unhappy with the level of communication they get from me. I know it's not that damn hard.
Quoted from Aurich:Everyone is happy to talk your ear off excitedly when they want you to open their wallet, but who's still there for you after they already have their money?
I couldn't sleep at night leaving people like that. Okay, building pinballs is hard. I think we all see that now. But telling people what's up isn't hard. Much easier to be patient knowing that "this mech didn't work, and I have to wait a month for new parts" instead of complete silence. But I've reached the point where if you don't say anything I just assume it's because things are f**ked and you don't want to admit it to anyone. Or, you're just petty. You can decide which person that applies to.
Ask anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of my projects if they're unhappy with the level of communication they get from me. I know it's not that damn hard.
I was just telling somebody I just don't understand a lot of these "pinball guys". You said it, how you sleep at night and live with yourself leaving people the way John and others have?
Have nothing to say? Yep, you know it's F**ked up.
So here's where we stand fellow Jpop supporters as far as I see it.
1) Where's the MONEY? What's left? Why can't you pay your vendors or anybody else?
-It's time to divulge the financial state of affairs John, that simple, all the dirty ugly facts. IF there is a way forward, to bridge the gap so to speak, to get these pinball machines made then there are still plenty of people to tap to help get there, assuming there is a F ing game plan and the numbers work.
2) Where's the HELP? We need details on how these pins are going to get built. Not continuous BS. If I find out there really isn't any "project manager" or other help involved, like he stated, because he can't or won't pay anybody then he's done and its over.
-Once again, what's the real story?
3) Yes we keep talking about this ad nauseum, but we need a F ing "timeline". Where is the TIMELINE, where is the project manager that was supposed be taking over all this stuff so John could focus on pinball. We are DONE if that person doesn't exist.
In summary, we need financial status, help status and a timeline.
Or we need to get OUR projects and OUR money in the hands of somebody else that can get the job done.
Quoted from wcbrandes:Ive offered to meet with Ice in Chicago as well.
You gonna make him an offers he can't refuse?
I suggested back in October that John clear the air with an "Ask Me Anything" on his blog. Just let it rip, be honest and let's all move on together.
Instead we got 5 months of stalling and obfuscation, and apparently nowhere close to a playable game, let alone production.
Quoted from iceman44:where is the project manager that was supposed be taking over all this stuff
GREAT question. WTF happened to that guy. The "great meetings" he blogged about. 5 months ago?
Quoted from rai:You gonna make him an offers he can't refuse?
Ha good one Rai. No thought I may be able to help on the business side of things. Credentials can be shared in pm
Quoted from frolic:GREAT question. WTF happened to that guy. The "great meetings" he blogged about. 5 months ago?
I'm just guessing here, or maybe not, but my feeling is that he can't pay anybody.
Nobody to get this pin from A to B and everything that is involved?
Come on, John CAN'T do it and he's either to STUPID to not pay somebody OR he doesn't have any $$$ left which I find hard to believe.
Quoted from iceman44:OR he doesn't have any $$$ left which I find hard to believe.
Not that hard to believe.
Quoted from frolic:GREAT question. WTF happened to that guy. The "great meetings" he blogged about. 5 months ago?
There is no account manager, no project manager, no vendor "extra muscle". There never was. I'm sick of his lies and excuses.
John can shove his final art reveal and his monkey topper video up his ass. There better be a video of a working pinball machine tomorrow by midnight.
Quoted from ChrisVW:There is no account manager, no project manager, no vendor "extra muscle". There never was. I'm sick of his lies and excuses.
John can shove his final art reveal and his monkey topper video up his ass. There better be a video of a working pinball machine tomorrow by midnight.
There won't be any video of a working pinball machine tomorrow because it doesn't work Chris.
That's true Rob but based on these numbers I figure it breaks down like this:
4 years
Salary $300,000
Rent $100,000
Artwork $100,000 (who knows, that's all he's really done)
Labor $0 (He won't pay anybody)
Equip $50,000 (You know he paid for the best with our $$)
Parts $50,000 (Doubtful because there really isn't much of anything)
He's raised over $1,000,000, where did the rest of it go?
Quoted from ChrisVW:There better be a video of a working pinball machine tomorrow by midnight.
Or what?
Quoted from iceman44:Artwork $100,000 (who knows, that's all he's really done)
The number is probably quite a bit bigger. We know its "3000 hours" because he's said so. $50/hr is $150k, and it may very well be much more than that. $25k a year for 4 years seems real low actually, even as a freelance, seeing how involved the artist is.
Aurich might have a better idea what an artist of Yeti's level might cost.
Other expenses:
Patents & legal (probably a stupid number even if the lawyer is a pin head)
r&d stuff, boards, etc.
He's spent so much time showing those cabinets... I can imagine the expense of developing those cabinets is probably off the charts.
Mystery Programmer
I'm going to go out on a limb here... There's little to no money left...the guy can't do anything in a timely fashion but u expect him to be able to handle money like a guru? It's that simple
Quoted from frolic:The number is probably quite a bit bigger. We know its "3000 hours" because he's said so. $50/hr is $150k, and it may very well be much more than that.
Aurich might have a better idea what an artist of Yeti's level might cost.
Other expenses:
Patents & legal (probably a stupid number even if the lawyer is a pin head)
r&d stuff, boards, etc.
He's spent so much time showing those cabinets... I can imagine the expense of developing those cabinets is probably off the charts.
Mystery Programmer
Ok so let's try and hone in on this. The "mystery programmer" I believe is also gone and somebody else probably has stepped in for a "free pin". Zero cost
Patents, ok, add another $50k of money flushed down the toilet.
Add another $50k just to create the cabs, but why?
As for the artwork, please tell me why we don't have a pinball machine that actually plays first before the artwork is finalized? If more than $100k was spent on art then he should be shot.
So that's $600k cost, where's the rest?
Quoted from iceman44:As for the artwork, please tell me why we don't have a pinball machine that actually plays first before the artwork is finalized? If more than $100k was spent on art then he should be shot.
yeah its insane we're talking about a game with finished artwork and can't be played.
Quoted from lllvjr:Proto typing parts over and over is large amounts of wasted cash..
Not if you don't pay for it? Actually redesigning basic shit is more wasted time than anything else.
GOAL #1 Get a pinball machine out the door. Tweak shit later! Who cares about a redesigned star post because it doesn't meet the Jpop standard. WTF, how about a pin.
Quoted from frolic:Aurich might have a better idea what an artist of Yeti's level might cost.
I just don't have enough context to really be able to say. Is he paying him a fixed rate per job, or some kind of hourly deal, or did they work out something in between, have him on some kind of retainer?
He's obviously doing not only a lot of work (3 pins!) but a shitload of revisions, and depending on the contract that could play out a lot of different ways. It's not clear to me when Zombie Yeti stepped in either, because he wasn't the original MG artist, does anyone know?
I can tell you this, because I actually follow Zombie Yeti on Instagram, he's still doing other client work, it's not like John has him hired as some full time guy who's doing nothing but Zidware.
My guess is Ice's estimate is on the high side, but I don't have the facts to really be able to validate that in any way. Generally speaking this kind of freelance illustration is less costly that people tend to think, though it's obviously more expensive than some cheap asses want to pay.
Quoted from wcbrandes:Ha good one Rai. No thought I may be able to help on the business side of things. Credentials can be shared in pm
BTW The Godfather is one if my all time favorite movies, but number 3 was so bad I can't believe it was from the same director and major actors.
Ice... The cost to buy the parts for 25 or 50 what ever the number of magic girls is, the labor to pay to build them, the tooling to mass produce the parts, the boards, wiring harness, ect... There's thousands of dollars needed for this stuff... Thinking that he can stop in his tracks where he is at, and just start building isn't reality...it will take long lead times for all the product to be made.. God help us... Assembly probably is the easy part.
Quoted from frolic:yeah its insane we're talking about a game with finished artwork and can't be played.
Apparently can't play it, AND he keeps F ing with the artwork which should be finalized last anyhow. Just a diversion.
At this point its ALL about the numbers, what's left, what's it gonna take and who else is gonna get involved to get us our pins.
He CAN'T do it himself. Need a plan, budget or stick a fork in him.
Quoted from lllvjr:Ice... The cost to buy the parts for 25 or 50 what ever the number of magic girls is, the labor to pay to build them, the tooling to mass produce the parts, the boards, wiring harness, ect... There's thousands of dollars needed for this stuff... Thinking that he can stop in his tracks where he is at, and just start building isn't reality...it will take long lead times for all the pro it to be made.. God help us
Yep, where is that money coming from?
He has clusterfucked this thing beyond belief because he has blown so much money on shit that doesn't matter and won't spend it on help and people that can get this thing out the door.
Stupid.
As much as I wanted to see RAZA revealed this month, it should have been all hands on deck to get MG out the door, repair his reputation and sell the additional 25 MGs to raise capital. That MG is sitting unfinished is incredible.
Quoted from frolic:As much as I wanted to see RAZA revealed this month, it should have been all hands on deck to get MG out the door, repair his reputation and sell the additional 25 MGs to raise capital. That MG is sitting unfinished is incredible.
There are no "hands on deck". It's just John working 20 hours a day 7 days a week doing who knows what.
Quoted from iceman44:It's just John working 20 hours a day 7 days a week doing who knows what.
Lurking on Pinside.
John, come on dude, time to get your shit together. I know I've deluded myself even thinking that a February "reveal" might be an actual flipping game. That we apparently don't have a playing game to be shown, no ball rolling around, there are going to be some TOUGH questions and heat coming down now. The period of stalling and obfuscation is over.
Quoted from frolic:I know I've deluded myself even thinking that a February "reveal" might be an actual flipping game.
There isn't an MG actual flipping game. RAZA flipping is fantasy at this point.
I'm guessing that the play field isn't even "playable" on MG. Just an artwork overlay.
Quoted from iceman44:There won't be any video of a working pinball machine tomorrow because it doesn't work Chris.
That's true Rob but based on these numbers I figure it breaks down like this:
4 years
Salary $300,000
Rent $100,000
Artwork $100,000 (who knows, that's all he's really done)
Labor $0 (He won't pay anybody)
Equip $50,000 (You know he paid for the best with our $$)
Parts $50,000 (Doubtful because there really isn't much of anything)
He's raised over $1,000,000, where did the rest of it go?
I know for a fact some of your numbers are way off
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:I know for a fact your numbers are way off
You don't count, you visited Jpop and were obviously affected by the spores.
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:I know for a fact some of your numbers are way off
Great. So everything is A-OK and we are totally wrong. Can't wait to see our games.
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:I know for a fact some of your numbers are way off
Enlighten me? What's left? Spent it all?
Why can't he pay anybody?
You went there and know that there isn't a playable MG.
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