Anyone else notice the Magic Girl cab is on a rug?

Rug Reveal and "Labowski" is where I stopped caring about John. The misspelling indicated he had no clue what that license was about and thought people just wanted games on rugs and bowling (Pussycat Bowling anyone?) It also shows reactionary, not creative, thinking.

Any real businessperson with about one month left to save their company would be working on Memorial Day. It isn't some stupid Disney movie where Tim Allen learns to be a good dad by making the baseball game. Going bankrupt and getting sued is a much worse fate for someone's family.

Dudes, come on - it *is* a holiday. Jplop wouldn't want to get chewed out from Zidware Union Rep Jplop.

Hey, members of the Facebook Owners group (I am not on facebook):

Bill tells me he's posting pics there, and they are not "NDA", they are for the public. He just doesn't have the time to be on pinside dealing with this thread, but everything is free for reposting here or anywhere else. So please post any new pics, thanks.

Apparently there are new photos of all missing parts that are coming together to get the game ready for this NW show.

So he's pulling the same bullshit as Popaduik and claiming he doesn't have five minutes to post some photos here? It's just as easy to post photos here as on Facebook.

Or maybe he only cares about getting the owners to not sue?

I've never thought about that! Wow, he really is oblivious to what the rug reveal and the Lubowski effect really means. Amazing.

As for not being at work today; not as big of deal as the story the pictures of his place tell. Looks like no work has been done for 2 years! Maybe 14/7 means 14 minutes out of 7 months?

If you, and any others, paid via paypal using your credit card, you should immediately file for a charge-back. Many victims of Skit-B were able to get full or partial refunds this way.

You'll need to open a dispute with paypal first, but if the pp dispute fails you can then take it to your cc company.

People who paid with Amex seem to have the greatest chance of success.

Wow.. I had no idea it was that bad... been taking a lot of time trying to catch up in this huge trainwreck of a thread.

My nature is to not immediately believe someone can be so ridiculously self-absorbed and sociopathic as to continually lie and take peoples' money. It just makes my skin crawl so I don't want to believe it, but it looks like there's ample evidence. I haven't had any personal dealings with him except awhile back I talked with him about a project and as soon as I mentioned there was no up front money until something was underway, he didn't even bother replying. I guess that's no surprise.

If the code and game is fantastic, maybe some people will jump on the $10k model. I for one, am out on the $16k model. I could be in for a 10k model, but the code would have to be good, and the game has to be fun to play.

Meh...nothing too exciting to see. He pulled some strings to get the ramps done over the weekend. That was the biggest "assembly" development.

Yeah, this thread shouldn't really be of any concern to him.

Good grief, Charlie Brown.

Again. Everyone needs to file a complaint.

Unfortunately, almost all of the RAZA payments were made via checks. I don't know about MG or AIW, since I was not in on either of those.

Nice how John won't show his owners anything yet he can't even bother to throw a cover over his blueprints. LoL I bet Bally/williams didn't opperate like this.

That is true. =)

Look, like you said, it was a no win and here we are.

Well, I didn't mean to be speaking for him or put words into his mouth. Obviously he's posted in this thread recently.

My intention was just to make clear that the secrecy of the old ways is over and people should post the pics here if they aren't here.

Same story, just artwork and empty cabs.

Unless I missed them (and I'm in the group), there just aren't any new pics that are fundamentally different from anything we've all seen before.

You got off lucky by being ignored. You must have "annoyed" him....I know this thread is HUUUUGE but it's all in here if you care to read about it - vendors, programmers, the artist - all have come out and told stories about how they haven't been paid for competed work and when they try to talk to John about it, he ignores them or brushes them off. Any time there is even a hit of question or criticism, John seems to shut down - he becomes the victim....people are annoying him, taking to take him down, don't understand that he's working 24/7, causing "great harm" as he put it. He is either nefarious or mentally ill. My guess is the latter.

So is that the infamous center spiral ramp? The one that is supposed to be very difficult to fabricate?

Understood. My eye rolling was not meant for you.

Looks like all the ramps. Slap them in the game!

This is what they need to do. Show any and everything positive and remove questions like "what about the middle of the ramp?"

The more I think about it, the more I really CANNOT WAIT until the MG reveal at the "out west" show. The way I see it, no matter what happens, it's a total WIN-WIN. It's the most I've looked forward to anything in this mess for a long time.

I've viewed my money as gone for months now. This latest development was just more of a kick in the ass confirming it than I was expecting. That said, there are 2 outcomes from MG at the show:

1. Reaction is amazing, people love it, and there is actually some renewed hope that this thing can be resurrected and we might get our money out of it. Would be nice, but unlikely.

2. The reaction is somewhere between "we've waiting all this time for THIS?!?!" and "what a POS!"

Reaction 2 would surely spell the official end of this fiasco, but honestly, would there be a bigger, more satisfying kick in the nuts to John than his masterpiece game's moment in the sun being doused by negative feedback on the game itself?

He's so used to everyone oohing and aahing over his stuff, I have to admit, it would be refreshing, in a childlike, "take that John" kind of way.

So, there is either a glimmer of hope, or John's game flops. Either one would be the best news in this thread in a long time.

I thought he had some sort of innovative, patentable method of making ramps that would revolutionize the industry?

I guess I shouldn't crap on progress. But still...

The announcement of the deal was botched, John shouldn't have written it or proposed it, including the legal document was a mistake, it was premature to include information and pricing for any games or pricing of switching, etc.

It is more clear today what is happening... Bill is a legit 3rd party, and there is a hustle going on that we've never seen to get these games showable in under 2 weeks.

I'm glad this show is on the calendar, a forced deadline.

All we can do is watch what happens now.

PDXMonkey

Hmm, I see he sold the jokerz! I sold him, unless he took that home. Probably came out of the zidware budget.

I believe all the parking is in front, and since the parking lot is empty, I'd say nobody is there

But yet John is not at work. He has a two week deadline and he is not working. This is his only hope to restore any ounce of respect. The show is the last glimmer of any hope and he is not working. I can't stress enough how toxic John is to this project moving forward

John not working today shows how very little he cares. I do not care if it's a holiday or if his cat died, he needs to be working to get this ready for the show. Unfortunately, it's probably going to be another missed deadline.

Can't disagree.

Hopefully StevenP is right and the game is as close to done as we've been told, and the key was getting these ramps fabricated and put in.

Can't imagine they'd schedule the show if they didn't think they could do it, John working 24x7 or not.

At this point, I'd wager the next "mystery game" was "Apocalypse Now".

John probably guaranteed them it would be ready and that he would work 24/7 to get it done. It's what he does.

John not working today shows how very little he cares. I do not care if it's a holiday or if his cat died, he needs to be working to get this ready for the show. Unfortunately, it's probably going to be another missed deadline.

I must say, I've been surprised at my occasional high emotional response to reading through (for hours) this thread. It's like the pent-up frustration of 4 years has been released.

We've all said some dumb, sharp things - I certainly have, for which I apologise. But having got this out of my system, I feel in a much better, more objective place. No more worshipping the Jpop, and no more accepting NDA secrecy BS. Transparency and frankness is what is needed. Bill, over to you and Pintasia to make this happen, and for goodness sake, please pay the vendors! Anything that is going to be displayed at NW Show should be paid for. Bill, you claim to be running the show now, not Jpop, so show some non-Jpop ethics and decency please. If you do, it will reap dividends amongst the rest of us. Also suggest you establish regular, detailed communication and 'open the books' to us.

I would think that by now, you would know anything is possible with that mental case.

Exactly!!

This is a rediculous statment. MG had better be 10K better then AMH, which it won't be. You can make a bunch of pretty crap on a game all that you want, that doesn't mean it will be fun. I already know that AMH for 10K less is fun.

16k is about double what the current LE or JJP goes for. Without rarity, or the inclusion of a 1k/night hooker, and considering the taint of the Jpop pedigree, I don't see a market for this game.

Can I make a prediction? I predict there will not be a fully playable game in 2-3 weeks.

Maybe there will be stuff in the cabinets this time, but not a working pinball machine.

Magic 8 Ball, will there be a Lebowski on the rug reval at NW pinball show?

image.jpg

So how does one cut out the ramps from this plastic molded injection?

That could probably be laser cut I imagine.

He probably pulled up and saw someone taking pics and drove away. He might feel it's too risky to show up at the shop now and will probably have to use whatever money is left hiring security. I bet he doesn't leave the blinds open after today. He's probably at the locksmith right now.

locks.jpg

So really that game is going to be allowed at a show??

This is so TOXIC I would not allow it there but good luck with that. Hire some extra security.

I can easily imagine some stray steel balls being tossed at that game.

Please Bill, do NOT let John appear at any show. You need and want to put the new MG and its marketing plan in the center ring. But John will be a lightning rod for the disappointment and anger that is out there and your agenda will be lost. Divorce yourself from the ugly past and position yourselves as the best hope for the future. Only then will you have a chance to succeed.

Also, it strikes me as hard to believe that there is much of a market for a $16,000 version of MG, especially given the increased production numbers proposed.

plastic isn't hard to trim, just an x-acto knife and a steady hand. However, John said in his blog posting that he did have a laser cutter lined up. He has an in-house laser cutter, but that's meant for flat plastics, not vacuum formed stuff.

They'd find something else Ben.. there's no pleasing this angry mob anymore. Even the positive is soured once it hits the pan.

Also perhaps John isn't there because he's in Vancouver talking to Bill? Canada doesn't have today off.

All I'm saying is.. if you're speculating try and consider both versions of that "half glass", people.

Interesting if John appears.

Sharks with freaking lasers on their heads

Apparently even MORE money and another NDA does though, right??

I'm working on Alien today. Just saying.

I'm working on a nice red from Argentina. Tasty.