Talk about night and day in personalities when it comes to the 'get ish done' factor.

I follow JPOP on FB and he put out some really cool tid bits. I really want these games to be awesome and think he has the ability to do that. I also think he has the habit of getting caught up in the romance of evolving a new idea. There needs to be work towards the finish line as well.

I'm a designer, I know that you have to tweak things to make them look nice and work well. I also know that if I just sit at my computer changing the model around, or testing the latest aspect, I'll never make any money.

I didn't know there was an expectation of a big reveal at Expo, and if that is what was presented, I would be pretty let down. Best of luck to everyone. I might be able to play one of the 3 designs at some point, if I'm lucky.

Finally getting to see the video since it wasn't working at work. The art is impressive indeed. The stage I would hope MG to be at, not so much. The first one is always the longest, so who knows.

AIW looks pretty sweet from the glimpses there are. MG is too CV for me, not enough to decide on RAZA's direction yet, but AIW would be pretty sweet if the gameplay was as appealing as the art. Looking forward to seeing more of that one trickle out.

WOOLY was going to use Spooky to build machines. I wouldn't be shocked to see JPOP approach Charlie as well. The margin to sub out manufacturing sure as heck is there, or at least it was (might still be, who knows). The production numbers are right in the Spooky comfort zone/wheelhouse as well. If Charlie only has to put machines together and leave the parts ordering to JPOP, it just seems like the way to do things.

I make and sell a ~$75 item for a different hobby and can attest to the issues that come from scaling from a prototype you wanted for yourself to a product that many people want after seeing what you have come up with. It's not that there was anything wrong with the design, but you work differently when it's a project for fun compared to an item that people are excited to get their hands on. I've shipped a few, but am a lot further behind than I want to be. I'm just glad I don't have any money from anyone else, I collect that when I'm ready to ship. Having money changes things quite a bit, especially at the MG/RAZA level.

That's probably exactly right. Spooky has an established process with a product that is getting very little if any physical tweaking at this point. They also have a healthy backlog. They are not in a position of needing to take every job that comes thier way. The Riot crew on the other hand, has their ish together and would likely be a great customer to have.

This doesn't look like the same wall in his workshop where these machines have been photographed before. Did he move, or are they (the machines) in a new location for a certain reason?

Ahhhh, so it is. Without the clutter of the rest of the room, that wall looks very different.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jpop-update-thread%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6mg-raza-and-aiw%e2%80%a6/page/49#post-2119376

5th pic down.

With Ben wanting to wear fewer hats on his (potential) next pin, I bet that art is not something he does. The PF design is really good, the dots are great, and the programming is awesome. He has the framework for his system already written c/o AMH, so that's one less thing to have to do and test (fully at least).

I know Charlie has design ideas, but I sort of think it's better for Spooky to have Charlie run the show and have Ben be the ghost writer for games. That's not a dig at Charlie at all, but he wears a lot of hats right now. Maybe with KT coming on board a little more Charlie will be able to work on a design for himself.

Army of Darkness anyone? Ben has said in the past he likes the theme and is right up the Spooky alley.

While I find this pretty funny, I also wonder how far off it is.

If you haven't already, join us here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lets-figure-out-the-bare-minimum-costparts-to-build-a-whitewood

You have a great thing going in MPF. Has an enormous appeal to non-code people like me.

Because there is the potential for 116 sets of hardware sales. That's my best guess. Assuming $399 is the base package needed to build a machine, that is a lot of potential. I know he said there is a discount for that QTY, but it's more than $0. Maybe he should just get the money put in escrow so it's there when boards are delivered.

Where? That one's rare enough that finding it on route would be a trip.

How have I missed this? I was just there for the PAC12 tournament, but wasn't able to make it to PHOF this time. Guess I have to find another reason to go to Vegas. Oh darn. :rolleyes:

So do I need a secret handshake to put a few games on it?

Wasn't he doing pinball related aps at some point under Zidware? That may have dried up, but it might have helped carry the float at some point in time.

Now I'm wondering who programmed those, since I doubt he did.

Looks like a very fun layout and a code that is coming along very nicely. Some of the added touches (Mr. Postman music for the UPS part and Queen playing when you get on the board) are really nicely done.

Build thread?

What if that's what he wants? He doesn't want to throw in the towel because that would mean failure for him. But, if somebody/some group takes him to court and the whole thing ends, it's "not his fault" and he can walk away clean. At least in his mind.

I saw that a few days ago when somebody brought up her resume and what it might qualify her for. Very interesting that he is not at the least the co-whatever.

They made a movie about Zidware's problem: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117108/

Wasn't that a $1k upcharge? I find it hard to believe that 2 people can travel round trip, get lodging, and eat on $1k and have much left to pocket for the effort.

And ask for a wellness check. I don't see why not.

Is there really no way for owners to come in and do a hostile takeover on any of these projects? Seems like until there are goods to be delivered owners are investors and have some claim to what is physically and digitally there. Won't ease the pain of figuring out how to get them made, but it would at least end the circle jerk that is going on.

This was supposed to be the Holy Grail game of all and attracted a lot of people to see what was going to be shown. Now Camelot is in ruins and it seems like the ride will just spin forever. This isn't to poke fun or cause pain, but is there ever going to be a resolution?

Actually he did. Take all you want from Zidware, but John's personal assets seem pretty safe.

Imagine that.

I can appreciate the description as not everyone knows the manufacturing side of certain areas, but "no second tries here."?

PHRASING.jpg

Doesn't his faithfully silent assistant live in the PNW?

Probably. I was watching a lot of aluminum casting videos last week for a reference for a project I have. A little acetone and you can smooth out extrusion style printed parts pretty nicely.

But the code is open source as well, so a lot could probably be learned from that.

Until he runs into John down there...

I thought the $1/play sign was funny, even though most of the people casually walking up to it wouldn't get it.

I almost applied for that job when he had it posted a few years ago. So glad I didn't.

Is there a pool as to who will have the most 1-day ejects by the time a game is delivered or this thing is over? Seriously, some folks have learned nothing from the Predator thread.

CAD Monkey cluster-f avoided here.

Seems to be the pattern. Some got paid in the beginning, but then that stopped at some point.

Still happy I didn't go after the "CAD Monkey" job posting he had. He didn't seem to blink at it being a hobby/second job for me, probably because there wasn't going to be a paycheck, so any hours put in would be great.

Need flashinstinct to make some "Where's the machine(s)" logos and shirts.

Pinball is hard.

If pinball had a meme where the pictures changed but the text stayed the same, that would be the text.

The story of this thread is that JPOP is crazy, teased designs for years, took lots of money from a small amount of people for an uber rare game, then had to sell more because the total collected would never cover building a machine. Then came out with 2 more titles while blowing the money collected on himself and rented workspace that wasn't needed. People tried to help get the first game to a show after he only brought a cab for the second game ~2 years prior. MG wasn't anywhere close to finished and the rest were even further behind. JPOP has not been seen in months.

If it happens again, ask who they are looking for. When they give a name say you don't know anyone by that name(s). Might be a way to get more info.

You have the rights to his 3 designs? Interesting. Not that it leads to anything, but if that's the case, then what's the next defense argument?

The post is real as it gets. The content though, is likely to be from the imagination of somebody taking a break from playing Street Fighter in his apt. :p

"Works" as in owns Cointaker.

I believe they do. There was a Cointaker version of RAZA and I think they paid fully for them. Can't remember how many there are though.

But, but, but.... The scoop!

Just kidding, looks like all the stars aligned, but then the sky fell. Is he on a temp ban or will his account come back up when he feels like it? No idea how all of the different phrases for "not currently allowed to post" work here.

I don't understand why they would say they are going to show it in Vegas. They are based in Chicago. Save the time and miles and show things at Expo. Unless things are ready to go and surefire (this is pinball, nothing is this way) don't waste the time going to a market that isn't your prime market. Take it to Expo and go from there. Now their FB is saying "Who is in Vegas this week? So much for the 26th...

With the copy/paste statements, they are likely skilled at the google. If you don't do simple research on your associates, but do it to find corporatey (yes, corporatey) mission statements, your focus is in the wrong area.

They consider that "near-complete"? I could seriously have a near-complete game done over a weekend if that was the case.

Here is a RAZA that I saved.

JPOP RAZA (resized).jpg

Wow, HSA documented the MG PFs pretty well. I like the Titanium Plate part. "I'm going to one up a name from 30 years ago even though clear coats are the norm now. Even better, I'm going to make note of it under the apron." Turns out to be done by another company and likely is something they commonly use.

I played both CSI and 24 at Pinburgh recently. I just couldn't enjoy CSI, but 24 was quite a bit of fun. Probably the only suitcase multiball ever, but it was still fun to shoot.

This is not what I saw when I had a booth with 3 machines at the local Comic Con last weekend. All 3 were set to free play, only GB has a ball save. On the other two players drained and then looked at their bonus and then wait to plunge the next one. On GB the looked to plunge the next one, but instead the big "BALL SAVED" text went across the screen and it shot out another ball for them. That was understood pretty quickly.

What new players don't get is the "shoot again" insert blinking signaling a ball save. When you have proper info showing where they expect to look at their score, I think they pick up on it pretty quick.

I operate games, but know for a fact that there are a few credit sharks among my regulars who will play any balls or credits on any machine. I show up to a bank of games with zero balls or credits waiting every single time. The flip side of that is that one particular player will encourage kids to pull up a chair if they seem curious. He talks them through what he's doing and a little bit of the why. Actually most of my players will do something resembling this to anyone who shows a little interest.

I don't know about that, you guys come up with some pretty good movie ideas on your podcast on a regular basis.

Wasn't that ramp impossible to make at the PNW show?

I'm remembering a Cointaker Edition RAZA, but can't remember the quantity.

That's fine because Magic Girl didn't want to give you a handy anyway.

Everyone knows this guy. It's Pinside's favorite banned member.

Flippers: Humpty Dumpty.

There are fewer than 200 24's? I'll be honest, I played 24 for the first time at Pinburgh 2016 and enjoyed it.

Seems legit. :p

practical (resized).jpg

When is the next court date so I know when to check back in with this thread? Still amazed that The Sticks, MI has better records availability than Chicago does.

I would hope that AP took a ton of notes during this whole ordeal. It certainly wasn't free, but there were a lot of lessons they could have learned and the feedback doesn't really come back directly at them.

That’s funny and sad at the same time. And it seems he has unlocked the secret to routing $16k games for 25 cents a play as well. Man, he’s just solving all the problems.

I honestly read this part and completely disregarded the rest of the Wonka lines. My brain went into 100% “if they do super troopers that would be freaking awesome!” mode.