Alice in Wonderland
Gottlieb, 1948
Houdini
American Pinball, 2017
Magic Girl
Zidware Pinball USA, 2017
Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland
Zidware Pinball USA, 2012You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider jgentry.
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Quoted from Pinballmike217:If Jersey Jack knew what he was doing he would have hired JPop when he was available but that probably wouldn't have worked out because Jack is willing to release unfinished product and John is not.
This statement is rediculous. Let's take a company that is manufacturing and selling pinball machines and bash them but praise the guy that can't get one game made. Makes perfect sense 
Quoted from Pinballmike217:Can you imagine what WOZ would have looked like if JPop had designed it?
Based on what's happening right now it would look like some pictures of purple artwork. WOZ is by far the largest move forward in tech is decades. I get why a lot of folks don't like the game, but please don't pretend like JPOP would have just blown it out of the park when he hasn't delivered anything yet. JJP is the only other company that has been able to produce a large production run of a game other than stern in forever. I'm a huge fan of JPOP's work from the B/W days and I hope these games all make it out for the sake of everyone that has money in it.
Quoted from rai:-let's say he can make MG at least as good likely better tha CV. I say better because it's 20 years later with advancement in computers and graphics and he has better cabinets and hinges and likely better sound etc,, I would say it's a cinch that he could build a pin better than CV with the superior materials afforded by $16,000 price tag. So all I'm asking is he makes a nice pin that's nice looking, and high quality art and materials that plays as good or better than CV. I think that is possible as Ben did AMH and the NEMO pin had far far less money and they came out. So given John 4-8 years he *should* be able to top CV.
CV had a team of experienced people making it happen. Everyone acts like John was the only one involved in CV, TOM, and TOTAN. He's proven he cannot do anything by himself and he has no one that is going to help him. Even some kids in a basement managed to build a flipping predator which is sadly more then John has been able to do with his 1.2M or whatever he collected and 4 years of time. Even if he does complete 1 MG he's not going to be able to build the games. He doesn't know how manufacturing works and at this rate he will be dead before he could complete the games that are already preordered much less add more preorder games to try to raise money.
Let's say he has something as good as CV (which I highly doubt as he has no one telling him no or with common sense helping him) you could have already had a CV, been playing it for 4 years and have the money left over to order a Kiss LE.
I feel really bad for everyone that has money in this and I'm sorry this happened.
Quoted from ChadH:Rumor has it that the artwork on the playfield on those three prototype MG's is just a sticker. If that's true then I wonder how well they will hold up.
Depends on the quality of the clear coat. A good clear coat would protect it for a lifetime of HUO play.
Quoted from RobT:I don't think you can apply a clear coat over a sticker.
You may be right, I was thinking an overlay.
Everyone involved should join in a lawsuit. If there is a new company taking it over it already shows that they are complete idiots. There is no chance of 199 people paying them 16K for a pinball machine. Nothing from the pictures show anything that would make this a 16K game. The only reason people paid that much before was because of the crazy limited run. They are also not going to sell any standard models for 11K. The new investor sounds just as dumb as JPOP. The sign this or lose everything tactic is complete BS.
JPOP straight up committed fraud and should go to jail for this. His lame email does not make up for his lies and theft of your money.
Quoted from frolic:John is a crook. He's lied to us for years. Now he throws all the owners under the bus and negotiates his clean "exit" where he keeps his company and "licenses" the games (the ones WE funded) to someone else to deal with on whatever terms they decide?
I'd honestly prefer bankruptcy, John faces the music, I close the book, someone buys the pieces, and they go make the game and I'll decide then if I want to buy it (again) when its "cash & carry".
I would feel the same way. That can still happen. Just don't sign, form a small group to offset the small legal fees and put JPOP under.
I don't see how signing this is going to turn out good for anyone other then the people that are paid in full on MG, they at least have a chance at a game again (extremely small chance). Everyone else is just getting completely screwed. No way I would sign that and no way 199 people are going to pay 16K for that game. I'd be shocked if they can get 50 people on the hook for one. I don't see many people paying 11K for the other version either. If you want a good JPOP game you can have one for under 7K, why pay 16 or 11K for that pile of crap. I don't see JJP building this either. They can't even get there own games built right now.
I doubt any of you will ever hear from JPOP again. That will be his last email and sighting unless you see him in a court hearing. He will vanish back into his own little world and hope no one shows up to murder him (And no, I'm not recommending that you do this)
Quoted from StevenP:I gotta disagree with this. Are you really saying that the 2 complete layouts, custom parts and lighting designs, music/voicework, new toy designs, etc. are all worth nothing? It will be interesting to see how people compare the MG prototype to AMH in a few weeks, I guess.
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.
Quoted from zombieyeti:If I cared about people's opinion that much I don't think my portfolio would resemble anything close to what it is.
Taste is subjective - yours as well as mine.
That said - Ben and I have talked a lot - I was not expecting that post...
Skittles is a common saying for really bright colored GI lighting in the pinball world. I'm not a huge fan of all of the purple but overall I think it looks really nice and the art part is well done.
With that said art doesn't mean much. The game has to shoot amazing and play amazing if anyone is going to pay 16K for it. And by amazing I mean better then anything else, ever. There are several really ugly games in the top 40 list, they shoot good, have good rule sets, and are fun. It's going to be really hard for anyone to justify paying 16K as there is just no way the game will be more fun the 3 other top games. Lawyer has 3 games in the top 25 and you could own great examples of all 3 of them for the price of MG. If you are just looking at the top 40 you could buy nice versions of about 5 games for the price of MG.
Good luck to those with money invested. I really hope Pintasia is able to get some of you your games.
Congrats to the team involved in getting the game somewhat playable and out for people to see. I have to say though, JPOP really should have a lot of explaining to do. How in the world does Scott make WOOLY which is a completely loaded widebody that is now fully coded on his own dime and from what I heard for less the 80K. There is no way that 1 million dollars was even close to invested into that prototype. WOOLY also looks to be a lot better game for half the price. The art on MG looks nice and is refreshing to see, but the game itself doesn't look to have a lot going for it and has several major flaws in my opinion.
JPOP had to have known 2 years ago or even earlier that he was not going to be able to do this. What you see is also not even close to 4 years worth of work. I would love to know what he spent money on the last 2 years as it was not on much game development. What a total crook. He deserves a soccor kick to the nads.
Quoted from Pinballs:If you haven't been paid, it is disgusting Pintasia dare to show their faces at the show. Disgusting. Ditto for other vendors.
In what way? How will they ever get paid if the games do not get made? Will keeping the game in JPOP's house get them paid? I know everyone involved is pissed but keep the blame on JPOP where it belongs. If the code looks good it will be good advertisement for applejuice and could help recoop some of what is lost. It's a bad situation all around.
Quoted from dgarrett:Last monday, we indeed skipped putting switches on ramps, we didn't do the tiger saw mechs for the software, there was no time left to put the switches and magnets on the ramps, literally - I did the metal plate connecting the ramps, we did the drill press on the holes in the steel and I matched the two semi-circles as best we could to avoid ball traps - you'll notice in the pics that the lip of both ramps and the inside walls of the ramp were not perfectly aligned. The 1 ball setting was to keep the queue moving at at show - JJP does the same thing.
So some error messages will be easy to attach switches, others like the magnet popper/repeller and the magna flippers in the mini PF will still need the proto mech completed and tested. So the code is there - but some simple stuff isn't / wasn't simply b/c the game had to go to Tacoma, in the morning, and we quit at 230am Wed, pdx went and switched vans (b/c of the long drive and mileage limits) after 230am and the game left with him at 9am.
The only reason to have a game set to 1 ball is because not enough things are complete to show a customer anything. If the game is nearly complete you want potential customers playing longer balls and seeing different modes and multi balls. Plus the people behind them in line get to see more modes as they are waiting and watching. What good does flipping a few times and draining do? JJP might have done this on a few early proto demo's but at every show I have ever been to WOZ and now TH have been on 3 ball.
Everyone just needs to slow down. Everything will be known in time. It could be another scheme. It could be that John gave AP the game designs to build if they would save his ass from his current legal troubles. The cheapest way to do that and still get the assets of zidware is to make the games. In all honesty 1 million for 3 designs might not be a huge stretch these days. It can't come as a surprise that a China based company is trying to enter the market.
Quoted from Whysnow:Biggest BS crap story on that schill mag yet..."If they actually can make the Magic Girl fiasco right, they will be super – no, super-duper – heroes to the pinball community."
Talk about putting the cart in front of the horse. MG is ONLY a small portion of the issue Jpop has conjured up. They need to fix MG, RAZA, and AiW fiasco before ANYONE gives them a single penny on any game. Sickening to me that this company is coming around and using all the IP and $ from those 3 failed games to develop Houdini. This is completely unacceptable.
I implore you that they do not deserve the stage at expo to talk about Houdini. If they want to talk about Houdini then all the questions need to be answered about MG, RAZA, AND AiW.
Those people all paid for LIMITED run, high quality machines that are years beyond due dates.
JPOP has had 2nd, 3rd, and now is on his 4th chance. He no longer deserves this chance.
Those that are owed money actually have been given a gift and that gift is all about the timing. If you ever want to be made whole, NOW is the time to force Jpop into bankruptcy! This company is nearly potted in. Force John into Bankruptcy while he actually has a job and you can fight to show how he used your money to develop things now being used on Houdini. Just pushing him into bankruptcy is actually pretty easy (look at SkitB for reference) and doing so will give you the weight you need to toss around in order to influence either an ammicable outcome with his new contractor (someone also now guilty of stealing your paid for IP as far as I am concerned).
NOW IS THE TIME TO STRIKE!!!!
JPOP DOES NOT DESERVE ANOTHER CHANCE!!!
If there is the slightest chance of AP delivering games to the original owners this is likely the worst thing you can do. If you just want to shut down JPOP and make him suffer then go ahead. Bankruptcy will just mean no one is going to get anything.
Quoted from Whysnow:not at all! John is merely a claimed employee of American Pinball. Once they are potted in to produce this game, then you have MORE leverage to ensure things are made right if you are pushing forward legally. American Pinball has now tied themselves to John and has surely used things developed with MG, RAZA, AiW dollars. Force their hand, DO NOT WAIT!
If you are seriously going to get Charlie Brown'd again then there is no hope for you.
It will likely mean that anyone involved waists a bunch more in legal fees and time for Zidware to file bankruptcy and for AP to wash their hands of the situation and move on. The money sent to Zidware is lost in my opinion. There comes a point were it no longer makes sense to spend more time or money on something that is not going to have a beneficial outcome. If AP can do anything for the original purchasers that is more then what they are likely going to get through any legal avenue.
Quoted from Whysnow:you define beneficial much differently than I do I guess.
I consider it beneficial if Jpop is bankrupt, out of house, has no job, and has to feel the wrath of his own incompetance. Getting money back means very little compared to the satisfaction of knowing he gets what he deserves after stealing the money, lies and more lies, and then evaporating for the past year.
I completely understand that feeling from many of the people that have sent him money. If you truly feel that way that help the people that feel the same as you raise enough money to make that happen. To me it's just lighting more money on fire. Easy for me to say when I haven't lost it though.
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