Back in the club, this time with a Pro, and I'm stoked! Had premium twice and this time went pro. Reason for going pro isn't that I didn't enjoy the moving T-Rex head and slamming the ball into his mouth, I did, but it was more that I just missed the flow of the shots and hitting those ridiculously awesome feel-good combos...and because all of the ramps are identical between pro and premium, I went ahead and just saved some bucks this time. Yeah, I was foolish for getting rid of it the times before, and I'm sure I had my reasons at the time, but this one's going to stay around for a while.

I know im not alone in saying this, but it's worth saying... this game is just amazing, not only for its flow, multiple combo shots, etc, but also it's code... This game, however you slice it, is an amazing pinball package and I'm super happy to be back with it in the gameroom

I'm thinking of buying a Jurassic Park Premium but I'm a casual player,and I'm wondering if this game will drive me crazy. I've read that it's a players game,and I'm far from a player. I played one yesterday,and I had a great time,even though I didn't know what to shoot for. I'm gonna try out an Elvira's House of Horrors this coming Friday, and that's when I'll make my decision on which game I'm gonna buy.
I tried out a bunch of new games at Pinfest in Allentown,but I seemed to enjoy JP the most out of all of the new pins out there.
P.S
I owned a Dialed In,and it was fun,but also very frustrating at times! The shot in JP you have to hit to launch a missile,kind of reminds me of that bastard Sim card shot in Dialed In.

It really depends upon what you like - for example do you want a game with long ball times or do you want a tougher game that will challenge you, yet can be immensely satisfying when you have a cracker of game and it will improve your playing skills? Yes JP can be frustrating but you've played one and enjoyed it the most (compared to others), so clearly you weren't put off by it being too hard. The funny thing is (well for me anyway) is that as I start to learn the rules and try to work my way through the gameplay, my scores go backwards but they do eventually improve again The other thing is that if you are struggling, you can always bump up the number of balls per game while you are initially getting used to the game.

Not if he ever wants to look at himself in the mirror again!

LMAO - I thought I might get some remarks from my comment. This is gold!

Or just get 'em both!!!

Can't go wrong with either game. Both are fun to play. No matter what game you play you have to learn how to hit the shots in that game. JP2 isn't any different in that way. And once you find the shots it's a blast to play.

Just played such a fun game!!! Captured T-Rex, got a fossil set, played a rare stack of another multiball (Invalid) with the T-Rex Multiball from a smart missile shot, and got a Raptor Tri Ball Super JP (actually the callout told me I had a "quadruple super jackpot" on it and I'm not sure what that means). All that was on ball 1 (including 2 extra balls). Of course then pinball happened and the next couple balls went down the drain quickly This game is still so much fun to play!!!

edit: I just looked on Tiltforums. capturing a raptor gives 2x jackpots, I think I had 2x playfield running at the same time so I'm thinking maybe that's what would have given me a quadruple super in Raptor Tri Ball?

Personally, if I only owned one game (at one point for a few years I did) then I would get something with simpler rules and more flow. Don't get me wrong, I love this title in my 3 pin collection. However, if it was my only pin I'm not sure I could handle it as it is quite challenging IMO.

I sort of agree. I think for someone who wouldn't consider themselves a good pinball player this would be a hard 1st and only game (but still fun).

I do think it would still be a great only game for someone who's interested in a tough game and ready for a challenge.

I started my collection with a Gottlieb 80B, and a NIB JP Pro. After countless hours, I finally got the 80B running reliably. Once I did, I found myself playing the simple, older game much less. Guests would play a game or two, then ignore it for the rest of the visit, even though JP was much more difficult. It was like asking my kids if they wanted to play checkers, or X-Box.

I traded the 80B towards a Munsters after being surprised at how much fun it was on location. Most guests loved that machine, but once again, I kept finding myself playing 3x as much on JP. I played Munsters every time I went to the basement, but it was the warmup for JP.

I subsequently traded the Munsters towards a AIQ Premium, and fell into a deal I couldn't pass up on a SW Premium. Those are both very deep and difficult games. I now play them more than JP, I presume because they are new. The point is, I think difficult/deep games will keep your attention far longer, and keep you hitting the start button for "just one more game." I still think a JP Pro is the best bang for the buck in pinball, especially for a one game collection. You already know you like the game, so it isn't so difficult as to not be fun for you.

No matter what, deciding which pinball machine to buy is a great first world problem that I'm thankful to share. I'm sure that you will have a blast no matter what you end up with.

I just placed my order for a Jurassic Park Premium. I won't get it until December,but I'm okay with the wait. I told my wife it's our Christmas present. She's not as happy as I am, maybe because she doesn't play pinball.

Give her a pound of hundreds she will cheer up!

Congrats!! ... And remember to show her your Pinside wishlist prior to your birthday

Just picked up my premium today... have to wait 2 weeks to set up... then I'll bug the crap out of everyone in this club.

JPP34 (resized).jpg

That would be $45,400!

What is the build date?

June or July I think. I'll check when I get back home.

EDIT: build date is July 3

JP is the only pin my wife is interested in playing. She loves feeding that TRex!

For the left ramp, seems the opto isn't catching the ball passing by about 20-30% of the time. Noticed that occasionally on a previous JP I had as well.

I've heard of some folks putting a small amount of black tape to the lower half of the opto...has that worked well, or is there any other suggestions to address this issue?

Thanks!

Which model JP do you have (the Pro has 2 optos, while the LE/Prem has 1)?
Also do you have the newer ramp protector (left side)? It has a hole for the opto beam (whereas the original had a cut off angle and did not cover the opto area). Stern made the change to narrow the opto beam higher up, which is effectively does the same job as putting some tape over the bottom of the opto.
I believe some of the Pro owners are also having to do the tape technique on the rear opto.

I know the updated ramp guard that you are referring to. I had that on my previous JP premium for that opto near the ramp entrance. This current game is a recent production pro, and I only see an opto in the back. I think the second opto in the front must be just for the premium/LE (to work with the T-Rex functions, I believe).

It will definitely cheer her up.

Arh thanks for clarifying. Yes I've seen people posting about having to use tape on the opto in the rear of the ramp, the only other option would be whether you could possibly raise the optos slightly (raising the beam) but while I've seen this being done on the right orbit optos, I've not seen any mention that as a possibility for the opto in the back of the left ramp

I haven't tested it yet, but the roof of the ramp that extends behind the playfield is held up by a 1 cm spacer (in between the ramp itself and the roof). I suppose it is possible to remove the spacers and re-fasten the roof down to the ramp (although I do not know if this will offer enough space for a ball travel, but I imagine it would). I suppose that could be another option to keep the ball from raising/lifting too high at the back of that ramp and above the beam path of the opto.

I did this with my March 2021 build pro to fix the ball missing the left ramp opto on good fast shots. I removed the screws holding down the ramp cover and spacers and then placed the spacer above the plastic cover rather than below it. I think there is 4 or 5 spacers. The only one I didn't touch is the one right underneath the backboard. This was enough to stop good shots from missing the opto and does not cause rejected shots at all. I did also cover the bottom quarter of the opto hole on the ramp with black tape while I had it off for goof measure, but I don't think it's doing anything..
Works 100% now. Hope that helps others.

That's awesome to hear. I had a feeling that might be a good fix and I am happy to hear that you tried it and it worked. Thank you so much for posting that reply. I will definitely do that this evening when I get home from work.

I did the spacer swap to lower the "roof" behind the TRex on my Pro over 1 year ago and every shot has registered since with no additional rejects. The fix has been 100% effective. I never messed with the opto.

I have two machines, Walking Dead LE and JP Pro. I find it funny when I read people talking about JP being so hard as I switch to that machine when I'm looking for something easier to play LOL. I actually think difficult machines are the way to go for small home collections, as they are hard to master and keep you coming back for more punishment.

And thank you very much for your reply as well as it relates to lowering that ramp roof. I really appreciate the responses. I will definitely be doing that when I get home later today!

Went home and did that ramp fix as mentioned above (removed all the spacers bringing the roof down) and played three games in a row and the ball registered with every single pass of the left ramp, fast or slow.
Good to go!!!

Welp... got a notification today.. My supplier ordered 7 JP premiums and stern is only sending them 3. I'm not one of the three, so I'm having to wait until Q4 this year to get mine.

There is a plastic cover that covers the ramp in the back so the ball can't fly out into the cabinet. That is what is being referred to as the "roof".

^^ this ^^

Where the left ramp goes behind the T-Rex head and behind the back panel of the playfield, there is a plastic cover that hovers over that portion of the ramp.
This top-cover piece of plastic ("roof") is attached to and separated from the main ramp by 1 cm spacers (allowing for a rather generous amount of space for the ball).
However, with faster shots up that left ramp, the balls seem to have a tendency to catch air, and thus the opto that is positioned directly in the back of the ramp tends to miss/not register fast passing balls.

Removing those spacers and re-fastening that plastic ramp cover ("roof"), inhibits the ball from flying too high and above the path of the opto beam.

You know, I had this same issue on my previous JP that I had in the past, and I wish I would have done this fix then as well.
Since my last post, I played three or four more games and every single shot has registered. I did not use the tape over the opto, just lowered the roof and I have been good to go since!!!

Good to hear this has worked for you as well. When I first encountered the problem new out of the box and realized it was only happening on good solid shots and knowing the opto was good I felt pretty confident this would fix it. I've played dozens of games since lowering the plastic with 100% success and no rejects due to the fix.

I have no idea how this fix translates to older builds.

I doubled my highest score this morning. A friend came over last night and took away my grand champion score so this morning I got up determined to take his name off. I got a score of 650,000,000, not the exact number of course but for me thats pretty good. Its nothing compared to the high scores on this site but its good for me.

Thank's, friend

If you want one , just contact me

Thank's my friends

That’s a good score

When this game was first released I may of been suffering from new game fatigue, tired at Pinburg or all in on another title.
After some time and playing this in league and tournaments I quickly changed my attitude toward it over time. Now it
is one of my favorite games at home. Ultimately the challenge this game presents, sound package and just polish just makes
it a modern classic.

I have many of the Stern Factory mods. Excluding the rails & art blades.

Aside from those what mods ( No toppers Zach ) are essential or clever additions?

What about the amber shooter rod?

The code done by pinsider Timlah79 that adds audio and video from the movie into the game is fantastic and in my opinion should have been done by stern. It really adds to the game and if you didn't know better you'd think that it came from the factory that way. Maybe message him if you want to check it out.

100% - see here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-jurassic-park-2-custom-code-project

I was giving some thought to downloading this audio/video update. Is it as simple as sending Tim a PM, being given that code, downloading it onto a USB, and plugging it into the board like you would for a regular update? Seems as though everyone that has tried it has really enjoyed it. Definitely sounds as though major effort was made to create it.

Yup.

Just to clarify one point it's not an update, rather a full copy of the 1.03 code with the new audio and videos integrated into it. So you write the downloaded code to a SD card and simply replace the SD card in your machine - if you want to keep your high scores (and I think your settings) you can save these onto a USB key before removing your existing SD card and then reload them back on once you've swapped over the SD cards. Most people don't write over the existing SD card keeping it as a spare and this way you can have both the official and custom versions if you wanted to swap between the 2.

Tim will let you know the protocol when he sends the download link. Buy a separate SD card to put the new software on and always keep separate cards for the authorized and unauthorized software. That way you can put your current SD card with the authorized Stern software into the coin box for safe keeping in case you ever want to go back or if for some reason Stern puts out a new software release down the road. Also, you could swap back to original if you ever sell the game depending on who buys it.

Stern was not happy at all about this software code, that is a big reason why there is that huge new end user agreement to acknowledge every time you download new code from Stern. Here is a key snip: "You will not use or install any Unauthorized Content or Unauthorized Software. Use of Unauthorized Content or Unauthorized Software may result in your Stern Pinball Machine ceasing to work permanently and/or losing access to Stern Pinball’s online game network, either immediately or after a later installed Authorized Update."

The code is great and well worth the minimal effort to follow the protocol. Keep a separate SD, don't use the game on location and don't stream with the new code. Hopefully you own a licensed copy of the movie on Bluray . If Stern ever releases new code for the game, go back to the original SD card before overwriting it with the new download (based on the words in that end user agreement).

Thank you all very much for your replies.
Sounds like a real winner. I'll shoot Tim a PM and see if I can't get on the alternative version bandwagon!

Hello everyone. Just picked up a JP Premium yesterday and it's pretty amazing. I just have one slight problem with the right ramp. When the ball leaves the wireform spiral it bounces around the right orbit and doesn't come down clean. Is this a common thing? Is the fix a matter of bending the wireform? I just don't want to screw anything up and I didn't see a key post about this one. My son was kind enough to record a slo-mo clip for me and I have included it below.

I posted on this a couple of weeks ago. It was fixed by just slight bends of the two longest wires at the exit of the ramp.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jurassic-park-stern-2019-owners-club-welcome-to-jurassic-park/page/220#post-6397652