I saw a video that said changing the volume won't save unless you enter the service menu again and back out. Try that next time. I believe entering the service menu and backing out forces it to save perhaps (a bug).

If that works I’m driving over to Columbus and givin you a big ol’ bear hug

Yes I do!

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So has anyone here figured out the flipper code yet?

Right on. I missed that post apparently.

That worked! Just in time, too. Had my first escape.

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Can I ask you guys a dumb question. If I wanted to do a full clean/wax and remove all the ramps is it as simple as unscrewing the ramps? I see one screw on the beginning of the ramp and the other side it looks like its hidden. Does it just unscrew from the bottom? Is there a trick to it or anything more to it? Sorry for the noob question but this is my first machine and I don't want to wreck anything.

I'm not someone who has a ton of skill and I don't get to play as often as I'd like, but after having this table a week and playing it every day I'm finding it to just be brutal. The highest score I've gotten was 3.3m and I haven't been able to touch anywhere near that again. My wife lost interest in playing it really quickly as well because she doesn't enjoy just immediately draining the ball every shot. Even when getting some long playing balls I cannot dial in hitting the ramps consistently at all. It's like the ball has to be about to roll off the tip for either side and I cannot find the sweet spot for either with any consistency. It's really bumming me out that this is my first I have purchased and all I'm getting from it is frustration. Feel free to just say I suck, but I don't feel like a lot of the games I play when I'm out make me feel like a chump like I do on this one.

Get the pin guy leveling app and make sure your table is dialed in. If it is your first pin, you might not understand what a difference setting the pitch and level correctly makes. Also watch some pinball skills videos to learn some better techniques. I find this table to be pretty forgiving compared to tables by Borg and Elwin.

I actually bought a digital angle finder/level just for setting the table up properly. I've got it at a 6.3 incline since I read everywhere that modern table are 6-6.5. I set the out lane posts to the middle positions and I'm about to set them to the bottom position now. I know there are harder tables out there and I'm sure this table isn't that hard for most people on here, but for some reason for me it is. Speaking of Elwin, I really love playing Godzilla when I go out. It does not feel anywhere near as unforgiving to me as this table does. And if there's more to setting this table up besides angle and side to side level that I am missing, I am absolutely open to suggestions.

Hang in there. I had a similar experience when I brought home my first machine, and after a few break throughs things turned around for the better. Here are some thoughts:

1. Experiment with the incline, I remember dropping mine .2 degrees one night and the all the shots felt better. Maybe start at 6.5 and increase .1 each day for a week or so. See if you can find a sweet spot.
2. If you are frustrated then take a break. Coming back to a machine after a day or even a week later can do wonders.
3. Yep a lot of the shots are near the tip. This was tough for me at fist too, but as I played more it got easier. My break through came when I made it a point the cradle and let the ball completely settle before taking each shot. Also, Getting better on those shots really improved my play on other machines!
4. Both ramps are easier and safer from a backhand shot.
5. Also the drop downs and trex seem to be especially dangerous from the left flipper.
6. This is definitely not an easy machine for me, but I think its been an excellent one for improving on.

Yeah, I'm sure I need to take more breaks from playing. Give everything time to stew and come back at it fresh. It's a weird thing to have a table available to you to play all you want in your home. There's no finite time or money really so you have to decide when to stop and for how long. I didn't know it's considered better to backhand the ramps on this machine. I know you can but I haven't made that a regular strategy. And for cradling, I do that all the time. My favorite table is MM and it's all about cradling for those shots. Which is part of why I'm so frustrated. I feel like I'm taking it slow, trying to plan the shots, then I still consistently brick. I watch technique vids on YouTube. I practice technique and have been making noticeable improvements. Just not in a way that turns into making good shots on this machine, lol. I'm getting longer playing balls, just not hitting those shots. And I very much appreciate your thoughtful response. It's alot to consider moving forward.

Don’t worry, you WILL find those shots.

Just keep playing and keep mixing it up. I spent an entire week last month working on accuracy and all I did was roll a D6 before each game to pick a shot then just focus exclusively on that shot for a game. Spelling Chaos over and over is good practice too, my record is currently 4 in a single game. Also, maybe cover the score portion of the screen for a week or so. Not knowing how well your doing/did could make it easier to focus on other aspects.

I personally find the shots easy on this game, it's very wide open and you can see exactly what you have to hit. I have had this machine for a week and have a few scores over 20 mil BUT I bet there is someone here who has racked up 50 mil. It really doesn't matter. No matter how high your score is, that's the addiction of pinball, always trying to beat your high score and always chasing that perfect game. If you are chasing big scores, understanding the rule set is vital but you have to be able to hit the shots you want and know when to bump the machine etc It all takes practice and regardless there will always be someone better. You DO need to hit some shots (like the right hand orbit 'S') on the tip of the flipper which just takes a little confidence. Once I know a machine and am about to hit a shot I am never looking up at the playfield, just judging the balls position on the flipper as I know where it needs to be to hit a particular shot. As someone else suggested it's definitely good to play games where you don't worry about the score, focus on specific shots or a specific goal (In this case it might be hitting the raptor cage or a specific ramp etc) One thing I will say is this is a very fast pinball so it probably seems a little unforgiving if you aren't confident but you will have a breakthough day or week where it suddenly all flows and you smash your scores. Hang in there as this is a super fun machine.

Been closely following this release, and the STAR WARS home pin too. Want to say I've seen every video on youtube regarding both of them.

Reading DatsunZ's post reinforces a theory that I've formed from watching all those videos - on paper, the JURASSIC PARK pin is a more sophisticated/complicated game, with perhaps a bit more thrown in technically then STAR WARS. On paper, JURASSIC PARK is better....

...But STAR WARS is the more fun game in real life.

Now this is theory only as I haven't played either. But the flow on STAR WARS seems undeniable. Like almost anywhere you shoot the ball, it'll end up somewhere fun fast. PARK seems to be a bit more "grind-y" as so much happens near the top of the play field in the section with the bumpers; it tends to stall out a bit on the top of the play field.

Has anyone else experienced this, or played both? I think the JP cab looks better and has better non-official music, but plays a bit worse.
Again, these aren't statements of fact, more like questions. Am I nuts for thinking this?

I’ve played both games and think they both have excellent layouts and are both fun. The one thing that stands out about JDJP is how fast it plays. Wether thats good or bad is entirely subjective, but I think you would have to experience it before you would know if its for you.

Also, JDJP can be quite flowy when you are hitting your shots. 4 out of 5 of the main shots give you quick clean returns to the flippers when hit smoothly. It may not be obvious from the videos, but that inner loop triceratops shot is designed to send the ball straight through the pops and exit out the right orbit for an easy live catch.

Another noteworthy thing about JDJP is the shots tend to feed back to the same flipper. Again, wether that is a good thing is subjective and you really have to try it for yourself before you know if you will like it.

While JDJP has a very unique feel, I think SWhp has a more standard feel. Its also the 3rd or 4th iteration on that design. Gomez has been refining and improving on that layout for years. The fact that they keep reusing it, is a testament to how solid it is.

You can’t go wrong with either machine, but I think you have to play them both to know which is more fun for you.

My friend bought the swhp in November then I got my JDJP in late December. Sphodgin brings up some great points. Are you considering buying one or the other? If you are a big star wars fan I think that pin would be a great choice. They use lots of movie clips and you definitely get the star wars feel. JDJP unfortunately only have a few jp movie assets tho Imo its not a big deal. Personally I like my game more. It's fast and flowy. I think it's probably more difficult too. There's two wizard modes instead of sw one. It's also been confirmed that JDJP is getting stern connected, not sure if they said anything about swhp getting that yet. They are both great games and if you are a star wars fan I would say you cant go wrong with sw. I also love my jdjp and think it's also a fantastic choice.
Goodluck

There's been a lot of great, positive feedback here. You all are great and it's definitely motivated me to try and have fun instead of focusing on the frustration. I'd say part of this is the anxiety of simply buying this pin. While less expensive than most, it's still a very expensive luxury item and for me at least that feels a little heavy on my shoulders when I'm just bricking shot after shot. Like, "oh my god i just spent 5k on something that I'm going to regret because I just suck at it", if that makes any sense. Thanks for the great responses.

To relieve some of you anxiety, try inviting some friends over for some competitive play. What can be frustrating when you are trying to beat the game by yourself, is a lot more relaxing when you are competing and hanging out with friends and family because you aren't as focused on always beating your own high score.

This machine gets most of the attention whenever we have guests over who aren't avid players. With it sitting next to a Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers Infinity Quest, the shots on JDJP are more friendly by comparison.

Correct me if I'm wrong pinside but you could move this post down so you get less left and right drains. Might make the game a bit easier. Stick with it tho. You'll get better the more you play.

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You are correct. I had already moved them to the center hole but I'm going to go ahead and move them to the bottom hole tonight to narrow the gap to it's minimum.

Hey guys from Australia!!
Been playing and following pinball machines for a while and I’ve Finally got my first pin.
Upon opening the box found the below damaged I know it’s on the bottom and not cosmetic nor affect the game play but still upsetting waiting so long and first pin. The distributor is going to talk to stern about it.

Just trying to get used used to a couple of the shots and game play. What is the Spino captive ball shot purpose?

I’m still learning and trying to Understand the basic game play and rule set, watched most videos out there but waiting on a in-depth tutorial.

Absolutely loving it so far!!! This forum has been a massive help.

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My pin had similar but more severe damage than that. My distributor had it as the floor model and put in the warranty claim to Stern before ever selling it to me. I will get a new cabinet (which is awesome), but not until the next run of the machine in October

New code update!
https://sternpinball.com/?post_type=game_code&s=Jurassic+Park+Home+Edition

Interesting, it shows insider connected, asking Jack on his stream he says its not implemented ....'yet'..... i knew it was coming eventually but hopefully its close.

Also, Topper integration, new topper or cornerstone topper???

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Anyone having an issue getting this to load? My other Sterns take code updates automatically and JP will not take after booting up.

After 10 attempts I powered off and back on quickly and it worked. I’m now updated.

I'm a little confused about the Deadflip Skillshot that is said to be added in the code update notes. I though that was when you launch the ball, allow it to roll all the way to the left flipper like you're going for the Super, but instead allow it bounce off that into the Raptor Pen. Like JD demonstrated in the live stream. I'm doing that and not getting any kind of Skillshot notification. Am I mistaken about what the Deadflip Skillshot is?

Instead of holding left flipper you must only hold right flipper down. Then plunge and let go after it passes the gate. When you hold the right flipper down you will notice the raptor pen flashes.

Thanks! I was holding the left flipper and wondering why it wasn't working.

From Sterns FB post about the code update yesterday. They answered the first question pretty quickly but still haven't answered how we can expect it to work. I don't understand the need to not explain this if they are already confirming it's a feature.

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From what I can piece together from what Jack has said previously is that it might work via your house WiFi so you won't have to scan a barcode to enter it. Not sure exactly what will be needed. Would be awesome if we didn't have to buy the kit but we will have to wait and see.
What I think would be awesome in another update is the addition of "impossible mode". Basically the flippers are on a timer. Once you press the flipper the timer starts to deplete. If the bar goes empty you lose power to the flipper and you can't use it. Once you let go of the flipper the bar starts to fill up again. They have added this feature to other sterns and I think it would be awesome with JDJP. I think the other sterns you can make it so only one person is playing impossible mode. Would be a nice handicap for when I play with friends. I mentioned it to Jack on a stream and he loved the idea but said to bug the programmer Waison about it since he would have to do the work. I would have tweeted him but it looks like he's not active on twitter. Maybe I should ask sterns Facebook? Anyone else want to see this mode?
Last thing, does anyone have access to a JP topper? I'm curious how this game would interact with one.

There would still have to be a hardware addon for the Wi-Fi to work. Maybe DeadFlip will pop up on here to let us know how Insider Connected will work with this table. If stern is openly advertising and stating that it will, they should have a hard plan on how it will work at this point I would think.

WAISON YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD! You enabled the cabinet channel output in this update!!! DeadFlip thanks for the assist! The added cabinet speaker can now be adjusted with fade and cut off. The sound is amazing now!

Working on my mock-up of my bezel while waiting on my new 3d printer to arrive. I created a simple bezel in Fusion 360 with the plan to be able to surface mount it to the existing lower face plate without any modification. I made a quick cut out with some card board to check on the sizing with the LCD screen I'm going to use. The only bummer is that it partially covers the "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" decal, which I think is cool and would like to save. I wonder if some gentle use with a hair dryer will let me remove and reapply it slightly lower.

I'd love for this when it's finalized to look like it could have come from the factory that way.

We'll see. Printer gets here on Monday.

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What sound settings have you now changed? I have added the 8inch speaker upgrade.

Cheers

I messed around with the fade towards the cabinet at like 12 or something. Then I played with the base and treble gain and to drive more of the treble to the back box and the base to the cabinet. It’s sounds awesome now.

Also, if you followed my guide before, you can actually just move the plug so that the molex connector plugs into the cabinet pins and the left speaker pins on the cpu board in the back box. I just had to nip the little plastic nub from the upper right of the connector and it works like a champ.

Awesome, thanks man. Just moved the plug this morning. Sounds great tho I'm no expert in adjusting volumes. I would be interested in seeing your settings but totally understand if you don't want to go to the trouble. You have already done so much for us noobs here. Thanks!

You kinda have to tune it for your environment and your tastes. I'm in a large room with pile carpets, so it'll sound a little different than say someone in a smaller room with hardwood floors. I also don't blast my pins as much as some others since the pins are on the 2nd floor, and you can already hear it all through the house, but others with basements can probably go crazy. It's not that I don't want to share, but my settings might not be relevant with your location.

If it sounds good to you, then you're good to go

Thanks,
I did some tinkering with the settings following what you said previously and i think i got it sounding pretty good. i initially turn the bass all the way up in the cabinet speaker and it started to rattle so i turned it down a bit and think i got a good setting now.

I’m still can’t get it to update? When I download the file from Stern website it’s a single .arc file. I’ve downloaded multiply win rar or win zip or extraction applications and I can’t seem to extract the files?

Sorry for the noob questions

How do I just put the spk file on a fat32 usb? Or how do I open the SPK file to put on the usb?

Just put the file in a blank usb that is formatted for fat32. I ended up having to try 3 different sticks before I found one that worked.

I have been playing mine for 3 plus week and have been able to dead flip ball to raptor paddock almost every plunge and right spinner path. Now for some reason it will not work but maybe 5% of the time. Machine is level both front back and side to side. Any suggestion as to the change? Thought it might be plunger but even when hitting up right orbit it hits the post right next to paddock almost every time. I did remove glass and cleaned machine and don’t think I bumped anything that should affect this. I did move the two outer drop lane posts to shrinks opening but again that should not affect the raptor paddock.

I think when mine was new it was easier to do it. After 800 plays it become rare to do. I waxed the playfield and increased the angle of the machine and I seem to be able to hit it about 40% of the time. That's my experience at least. I was wondering if the plunger got weaker or if there was a way to adjust it.

When I first got it, at 6.5 degree pitch and a full plunge it was almost automatic. Now I have it at 7 degrees of pitch an ~80% plunge will do it. I like that it isn't completely automatic since it is a skill shot after all.

That's awesome. I wish mine did that. I'm sitting at 7 degrees and I full plunge every time.

With a full plunge on mine at 7 degrees, the bounce from the dead flip is too high and it overshoots the raptor paddock.

HOPE EVERYONE IS LIKING THE NEW CODE!
I LOOOOOVE seeing all these games showing up!
If you're going to TPF, bring a slingshot plastic or something for me to sign!
See you there! <3

I'm sitting over here at 6.3 reading this thinking I may be set up way too shallow now.

I wish I could get the time off of work (for good behavior)
Hope it’s a blast. Peace and hair grease bruh.