Nice list.

I would like to see the number of cities decrease while adding value to the remaining cities. Think mode based type stuff, i.e. getting to Detroit, turning up the heat, etc.

Tons of potential with this game.

Tag @sternpinball #KIZZ

SKILL SHOT IDEA:

Let the player select the skill shot at ball start. The player has the following options:

1. SELECT A SONG to start a mode (no skill shot). Player can play it safe and select their choice of song.

2. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD HURRY UP - 3 second countdown, soft plunge just enough to drop to through the spinner to the right flipper. Plunge the center ramp to start the Shout It Out Loud song and score the GET THE PARTY STARTED BONUS! 250,000

3. LOVE IT LOUD PLUNGE - soft plunge to either orbit starts the Love It Loud mode, scores the first shot and awards the RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES BONUS! 500,000

4. DEUCE PLUNGE - soft plunge to left orbit starts Deuce mode, scores the first shot, and awards the GET YOUR GRANDMA OUTTA HERE BONUS! 1,000,000

5. SOUND CHECK HURRY UP - 5 second countdown, all playfield lights off except for a strobing INSTRUMENTS POWER ON insert at the right ramp. Hit the Right Ramp before the countdown ends lights ALL INSTRUMENTS for the length of the ball and scores the MEET AND GREET BONUS! 1,000,000

Failing skill shots 2-5 requires the player to manually start a song via the Backstage scoop. Some thumpy guitar and bass riff plays until a song is started.

The skill shot is the first selection after selecting the start button. Choose the skill shot just like you choose a song at the scoop - right flipper moves through the skill shot options then both flippers to select. If you choose Option 1 and it works exactly as it does today by selecting city and song.

I love the idea of God gave Rock and Roll to you, but I don't think it'll happen. It isn't their song.

In my skill shot rules, picking a song is Option 1 and not a given with the other options. If you choose a skill shot 2 through 5, you have to earn the right to start a mode. I covered all of the ways that can happen in my rules. If you fail the skill shot you have to start the song at the scoop.

I think my rules are balanced very nicely. If you have no skill, Option 1 is the safe bet. Each skill shot is progressively harder but with a bigger reward.

I couldn't agree more that's it's the best cover of that song. That song fits the ending of Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey perfectly.

This thread is a great idea so how about we move the chatter to one of the other threads so that Stern doesn't have to wade through comments unrelated to our bug fixes and rule ideas... just a thought

One of the few times they harmonized and Eric's last apperance with the band.

I think a good skill shot would be soft plunge, first switch hit would be the spinner, this would light all shots for varying degrees of points dependant on difficulty. Completing the same shot on ball two would decrease the value of the skill shot. Same for ball three if you completed one of the previous two shots.

Gotcha! The skill shot is the first selection after selecting the start button. Choose the skill shot just like you choose a song at the scoop - right flipper moves through the skill shot options then both flippers to select. If you choose Option 1 and it works exactly as it does today by selecting city and song.

I think you misunderstood, you would soft plunge to the right flipper, hence the spinner would be the first switch hit and would start the skill shot, all shots are then lit.

Easier skill shot ideas ...

Soft plunge .... <3 switch hits

- straight into Gene = Demon Skill Shot 500k

- straight into Paul area = Starchild Skill Shot 500k

Easy.

rd

A 'kiss unmasked' mini objective would be fun. Like once you hit all multiballs in one game you can go through and do them again and unmask (yeah, it would be new dots) the band members...

Or maybe something more basic like once you've collected all members you can collect them again 'unmasked'...Of course it would be AWESOME to have a phantom of the amusement park mode....!!!

EDIT: I know this was for bugs...Sorry, theres just so much they could do with this theme...Anyway, ball save during multi when genes head is active...Thats my bug fix wish, not sure if someone said it.

Just saw the roving triple shot multiplier for the first time. In my settings I allow shot multipliers to carry over, and after you double all shots, the next one will be a roving 3x shot multiplier. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Was getting some HUGE scores on the song modes. I love this machine!

My current attempt for a skill shot is to soft plunge while starting Deuce just so it crawls to the left orbit switch slow enough to credit the shot.

For an easy skill shot, they should have you attempt the same thing. Soft plunge the left orbit switch, but the ball must be in travel for over 2 seconds.

For Super Skill Shot, soft plunge to only the right orbit switch, come back through spinner and flip through the pops to the left orbit switch without hitting any pops. Half credit if it hits the pops.

I had a thought for how to use the cities in a touring rock band sort of way. The general idea would be to visit each city and collect as many fans (Kiss Army members) as possible before switching cities. There would be a minimum requirement that would increase as the "tour" progressed. After all cities were completed, there should be a "farewell tour" multiball with a dedicated song or something that signifies the completion. Here how I would see this working;

1) choose the first city at game start
2) collect X number of fans every time the KISS and ARMY grids are complete. The KISS and ARMY combos would be somekind of mulitplier/adder. The hurry-ups would also be some kind of multiplier/adder
3) When the minimum number is reached then the backstage pass lights up. Hit the scoop (or on start of the next ball) and pick the next city. Fan collection would increase until the scoop is hit or the start of the next ball.

I think this way of doing it has a few advantages; requires nothing new on the playfield, does not affect any of the other achievements or flow of the game, and it adds a separate "tour" achievement in the mix. When I play I rarely pay attention to the KISS ARMY targets, combos or hurry-ups, so it would give them a real purpose.

-Rob

I posted my bug list to the original 1.28 bug list thread;
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-kiss-code-vers-128-thoughts/page/7#post-3354800

Here is a list of what isn't listed in the OP and a couple new ones that I have noticed since.

1) When Love Gun multiball is lit, hitting the ramp doesn't also light an instrument (even though the instrument power on is still lit). Either count the power-on or turn the light off.

2) By default the lit instruments reset with each ball. All other band member achievements are saved through a lost ball (number of demon locks, hit STAR targets, bumper targets for the catman). It seems the instruments should behave the same . It is good to point out that this can be altered in the game menu (which I did because this was driving me nuts!), but IMHO should be default behavior to keep consistency.

3) It seems some song achievements reset after a new ball and some don't. Again, should be made consistent

4) "Special" light doesn't seem to do anything.

5) Hurry up award sounds are too loud and drowns out the songs.

6) It is possible to drain RIGHT after starting Love Gun and loose the ball entirely without the multiball starting. An example of this is hitting the star field drain hole when Love Gun is ready. Sometimes the ball will pop out before the game is done counting a current song award and the ball can go STDM from the STAR field before the multiball starts. This has happened a few time and it drives me crazy.

7) Song progress given for a non lit shot. I see this all the time with Deuce.

8 ) Hitting the Demon head with the Lock lit doesn't always lock the ball. I have noticed this mostly coinciding when the song target is also on the same shot.

9) Increase the default time for the Rock Again after the Demon eject. I have mine set to 4sec and this seems just about right (if not slightly too long) to catch the times when the ball goes STDM and bounces around before draining. The default 2 seconds is too short.

-Rob

I'm advocating something similar to Ghostbusters which allows you to select from 10, yes 10, skill shots. Modes are not automatically started. Start by selecting the skill shot.

The above is doesn't really add much to the game and not much in the way of skill. My suggest has several levels of risk versus reward and is very compatible with the current code base. I think I can simplify as well by assigning a skill shot to each mode...thereby combing the skill shot with the mode selection (although I like mine original rule better as it adds more depth to the decision tree...which is what we all want).

Most Stern skill shots require skill?

My version is similar to the Metallica super skill shot.

The problem is, if you start making rules too complicated (as per a lot of fanciful suggestions we see proposed on Pinside) you start ruining the game for 95% of people.

That's why GOT LEs aren't selling for $6000 ... NOBODY UNDERSTANDS IT! People walk up to it, and it's confusing and inhospitable. I have a GOT pro and it took a while to learn the rules (I had to read rulesheets and study) and its a great game. My wife is a competent player, but I was trying to explain the GOT rules to her last night and it was all "too much information" lol

Overly complicated rulesets will destroy pinball for the majority of people ie the general public. People in the industry will tell you this behind closed doors.

This is where Lymans rules are genius, HE GETS IT. You need to have the rules straddling a thin line ... deep enough that they engage a pro player, yet simple enough that a person can walk up to a machine, stick in $1, hit the big thing a few times, and a lot of lights start flashing and heaps of balls come out and fly everywhere.

As "advanced players" we always need to remember this. We could selfishly demand super complex confusing rulesets (aka WOZ) but you need to remember about the public who play pinballs on location. If every operator in the world stopped buying pinballs tomorrow, goodbye Stern pinball and their 100,000sqft factory.

Basically, if it takes more that one sentence on a rule card (and a couple of flashing lights) to explain a skill shot ... it's too complex. IMO.

rd

I want to be able to collect cities via combos (more or specific combos required for each subsequent city). I want each city to grant you a special power when you get it and you can cash it in by hitting the ball into Gene's head. This should also be abort-able so I can choose to cash in or wait to combine powers. Combined power are worth more than single powers. Think stargate and collecting quartz, if you wait to cash in then the prizes get better.
If you collect all the cities then I want another sub wizard mode.
Given the more recent code style of collecting ghosts/ killing walkers, I think this is more likely what was originally intended. This is also the layer that is missing from KISS in my opinion.

I completely agree with you on all your points! Except for I don't think that selectable skill shots (ala GB) are complicated.

Go back to my suggestion. For example, envision this skill shot... It would be extremely clear what to do as the PF is dark except for the strobing POWER-ON insert.

When selecting this Skill Shot 5, the DMD says:

SOUND CHECK!
Hit right ramp to light instruments

After nailing Skill Shot 5, the DMD says:

MEET AND GREET BONUS!
All Instruments Lit
1,000,000

It's just that easy!

I have been quiet about my ideas but if there is a chance Stern may read this the why not.

BUGS:
Lit instruments should be able to be collected during multiball. Right ramps should light instruments during multiball as well.

Should not be allowed to change song until it is completed.

Fix ball save for locked ball in Gene during multiball. Sucks when multiball ends and you have a ball locked in Gene and you get a cheap drain. The ball save light come on but it doesn't save it.

Now this may not be a bug but it certainly feels like it needs a ball save: In the LE/Prem when you lock a ball in Gene and it auto plunges the ball back into the pops there should be a ball save for cheap drains straight from the pop bumpers. You should not be punished for locking a ball.

WANTS:
Why the hell is there not a call out that says "You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in world....Kiss!!!" That is how Kiss concerts start. Huge miss by Stern for not putting that in the there either when you press the start button or maybe for Kiss army or Rock city MB. This needs to happen.

There should be rules/objectives to complete the cities. Set it up so you can complete a US or a world tour.

Add a song for Rock City MB.....Shock Me, Cold Gin, just no stupid slow ballad like Beth or GGRR2U....Plenty still left to choose from besides those.

Would have been awesome to use some sounds from the original Bally Kiss. Would be really cool to have a menu option to set it to Classic or modern sounds.

I doubt Stern can add new songs that were not already spelled in the initial contract and it likely that that contract is nearing an end. Hopefully they still have one or two unused songs available.

You are right that they are limited on sings that could be added....but that is where Pinball Browser comes in handy.

One bug that really bothers me is the half screen animations on a certain song, I believe it's duece but not 100% sure.

Yes, the last frame of the animation is cropped on the left side. Bugs me too.

I love this idea, you have to find a way to incorporate this in the final code drop! I wonder if that phrase is copyrighted and they couldn't use it for some reason like the God of Thunder song. There's an insert on the ramp that says God of Thunder but no song.

Kiss army needs its own song other than Rock and Roll all night which is already being used in the 8 songs you can select at game start.

I would like to have a test for the Gene head to make sure the optio's are reading correctly in test mode.

I would like a Creatures of the night mode similar to Fade to Black on Metallica where switch hits dim the lights and you can collect members for a Creature multi-ball.

This game is so great! My favorite Stern by far!

Would love the following songs added as they were more of a bigger hit here in Australia -
I was made for loving you
Shandi

Animations of the originals in lieu of the scabs would make this a win in my book... Along with the proper KISS intro of YOU WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST!!!

Want list, New code as it's been a long while with nothing.

6 songs to chose from is too little.

There are 8 songs to choose from for the song modes and another 3 KISS songs for the 5 multiball modes. I would agree that there needs to be a unique song for each multiball.

There needs to be a setting to disable Gene head

I hope they find a way to get this included in the new code drop!

These are great and honestly I would be happy with any skill shots added for this game. I really like this game and am looking forward to a meaty update, the game really deserves it. Also hoping they spend some time thinking out the city choices and make that meaningful.

During an embarrassingly awful game I ran into a new bug. In demon multiball I had two balls follow each other STDM with the third draining the left outlane a second later. I had Front Row lit but for some reason the third ball drain wasn't awarded the kick back. The Front Row stayed lit and the ball was lost. I have triggered Front Row several times during multiballs and this was the first time it was ignored. It was the same kind of punch in the junk feeling as the phony Rock Again during Demon eject STDM drains. Ugh.

As a big fan of treating this machine like a playable jukebox via the Pinball Browser, I wish each multiball had a unique track. The software has the full song and the instrumental, but I don't know where they use the instrumentals in gameplay.