Medieval Madness
Williams, 1997
Medieval Madness (Remake - LE)
Chicago Gaming Co., 2015
Medieval Madness (Remake - Standard)
Chicago Gaming Co., 2015You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider mcc.
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I'm working now on thumbs-downing everyone in this thread who's talking about anything other than colorization...
Edit: PM me if I made a mistake with your post and you want me to change it, there were a lot..........
Edit: Thanks for PMs / comments, updated. Looking forward to hearing more about the colorization of MMR.
I won't pay for the update. I'll be calling Doug this week to hear from him and provide my feedback.
May I ask everyone to confirm I'm correct that this is the first time any pinball manufacturer, past or current, has charged for any software update ever?
I encourage everyone to call and express their opinion. I disagree with what someone said on the PPS forum that they believe Rick will have more influence than a collection of customers calling. I encourage everyone to call as I will and contribute your voice.
Quoted from fosaisu:Has it been confirmed as a software-only update? It seems like you could infer that from one of Rick's posts (many months of work for two people suggests coding/hand-coloring) but I didn't see where he or anyone else said definitively that no new hardware would be required.
It hasn't been confirmed, but it's my assumption and I'll ask Doug when I call him, and I encourage you and others to ask him too. I strongly expect it will be, except that maybe the way they would implement the "protection" to charge people would be by shipping people either new SD cards with the software, or a hardware security dongle to prove payment.
Quoted from Aurich:I think $100 or under is a reasonable cost for a cool upgrade. It covers their costs. If it's more than $100 it would feel like gouging to me, just given the situation.
This is assuming it's all software, and you don't need to buy new hardware for the "kit".
I predict if they charge in that range that it will be a must have for everyone, more than that and it's gonna be grumbling, no matter how cool it is.
For me, it's more than just the cost. It's the longevity and support for this machine. If this is the first time that a pinball manufacturer charges for software updates to the machine, it sets the expectation in the future that the manufacturer will look to charge me for anything, rather than support me for the purchase I already made.
Trusting this new manufacturer, with this new platform, and new everything is important. This is tied in to the support they've given people for slingshots, audio, tearing, etc, etc, etc. And the loooong delayed software update to address problems people have today.
I need to decide soon if I should seek a refund and look for an original machine, or trust this new manufacturer to support me for the long term.
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:A waste of money and resources.
Completely agree.
Quoted from Aurich:Eh. The market tends to speak on this kind of thing. I think there's a difference between what's reasonable to expect, and what's above and beyond.
I think you'd find that lots of people would be willing to pay $100 for a new code pack for say Tron, which is well outside the period of time where you should expect updates and isn't broken.
If it came with a new mode, music track, and callouts? Line up to pay.
I don't think DLC in and of itself is a bad thing, it just has to meet two standards: 1) it provides actual value 2) it doesn't feel like it should have been included already
My feeling is when CG has something to announce it will meet those criteria. If it doesn't you'll see a lot of backlash. But I just don't see point in speculating on it before the announcement.
If Stern tried to charge for say a WWE upgrade right now? That would be bullshit. But what if there was a Metallica pack that included new songs and new modes? That's above and beyond what you already paid for, would you be cool with that?
I also choose not to participate in DLC / free-to-play schemes. It's not what I expected or will tolerate wrt. MMR.
Quoted from Aurich:Fair enough. But you're definitely not speaking for a majority here, it's a very successful business model. And it can be skeezy and shady, or it can be a good deal that breathes new life until something you wish had "more".
There was nothing in the MMr announcement about a ColorDMD that I remember. The "promise" from Rick came later. I know it came with an LCD screen, and we're in a post ColorDMD era, but nothing about a remake says "it will be in color".
That said, this feels like a one-time deal to me. If CG does charge for an update that feels cool for MMr they're not going to be able to pull that trick with game 2. The expectations will be set before anyone lays down deposits.
Whatever costs the coloring creates will have to be rolled into the next game's pricing scheme.
The questions and response came when people were comparing the original with the remake.
The original is compatible with ColorDMD, DMD Extender, and any other custom modification that works on any standard pinball DMD. The remake chose to include an LCD screen instead of a traditional DMD for cost (and possibly reliability) reasons, and in so doing became incompatible with the third party marketplace of products designed for the original DMD on the original game.
Attached is a picture of a custom DMD signal reader mod my coworker attached to my Getaway.... this would be compatible with the original MM, but not the remake. Instead, we're singly beholden to the manufacturer (CGC) and whatever scheme they choose. If they choose restrictions and payments for software upgrades, that's a serious negative signal about the manufacturer support of this game, and will be a factor in my decision to continue to wait for this game vs. seeking an original.
Quoted from Aurich:So buy an original instead like you're thinking about, you have needs that aren't being addressed by the remake. Fair enough.
No one cared about any of those aftermarket things when MM came out though and it became one of the most beloved games of all time.
Don't get me wrong, I have a ColorDMD on every machine I own that are colorized (all but Tron) I love them. But it doesn't seem particularly fair to complain about a product not being compatible with aftermarket products that weren't designed for it.
That's what this thread is about, and why I'm concerned, and why I'll be calling Doug to address my concerns. I've been in this thing since day one, it's been a long ride, and "bail and get an original" feels a little flippant. If you're unconcerned about paying for future software updates and support, that's your prerogative. I'm expressing my disappointment.
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