I got to play several games at the PNW Pinball show. Overall I was impressed with the engineering and the cleverness of making pinball playable on a massive monitor. Well done.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what gets done with this platform. There is a /lot/ of potential there.

So I hope that my candid feedback can be taken in that spirit.

The art styles on Lexy were inconsistent, ranging from crisp 3d renderings to hand drawn, to pixelated closeups. Pick a theme and stick with it.

Perhaps consider test marketing the names for your games. For me, when I see the word Lightspeed, I expect stars and space. So the visuals didn't relate to the theme. I was confused that it all seems to take place on the ground - I didn't even /see/ that the subtitle is "escape from earth" so I didn't relate to it. Escape From Earth is a kickass name. Lexy Lightspeed, at least for me, meh.

The ball trails in smoke are an interesting idea, but the lag between the actual ball and the screen draw is very jarring. It needs to be exactly as the ball goes across, or IMO it should be dropped. The smoke effect is also not consistent with the other art.

The overall art package doesn't draw one in like Dialed In, Houdini, or most new Sterns do. I think the lack of a DMD or LCD on the backbox is the reason - there is nothing /moving/ on the backbox to draw your attention. From a distance it makes the machine look wrong/broken/boring.

I really like the idea that third parties can develop titles for the platform. I think this is a smart move. With deep respect, the company has a strength in engineering but not art. Either focus on engineering and let third party artists and designers loose on your platform, or bring in an experienced art director. Or why not both?

I wish you massive success. I'm looking forward to seeing the other incarnations on this platform.

I would be wary of comparing the pinball industry with the video game console industry.

But to run with the comparison for a minute... Halo was originally supposed to be a game for the PC. But Microsoft paid Bungie $10mm to make Halo an Xbox-only title. Microsoft knew they didn't have the chops in-house to win over gamers. Halo made the system a must-have for gamers.

Oh, is building a technology demo their market strategy? I didn't know that. So they're trying to attract developers and not sell pinball machines at this time? That changes everything.

As a developer, I see so much potential in their platform. But right now I only know that as an (incredibly small time) operator, I wouldn't buy their platform (solely based on Lexy). On the other hand, I /want/ a Houdini.

Having dynamic player info right on the playfield is one of the things I like most about the P3 platform. JJP machines, at least Hobbit and TWOZ, suffer from too much player info on those massive backbox LCDs and not enough callouts. Heck, I've scored nearly 900k on the Hobbit and I still have almost no clue what I was doing.

No worries. I didn't mean it that way, I just know nothing about the company.

Well... the art style is more polished and consistent. I'd put Houdini up against any Stern or Bally/Williams on art. The toys on Houdini are the nicest I've seen on any pinball machine, period. I don't recall any toys on Lexy, except the wheel, which I didn't think fit the art style and seemed to lack detail. The music, sound effects and callouts on Houdini I found more fun and compelling. The shots on Houdini are more interesting, and I felt that the ruleset was much deeper. And the across-the-playfield throw of the ball into the magic trunk was astounding and cool. It had a flow, and I wanted to play it again. It's a pin I want to buy. But to be fair, I thought the LCD animations/art on Houdini were a little weak.

As far as pure innovation goes, the P3 blows Houdini away. There's no question. But as a pin that I want to play or buy, right now it falls short.

Houdini, for me, looks and plays exactly like a great Stern or JJP. That's why I want one right now.

I think if I were to base my pin buying on bad history that I'd heard from a pinhead or read about on Pinside I'd never buy a pin again.

I'm interested in P3 as a developer, but I'd have to know a lot more, like how much I'd make per game sold, and I'd have to see a substantial market or an advance before I'd devote serious resources to it. But I'd /love/ to design a pinball game, or do the art direction on one.