Seconding how awesome this company is. The P3 has a whole bunch of next-level ideas, and the recent games (Heist!) have really taken a huge step forward. I’m super psyched to hear there’s another game on the horizon already.

Also seconding how easy it was to order (I ordered direct) and get customer service responses - someone posted in another thread that “Multimorphic support will probably reply before you even finish submitting your ticket,” which is pretty much right on. I’ve had several questions/issues (normal out-of-the-box setup stuff), and not only did I get back clear instructions but full documents, photos, and step by step everything in order to fix. This is how you do it.

I’m also a little disheartened to read in Gerry’s last update that there’s some shenanigans going on in the distributor chain; not sure if from the distributor themselves or other manufacturers but that’s pretty low. Gerry is too much of a stand-up guy to name names but I hope i never buy from them, whomever it is. Buy from MM direct.

That image is for the PC game that came out about 10 years ago

The “L” word is “licensed”

Nick’s new game looks interesting - not what I was expecting; sort of looks like the Shoot & Scoot aesthetic. Can’t wait to try it out !

Can’t wait, this is sort of a watershed moment here; now the argument about P3 cost/benefit is clearly over.

Ok guys, anybody know anything about the next kit?

Ok if you’re not going to TELL us anything, I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see this post.

LOL WOT?

That’s actually a pretty frickin’ great idea!

There's 2 things - one is the new game - most likely a new playfield, as you mentioned. But the other surprise thing might be a code update, or a new game. Guess we'll find out ... soon?

What’s the L word in Scott Pilgrim?

The “L” word Gerry was referring to is “license”, it wasn’t really a hint

hahaha that movie is hilarious

I didn’t notice that hashtag before. I think they are finally bringing back the Pinball Wizard game/app, or some variation on it. Gerry speculated about it going open source, I think on a thread I posted here. I thought it would be a fantastic way to help novice players learn how to do basic skills (e.g. drop/live catches, post pass, dead flips, etc)

So the next question is, how long of a stretch do MM usually go between a teaser and a release ? Scoot & Shoot was kind of dropped without hardly any fanfare, so is this an even more substantial release ?

Have you played Heist? I’ve not played Lexy but it’s a huge advancement from the other games I’ve played

Way to decode !

But keep in mind the #notthelicensedgame hashtag, and the CCR logo embossed in the carpet. This is ANOTHER game !

What do you mean by the “insert”? If you mean the actual game code a whole bunch of us are already playing it

Their demand seems to have skyrocketed. I couldn't be happier - these guys have been pounding away for 5, 6 years and the last 2 games they've put out are light years from the original set of games (which were also great!). Here's to hoping for a Lexy Lightspeed remaster!

I haven’t played GnR but I absolutely adore Hobbit. I’ll have to get one back some day

POTC ain’t too shabby either …

IDK I think Hobbit was pretty well lit, and DI, and POTC for that matter. WOZ, yeah pretty dark.

Aah have not seen GnR in person. Have to agree to disagree on POTC

And don't read pinside too much, it's bad for your health!

Portal would be pretty interesting, I know Valve licensed Portal to PinballFX or whatever their company is called. I wonder if that's treated more like a video game license and if that's different than pinball?

Wait until you have another module or two and you're complaining about having to replace the WHOLE playfield instead of just selecting from the menu

definitely!!

I love ramps

Have we heard any sort of timeline from MM? Sorcerer’s came out of nowhere which was awesome!! But since this involves a new playfield I’m hesitating on getting Lexy in case the new game comes out soon. If it’s going to be 6 months or so, I’ll probably just go ahead with Lexy now

That's kind of what I thought, but I was totally unsure if I'd heard that somewhere, or if I was just 'hoping'. Even so, if it's planned for end of the year there's still a lot that could happen between now and then.

That's an actual MM patent! I thought the whole time it was a joke referring to those arcade crane games

Man I need to get out more

Congratulations! Which playfield(s) did you order?

I gotta tell you, I wish I'd done that. Would have saved me a bundle!

Oh yikes, I did not actually mean to do that. LOL

Ok this has been driving me crazy. I have to deal with this stuff quite a lot. There are 3 types of copyright/royalties in music: Mechanical, Publishing (Lyrics), and Publishing (Melody). Note it is not "Publishing (Music)" because that is more subjective.

In Al's case, he is essentially recording covers of the parody songs. He is -not- using the original recordings at all. The original recordings are covered under what are called "Mechanical Royalties". "Mechanical" because it's a thing due to player pianos [potentially] putting musicians out of work. Those recordings need to be licensed, and anybody who played music on them would be owed royalties. Those royalties can be sold to a company, so even that isn't cut and dry.

An artist can't stop Al from recording his 'covers' (and few would), just like I can record a cover of "When I Was Your Age" and Al couldn't stop me from doing so. If I decide to SELL (or YouTube) my cover, then I start to owe him a bit of money for PUBLISHING, because I am using stuff that he wrote and owns. The amount is per unit, per medium (i.e. CD sold, per stream, etc). When I submit my original songs to the USPTO for copyright control, I submit lyrics and the main melody of the song. That's it, and that's what is covered by the copyright. The original recordings by the original artist are also copyrighted when released.

When Al does parodies, he puts entirely new lyrics to the music. He then becomes part author of his version of the song due to lyrics. He still uses the original melody of the songs. He doesn't own that, but he still makes royalty dollars because he's rewriting the lyrics. The other writers on the song are still due royalties due to their Publishing claim. Al and his band re-record all the music, so he/they own the Mechanical royalties.

Ok, so you're both right. Kind of.

Now, this has nothing to do with LICENSING, which is totally dependant on the internal corporate structure of the entity you're licensing. Al owns *part* of the cover songs (to make the math easy, let's say he owns 2/3 of HIS recordings). He still owes the original authors of the song a portion of their fee to license it for his recording, then a pinball manufacturer would have to pay Al some amount that from a financial perspective would need to cover his 2/3 ownership plus whatever he owes the original song authors (minus his additional ownership % due to the new lyrics). And Al's company is such a behemoth he may have some leverage in creating a deal for fixed royalties for the publishing. Conceiveably (I have no idea if this makes sense from a business perspective), he could make a deal for ALL publishing royalties for a particular song for a specified period of years, and just pay 1 flat fee. In that sense, for a certain period of time, he would not owe any further royalties for the use of the song. No way to know, and Jay Levey isn't going to tell anybody those details. Also, this is why lawyers.

Awesome. Plus I would totally love a DDPY app on the P3 !

And he's not into drama. So the MJ songs just got pulled out. Even though I got into Al because of Eat It, I don't miss those songs a bit. And that is damn impressive, I think!

Also, P3 is the machine, not the company. You meant "Multimorphic". I feel like they've reached the stature where this matters

Anybody what the video is where he has all these celebrities singing the words in crazy garish outfits, and it looks like it was shot all in one take in an apartment building?

edit: found it! "Tacky"

Doesn't that only apply if you buy EVERYTHING? Not sure MM has put together a deal like that. )Not really expecting they will either, given the deluge of orders)

Gerry clarified at some point that the Speaker -panel- will be lit on new builds, but that does not include the speakers themselves, which is an upgrade.

It’s mentioned in the Weird Al announcement (currently the first news item), but it’s sort of general - the main “upgrade” is just getting an LE, which does have a topper.

But the announcement suggests support for other toppers and upgrades, presumably TBD. The speaker light kit - which again is different than the new lit panel, is the only other thing I can see that is not currently part of the standard game.

All a theme takes is money and (sometimes) a demonstration of the capability to produce. Think about Alien. MM is doing the smart thing by grabbing up a theme with a very intense fan base but which is at a size they are able to grow into. Imagine if they took on a theme like … say, a well-known internationally successful horror franchise. Baby steps. They have to be able to produce the machines in a reasonable schedule without requiring investment which squashes the profit margin.

I need to watch that part of the stream again - I couldn't hear the callouts. fingers crossed gedde watanabe yelling "STUPID!" made it into the game.

Not very hard - although not quite as easy as Hobbit or a Spike 2 game or Houdini, much easier than Dialed In, POTC, any DMD game (all of which I have removed the backbox from). There's maybe 20 (?) cables to remove, but almost all of them are keyed or very obvious where they go. The speaker-to-amplifier requires a screwdriver, everything else you can pretty much just pull out. If I remove the playfield, the screen, and the backbox, I can move the game by myself. I do not recommend this!

Damn, let me see if I can arrange shipping .. !

lol OH yes.

I spent a good chunk of my time with the MM guys, and got in about 4 games on Al, a bunch on Heist with the new flippers, a couple CCR and I beat TJ in Heads Up when we were checking the game.

First, everybody on the MM team is an all around amazing person. Everybody put up with me asking a million questions and monopolizing their time, especially Stephen Silver and Alex Campbell. And Gerry. And TJ. It reinforced what I already knew about the great people staffing this company.

Anyway, Al is PACKED. We all knew this, but it’s actually a little overwhelming for the first game, just a lot to take in. Shots EVERYWHERE. 2 ways to lock balls. UHF multiball is HARD to start ! There is a shot that is a corkscrew ramp UP to the 2nd playfield. Awesome shot.

Every mode is completely different from one another - “Germs” is like ROCs, Harvey multiball is fun, and the number of diverters really changes your shots in a snap. The MM audio system is already top notch so the songs sound great. Scott Danesi put a lot of work into making each sound effect match the game. Everything is original sounds, no prerecorded sound library stuff.

The biggest thing I think that puts it over the top is the cross playfield ball return. That’s a simple thing to add but it really sells the game as a “normal” machine. MM has their booth right as you walk in, so people would come in and just stay. Many of them didn’t know about the platform and just assumed it was a traditional machine.

Also Dare to be Stupid multiball is awesome.

By a lot, too. I only got on it 3 times but there were a couple other games I wanted to get in too - Halloween was great. got to play a killer game on GZ (which was good since my distro has gone into silent mode on whether or not I'll ever get one!). Al really fun, most packed game I played (although I also really enjoyed Ultraman and Halloween)

There's 3 items involved:
- the main P3 machine - no playfield, just the cabinet and hardware - these are backordered 12 or 13 months
- the Weird Al playfield module - these are back ordered a few months, not sure how long. I believe as many of these will be made as ordered
- the Weird Al "LE" add-on package - THIS is what is sold out.

you can get everything else, you'd just have to wait or (maybe?) find a distributor who has a machine in stock.

Heist and Lexy Lightspeed have multiple modes, multiple multiballs, hurry ups, crazy wizard modes. Heist has so many different multiballs based on which characters you’ve collected, plus bonus add-ons when you finish the character modes. PLUS a wizard mode that is so hard I can not even get past the first phase!

I don’t remember the specifics of the Weird Al game but it is PACKED with modes, and at least 3 multiballs.

The arcade-y type games are shorter, obviously

Glad you got to hang with the Pinball Gallery folks! They are a great team, and I believe one of the few east coast locations you can just walk in and find a P3.

Just a couple of observations:
ALL P3 playfields have the heavy duty vinyl overlay (vs the traditional printed/painted artwork and clear). I've had my P3 for going on close to 2 years now, TONS of plays, brought it to several shows. Not a scratch on it.

I'd definitely take ownership of the game before you spring for that powered sub. The P3 has the MOST bass of any game I own, including those I've added a PinWoofer to. It's selectable in each game (separate values stored for each game), and you can CRANK it. I can hear my P3 from the 3rd floor across the house, especially when the "Multimorphic" graphic comes on during attract. It's LOUD. Most likely they just didnt' have it turned up at PinFest.

Good point about the clear playfield directions - this is a key thing MM is very good at.

The guys seem SUPER busy, so I am sure they are getting a lot done. And the code updates keep coming! I'm really interested in the new wall/scoop mechs, so hopefully those will be available once the bulk of the new stuff is shipped.

I played Weird Al and I think another game at the Texas Pinball Festival. I'm not worried I like the energy of the walls popping up too, but I didnt' really miss it either. I think it's a great upgrade and it seems like it will be much easier to dial in your game perfectly.

Al’s manager Jay is pretty easy to work with, according to Gerry, so it would seem interest and the cost-to-value ratio would be the determining factors. I’d prefer to see additional songs added to Flipper Foxtrot

I know! Just letting you know we’re still playing - would be good to see other known songs (like how you added Scott’s TNA theme)

LOL this

Full P3 or module(s)?

Killer! You'll be buying Lexy Lightspeed before you know it!

I’m coming over!!

Sorry to hear, but you can always change your mind! I’m sure these games will be available far into the future

I hear ya. I put a deposit down on a Halloween and I won’t even see it before JANUARY of 23.

What are the other boxes? Topper, and ?

Also, how close did they get to your original shipping estimate ?

…some “other goodies”

I seem to recall Gerry mentioning if there's enough interest, they'd do it. I'm sure they gauge sales as well as actual inquiries. They also have the "P3 Core" artwork which looks pretty good

He did an unboxing and at least one play stream on Buffalo’s Twitch channel.

Does the kit come with the new speaker panel? I didn’t think it did

Whole P3 machine, right? I think all of them now have this new panel. It’s us old-timers that have to wait for the upgrade!

Yep, that’s what I thought. I know they’re working on upgrade kits, but understandably those are taking a back seat temporarily while they get machines and kits built

That is frickin’ hilarious!

I am definitely going to do this once the kit is available. The new servo driven scoops are super smooth and avoid that “clunk” when they go up and down (although I have to admit on some games I will miss that).

They are also waaaaaaaay easier to adjust. Those scoops and walls have to be -perfectly- level, and they are kind of a big PITA to adjust, because it’s a tight space and you have to make very small adjustments and remember to tighten the retaining nut. These new scoops pretty much avoid all that. They look cooler during play too.

Do we know what the cost is yet?

Whoa! Can’t wait for these to start flying out of the factory!

Allow me to shill for Grand Slam Rally here; this game is addictive and very very different from any of the offerings. It’s simple but really challenging. Cannon Lagoon is also much more fun than it seems at first - but you’ll keep the playfield installed because of GSR

100% agree, same exact issue. I'm a big fan of Slugfest, but I don't have unlimited space.

Agreed. I have SA and RITR and I think I find myself starting RITR more frequently because a lot of times I only have a few minutes. SA is definitely a waaaay deeper game, and requires a little more time investment. Awesome to have the choice

What are you expecting it to do? Did you also install the full game ?

Great to hear this!

Oh no! Man sorry to hear that. I just found out I only have a job until January, so at least you got that

Yes. Heads up is specific to the CL module, so you'd need two. It isn't as graphically interesting as Heist, Al, SA ,etc. But damn is it fun!

I’ll figure it out, but I hope you get your Al straightened out! Not much worse than having to reject a delivery!!

Damn!

Those are both shipping / jostling issues. The playfield screen issue is probably just that the DVI connection isn't making a good connection. Open the backbox and see if you can find that connector - it will be plugged into a HUGE video card (yet another thing that sets the P3 apart - lots of video rendered on the fly). Make sure the connector is secure. You may want to unscrew it entirely and reconnect it, then re-screw it. Check the connector that goes to the playfield screen as well.

The balls shooting all over seems to be something similar - a board got unplugged or some opto connection isn't fully there. I'm sure it's an easy fix, it's just finding it! The MM guys will know better what to do.

That's Gerry, and Weird Al's wife Suzanne

The last update in August indicated they were about 2 months behind at that point - however Gerry also said he expected it would *increase* by a few weeks before it started to shrink. We are around that time right now - so people with an initial shipping estimate of ~July should be getting close.

Perhaps that estimate was for a full machine? I just ordered the playfield module, so (presumably?) simpler, fewer parts.

The August update that was sent out to the mailing list confirmed the 2 month delay, and added that there would be an additional delay of a couple weeks (not sure why, hiring?) then things would start ramping up even more. They've been shipping machines but hard to tell where things are. I'm not sure if the one Weird Al received (#27) was actually the 27th machine built - most likely not.

Ok, clearly I should have added wink about the 27th machine!

Hiring *IS* nuts everywhere. I am rolling off a contract right now, and the rates for the new company who took over are WAAAY off of what the market is wanting. So in 3 days, everybody at this 100+ person office turns into a pumpkin.

LOL!

Yeah, yeah not a 'word' question exactly

Q: Number of bricks in the Great Wall of China

A) 27
B) 6
C) 3,873,000,000
D) 0 - they aren't bricks!

RIP Judy Tenuta!

I may actually shed real tears here. A long time, real-life Close, Personal Friend of Al. That is a huge loss for the comedy- and the rest of the world.

LOL

Have you reached out to Cointaker? When ordering from MM in the past, once you PIF it should be shipped in the next day or so.

Obviously orders have exploded and you ordered through a distributor, but if you've already paid you definitely should check with Cointaker. A month isn't unheard of, but it's definitely getting a bit long. I know the projections from earlier this year have long since gone past, (my playfield-only was supposed to be on the line in July, ordered through MM) but I think those projections were made with the assumption of new help, and MM has acknowledged that (like every other industry) they've had challenges staffing up.

Any new sightings? I was hoping I'd have my WAMONH by the time the Al movie debuted!

One Day! But man there has GOT to be one closer

Might just be worth it for the trip!

Awwww that is an awful burn bro!

Well best of it to you !

Finally got my email! woo!

Full p3, yes?

Haven't gotten the final invoice yet; hoping later today.

Gotcha. My invoice from back then was 1885 (Hey, BTTF III!). I only ordered the playfield though, so not sure if those invoices are tracked on a different sequence.