The Munsters train has stopped?Any one have any news.

I hope it gets announced late this week.

This pin should be a lot of fun! Just wondering “ what the point of the game” will be.

I suspect this week. I hear the production line will be ramping up this week / next week.

I'll wager its next year as most distributors have said from the start. Want it now but false hope can be a drain.

Finally! The Munsters have arrived....

On COZI TV!!!

You can close down this thread now ‍♂️‍♀️

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Alright... this should be live on most podcast sites by now (and if not - it's on our website at www.theswearwolves.com). Jump to around the 10:40 mark for our interview with Butch Patrick, where he not only confirms that this game is very much real, but that it's finished - and then he tells us where/when you'll get to see it in the flesh.

Apple/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-swearwolves/id1436418182

Android: https://subscribeonandroid.com/theswearwolves.com/feed/podcast/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ns8RZAKPscbT3ruoWIv5Y

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-swearwolves-29981234/

https://www.theswearwolves.com

* the episode mentioned in my original post is Episode 12: Terror on the Tube! Monsters, Munsters, and TV Mayhem!

Goto 18:57 mark on podcast to here about machine.

Hopefully he is wrong about the unveil date. If he is right, that will disappoint alot of people!

March seems about right and agrees with what every distributor has said for a long time now. Guess we have more time to save...

I believe I mentioned a month ago it would TPF reveal...just a lot of denial on pinside.

To fire the knocker and play another free game.

If it is TPF, thats a big gap between games - DP was late August. That’s over 6 months.

Maybe all the current titles in production plus DP, Beatles and Primus are keeping the line busy enough for Stern?

One things for sure they are making it clear how they can pump out games like nobody else.

Primus this week and Beatles run thru Dec. Stern might even shut factory down a week for holiday or to do some maintenance. Sure Stern can run more current titles next, but come Jan 1 it will have been four months since last cornerstone. It would make sense for them to show their next title in early Jan and to be in full production by end of month. Should that game be Munsters, Stern can still feature it as their latest game come TPF, but there is no reason to hold back release as Butch thinks.

That is unless Stern will releasing another title BEFORE Munsters. Maybe a vault edition or My Pink Pony? The extra time will allow Munsters code to reach version 1.0 before the game is released, and for Stern to continue finishing code on released titles. At least we have another confirmation that Munsters exists and that it will be released no later than TPF. That’s still pretty good in my book. I’d be content critiquing leaked pics, if we could get get them....

Stern often shows off their newest title at TPF, long after they have announced it. I don't think Butch knows anything more than his TPF appearance with the game.

George mentioned at Expo that next year we will finally see Stern pins going online and auto updating.

Maybe the gap between corner stone titles is to get that ready and make Munsters the first “online” pin from Stern?

There'll be Bill & Ted inbetween!

I still think an announcement is coming this month - will see as the game is complete.

That’s why I think they will announce in December- 3rd cornerstone game for 2018.

If not, I can understand why some people are getting upset with these boutique games (Beatles and Primis) getting in the way of major releases.

Anybody remember the announcements dates from Stern in 2017 please?

At Expo George mentions about Sterns going online (automatically downloading updates etc) next year, maybe Munsters will be the first such release which is the cause for the long window between releases.

it is a shame they would waste any amount of time on a technology their customer base is not asking for and likely wont even want.

I know for certain, i dont want a pinball machine connected to the internet (neither personal nor especially on route).
Stern wont be getting free access to any of my data.

I am not sure why they think this is a feature that is needed???

Pinheads can do updates pretty easy. Non-pinheads and crap operators are never going to update from whatever a game ships with anyway.

They think it's a feature needed b/c it's 2018, not 1991. If you're concerned about your data being taken, I would take the computer, tablet, phone or whatever you're using to post on these forums, burn them and hide in a cave.

I applaud stern for ADVANCING pinball and bringing in technology that is utilized in literally everything else and look forward to the obvious add on....real time scoring vs play against friends and online strangers.

Whysnow is just scared because he won’t know how to set it up.

What info can they possibly want? It's not FB and they seemingly already hate their consumers.

4 months is quite some time to wait, I am believing it will all be worth it though and this game will be amazing!!!!

Why would stern be so concern about pinball machines automatically updating code when they cannot even finish the code for there games.

auto updating games on route to cause them to be bricked, inadvertently defaulting to free play, taking your data dumps and using it how they see fit, etc...

no thanks

and for the benefit of playing physically different games online against strangers? no thanks. That sounds silly and not what pinball is about (i.e. a real social experience for us nerds to get out of the house and interact)

what is the real supposed benefit of this tech?

I would welcome this if Stern actually had the BASICS under control. You know, launching with functionally complete, well-tested code, etc. Game of Thrones and Ghostbusters still have MAJOR bugs in them, years after release. Most Sterns are still shipped nowhere near to functionally complete.

So, how about we applaud when Stern can walk before welcoming their efforts to skip to running?

The Theme will be amazing lets not start selling the awesomeness of a pin that has technically not been confirmed just yet based on a viral wood box photo. lol

Also Butch Patrick confirms they have developed the machine in the interview above - close enough to me to a confirmation.

Now will the pin be worth the money- we will need to get our eyes on it - hopefully real soon!

Collecting pin data through an online system is a great idea. It would allow Stern (or whoever) to create "heat maps" of what's being shot in a game and give them real-world data on how to best improve the code on future updates.

Just don't make the update process like consoles - where you plop down to play a game but NOPE the console needs to spend 20 minutes updating itself and then the game another 15... by time it's ready are you even in the mood anymore?

Thanks, Debbie Downer!

Turn off the wifi if you don't want the connected experience. It will be something that you have to setup in the menu system, not something that will be forced upon you.

Playing online against strangers and playing socially in an environment is still playing against someone. I don't have people over at my house to play pinball every night, so pinball is generally a single player experience for me.

I welcome all these changes. This is what pinball needs to happen to move it foward. I don't want to be updating games by running from my computer with a thumb drive and then discovering that the pinball doesn't like the drive. Or heaven forbid I have to send a board away to get the latest code put on it....and bring on online pinball gaming. It would be nice to play against an online leaderboard. The only negative I see with this is someone taking the glass off and generating a high score by cheating.

Well of course the leaderboard will be full of cheating, that’s why it’s pointless. Most seem to agree Stern does not have the technical ability to create and support a secure connected system, so best to not do it.

Both the PS4 and Xbox one in our house updates OS updates automatically during the early hours of the morning, if Stern can set it up like that it will be ideal.

Totally agree it has to avoid being like the game updates, those a f’in annoying, my son recently wanted to play the new Spider-Man game and had to wait 20minutes for a damn game up date, that needs to be avoided and easily can with a pin.

yep

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One thing i learned about Stern is they seem to never do what is we consider right on the release schedule/timing of their machines. They just dont care, there will be a new title shipping in later half of January. Also dont be surprised if there are 2 cabinet options for the Premiums.

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New title in Jan? I thought Munsters was next and everyone is now saying that won’t be revealed/arriving until March?

They should avoid online competition with leaderboards, because every game is different, different outlane settings and software difficulty settings. You could never avoid cheating in it so I don't see it work.

Maybe for them to track games, audits, earnings, errors, ... or for operators to remote check their games (uptime, errors, earning audits)

As an operator, i would love it if a wifi connected machine notified me if a ball was missing, switch wasn’t registering, was re-started, wasn’t getting coins through the left slot anymore, was slam tilted, etc. it would also be nice if i could connect to it remotely to see how many plays/$$$ it had in it, etc. I don’t need it to upload new code updates for me.

So let's not advance technology in pinball machines b/c they ship sometimes with incomplete code? I totally get and support what you're saying about Stern revisiting and fixing the bugs but considering this is part of their business model (get tables out and revisit later) - would you rather have incomplete code with no wifi abilities or just incomplete code and no wifi?

EDIT.

I love this statement. Playing people online against strangers.......is silly? It's like you woke up from a 30 year coma.

Online gaming/competition is literally part of this society's DNA for having fun. Pinball FX is doing it right now and making a name for themselves b/c they have integrated tech with pinball. Stern has the best hand yet - real pins with real physics. Let's do this.

You sell your data back to the company for favors and early games... makes sense why you in particular dont want them to have it for free

I would rather they not spend time on the tech and instead invest it in shipping code complete game, without node board issues, with proper QC, etc...

I have never once heard a pinhead clamor that a game "really could use a wifi capability so my game can auto update when I sleep"

This is a simple root cause analysis.

Stern Guy 1:Hey guys... we ship all these incomplete code games and then operators dont update months later... what should we do?
Stern Guy 2: I know, let's add wifi contention. That way we can update games on the fly. *bonus points that we can also access route data, home buyer data, and set up a network of big data to help us better market. We could even start cold calling locations to sell them games (seems crazy but it has already been done by others using Pinside map >> gotta love when your location say "hey, I just got a call from XXX and they told me a new Stern is coming out >> I want that one in our location if you want to keep the contract here")

Root cause real answer : Ship the damn games code complete (at least tot he point that a lazy OP that never updates does not have a negative impact on your brand)

Video games are not physical pinball. Sorry but I dont see it working and seems silly to even waste the time (or extra cost passed on the to customer) for something that is un-needed.

Time for you to prove some of these lies you keep spouting.

I think the ability to have WiFi and the option to opt out of it in part or as a whole is a good idea. I’d like to get reports of issues with my games on route as it happens instead of a phone call “pin is broke” with no other data, then show up just to find a stick ball or somebody couldn’t find the start button.

I don’t like the idea of auto updates as it erases current earnings and sometimes code update has an issue that makes the previous version better for route. I like to wait a few days before I update code after it’s released.

I also don’t like the idea that my business data such as earnings could be viewed by somebody I don’t know or somebody outside of my LLC. Operators do have sensitive information contained in the audits that doesn’t need accessed by anybody that doesn’t have a legitimate need to know.

Just because a machine is WiFi enabled doesn’t mean automatic downloads have to happen. I would LOVE the ability to simply go in to a menu and select “update code” rather than having to download a 3gb file that should take less then a minute, but instead takes 30 minutes because the stern server isn’t up to par. Anyone that is worried about WiFi, I assure you, you will NOT have to enable WiFi. Remember not all locations even have an internet connection. The WiFi is exciting! It will be awesome to not only be able to shoot for a location high score... but maybe a state or regional high score! The only tricky thing is going to be making sure the game plays the same over multiple locations and ultimately one variable that cannot be controlled is the slope/level of a machine.

I would also hope that this WiFi ability wouldn’t lead to paid monthly subscriptions that are mandatory for a pin to operate. This would also mean one would have to purchase internet and incur another operating expense on top of all the other expenses and splits associated with operating pins.

I use to operate TouchTunes and TouchTunes would automatically take a 22% cut of the earnings. In addition, I was only allotted a small amount of service credits (10 a month I think) before I was charged a heavy fee for anything over my allotment. TouchTunes also phases out their equipment where an operator can no longer run that particular equipment and it forces the operator to buy new equipment. I no longer operate TouchTunes.

I surely hope pinball manufacturers do not follow TouchTunes lead on this practice.