The Hobbit
Jersey Jack, 2016You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider RobT.
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Quoted from jar155:Is there anything more annoying than these "I paid for this game so I'm going to police every slight criticism" fanboys? Seriously.
It's getting to where you can't give an honest opinion of a game without some zealot jumping all over your dick and stalking you from thread to thread. The insecurity of some people around here is shocking.
The irony of your post. Do you see it? 
Quoted from jar155:This isn't how shots are counted. Each bank of drops is one shot. Each bank of stand ups is one shot. This is how shots have always been counted, it gets confusing to arbitrarily change that.
I am curious to know where this official rulebook of how to count shots can be purchased. I just want to be sure that I never get accused of arbitrarily changing this rule. Is it available on Amazon?
Quoted from Goronic:I think TH is more fun than WOZ - but totally cool if others feel WOZ is better.
To another point about playing it first. Before I got to play TH I was concerned I would not like it, and had all but canceled my order. But when I finally got to play it I was very glad I kept it, but also confused why it was getting all the hate. If you are considering getting it, play it first - don't just rely on reviews. It is all over the place in reviews, like WOZ was/is.
Couldn't agree more.
When I went to play TH at an open house event, I had pretty low expectations for various reasons, mostly because of the negative reviews. I was there with Eskaybee, who also had pretty low expectations. It didn't take very long for both of us to be very impressed. My very first reaction after playing a couple of balls was "man, this really feels different" mostly because of the large, open playfield, with many shots being further from the flippers than I am used to on my Stern pins. At first I wasn't sure that I liked that feeling. But it didn't take long to realize how good those long shots felt. Very smooth and satisfying.
Combine that with all the other cool stuff (I love the bookend and how it tells you what to do), the excellent HD video clips, fantastic music, sound effects (Thanks Mr. Thiel!) and sound quality, not to mention the overall appearance of the pin and the artwork, I was on board and placed my order.
Quoted from kpg:I took a video playing my new Hobbit LE, set up the right way - better then the one I played on location. Waxed playfield, pitch at 7*, post installed at left ramp so balls don't get stuck, and flipper strength cranked up to 27 on the left flipper 28 on the right flipper.
Recorded the first game I played since I didn't want to record forever and 'hand pick' some random game I played, which was a crappy game and pretty quick. You will see my Ball 1 went well, and the multiball was frantic as hell.. didn't even complete or start many modes. Then balls 2 & 3 drained quickly, as the game can be brutal at times with this pitch which I prefer. My high score to date is 590,000 or so.
You can see how quick the gameplay can become, and just how crowded the playfield can get, and how quick the ball can come back to your flippers and set up another quick shot after that. Like TWD, the way this machine plays is all about how its dialed in to your preferences, in my opinion.
» YouTube video
Lookin' good! I love the fact that you have your Hobbit set up next to your TWD....just like I will. 
Quoted from rotordave:The Playfield is still on the same angle.
Angle of Playfield influences ball speed. Not how wide it is.
But there is a lot more that influences ball speed on a pin than *just* the angle (incline) of the PF. Flipper strength, slingshot strength, the kind of rubber used, a waxed vs unwaxed pf, the distance between slingshots, pop bumpers, etc.
As someone else said, the distance between some of those things on widebody pins tend to be further apart from each other, and the ball return takes a longer path on ramps to get back to the flipper, which can lead to the perception of slower ball speeds.
I've owned several widebody pins. Not one of them played as fast as the newer Stern pins. Coincidence?
Personally I have zero problem with widebody pins playing a tad bit slower. I like the variety that they provide, even if my overall personal preference is for faster "in your face" type gameplay, I don't want every pin I own to play that way.
Also, if only angle of playfield influenced ball speed, why is it that Full Throttle plays faster than pretty much any other widebody pin made? Do they have all their pins set at 9 degrees?
Quoted from Baiter:Game speed is a matter of design
That was exactly my point. That's why I said:
Quoted from RobT:But there is a lot more that influences ball speed on a pin than *just* the angle (incline) of the PF. Flipper strength, slingshot strength, the kind of rubber used, a waxed vs unwaxed pf, the distance between slingshots, pop bumpers, etc.
As someone else said, the distance between some of those things on widebody pins tend to be further apart from each other, and the ball return takes a longer path on ramps to get back to the flipper, which can lead to the perception of slower ball speeds.
Those are all design elements (other than things like a waxed pf).
It isn't just the angle of the PF that is responsible for ball speed.
Quoted from DaveH:27 comments in a single thread about a game you don't like... I'd say Hobbit has you hooked.
He's up to 34 posts now.
Quoted from jar155:It's called a discussion. Wow, what a concept.
Repeating yourself ad nauseam is hardly what I would call a discussion.
But....carry on, as we all know that you will.
Quoted from lowepg:So, seriously, did you see THAT much difference in fractions of a single degree difference?
Seriously?
The difference between 5.5 degrees and 6.8 degrees makes a *huge* difference.
If you have any doubt about this, try playing one of your current pins at 5.5 degrees for awhile.
The difference between 6.5 degrees and 6.8 degrees is definitely noticeable to me. I can only imagine how much difference there would be between 5.5 degrees and 6.8 degrees.
Quoted from netman63129:How do you measure the incline to that degree of precision?
I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/SEARS-BRAND-MANAGEMENT-48213-Craftsman/dp/B005GL90QI/ref=sr_1_sc_2
Quoted from fordtudoor:Sears sells a really nice Craftsman digital torpedo level for $35. It has a conventional bubble level at each end plus illuminated screen with a buzzer feature (on/off) that tells you when you hit 0.0 degrees. Readout in tenths of a degree (xx.x).
Somebody didn't click on the link above his post. 
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Iowa City, IA