Allen, TX
Quoted from Titan_Pinball:Fatbeard got tore up, ...
Got to see this first hand...pretty funny to watch this one unfold in front of you.
(Topic ID: 182242)
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Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle
Spooky Pinball, 2017-
Batman 66 (LE)
Stern, 2016
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Batman 66 (Premium)
Stern, 2016
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Batman 66 (Super LE)
Stern, 2016
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Incredible Hulk, The
Gottlieb, 1979
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Kingpin
Capcom, 1996
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NBA Fastbreak
Bally, 1997
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Police Force
Williams, 1989
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Quoted from Whysnow:I had someone take it upon themselves to move my game across the show floor sometime on Friday night. They managed to ding the cab while they were at it.
I was not real happy to #1 walk in and see my game missing from where it was on Friday, #2 not have anyone even take 2 seconds to call me and let me move it, #3 they took a chunk from the cab in the move. I never was able to figure out WTF it was moved and I asked the door staff and they had no answers.
What the shit? Never heard of anything like that before...
Quoted from Frax:What the shit? Never heard of anything like that before...
Yes, was the one blemish on the whole thing for me personally.
Just had the seller (I bought the machine in TX and had it on the floor as part of our deal) call to tell me he caught someone picking up the game and dropping it a few feet to free a stuck ball at one point. He caught them and stopped them, but I wish I had been around to catch that...
Happens at all shows that get big, just wish it would not have happened to my game...
Quoted from NimblePin:Did the guy you asked at the door look like this?
nope, looked less feminine and more hair.
Loved the show.. loved all the industry presence.
As a victim of their own success tho... the autograph signing was a bit of a fail. Like 15 people to get signatures from... but one line formed. Which lead to 1-2 people signing stuff. and everyone sitting on their thumbs while everyone waited in line for an hour plus.. which also meant some legends had to leave for other commitments.
Next year TPF I think you need multiple lines.. one for each company/etc.
AV for seminars could have been a bit stronger.. but tolerable.
Certainly wish I had more time!! Did not get a chance to do everything I wanted to.. and the crowds were pretty strong! On Friday night didn't feel like I could play anything without a significant wait.. even just walking the floor.
I was still confused by the walls/layout and had a hard time finding past locations 
Quoted from Whysnow:I had someone take it upon themselves to move my game across the show floor sometime on Friday night. They managed to ding the cab while they were at it.
I was not real happy to #1 walk in and see my game missing from where it was on Friday, #2 not have anyone even take 2 seconds to call me and let me move it, #3 they took a chunk from the cab in the move. I never was able to figure out WTF it was moved and I asked the door staff and they had no answers.
The MGC arcade hall staff moves games around as needed pretty often. Doesn't necessarily seem that strange. Granted, MGC is a smaller room -- and we don't even know if it was show staff that moved it. May have been your feminine buddy with the short hair fucking with you or something.
Just wanted to add to the cacophony of kudos for the Texas Pinball Festival (aside from Whysnow's pinball movement fiasco...sucks, man! 
).
Anyhow, I had an amazing time and got to hang with some fabulous folks...some I'd previously only known from afar, like Spooky's own E.M. Dungeon Master, James Willing:
IMG_20180316_174815 (resized).jpg
...and Champion Pinball Player, Robert Gagno:
IMG_20180318_144818 (resized).jpg
I also reconnected with Travelin' Nic after his stop at my place during his grand tour:
IMG_20180318_151214 (resized).jpg
...and a TON of others I didn't inconvenience with a photo, but good mercy, was that a good (and loud) weekend. I felt like I was squeaking my way through conversations on Sunday after CONVERSATIONAL YELLING(!!!) throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. Nevertheless, my inaugural TPF was a complete blast.
I wanted to send a final shout to the men behind the scenes here at Pinside. Robin and Martijn were gracious enough to host me in their booth throughout the weekend and I was a proud artist to have illustrated your latest shirts which we unveiled last weekend:
IMG_20180316_121604 (resized).jpg
In closing, thanks to Ed and crew for putting together a great show, to the vendors and exhibitors for hauling all their heavy goods out to Frisco, and to all the Pinsiders who I met over the course of the past few days. It was a glorious and blurry time and I hope to repeat it all next year.
Sincerely,
Ryan Claytor
Quoted from epthegeek:The MGC arcade hall staff moves games around as needed pretty often. Doesn't necessarily seem that strange. Granted, MGC is a smaller room -- and we don't even know if it was show staff that moved it. May have been your feminine buddy with the short hair fucking with you or something.
Well do you at least call the owner and ask their permission first? I don't care if it's staff or not, I would not want anyone moving my machine without asking.
St Patrick’s Day TPF selfies with bangerjay
PinBackpacker
Butch2099
trilogybeer
740F0A1D-4925-4E1A-B9AA-13C9D17FE14C (resized).jpeg
15E0794F-B836-440E-988D-49F1A726E346 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from knockerlover:St Patrick’s Day TPF selfies with bangerjay pinbackpacker butch2099
Add trilogybeer and razerx
Quoted from flynnibus:Loved the show.. loved all the industry presence.
As a victim of their own success tho... the autograph signing was a bit of a fail. Like 15 people to get signatures from... but one line formed. Which lead to 1-2 people signing stuff. and everyone sitting on their thumbs while everyone waited in line for an hour plus.. which also meant some legends had to leave for other commitments.
Next year TPF I think you need multiple lines.. one for each company/etc.
AV for seminars could have been a bit stronger.. but tolerable.
Certainly wish I had more time!! Did not get a chance to do everything I wanted to.. and the crowds were pretty strong! On Friday night didn't feel like I could play anything without a significant wait.. even just walking the floor.
I was still confused by the walls/layout and had a hard time finding past locations
Multiple lines would have helped but there was another problem with the system:
There were 2-3 people in the frontish part of the line (about 5 ahead of me) who each had something like 50 items (didn’t count just saw stacks of fliers, translights, plastics, posters, etc) they wanted signed. By themselves they took a good 30-45 minutes with probably something like 50-100 people in line behind them.
I think it’s cool to get multiple items signed but maybe limit to 2-3 items per designer per turn... if you have more, get back to end of the line.
Quoted from merccat:Multiple lines would have helped but there was another problem with the system:
There were 2-3 people in the frontish part of the line (about 5 ahead of me) who each had something like 50 items (didn’t count just saw stacks of fliers, translights, plastics, posters, etc) they wanted signed.
Wow that is super excessive. I got there right at like 6:03 and it didnt seem liked we moved for like 30mins.... then it did start crawling. I dont think we reached the dront till after 715.
I just feel bad for all the legends that had to sit there on their hands for so long. Would have been nice for everyone if there was more turnover.
Wasnt sure if the line setup was organic... or if the organizers set it up that way and enforced it
Quoted from Whysnow:Yes, was the one blemish on the whole thing for me personally.
Just had the seller (I bought the machine in TX and had it on the floor as part of our deal) call to tell me he caught someone picking up the game and dropping it a few feet to free a stuck ball at one point. He caught them and stopped them, but I wish I had been around to catch that...
Happens at all shows that get big, just wish it would not have happened to my game...
Yep, I had multiple reports of that @ my first TPF with my Space Shuttle. Luckily it's a tank of a game.
Quoted from flynnibus:Next year TPF I think you need multiple lines.. one for each company/etc.
I don't think we need multiple lines. I'd certainly like to see *no* space wasted on autographs at all. I get why they do it, but...the celeb stuff is just not my bag, and after my first TPF, I haven't waited in a line to get anything signed at all. I didn't even see this line...but from the way I've heard it described, it sounds like it was an attempt to have people walk straight through and go person to person instead of having multiple lines for multiple different signatures? THAT SAID...I think with one or two volunteers at the front monitoring who's busy at the tables and who isn't, and one say halfway down the line, and this could be easily resolved:
Person in back/middle (at a table) hands a maximum of two or three "tickets" for the SINGLE person they want to sign stuff. You want multiples? Great. Get back in line. You want 50 things signed by one person? Tough shit. I'd MAYBE make an exception for the paid celebs that are charging per signature, because that in and of itself is kind of a deterrent to that kind of behavior. Some asshat having 50 flyers signed to list on ebay? Go to hell, bro. If you somehow get to the front of the line and have tickets for separate people? Hope you have separate people waiting or you can make a single choice and go wait again.
The volunteers up at the front of the line will interact with the first few people in the line and see which tickets they have, and if that person is free and nobody else in front of them has that person? They go, and don't wait on other people waiting on different signatures. Pretty simple. The annoying part for TPF is finding 3 more volunteers for however long the "signature conga line" is up and running, and having to make the tickets. I suggest color coding, personally, which is more of a hassle, but makes it easier on the volunteers.
*Edit* And it's something I'd consider volunteering to do. It's really not that different from ticket taking/running a tournament line, IMO.
Quoted from Frax:Yep, I had multiple reports of that @ my first TPF with my Space Shuttle. Luckily it's a tank of a game.
I don't think we need multiple lines. I'd certainly like to see *no* space wasted on autographs at all. I get why they do it, but...the celeb stuff is just not my bag, and after my first TPF, I haven't waited in a line to get anything signed at all. I didn't even see this line...but from the way I've heard it described, it sounds like it was an attempt to have people walk straight through and go person to person instead of having multiple lines for multiple different signatures? THAT SAID...I think with one or two volunteers at the front monitoring who's busy at the tables and who isn't, and one say halfway down the line, and this could be easily resolved:
Person in back/middle (at a table) hands a maximum of two or three "tickets" for the SINGLE person they want to sign stuff. You want multiples? Great. Get back in line. You want 50 things signed by one person? Tough shit. I'd MAYBE make an exception for the paid celebs that are charging per signature, because that in and of itself is kind of a deterrent to that kind of behavior. Some asshat having 50 flyers signed to list on ebay? Go to hell, bro. If you somehow get to the front of the line and have tickets for separate people? Hope you have separate people waiting or you can make a single choice and go wait again.
The volunteers up at the front of the line will interact with the first few people in the line and see which tickets they have, and if that person is free and nobody else in front of them has that person? They go, and don't wait on other people waiting on different signatures. Pretty simple. The annoying part for TPF is finding 3 more volunteers for however long the "signature conga line" is up and running, and having to make the tickets. I suggest color coding, personally, which is more of a hassle, but makes it easier on the volunteers.
*Edit* And it's something I'd consider volunteering to do. It's really not that different from ticket taking/running a tournament line, IMO.
Man, I said "hell with this" and just went wherever I wanted up and down the autograph table after about 30 mins. If someone really did have 50+ items, that is so fricking selfish. You have THAT much stuff, the courteous thing to do is self-impose yourself going to the very back of the line. Total dick move.
Thankfully, I got all my items signed, but I did hear a big portion of the line gave up waiting. That's very unfortunate, and it's not right for someone to put themselves at the front of the line with more items than prolly the next 20 people behind them combined.
Love this "me me me me" generation.
Looks like it was this guy:
Quoted from NPO:If someone really did have 50+ items, that is so fricking selfish. You have THAT much stuff, the courteous thing to do is self-impose yourself going to the very back of the line. Total dick move.
I was in that line and very aware of 2 persons that caused the big delay. One guy was not from the US and the other was a regular that always has folders of stuff every year to get signed. I know because both of these guys cut in front of me after they got there items signed by the other designers and most everyone in the long line was waiting for Borg.
I agree that multiples of same item should not be allowed by an individual. IF so, catch the person at some other time and let him sign things earlier or at a later time not in Saturday evening session.
All the designers and artists are very cordial and I do appreciate them taking the time to do signings for the fans. It is just a little sad that a couple of bad eggs ruin it the experience for everyone else with their greed.
p
Quoted from Frax:Yep, I had multiple reports of that @ my first TPF with my Space Shuttle. Luckily it's a tank of a game.
I don't think we need multiple lines. I'd certainly like to see *no* space wasted on autographs at all. I get why they do it, but...the celeb stuff is just not my bag, and after my first TPF, I haven't waited in a line to get anything signed at all. I didn't even see this line...but from the way I've heard it described, it sounds like it was an attempt to have people walk straight through and go person to person instead of having multiple lines for multiple different signatures? THAT SAID...I think with one or two volunteers at the front monitoring who's busy at the tables and who isn't, and one say halfway down the line, and this could be easily resolved:
Person in back/middle (at a table) hands a maximum of two or three "tickets" for the SINGLE person they want to sign stuff. You want multiples? Great. Get back in line. You want 50 things signed by one person? Tough shit. I'd MAYBE make an exception for the paid celebs that are charging per signature, because that in and of itself is kind of a deterrent to that kind of behavior. Some asshat having 50 flyers signed to list on ebay? Go to hell, bro. If you somehow get to the front of the line and have tickets for separate people? Hope you have separate people waiting or you can make a single choice and go wait again.
The volunteers up at the front of the line will interact with the first few people in the line and see which tickets they have, and if that person is free and nobody else in front of them has that person? They go, and don't wait on other people waiting on different signatures. Pretty simple. The annoying part for TPF is finding 3 more volunteers for however long the "signature conga line" is up and running, and having to make the tickets. I suggest color coding, personally, which is more of a hassle, but makes it easier on the volunteers.
*Edit* And it's something I'd consider volunteering to do. It's really not that different from ticket taking/running a tournament line, IMO.
Your model breaks down when too many people want the same people. How deep are you going to go in the line to check for open matches? First five all want same guy... then next three want someone else... now you gotta keep track of all these separate queues but in the same physical line. And no one in line really knows how long ‘their’ line is. It’s way too complicated and error prone verse simply having 3-4 queues where everyone can see the lines and one person can’t hog all the lines simultaneously. No need for tickets, extra dispatchers, tracking who is who, etc. just get in line for stern... get your stuff signed... get in another line when you are done if you want jjp, etc. stern line too long? That will encourage people to get in another line first... helping spread the demand.
The more people at a company table, the more you can release at the same time too.
Quoted from perryd:and most everyone in the long line was waiting for Borg.
Most people in the line were simply in the line because it was the only line and they thought that is what they thought was expected of them.... not because they were waiting for Borg. And some people got pissy when others finally broke rank and just went up to idle legends instead of waiting in the one and only line. There were no TPF staff anyone saw directing people one way or another
London
All in all, great show regardless... even the line in retrospect was just another memorable experience... had a good amount of time to talk with folks I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise and got a great recommendation for some BBQ.
I had two translights which I was able to get signed (eventually) and picked up signed fliers for everyone else who had them at the ready. Would have liked to chat for a few moments with the designers (as mentioned they were all very cordial and all smiles for us fans) but after waiting so long myself just wanted to get in and get out of the way.
I look forward to going again someday, hopefully next time it won’t conflict with Arcade Expo.
Big highlights for me included playing some of the great home-brews (Wizard Blocks, Mirror Universe and more) and playing what was basically a new Kingpin. Also loved the Safecrackers, both my Wife and I were able to get our coins! I would say Pirates was another highlight but the line was so long but such a fun game.
Quoted from bangerjay:Great show, would love to be able to throw some plastic runners down and be able to load out the side doors. That mass exodus at the end seemed a little stressful.
Not worth it. Someone breaks one of those glass doors and that's the end of TPF at the Embassy Suites. Someone ran into the door frame in the loading area this year.
Quoted from Titan_Pinball:Wow. Savages! AFM got hammered
411 plays on Safe Cracker in the Titan booth, and 55 tokens awarded
Quoted from dothedoo:579 plays on Dolly Parton. We figured that's one game every 3 minutes!
She’s workin’ nine to five!
Quoted from dothedoo:579 plays on Dolly Parton. We figured that's one game every 3 minutes!
Played great. I put a few on it
The star wars pro and gotg pro in our booth we're both played non stop throughout the show. I don't have the audits, but I'd guess around 500 plays each. The games held up incredibly well, not a single issue on either game.
The easiest way to fix the autograph situation is to do like most other conventions do theirs. Have the autograph/photo times rotate and a strict limit placed on what is signed, with anything over it coming at an extra cost per item. This will keep lines moving at a very respectable pace. Otherwise, the cluster that happened this year will be your end result.
The same with getting badges. Just have 1 line feeding into the two registers. Much more efficient than having multiple lines extending into the middle of the room and having an obstacle course for everyone to walk through at busy times.
Also, vendors that have multiple pins of the same pin would benefit greatly from using one line instead of multiple lines. The number of plays and potential customers would greatly increase over the course of the weekend with this simple fix.
I think this idea for the signatures was already brought up earlier, but to me it seems the solution is basically like a tournament with banks of games. 10 games = 10 mini lines. In this case, 10 people signing = 10 mini lines.
There is no 1 big line. You line up for each person. So, there could be 10 people waiting for Gomez, 6 people waiting for Ritchie. When a person is done with Ritchie, and then wants to go see Gomez, they get into the Gomez line. After that they can go visit whomever else in their next mini line.
You would need a few event volunteers around just to educate the crowd into where to line up.
What a great weekend.
Baywatch in color looked amazing! I seriously considered keeping the game just because of how good it looked. But I got an offer last minute, and I really didn’t want to load it back up.
448 total plays throughout the weekend!
Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers! See you again next year!
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:Did the head to Head NBA fastbreaks show up? Anyone played them? Report?
Those were mine, yes they made it, and survived the mass of people playing them very well! Also, I plan to bring them linked to the Houston Arcade Expo this year.
Quoted from PinballManiac40:Oh yeah. Gomez even seen them there. redknight87 you plan on bringing them to the Houston Arcade Expo Oct 19th-20th? http://www.arcadecenter.com
You bet buddy!
I agree - it was another great year at TPF. My flight home was delayed so I didn't get back to DC until after midnight - that made Monday difficult. Now we're preparing for our biggest snow event of the winter... sure miss that Texas Spring weather! Thanks to everyone who stopped and talked with me and my uncle.
-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for my Pinball 2000 H+V video sync combiner kit
Quoted from flynnibus:Your model breaks down when too many people want the same people. How deep are you going to go in the line to check for open matches? First five all want same guy... then next three want someone else... now you gotta keep track of all these separate queues but in the same physical line. And no one in line really knows how long ‘their’ line is. It’s way too complicated and error prone verse simply having 3-4 queues where everyone can see the lines and one person can’t hog all the lines simultaneously. No need for tickets, extra dispatchers, tracking who is who, etc. just get in line for stern... get your stuff signed... get in another line when you are done if you want jjp, etc. stern line too long? That will encourage people to get in another line first... helping spread the demand.
The more people at a company table, the more you can release at the same time too.
You and the organizers are welcome to your own opinions. I'm not going to be offended when someone shits on mine, because I have no skin to lose here...I could care less if anyone signs anything.
I just learned to do an audit and my Batman 66 Premium (the other one in the MARCO booth thith the blades installed) got 508 plays
Hey Ed_in_Texas how fun would this be next year
Quoted from Hardsuit:387 games on Polynesia for the weekend.
I was at least 10 of those. Loved that and thanks for sharing it.
Incredible time!
Thanks to all the people that made this wonderful show possible.
Thank you Robin for the pinside booth and this site! It was wonderful to meet you and Martjin !
Thanks to all of the many pinsiders I met, you made me feel welcome and at home.
Thanks Doug Skor (@CGC_DougS) and of course LLoyd (@ltg), It was wonderful to meet you guys you are the best Pinballgoddess says hi
labnip Its time to make a TPF 2019 thread !
Im waiting to book my room now, Ed please let us know when the room block is available, I have money to burn!
Im ready now
Quoted from Titan_Pinball:Hey ed_in_texas how fun would this be next year
https://funguncompany.com/fun-gun-rentals/
Pfft I bet Embassy wouldn't let it be fired indoors.
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