Anyone able to share which settings must be changed if you remove the tunnel mech and want to simply do passthrough? I found that change in the Game settings, but not sure if anything else needs to be switched?

I'm actually renting a Pro from a local guy (thanks PinSwap). I kind of love it, and I'm not sure I can see the extras on the Prem/LE being worth that cost. Might consider looking for a pro at some point and save the money to put towards another game.

I just unboxed an AIQ Prem. yesterday. Is the shaker worth getting? I assume it shakes on good hits during a Gem Quest. Knocker? does it strike only on matches and replays?

For anyone needing to kick a ball out, you can also do it manually. Just open the coin door and find the solenoid on the right. Stick your finger under the round piece on the end and give it a quick, SHARP push up. This works works on most any pinball machine and it works when the power is off - which is the safest condition when poking around the guts of a pinball machine. I always do this before i raise the playfield, so the balls don’t go clattering down the pf. Doing it electronically, as awesome1 described, is great in many circumstances. On the other hand I find that in the time it takes to locate the test mode and push the button, i could have them all out using the manual method.

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Shaker is totally worth it. It’s a completely different game w it. It’s still not optimized the way it could be, but hoping with code updates, they continue to integrate it. I would say it’s the one mod you HAVE to have if you could only have 1.

I originally played a LE on location and fell in love w the game. I couldn’t afford the LE or Premium so I bought a Pro. I thought I might regret it especially since it doesn’t have the Captain Marvel loop. I’ve had it for 3 months and added a shaker, Sanctum mod and a couple of other mods. I absolutely love the Pro. I went back to the bar and played the LE yesterday and actually preferred my Pro. LE PF was Almost too cluttered. My kids made the same comment. I bet it’s all about what you’re familiar with. Long story short, if you get a Pro, it’s all you’ll know and you’ll absolutely love it. Just get a shaker and some good mods and you’ll be happy

Thanks to all for the input.

From what I can tell, I don't have a wiring issue and the optos seem to be working correctly in the subway.

What I do notice is that there is some "slop" in the fingers of my mech. There is a lot of movement from side to side. Also, there are times when the fingers do not go up all the way. Its as though they are getting caught on the sides of the subway plastic (perhaps due to the slop), or the mech can't / won't push them up all the way. Then the ball gets pushed through the subway when it shouldn't. That would make sense as to why a ball gets put up on the playfield when it shouldn't.

I have sent an email to Stern and will see what they say. I hope a new mech will solve my issues. Everything was working fine for months. Its only become an issue over the last week or so. That's why I think its a mechanical failure that I hope will be solved.

I am seeing the same thing - let us know what you hear. I have access to a machine shop and welders, so I'm going to tinker a bit on my own...

The one I've got at the house right now has a shaker. I was skeptical and thought it would be too much, but the guy must have it set just right...Because it's PERFECT and an absolutely wonderful addition to the experience!

I just threw down a crazy time and score on AIQ Battle Royale Challenge!
1:14:465 / 441,237,690

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For anyone else who likes to add characters to their playfields (it's not for everyone I know), I've found that the Tomy Takara figures are great - good size, pretty subtle and great quality. I'm still deciding on the best placement for mine (hence the blu-tac blob on the feet).

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I love the physical knocker but yeah, only on matches and replays so it is of limited use compared to the money. I still really like the iconic sound though, so I buy them for my Spike games.

I think the Shaker isb offhand worth it too - although I'm hoping integration is going to get better.

I just assumed that's how everyone cleared the balls... i read about that on my T2 back several years ago.

I kind of thought the same thing until I understood the rules a little better. I honestly can't remember a stern where the modes were so different in a while. If you just say shoot the lit shots, sure modes feel the same. If you understand the nuances and why you don't want to just blindly shoot lit shots, then yeah they are completely different.

That space gem really had me confused for a long time, trying to figure it out myself. A combo mode, thats pretty clever... Always thought that bastard was hitting me for shooting the right shots .

Anyone got the part number for the disc levelling kit? Thank you.

Mine has just turned up but whether it'll fit my pro I don't know? not sure of part number but there's a document number 755-7711-00 on the instructions.

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Did you get that from Phil or direct from Stern? Haven’t heard a thing about the new subway or disc levelling kit.

I am seriously interested in an AIQ. I have played the Premium and prefer its gameplay over the Pro. However, I do not care for Thanos all over the place on the translite and cabinet. I understand I can order a Pro translite, but I'm still stuck with the cabinet art. I also gather that many people (perhaps most) prefer the Premium cabinet art.

Is there any way to do a cabinet swap? i.e., find somebody with a Pro that wants the Premium cabinet, and swap cabinets? Or possibly purchase the Pro cabinet graphics from Stern?

Totally agree if arts your thing then the Translite you best is a good idea but as for the side art you don’t play the side art.

I love the thanos artwork but honestly I barely look at it, too busy playing the game, grab the Stern art blades that are a little more avengers themed and I don’t you will ever worry to much about that side art, if it really bothers you, you could just order a full set of pro decals and redecal the cab.

Thank you! Is this a thing you can do? I could see starting with the translite, then if this game is a long-term keeper doing pro decals if that is possible.

Yes, you can swap the PF quite easily so if you find someone that wants to swap with very little effort. If I recall correctly, all you will need to do is disconnect 2 molex connectors, cut a few zip ties to disconnect the ethernet cable from the back box. Keep in mind, this will effect warranty (what little there is) and possibly resale value.

You can also order Pro cabinet art from any authorized Stern dealer. Here are the part numbers:
Avengers Backbox Decal Left 820-76R1-01
Avengers Backbox Decal Right 820-76R1-02
Avengers Cabinet Decal Left 820-76R1-03
Avengers Cabinet Decal Right 820-76R1-04
Avengers Cabinet Decal Front 820-76R1-05

I agree, it is too much Thanos. I was thinking of doing the right side in Pro art and leaving the left side in Prem art...nice balance of good vs evil

Does anyone else feel it’s a little too easy to open the portal? I never get my avengers level up to where I want to be for the gem battles. Maybe a 3 or 5 second red flashing on the action button to decline the portal open for the premium after you hit the spinner to spell strange would be a cool code option that could be added with a parameter to adjust the time of the flash and default the 0 seconds to keep the factory code ‘true’ to the previous releases? Somewhat like the hobbit defer lock button that lets you work on the modes.

Neither, Pinball Universe .

I try to avoid spinning the disk or entering the portal until I have enough combos to at least lock 1 ball. Usually easier said than done...

A few times I have had my first gem quest be the Soul Gem!

Yeah it’s a little easier to avoid on the pro, if stern is listening maybe this is something they could consider in a future code update if we get enough people weighing in on the topic-

Yeah, I personally think that's part of the fun. Avoid spinning until you are ready to go with your portal locks. And if you do accidentally raise it, it's even harder to avoid!

That said, it never hurts to add an option if enough people want it, but I would hope the default stays the same.

I just played my Pro and went w a strategy to level up Black Widow before doing anything else. I hit the BW ramp 6-7 times in a row and it didn’t register a single shot after the initial shot. I took the glass off and tested it. It wouldn’t register back to back shots. It would only register the next shot if I hit another target in between. Is this a glitch or is this intentional? Seems like it would be a glitch. Why would you get penalized for being able to go back to back on a shot like that. Anyone willing to test it out on their machine for me? Thanks.

Update- I just tested out on Black Panther loop and it’s the same situation. I’m calling BS on that if Stern is listening. Leveling the individual Avengers up to level 2 is hard enough. Why penalize a combo on the same ramp or loop?!? I’m fairly new to this so if this is normal, then it’s ok and I’ll stop whining. Haha

I unboxed my premium Saturday, played a few games, then installed a shaker...the answer to your question is YES.

Is it any different than the original one?

As far as I know you don't need to change ANY setting, setting to pass through is just if you don't want the balls to be physically locked, if the mech is still in place, then when a ball enters, it will go down and up till the ball is in the vuk to kick it out.
If you just take out the subway mech, nothing else is needed, it will just directly roll into the vuk, everything will work normally, just a lot faster. You can also skip the mode start animation by pressing the flipper buttons.
It will remember that you have a portal lock also. It will just launch a new ball instead of releasing it from the subway.

I agree and that was part of my initial suggestion also, don’t change what some might say is working but give some flexibility for adjustment!

They are trying to eliminate "exploits". This is from the Tilt Forum rules:
Black Widow - Make the left ramp enough times to qualify. Note that you can’t advance Black Widow by passing the ball over to the right flipper from the left ramp return, another switch has to be registered before the qualification process starts again.

and I will say what he's protecting against (ski jump to another BW shot) is trivial to do, so the change was somewhat needed. Less needed was the BP restriction IMHO, takes more skill to exploit that, but RayDay did such a good job on that video I guess something had to be done

The other day I got to soul gem with 3 mind gems (that the one to collect a shot?) and I thought here we go I’m set I’ll hit the button once to collect black panther hit black widow, hit collect gem shot, and I’ll have a couple more mind gem presses and I’m set for a massive soul gem points and flips left! But to no avail the button didn’t work during that mode?! When should the button be activated for mind gem shot collection?

In addition to the shaker, adding the Pinwoofer GT superkit really brings this game to life. The booming audio's added punch during multiball and vibrations to the cabinet (from the speaker as well as the shaker) immerses you into the gameplay. So far, those are the best mods I've added. Highly recommended.

Yes, it should work like you were anticipating... make sure the Mind Gem is on a level 1 Avenger though. If the Avenger is only collected or not collected and not level 1, the button will only light and work when the Avenger the Mind gem is on is lit and it will only count for that shot.

I’m guessing that the mind gem was on an uncollected or collected avenger (ie not powered up). In order to get 3 “best shot available “ hits to to button the mind gem must be on a level 1 avenger.

I agree 100%, except I only added upgraded speakers to backbox and subwoofer to the cabinet for about $30 - $40 total from Parts Express (also add external sub - shared with another pin) and then tweak the game equalizer settings to my liking. Shaker use is good in AIQ - hopefully a little more integration in the future.

One trick I also started doing is to set the speakers as 8 ohm in the settings even though I have 4 ohm speakers. This acts like a "Loud" button on a car stereo (in my experience) and you get added base at lower volumes.

Yeah, that's weird. Level 2 will collect all lit shots which works great for finishing reality quest in one button push or victory laps. But if you use it for soul it will only spot one shot.

Would it also spot AntMan if that was active?

Yep, a Level 2 Mind Gem lets you collect all lit shots one time. If you use a Level 2 Mind Gem during the Soul Gem mode, then technically it is still collecting all lit shots for that one use. It's just that during Soul Gem only one shot at a time is lit, so when you use the Level 2 Mind Gem you're only getting use out of it for the one shot that was lit when you hit the button.

That's cool for a budget way to go. However, the external AMP really opens the speakers up a lot more than the built-in stern spike version. I tried that when I had my IMDN and was limited in the amount of bass from the cabinet and output I could get from the BB speakers before the audio started to crack. Having said that, I do like my audio cranked more that the average player, so my demands are greater than normal.

I did the same on my Maiden, it is shocking how much a new amp changes the sound. I spent like $50 on new speakers and an amp, it completely changed the sound. I'm considering doing the same with Avengers.

awesome1 - can you share what speakers you picked up from Parts Express? Thanks!!!

Backbox if you don't have speaker lights:
https://www.parts-express.com/Pyle-PL42BL-Blue-Label-4-Coaxial-Speaker-Pair-267-078

Backbox if you have speaker lights (order 2):
https://www.parts-express.com/BOSS-BRS40-4-Dual-Cone-Replacement-Speaker-265-390

Cabinet:
https://www.parts-express.com/GRS-8SW-4-8-Poly-Cone-Subwoofer-4-Ohm-292-480

External Subwoofer:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9723

I also have had problems with the soul gem mode and mind gem usage.
The display says i have one use on mind gem, so i hit that shot to activate the action button but nothing happenes.

You do not need to hit the shot to activate the action button. If you have a use remaining, it doesn't need to be qualified first. If you are out of uses, then the gem needs to be moved or re-placed (or the Avenger who has it leveled up) to recharge/qualify it. You cannot do that during Soul Gem mode.

During Soul Gem mode, if the Mind Gem is placed on a non-powered up, uncollected or collected Avenger, it can only spot a hit to the Avenger that has it. If that shot isn't the lit one, nothing will happen since the shot where the gem is placed isn't lit for anything. Otherwise it would just be a waste of a gem use. For example, if the Mind Gem is placed on a collected or uncollected Black Widow, you can only use it when the Black Widow shot is lit (the second shot of the Soul Gem mode).

If you want to be able to use the button to spot ANY lit shot, the Avenger who has the Mind Gem needs to be leveled up to level 1. That allows the button to collect ANY lit shot as many times as you have usages left. For example, if the Mind Gem is placed on a Level 1 Black Widow, and you have three uses remaining, you could use it once to spot Black Panther when lit, then once on Black Widow when lit, then once on the Gauntlet ramp when lit. Or any three shots that you choose, but only while that shot is lit. They do not have to be three in a row. In my case, I struggle most with Black Panther, the drop targets, and Captain Marvel during this mode, so those are the three I would hit the button for in this situation.

Having the Mind Gem on a Level 2 Avenger is not great for Soul Gem mode. At level 2 the button will collect ALL lit shots at the same time, which for Soul Gem means one shot only since only one lights at a time. In some modes where there are a bunch of shots lit, this is awesome, but in Soul Gem it's a waste, unless you really need it to hit that one shot. For example if the Mind Gem is placed on a Level 2 Black Widow, and you hit the button right away when the first shot, Black Panther, is lit, it will collect only Black Panther, since that is the only lit shot. One use only, so if you have to use it, use it on a shot you struggle most with.

Bottom line, if you want to use Mind Gem during Soul Gem mode, you need to wait for the Avenger who holds it to be the active shot, or you need to level up the Avenger who holds it to Level 1 (or Level 2, but the "collect everything lit" ability will be wasted).

Would anyone be interested In adjustable outlane posts? I printed them in 14mm, 15mm, and 16mm. Takes a 7/16 Titan (or other)

I've been on the fence for offering these up, as you'll have a bunch of people screaming "play better" and well, I just want to have fun without having my game drained by a dumb slingshot hit.

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Im kind of surprised that the mind stone on a level 2 Avenger doesn't function like the Deadpool boom where holding the button collects all lit shots but just tapping the button functions like level 1.

That would be slick. At least then leveling up to level 2 wouldn't actually be a disadvantage for Soul Gem like it is now. Maybe a 3-to-1 ratio? That way if you want individual hits, it is exactly the same as level 1. Good idea.