So... like, people with covid only?

haha ... oops.

This did the trick! Turned down the power from 200 (factory setting I assume) to 150 and issue is resolved. Much thanks!

Anyone got an update on the fix for the tower not catching fast moving balls.

When the game was brand new i never had a missed tower lock. I feel like it started happening after the first time I waxed the playfield and the ball travels faster now. So on the slower shots to the tower it catches it but the fast ones just bounce out.

The main problem i have with this is during soul gem. It has to catch the ball to register the last shot. I find myself getting to the end of soul gem and just bouncing the ball off the top of the tower a few times and then losing the gem because of it.

I have checked the optos and the magnet and everything works and registers rolling a ball by hand or putting my finger over the opto hole.

I think i read someone dissassembled the tower and cleaned the optos and it works again, could it be a problem with the balls being "old".

anyway now that my flipper power loss is fixed this is the next thing that is annoying me lol

I haven't had this issue in ~3500 games played on my Premium, but I will say that I wax the playfield often so that shouldn't be the issue unless you got wax on the optos themselves.

Cleaning the optos and verifying alignment between each emitter and receiver seems like a good first step.

Besides the optos, tower magnet problems can be a loose connection to the magnet or its node board.

There was also one report far upthread where someone figured out it was the balls - that somehow one particular ball out of the six wasn't getting magnetized enough for the magnet to hold it.

On a different topic, I managed to eff something up. I was installing the Cliffy shooter lane protector, and when reassembling, overtightened this nut and actually broke this bolt.

It's a weird bolt, with the flat top and those tiny little wings. Is this something a local hardware store has, or am I going to embarrasingly contact Stern support for one bolt?

broken bolt.jpg

Prob on pinball life site but shipping costs are the issue on little stuff.

Has anyone made any kind of adjustments on their shooter lane to have plunges be more successful to go around the ramp to flipper? My manual plunges seem ok for the most part, but auto plunges are like 50% success rate. It’s probably the typical auto plunge prongs from stern (which suck) that I’ll probably have to toy with.

If your plunge isn't consistent, you need to take slow motion video to figure out exactly what's going wrong. There are several places where the ball can deviate from its straight line and start rattling around and losing power. It can happen starting from the plunger forks, or where the metal fork starts near the end of the shooter lane, or all the way at the end where the ball drops onto the playfield, or farther up the orbit when contacting the ball guide to the right. The fix will be different in each case.

Ya, my auto plunge is about 75% success rate.
I didn't really see many options to adjust the forks on first glance.
Curious how everyone fine tunes this.

How do you do, fellow AIQ owners?
My AIQ Pro was delivered yesterday, and I managed to get it upstairs without breaking the machine, or myself!
Now for the fun stuff. I haven't been able to get the firmware updated yet, nor even adjust the settings upon first set-up. I downloaded the latest firmware from Stern, 1.03 .spk, which I am having a hell of a time unzipping. The last time I updated my Deadpool, back in November, the file was .spk.zip, but the Avengers file is just .spk, which I can't seem to find a program to open. I am on a Mac, and using "The Unarchiver", if that helps.
Secondly, for whatever reason, when I power up the game, the buttons inside the coin door do absolutely nothing. So I have not been able to get the game settings going. And after I close the door the "high power is shut off" message still appears on the screen. Checking for loose connections on those wires inside the coin door, but have come up empty so far.
Any ideas? Thanks all!

Theres zip files when overall update is larger than 2GB and is then split into multiple files (however many needed). If the update is not that big, like the most recent AIQ 1.03 which is 1.7GB, you can just dump that file to the root (main home directory) of the USB drive.

While the door is open, does pushing or pulling that coin door switch do anything? As far as clearing the mesage or moving things along to a different screen?

Yes, interestingly, pushing the coin door switch doesn't clear the message, but pulling on it does.
And thank you for the heads up regarding the spk file! Lo and behold, version 1.03 shows up when I have the usb plugged in to the machine. I was trying to unzip that file all night last night, like some kind of amateur jabroni!

Check out my key post from a year ago... 100% guaranteed to fix both manual and auto plunges.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-avengers-infinity-quest-owners-thread-pinsiders-assemble/page/145#post-6332227

Sounds like the connection to the switches or the switches themselves are having an issue. I would start with inspecting and reseating the connections.

NIB should already have the latest code, especially since it's been awhile for new AIQ code. If it's an older game, read the code readme to see if you need to unzip or not.

Also, some New Godzilla owners have been having issues with the switches inside the coindoor like you are experiencing. If suggestions above don't help, may need a new switch assembly.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-godzilla-official-owners-club/page/227#post-6966527

Also make sure the connections to the white initerlock switch are in the correct positions. Pushing the button in or pulling all the way out should tell the machine the door is closed. I have to look at mine, but I think Common and NO (Normally open) are the correct connections, so the switch closes in the above scenarios.

Well, that was it. I pulled the switch assembly out of my Deadpool, and connected it to the Avengers, and presto, working buttons. Dead assembly right outta the box. Bummer. But at least I was able to set to free play, and lower that "out of box ear-splitting volume" while I had the working assembly attached. So I can play the game while I wait for a replacement.

One more thing. The infinity gauntlet plastic looks weird. Has anyone else seen this? All of the pro playfield images I've seen, the entire gauntlet and stones are visible, mine's cut off. I know there's very little clearance in there, but dang.

PXL_20220608_181531734 (resized).jpg

Thank you! Bummer…I just got my PBL order for shaker and stops last week. Here goes another order for the upgraded coil lol.

Yea, I did the slo mo thing the other night and it’s pretty much like all my past sterns where it’s quite erratic but typically rattling right out of the gate. I had a cool fix for my IMDN that gave it 99% plunge rates using e-clips to hold the auto plunger in place, but that was YEARS ago and I don’t have anymore eclips so will need to get some of those, but also try the other fix as well. Side note; thanks for all the feedback and tips on AIQ in the Elwin thread, that was some great stuff! I am really digging AIQ;quickly becoming my favorite Elwin game (which I did not expect).

It’s a pretty common issue when using the infinity stone Stern shooter rod.

Changing to the stronger (red) shooter spring helps that problem a lot, so it might help your situation too. But it’s still not 100%

Of course, making sure shooter lane and orbit are clean and waxed helps also.

Ps Welcome to the thread, fellow GnR owner!

Edit; I guess the spring would only help manual plunges… but def wax the lane. I think there’s also an auto plunge power setting you could alter

Silly question but are they basically done with updates to AIQ?

2 problems I had

1) steel ramp is lower than the orbit lane guide, meaning the ball would catch the metal Of the orbit lane guide as it left the shooter lane. This also happens on TMNT and EHOH

solution: remove ramp put some rubber packing under the end of the ramp where it is triangular so that the ramp is higher than the orbit lane guide. I just used a cut down post sleeve.

2) metal sheet used on side of shooter lane is shit. It is there to try to make a smooth transition between side rail of pin in shooter lane to start of the orbit lane guide just after the end of the shooter lane. That thin piece of metal is trying to solve the problem of the ball hugging along the side rail and then hitting the side thickness of the orbit lane guide. Problem is the thin piece of metal tryin to transition the bal across this new lump of metal is springy. So it still bends with the ball, the ball hits the start of the orbit lane guide and rattles across to the other side of the orbit. This robs it of power on both auto and manua plunges. To solve i tapered a paddle pop stick (icy pol?) so it comes to nothing at one end and acts as a little ramp. I just sanded it down to one end. I stuck it to the side rail and coloured it black. Then I super glued the thin metal to this wooden ramp. If you don’t attach the thin meta it will curl at the end and affect the ball. In an earlier post I show the wooden ramp or shim that I made.

I have marked these two areas in the photo. I have 100% success in every launch. Also used a red spring as mr awesome mentioned.

21ABB946-A7CA-4B25-B722-0F366730357E (resized).jpeg

Yes, most likely. Maybe an update to fix non-working achievements and add new Insider functionality will be added in the future.

I looked at that plastic on my machine this morning and the reason it's cut like that is to contour around the playfield glass trim at the back of the cabinet. When the playfield is in the machine, you don't even notice it.

ATTN STERN:

WHEN / IF you update the code for this game, will you please take the call-outs from (I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be) Captain Marvel when the ball drains? Why in the world would an Avenger taunt her own team when they lost an infinity stone? It's a small thing - but it's annoying as crap. Let Thanos and Whoopie Goldberg (oops I mean Ebony Maw or not sure which one of the Black Order sounds like her) and the rest of the villains do the taunting.

Oh, and can we get a voice with a deeper register for Capt America while we're at it?

Thanks

Would you prefer a group hug for your failures?

Loving this thread—I have a gameplay question.

Can anyone tell me for certain, how x scoring works with portal locks? Specifically, if I start a quest with 3x scoring, drain down to 1 ball, and then afterwards, start an iron man multi ball, does scoring go back up to 3x during the latter multi ball if the quest is still active?

No, if you drain down to one ball at any time you lose the multiplier. I also believe if you have a 2 ball multiball going from portal locks (either started as 2 ball or drained down to 2 balls) the multiplier goes down to 2. If you then start a Thor or Iron Man multiball, the scoring stays at 2X until down to one ball.

Agreed. The multiplier only goes down after starting the Gem Quest. Im not sure how the portal lights work on the Premium but on the Pro I wish the portal would light up with however many portal locks are still active in your MB. Or even just a small indicator on the LCD.

Right, the portal lock multiplier only ever goes down as you lose balls, it doesn't go up by adding them.

One of the info screens does tell you how many portal locks you have (but not how many are *lit* and not collected yet, which is sometimes a problem.)

On the Premium, you can just look at the locked balls. Although there are cases where the physical count doesn't match the rules count; if you have two portal locks, and get another multiball up to 5 balls (Iron Man or Black Order with both add-a-balls), the game has to put one of the portal-locked balls into play since there aren't any more in the trough.

Lol no I dont mind taunting - I am an incredibly competitive trash talker myself. But the taunts I'm referring to are all wrong. When I play, I like to feel it's "The Avengers" fighting as a team. That what it's supposed to be, right? Narratively speaking, I would think they'd want to play that up, not downplay it. So the callouts to an individual - BY ANOTHER AVENGER no less - are incongruent with the entire narrative of the game....

Each battle for an infinity stone is fought by a TEAM. So it's lost by a TEAM. Have you ever been on a team? I would hope that if the fate of the universe was on the line and me and my TEAM lost one of those battles, one of my teammates wouldn't say "Sucks to be you!". Like really? Sucks to be me? It's your universe too, isn't it? And have you ever read any comics? I have. I don't recall that being consistent with Carol Danvers persona. Anyway, if the taunts were from Thanos and the gang, it would feel more Rah Rah and not out of place.

But this is where Stern games break down, the artistic part. Like the hokie animation on their games. E.g. Where the Hulk graphic falls from the top of the screen, hits the ground, then in two jerky frames turns upright. Wow, impressive! Like the Jurassic Park animations - they're just embarrassing in this century. The shots, the flow, and the rules are great. Stern excels at these things. They spend money on that part. They don't spend money on animation and rendering. JJP excels at these things, just play Hobbit or POTC. If Stern could up the ante on the multimedia part / art, I'd pay more for their games. But like the animation, the callouts meet the "good enough" Stern standard so they're not aligned narratively. But whatever. I love the game, this just gets on my nerves...

Used to watch Avengers Assembled the cartoon with my daughter as she grew up. The link between the different avengers was tenuous at best. A lot of competing egos and differing agendas. This was shown in the Avengers films and particularly Civil War. I think they are a bit critical of each other and do bicker amongst themselves. I think that’s the vibe they’re going for. And I think it is meant to piss you off. I usually respond to “Sucks to be you” with a resounding “FU bitch!”. Also the voices from the game are very similar to the cartoons. One thing that would be awesome is to have the Avengers Assembled cartoon theme in it. Has a killer riff.

WTF, have you ever watched any Avengers....anything?

I've been watching the Avengers Assemble cartoon too since I got the pinball. They do fight among each other a lot. But it's not the same vibe as the taunts in the pinball. The difference is that in the cartoon, the insulted Avenger always fires back, but the pinball player doesn't get to retaliate, there's no way to get revenge on Carol for the taunt.

I agree, the Avengers really shouldn't be taunting the player - that's what the bad guys are for. The callouts for losing gems are enough, the Avengers don't need to add insults on top of that. The right tone would be a frustrated but ultimately sympathetic callout, like "better luck next time".

I tried doing some searching in the thread and am not finding much — is shots to the Black Panther orbit air balling over the second switch so the shot doesn’t credit a common thing with a known fix? Or do I need to break out the slow-mo cam?

So the Black Panther shot qualifies with #42 switch in the guide, Back Ramp Exit Opto (I believe thats the right one). Qualifies with 42 triggering after 62. At that point it shouldnt be flying over the opto. If flanks are consistent, then it would be that exit opto might need alignment, since that first switch is triggering consistently. If flank shots are also failing, then would try testing the triggers on the entry switch.

Screen Shot 2022-06-11 at 10.08.54 PM (resized).png

The opto in the back left on the ramp portion of the orbit? I don’t recall any posts or issues about balls jumping over it.

Oh, it’s jumping 58 - I guess I didn’t realize you had to make it past the pops onto the ramp to count as a ‘made’ black panther shot. Okay. Still have to figure out why I’m getting air balls a bunch though.

Search Spider soundmod. It’s linked in the forum under this game

58 should be the gauntlet ramp exit. But, by the time it reaches 42 it shouldn't be able to be able to be airbound at that point to skip it. I'd try the switch test and do cradled strong shots to see which of the two it's having troubles registering. It's unlikely that it's flying over the entry switch also.

Oh it’s not “is my switch working” - the ball is VERY airborne, jumping like a show collie. I was just wrongfully assuming that the switch is very clearly well above was the one needed to register the Black Panther shot. That’s my mistake.

Hey yetanother issue with my avengers premium. The black panther shot is not registering a count if the ball goes the whole way around. only registers if it drops rolls back in the middle. Anyone else have this issue and knows a fix?

If it registers every time it rolls back (i'm guessing when it hits that floor switch going into the bumpers?), wires might be crossed somewhere under the playfield? Try manually playing without the glass, and run the ball or something to trigger the two swtiches/sensors that activate the BP shot. And/or, run the switch test, and those two specific switches make sure they trigger "Right Orbit Enter" and "Back Ramp Exit Opto" in the labels.

Yeah if there’s isn’t quite enough power for it to make it over that ramp it rolls back hits the gate and then it counts a hit on the ramp. Once in a while it may count an actual go around the ramp but rarely

Weird...both full panther shots and flank attacks should count towards panther

It's normal code that for purposes of leveling up BP a shot that doesn't go all the way around and instead crosses the star rollover counts as a made shot to BP. Shots that go all the way around and shots that only go half way should both count for leveling up BP, so it's not likely a crossing of wires. If shots all the way around aren't registering while half shots are then I'd use switch test to check the opto in the back left of the playfield on the ramp that brings the ball back around.

Lol, great minds think alike... and even within a few seconds of each other