This is what is under the glass when you receive your American Pinball Oktoberfest machine. You must physically take the glass off to remove this 11X17" sheet of paper!

I guess we could use zero length levelers..

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That side ramp shot and boomerang ramp are the two things holding me back... they remind me of the tin can shot on Houdini. So frustratingly hard to hit it becomes unfun.

adamross
I would initially agree with this however, the more you play the easier they get. It took me a lot of play to finally figure out the sweet spots. Beer Barrel often being done only when magnab is available. The corkscrew ramp hasn't been a problem. The U-turn shot is a pita sometimes.

Give it some more playtime, the game is a blast when you get the shots worked out.

I kind of like the Houdini shots but only after putting in a TON of time on the game.... and they still can be frustrating.

But yea. They are a little hard to hit but its not taking away from how much fun I'm having (so far lol).

Appreciate the insight. Fortunately there’s one on location not too far from me so I’ll have some time on it this weekend.

For me the beer barrel is easier without the magnab. The ball doesnt have enough momentum otherwise. This game is perfect in every way except the beer barrel. Its just too hard for any average player,I barely get it after playing for 2 weeks on mine. I have set the barrel to keep balls like the wonkavater. That way it gets some use. It really is a site when the barrel is tapped! Tons of fun. I cant imagine anyone locking 3 in a single game. I wish the corkscrew coaster got more use as well but Im still figuring out tents etc. That is easier to hit but not had it go off much for such a big feature in the game. I guess challenging stuff like this is why I bought it to keep me entertained at home for years but for friends and average players it can be confusing and frustrating.

Yup, your post is nicely summarized in that box in the bottom right corner...I see it now. Thx.

welp. looks like a transistor and subsequently the board it was on went out on the game i’ve been playing on location. something with the beer barrel lock. new board on the way but it sucks seeing people eyeing the game and wondering why it is off. hopefully not an issue that affects others.

Picked up an Oktoberfest at SFGE. Got to meet and talk with Josh Kugler as well.

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This version is better!!! Using sausage and tossing rings as an innuendo can be used/abused as much as possible and will never loose family friendliness imo... kids will hear sausage and ring tossing as just that, but adults will have a giggle!!

Personally I think the more risky the innuendo the more fun the game will be... within reason!... use them all and get more!! It will make this game shine to have an array of innuendos! The problem with Scared Stiff, for example, is that the innuendos were limited in number, so they became a groan-fest for me... but this game is crying out for a stack of innuendos!! The humour in this can put it on a par with MM IMO, and quite easily beyond!!! For me, humour is a massive factor in a pinball!! A variety of accents would also help, as per the MM damsels for example... I would love to hear those 200 callouts, there is sooooo much scope for fun here!!!

Obviously the callouts can be grouped into different categories which can be selected by the user, which I guess is your plan... all I'd say is if you think any callouts are too risky even for the non-family Setting, put them in another category (extra non-family) and let the owner decide... f-bombs or any swearing would kill the game imo... keep if purely on the innuendo field, which I'm sure is your intention... or just plain funny... things like "please don't lie on the table sir, people are trying to dance there", all said with a strong female German accent of course. The inventive and imaginative use of funny innuendos and other humour would elevate this already awesome game to another level! Very interested in this pin...

Hallooo! Why don't you come into my tent and taste my lovely pretzels!?

P.s. sorry for posting here as a non-owner, but I am a serious potential owner, so I guess that lets me poke my head into a tent.

At one point did talk about having multiple 'categories' or 'levels, but hard enough at times to decide if a voice call is family friendly or not, having three, four or five categories would be impossible. Even with just that one dividing line it can be hard to get consensus. Our recent 'game' of 'family friendly or not family friendly' during our seminar at SFGE had only 2 or 3 out of the 12 where it was unanimous as far as which side of the line it belonged.

There is no swearing, does not fit the theme, and there are very few themes that should require it to get humor into the game.

Josh -

I don't understand what the big deal is. Just offer a squeaky clean "family friendly" version and an "adults only" version with edgy humor. No need for anything more and owners/operators can simply choose between one or the other.

As a prospective buyer, and home collector without little kids, I'm looking for a game with mature humor callouts to match the already adult theme. Anything less (ala Stern's Deadpool) is not going to entice me to add this game to my private gameroom.

This is exactly what we're doing. "Family Friendly" is the default setting, but owners/operators can turn this setting off if they want the spicier A/V.

Excellent!

Well, I do want the family friendly version to have some humor, so “squeaky clean” is not quite the goal, but when in doubt it will be tagged “adult”

Not sure if this helps, but the Family Friendly litmus test for me is whether or not a callout would be embarrassing when playing the game with my daughters. It's not an exact science, that's for sure.

"Inga will be happy to hold your sausage while you toss some rings" has to be family friendly however... Sure, it has a hint of innuendo if not a bit more, but kids won't get it anyway... so it can't be offensive... can it?

There's nothing vulgar in the new shout outs. Sure, there is some innuendo there but kids won't know that. For example Inga will say "Are you ready to Bump with Inga?" when you start the bumper cars.

She also says "Does it hurt to lose a ball?" at various times. Whenever you are in the Fud tent she may say "Even Inga can't fit all of that in her mouth!"

If you don't like those you can disable them by putting the machine in family friendly mode.

Personally I think the shout outs are funny but to each his own.

Excellent stuff!! The more of this the better... mix it with some non-innuendo stuff as well of course... you don't want to turn Oktoberfest into a groan-fest But making this game have some great humour puts the game on another level IMO!! I'm sure that's a big reason why MM is so loved!

Picked my game up at pintastic. Was fortunate to have Joe Balcer sign my machine he even helped me load it.
Have been loving playing it ever since.

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Glad you had a chance to meet Joe!
Outside of being one of the best designers working in the industry today he is a great guy that has an incredible passion for what he does and goes the extra mile for the customers/fans of our games.

Thats cool! I wanted to have that done at the Oktoberfest in the factory but it was cheaper to have it shipped. I want to have the side blades signed by the team someday.
I like the new call outs for adults. I guess I was thinking more Ruff and Risque stuff. Its still pretty tame. Inuendos that you hear from movies like toy story.

Has anyone noticed how great the quality is on AAP. After playing Oktoberfest for several weeks I went and played some Sterns at the arcade. They felt really cheap and the pop bumpers seemed like tin? I never noticed this in all the years playing until after owning this game.

I haven't done a scientific study, but I think PROC based games (including Oktoberfest and Houdini) have the best feeling, most responsive coils amongst modern pins. As good or better than 90's Williams/Bally pins (which is something I never thought I would say). What do others think?

What do people who've played this game a while think to the location of the magna-grab buttons (or whatever they're called)? I played a Munsters recently and I found the lower playfield buttons were somehow interfering with my fingers when I was using the normal flippers, so much so that it was becoming painful to play... does anyone have a similar issue with these magnet grabber buttons?

I have not had any issues with the magna grab buttons at all. My wife didn't even know they were there and she still can't seem to get the hang of using them.

the button feels a little close for my tastes and i’ve definitely mis-triggered it a few times. and of course i forget to use it when i actually should be. i think it probably gets in the way for people who flip with their index fingers vs those that use their middle fingers. but nothing game breaking or anything

Not a problem. And, the magnet actions are crazy fun. This game has so many great features.

I think that's the problem with me... I use my index finger, so I find that where my middle finger would normally rest on the cab, on games where a 2nd button is close to the main flipper button, and below it, then I find I'm straining my middle finger to lift it away from this 2nd button... basically there's nowhere to rest my middle finger... I never had this issue with Black Knight for example... the buttons could always be re-positioned I guess, but it would mess up the side-rails... I could only play Munsters for about 20 mins before I felt some serious strain.

Another option would be to reverse the switches so that the lower buttons are the flipper buttons... does anyone know if this would be easy? If they are opto switches mounted on a board I guess hacking the wiring would do the trick... but bridging the index finger over the upper button would probably be just as bad as elevating the middle finger I guess... 3rd option is to switch style and use the middle fingers

Just curious for some of you new Oktoberfest owners... what serial number do you have? Curious to how it’s selling. The Podcasters seem to think it’s not selling well.

What is the correct degree on the playfield?

I think mine is 152,got it 4 weeks ago. You will probably never know like Houdini. There is only 1 podcaster thinking its not selling well but I dont care because its awesome and no one is complaining. I think some people are holding there breath till Oktober to see about elvira and in the mood for beer and kraut. Its not going anywhere. I was holding off because I wasnt impressed with the sound and animation back in March but its great now. Just in time for Oktoberfest!

All the feet wound up with no space. No degree or else you wont make the ramps

Are there two versions of the backglass? I know about the one where the monkey is reaching up to try and get some sausage, where the more imaginatively minded think he's putting his hands on ladies asses... but I also thought I saw somewhere a version where the monkey is gone... I'm thinking of ordering this game, and I want the monkey version if there's an option...

There is only one backglass.

I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on this... it's not been an easy decision with so many great titles out there at the moment, but this game does seem to have the biggest fun/humour element, which I personslly think is very important in a pinball... re options, I think the inner side decals are standard, correct? And shaker motor, is this available as an option? Do people think the invisiglass is beneficial in a properly lit room? I.e. is it primarily for stopping reflections from poorly positioned room lighting, or is there a benefit in stopping reflections from the game display itself? One final question to all owners, if there was one thing you would change on this game, what would it be?

Dankeschön, meine damen und Herren!

Topper and art-blades are included
Shaker motor, Knocker kit and magic glass are add ons, all really add to the game IMHO

Thanks for this! I'm in... I just pulled the trigger!

Great decision. You will be glad you did. I equipped mine the same way.

When you get it send me pics
As far as I know that will be our first Oktoberfest in the Czech Republic!

I feel privileged to be the 'probable' first importer of this game to this country, and I'll send a pic... It will actually be here in about 3 weeks...

It was an in-stock 'stock' game, so I didn't have the option to add extras... I'm guessing I can order these as add-ons from AP?

You can order them from the American Pinball website or I am sure your local distributor can help you out as well.
Though I would STRONGLY recommend buying magic glass from someone local, shipping a sheet of glass intercontinental is a risky and expensive task.

Hey owners!
For all interested we're having a contest for Oktoberfest swag on our Facebook page
Go check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/americanpinball/

Check it out. You can win some cool stuff.

LTG : )

I would recommend buying pinstadium because it acts as invisiglass and the playfield is not lit very well. That wuld be my one complaint as well. All fixed by one device and it is easier to ship than glass. Prost! This game actually captures the feel and sound of the theme more than all the other titles releasing. Except for Nightmare Castle they have all let me down one after another.

I agree, pinstadiums are a must and the knocker.

I heard my first combo call out,”Picard maneuver well done”keep up the great work

Nah. Wait, really? Now I need to hit the left orbit followed by the barrel ramp over and over to find out if this is true