Alien (Ellen Ripley Version)
Pinball Brothers, 2023
Alien (Limited Version)
Pinball Brothers, 2021
Alien (Standard)
Pinball Brothers, 2020You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider dts.
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Quoted from Dee-Bow:Does it? Which way..good or bad!? I can't be disappointed while I look at that picture..no matter which way you answer! Nice pins dude!
Funny, the original cabinet is one of the reasons I’m not selling and getting a remake. It is fantastic.
835B8F08-15E4-41BC-AF87-707657BB2EB1 (resized).jpeg06A64846-9F58-491B-B752-AF5564B065A4 (resized).jpegQuoted from delt31:well - I've been playing this game for about a week (dedicated) and I can confidently say that Pinball Brothers did it. We have a new more refined alien pinball machine for a fantastic price. For those that don't like to tinker at all with your machines however, be prepared to be frustrated upon unboxing. From my experience, I had multiple "issues" when I unboxed which I was able to resolve myself but I must state that they were there, and many others have experienced them too (NIB owners). Good news is that thus far, it was an initial group of challenges that were minor, no doubt and I have been playing trouble free since then.
See my impressions below. I've owned 3 OG aliens before and played this game a ton so I know what to expect. This game is still my absolute favorite and PB's updates makes it even better.
-Love that new backbox. Great art and the lighting is very nice. High quality for sure. Chrome trim is also very nice. Still not a huge fan of the silver around the cab itself but that's what powder is for. Art on the cab is nice too - not low quality at all.
- The game is def brighter. everywhere. Insert lights, by the flippers, Much brighter than OG however it's still dark and keeps that great vibe.
- Playfield quality is very nice. OG had a great PF too and it was nice to see this one come high quality too.
- The sound on OG was incredible and I'm happy to report it's equally represented here as well however you NEED an external sub. Big time diff when I added that.
- Flipper strength is good, however my OG felt stronger (even too strong). Not sure the flipper strength adjustments work well though on the current code. They should look into that
- Pop bumpers are much more effective than my OGs. They pop like old school williams. Huge upgrade from my experience. Also the open egg pop bumper works on this version
- LOVE the new magnet on the top right along with the additional scoop entrance (which leads to additional strategy when shooting) and the hard lock. These are all great additions.
- Playfield speed/feel is very good. OG was very good as well - feels just like it.
- Beacons (or lack there of) is a bummer. Very cool on OG and really needs to be figured out on how to hook up. Mine are ready! Also no side art is a bummer too but I'm sure those will be coming (and lit as well).
- Stand up targets feel great and appear to be more durable than OG.
- The screen on the head is very nice. Bigger than stern but not as big as JJP. Any smaller, it would have been bad but the current size is fine. The lack of PF screen was actually better than I thought too. It made me look at the main screen since it was no longer a redundant screen (ala OG). During alien mb it actually made me feel much more pressured b/c I had to occasionally look up to see the screen vs always having that in front of me. This led to having the feeling where in the movie they had to look at the actual bugs on the radar screen and then shoot just like I'm now doing in the pinball game (looking at the screen on the head unit and then back down to make my shots). Very cool.
- Absolutely hate the lockdown bar this game has. Prob the worse one I've ever used.
- I believe there is some new game over music too. Music on this pin in general is some of the best, if not the best in pinball.
- Underneath the playfield is absolutely stunning and streamlined. Great job PB.
- I've said this many times before, but nicest ramps in pinball ever. Gorgeous in person.
- Mylar your scoop and shooter asap!
- Apron is better than before - just needs something on the left side. I'm thinking a sticker or something along those lines.
- Material used on the sling shot bugs is stronger and more durable. I could tell by touching them. OG they would break apart. Nice to see that update made here.
- Xeno tongue works well however upon startup, the tongue comes out much slower and grinds. Doesn't happen during normal play though. OG it would boot up and act the same (as in normal gameplay).
Some fixes I applied to mine:
1) Both scoop and saucer needed to be adjusted. I ended up using some velcro tape and added it to both. The left saucer now kicks out very smooth to top left flipper where before it was a mess - didnt line up at all. The scoop was shooting too far to the left but the velcro trick helped resolve that as well. I just applied a piece underneath the scoop on the left side and its better. For the saucer I applied it against the left rail. See pics below. You can't see either from the players perspective.
2) Xeno had an error when I initially started up. I ended up resolving by going into the test menu and running calibration
3) Left flipper wire broke off - didn't work. Had to solder that back.
4) Ball trough - mine would get jammed (coil release would stick up) restricting the next ball from being released. I greased it a little and no more issues.
5) Turn around ramp - I had to bend mine down a little otherwise I was getting a ball stuck in there.
For this price in this insane market, this game is a steal. Will I sell mine for the collectors when that is released - hell yes. But that's b/c this game is my fav and I now know PB is not joking around. Happy to have alien back and happy to see many others will be able to enjoy this unbelievable game. Whether it's the OG (which is a great experience as well) or PBs, this game need to be experienced by the community. It's one of the best.
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Great review, thanks for doing that!
If anyone is on the fence, I’d suggest not worrying about differences between the remakes and originals. This is an epic game, get one! LV looks great to me. Transparent OLED for an extra screen mod is coming, or add one to the apron if desired.
Quoted from brado426:WTH? What does any of that have to do with the fact that they never said they were supporting the old Heighway Robbery version? If you're saying that they may have said it to one or two people in private and you think they may support it based on that, give me a break!!!! That is totally irrelvant.
They said at the reveal there would be parts for OG owners, updated I/O boards among them. The owner of PB, Roger, sold me his own OG and said he would do what he could to help. Fortunately, that hasn’t been needed. The hassle factor is worth owning Alien, OG or remake.
Have any of you Alien remake guys done a split screen from the backbox to under the glass? Seems like it wouldn't be crazy difficult to mirror somewhere. I sold my original and am considering trying out the remake, seems like one of the best values in pinball right now.
My LV shipped yesterday, excited to have the remake. I loved the original but always worried about parts, maintenance, etc. It will be fun to be in the Alien universe and not think about it. And with some new features to try, the intended magnet for the right upper flipper, hypersleep lock, and best of all Ripley! Went with this over Stranger Things, such a great game. Is there any video of the topper in action?
Alien LV-364 up and running. It was an adjustment after owning an original for 3 years, but I’m really enjoying it. After dialing it in and putting in more time, this is a great game! Only issue is the proximity sensor for the left outlane 2 is inconsistent, so I need to get the board flush to the wood. Some shots are smoother, sound is just about the same, love the shaker, and that staging magnet for the hypersleep ramp is really cool. Also, can’t wait for Ripley. Has anyone done a split screen for the apron or other location? There is a 14 pin connector from the itx board to the main monitor, but oddly hdmi for the smaller screen to the motherboard. Concerned I might fry the itx board with a resistance error if I split the molex connector into two. The evolution mods apron really adds to this game as well.
IMG_5140 (resized).jpegIMG_5128 (resized).jpegQuoted from beelzeboob:Sorry to hear it but REALLY glad to know you're having the left outlane 2 inconsistencies...and it's not just me. I've been back and forth with Shawn about it, but I have to play with it some more to see if it's a connector issue or what. Also...I LOVE the apron--but I wish the acid holes glowed a little more green. It's so subtle you can barely see it, even in my dark basement.
The board is not completely flush with the wood at left outlane 2, so the proximity sensor works better when pushing the board up. But I don't want to place a screw in the wood to hold the board closer, so maybe another pcb will work better. If not, then reseating the entire board may work, as I bet the screws are a bit tight and pushing the board out slightly. I think you can punch some holes in the styrofoam on the apron to get that green effect!
I finally got around to looking at the connections to the main display and it is connected to the ITX board with a 30-pin LVDS cable. I can find splitters for the 30 pin connector, but need to dig around for small LVDS screens with the same connection. Has anyone here done this yet?
Quoted from Robertbucs:Hello, what would you do and expect if your new $11k pin arrived in this condition? The monitor was faulty, cabinet wood crushed in areas, cabinet decal peeling, orange rust on the slide rails, under the lockbar corners crushed, main board fuse holder detached, “Tip and Tell” on box crushed and the pin could not be played. See photos.
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Based on the box condition and crushed tip and tell, that would be a return to sender at the time of delivery. If not immediately rejected, the next step would be to unbox with shipper present to inspect for damage. However, the condition is so bad that I think the distro should replace the unit completely regardless of shipping. Rust suggests that it must have sat in a humid environment for an extended period.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I really want to love this game! But I am not having the same experience as you. It's just 'brick--> DRAIN!' every time I touch a flipper button. Would love to fix that. My game is like the antidote to flow.
That's strange. Mine screams with a little wax, and is not at all a brick and drainfest. I do set my games up at maximal incline, maybe there is a sweet spot.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I'm all ears. I'm not trying to dump on the game, but it is absolutely a frustrating nightmare to play. Next to my EHOH, Godzilla, Final Resistance, it is really a challenge not to smash the glass sometimes!
Sounds like something is off. It should feel smooth and be satisfying to shoot. I love how it flows compared to other wide bodies.
Quoted from MegaFeenix:So honestly how do people feel about maintaining this game? Are replacement parts easy enough to come by? Do you have to get some things from PB themselves and is that a problem if your in North America?
One reason I sold my Heighway version was to have an actively supported version of Alien. On my LV, there was a proximity sensor that didn’t always detect the ball in the left outlane 2. Shawn shipped a new board immediately. No other issues, it has been excellent. Later runs usually have the bugs worked out, so Ripley should be good.
Quoted from Kabball:My LV has this issue atm on the left outlane - seems if the balls falls through too quickly it won't pick it up. same goes for the one next to it the ball can quickly fall through a little high kinda skipping the sensor
Try reseating the board, if the sensor is closer to the ball it should detect it. In my case, I didn’t want to place a screw on the edge of the board to push it closer, and the new board proximity sensor is perfect.
Quoted from KING-HENRY:I get the black screen on the pf screen now. My old code was bulletproof. I’m sure they’ll fix this, and I needed the new video assets!
New code is working on mine, maybe try another download?
Best deal in pinball. Such a great game, packed and $8k. The side art is the same as the LV and may provide some options to illuminate, potentially with EL paper underneath rather than the LED approach on the bottom of the LV games.
Placed the original beacons on my LV, and the lighting effects of a rotating beacon are much more dramatic and fun than the led version. This style is available on eBay and relatively cheap, but only in 12V options, so I bought a couple of buck converters on Amazon and placed the output voltage as low as possible. At higher voltages the auto fuse in the controller turns off the beacons for a short time, but with the step down converter it works well. I should qualify that a more ideal solution would be a separate 12V power supply, but I had trouble figuring out a good way to switch the beacons on with a trigger from the existing power source and trigger, which are linked.
IMG_5748 (resized).jpegI’m experimenting with running a screen under the glass, and like being able to see everything better, especially Ambush Multiball. The position over the left ramps seems best to keep from blocking anything. Thanks Damon Damonator for pointing me in the right direction to split screens! I started with a flimsy small oled but am loving a 7 inch LCD instead. Things look higher resolution and colors appear more saturated on the smaller screen, similar to my experience with the original.
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IMG_5829 (resized).jpegQuoted from brado426:No matter where that little screen is placed, it looks terrible. The playfield just isn't designed for it.
This may be nuts and an awful idea, but has anyone thought of using a cheap projector hanging above the game projecting the image down on the playfield. If a person really wanted a second screen on the playfield, it really needs to be integrated with the playfield and not a new device obstructing the view of other stuff. Maybe cover up the playfield area you want to project to with some dark screen material and adjust the picture to fit accordingly.
Maybe it’s just my bad wide angle pics, looks great in person. I was kicking around the idea of a flexible OLED under a playfield protector but that was getting too complex. A projector wouldn’t work.
IMG_5835 (resized).jpegQuoted from Rdoyle1978:Samsung and LG just released 100% transparent OLED displays. It’s not going to be long before we can hover a display OVER the playfield like the P3
I agree, eventually that may be a solution. Also looked at the backboard like 86Pixels did for Tron but too far away to be helpful.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:What about mounting it on the apron like we used to do with WoZ?
Good idea. I’m trying to figure out the least obnoxious way to get the Ambush information in the game. This seems to work on the back but the apron will be next round.
IMG_5849 (resized).jpegQuoted from Coyohtay:Do you remember the jumper settings you used on the capture board? I have been trying to direct capture the screen for a while now.
Yes, you need to short Gnd and S1 as in this picture.
IMG_5853 (resized).jpegQuoted from Damonator:My journey was a lot of trial and error so I didn't take pics or keep track of steps. I know the correct LVDS splitter to buy is the V20 version on this page:
https://geekworm.com/products/lvds-to-hdmi-adapter-board-converter-with-lvds-cable
Maybe dts can chime in with steps or pics.
That’s the board, and this is how the connections look inside, with the short at ground and S1 for lower resolution incoming signal, hdmi to hdmi mini depending on the display chosen.
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Quoted from Coyohtay:You don't happen to have a pic of the connector plugged into the computer? I hooked up everything just like that on a couple tries in the past. I wonder if my two different capture cards just didn't like something with the signal? Going to try just hooking up a spare monitor next to see if it pics up the signal
I don't have a picture, but it should look like the existing connection that you have to the main LCD, but with the spare cable, I believe red wires left on the game board. If you don't see the signal pass through the board to the existing monitor, it is either the adapter board or the cables, perhaps reseat them. If you do have the signal through the board to the game's main LCD, but not your mirror screen display, check to see if the short pin is at default dual 8 and move it to single 8 at Ground and S1 for lower resolution signal coming in. The game display is set to 800 x 480, unfortunately. The resolution switch on the adapter board has to accept the signal source at the lower resolution to pass through to the mirrored LCD. And of course check your HDMI cable as well to the split screen. One of the things that is annoying on the game is the screen resolution is set so low, so the smaller screen certainly looks much better due to the compression. I'm baffled why they didn't copy the original and put it in the playfield. It worked great on mine, no chipping etc. But with this mod, I'm happy.
Quoted from Coyohtay:I have 3 of those, tried them all. Any monitor I have around doesn't see a signal with any of them. I tried using an HDMI splitter box too. Even switching OBS to different resolutions doesn't see anything. This baffles me
Did you short the resolution switch on the board to single 8?
Quoted from WolfManCat:Had this game on location for a few months and all I can say is compared to the original (which I own) this thing is all around built like garbage. Been patching this thing since I unboxed it. I got a repair log a mile long.
So glad to hear all the great stories about PB's excellent service but my experience has been nothing but excellent. Thier trash made-to-fail controller board is halfway fried and I have been working with thier lame tech support since Dec 4 without any resolution.
Real shame considering its one of my favorite layouts and themes. Just thoroughly pissed off and wanted to vent about Pinball Fuckheads and there chintzy reproduction. Probably a great game for home use, but a royal pain in the ass on location.
I’ve heard the original is problematic on location as well, but also loved it at home. Both great in different ways.
Quoted from cookpins:Tracker would be 100% easier to see there. Also every other mode status tracking..why isn’t the APC count or the egg count shown on it?
How hard would it be for that display to just mirror what’s shown to track the status in each mode. (graphic wise, not video assets).
I keep experimenting with a mirror screen and love the placement over the ramps. It doesn’t block anything important and is such an easy way to see what is going on in the modes, without taking my attention away from the playfield. I feel this is as close as possible to the original intent with the playfield screen, especially for ambush multiball. At the apron location, you have to look down and away from the playfield, and in the back it is too far away to be helpful. PB could easily offer this as an aftermarket mod with some Lior treatment.
IMG_5973 (resized).jpegQuoted from cookpins:A mirror screen is a workaround I suppose, but I think the airlock screen is in a good spot and could be programmed to be more functional. What size screen are you using? I think a smaller one would look better.
The screen is a 7 inch LCD 1920 x 1080, link below. Amazon was appealing since I could return it, so a little more expensive perhaps than from China directly. I started with an OLED 5.5 inch screen from China, but that was very exposed and fragile. I was kicking around using flexible OLED at 1mm thick under a playfield protector but think the technology needs to advance more to get away with the various limitations. There are other sizes, but I wanted one close to the 8 inch screen in the playfield of the original. I have to credit Damonator , who walked me through what to do. It is a great mod, don't let my crappy pic deter you!
Quoted from brado426:That mini beacon/flasher kit looks awesome!
Already ordered... apparently, they ship next week.
I wonder if it is possible to swap out the dome beacons for small rotating beacons such as these on Ebay. There are nicer ones from a German RC company but expensive.
IMG_5975 (resized).jpegQuoted from imagamejunky:Appreciate the response
My LV built in November 2022 has been nearly perfect out of box. The left outline #2 had a proximity sensor that didn’t always pick up the ball going by, maybe 50/50, they sent a new board, and that’s it. No adjustments other than the usual leveling. This is in contrast to the original LE, which I was constantly tweaking. Sounds like they have worked out the early build bugs. One of my favorite games.
Quoted from cookpins:Are you going to drill holes and screw yours down? Debating if I do that or just use some non-damaging 3M type of adhesive strip.
Adhesive discs hold my beacons in place really well. I replaced the originals with analog spinning beacons and incandescent bulbs.
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