Just got back from Pintastic......another cool show again. I only wish there was some restriction on the free play room with regards to removing pins as soon as they are purchased. They should be there until a set time....say 10pm Saturday evening. Pins and damn good ones were being sold early Saturday and they were removed immediately.....kinda put a damper on the Free Play area and left some big spaces in there too!

Also in the vendor hall......some vendors packing up their pins around 5pm when the vendor hall is suppose to be open til 9pm. Would have been nice to get a few more hours on those pins.....Maybe it's time to get another distributor in there like Pinball Star Amusements or a distributor who can commit to keeping those pins there until the vendor hall closed.

Biggest Surprise - Total Nuclear Annihilation - WHAT A GREAT FRIGGIN PINBALL MACHINE! Now I finally got to see and experience what everyone else was raving about. It truly is a great pinball machine. I will be buying one!

Biggest Disappointment - Iron Maiden - You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger Iron Maiden fan than myself....but I am sure glad I didn't pre-order this one without playing it first! I know your all going to disagree with this one....and say code is early, etc, etc. I know this was formerly Archer. A pet project of someone sorta like TNA and Stern probably thought....hey if Spooky can do it.....we can do it too and just slap a license to it and sell even more! The layout of this machine completely STINKS! It feels like Stern just slapped this thing together, didn't bother to have their crack staff play test it or evaluate it for overall fun factor, threw an Iron Maiden license on it and said hey it's good enough. It's not good! It's not even average and the DMD animation is the worst I've ever seen for a Stern Pinball Machine or any pinball machine for that matter......very disappointed with this machine and you can tell it was a rush project! They better not FUCK up THE MUNSTERS like they did this one!

Other random thoughts.......
Houdini is just too damn tight with regards to shots....nice effort but too many bricked shots don't make for a fun machine. Already seeing them for sale used on the pinball market and it hasn't even hit the mainstream yet!
Guardians of the Galaxy is a really fun enjoyable pinball machine!
Wizard of Oz is finally starting to grow on me!
Pirates of the Caribbean is too sweet!

That rethemed space shuttle “moe” game was great.

I think there's a little more appreciation for the show in the other thread. Force flow did a great job of taking a ton of pictures of the show to give you a feel of how it was there.

The show is still relatively young as far as shows go, Gabe is always trying to please as many people as he can when it comes to everything about the show and tries to make it the best that it can be.

A 4 day show is a massive undertaking. Juggling vendors, FreePlay, special rooms, passes, Hotel & Catering, auction, special guests and seminars is a lot.

Complaints about games in free play is kind of a double-edged sword. Yes, a lot of people who are bringing the games to the shows are motivated by the prospect of selling them. When they don't sell, they may not be motivated to bring them to the next show.

Complaints about the quality of the game not being newer games is also tricky. Is a $25 admission per day worth it for most people to haul a multi thousand dollar game to a show where it's going to get literally hundreds of plays in a short amount of time on it and hours of cleaning once you get it home? Hats off to people like Eric who rented trailers, made multiple trips and spent a lot of time, energy and money bringing these games to the show. Yes he may sell some of them but there's also a very good chance that he's bringing some (if not all) home.

As far as games leaving early on Saturday, there is an early removal fee of $35. Ticket admission is $25. I assume that the CFTBL new owner paid that penalty. I had spoken to Gabe earlier about removing my games early on Saturday afternoon because I did not plan on staying for all four days, he agreed that he would rather have me remove them early on Saturday then pull them on Friday night after the 8 p.m. penalty free cut off time. Two nights in a hotel room was enough for me with a 4 hour drive.

There were a lot of nice games in the free play room, two Addams families, a re themed Lost in Space was really cool, No Good Gofers, Batman 66 LE, a really nice DE Star Trek and many others including a Cactus Canyon. How often do you see Cactus Canyon in freeplay at a show?

I understand why people would want the vendor area open longer. There were some very cool games in there and a lot of newer stuff. However those people are there working. It's always fun when you're a spectator but look at it from the other side. They're there 8 - 10 hours and we want them there 14. The real shame in that is that it didn't seem like many people were spending money. As much as it discourages a person with a game in freeplay that doesn't sell that they have to bring home it also discourages vendors if the show isn't worth while for them either. Makes them not want to show up the following year.

Thanks to everyone who had a hand in putting together this show! I know you guys worked really hard! I also know that Gabe and his staff always evaluates after and how to make it better for the following year and I'm sure constructive criticism will be listened to.

It doesn't work for everyone, and may end up being a deterrent for people who bring/buy/sell games.

Some people just want to remove the game so nothing happens to it. 400-1000 plays on a single weekend can really put a game through its paces.

Or, some people just want to get home and don't want to stay all night or overnight, which is perfectly understandable.

Some games left, and a few new ones were added.

This show has probably been the most innovative for trying to come up with incentives to keep games on the floor.

Go to any show, and a certain number of games will leave for various reasons as the show inches closer to the end. That's just the nature of shows like this.

If you want to avoid that, try to come to the show earlier and/or help support the show by bringing a game.

Glad you liked it

Was that yours? Awesome job.

This is one of the more interesting dilemmas, especially given that many will ask us to raise the early-removal penalty to give a stronger expression of discouragement. Saturday is the day when we really need a lot of games, and we (and the players) appreciate having yours for six extra hours. People who see you removing them mid-afternoon on Saturday don't like the sight, but the officially-stated incentives would have you removing them earlier (Friday night). I'm sure we'll talk it over in post-show reviews.

Definitely! We have a massive compilation of feedback each year, and we address dozens of issues. I'm the maintainer of that compilation, and I can say that we have a list for this year with a few new issues already, but we're shrinking the backlog rapidly. You can PM me suggestions. I know we'll be looking at that Thank-You drawing for game-bringers, which is an important positive incentive to leave games through to Saturday night. We also have an incentive to leave games through to Sunday closing time (4:00 PM), and we'll see how that works out.
.................David Marston

We have a lot of discussions of pricing, and specifically what the 1-day options ought to be. Notice, for example, that the daily wristbands have different prices depending on how much is being offered that day. I think that we'll probably have a new badge system next year that will support more pricing flexibility, and we can kick around some ideas for the wristbands, too. There are limits to how much complexity we can introduce in one year, and sometimes we find opportunities to simplify. For example, this year's Bonus Point system streamlines a bunch of overlapping incentives from past years. Rest assured that we will continue to review the pricing alternatives.
.................David Marston

This machine is just amazing. So glad I finally got to put some time on it and also play multi-player with people I didn't even know. This machine brings people of all backgrounds together and suddenly we all become new friends. Such a great experience!
Now I can order with no hesitation.
-Mike

Don't always agree with James but he couldn't be more right. Keith Elwin is a master pinball player and took years to create the ultimate game that balances players/non-players needs. He took everything he likes about pinball and threw it into one single game with a BoM that Stern hasn't seen in a long time. It's got excellent pace, a unique layout and it's easy to figure out for a novice but challenging for a pro going for a high score. The art it excellent and the display is very well integrated into the game. I really don't like the music but it fits in well with the machine and overall tone. I find it bewildering that an actual fan of the band isn't doing cartwheels about this game. Seriously, if it's the worst, have you even played Rolling Stones, Austin Powers or Striker Extreme?

I thought the amount of games still there was great. Better than any show that I've attended. The vendor that left Saturday afternoon was lame though

Was a great show

I started this up for reviews and comments.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/2018-pintastic-post-reviews-and-comments

-Mike

This was my first pintastic and I had a blast. Everything and anything pinball. Thanks to everyone who organized this and volunteered throughout the entire show. I was able to bring my rollergames for freeplay. Which I did end up selling Friday morning but the new owner kept it on the floor at least for a very good portion of Saturday. I ended up buying another game and due to family constraints with a holiday weekend, had to leave by late morning Saturday with it. I did pay an early removal fee of $35 which I had no issue with paying due to the fact that I did have to leave early. All in all as far as I'm concerned it was a great experience.

I saw this but it would not start when I was there. It was around 10:00 AM Friday and I did not want to reboot someone else's game. Looked great, you did the inserts and a complete job. I think you did the sound also but I could not tell with all of the noise if it was coming from the game.

My friend Jon said "who changed a perfectly good Space Shuttle?". I reminded him of the condition of most Space Shuttles.

Yep. For 1990's, it sure was. =)

The only games that were considered for ribbons were those that were available for ALL to play so Freeplay room and Vendor Hall was our scope of game consideration.

Yep. For 1990's, Stargate was the best of the 1990's in Freeplay and Vendor hall. There were 2 others titles that were close that made it hard to choose just one. =)

We had 8 other categories as well so 9 best in show ribbons were given out.
ANTIQUE (PRE 60'S)
60'S
70'S EM
70'S SS
EARLY 80'S
LATE 80'S
90'S
2000'S (2000 - 2009)
CUSTOM

Again, the only games that were considered for ribbons were those that were available for ALL to play so Freeplay room and Vendor Hall was our scope of game consideration.

Regarding the removal of pins before Saturday...this is somewhat of a pickle. If I bought a machine on Fri (the only day I've gone for the last 3 years) I'd want to:
A) Bring it home with me THAT day
B) Keep it turned off or removed from the free play room at time of purchase

However, I certainly understand that this is somewhat unfair for people who came to the event to see & play the pins.
The only solution I'd offer, and it may not be the best, is to have some pins ''in reserve'' so that if, say, I bought the "Stargate" that was on the free play floor, it'd get moved out and supplanted with another pin. Chances are it won't be another 'Stargate' but something simply to fill the space.
I don't know...there are a lot of logistic problems regarding this. I'm just happy that I don't go on a Sunday...the free play room must look barren by then...

Who decided that? How many people were in this committee deciding which machines were the best? That Black Knight 2000 you have best on show was off for most of it. When it was working the upper flipper didn't work.

Gabe stated all locations we're to be considered for best in show. I supported the show and placed pins in every room. Sad that my efforts weren't considered worthy by you.

The absolute Monopoly that one person has on judging Best in Show games 4 pintastic is almost sickening. Bundy had games there that blew away games which were given blue ribbons. All Games should have been considered and I will recommend to Gabe that we go to some sort of electronic voting system. Put the power in the people's hands

I'd suggest creating a standard form to make available to a small group of people who have a good amount of experience with pins--players, restorers, whomever--just as long as they have been exposed to a lot of titles. That way, there is a guided scoring method judges can use that can just be tallied up, and then the pin with the highest score for the given category wins.

Unfortunately, a lot of people either only own or have only played a small handful of popular pins (rather than dozens or hundreds of titles), so they might otherwise ignore rarer or lesser titles that are still worthy of a ribbon. So, it could turn into a popularity contest, rather than based on the merits of each individual game.

I wonder what scoring method was used this year?

Even in a dark room, Eric's Getaway was mesmerizing.
Also, so many of the 60s machines were incredible and looked brand new. Just overall great work! Would help if the judging was a little more transparent or offered finalist awards for each category, they're only ribbons! Any incredible machine from the 90's or earlier should get something. Maybe even some best Mods awards! Ironman awards for games that last until 4pm Sunday with no issues? I don't know, reward people.

Bundy's Getaway was like nothing I've ever seen before. It for sure was a Getaway re-imagined. Really cool but because it was in the dark lounge, maybe it didn't get the exposure and therefore the props that it deserved. Thanks for bringing it Eric...gorgeous game.

Anyone have pics of Eric's hs2? Never saw it Friday as it was in ebl. I'm curious how good it looks now.

Wow really complaint about a blue ribbon. I did not see Bundy give his raffle prize back in protest.

I didnt get any pics but it was a blast to play and gorgeous.

Apparently the judge only had a one day pass like me. LOL

Yeah...seriously...why was there a flipping car horn being randomly honked all around the Freeplay hall why I was trying to play? It was funny the first time but got old real quick.

Any pics? I’m itching to see this thing. Behind a velvet rope?

I never even got to see it. I brought a game and had a free play pass so I was denied access by the "guards" at the door. I didn't enjoy not being able to upgrade that pass without losing the benefit of bringing a game and buying a super duper pass.

Rest assured, the jersey idiots will be bringing those horns to every future show so get used to that

Highlights for my family and me:

1) Balloon clown and face painting.
2) Gomez seminar, history of Mr Gomez's career.
3) Autograph session. John, Paul, George but no Ringo. Balcer et al.
4) Playing Monster Bash. Awesome game.
5) Playing Houdini. Tough shots but some cool tricks, ball in the theater and flippers get weird. Ball lock thrown in trunk was cool.
6) Playing RBION. Surpised at this game. It's highly likeable.
7) Most players were cognizant of waiting line I thought. One of the Houdinis had a live cast maybe that one got hogged a little by some pinball clubbers but there were 2 machines so that helped a little.

Somehow I missed Cactus Canyon, have regrets about that.

Great job.

Definitely something IMHO that needs to be looked at the EBL lounge should be available to anyone who brings a game at anytime. I spoke with a VENDOR who wasn't allowed in there because their pass didn't cover it! I would have liked to have seen the Getaway and I couldn't get near it after 10pm when I was allowed in. I think the Super duper pass was a bust. It looked like it never sold out and there were only 100 of them. That should be a perk for those that bring games for ANY amount of days. 4 days in the Summer is a LOT of time to commit to going to a pinball show.

I had a blast at pintastic. I had the limited edition pass and was shocked that vendors couldnt get in. As someone who struggles in crowded venues and has a medical condition that causes me to overheat quickly it was nice to have a room in which I could escape because I wasnt staying at the hotel. I think maybe if you brought a game you could get in at like 6. I'm not sure if that's the best solution but it was worth the extra money to have an escape

It got pretty confusing keeping track of what perks you were entitled to and which ones you weren't. Add to that the point system for bringing games, all the hours to keep track of, access this, Premium and LE pass that, by the end of the show my head was spinning. All of it needs to be simplified, really. Was there a physical program this year? Those made it easier to keep track of all the goings-ons, especially the seminars.

I thought the online game list was a neat idea, it made it easy to see what games would be there and if they were for sale or not. Defaulitng the registered games to Not For Sale caused for some confusion though. Next year, I'd suggest simply making it a mandatory selection when you register. Force the user to actively answer "For Sale?" Yes or No during registration. If yes, different options for pricing in addition to the text box for Price. Maybe add a "Make Offer" or "...Firm" or "...Or Best Offer". My game defaulted to Not For Sale because the text box on the website didn't support non-numerical text.

-Doug

Another great show. I brought 4 games, sold the 2 I really wanted to for a fair price. I was able to get enough cash for a Maiden, so I'm pretty pumped.

1. I heard some people complaining about the $25 price tag and comparing it to Pinfest. Totally different show. Stop being a cheap ass.
2. I'm a little disappointed that after bringing 4 games, there is a room I wasn't able to access until late at night. I would have paid a few bucks to upgrade my pass.
3. The hotel is a dump. The AC hardly worked in my room and the food at the bar is awful.
4. Save your money on the party with free food. It must cost a fortune and the food isn't that great. I'd put the resources somewhere else.
5. I think either Sunday or Thursday has to go. Setting up and tearing down games around a crowd is a nightmare. Maybe you could rope off a game exit lane or something?
6. It would have been nice to have a few schedule posters.
7. Volunteers were fantastic. I plugged something in wrong on the power supply board putting my Hot Hand together and cooked 3 fuses. I hate working on games in crowds. If it wasn't for Tony D I probably would have put the game back in the trailer.
8. Seminars were great as usual.

See you all next year!

Did anyone record Gomez’s talk? Haven’t seen it posted to watch.

Howdy ya’ll. I appreciate all the feed back from the show. A survey will be available in the next few days.

Things you may not have seen:

- Premium Machines were being brought to the Extra Ball Lounge after 9PM (when the vendor hall closed) POTC, GOTG & Iron Maiden for example. TOM was moved to the vendor hall and replaced with a Houdini.

- Anyone who had a badge had access to the EBL after 10pm. (vendor, free play & Premium)
Staff prepared the game logistics for to EBL approximately at 9pm.

- our game bringer software is proprietary and developed in-house. This was its first official launch. We will be making adjustments as we learn the bugs and issues and what works well.

- we’re always looking for volunteers year round for every aspect of the show. We were light on volunteers this year and hired hotel security to fill some gaps.

- we’ve always reduced the admission after 6PM Fri & Sat.
(At the door only) to make it affordable for everyone. This was posted on our Facebook.

- when machine abuse was brought to our attention or seen firsthand it was promptly addressed as per our code of conduct.

- volunteers and staff went above and beyond to address every need of all vendors & guests and make certain every child in attendance was happy and entertained. I.E. giving away merchandise and newly implemented items for children such as Mystery grab bags, coloring pages & crayons, posters, stickers etc.

- staff keeps notes throughout the show of any and all input from vendors and guests and uses this for future improvements.

- the box office had an information window that contained several handouts and schedules for the entire expo.(separate stacks of handouts for: seminars, General schedule, auction info, tournament info, about the expo)

- The LE Pass did sell out and was protected as it is what 100 guests paid for. Special/celebrity guests also had 24HR access. Media/press was granted private tours.

- vendors had a more relaxed private dinner on Friday night.

- Hotel issues aside, ( I wish this was the Hilton too!) the location is pretty casual. Where else can you stay, roam freely with a drink, and game until 2AM? Besides your home game room of course

paste from other thread

i bring games every year and i always try to bring something people don't get to play to often - rocky a few years ago - but that didn't work because nobody could figure out how to put it on free play - this year i only brought 5 - but i brought a nice BTTF as i figured people don't see that too often, i also brought my clear coated superman - but that didn't work out as the gi lights quit and you really couldn't appreciate it next to gabe's great games.

that was my error as i thought people might be able to hear the sounds better in the vip room or whatever it was called. i also brought a favorite em called cowpoke - which broke right away - but the great guy who had games next to it fixed it and it played all weekend - i was there all day friday and cowpoke was always being played.

i also brought black knight 2000 - so i think that is 4 pretty good games for free play. then i brought a power play that wasn't so nice because it was at the door in my basement and easy to get to. for some reason nobody set it up at first - but saturday night when i went to pick up the games it was played the whole time. people still enjoy games like that. remember the show is for beginners also.

anyway i thought it was great in the vendor room to try all the new games - i am glad there were so many people wanting to play them as that means there are a lot of people there and the show people are making good money and it will be back next year.

anyway that is my 2 cents worth. thanks ed

Great job as always Ed supporting the show! good talking with you for a bit as well.

That was so not clear. It definetly made bringing a game SUCK when you break your back to make the show and yet are not allowed in there. BTW I was told no after 10pm by the 12 year old with the walkie talkie. The staff had no idea as well.

I would have told you no as well

We were short on volunteers and I had my 15 yo son watch the door. We had a brief delay on 10PM entry on day because he lost track of time. Hence why I gave him a radio. A small group of guests approached me and it was quickly corrected.