Don't think this has been posted as it only showed up a few hours ago.

Nick Castle and Halloween.

There he is, the legend, the one and only, the Director of Mr. Wrong folks!

Anyone know, and my apologies if I just missed this, does Spooky do a real knocker or that digital screech?

Thanks,
Jeff

Real knocker on BS and CE.

You could buy a separate knocker kit with past Spooky games. With their new 3 tiered model, I think the knocker kit is included with CE and BSE trims, but I might be wrong.

This and the fact that UM has got to be an easier theme to fit into "traditional" pinball, not to mention it has a lot more diverse assets.

I'm not dogging HWN, or even saying it may not eventually be the more compelling final product, but a slow-paced movie, with frankly not a ton going on, HAS to be harder to work with than a frenetic monster battle theme.

Everything about UM seems to fit more naturally into pinball: high-paced action, different monsters to battle, upbeat music, etc. Everything about HWN is the opposite, which makes it a compelling concept, but requires more out-of-the-box thinking from Spooky.

I was immediately interested in both themes since I grew up on both properties. I figured I'd hedge my bet (shrubbery pun not intended) by going in on both games. I already have EHOH and plan on getting Stern Godzilla, so for theme diversity, I *want* to prefer HWN. I really love how campy UM is, but I'm not sure that I need 3 different B-movie themed pins. However, after the first stream, I thought UM looked far more fun.

I'm in the low 100s for both games, so my HWN should show up a couple of months before UM. So, unless I see some deal-breaker stuff, I'll likely take possession of HWN and play it at least until my UM arrives and then make a decision.

Wow Charlie, Nick Castle played your tribute game???What an awesome life you are living! Very cool

I agree with the overall sentiment that it's stupid to turn this into another dick waving thing, but this is just not historically correct.

Just look at Family Guy vs. Shrek. One is substantially more desirable than the other. Thank god that neither of these games compared to the other is the turd of art and sound that Shrek is to Family Guy. They look to be at different completion of code and integration of assets, but that's about all anyone can say at this point.

Not sure who he is, but I'm guessing he isn't into pinball. Nor did he match, 2x..

Nick Castle played Michael Myers (the shape) in Halloween.

Yup, egg on the face sorta. I just looked him up..

Thanks for replying before I could edit or delete

My .02 on what I've seen so far:

Basically, I think HWN looks incredible. Fresh layout, tons of shots, lots of atmosphere, inlane lifters work great, etc...Obviously, it's early code and when everything gets put in there I think it's going to be a great overall experience.

I'm pumped they have the video assets they need and the full soundtrack. I really liked the original music I heard as well.

I wish the sanitarium playfield had a VUK or ramp up to the house playfield, but all the playfields looks fun to shoot, and add nice variety to the gameplay.

That's the one thing I envisioned, climbing level to level, progressing.

CE 920 here.

Same. I know lots of people are saying that. And spooky mentioned possibly "another way coming" to get to the top floor. Fingers crossed!

Halloween will catch up! Ultraman has very relaxed guidelines and we are able to add sounds, display elements, clips, etc at will. Halloween has a very involved staff that like to have input and see all elements before they are added. A full professional approval process. We will be on these games for a long time to come we have just barely started! Much of the initial few months goes to making all the features work. Then when all modes and functions are in we start to add the text, music, sounds, light shows, flashers, effects etc. On this game it also has to be done for 2 separate games so it adds a ton of time. We are building a team to get farther ahead on these things in the future. Getting better every day! Wish you guys could see how far we have come in the shop from a tiny incubator unit with 2 workers just 7 years ago.

Thanks Luke, appreciate all you guys do and just like R&M I'm know this will be a very desirable title with a lot of killing fun factor in the time to come ( sounds sick I know).

Well stated!
I am sure there are all kinds of hoops to jump thru.
Keep going team Spooky we are all rooting for you!

Halloween will catch up! Ultraman has very relaxed guidelines and we are able to add sounds, display elements, clips, etc at will. Halloween has a very involved staff that like to have input and see all elements before they are added. A full approval process. We will be on these games for a long time to come we have just barely started! Much of the initial few months goes to making all the features work. Then when all modes and functions are in we start to add the text, music, sounds, light shows, flashers, effects etc. On this game it also has to be done for 2 separate games so it adds a ton of time. We are building a team to get farther ahead on these things in the future. Getting better every day! Wish you guys could see how far we have come in the shop from a tiny incubator unit with 2 workers just 7 years ago.

Why this ALWAYS happens is just mind blowing.....can truly appreciate why manufacturers hesitate to put anything out here.....

Regarding UM vs HWN - Flippers are already testing the waters with the latter (some already with success...the usual suspects "oh, I accidentaly ordered 2 as the sight crashed...here, take 1 for a 1k profit").

I used to watch UM as a kid, but had zero interest in owning it as a game theme. Suspect I'm not alone. The lower #'s produced will push many to pumping this game over the other simply to create a potential larger flip margin. Happy for those that dig the theme, but you're not really hearing them bash HWN either.

Guess nothing keeps the threads going like negativity...time to go play the pins...a day closer to having my HWNCE in the house.....

Not sure how I deleted my first post but I put it back!

How you all considered contracting Scott Danesi to do a professional mix of the Halloween sounds and music. Bc I know I'm not speaking for everyone but I know he could absolutely make this game a amazing soundtrack with his style of music mixing. Just my .02 . #512 Halloween ce and cant wait too get it

Watching the podcast and reading your posts really shows the passion you have for this very, very big theme. I have zero doubt you will hit it out of the park!!!

Thank you for entertaining the good, bad and ugly that comes from these threads.......

I agree they are way to much. Especially with the high pitched house song. We are looking at it for sure. Cary made alot of great points and we watch all this stuff. Bug couldn't wait to get in to make adjustments for you guys today. Throwing away your whole purchase on a great game that has awesome gameplay and tons of content over a couple of sound effects that will be removed and a song that gets a little annoying that we could easily change is a little wild though.

At the end, it's all going to be good. Seriously, after ACNC and then R&M does anybody expect Spooky to fail on HWN, the pin that could really put them on the map. Nope!

Who is Nick Castle?

Thank you!

Never mind. Googled him. Played Mike Myers in 1978 movie. Got it.

Well I didn’t like Bug’s hair. I’m out.

.

THAT is funny!!!! (I might have to reconsider as well)...

If I had to make a short list of key things I wanted to see in a HWN pin, I'd say Spooky has already checked every box and more. And they've just scratched the surface! You can tell how passionate these guys are. Halloween is a piece of American cinematic history. And ALWAYS will be. UM? Well....ummmm...hmmm I have no doubt these guys will do this title justice. Even if HWN and UM were nothing but blinking boxes of lights and nothing else, I'd take HWN in my home every damn time. Either way I'm just so happy that Spooky is making both pins. We all win!

Must have theme for me. I grew up on horror movies and Halloween was my favorite - and one that scared the absolute piss out of me. Ordered my CE with butter cab today! Now the wait

Really? That would be awesome if you could get there from the Sanitarium level.

Thanks for the feedback looking forward to see what you all can do with these titles!

Well hopefully not too much is changed from a music perspective. You have folks putting the game down who obviously don't understand Halloween. Kaneda does a great job reporting rumors but the kid doesn't know anything about horror. He's completely lost (although he admits the same - I think he even referred to Michael as "Mike Myers"). And Cary complaining about the amazing music that is so iconic in the movie is another sign of a complete miss. That is the music that builds tension, which he rightfully predicted as the response to his complaint. You are in Michaels house so get ready - s**t is about to go down! I like that music there as you flail to keep your ball alive on the top upper. Perfect.

Campy dumb humor is not the only winning formula in pinball. I applaud you guys for trying something new. Yes the high hat sound that plays in two chords needs to be reduced but let's not cut too deep. You will continue to get the best feedback right here in this thread.

A "very involved staff" with a "professional approval process" - say no more.

Are you able to use any of the music from 2018 version to add a little variety? I thought Carpenter did a really good job sort of re-mixing the original soundtrack and adding in new stuff.

I would actually want to keep it all off the original. To me, there’s no other music better suited. With all of the music plus original stuff composed for the game, it should be enough. They still have lots more to add.

SpookyLuke has spoken, as I thought nothing to worry about

I agree with a lot of this statement. While there are some Halloween aspects that I saw that are worrying to me, Luke and others and spoken up and I do believe those things will be resolved in time.

With regards to the music. I think that the way Spooky is using music in HWN so far has been top notch. You want it to be slow and build tension at the beginning. In later modes and parts of the game you want it fast paced, repetitive, and grating (somewhat) to nudge you on and drive you nuts. Reminds me of background music/noise in early Bally/Williams SS games. Mild noise at the beginning that increases tempo and intensity as you get further along. That used to drive me nuts and heighten tension. I think the music of HWN is accomplishing something similar.

I doubt this will happen, it seems like it would take a lot of reengineering to add a ramp or a vuk this late in the design process.

This. All of this. So much this. Nailed it. If you do not understand Halloween, or do not want it to BE Halloween and do Halloween things, then get an Ultraman.

As a huge Halloween fan, I am loving everything I see so far, and I have faith in Bug and the crew to nail it. And if I just wasn't into the theme and the atmosphere around it, I would definitely be interested in Ultraman. Same interesting layout, but polar opposite in theme, atmosphere, and "feel". It doesn't surprise me that many seem more drawn to UM at this stage. It's lighter, more colorful, and "friendly". Halloween isn't supposed to be those things...it is supposed to be dark, atmospheric, oppressive even. That's what the movie is...that's what the machine should be.

Agreed. I would be very surprised to see it happen.

I'm glad you and others are, but I (as a Halloween fan as well) am not loving everything I see so far. HOWEVER, I fully realize how early it is and have not passed judgement. I'm just not as optimistic as I was when I heard about the theme. I'm encouraged to hear Luke admit that HWN is behind UM because of licensing delays. This means more positive changes could/should be coming.

As someone who also grew up with UM, I'm loving how this title is progressing. I went into this banking on HWN, but staying open to UM. After my first impression I'm more banking on UM, but keeping myself open to HWN. I'll be in a real pickle if both turn out to be amazing, so I'm closet-rooting for one or the other to go in a direction I don't like, so my decision is easier.

And this is kinda why I'm not vibing with HWN yet. I agree it should feel like these things, but to me, it doesn't. There are a ton of pinball things that don't translate over a stream...obviously. And one of the least transferable things is atmosphere. But between the weird floating cut-out illustrations (like the waving-hand and bobbing head), the really orange playfield, the bright flashy lights, and some other things I can't put my finger on - I'm concerned that this game is currently stuck in the middle of trying to be brooding and atmospheric, but not exactly getting there.

Compare the lighting (color and intensity) of Alien to HWN. I don't think playing Alien is that fun, but the game does set the tone with music and lights. At this point, HWN feels more Trick-or-Treat than Michael is about to murder you. This can still change and I hope it does! Just voicing my "too early to have an opinion" opinion.

Oh, it would be amazing if this happened. Before they explained things, I imagined the idea of needing to access upper 1 to get to upper 2, and how cool it would be if there was a hurry-up on upper 2 and you had to speed through each playfield from the bottom to get to the shot you need.

That said, when Spooky made the recent comment, I assume this had to do with qualifying playfields versus re-engineering access from 1 to 2. I would welcome being wrong!

Totally get where you are coming from. Had I grown up watching UM or if I were more familiar with that theme, I am guessing I would be more drawn to that one right now too. Hell, I'm drawn to it and I have literally never seen an episode. It makes me want to watch the show for sure.

I am still a little leery of the HWN lighting myself, but I am staying cautiously optimistic and putting my faith in Bug and the Spooky crew. And worst case scenario, I'm sure there will be ways to mod it. I have a feeling it is going to be pretty awesome though. Stranger Things is one of my favorite games right now, and the atmosphere it builds is one of the big reasons for that. I am confident Spooky can match that level of immersion and atmosphere, and if they do, I will be a VERY happy camper. (and now I want a Sleepaway Camp pin...LOL...ohhhhhh I'm a Happy Camper...I love the summer sun... )

As for the animations, I really like some of them, but understand the dislike of some of them as well. My guess, and purely a guess, is ones like the car one everyone hates could be a placeholder. There are very similar scenes in the movie, which possibly once approval is granted will be put into the game in place of the animation. I'm sure there will be places that the animations will stay in either because of lack of rights, or lack of a scene which works just right for the mode. I'm ok with that. I like the motion comic/graphic novel style (I'm one of the few that love the AIQ animations), so I do not mind most of them staying. I'm sure there is some tweaking to be done either way. Not going to judge too much at this point. There is tons more to come.

Some of us like both themes just fine, despite only having the money to buy one game or the other. I think it's bonkers how different these games feel already, atmospherically, with the same layout.

Exactly that. Honestly, if I was picking a game for a tournament between the two, I'd pick Halloween easy choice. Let's get some extra pressure and tension provided by the game going.

I took it the same way. Like future added modes will have more chances to open up the 2nd playfield.

Exactly! I'm like dude I want Halloween! I love the movie since I was a little kid, and I prefer the music being...well Halloween music etc. I mean I get things can get repetitive but I mean when I play Stranger Things or say Dirty Harry. Yeah it's the same music when I press start. Anyway it's all opinion but they are keeping this legit to the theme....Goooood

Hm, that's an interesting take. It didn't really occur to me that's what they could've been going for. Usually fast action in stuff like that isn't really parsed out to quick moving frames like that (at least in my experience) so it kind of eluded me. But now that you mention it........yeah. If that's what they're going for in the animation style, then that car scene makes a lot more sense if it isn't a placeholder. It may have just seemed out of place without seeing more stuff like that in the game. I need to go back and re-watch that half of the stream again.

Yeah, that would be nice. It would be a shame if you only see that upper most playfield during Jirahs/House Attack. I'm sure they will come up with some cool uses for it. I always think I could design pinball rules well, but I surely can't code them lol. Would be cool if one mode made you go up top, hit something specific, the purposefully drop to 2nd level, qualify something there, then purposefully drop again and finish a sequence on the main level.