Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle
Spooky Pinball, 2017You can tell they worked on Alice Voice, sound like it is faster and pitch is different. Sound better. Makes Alice Voice higher. Heard lots more callous. Lots more light show. New castle enter animations.
For me looks like a good forward direction.
Magicchiz
@rubber ducks, just want to respond to your comments, which I assume are from the stream. I didn't find the audio cues to be off at all. Plus there are tons of amazing sounds and lights that the stream just didn't seem to capture that you get in reality. I had watched just about all footage of this game that was present before the show and nothing compared to standing in front of it. Not at all challenging your comments or opinions, just throwing out some encouragement and first person observations. Also, once you get the hang of it, the ball is really easy to control and trap in the upper playfield. Think of the castle playfield on WOZ, but with more shots available.
Quoted from rubberducks:In the footage from SDTM it still looks very early to me, though I suppose that should not be surprising if they're still working heavily on system code (or were until recently) as Charlie seemed to imply.
A lot of lit shots still don't result in any response from the game's display, audio or lights, or do but don't link up very well - it's pretty disjointed. Alice is now very talkative (that is a change), but I'm not sure that's a great thing given the at best mixed feedback on his voice work. Especially as some of the callouts are needlessly long winded - "You hit the skillshot" instead of "Skillshot!" - and therefore often tend to run in to each other. Timing or staging of audio effects, which do sound good, seem like they need a lot of work still.
What is there on the display looks great, but it doesn't seem like that much progress has been made.
Also seemed like a lot of good hits to lit shots during modes weren't getting any response from the game at times. So quite buggy.
First signs of the RGB GI and inserts are now in, but quite limited. They should completely change the look of the game once properly implemented - imagine TNA without all that.
Still seems like there's not really much outside of the main dungeon crawl (modes) and two multiballs.
All the players are still struggling to control the ball on the upper pf by the look of it. However the spinner issues and balls dribbling out of the secret passage seem to mostly be a thing of the past, which is a relief.
From what I'm seeing, it's quite similar to early BM'66 at the moment, in that it's going to take a while before we see where the game is headed. BM'66 was a clunkfest with mostly absent game code and media. BM'66 is still a bit clunky now, but does have excellent game code and media integration. It just took considerable time to get there. Hopefully that'll eventually be the case for Alice. If they're over the bulk of system code work now, I'd guess it'll still be another 3-6 months before we really get an idea of how good the game is likely to be.
I remain unworried as my spot is one of the latter machines, and this is somewhat expected, but it probably is a bit disappointing for the people with early spots who may have had different expectations.
As an owner, I disagree with your assessment. In the latest code update (that I have), when not in a mode, lit shots could be for combos, lighting the mystery scoop, changing the monsters or progressing towards getting the secret passage.
Callouts from Alice sound fine. He has some sarcasm and snideness to his tone. A lot more callouts have been added.
The RGB lighting is coming along quite well. The start of Frankenstein MB is very cool. The GIs have dedicated colors during Insects, Vampire, & Ethyl modes.
During the Zombie mode which is a roaming shot, missed shots causes all the lighting to turn red. Skil shots, combos and multiplier effects are all great, and of course the ball save strobing light and sound is badass.
All 9 monsters modes are there (hopefully finding items throughout the rooms to help defeat the monsters will be implemented soon).
There's Frankenstein Monster MB and Crypt MB. You can also have a 2-ball MB during any of the modes if you have a ball in the Crypt lock.
Upper pf requires some good nudging. You're either knocking down the drop target multiple times to get the ball lock, shooting back to the lower pf via the left ramp, going for the Vampire target, or the Guillotine shot. Sometimes you need to let the ball drain to the Crypt. There is an extra ball target on the upper pf that has not been implemented yet. A few of the modes already have victory laps shots after beating the monster, with more coming.
Comparing it to early Batman '66 is just not accurate. I've owned Batman since the start and have experienced all versions of the code. Noone that's about to receive their game should be concerned as you suggested.
Quoted from ZMeny:Hey, a new Alice Cooper pinball stream that you can hear and see well! SDTM Chuck Wurt & gang. Enjoy...
Easily the favorite machine I played at Pincinnati.
Have you also played Oktoberfest?
Quoted from colonel_caverne:Have you also played Oktoberfest?
I have and Greg and I are hoping to get our hands on one soon for a review as well
Quoted from ZMeny:I have and Greg and I are hoping to get our hands on one soon for a review as well
So you have preferred to play ACNC then Oktoberfest for now, correct?
The stream was great, thanks very much! The software is getting better each iteration. Very nice.
One weird thing though, why are there some scores ending in "1"? I'd think with a game scoring in millions the smallest shot value would be 10.
Maybe they are testing some match scenario?
Quoted from luvthatapex2:The stream was great, thanks very much! The software is getting better each iteration. Very nice.
One weird thing though, why are there some scores ending in "1"? I'd think with a game scoring in millions the smallest shot value would be 10.
Maybe they are testing some match scenario?
Number of monsters defeated a la TNA reactors?
Quoted from desertT1:I think using the ones digit as an indicator for a major milestone is brilliant. I expect that to be copied quite heavily.
Nice that this is being used...... again.
Wayne Neyens used dual scoring in the 50's, so a player went for single points or millions of points.
Quoted from Silkenone:Coming on very nicely, loving it. No magna-save though?
Okay - as soon as post that I see two of em! Cool
I just played it at Pincinnati show. Great game. Waiting to rate it until I can hear the audio, but sure I will be rating is very high. FYI, the game was sold to Crazy Martin's Arcade in Piqua Ohio.
Watched the SDTM video. Call outs have really improved, light show is coming along, and video is on point. I’m a late game. The code should be really mature by then, but looks really fun now. Every video, it gets better! Weird, but this is becoming a grail game for me. Such a cool, comic book look.
I hope everyone liked our gameplay video! We were lucky to have surprisingly great internet connection all weekend. This will be HUGE for bringing more new game content for years to come.
Thanks to again to Spooky for brining the game to Pincinnati, it was just so nice seeing and playing it. The callouts and music sounded great, the shots are tight, but makeable. I'm excited, if you can play this game, do so.
I agree with Crile1 and ZMeny wholeheartedly. Getting to play ACNC again for the first time since early August at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it was quite obvious how much progress Spooky as made. I noticed a lot of improvements and extra content. I too feel that it was the best game at the show.....and that’s not a diss at JJP POTC or American Pinball at all. They have great pins as well....but Alice Cooper kept pulling me back. Talking to Charlie for a little while was nice too. Watching other players play it while I waited in line gave me a chance to see all the new animations and I’m very impressed. Charlie and Kayte even hooked me up with a Translight that I was able to use to get autographed by the man himself. And none other than Alice Cooper said that ACNC is a load of fun and that it’s his favorite pin.....yeah. We might all be a bit biased.....
E1480F27-886C-4CDD-8B9B-064F52032899 (resized).jpegDC8EEBAC-18B6-4378-A2D2-ACCDC8522AAC (resized).jpeg4882A0E3-5E5A-447A-A132-FC3B7721EBD6 (resized).jpegBFBB2F7D-A124-4CAD-95B0-2380DEF5AEF8 (resized).jpegGlad to see new video. Something with the sound of Coopers voice and his call outs seem unnatural to me.
It’s like the sound and the voice does not flow smoothly with the game.
Lighting looks cool!
Charlie recently made comments the production of ACNC would really get going by February (8 weeks or so) once the TNA's are done.
Surprised no one has got really ansy and sold their spot.
If you listened to the most recent podcast. He mention following their Facebook for some travel detail that might have some cool info
Having been a TNA buyer, this time I have much less stress. I have played ACNC and I know it is everything I want. I'm not going to rush to sell off anything. I'm just going to relax and wait for my 2 week email. Much easier this go around knowing what to expect.
Quoted from lancestorm:Charlie recently made comments the production of ACNC would really get going by February (8 weeks or so) once the TNA's are done.
Surprised no one has got really ansy and sold their spot.
I did!
Quoted from pumba:I can afford to order 1 machine, what would you get acnc or tna
Tough choice. I have played a lot of TNA and it is a great game. I think ACNC has the potential to be better.
TNA is best when played with others. That is why I ended up trading mine. I love it, but it's best in community. ACNC is the best theme integration and experience I have seen in a long time. Really captures that old B/W style. It is tough, has depth, and lots of shots and strategy. Both are great games, but in my opinion, if you are like me and play solo the majority of the time, then go ACNC. And of course, try to play before you commit.
Quoted from Crile1:TNA is best when played with others.
I really like playing solo personally.
IN a group is fun, but I enjoy the challenge of man v machine to try and kill 9 reactors. I dont think I will ever make it but have done 5 as my best.
Eventually I will hit 6 and pretty sure 7 will come then (another EB at 6 I think).
Super fun in groups, but TNA is very much a solid 1-player IMHO.
Quoted from pumba:I can afford to order 1 machine, what would you get acnc or tna
Alice Cooper all day long. TNA is fun but there just isn't much to do after you play it a while. It does what it does well, but in a small collection it just doesn't have the lasting power IMO
Quoted from frankmac:I did!
I really wish you'd find another parade to constantly shit on.
Quoted from gliebig:Was thinking about picking up a TWD prem, but today, I'm thinking about picking up a spot in line for ACNC. I haven't played but a game or two on either. Hmmm....
Get TWD.
I was ready to until I watched a tutorial last night. Is it/rules intuitive as to what to shoot for? I kept watching, thinking, how does he know what to do? Seemed like you really have to study the game to know what to do? Maybe my brain was just fried at 1am? Does the game give you any helpful callouts?
Quoted from gliebig:I was ready to until I watched a tutorial last night. Is it/rules intuitive as to what to shoot for? I kept watching, thinking, how does he know what to do? Seemed like you really have to study the game to know what to do? Maybe my brain was just fried at 1am? Does the game give you any helpful callouts?
It's fairly easy to follow once you know the basics. Kill walkers, start prison, start well walker, knock down drops to start each mode that has a corresponding shot on the playfield, keep knocking down drops to start bloodbath, etc.
I'd get TWD now and pick up an ACNC later. They will start pumping out faster in a few months and we will start seeing them on the secondary market as more games get announced. You can likely pick up a HUO one or grab a spot from someone that needs to bail down the road.
I am seriously thinking of bailing on this game ! I am number 58 I believe . the wait is simply too long for my taste . at one time I was told august then before the holidays ! any clue on what number they are on now anyone ??
Quoted from rockfantasyman:I am seriously thinking of bailing on this game ! I am number 58 I believe . the wait is simply too long for my taste . at one time I was told august then before the holidays ! any clue on what number they are on now anyone ??
I wouldn’t bail this close to getting yours. Charlie mentioned production ramping soon since they were almost done with TNA. The code has come a long way in just a few weeks with a lot more coming.
Quoted from RebelGuitars:The code has come a long way in just a few weeks with a lot more coming.
But for people who haven't received their game yet, how would they know? Spooky aren't releasing patch notes, and I doubt all the patches are being published publicly anyway as the last one on their site is 6 weeks old.
It's very difficult to gauge direction or improvement without any patch notes ... but they only rarely seem to have added them to their site in the past. Scott did for TNA, of course, but house and contract games, not so much. Virtually all developers keep patch notes, as a quick reference guide so they can see how things have changed and where they're headed, and so they can publish them and customers and potential customers can do the same. If they aren't being kept, then that's a hole in the development process and should be amended.
Stern, JJP and American Pinball always publish full patch notes, and with good reason.
This game just keeps getting better and better, we just put in the latest code and it literally is a different game. I am confident that Chuck and the gang will get ACNC to epic status...oh and you can steal locked balls now 
Quoted from rockfantasyman:I am seriously thinking of bailing on this game ! I am number 58 I believe . the wait is simply too long for my taste . at one time I was told august then before the holidays ! any clue on what number they are on now anyone ??
See this quote from Charlie. If you want to bail that is on you, but I would have some faith.
Quoted from SpookyCharlie:Patience people... yes, we are behind on Alice while we tune up code, assembly, etc etc. We said 18 months to complete the whole run, and we're still on track for that.
We haven't been sitting around, we've been increasing production on TnA to clear them out as quick as possible. We'll be wrapping up all 550 of the initial run of TnA inside of 8 weeks, which means we will be building NOTHING but Alice the day those are finished.
We aren't stopping Alice for this, we are just trickling them out and polishing every damn thing we possibly can so we have the best game possible once they are out there. Still shipping some every week. Example, we TODAY finally got a code assist to protect the motors in the game so that even in the worst case situation, they will shut down and not hurt themselves. We've been on that particular hurdle for 3 years!
The game is getting more attention, code, sounds, effects, etc etc etc every day... it's getting play tested more than any game we've ever done... YOU'RE GOING TO GET A BETTER GAME FOR ALL THIS EFFORT!!!
We just cleared another Alice, and it's going in the car right now to take to Pincinnati tomorrow for the show (big thanks to the customer for letting us use his game!) Come see us, play the game, and say hello!
yeah we own a rock n roll store just getting very impatient I guess ! I will sit and wait for now if stern does anymore metal ones before this drops I will probably bail . just tired of customers asking how much longer it will take . hopefully it happens soon !
Charlie said they are wrapping up TNA production so that is another 7 weeks before ACNC gets the full production line, so you consider your game will come sometime in late February at the earliest.
Quoted from rockfantasyman:yeah we own a rock n roll store just getting very impatient I guess ! I will sit and wait for now if stern does anymore metal ones before this drops I will probably bail . just tired of customers asking how much longer it will take . hopefully it happens soon !
yeah thanks for the info . we have purchased two different versions of maiden Deadpool pro and we just bought a beatles , and will be buying the munsters just hoping I don't lose interest and funds by then ! lol
Quoted from rockfantasyman:yeah we own a rock n roll store just getting very impatient I guess ! I will sit and wait for now if stern does anymore metal ones before this drops I will probably bail . just tired of customers asking how much longer it will take . hopefully it happens soon !
Charlie explaned they did throttle back the production of ACNC to finish off the TNA run. But when they do go into full production on it more machines will be coming out at a faster pace. I understand the people with low production numbers being bummed, but keep in mind as they are finishing TNA they are continuing to work on and polish ACNC. So when you do receive your game, you will be getting a more complete pin that will be more fun to play right out of the box.
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