The full name of this pin is Scooby Doo and the Curse of the Dark Universe.

*throws voice* If you don't like Scrappy you aren't a true fan!

*waits for chaos to ensue*

The real decision comes the day of and how many ppl want it. Then you need to decide if you are going to order from distro or Spooky directly. I don't know how Halloween/ULT went, but R&M was crazy.

I'm still on the fence for this game. I realized it would fit well with the themes I have, but still not sold that I want the theme bad enough to order without playing first. Will reserve judgement until after the actual reveal.

and a hideout for Scooby/Shaggy.

I just want to know how they are going to mechanize the mask removals! :p

The apron locks is interesting. Has that been done before?

I feel like they may have missed an opportunity to use a multiball lock as a scooby snack build/dispenser.

I disagree on this. People like to say this but what it really means is you are used to what Stern does, and you do not adapt well (or give enough effort) for games with different types of geometry or shoot a bit harder because the shots are tighter. With enough time into a game you can learn how to play them so that they are not clunky. R&M is NOT clunky. It is smooth - once the rail fixes are done. I can agree that they may have needed to work on putting a game together because many did not play well out of the box, but nothing was done (fixed) that was different, they just didn't follow the graphics close enough to round the orbits as they should have been. The design was there, but the assembly line did not follow them apparently. I've played earlier Spooky games that are not clunky either (can't speak to HWN/ULT).

I say it often around here but Sterns are very much samey feeling. I think this is why people praise it so much, they are familiar with little variation in the way that makes you feel like you can't pat yourself on the back for not sucking. Some keep saying Godzilla is so different, but it really isn't. Every manufacturer has a feel, it's always been this way. Some are better than others, some are quirky, some people like some, not others, etc. It's no different now.

I don't like that aspect really. I'm too old to be someones beta tester when dropping 10k on something. This is one of the worst things about pinball in my opinion.
New fleshed out features or gameplay? Sure, but working out bugs and waiting on game crashing bugs to be worked out? Not so much. These aren't 50 video games, and it's already bad enough there. It's not an overstatement to say that pinball machines are mostly released way before the code is ready and it has gotten worse over time.

The 'we can use our money how we want' is a copout to the point I was making. This is a product. You aren't on the testing team. You may enjoy it, so be it, but that isn't a good business model. Do you buy other high dollar items and hope to get to troubleshoot them? Maybe they need to sort the business model to only sell to routes to work out kinks, and then to home buyers. I don't know, but waiting a year or more for the code to get worked out is just a crap of a way to run a business, no matter what the business is.

I know the next statements are along the lines of 'don't buy' and 'you have other games to choose from', but that doesn't improve the situation. These are valid complaints. Clearly some people care more than others, and I've already shown, I tolerate it too but it doesn't mean it doesn't bother me.

I think you may have said it better than me. Rather than use a cargument, I'll go with TV's. I spent $7k on a TV. If it blacked out/rebooted/etc every hour or so, I'd be furious and sending it back. I think asking for better QA and code that is further along at release for pinball is a rather small thing to ask for. (note that these are not really aimed at Spooky, but in general). The only company I've been 100% happy with is CGC, but I'm sure some people even had issues with them.

It's not a shabby number. My guess on this is that because you can pick a character, and have all 5 happening in a game, that all 5 voices have a set of the same callouts for things in the game that each player hear. Additionally there may be group callouts, I would assume many shaggy/scooby shenanigan callouts as well.

If they had an actual conversation/argument that might be funny too.

I think it goes beyond flipping. Keep in mind that with the higher prices came a mindset for many that they could buy a game, play it for a month or two, then sell it recouping the cost or more and move on to the next game. With HWN/ULT that really didn't happen because the code is so far from finished. Additionally, well, I get the impression that game is an aquired taste and not for everyone.

That is not how it went down. Distros were sitting on both for multiple days (I think ULT was over a week before they all sold). R&M didn't sell out as quick as stated either. People were saying once Spooky ran out on their website it was sold out, which was not true.

I mean, it's great that they did, but the numbers thrown around are misleading.

So the question everyone should ask is just "when can we see gameplay?"

More like a half truth!

I mean you said 1750 sold in 4 hours. So..you do the math.

I mean...I didn't think so until you said it.... Kevin Smith's Scooby group in Jay and Silent Bob strike back was the best live version ever made and it was only on screen for a few minutes.

I'm still trying to figure out at what point Velma became a sex symbol.

yes, you can see it in some of hte promo shots. That bookshelf sits on top/around the back of an actual flipper.

They had the same limitations more or less when revealing R&M. Tight timelines of getting signoff/approval and trying to show the game. Licenses...I hate em.

One of the things I called out (all just guesses at this time) is that because it is 5 player, and each player can be a different character from the show, I think each character has the same string of callouts. Meaning -- each one yells "Jackpot!" depending on who the player is, etc. Rather than a specific character calling out a specific thing in every game. I am sure there ARE such things, as well as group stuff, and of course shaggy/scooby characteristic callouts (being scared, etc). But I think the majority of callouts will be identical based on what character you are (in their voice and style of phrasing). Just a guess though.

So does each character have different scoring characteristics then? (choosing one over another has an impact?)

you are correct.

I wanted to do this with R&M bill slot. Put an LCD with animation in there that looked like looking in the battery world and if you shook the game they'd start screaming/yelling/running around freaked out.

Ultimately my dreams always far outshine my abilities

threat broke?

Yes, this is unfortunate with Alien, although I haven't had any lock ups with it for months. It really does shine in the home environment though.

The underplayfield looks quite similar to how PB Alien is.

That's a theme you could take over the world with.

It's like eating all your scooby snacks, when you're only half baked

oddly I would be down for this. I love both.

or you know....wait until those things are actually shown. *zoinks!*

In case no ones figured it out yet, if you don't like business practices, throwing money at them anyway doesn't give them any incentive to change those practices.

I haven't played HWN but man GotG is sooooo not fun.

Uh don't go overboard. I love my R&M, but it had a lot of work to do to get it to play like it was supposed to. Very little issues with Alien, and I have a much earlier Alien than R&M.

One thing about Spooky games is they are inconsistent in build quality, it's not exactly a secret.

Well that's interesting and new as far as I know, but...ultimately, not sure it will matter.

I disagree about the cabinet art..it is literally the van...you guys crack me up. How many of you fawn over the sides for years? Most of you(us) put them in a lineup and rarely see them outside of unboxing or moving them around.

Give me $500-1000 off and give me a flat black painted cab and boom.

but..it's not priced above? might just be a hoax ad...since they haven't even went up for sale yet.

I got 10 near the front. You all can have first cracks at them on Ebay!

Think of it this way guys. They can't sell out if they can't sell them You got plenty of time.

"I'd have gotten CE #1 if it wasn't for that meddling Spooky web site!!"

I mean..they know this is going to happen. I can't help but think the 'we only do this every 18 months' is the real reason this keeps happening.

This game has over 2x as many as R&M. With the current state of things, even if it is a hit, it is unlikely it is going to dramatically increase in value like R&M did. Most likely it will easily be available on the second hand market. Just like every new game.

I would say code on R&M is very deep, but not in the conventional way. It does have the more modern multipliers, and 10 actual modes, but where it shines and makes it completely original and deeper than most is the dimensions (of which there are...50 ish?) the combination of these stacked on top of multiballs and modes can make each play very unique. and you can go through multiple dimensions while in a single mode.

No that's not how it works. Buying from Spooky would not get it to you any sooner really. You're talking differences of 50. (they may have tweaked it some I dunno)

It won't matter, there will be many games up for sale long before they are done building them, just like every release.

He time warped to 1970.

1969 games, not sold out yet, but sounds like it sold well so far, maybe 80%?

is this a running gag?

While the R&M code I think went along smoother than HWN, something similar came out during the wait there too which was a surprise. The person coding only had the whitewood or early proto to test on, which seemed kind of odd as it was clear there was something working differently in some peoples games than others. Maybe this is normal in pinball?

To be fair....1.0 as the number really doesn't mean anything.

They mentioned that scooby and shaggy scare easy...so I'm thinking that who you select as your player impacts scoring multipliers and other things.

When I was little living in Texas I remember going to a Hanna Barbera Land and they had this thing where you acted out all this stuff in a green screen and put you in a scooby episode.

You could make it do double duty. It is intended to light up behind it, but you could have the flickering bulb toward the player (essentially two bulbs). The cosmetic side toward player, useful side pointed where it needs to be

So we're at phase 4 now?

Spooky doesn't do a certain number of each. They do what is ordered for a total of 1969. (at least, that is how they have always done it).

Remember that the game #'s are in order by distro depending on who you bought from that person have something in the 1800's doesn't really mean anything concrete. What this ends up being though is that someone could have a high number who ordered early, but someone ordering later from someone else could have a much lower number.

The distros having a 'set number' of each is..mostly cosmetic. I'm really not even sure why they allot them that way.

I'm behind...time to start taking out high interest loans.

That's because 10+ years ago they costs hundreds of dollars - if you were paying thousands it was considered rare. The prices now make you have to actually pick and choose and consider longevity and if it will drop in price considerably by the time you are done with it. Or if you want the hassle of getting a game you might not like and then having to deal with selling it. It's not pokemon cards. That's not even mentioning that you could actually play the games before having to put a deposit on them. There may be a lot of pinball locations recently, but even then you may not see a specific game in the wild to try it.

The only reason I pre ordered R&M was because I figured I would never get to play it. I just lucked out that it ended up being good and I liked it.

Seriously, the prices are the issue with the hobby now. It's not 'fun' it's stressful. It's no longer a tinkerer's hobby (exclusively). It's a rich persons hobby.

True, but you got to play them first (most of the time). Space has always been a limiting factor moreso than money. Actually, and the other limiting factor was i if they worked or not and if parts were available. Now...I'd say money is a higher limiting factor for many more than any other reason in general.

Haha yeah. I think living in the boonies has helped me keep my collection in check.

Interestingly the Youtube comments have been pretty positive.

I think the part of this hobby that is the most questionable is what does a distro actually do in the digital transaction age? I've done both direct and through distros, and in both situations I dealt with the manufacturers not the distros when something was needed. We don't like to make car comparisons, but in most products that are not cars, you get replacements if your purchase is broken or a lemon. That isn't the case with pinball. What I've heard is that distros can help with getting issues resolved, but I don't necessarily think that is the case these days. The customers have little leverage anymore because the companies keep selling out. This also means the distros have little leverage because they don't actually 'need' your business, they have others lined up waiting and they aren't sitting on stock for months for almost anything.

I'm sure there are scenarios where they shine, don't get me wrong, I just think that their involvement is more heavily around operators than home owners and I'm not sure the transition to service to the homeowner is as apparent as it is to operators because business has changed over the decades, and unless you are one of their old buddies that's been ordering from them non stop forever, you aren't getting too much special treatment.

Sounds like a Stern issue. I don't buy NiB Sterns. I have to play them first and they are generally widely available. I do however get your point.

as much scooby as i watched as a kid, i don't remember that villain at all. I only remember some old guys in mansions.

You haven't lived until you have. Then post it for sale here for 2x the value because of mods and grab the popcorn.

I feel the gimmick is the point. Some are funner than others. I personally like the variation of the AC/DC lower pf. I think they probably could have done more with it, but it is what it is. My favorites are Haunted House and Black Hole though. I love the upper pf in TZ as well. There's only so much variation you can do with a pinball layout, and most of it has been rehashed. I wonder if people thought the first ramps were gimmicky. (not sarcastically)

Who can keep track. Scooby Doo had more reboots than Batman!

You can see in the for sale ads below that multiple distros still have them.

Oh we are at the conspiracy phase now! So exciting.

It's much like everything else around here...gotta be first. It's an ego thing.

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I've had that happen...how no one has ever had their throat slit or a hole in their head is amazing.

Hah. I somehow had never heard of that.

lol, after that I thought the surprise might be Scooby 53rd Anniversary SLE for $30k

Yes! Scrappy Doo is IN!

After the first game is delivered?

We've been through this before. Licensing timelines seem to be tight all the time and is generally what they are waiting on. I'm sure they are wanting to get code as close to ready as well before a true reveal.

Why do you hate cute puppies?

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Next thing you guys will be saying you want an Brady Bunch pin without Oliver!

You guys need to step up this hype thread. The Bond SLE Anti-Hype thread has caught up!

Don't be.

I told you already, they secured Scrappy!

...and the world fell into 30 years of darkness when an internet forum comment started what was known as "The Scrappy Wars".

scrappy2 (resized).PNG

I think you meant to say art blades.

....see guys. They got Scrappy Doo!

Clearly this needs to be "let me at em" on ball launch.

So, I guess my question is, Scott Innes isn't what Spooky was referring to as an announcement is it? I assume they already had him for however long they've been working on this?

I thought they had said all the voice acting was already done? Maybe misunderstood.

Sweet.

I think the people wanting R rated are getting caught up in the odd Velma cosplay pandemic going around.

Yeah...wtf? Spare parts day?

Sorry you are stuck in the 50's.

.

You guys all understand that Velma has been gay for decades right? I don't mean to ruin your childhood. The post above comes off pretty homophobic.

Agreed. I don't think Scooby looks as mean shot wise as those though.

And in case there's any confusion as to what post and person that was.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/spooky-scooby-doo-hype-thread/page/90#post-7347769

I sometimes forget what the main demographic of this forum is. It only takes a few posts to remind me. I wonder who in scooby doo lore many in this thread would most associate themselves with. If I had to guess, most would fall into.......with more modernized memes.
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It's literally one and a half pages and a few posts man. Some of you are so melodramatic.

I guess if the mask fits....LOL (that's how I do that right?)

I think that scenario is probably the less often reason. Most of it I'm sure (with all releases) is the rush of buying it, then later the second guessing and regret when clarity hits. In addition to people who probably ordered hoping to be front of the line, but got a year out number and deciding to wait or go to another game. The FOMO release cycle is real.

Let's be honest. This is funny.

Did you guys see the part at 1:10 where he taps in a flipper code to unlock Scrappy?

They do on all games. You watch them for a few games and then after that you click though them pretty much every time. I pointed this out in the R&M thread. Non pin people don't even watch them, they just immediately start hammering the flippers. Most people do not like long waits in game play. I think creators should start thinking about leaving the longer ball waits/animations for multiball rather than within normal play. There's a period of exploring possibilities with animation/screens that we are going through right now, but at the end of the day it is fluff to the game play and most people won't care about it after they've seen them a few times.

Mine was more of a resource/dev cost. Those things could be diverted elsewhere.

I'm picky about what I buy NiB. Not because I can't afford them or are in the least bit worried if the value goes up or down, but simply because I don't want the hassle of selling a game shortly after I get it because I don't like it (or moving games in and out for that matter). This is why 99% of the time (R&M being the only exception) I play games before I ever decide.

As I've said repeatedly. Throwing quarters in a machine is a whole different thing than committing 8-10k to one.

Now, all that being said, the newer crop of pinheads are indeed largely hedging their buys/bets that the prices will remain close or go up. If prices were to drop considerably, you can bet you're going to see a whole lot of complaining.

Point being, everyone has their different reasons and limits.

I think this was brought up in the owners thread. I think they determined it is just a gap in the powdercoat, and not an actual crack in the ramp.