Into Darkness is an under appreciated movie. I've noticed many people who complain about it don't get the movie's central story twist: to put Spock and Kirk in each other's shoes, therefore making them understand each other better. This makes them closer as friends than they would have been in the new, alternate timeline.

No one is arguing that.

It's about quality/compression.

I'm going to have to print off that whole post and study it!

Sounds like some nice polish but that there are still a lot of things needing attention.

The black hole needs to be more relevant and give you worth while awards. Why there isn't an add more time for your 2x in there boggles my mind. Also, I was really hoping they would make the torpedo's more integrated into the game. Right now it's only useful for getting into Vengeance and completing vengeance 1. If that is where it's planned to be left at then I think they missed that feature big time. I also don't understand how they can't complete their wizard modes. At least Avengers wont be the only game with missing dots on the final wizard mode. ST is more painful though as I think more people have the ability to get there some day.

I'll wait til I play it to pass judgement on the updates but it sounds like for pro owners that it's basically an update to stop the timer and add medals. That's all great but I was expecting a lot more polish than that for how long it's been worked on.

So much for the "Good Vibes" thread

I think everyone is still appreciative towards the update and that they are working on things. But I also think that we need to keep our level minded heads and see what's been done and what has been left out too before getting too excited.

That's the problem. It wasn't being worked on until recently. (I'm glad they got around to it)
This game could be great. Lack of code support means it will always only be as good as the code.
The flow is amazing. And the shots are so fun to make. (The best in pinball IMO) Multiballs and wizard modes are great.

But every mode seems to blend together with no real difference in feel to them. I don't care about which mode I am playing. I think integrating the torpedos or shield/weapon shots in modes would help this game immensely.rather than just shoot the flashing inserts for lanes and ramps.
And sorry in advance but this game NEEDS A VIDEO MODE/modes. It would break up every mode feeling the same.

Which is really too bad. My ST is not going anywhere as it is fast and fun to play.
But I wish I felt like there was variety in the modes.

Maybe the upcoming code release will make me feel differently.

I think there is a lot to that. Some of those that bought the game early have soured on the pin so that no update can change that. I mean, if it bothers you that much that it says "kai" instead of "khan" then there is always going to be something. I bought the game late and have only positive experiences with it. I've added a few mods and the last being Aurich's art package. Now, it's a joy looking up at the translite and speaker panel. The game looks flat out awesome. I don't get into strategy as much as eskaybee so not sure the update will change much for me. It's still fun to get an update and get a new game of sorts.

I don't think that's a fair characterization at all. When you see the change logs you'll see that there was a lot more than that done.

I think what's fair to say is that the game isn't "different" now. It's not like Metallica, where we went from basic code to the whole crank it up system, and all of a sudden the game just played totally different. This is the Star Trek from before, just better.

There's no question there's a lot of scoring strategy now. Use the SKB Method and you'll see that's clear.

I think it just comes down to how the modes make you feel. I think the game is a lot of fun to shoot, and the sounds and lights and everything are great. It just lacks variety. So I would say if you enjoy how it works now, you're going to really enjoy how the new code plays, everything is amped up. The medal system was a really smart move.

You can definitely pick your way through the game in different ways, to try and maximize scoring strategies, there's a lot to think about and do. I think for me what it comes down to is even with that choice the actual gameplay feels pretty similar no matter which way you go.

I would contrast that with a game like The Shadow, which is much older and not nearly as crazy deep, but you can approach the way you play in different ways. There are only 6 modes, but each one is totally different than the others. And you can do so much more when not in a mode, like choose to go after Vengeance. That's just more my style I think.

My bottom line feeling is that Star Trek is a good game, and as people explore the rule changes and discover the scoring strategies that it's only going to be more appreciated. It's just time to let go of wishing it was something it's not, and try to play it for what it is.

Well there's still a ton of cool stuff at the base of the mountain. Medal rewards champion, bonus multipliers being relevant (yes even black holes bonus multiplier award while not new is now relevant), the opportunity to multiply your score by 10/20/40 % in vengeance 3, the intensity of playing vengeance 2 for an EB, the challenge of getting one of the best jackpot call outs in pinball with DOUBLE SUPER JACKPOT! ...and...well no spoiler alerts , or how about seeing your medals flashing all across the screen as you start kobayashi - such a cool buid up, and more! This is a positive vibes thread - don't let one or 2 people throw you guys off track. Sure, there's always something more that can get added in EVERY game - hell Lyman still has a list of things to do to TRON and how old is that game? My point is you can't please everybody but I can assure you, Dwights Polish to this game is over the top good - with scoring strategies, progression integration, sound quality, eye candy.

So here's to keeping this thread from derailing. didn't someone post somewhere that Steve Ritchie said the code is coming sooner than we think? Let's keep the positive vibes and keep supporting a design team that is working day and night (and weekends) to get this update to us as quickly, and smoothly as possible.

Peace out - gotta get to work

SO EXCITED to get this new code...

I think the naysayers should find another thread. I think this is going to be GREAT. I think Aurich and I are dead opposite on ST and MET. I like MET....it's a good game; that being said I like ST quite a bit more.....and that was with 1.5 code.

Aurich, can you confirm the 2x multiplier for completing DTD 3 now? I could be wrong, but I feel like the shot multiplier did not work on 1.5. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yeah, Metallica is just more my style. Eskaybee likes ST more than Met too, so I just suspect it's about personal preference with particular approaches to those two games.

I'm no longer beta testing, so I'm not sure. I don't see anything about it in the release notes I have, so I wouldn't expect anything's changed. Dwight is being really good about documenting things.

If you think there's a bug then pull the glass and check, and I'm still happy to pass something along if you can give me the details.

Heck, I'm going to be excited just to read the release notes ...

I'm pretty familiar with it thus why I still enjoy the game. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the pin and have a lot of fun playing it. My comments are not to say the game is not good or the code update is not welcomed. I'm just feeling (based off what's being said about real play experience) that they left a lot of really good opportunities on the table to really take the game to the next level.

With the update or no update I would still not sell my game. I just want it to be the best it can be and there were a lot of really great idea's thrown around months ago that I was really hoping they would incorporate.

I honestly was not concerned one bit until I started seeing talk that this would most likely be the final update with feature adjustments. Before that I was excited and was thinking Stern may be taking after WOZ where they update frequently but all updates may not be huge. After hearing it could be the last main update, it hurt my buzz. Just being honest.

This is a thread to talk about the code improvements on the game. I'm sorry if constructive feedback about the update is not wanted. Just because I'm not jumping up and down pissing in my pants doesn't mean I'm trying to be negative. Just means I'm trying to be observant on what is happening and how I think it will impact my game and provide feedback that could be used to make everyone's experience better.

I'm not a chose one that gets to test the code so I just have to go off what is being said by those that have it already.

Thanks for the reply, I'll try to test asap

Just wondering if Tournament setting is back in the menu system? It was gone on 1.5 but therr previously.

My sense (this is not the final gospel word, just an informed opinion) is that there isn't any real interest in taking the pin off in different directions or adding any new big features. Or at least realistic interest. It's not that new ideas weren't considered, but everything takes time and effort, and time especially is limited. At some point you have to move on.

I think that's fair. Honestly if Stern would just ship games more finished in the first place this wouldn't be an issue. We're so caught up now in things being half baked that we start to expect all these new directions, and we're not always going to get them.

I think if Star Trek had shipped with this new code in place from the start and that was that, sans maybe some bug fixes and balance tweaks that everyone would be totally pleased. It's a good game!

Stern has created a situation where it's hard to be satisfied, and it's a shame for everyone. But in the spirit of this thread I'd say what you need to do is let go of those thoughts for now, play the new game (hopefully) this week, and just see what you think. The medals alone are a great improvement.

I wasn't sure about the medals at first but it is starting to sound pretty cool. I may not make it deep into the game but I can try to get better metals in each mode. KM sounds like it's going to be a lot more special. Like the others said, it sounds like they took all the good aspects and made them better. Flaws may still remain but will be heavily outweighed by all the positives.

I'm staying positive! Loved it before 1.5, love it now, I'm sure the update will make me even happier!

Pie in the sky wishing? Next year is Star Trek's 50th anniversary, and the third movie will be out that summer. While no one thinks Stern will make a pin based on this movie, they may do a limited re-run of Star Trek (which will probably be out of production by then). What if when they re-upped the license, they got the ability to add a new mode based on the plot of the third movie? Kind of like a side/secret mode, not on the playfield obviously, but with some new dots. Could help drive sales of the re-run, and give us existent buyers something new to try!

Pie in the sky....I know....but I love the idea.

I think csi got a tweak because Dwight was the main cat on that with input from Keith and Lyman. At least when I talked to Lyman years ago when I had it NIB he was grumbling about having to fix some lights Dwight nulled out on accident.

Oh I didn't think to look up the programmer on that one. If it's Dwight then that makes way more sense. He's back, why not fix up a couple old bugs that he's familiar with the code for?

Any T3 bugs?

Tweak the laser, tweak the laser, tweak the laser, am I too late???

Just jokes guys!

I started with the 1.5 code, and agree completely with Aurich that waiting a year or two on a new Stern game is a good idea unless you have to have it. I think the current code is pretty darn good but there is some similarity in the modes when you flick through them: Let's see = OK, hit the ramps. Hit the ramps and the KM, hit the ramps and the spinner....nevertheless best NIB I've owned. I think the atmosphere could be improved because even with a large database of voice calls there's still a few that get worn out. I guess that comes with the territory but more voice calls would be welcome in my gameroom..

Could someone link the SKB method. I'm stuck at around 100M lately, thanks COS

I am excited about getting new code. Enjoyed reading through this thread. Thanks Steve R. & Dwight for making this happen! Thanks Aurich and others for all the details & early information. I want to keep this positive somehow but saw something here for the first time that really concerns me. Has it really been verified that there are no dots in 5 year mission? I have not reached it yet and have 1.5 so I was unaware the final wizard mode is not complete. I guess I am having a hard time believing this could have been overlooked. Is this the case for 1.5 and the update?

There aren't many people out there who truly know. But this is a positive vibes thread so let's hope and believe the people that do know are taking the stance of not playing spoiler

Once the code is released and we all get to play and digest, maybe I'll put together a top 10 fun ways (strategies) to tackle ST

You really can't go in and say I'm going to play the game like this...you can Start off that way with a goal in mind, but the onion peels based on your play, so sequences and strategies are constantly changing, I love it! But ya After we all get to digest the update, I'll post some what if scenarios and good stacking sequences for fun home use play (not tourney play - I'll leave that to Keith )

I don't see how anyone could know this so soon unless the code update list(which few must have) indicates no work was done on 5 year mission dots. Which may or may not imply it was already missing dots in 1.5? Its possible I could play for years and never know this. I'm with you, don't like spoilers and would never take the glass off to find out something like this. Anyway not trying to be negative on a hugely overall positive S.T. thread. I concur that this title is way overdue for some large doses of positive vibes.

Had a feeling those were your tips. Look forward too it. Can always get better in games and in life. Stay open to the new...

I come home from work, and there are 53 new posts in this thread. It takes me 5 minutes alone just to read and digest SKB's awesome explanation of strategy. Lol. I can't wait for the code to be released! This is awesome!

As for 5 year mission, I'll never reach it. But if I do, there better be dots!

I second that about SKB's awesome strategy's for the many modes in this game. Kind of mind boggling that he can remember the shot patterns and best strategy's for so many modes & levels. The depth of this game was a huge factor for me purchasing this. My deepest game prior was I.J. with 12 modes. The new takes on strategy for playing the modes give S.T. so many fun ways to take this game on! Not a game one can quickly summarize to say the least.

Touch'e

You'd be my new best friend.

That would be awesome..... Thanks Eskaybee

You should come show me on my machine. Right before I update it with the final release code so I can wipe all your high scores off my game.

I would still like to see some polish on the existing dots. Is it too much to add a bit of sound where it's missing? Sorry, it's just a pet peeve of mine..... The laser sound on KB2 is sooo anemic too (I think it was KB2). We don't want 'pew', we want 'PEW!'

Rob

Go play KB3 or SJ3 and let me know what you think. I think the pew pews your referring to are from nero2. They are very pew pew 'ish but that's how they sound in Star Trek.

KB2 is a completely different mode now (same dots)

So excited! Hopefully Friday, but I can wait till it's ready!

Your patience isn't gonna be tested on this one.

tumblr_nh8eozbIzy1spq68xo1_1280.jpg

Ha that was fast, no need for hinting anymore, go download it now, it's up.

1. Tweaked - Added background drone music to redeeming medals.
2. Fix - Mission Start was lit during final shot of the 6th mode. It should not be since you are about to be in Kobayashi Maru Ready state.
3. Added - Give a gold medal for Double Super Jackpot.
4. Fix - Extra Ball was not being awarded during victory laps.
5. Fix - Some lamps were missing from some sweeping lamp effects.

Star Trek Premium
V1.54 – 03 / 14 / 2015
======================
1. Tweaked - Put Klingon Battle II back to the left ramp for its center.
2. Tweaked - Bumped the values of medals as they are being awarded and during bonus.
3. Tweaked - Increased the values of Klingon Multiball Jackpots and Super Jackpots
4. Tweaked - Added Total medal count to the total page when redeeming medals
5. Fix - When medals were showing their values at the start of Wizard modes, if you had less than a set, they were showing the value of one medal and not all combined.
6. Tweaked - Added Double scoring to Warp 9.9
7. Added - Adjustment: GOLD MEDAL ENDS LEVEL I MISSIONS. YES == Level 1 missions timers will move to 1 when the player achieves a gold medal.
8. Tweaked - Changed the text for the Klingon Battle Adjustment to be correct.
9. Tweaked - Vengeance III now has two parts. You first shoot the vengeance X times. Then, in Vengeance Sudden Death, the drop target will come up. If you hit down then shoot in you will receive 10% of your score.
10. Tweaked - Vengeance III now only ends if you complete it or drain during Vengeance sudden death.
11. Tweaked - Vengeance III will show what percent you will receive on the fly in the background; 10, 20 or 40%.
12. Added - Animations to redeeming medals as the medals “lock” into place
13. Added - Instant info page for spinner value.
14. Tweaked - Made the Flipper speech timer get longer between speech calls
15. Added - HSTD entry for Medals
16. Added - Attract mode shows the Medals Champion
17. Tweaked - Changed the wording of the bonus pages.
18. Tweaked - Massaged the timing and length of the end of ball bonus. Improved the font used for Bonus multipliers during end of ball bonus.

Star Trek Premium
V1.53 – 03 / 11 / 2015
======================
1. Fix - Mission KB II final shot was not blinking correctly.
2. Tweaked - Made Klingon Battle II harder to get medals
3. Fix - Prime directive III was not lighting mission start when it timed out.
4. Tweaked - Reduced and adjusted the value of redeeming medals
5. Tweaked - Made Vengeance III end at ball end.

Star Trek Premium
V1.52 – 03 / 06 / 2015
======================
1. Fix - Ball would not kick from the plunger after the game auto picked a mission after the player shot away team. Made ball auto plunge at the end of auto pick mission from shooter lane.
2. Fix - Super pops art maxed at 200K. If you maxed the scoring you could get up to 250K per hit. Added more art to allow it to go to 250K.
3. Added - Award Medals concept. Medals are awarded during missions. Medals are redeemed at the start of wizard modes.
a. You can receive 3 levels of medals per mission; Bronze, Silver, Gold.
b. Added - Instant info page for medals
c. First 6 missions award medals
d. Kobayashi Maru awards score for accumulated medals at the start.
e. Kobayashi Maru gives a new presentation at the start for the medals collected.
f. Second 6 missions award medals
g. Enterprise Amok awards score for accumulated medals at the start
h. Enterprise Amok gives a new presentation at the start for the medals collected
i. Third 6 missions award medals
j. Five Year Mission awards score for accumulated medals at the start
k. Five Year Mission gives a new presentation at the start for the medals collected
l. Added - Choreography for awarding a medal
m. Added - Choreography for redeeming medals.
4. Tweaked - Made some instant info pages last 10 seconds
5. Added - end of ball bonus pages / scores for medals and missions completed.
6. Added - game over flipper speech
7. Tweaked - increased end of ball bonus points for base bonus.
8. Tweaked - Moved when Away Team lights from 3 to 1 shot
9. Tweaked - Increased points for completing pop bumpers levels.
10. Tweaked - Increased points for Kobayashi Maru. Including a bonus for completing all 12 shots.
11. Added - Choreography for starting away team.
12. Tweaked - Adjusted the Y positions of some total screens to be more balanced
13. Fix - If you drained in the middle of a mission but the mission was continuing till the next ball it would show you your total and give a speech call. It will now only show you your total at the end of the mission and give that speech call.
14. Fix - The end of some missions would sometimes try and play an invalid sound causing a non-fatal error. There was no outward facing issue. The game will no longer try and play an invalid sound at the end of some missions.
15. Fix - “1 SHOTS LEFT” was displayed in many places. Now they all use the non-plural form correctly.
16. Tweaked - Made Vengeance ready / multiball background lamps move a bit faster, not include the extra ball light, and never be dark for too long.
17. Tweaked - Made Vengeance victory laps be less priority to the awards and super jackpots.
18. Tweaked - Increased the points for away team awards.
19. Tweaked - The drop target goes down for Space jump away team.
20. Tweaked - Shooting final shot in Space Jump after away team bumps you one level in medals and guarantees you get at least a bronze.
21. Added - Grace to top lane change
22. Tweaked - Increased the scores for victory laps in Vengeance Multiball
23. Added - Mode timers don’t time down after 6 seconds of no switch activity.
24. Removed - Unused Feature Adjustment #11 Klingon Multiball Lock Timer
25. Tweaked - Changed the name of switch #48 to BLACK HOLE TARGET
26. Fix - Feature Adjustment #14 would stop mission selecting. Now it only affects whether or not the ball will be launched from the Punch It button.
27. Added - The left and right orbit shots are now lit in Away Team Prime Directive.
28. Added - The left orbit shot was added to Save the Enterprise Away Team.
29. Added - Adjustment to change the number of shots to light Away Team.
30. Added - Adjustment to turn off the inactive timer.
31. Added - Instant Info page for current Warp and where the extra ball is awarded.
32. Added - Instant Info page for shots till next Vengeance mode.
33. Added - Instant Info page for super spinner, ramps, and pops
34. Tweaked - Made Away Team arrow not flash when it’s lit for Away Team.
35. Tweaked - Spelling TREK now adds more value to the spinner plus adds points that reset at the start of each ball
36. Added - Grace to bottom lane change
37. Added - Away team sound and lamp effects
38. Added - Asteroid and cabinet phaser lights to vengeance related lamp effects.
39. Tweaked - Made some lamp effects not use the top or bottom lanes.
40. Added - Instant Info to tell you how many more shots you need for the next medal.
41. Tweaked - Increased Away team spinner scores for Destroy the Drill to be more in line with new spinner values.
42. Tweaked - Vengeance holds on to the ball when shot for extra balls.
43. Fix - Some timer adjustments did not have the correct default values. Mission timer adjustments were massaged to be more consistent.
44. Tweaked - Double scoring background has a higher priority now.
45. Tweaked - Increased the default time double scoring runs for.
46. Tweaked - Made warp ramp score the same as the other two ramps during Super Ramps.
47. Tweaked - Tier III missions all keep your progress if you drain or timeout. You will pick up where you left off with each of them.
48. Fix - Klingon Battle III timer would reset to a large value instead of timing out. It will now time out.
49. Fix - Nero III display issues. The timer was being covered by the ship at the end.
50. Tweaked - Changed the number of shots it takes to start levels of Vengeance. From { 5, 5, 5, … } to { 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, … }
51. Tweaked - Changed Vengeance III in a few ways:
a. Finishing it awards 10% of your score.
b. When one shot from finishing the drop target will come up. Hitting the drop target will make it stay down for a few seconds allowing access to the vengeance to finish and collect the 10% score.
c. When two shots away, the drop target will come up. Hitting the drop target will make it stay down for a short amount of time.
d. Massaged the background display effect.
e. Massaged the foreground display effects.
f. Massaged the background lamp effect.
52. Tweaked - Changed display effects to more accurately describe which Vengeance is ready.
53. Tweaked - Massaged the look of the start of 5 year mission display effect.
54. Added - Animations to 5 Year Mission Award.
55. Fix - Made 5 year mission award speech happen at the correct time.
56. Added - Animations to Enterprise Amok Award.
57. Tweaked - Made the extra ball lamp effect bigger and last the length of the display effect.
58. Tweaked - Made Apron lights mirror what mission the player is selecting or playing.
59. Added - Adjustment to stop speech that is not G-Rated.

Wow! That is a long list of changes.

I am new to this controversy ... but watched and listened to the video clip and clearly hear Kai. Game ROM has always sounded like Kai.