Ya code should be updated real soon, no worries, they are good at that.

They can start by adding something very simple on the LE/Premium: a 2 second ball save for when the kickback fails to put the ball back in play.

RobT: agree there 100%. it's pissing me off. Doesn't even try to fire a second time if it fails to leave the lane it hits the switch again.
Gotta admit the code is more complete than recent release offerings.
Ready to update Metallica and ST!
D

I like that about the warp ramp. I would like those lights to stay on for a second or two once its hit as well. I love them lights!

Guys new code is on the way real soon with lots of cool surprises in it too

Lonnie and Tanio are hard at work on it yet and will be for the next couple of months

• Warp chase LEDS need to light up every time a shot is made consistently (not every 2-3 shots) and stay on for a couple seconds after shot is registered.

• If a the kick out misses the ball the ball should be saved and returned "ala TOTAN"

• There are a number of times I have had shots towards the end of a mode where I can see on the DMD I have 2 shots left, but no emblem arrows are flashing? Not sure what modes, but seen it a couple times.

• During a mode when the lights cascade down the playfield when a shot is made its hard to move the insert light in "trek" to the correct spot since the cascade lighting effect uses these lights. I like the fact it uses these lights, but my input to change the insert does not move the insert light during the cascade light effect.

• My biggest complaint is that there are not enough call out information when things happen and are ready. Many things just happen in the game without the proper VO line to explain or support the objective or item achieved. Lines like this would help: "Shields online - kick back ready", "Final Shot Ready", " Dark Matter Ready to Collect" these are just some examples. But if you play ST:TNG every shot and item achieved has such great VO and feedback. Some movie lines are used in places which are fine, but they need a clear hard explanation of what the game is asking the player to do.

• Modes in general need more identity to them in terms of rules. They all feel a bit the same. The modes should be able to read as different modes in how they work and what they ask the player to do. Chasing down Nero could have some hurry up shots towards the end or a chase sequence where it's a roaming shot like Flynn? mixing it up like this helps players have better memorable modes and will keep things fresh.

• When the player hits the mission start on the right under the flipper the switch feels useless here. It should play some sound when hit and possibly give some points. Same as spidey sense if that switch is not ready and its hit ya hear nothing no feedback.

• Chase ramp lights and the laser need to be integrated into more of the game. It's a cool feature use it! This goes for the null speaker lights not hook to anything and the emblem flashers.

• Every 5-10-15 and up combos VO or a sound should play to tell the player they are rocking combos! The game is so heavy on combos it should showcase it better. Also when a combo is made a slight sound should play to indicate combo success.

• When a skill shot is made the sound and lighting is so weak. It should really tell the player what they did! Suuuuuper Skill Shot!!!! not very exciting when you hit one.

• When a weapon is added and ready to use against vengence tell the player "weapon added to arsenal"

• getting a shield kick back is soooooooooo easy. I never even aim for those shots and always have shields

• Filling up all weapons to MAX should do something? it's a kool little sub objective to fill it to max "punch it"

• Idle button SFX/VO! flipper buttons and Fire should have different once and be integrated into the lighting when pressed.

That's all I got off the top of my head. I know new code is coming and we have the speech integration with Karls VO so that should really put this game over the top. So much potential here for Stern to have a game to sell for a long time.

Love this game and it's my best NIB experience yet. STle is simply incredible and will only get better.

another update before xmas derek ?

I think all of those suggestions. Great game that I think will only improve.

Ohh yes one more before xmas and then another one still after that; you might even see a xmen update before xmas too, but definitely a star trek update before xmas. I have been giving Steve feedback on the code and he is listening.

Is the speech power pack likely before Christmas?

Great post, and I would recommend sending it to Stern/Lonnie via email.

For the modes, how unique are they currently?
Is there actually some amount of diffrent rules for each one, but just hard to notice while playing?

1. Two captains chair awards for completing two lines at once

2. The 2X shots achieved by completing level 3 should double everything not just some things.

3. Stacking 2x shots (Combo & level 3) should be worth 4x not 2x.

4. Display total combos

5. Make drop target a valid switch hit

I heard they are trying there best to get another big update out before the holidays.

What about turning off the play field GI's during Klingon multiball. With the star projector on, you may have a similar effect as strobe MB in AFM.

I also agree with more call outs on combinations, warp rams and jack pots.

yep or at least at the start of the mode --> When the klingon multi-ball is started and the laser show is about to start, kill all other GI except the lasers prior to starting the mode. This will help make it a better presentation to starting the mode.

Thats Great , If it doesn't already have it , it needs a great super jackpot callout on klingon multi, something special for when you finally nail that one. My machine is a couple of weeks away still.

has anyone mentioned stacking multiballs? also can the vuk do something other than shoot into the wire ramp?

Didn't papa tutorial say strobing shot on Klingon multiball be made easier as very hard to time even for pro players.

Also a short ball save when you hit warp 9.9 and it releases an extra ball. Noticed on tutorial if you drain straight away after achieving this award you don't get it back. Seems a bit mean after making 18 shots.

Theme! (sorry, had to do it)

OT: When hitting the Vengeance have you guys noticed many SDTM drains on the LE and would the Pro be the same as the LE in this respect?

I don't get many SDTM off the Vegeance. But when a ball hits the drop target in front of it straight on and hard some times its doesn't drop and the ball just zings back at you. Have looked at it but can't see anything wrong with it.

I believe in certain circumstances, you have to hit that drop several times. Remember that it's a door--it's there to keep us from being irradiated!

Yep, that happens to me too. I know this has been brought up before with other games, but I can't seem to find what the right fix is. Maybe an adjustment to the spring. I also need to try drop dead foam on the scoop deflector, as bounce outs are pretty frequent.

When you are messing with it you just barley touch it and it drops so not sure why a hard shot straight onto it would not make it drop. It's weird.

Are you talking about after the ball lock, or hitting Vengeance when you are battling it?

I haven't had a single SDTM drain from the lock. While battling Vengeance, I do get the occasional SDTM drain when it fires the ball back at me, but not too many. It's a very cool feature, similar to the War Machine kickback in IM.

Since the shield lights on the apron aren't individually controlled, maybe color coding to indicate shield level. Like green, yellow, and then red when you have one kickback left.

mummite

Great write up!

Keep the suggestions coming guys.

Our ST-LE arrive this week - can't wait to play it.

Pin - K

www.kimballspinballs.com/products.html

Where does information like this come from? Would be nice though.

Rob it was while I was battling Vengeance.
Ps. Took my wife to the arcade tonight and she played ST pro, MET and ac/dc prem and then went back to ST for the rest of the night.

A follow up on this, I put in the drop dead foam and so far, so good. No bounce outs. (I'm getting good at this, my IJ scoop is about 99% as well.) Will eventually see if the drop target can be tweaked. Also, the external sub just *rocks* the place with this game. Will be installing the FF 10" sub soon, so should be really good with both.

Not only all those modes - But a wizard mode, no?

I thought that the custom speech hadn't been recorded yet. If so, that would make it unlikely by Christmas.

Surely the would have recorded it already. Why announce the promo video about it.

In the spooky podcast it was said that it hadn't been recorded yet

We can still hope we get a code update, and LATER the speech update comes.

It's Star Trek... New Jersey mobster style.
Don't wreck my tourney strat! lol

I think achieving warp 9.9 should be a bigger deal, and should be it's own multiball with associated jackpots, or a playfield multiplier. Here are some ideas:

1) It's own multiball:
Getting 9.9 qualifies Warp Core MB, which must be started by locking at center shot. 2nd ball plunged to bumpers and eventually gets to upper flipper while locked ball stays put. Then, the value of this MB's jackpots are based on how many times you can consecutively nail the Warp ramp -- only during this initial one-ball stage. Kind of like WH20 multiball single/double/triple JP's, but with a cap (maybe even something ridiculous like 9x jackpots if you can pull off the miracle 9x consecutive Warp ramps when it counts). As soon as a switch below the upper flipper other than the warp ramp is hit, then your base JP value is locked (other than your combo doublers), and the locked ball releases for 2-ball play. Black Hole add-a-ball could also be a possibility.

This would add a TON of scoring excitement to the warp ramp, and perhaps make it worth going for that dangerous shot 18 times. Couldn't really be stacked with other multiballs due to the initial consecutive shot mechanism with one ball in play.

2) A multiball to augment playfield scoring:
Could be the spawn of LOTR's Gollum MB and DW's side ramp --- Warp Core MB could have a playfield multiplier that increases 0.5x with each warp ramp hit -- up to a cap -- and your PFx degrades on a timer. But in this case, your warp core can become unstable, and your PFx can go below 1x, down to 0.5x, if you don't tend to your Warp Ramp in a timely fashion. Could be stacked with other multiballs. PFx reverts back to 1x when you drain down to one ball. Could also use this to resurrect your klingon or vengeance MB if you save your Warp 9.9 for the grace period at the end of those MB's.

I know, I'm dreaming to think they'll put something this intricate in at this stage of the pin's code. But I think it would add value to the warp ramp and the pin.

I think it would be cool if you could "charge up your shot" - so lets say you have a few of the yellow weapons inserts (or all of them) ...you HOLD the Fire Button and charge it...you'd see the yellow fade to another color (maybe to orange to red) with cool "weapons charge" sound FX, then release to get a super blast. I'm not sure what the payoff would be, but there's a risk there - taking your finger off the flipper button for a few moments to charge....I dunno, maybe a bunch more points or a Vengeance Multiplier or something.

The final wizard mode should be Sha Ka Ree.

I'm looking forward to watching people hold down the Fire button with their forehead, trying to predict via soundFX if they've charged it enough, as they cradle a ball on each flipper during MB.

LOL well I guess you'd have to do that on the Pro ...but on the LE you'd see the colors change for the charge

Hehe. True, if you can see the playfield. But there's no chance of that if you're using your forehead to press the Fire button (because both hands are holding both flipper buttons down). Although, the best will still be a successful ACDC cannon shot collect using your forehead.

yes, this would be a cool idea. Warp shots are so hard be nice to get a good pay off for warp 9.

I also really would like to see the apron lights incorporated into the game a bit more at least tie it to a mode.

This is an absolute must IMO. Right now there is no reason to play for the PF doublers by completing 1-3 of a mission. If only mode shots are doubled, and you can't re-double on combo, really the only thing you are doubling is the very first shot of a combo IF the shot you've doubled with Tier 3 happens to be lit. Everything after the first shot is already doubled due to the combo, your super ramps/spinner can't double, and without a 4X possibility you are left with no reason to progress to the third tier until you complete the first 2 wizard modes.

Also super pops seems a bit under scored due to being unable to combo them for a doubler. They look to be worth about 9 million if you complete them If my memory serves which I believe is about the same as a typical super spinner and super ramps if collected undoubled.

Would like something extra when completing Captain's Chair - it was a rush to complete it but nothing happened?

I thought hitting warp 9.9 starts a two ball multiball? From the pro tutorial the only complaint was it started without any ball save which seems a bit mean.

It does but it just starts without much fanfare, it's a big deal getting to 9.9 so MAKE IT A BIG DEAL!!