Just wait until all 3 movies are done...

I would like to change my vote.....After seeing the GOT art package, I don't want Stern touching shit!

I understand Disney going with Stern though. To Disney it's probably just another licensed product. I would imagine a proven track record of on time production and delivery is the most important thing.

Could be my first nib Stern!

But only if they put a LCD in backbox!

I think when you see one of the upcoming games you're going to say something completely different.

I think everyone at Stern is talented and smart and good at their job. But only when they're able to work in the ways that make them strong.

Don't tell me Steve Ritchie, Dwight Howard, and Greg Freres, making a game together where they each had control over their job, wouldn't just kill it.

But when you shove those people through the grinder of a license like GoT you just aren't going to get something as good as what they're capable of. That's my opinion, with all due respect to Steve, Dwight, and Greg. I think all three of you are incredible. But if you can't do the job the way you're good at it then it's tough.

Here's the difference between me and Greg Freres. You stick me in Photoshop and I'm going to do good work for you. Take that away so it's pure drawing (allowing Wacom tablet use) then I'm switch hitting on my weak side. I just don't consistently work on my illustration skills, because it's not core to my job. So yeah, I can draw. But to be blunt, I'm no Greg Freres.

I don't know what Greg really thinks of Photoshop. But it's my opinion that it's just not a medium he shines in, because his strength is just so much stronger on the illustration side. Read my thread for so many examples:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-greg-freres-appreciation-thread

So find a license that lets him draw! Do it like Kiss, with one drawing, but some alt coloring or details, and mirrored on the LE. So not really 3 art packages worth of work. Find a license that is free and open, so Ritchie can build any kind of mechanical toys he wants. Yes, he's the flow king. But he's not just someone who knows ramps. He came into things as an electro-mechanical technician, he built up from the foundations, and he knows pinball inside and out. With free reign for an idea? Dangerous. And Dwight Sullivan knows how to code a game with custom voicework. Witness STTNG.

So don't count Stern out yet. But the problem is they keep getting licenses that are just little tight boxes. Metallica is really the most brilliant so far in as much as it's almost an original theme game with a soundtrack by Metallica.

And my worry is that Disney isn't known for big boxes, with lots of room. The Star Wars brand actually was under George Lucas, but it may be pretty different now.

Yup, ANY design team is gonna HAVE to work with Disney and that may mean just clip art from scenes from the movie....which I know we all love to see.

Stern cause I want it to actually see the light of day before 2020

Stern, with an LCD. Yes I know that JJP would make it really nice but like iwantansi and others have said...I'd like it to actually get made! They have done well with other Disney licenses (POTC and Tron) so the history with Stern/Disney is obviously working.

Clip art can work fine, but I keep getting the impression the library that Stern uses for licensed titles is super small, for example, Avengers has repeated character graphics all over it, and GoT has gears and family portraits rather than anything emotional. What I expect from a Star Wars pin is more like the iconic movie posters, which still contain the standard actor portraits, but in a way which allows you imagine and visualize all the action and tension of the story. While not as good as the posters, DE/Sega/Williams did a better job with this on their SW games than Stern did with GoT, so my expectations from Stern are sufficiently lowered, hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

starwars.jpg

starwars_v.jpg

oh snap! I'm bummed. Star Wars deserved the full JJP treatment. Stern will just crank out whatever and charge way too much for what it is. I have no faith in them anymore with bang for the buck. They certainly play it way too "safe" from a cost perspective. Might be smart buisness, but makes me pretty unhappy with respect to entertaining buying their games, I feel underwhelmed at the price point. Knock some money off or add some value in and I'd be fine, but they are heading opposite that direction for sure.

I think they would have more leniency with Disney than Lucas.

Glad it's Stern, and will
be my next NIB game(whenever that is lol). That being said, the folks who think it would be a "masterpiece" from JJP are forgetting the Hobbit reveal? I'm confident Stern will find the folks to make Star Wars a cool game.

I'm not waiting, I already sent in full payment for an LE.

Stern better 'effing figure out a more innovative display with SW.

I will never forgive them if they "mail it in" with that theme.

I don't care who does the new films or the last 3, if the OG trilogy is being used then thats when we need JJP. I would love see a dedicated Wrath of Khan pin from JJP as well, the clips of Khan on screen would be just amazing, actually I would be quite happy with a Wrath of Khan/Search for Spock combo.

Khan Multiball, I think of the modes too, making shots to take control of the Reliants computer while Khan is on screen. Damn.

khan.png

Put TH and GOT in front of Disney execs....let them decide. (love both companies games...but based upon what JJP has done with TH, it's really no contest.

Stern all the way

Agree!

Don't Agree!

Awww cmon, stern games are for
Tourney players~ No wet noodle flippers (like most Wozs currently), no problems with a ton of the playfield lighting in the game (like most Wozs currently), etc.
Now I'm not saying that I don't like Jersey Jack's games, because you have to give it to them, their stuff looks awesome! Their price increase isn't that terrible considering all of the cool features and toys they added to Woz as well.

Stern have any problems w/ DECALS COMING OFF NEW GAMES?

Lol!
I'll take the decals peeling off a little over a capacitor exploding all over the boards in the backbox of a Woz. (A friend told me at expo that this had happened to him recently)

The execs would look more in depth at how fast they can crank them out and make them more $$$$$$, that's the bottom line. Disney would be fine with the IP clip art look, they're not having a frigging art contest. It's all about the money for them.

If you want it fast and can settle for a zizzle look alike go w/ Stern. If you quality, go w/ JJP. Thats all i can say to Stern lovers... I'm done here.

Stern also seems to be having some issues with their new lighting. There are growing pains for any new technology.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-walking-dead-le-lights-going-crazy

WOZ should not have wet noodle flippers. There are settings for increasing/decreasing the power. IMO, blame the person that set the game up instead of the game.

One thing for sure, Stern needs to put an LCD in Star Wars to maximize the game's potential.

I would love to see a JJP Star Wars, but it would be more like Star Wars 2020 by the time it was released....

Stern must set the bar really high for zizzle machines!
image.jpegimage.jpeg

Even when people increase the power, which has not helped, the wet noodle feeling I described is the same really. I, and other tourney players, felt it on Woz in the papa A division, and the Woz in the Michigan pinball expo. There is also a slight lag with the reaction of the flipper going up when you push the flipper button in....

This much is obvious with all of the Star Wars stuff you can buy right now. There appears to be nothing that Disney won't put the Star Wars name on. Disney is going to milk this for everything its worth.

ANA-Star-Wars-jet.jpg

If Stern actually pay out a little (I always get the impression stern pay an absolute minimum for their licences giving them a basic amount of recourses just so they can slap the name on the pin more than anything else) and get full use of the licence a SW pin with drawn art like the SW film posters (even the prequel posters where great pieces of art and Force Awakens poster is superb art imo) would be phenomenal!! I'd go in on an LE based off the art package alone if it was drawn and designed like the film posters it would look epic and even if it played like shit it would still look amazing and be a piece of SW art/memorabilia id be happy to look at

I think Game of thrones is much closer to this than earlier releases, hopefully they will continue this trend AND improve.

I know its not going to happen but I so wish for OG themes to come back with Stern, gives the designer a chance to create something without limitation on art and music and all that shit, not that great machines haven't been made with a liscense, just saying.

More like how they play. They feel the same to me.

Does it matter? At $8k+ for a Stern LE or $9k+ for a JJP I can not afford either.

BTW... you can forget paying $7.5 for a LE or a whatever the old Wizard of Oz pricing was. Star Wars licensing fees were as high as 25% on hasbro toys during the last movies. So you can expect any Star Wars pinball machine to be the most expensive pinball machine ever made if for no other reason than the licensing fees.

Excellent.

hours later:

um?

Now I'm done unless my quotes are questioned again.

The only quote i question is the (patently false) statement that you were done trolling here.

Figured it was too good to be true.

Carry on.

I just hope whoever does it, does it really well.

If you look at the Star Trek machines made over the years, they are generally quite good.
However if you look at the Star Wars machines put out over time, the results are mixed/disappointing. Often the SW machines looked like afterthoughts (heh, we just got the license, take a half finished machine and just change the artwork) or just half-hearted (meh, it's SW, they're going to buy it anyways).

This franchise deserves a really good machine. Let's see something amazing this time!

Unfortunately, Disney of the last decade is a very much "run-by-legal" sort of company. Where we like to have this impression of innovation - imagineering driving everything at Disney like back in the day but it's actually more run from the legal-team who has run amok within the company.

It wouldn't be innovation that drives Disney's decision on whom to grant a license, it would be a matter of which pile of red-tape is more easily navigated. My guess given prior relationships is that JJP probably never even gets to table, I think Stern has is sewed up on the Disney front.

<dream>
That said, wouldn't it be epic if both JJP and Stern made one. (Never going to happen) You could get the whizbang LED backlit-innovation-toy-orgy beautiful art on the JJP side and your more traditional pin experience on the Stern side with proven electronics and familiar flow.

pick your poison (or mortgage the farm and get both)
</dream>

Back to reality, though. Stern's doing the game. It *could* be announced in January '16 but my guess is it will be much later.

Disney probably saw JJP's track record at actually shipping and said "Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to Stern we go!"

How can I be trolling if I'm giving my opinion. Also if some responds to my opinion I will respond as well. NOT TROLLING.

If you want an ACTUAL game, go with Stern. If you want to send someone $7,500 and then wait for 3 years, then go to JJP.

I agree with this statement. You get what u pay for.

You get a basket case game

It will be ugly if stern makes it. But it will at least be available to buy relatively quick. If stern makes it and if it ends up ugly. I may get banned on Pinside. I don't think I will be able to handle the stress. Probably going to post a few hundred animated gifs expressing my nerd rage. Which in return will irritate everyone thus resulting to my banned account. So, if stern makes the damn thing.... I Freaking HOPE!!!! they don't use any layer styles and please draw the damn thing so I can continue to enjoy my pinside account. May the force be with you... whoever makes it.

I thought this has already been decided.....Stern holds the license. So you can just all move on to how shitty the art will be now.

lol

My predictions for a Stern Star Wars pin (would be happy to be proven wrong)

A bunch of Hasbro toys sprinkled around the playfield, with one Stern designed main toy, that won't directly interact with the ball.
Check!
If we get an LCD, it will be short movie clips only (big IF)
Check!
Fan layout
Check!
Ram kickback (they seem to love these on every game these days)
Check!
Clipart playfield with some hand drawn stuff tying it together
Check!

I hope it will at least be better than SWEP1. I had saved my money for this one, but I think my next game in this timeframe might be a new Lawlor...

Unfortunately I believe this as well.

Ho Hum.....

Stern will say they will include a spinning Death Star toy and at the last minute it will be changed to a stationary one

I am very sad Stern has the SW license.