I haven’t installed yet, but plan to eventually when it seems it’s finished and won’t be changed anymore.

I also want mine setup to switch back and forth like clay did.

What I did is bought a four pack of the Arduino‘s for $12 !! So me and the law each have one. I update two of them as new code revisions come out. And then we just flip the updated arduino into the board. If we don’t like the changes, we just put the old arduino back in. It’s really easy and code updates are quick and seamless

Maybe add a poll so we can get an idea of how many people have this installed. Something like, installed, going to install, and would buy to install.

I still have some bugs in my game. Ball 1 repeats, music level 01 and higher wont light colored stars, hard to tell dim from normal lit stars, and #18 setting resets to 00. Would like to know if anybody else has something similar.

I when i first installed I played on 3 ball and completing objectives felt daunting. I have since changed to 5 ball and the games feel much better to me.

I do prefer the old way the roaming special worked, by staying in one spot and changing with hitting targets or spinner. It rewarded skillful shots and punished missed ones. The current setting of changing every second feels random to hit and luck based. I had my stock game special at 100,000 repeatable. I think that feature is the main draw of why people like Stars. Having the special light stay for 5-6 seconds and move randomly or at least out of order would have a similar feel. I think the skill shot behavior is good the way it is.

Settings I'd like to see: Being able to change the pop bumper amount to hit. Turn on/off match feature.

I got tired of removing the back glass every time I had to upload the code, so i ran the USB cable out of the top vent slot. Feels like updating a modern Stern now.

IMG_20200627_111237003_BURST001 (resized).jpg

DickHamill I see your Stars has the mini post between the flippers replaced with a 1-1/16 post. Did you get it that way or did you change it? Certainly would make the game easier.

WWWAYY easier. (And boo to the tournaments that mess with the minipost, either removing rubber or removing entirely - it's Stars. The Ball doesn't last for more than a minute or 2.)

That's one of the features I don't like about Stars, and it's turned off on mine. It pretty much makes the only viable strategy=complete stars and shoot the special. (Of course, the alternate is 'shoot right spinner'. But I like hitting a spinner over hitting a standup. The original code has the drop banks as kind of a throwaway - the 7k center drop feature should probably be worth more because it's pretty hard to get it.)

As for the poll idea of installing, it's of my long list of things to do - I have 2 Arduinos here that I can use either one I just have to get around to installing it onto a weebly board so I can get that working following barakandl 's advice. Just have to carve out time to do it.

I think anything that's kit related, instead of using the J5 connector, put it onto the cpu socket itself, and put the cpu into the add in board - obviously this is going to require a custom board with headers, but in the future if the arudino gets used as a 6800 replacement, it's already mounted where it needs to be and you don't have to run the fly lead to the IRQ signal (was that the signal that needed it? I forget.....)

I really like @8bitrobo's idea of leaving the USB plugged in. I'm gonna use that. I don't mind updating the code at all. It's nice having something added to my 42 year old pinball machine and testing it out. I was either the first person to build one of these boards or a very early adopter. I've been hesitant to build a new dual boot board because it's kind of a pain and the hardware has changed a bit. I'm waiting until I'm sure the hardware side is finalized before I break out the soldering iron again. That being said, everything so far is amazing. I installed the Wav Trigger board and it sounds incredible. I'd post a video, but since I changed the music every time I try I get a copyright strike.

IMO the greatest aspect of Pinside is that it is a repository for information. What you do now will be picked up again and again over the years. I still get PMs every few months about my Jungle Lord home ROM I made 6 years ago. I have no doubt that your project will be greatly appreciated by lots of pinheads for a long time!

My personal opinion: Basing your game design on popular opinion runs similar risks as "design by committee". Community input is great, of course, but if you want consistency I think you should follow your own nose. What you are doing is a huge amount of work and I think that your most important goal should be to have the most enjoyable game the you can get for yourself. I think that this will make a strong game that other pinheads will appreciate. I, for one, would never have considered Stars for my (necessarily small) collection before. Now I do.

Jungle Lord home roms? i've never even heard of that!

It's called "Jungle Lord (new tricks)" -- https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/announce-jungle-lord-new-tricks-home-rom.
I am also currently working on a patch for another game called "PEMBOT (no relation)" -- https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pembot-no-relation.

Semi updated list of known software mods

https://sites.google.com/site/allentownpinball/tournament-rom-mods

Jungle Lord roms look good! but no links for download?

Dick if you're doing any Stars mods, tomorrow (monday) is the official "Stars testing night".... hint hint...

It's on ipdb.

awesome thank you for the update!

i get confused on the GitHub stuff... just hit the 'clone' then 'download' button and move these files into the Arduino stars2020 directory right? The confusion is because after you download and unzip, the files aren't all together.

root:
BallySternOS.cpp
BallySternOS.h
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp
SelfTestAndAudit.h

Stars2020:
SternStarsDefinitions.h
Stars2020.ino

Also on the 'onesheet.pdf' document you talk about the slam switch to reboot. but it's unclear if setting are saved when that is done. also are settings saved as you advance through all the settings, or after a setting is entered?

Dick this is a good update. i booted it and the revision number are all reflective of your post. Today is monday so tonight we will fully test this version. thank you!

next go around can you make an adjustment for super pops or super spinners? since you have the 'super' number selectable, it would be cool to have the option to choose between pops or spinners as the 'super' mode, to get to wizard mode... thanks!

OK playing the new version of stars 2020. The adjustment for the Light level, option number 30, is really cool. We have LEDs in our game and if you have it on “03” setting it flickers. on the “02” setting it doesn’t. That said, the Flicker can be used to your advantage! Because The difference in brightness between full and dim is really hard to see, with Either lightbulbs or LEDs.

That said though, on the bonus ladder you should never use dim lighting. Never. always use the bright mode!! It’s just too annoying if you have the Flickr set to on.

So why do you want Flickr sent to On? Because it’s really the best way to tell when a light is dim.

On the sPinner worth 1000 for the skill shot, need to modify the right spinner to allow One or two clicks. Because one click just isn’t enough. Also the two lamps in front of the left spinner need to be blinking (400 plus) when the spinner is worth 1000

Also in the manual, last page on the wizard mode, you refer to the insane lights. I think you mean the Inlane lights

This probably explains the flicker vs dim lights (using LEDs) better;

Great update and my machine liked this one. My colored stars never randomly went out this time and option 30 helped. I have the same problem telling dim from bright, but im running 47's not LED. #30 03 setting gives off more of a really dim flickering candle light look than the what the LED flicker looks like. I might put in some old 44's just to see what happens. Maybe dim level 2.5=40% to see what it does?

Can't say I really get the whole skill shot spinner. All that for just a couple 1000 points, as apposed to a full plunge that has better chance/reward of unlocking all stars or more points. Doesn't seem worth the players effort or the added coding.

Funny that Jungle Lord was brought up. I picked one up recently and I was so glad it already had the New Trick's rom installed. What a great game.

We are live streaming Stars 2020 at Arkadium Retro Arcade. Enjoy!!!

https://twitch.tv/diehardpinball

Major switch is silly

Yes I agree, glad you got something out of it. Will be streaming again on Thursday for league not sure if Stars will be played but if it does we will include it on our stream. We also found if you tilt the game it resets it and you actually have to turn it off and on to reboot it, kinda weird and not sure if it was a consistent error. I didn’t get to play it much yesterday I was too busy serving drinks for the party lol...

We ran into an issue yesterday on Stars where when a player tilts it resets the machine and you have to turn it on and off in order to get it going again. Not sure if it is loose connectors or a problem with code. The second issue is that the roving star skill shot was not lit at start and only the roving special thought that was super weird. Starts at 23:00 & 56:00

https://www.twitch.tv/diehardpinball/video/668407808

Looking again it looks like code for skill shot is a roving special for 25K, then a roving special again to get 100K. My recommendation would be to have a roving star shot for skill shot 25K, then a roving special 100K (adjustable) to make sure a player knows the difference. Sorry for the confusion still learning all of the rules on this code. The tilt is still a major issue but again if others aren't having this problem then it may be our installation.

The rules are tough to learn because of lack of feedback. score displays cant really tell you anything, nor does the chime sounds. that's why i encouraged a cpu controlled light "swipe" (wipe) when you get some achievement. Or use of the knocker. or even installation of flash lamps...

@bcrage88 I tested the tilt on my game, it moves on to the next ball and I didn't have to reset.

Interesting we will take a look at it this week and see maybe the connectors come loose or something when it is moved.

Monday is almost here Dick! just a gentle reminder we're Jonesin' for an update...
thank you in advance!!

@dickhamill: I just got around to installing the latest code. I love #22 in the diagnostics. I have it set to every and you really know when you get a proper rip on the spinner with the Wav Trigger! I also like the concept of #27, but when I set it to 1 (allow right spinner) the right spinner validates the playfield anyway. The major switch setting works to that effect, but the allow spinner setting seems like it would work as a proper skill shot.

Thanks again for all the hard work!

Monday (test day) is almost here... any new updates???

on the chimes versus wav, not sure what you mean.... "The builder should decide what sound they want support at compile time." how is that done???

also when you do a new version, you should state EXACTLY which files are required in the build.

Awesome updates! Excited to give it a go.

From the looks of it, all the files got updated:
BallySternOS.cpp
BallySternOS.h
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp
SelfTestAndAudit.h
Stars2020.ino
Stars2020Chimes.h
SternStarsDefinitions.h

we tested it tonight. it's nice, but i guess we were hoping for a bit more. for example, the light wipe is not there. i don't quite understand why.... i mean when you get an achievement, why not just do:

for (int count=0; count<60; count++) {
BSOS_SetLampState(count, 1, 0, 500); }

it could be that simple. It would be better to add a bit more 'wipe', but even the above two lines of code, it would give a good indication something has been achieved.

Also when the spinner is good for 1000 points on the skill shot, you should probably have the two lights in front of the spinner blinking.

Thanks!

it's monday any chance of an update?

1000% on a light swipe! Great idea after an achievement... could you do one sweep front to back, then one back to front for another achievement?
I loaded up the newest code and love it.. love saving the progress of the stars for bad players like myself!!

yea the light swipe is an easy way to signal something has been accomplished. i would love the light swipe routine also trigger an unused TIP102 on the driver board too, as the light swipe goes 'up' and 'back' (trigger the TIP twice). That way you could add a flash lamp (or several flash lamps tied together) to the playfield or the backbox, or a GI relay. And if you don't add that stuff, it makes no matter. Because it won't have any effect, and you still have the CPU controlled light swipe too!

Alright, I've been busy but finally got around to installing the new code. I like it a lot! I haven't had a lot of time to dig too deep, but here are my initial thoughts:

The changing skill shot speed is challenging if not a bit random.
I like that the allow right spinner works as intended now. I never had a problem with the major switch version. It might not be the right choice for tournament play, but it was fun.
It's fun to carry over stars from ball to ball.
I haven't figured out the special behavior yet. It seems like sometimes it's faster, sometimes it goes backwards, and sometimes it moves by switch hits like the original code. I'm sure I'll figure it out with more play time.
I REALLY like the star display mode (option 33). It seems like a nice solution to the ambiguous status light difference between level 1 and 2 with LEDs. I would propose a hybrid option where level 1 goes from off to full, and then levels 2 and 3 flash alternately like the new code. Straight from off to blinking in level 1 seems unnecessary.

DickHamill keep up the amazing work. It just keeps getting better and better!

@cfh: I think I might have a solution in lieu of adding flashers. Here is a video of a proof of concept for a HUD DMD hybrid thing. I don't have any code to make it interactive with the Stars 2020 code yet. There is already data coming out of the serial line for the Wav Trigger. Most of the pertinent info is already being sent (game start, stars level up, etc.). I'm pretty much useless at coding. If I can find existing code I can usually figure out how to tweak it to suit my needs but serial data is way above my head. If any of you fine Pinsiders who are way smarter than me would like to run with it I'd love it. I think it looks pretty cool, but again it's only a proof of concept to see if it was worth pursuing.

It's a WS2812b 8x32 matrix blue tacked to the underside of the head. It's a perfect fit.

interesting idea with the DMD but that's just too far to the left for me personally.
i was thinking about the TIP trigger (as i described above.) To be honest, probably could wire *both* a GI relay and flash lamps into the same TIP. This means using a 12v relay as the GI trigger. But it would get you GI flash and the flash lamps!

We have played Stars 2020 quite a bit at the arcade and our is setup extremely tough, one of the biggest complains we have had with code is that there is vertically no way to increase bonus on the game. There is a great feature on the game where it allow you to go out to 55000 but honestly for the majority of players at our location their bonus go to from 1k to 5k in any given ball. Has there been any thoughts of giving 2k bonus for Stars, 1k for drops, 2k for a drop clear. Every 5 pop hits 1k bonus, anything to try to increase that bonus so it is worth shooting down those drops for your 2x or 3x. That way there is at least some incentive to hit the drops. Many players are ignoring the drops and just going for skill shots and spinner as it is much more safe and lucrative right now.

Awesome stuff can’t wait to try it out looks like a big improvement!!!

Some of the other bonus issues on the game are on the rollovers when you hit the red rollovers you should score 500 and advance bonus, but it does not advance the bonus just gives you 500. As well the 3 bonus advance light never comes on would be nice to have that back to light on the outlines or in lanes rotating on switch hits. Sorry never noticed this stuff before that is why the bonus counts are so low, really nice touch on the extra bonus chances I think with all of these fixes it will balance out the scoring!!!