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I think a projector turned around and projecting onto the backboard or sides with interstellar action would be cooler and protect the device better. I bet Stern has some cool custom animation in the LCD though, can't wait to see.

Well neither do I. But I prefer the Highway approach.

If I could have my way I prefer none of them. But that may just be me being reluctant to change

Heighway's on a Highway to.....

Oh, they all read it. It's just a fact. Back in the day when I still talked with people at Stern I would hear about it all the time. They see the complaints, the suggestions, the insults.

You should just post assuming the person you're talking about is seeing it. One more reason to not be a dick, why intentionally try and hurt someone's feelings? Be honest, but think about how you'd say it to their face, or in an email.

The whole point of the internet is you can be a gigantic dickbag with almost no consequences, stop trying to squash my fun!!

Yessss another A/C D/C reference in the Star Wars thread... let's me use this...

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That's good art.

Modders!!! here you go... A blast door surround that frames the LCD!

Well said.
I agree totally with tigerlaw as well. His numbers are even being very conservative as there are surely many more Pinsiders that do not have their games listed or just use the site for info and never post at all.
Pinside is a tremendous resource of info and Stern should stop lying to us and themselves.
Real numbers don't lie.

I'd suggest that it's more like: "Pinside COULD be a tremendous resource of info..." and would further suggest that it would be awesome if Stern looked at Pinside as the pinball die-hard fans, with whom they could share information about upcoming games, and ask our opinions about stuff.
But right now, we're seen more as a disease.

But hey; it's important that we all have the right to write derogatory comments, complaining for more than 30 pages about artwork, having not even seen hi-res photos yet. So it's all good!

I can't blame them, we're the only place that calls them out for their shortcomings. The dealers won't do it, the designers won't do it, the modders won't do it. The fan boys won't do it. So Naturally they will blame us. They're the biggest pinball company in the world but they won't even post nor give us some respect on here. Wouldn't you agree that this is the place to come and do a sneak preview of your game, where else would the most dedicated customer base be if not here? Wouldn't you want to thank that same customer base with a party on your 30th anniversary? For all of his faults at least Jack listens. He changed the art on the Hobbit, Smaug and several other things because of what he read here. Stern has given us the middle finger and many of you have continued to support and defend that attitude.

Stern does not need to come in here praising everyone. Calling pinside a disease is not far from the truth as fas as I am concerned. Everyone is a self called expert that thinks they know how every pin should be designed, manufactered, priced, marketed, and sold. You then have people complain about every little thing that are not even in the market for nib pins. In the end, games get sold and people move their attention to the next game.

Case in point.

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Stern guys read this stuff. George Gomez has mentioned stuff he read here in the past but he seems like a positive guy, maybe he's processed it correctly as a result. There is a wealth of information and opinion here that would be a great way for Stern to incorporate into their game design. Who knows maybe they already did that. Who's the Pinside guy who suggested a "crack in half" Death Star toy? Speak up.

Im curious what was the last game that really flopped for Stern? Mustang?...It wasn't a huge seller but it is quite a fun game. Something tells me they know what they are doing. I just read through the Alien thread and you wanna talk about a clusterfuck!?!? Something tells me Stern is probably laughing more reading this thread then are overly concerned about it.

They did already do that.
It was in the forum portion of the old Stern website. How do you think Tron came into existence?
Myself and a handful of passionate others on there brainstormed the features of the game; even though they didn't use EL wire/paper in production, the lightshow they gave us on the LE worked just as well if not better!

Sadly Futurama took second place in that vote back in 2010.
Will we ever see similar features mentioned in those old forum threads someday?
Who can tell.

It eventually died and Pinside became the new voice for Stern's ideas, hence the uptick in members back in 2011. (Myself included.)

Just to be fair, back in the day I was at Stern factory picking up my Avengers Hulk LE. Gary was wonderful in impromptu grabbing Gomez to come over and say hello, thank you and sign anything if I wanted. Gomez went a step further and brought me over into the factory and personally walked me through the game and how he designed it. (Very cool experience by the way).

Borg was walking by and stopped by to chat. I owned an XMen, complimented on the design but was candid in sharing my disappointment and hope for updated code. One on one he said he agreed, was pushing internally for updates, and was championing the effort - sincerity was evident. If he gave up, it's because he was told to move on after pushing for so long.

I've much respect for Borg and Ritchie. But, I'd like to share credit with Borg for Xmen coming along.

Stern pays me $1 for every positive post I make.

They actually had to send me a 1099 for taxes

I don't know why, but I have a gut feeling the Premium/LE will play well and look a lot better in person and in HD pictures than in these early low resolution pictures. I just hope the music and sounds are going to be great. Custom music like what was done for Avengers will not fit Star Wars because Star Wars has iconic music for which most people identify with the theme.

I am not very optimistic for the pro model because it looks to be too stripped down similar to GOT pro which does not have staying power to me other than a few coins here and there at an arcade.

Stern knows what's up.

They've outlived all the other pinball manufacturers - even through bad times.

Most REAL operators (you know the ones who's ONLY source of income is operating games) don't read Pinside.

99% of all pin owners don't read Pinside.

Only a few crabby nutsacks read Pinside every day.

I've been playing the crap out of those pictures since the moment they were released, both on my phone and on my desktop.

The game is fun, but so far seems very one-dimensional ....

How do you know who is in the market for an NIB pin and who is not? And why NIB...what about the secondary market? Does someone's opinion not matter that would pick this game up from another collector in 8 months, or anticipates doing so? And does that mean someone's opinion doesn't matter? Unless your collection only consists of 3 of the crappiest EM's, we have all spent a good amount of money in this hobby, and are always willing to spend more.

And I grow tired of that argument. Looking at my collection or history says nothing. Here is food for thought. I don't have them in my personal collection, but at LOP, we have bought several NIB games for our own enjoyment, then to sell afterwards. NIB's we have bought: Luci, Hobbit Smaug, WOZ RR, IMVE, TFLE and all played the crap out of, modded and sold. We currently have a STLE upstairs in our office, bought NIB in April. And we have a GOTLE sitting in the showroom. So really, do I have absolutely no experience with NIB Stern games? That is obviously not the case...despite so many people making comments to me about it. I loved LUCI...awesome game all the way around and solid. None of the issues we see with games these days. IMVE was also awesome. STLE isn't my theme, but the game plays pretty damn good. I am constantly checking it for cabinet separation, which just makes sense. Already ordered B/W brackets to reinforce.

That being said, I'm not going to complain about anything anymore (well, maybe Levi). It really is useless, as the few people on here that think they know everything will not change. As Tiger and others have said, Pinside is a great resource and I used to get nothing but enjoyment out of it. These days, it makes me turn into a sour dick sometimes, which I'm not liking. I am going back to the help threads and more constructive things on here, because it is a great site and I've met a ton of great people on here over the last few years. I think it's a shame that designers and other "industry people" look at this site as a disease, because I've gotten so much out of it in the few years I've been a member (friends, games, help, etc.)

For SW, we were contemplating getting one for the store. I wanted this or Houdini to be my first NIB, now I might just grab a MET (and probably a used first run Pro with the wooden speaker panel). Those things are solid. I am passing no further judgment on SW until I see it in person and play it. I don't think I will like the art any better as a hardcore SW fan, it could've been much better. The game might be a good player, and that could make a huge difference.

And Vid, please do a run of those T-shirts. I'll buy at least 4, including one for me and Ice.

WWE was a big flop. Mustang may have had trouble selling all the LEs and the premium run was short, but I believe the pro sold decently, especially as time went on and people realized it's a good-playing game with good code to boot.

The endless outrage gets old. So what if its not what you like, nobody rails about the redesign of the Camry. They just don't buy it.

Stylistically I'm not impressed. I'm sure there were limitations on how these massive celebrities and brand could be represented. I would have liked to see a more stylized artist representation. There's a massive trend of contemporary artists who re-imagine movie posters and reflect new ideas and styles, and in my opinion, could be a good place to start if I were looking to connect with a more contemporary audience, a younger audience. I'm sure Stern recognizes the trend that machines with impressive artwork just get a more positive response. I love Zombie Yeti's style but think there's just as much opportunity to see other styles, and those poster variants are a good place to start.

I'll add this, I'd recommend that Stern art and communications teams go to just one Blizzcon. There's a lot to be learned about how to turn fans into rabid promoters. IMO Stern does more to create an anti-Stern environment on Pinside (as does Jersey Jack) by remaining silent, or condescending to negative opinion. Turning so many people into detractors, and even putting everyone into a single pot, is no different than any other 'ism'. It should be they see 'pinside' as more than a few detractors, but instead they perpetuate the immaturity with more of the same. There's no financial model that says doing that helps the bottom line. Companies like Blizzard recognize its power and encourage opinion but also support it with engagement and explanation. If there's a volume of people who speak out about the look of the machines, that's valid and real data. You can certainly assume you can't please everyone, but understanding why they are displeased and assuming those who don't are a 'disease' isn't good for anyone, pinside or Stern.

If I could recommend a change, I'd like to see Stern participate in this community, engage, and respond to input of all types. Foster a relationship with its most passionate group of buyers, and help them become advocates and promoters instead of the opposite.

For me, I'm not pinside, I'm on Pinside with a LOT of different people.

Kudo's to Spooky for setting the best example of how to engage and represent. Stern could easily do the same, maybe they'll decide to do that someday soon.

That's good to hear. I'm a big fan of Borg's stuff (heck, look at how many of his games I own and have bought), but he would not publicly comment on the code and Ritchie finally did (and did so definitively and publicly at that seminar at HAAG) and that was the spark that made Stern do something with the code.

Oh yeah forgot about WWE. Either way they have a pretty good track record of releasing fun games in recent years.

I think the game looks like it is going to be great. the playfields *always* look better in person. The layout looks super fast, and it's got drop targets and LCD screen on the pro. This thing is going to be awesome, I can feel it.

Steve maybe doesn't live here and see each and every post. And the bad often outweighs the good.

He's a pretty smart man. If he says something, probably best listen and maybe learn from it.

LTG : )

I'm waiting to find a WWE LE for 2500. I've actually grown to kind of like the game having to play it in league. The upper playfield is difficult when both slings are working properly and it's bouncy, and the rules for qualifying Tag Team are interesting. It's actually a very good competition game because it requires live catching and bounce passes to control effectively, and consistency in making the left and right ramps is required to build bonus X.

They did not sell that well a few years ago, and would probably sell even worse with the current political climate in the States.

I'll gladly give you the artwork if you want to do another run, or just do a few from Custom Ink.

.

You've never read car forums.

Not that Trudeau game...WWE was the biggest recent Stern flop. Epic, even. Took Trudeau two games to get back in the swing of things. He admitted he was a little rusty at first, and it shows. But, after the near-greatness of Ghostbusters, I really hope the Guardians of the Galaxy rumor IS true and Trudeau is on it. He's on a great trajectory and he could make that game excellent. Just please...PLEASE, normal flipper gaps. OR if you must do something "unique" how about zipper flippers? Haven't seen those in a long time.

There is a meaningful representation of Stern's best customers and prospects on this site. You don't always agree with your customers and your customers don't know as much about your product as you do (usually) but to ignore the base of customers here or to treat them poorly is a mistake. Even if all Stern did was announce things on here 5 minutes early or pushed their Facebook updates here, it would probably go a long way at least acknowledging the customers here. Frankly, it wouldn't kill them to offer a 5% or 10% discount code on accessories every once in a while on here to build good will. It's a missed opportunity.

I think this SW pin is awesome. For some reasons I like the Pro version. I hope our operator in NZ will import this SW here so I have a chance to play it. When I first saw this SW, I thought it was similar to IM. However, someone had made a comparison. This SW is like ACDC. Anyway, IM or ACDC are fun. Personally I enjoy playing pinball machines with this type of layout.

They make a gel to cure that ... From what I hear anyway.

Steve is a very nice guy and deaf as a door knob but he is going to say and do what he needs to to keep his job.

Hell, when I read Mac forums every time Apple announces something new it's an outrage there as well.

if stern was reading the forums, kiss code would have been updated.
star wars will play well but also be months and months for code updates
just remember that steve hasnt done a pin with color dmd. remember the looping joker on bm 66? i dont expect a well coded pin at release due to the color dmd.
star wars art is a let down for me. hope it plays good.

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What I find funny is that Steve Ritchie is calling Pinside a disease, but "forgets" about the way that this "reveal" is done. Maybe time for him to look at the real problem, the PR department (if they even have that) of Stern.

If they did a proper reveal, maybe these 1600 posts would not even exist. He should look at the cause of the problem but thats just my opinion.

Rather see Elwin do Guardians then Trudeau.

If he just started at Stern in March, that seems unlikely unless the horizon for Guardians is WAY out there.

Agreed. I can't wait to see Keith's game! I'm sure he'll make sure the ruleset is great too no matter who programs it.

Depends on if they go with his Archer Layout since that is pretty much complete.

I hope not. GotG deserves a "world under the glass" not another wide-open playfield.

You sir are high.
Archer was awesome to shoot.
We would be so lucky to have that sweet layout paired with GOTG.

Wide open??? Ummm not sure what you are talking about here.