But you don't buy new Sterns. You've been disappointed with the build quality, citing "40-50%" of the ones that you know of, have a MAJOR issue of one kind or another.
Isn't that what you said recently? You mostly just sell B/W games, right?
So I'm going to say that he's 100% correct. And I do buy new Stern pins.

So maybe it's time to up your medication. And be embarrassed to be part of a group of people so vocal and negative that the top people in the industry have taken notice and made comments.
Seriously. This hobby is ridiculous. The amount of money that any of us have invested in it. And one might think that since we're all enjoying the same hobby, that this website would be a place for positive comments and discussions.
Nope. Pinside is the most negative place I know when it comes to pinball.
Ironic, huh?

The point is, it's NOT a discussion. It's a slam-fest.
But if you enjoy hundreds of hate-filled posts about how crappy playfield art is, and how disappointing it is for a massive licence, then I invite you to take a look at the Alien thread.

If you think for a second that all the negativity on here is a plus for pinball in any way, you're nuts. It's like racist biggots yelling hateful rants, and arguing that it's "free speech".

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'd love to see them make that Archer pin.

I really hope there's more to the video mode than "pound the action button". TONS of opportunity for an amazing video mode. IE: tie fighter flying around, in and out of your target sights. Maybe you would have to have great timing while playing multiballs. If this is a pound fest like track-and-field arcade...

Having said that, I am stoked about the 9 different multiballs modes and think the LCD looks amazing.
Overall, looks cool.

Well said. Additionally, for anyone who's played and loved Aerosmith, there's not a whole lot going on there either. Break down the toys and shots, and it's not exactly a packed playfield. Add in the great music and cool lcd though, and the game can really pull you in.
I'm expecting StarWars to play very similar to ACDC (which also doesn't have much in the way of toys when you compare the two pins).
WHile I think the magnets in Ghostbusters are amazing, this pin is likely fast and furious, full of flow. Very different style than GB and I expect will be better off without them. (Though I also would have expected some kind of "Force" magnet trick)
I think the devil will be in the details. How different and fun are the rules for the various multiballs? Seems cool to me but I'd like to know more.
I also heard it said earlier that you can move the shot multiplier around, and potentially score up to 40x shot value. To me, that sounds like GoT scoring. Not my fav, as the rules for scoring are pretty insane to fully understand, but still looking forward to playing this game.

Once again, I soldiered through the swamp of sorrow (the last 10 hours of posts on here basically repeating: "barren playfield! Not enough toys, too expensive!!!") -to find two tidbits of gold:
Awesome comments about speed, flow, and play by the only two people who have seen or played this new game.

You guys can choke on a lightsaber.

In for an LE and super excited!!!

I can't argue with that. US exchange rate of approx 35% + 13% tax here. This thing is frighteningly close to double the cost of my ACDC Premium that I bought about 5 years ago.

I have to say though, the new lcd and sound are incredible. Aerosmith feels next level and I'm hoping StarWars does too.
Otherwise, it'll be one expensive door stopper!

Go blow a bantha.

Especially if its being filmed at Stern HQ. I've been somewhat annoyed with previous reveal videos where someone squawks non-stop, trying to be funny -and all I want to hear and see is the game itself.
Have to add that I do love the effort made to bring us these videos, just that very often there's just too much going on by the players, drowning out the game itself.
Like, Lyman Sheats and Jack playing a couple 2 player games would be perfect!

Are you out of your mind? 1 week ago, Pinside went BALLISTIC over some photos of playfield artwork that weren't HD.
You think that given the attitude of many Pinsiders, that Gary would think it was ok to release a video taken on a phone?
See, if Pinside weren't so toxic, I'll bet Stern would be a little easier-going with stuff like this.

Awesome that he's wearing a Darth Vader shirt in that pic.
Wouldn't be surprised if his wife took the kids and left months ago, and he's been too busy to notice.

Luke: "I can't shake em!"

Personally, I was considering buying both games. Since I expect that StarWars will play like many new Sterns, and be fast and exciting with great flow (since it's Steve Ritchie) and I love the theme, I preordered one without playing it first.
I went to the local distributors on Tuesday this week to play Dialed In. It looked great, and had wicked flowy ramps much to my liking.
My overall opinion of it is that it will sell like hotcakes, and large numbers of people will love it -which is great for JJP and great for pinball.
Still, I never once felt my heart beating any faster than usual and felt zero emotional connection to it. Would not put it in my house even for half the price of a new Stern pin. (I'm short on room so if it's not top 3, it's not in my home)
So my point is: these games are going to play differently. Just like Walking Dead and the Hobbit play differently. Just like Aerosmith and WOZ play differently. It's ok to like any one of them. It's also HIGHLY likely that you wont love a game just because it cost more to make it. But hey, if that's what's important to you, I guess that's ok too.

Oh: for the record, (and I know it was a prototype so you can't judge) but the playfield on the DI was chipping by the ball drain (just under the apron, behind the flippers) and the flippers felt spongy. For what it's worth, my buddy's Hobbit still catches the odd pinball under the pop-up mechs and holds them for wayyyyy too long. He's also put a lot of time into that thing to get it working as well as it does. And yet, IN MY OPINION it's still nowhere near as good a game as most others, IronMan included. But yes, it cost more to make!

Edit: and actually, since there's 3 version of each, why not compare them directly? The DICE model appears to be at least as overprice as a StarWars LE for the extras that you get. I think that the LE would make the most sense, and that's closest to a Stern Premium. So quite a difference in price.

Well I for one would like to thank JJP for creating a game that's so similar in playstyle to older B/W games that we can revive the classic "Stern vs B/W" argument.
Well done, and here we go again!

Great points all around! Having read this, I've decided to call my distributor, cancel my LE, and order a Hobbit instead.
Dude, GTF out of here with your crap.
This game is going to be a souped-up ACDC with cool videos (How many are there again, Iceman?), 9 multiballs, and awesome music/call outs. If it's not your thing, no problem. But why try to bring everyone else down? Nothing fun to do at your place on a Saturday (like, say playing Hobbit)?

That's pretty funny.
You simply can't compare pin value based on bill of materials.
TWD cost the same in parts on day 1 as it did after Lyman gave it the code update, when it went from ho-hum-sucks, to F'n-sweet-game!
If only there was a way to put a value on "fun factor". Which of course, would vary by individual taste.

That's not Admiral Akbar... It's a CARP!

Not fighting back? You should come over to play MY Aerosmith!

Kinda sounds to me like you're expecting too much, in my opinion. I hope you're not disappointed.
While I dont have any idea of how code will go, this playfield layout is very similar to ACDC.
I'm hoping that this will be closest to Met/ACDC in terms of speed and flow and doubt that it will be a game anywhere near to TSPP, WoZ, Hobbit, etc.
You sure you're not better off with a Dialed In? Seems to me DI might be a better fit for your tastes.

Have you played ACDC?
Playfield artwork alone does not make/break a game.

The same reason most of us play pinball instead of reading encyclopedias.
It's an "excitement" thing.

Well spotted!

Also, like the ramps in Whitewater, there has to be an "out" at the lowest point in case balls get stuck.

Good call! I liked the one for Walking Dead, even more so for Aerosmith.
Hoping this one is a must-have!

Any thoughts on best topper ideas?

What are your "legitimate issues" with Stern? Seeing as you own a LoTR and the rest are other manufacturers...

Do you just make $hit up in an attempt to prove your point? There's not a single manufacturer out there who hasn't had production/QC issues. Fortunately, they all seem to offer replacement parts etc to make things right.
All buyers should be fully aware that when you buy a game, you get the code that's on it, and anything more will require patience. Coding takes far longer than we'd like, but I'm not seeing numerous Stern titles "left for dead" as you have stated.
Geez. You weren't quite so jaded before being rejected by the Stern army...?

Well good news: I expect if you tell your distributor that you would prefer to wait, they'll be more than fine with that.
I'll take mine now, thank you! And cool that they aren't delaying all shipments instead.

Based on your current collection, I'm going to take your recommendation with a grain of salt.
And let's just ignore the comment generally stating that Stern hasn't created anything recently that's well-designed and fun. (Which include some of the very best games ever made by anyone, in my opinion.)

Honest comment though: glad that you and others are enjoying Dialed In!

My opinion on Dialed In has zero to do with the cell phone. Overall, theme was neutral in my opinion (although selfie mode seemed to appeal to more of a 12 yr old audience, but whatever as it didn't reduce the playability of the game).
What I felt was missing was any feeling of excitement. Same as when I play a Twilight Zone or Hobbit, for example.
If anyone likes those titles, cool -but they don't get my heart racing like Walking Dead or Aerosmith.

So it's awesome that JJP has a decent game out and that people are giving it great reviews so far... But I don't think anyone in here (a Stern StarWars thread) gives a lick. Jumping in here, and toting DI as being better than anything Stern has ever done is pretty douche-baggy, no?

In all fairness, we've seen what; 6-8 people post that they've got an DI already? So if even just 1 of those has problems/issues, it really does deflate the whole "Stern quality sucks! JJP is a tank" argument.
Most importantly, I would expect that JJP will fix the issue. My own experience with them was decent. They (like Stern in my experience) took good care in resolving the problems I had on my WoZ.

Sounds like Jack will be broadcasting "a long time ago, in a time zone far, far away".

I was under the impression that depending on which character you selected, each mode might have some variation.
We know that Han Solo doesn't have to complete "Escape from Cloud City", since he was frozen in carbonite, but I think that depending on your character, your mode may differ slightly. I expect many are the same though, especially if all the characters were together for a particular scene.

Seems as though you have much knowledge on the subject, Flash.
How many new in box pins have you purchased from Stern, and what issues did you encounter?

You must have had a ton of issues given the frequency of your bad-mouthing on here.

When you put down your deposit, was there a date guaranteed? There wasn't when I paid for mine.
"Aiming for the end of July" was what I was told but no guarantee.
I've recently been told they expect mine to arrive "2nd to 3rd week in August".
I will believe it when I get the delivery call, and am not so upset about things that I'm considering cancelling all future orders.
To me, you're like a kid screaming: "If Santa doesn't bring me everything on my list, tell him not to bother coming!"

Figured as much.

Either that or enjoy the ride, anticipating the arrival of your new toy -without setting a deadline for yourself.
These things can be delayed for any of a number of reasonable explanations, and in the end it just gives the coders a little longer to maybe get another update done before you get the game.

Yeah, it feels WAY better. Even when you're lowering the playfield, it doesn't feel as though you might get your fingers caught, since it lowers back down much more smoothly.
I don't get the feeling that I'll ever have to slam the playfield down with this one.
Another nice improvement.

Yeah, from what I've seen so far, this is going to be Sterns next monster title.
People are going to have to play it in person though. After seeing the Deadflip video, I very nearly cancelled my preorder. I was nearly angry at the little that I saw that was happening on the playfield.
Fast forward to today, (4 days after getting it), and this game is mind-blowingly fantastic. Such a rush!
Now in saying that, I've always been a Star Wars fan. I don't own any figures, or anything nuts, but I always liked the movies so the callouts and missions are all very familiar.
The shots are mixed. Some are pretty easy. Some are pretty tough. It's a great blend.
Can't wait to see what the next code updates offer!

I truly expect MOST people who had previously chimed in on Pinside, calling Stern out for going cheap, and selling a game with a spare playfield are going to be eating crow.

My comment was based on the MASSIVE amount of negativity that people have been spewing based on pics and videos only.
Some have played the Pro and didnt like it. That's cool. I'm not arguing that -but the sheer number of pages of commentary about Stern reducing the b.o.m. and phoning this one in, are absolutely insane. WAY too many voices and opinions shouted out prior to anyone having first hand experience playing the game.

But hey; if you prefer that everyone make blind commentary based on little information and want to read that shit, be my guest.

I'm telling ya: I'll bet the LEs are sold out in the very near future.
I was a little put off on the ruleset initially for the "math" reason too, but I expect it will just add to the strategy in the future, once I understand the multipliers etc. In the meantime, I just park the multiplier shots on the Deathstar, and focus on the modes.

Same here. Still, A couple times today I heard a sound bite that had to be playing backwards or something.
Like Yoda devil-speak.

My StarWars has one heck of a lot more to it than most other games I've had in my house.
And I expect that you would say that my Aerosmith is also "empty" which is just plain wrong.

Dude, pinball machines are either fun, or they're not. I'm not saying that Hobbit is a dud, but I don't like playing it -and it has LOTS on it.

If you feel the need to tell the world how you're disappointed that Stern cheaped-out and destroyed your dream theme, nobody can stop you -but those of us in the room at the moment are too busy sharing the joys of StarWars pin ownership to pay you much attention.

So if you make the Deathstar shot, it circles around the inner loop and goes straight down the middle?

I'm initially thinking you need to level the pin because mine doesn't do that with any degree of regularity.
I drain more often from missing a ramp shot, hitting a stand-up, and losing it that way.

Aurich:
when I made that comment, I wasn't quoting you. I didn't reference you. I wasn't thinking of you. I didn't even consider or know your opinion of Star Wars.
My comment was aimed at the hordes of individuals (see pages 1-110+ for reference) who were so quick to jump on the Stern-bashing wagon. For you to read my comment and assume you were in any way involved is ridiculous.
The wave of anti-Stern sentiment did cause some to cancel their pre-orders and I still (especially now after having played the game more and more) feel that many will come back to love it after they give it a chance.
It will work out positively for some though, like my friend, who grabbed an LE earlier today after having played the game at my place.
I expect it was only available because someone else cancelled after falling victim to the "Pinside effect".

I was reluctant to follow through with my pre-purchase after hearing so much negativity but to be honest, it's been a great learning opportunity in that moving forward, I'll easily remember not to give weight to any of the other opinions on Pinside.

What are saying here? I see three inserts for regular modes on Hoth, same as all other planets, and then the hotdog insert.
How is this different?

Ah, got it!
So Hoth I mode is completely different for various characters, whereas most other modes are auto completed, if a character wasn't present for that scene in the movie.
I'll have to check that out tonight. Thanks for sharing!

You mean the Sarlac pit?
Geez man. Nerd up!!!

It really isn't. There are a few things happening at all times (destroying tie fighters for example), but mostly it's all about various simple rules/goals in each of the various modes.
What's beautiful is that once you get to know the important shots for each mode, you can then challenge yourself to move the multipliers around the playfield, so that you score big, completing those shots.
There are some other great things to accomplish as well, like hyper space hurry-ups, escape from Boba Fett, the force targets, etc -with more on the way (lightsaber duel and midnight madness multiball).

It does NOT shoot out a hologram, or project anything.

I believe what you're referring to is "R2D2 Attract Mode: On/Off"

Is that right?

I'll admit... I really WANTED there to be a little princess Leia hologram, crying out to Obi-Wan!!!

How certain are you that the game is well leveled side to side?

WTF? Did someone harpoon that thing?

well they are a "for profit" organization, so yeah... It's a money grab! (Duh!)
While I'm not much of a topper guy, I think Stern is doing a decent job on toppers.
I hated the one for Ghostbusters, but I liked the TWD zombie tank (wish it was bigger though. Like as wide as the top of the pin), and REALLY like what they did with Aerosmith, though not enough to buy 1 (not yet, anyway).
So I'm hopeful for StarWars, but I don't have money saved for it yet, if you know what I'm sayin.

From day 1, I've had mode stacking turned off. I wanted to understand each mode before tackling two of them at once.
Last night I tried stacking modes. Very different experience.
I chose Han Solo, and took "light Tatooine mission", then made the left ramp three times to qualify the final Endor mission.
After completing those two modes, I started the stacked multiball modes for each. During those modes, I triggered tie fighter multiball. Of course, I was able to take down the FORCE target bank a few times, and was able to add a ball and extend the multiballs at least twice.
Much more chaotic. Way more adrenaline. Lots going on.
But I think I prefer the non-stacking modes as it definitely pulls you in to the theme better.

Thoughts?

Put it all the way up, then drop it just a little, and test the hyperspace loop to make sure the ball can completely go around without getting stuck in the death star. You want to leave it as high as possible, providing the most clearance available for the ramp fork, without blocking the death star loop.

If you're going to buy Star Wars, at least play an LE/Premium before deciding.
To me, it's the hyperspace loop that makes the game.