Star Wars (LE)
Stern, 2017
Star Wars (Premium)
Stern, 2017
Star Wars (Pro)
Stern, 2017You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider tbanthony.
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I definitely like the Premium art the best with Darth Vader on the backglass. The biggest disappointment to me will be if there are no magnets; how can you have the force with no magnets. That will be a major fail if there are none.
Quoted from J85M:You would think it would be a no brainer to have "The Force" (basically have it work like The Power from Addams) as a feature especially with all that open space in the middle of the playfield.
If it has force magnets in the middle, I'm in. However, the art certainly doesn't seem to fit that so I'd be surprised. I don't see any visible magnets and don't see any art to indicate their presence. Will wait and see final feature list and promo video to learn more.
I don't know if Ritchie is a Star Wars fan but he likes fast things... he seems to have gone 'all in' on the hyperspace thing for better or worse. The LE with the hyperspace rails and the backglass is going to add to the hyperspace visuals. As a Star Wars fan, I would have preferred to go 'all in' on the Force.
Big whoop about 2 LCD screens... let's just fast rewind to P2K if that's where we are headed on every pin; much more immersive experience.
Quoted from tl54hill:I have been thinking for some time that Star Wars would be Stern's biggest challenge. Its probably the most expensive license they have ever bought, and could lead to a lower production cost machine to compensate and stay at the same price point. The only way to make up the difference in lower quality, or less populated game is in the gameplay. If anyone can do it, Steve Ritchie can.
The game may be great. Certainly hope so. However, if it's not, they would have been better off adding $200 to $500 to the BOM and charging more.
Quoted from jawjaw: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.
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.
Quoted from pinchamp:If not for the low resolution photos and all of these mainly negative reactions, Stern would not have nearly the exposure or hype. Many say their PR department is stupid but I challenge that to say genius.
The bar was set high with expectation and it has now been dropped back down with low res photos and disappointment. Things can only get better from here and I anticipate it will.
Heck I started reading this post when there were only 3 pages or so and it took me to now to get caught up... yes I had no service for a few days but still that is a great bunch of hype regardless.
Creating a negative impression is not what you pay your employees to do nor a marketing strategy anyone with competence would purposely move forward with.
No playfield magnets 
The force is weak with this one.
Will be fun to try it on location nearby -- except they will only have the Pro.
May not get to try a premium until next years' Allentown show.
I love Getaway -- so I may still warm up to this game if the programming makes it fun.
Quoted from bb2j3z:The video on IGN has me scratching my head. I know it's not going to be in the game, but how hard would it be to put actual SW music as background music for this video? This music doesn't sound anything like SW, super cheesy generic. It would have been better not to have any music at all. Lol, even Stern's GOT video... somebody had a brain to put the GOT theme song in there.
I turned off the sound after about 20 seconds. Enjoyed the video better without it. Mentally hummed Star Wars theme.
I think they could have dumped in an extra $100 of BOM, charged $250 more and had a magnet or two and we'd all be like "cool! It's the force man!"
mish-mash mess imo. Like what Stern did better, but it's all personal preference. I like the Premium package & art best overall. I like the 'bad guy' art version and you are playing the good guys against the bad guys -- so it works for me! Would be even better if you could play as good guys or bad guy characters, but I'm sure the movie scenes available may have helped dictate what they thought would work best as far as selecting characters to play.
Quoted from Darscot:That can't possible screw this up right? I want to see the target computer on the little screen and have that calm moment of use the force Luke.
I want quality HD realistic video and sound but I won't hold my breath on that one.
Don't count on it. There was an obvious lost opportunity with Star Trek as well that was just as natural a fit.
Quoted from mizzou:Is the deadflip stream supposed to be tonight? Looks like GB is playing...
deadflip will be playing Star Wars next week. Don't know what day. He won't say yet.
Wasn't there going to be something on Twitch tonight related to the UK show and a interview from somebody that played it? Anybody know how to search for or have a link?
Quoted from DerRoland:Q: why returned the left ramp on the pro behind the backboard?
Q: why has the death star a nose on the botton?
Same picture says "prototype" on the big decal. I wouldn't get too hung up on every detail. Doesn't appear to be a "production" machine.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:If anybody wants to check it out here's the exclusive NO FOOTAGE Star Wars preview twitch with timballs from the U.K. We talk about the game and my observations from playing it 7 or 8 times.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/150271414
And some photos for you guys.
super fast game with sick flow. I like it, I think they'll sell a ton of them.
Levi: How was the pop bumper action with only 2 vs. 3 ?
The Pinball Magic I owned had really poor pop bumper action with only one. Two seems like it could be fine and I like the idea of the pop bumpers taking up a little less real estate on the playfield to allow for other things.
If the hyperloop is as fast as my old Getaway then it's a fun effect and especially fun to try to get multiple balls running on it. Matched up with some good hyperspace movie sounds/visuals it should be great. Looking forward to seeing the Premium in action.
I hope they make good utilization of the small LCD; I think Stern has tended to under utilize the assets on the playfield. The small LCD doesn't need to be limited to being a one-trick pony of whacking the same 3 tie fighters over and over again. Adding some additional interactive visuals would be nice. I do like that it is interactive rather than just showing information.
Quoted from Yoko2una:Still scratching my head on the "MTFBWY" diverter on the Prem/LE. On ST, its a difference maker because a physical kickback exists on the Prem/LE which puts the ball back in play much quicker than the Pro which has the software kick a ball in the shooter lane and then up to the pops.
On SW Prem/LE, the ball will divert into the shooter lane, and on the Pro the outlane switch will... also trigger a ball back into the shooter lane, right? Why even have this feature at all on the Prem/LE? IMO, that seems like overkill on the BoM that could've been used elsewhere.
That's a great question; doesn't seem like a good use of BOM. Visually not that rewarding or different. From a play standpoint, essentially identical to a software based ball save that kicks another ball into the shooter and fires it off.
Quoted from tbanthony:That's a great question; doesn't seem like a good use of BOM. Visually not that rewarding or different. From a play standpoint, essentially identical to a software based ball save that kicks another ball into the shooter and fires it off.
Perhaps mounting a custom R2D2 plastic on the outlane diverter could make it more visually interesting. R2D2 saves them yet again! R2D2 is always saving their ass from the trash compactor, etc.
I'd like to practically 'beg' one of the expert modders to come up with a playfield magnet mod. Anytime you knock down the FORCE targets would be an ideal time to kick in a playfield magnet nearby for a couple seconds that may put some action on the ball as it rebounds off of those or cause some interaction during multi-ball. Just don't accidentally cook the playfield like TAF could and ideally no drilling a large hole into the playfield -- not sure if the standard magnets typically used on previous games can have enough pull on the ball through the standard playfield wood thickness.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:I've said before your average pinsider doesn't understand pinball design or history, and this thread reminds me why I feel that way constantly.
Tell me the other steve ritchie games with playfield magnets that randomly throw the ball around the playfield ala the power or ghostbusters. That kind of randomness isn't part of his design philosophy and that's one of the reasons why I like his games.
People who are complaining about lack of magna slings and bash toys really didn't put much time into considering their expectations. This is a steve ritchie game.
SpiderMan has a magnet and so does Elvis and Black Knight (first use of magnet for ball save). He likes to hold the ball with them. He uses them for control, not randomness.
Quoted from chuckwurt:I don't think so. Jack posted here today about it so I bet it's in the next week or two.
Expect a deadflip video next week. No indication of what day.
No deadflip video this week. Several more days of discussing nothing. It's like the Pinball version of Seinfeld.
I'm going to develop a magnet kit for myself as a new project. I don't have Star Wars on order, but it's a source of inspiration given it's lack of Force magnets and I plan to make it so I can add it to any game. I'm thinking of something along the lines of Addams Family where the magnets are employed under the main playfield area and wreak some havoc for a few seconds based on an event (e.g. knock down all the FORCE targets) that triggers them being initialized. If anyone has done a similar project and would like to share some tips, please PM or post. I'm going to use an Arduino and MOSFET board to control the magnet coils. I'm going to try using the magnetic coils from TAF first. I don't really want to drill into my playfields, so I'm going to have to see if I can get enough oomph out of them without playfield modification. If that doesn't work, then I'll try experimenting with different coils.
Fair enough statement to say that a magnet mod could suck. Nonetheless, I'm an electrical engineer that has been out of engineering for quite a few years and I'm ready to have a little magnetic fun whether it works out or not. I personally like the random chaos magnets introduce. The only magnet I ever disliked on a game I owned was World Cup Soccer -- mostly because I was too f**king slow to hit the damn button to engage magnasave before it was too late.
Since news on SW is slow, here is the patent from the days of Getaway on how the ball accelerator works. Enjoy.
Quoted from John_I:Magnets in pinball machines have always had poles which are in routed holes to be either flush with the playfield to catch the ball or very close to the playfield to effect the ball like in TAF. There is a reason for that. Surely designers have been tinkering with this ever since BK. You will not get it to work without routing without going to a monster magnet and custom power supply. In that case you better be experimenting on a worn playfield because you might be chipping paint topside!
I really don't think this game needs magnets, but your game... You should stick to stock style magnet parts and add some woodworking/routing skills to the Electrical Engineering skills.
Magnetic fields decay exponentially with distance as I recall, so yes I could easily find that there is no other choice but to do some woodworking on a playfield to accommodate a magnet mod. I'd still prefer to avoid it since I'd rather be able to move the mod from one machine to next without drilling playfields. I'll evaluate a couple options that will generate a stronger field so it can be further from the playfield surface. Obviously, I'm not going to spend unlimited funds on my little pet project but I also don't have a BOM to be concerned with like Stern -- where the cheapest/easiest option is clearly to just route out the playfield and reduce the distance between the magnet to the ball. I'm sure I will be playing this out with a piece of plywood, not any of my machines until I'm damn well ready.
Quoted from DEN:Aerosmith pro pf is so empty, but its still a great fun pin. I think sw will bee great, shooters layout
I think AS is just as empty. It's just that the pf art is so busy that it distracts from it.
Quoted from TheLaw:Haha the destroyer in the trench looked bad to me too
Game looks great, but I would upvote comments about the Star Destroyer looking bad overlaid on the trench run 1000x if I could.
Unfortunately, Stern Beta code often seems to be final or near final code with a few bug fixes. I'm probably going to purchase but plan to wait until 2018. By then, we'll know the answer as to how much they've tidied up the code. Overall, the game looks great and a lot of fun although a bit overwhelming and confusing at first. It will be helpful to have a Bowen video sometime down the line to help explain the game.
One of the things I learned today that was good to understand it that the drop targets have more impact on the game than I thought with the doubling of the multiplier. Initially, I was concerned they were somewhat wasted shots.
Quoted from Krakatoa:Just played after volunteering all morning at Pintastic. Enjoyed it so much I grabbed one that CT brought for sale. Unboxing now.
Congrats on your purchase!
Quoted from beelzeboob:Okay, since I'm an honest guy (even though I'm in on an LE), I have to say in my VERY short time on it I'd give it a 7. Let's keep in mind that it's running on .83 code and with all the background noise I was missing half the experience. Plus, there was that right kickout that went SDTM (I mean, I suck, but I'm not THAT bad!).
I'm excited about the hyperdrive and extra goodies on the premium/LE...I think it'll add a lot to the game. I have to play it tomorrow morning to get a better feel (and play the other SW here to see if I encounter the same cheap drain problems).
I didn't notice any issues with the clearcoat or ghosting or cabinet splitting. It all looks great.
As of now, I'm still excited to get my LE - it's just going to be mod heaven to get it the way it should have been out of the factory.
More tomorrow when I play it again. Dinnertime!
By mods, do you mean that it just needs some more visual eye candy to get the Star Wars vibe going stronger? Or, do you feel it's lacking some interactive ball aspect that the Premium/LE hyperdrive might address.
Quoted from Rob_G:Obviously some things work and some don't seem to. For example, the superimposed tie fighters and star destroyer seems to be the one thing most disliked. It's the initial reaction that just makes you think 'oh that doesn't look right, maybe it's a bug' or something like that. Even once you understand why it's there, you're still left wishing it wasn't like that. Perhaps these graphical assets can be shown on the mini lcd instead of the big lcd instead? The second biggest complaint appears to be with some of the animations just not looking smooth. I would agree that I'd like to see this improved as well. How beta is the code in regards to graphic design? I hope there's still plans for improving some of these graphical assets. Yes, I certainly want this game to be the best it can be for everyone who buys one!
edit: I don't mean my comments in a negative fashion, just talking about the game in general and what we all think of it so far.
Rob
I think it becomes difficult with some of these licenses to please the fan base. I had this issue with Star Trek. I knew the game was good but there aspects of it that really annoyed me as a fan. For games where I'm more of a casual fan or somewhat indifferent to the theme, some of the 'rough edges' don't bother me nearly so much or I may not even be aware there is an issue like a fan would.
Quoted from Deaconblooze:I very much prefer the Pro having similar gameplay to the Premium and LE. I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on huge parts of the game because I didn't want to toss down another couple thousand dollars.
I do agree that the pops add little value to this (or almost any other recent) stern game. The only thing they seem to offer is a place to dump a ball while in multiball, but I'd rather see the cost of those coils go somewhere else in the game.
I prefer games like Tron and KISS where the pop pumpers have more of an effect on where the ball goes, similar to magnets. I completely agree that pop bumpers with only one tight outlet add nothing to a game other than a place for a multi-ball to park for a few seconds.
Quoted from Mfsrc791:I don't see any value in the premium
Totally depends on how much "fun" it is to have the Getaway feature and whether it has any meaningful impact on gameplay -- especially during multi-ball. I'll admit my family was unhappy with me when I sold Getaway because there isn't much to shoot on Getaway either really but everyone loved the ball accelerator toy and trying to load multiple balls on it.
Quoted from Ballsofsteel:for owning the getaway and SW in one machine? i've always wanted a getway, was trying to get one recently actually. This way i get both.
Getaway is about a $2500 game? You could literally own SW Pro and Getaway vs. an SW LE, right?
Most video modes kind of suck as they are a simplistic cheap knockoff of video games that date back to the 80's. The SW button mashing I'm ok with though despite that because the graphics are better. If it tied in with a gun site moving around the screen (and it wasn't the same exact pattern every time) it would be even better and involve a bit more skill (or luck) in your button mashing.
Ok, being a little lazy here... but now that I've played SW and liked it I'm interested in considering buying. I bought one NIB game from Trent when I lived in OH, but he's a bit far now and I'd probably prefer to deal with someone even a bit closer. I live in Philadelphia, PA. Any suggestions for who you have had good luck, good service, and good prices (lowest allowed) in my area? Hey distributors, you are welcome to speak up or PM me as well. Thanks.
I like to see them innovate. Innovate or die. The complaint about Stern was a lack of innovation. At least they are introducing some modestly creative or different elements.
Now you won't necessarily like every innovation, but I don't think we should get all whiny about the button or x bonus. You can choose to ignore them. Sure, your score won't be as good, but it's not a feature that's going to physically interact with the ball. I guess you could argue in favor of settings that allow you to disable those features so when you are playing other people you could make it a fair apples to apples scoring.
Quoted from Dr-Willy:those correspond to the pop bumpers, its like GB where its a slot machine reel and when you match three you get whatever the symbol is. In the instant info there is a screen a believe that explains which each symbol means. I know there is 1 million points, and bonus multipliers but there are a bunch of others too.
Not sure what is being show on the small LCD when the pop bumper slot machine thing is onscreen, but given the small LCD proximity to the pops, it would be nice if it showed up there instead. It looks like sh*t to overlay those images on the trench run and some of the other scenes on the big screen.
Quoted from mittens:I always was perplexed how a torpedo down an exhaust tube could blow up the entire station, but they encase their garbage compactors with some blaster resistant / rebounding alloy. A small grill made up of that stuff over the exhaust tube would have saved a lot of grief for the empire.
In Rogue One, you learn it was a purposeful design flaw.
Quoted from scarybeard:Monster Bash Creature saucer, Twilight Zone slot machine, Addams Family electric chair... If those have ever become out of whack auto-drains I have never seen it.
I have seen problems on multiple TAFs coming out of the swamp
Quoted from paul_8788:I saw it in the theatre and wasn't impressed, watched it on the weekend and almost fell asleep. I could go on for about half an hour all the problems I had with the movie, and don't even get me started on Force Awakens. I am hoping The Last Jedi is actually interesting and not just a rehash of previous Star Wars movies.
Perhaps you're just not a Star Wars fan? In these movies with lots of sequels (Star Trek, Marvel, Star Wars, X-Men, Transformers, etc.), I can see enjoying some more than others and having favorites, but if you say it was boring to the point of almost putting you to sleep then you are just not a fan. That's ok, but as a fan I was on the edge of my seat for the new movies and while there are always some elements that could be improved, I thought they did the series justice. Even with the prequels, which I did not enjoy as much due to the cardboard acting and love story, they did not bore me to the point of almost falling asleep.
Quoted from paul_8788:Homage is generous. Blatant lazy ripoff of Episode IV with no original ideas is how I viewed it. I paid $20.00 to go watch a movie I have watched dozens of times with updated special effects and different actors. It wasn't even a good ripoff. The forced comraderie, emo villains, unbelievable coincidences, using the death star plot device again, all just unacceptable to me. The only bright spot was Daisy Ridley imo. Sure, different gender Luke knockoff, but at least she had charisma and was interesting to watch on screen. That being said I am trying to keep an open mind for Last Jedi, but if it uses the same plots as the previous films I think I will be done with the Star Wars universe.
Anyway, enough off topic rambling. Have played the Pro, and while fun it just hasn't clicked for me yet. Eagerly awaiting some Premium/LE video and to see where the code goes.
We won't know if the story is a repeat rehash trilogy until we see the next installment. While the Force Awakens somewhat had to spend time introducing a new generation of characters and there were some similar story overtones, it's really what happens in the next 2 installments that will bear out what the real story is and whether it has some fresh elements or completely recycles with new people and better visuals.
Quoted from paul_8788:Homage is generous. Blatant lazy ripoff of Episode IV with no original ideas is how I viewed it. I paid $20.00 to go watch a movie I have watched dozens of times with updated special effects and different actors. It wasn't even a good ripoff. The forced comraderie, emo villains, unbelievable coincidences, using the death star plot device again, all just unacceptable to me. The only bright spot was Daisy Ridley imo. Sure, different gender Luke knockoff, but at least she had charisma and was interesting to watch on screen. That being said I am trying to keep an open mind for Last Jedi, but if it uses the same plots as the previous films I think I will be done with the Star Wars universe.
Anyway, enough off topic rambling. Have played the Pro, and while fun it just hasn't clicked for me yet. Eagerly awaiting some Premium/LE video and to see where the code goes.
As far as repeat plot devices, they blow up the Enterprise in about every other Star Trek movie; usually in some new improved spectacular fashion. Just saying that Star Wars is not the only series to want to revisit familiar plot devices because they worked well in the past. This is why it is hard to keep a series fresh and some group of people is going to be pissed off no matter what they do.
Quoted from jeffsarcade:Maybe I'm in the minority, but I thought Rogue One was freakin' awesome.
I don't think you are in the minority Just the haters are speaking up.
Quoted from paul_8788:lol, I can dislike the movie and be a fan at the same time. Rogue One is boring. There is no dramatic tension because you know how it is going to end. The characters are wooden and two dimensional. Combat sequences were a snooze fest. Plot points were a rehash. If you want to put on rose colored glasses and say because it has a Star Wars logo on it so if you are a Star Wars fan you have to like it is one of the more ridiculous things I have ever heard.
I have owned the original Star Wars movies on VHS, wide screen VHS (still have that set), the special editions on dvd, I even have the prequels. I have sat down and watched all the movies with my kids. When I was a kid I had a Snow Speeder and a remote control R2D2. Was in line for the midnight showing of Phantom Menace as an adult. Trust me, I'm a fan of Star Wars. Just not a fan of mediocre at best movies no matter what the franchise.
I'm just as much of a fan; Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theater at age 9. I was awestruck.
From an opinion standpoint, I will agree to disagree. While you know the ultimate outcome of Rogue One (or, at least most people would), the journey was still enjoyable. There are other movies where you knew the likely outcome, but you can still enjoy and appreciate the story. I think the Star Wars franchise is in as good hands as possible with Disney. I'm sure I won't like all of them as well as others, but I'm going to enjoy them and appreciate them as long as they don't ruin the story like with Matrix 3. After all, much like pinball, there was a time where it was considered likely that there would be no more Star Wars to come and they have that interesting interconnection.
So perhaps we'll see some LE video in a week or two. I do have a strong interest in a Premium, so I'm curious to see the video. I enjoyed the Pro but I always was a fan of the Getaway supercharger. Still miss Getaway a bit, but never felt like there was enough to shoot at or interesting shots to keep it long-term, but I loved the supercharger.
Quoted from paul_8788:I like a lot of movies (and pins for that matter) that other people don't, and dislike a lot that others like. Its okay, I don't have to follow the crowd. Not quite sure why you seem to feel threatened by other people's opinions though. Like what you like. It's all good.
A few people felt compelled to say they didn't like it. I don't see the harm is saying I liked it. I'm not "threatened". A little banter on the topic seems harmless.
Are you going to upload to YouTube? And, I think your start time translates to 2pm EST (14:00) here in the US in case anyone else on the US east coast wants to know (or correct me).
Quoted from SMI3:Remember we will be live at Facebook from 20-23 Copenhagen time.
https://m.facebook.com/BakkenMrMuscle
Am I early or is it up? I don't see anything on the page but I have never viewed anything live on FB so I'm not sure what I'm looking for.
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St. Augustine, FL