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That sure looks like a monster sized hole…

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GZ Pro is in the house! It was a bit of a crazy ride to finally get one, but this pic is right after the first plunge. It’s been a long time since I wanted a game this much.

It’s just the electrical panels behind it.

I just opened my game last night, and it also rattles and can’t make it through most times. The shooter rod is completely misaligned. If you look down in the shooter lane and press on the shooter rod, the ball should contact right in the center of the ball. Mine is hitting far to the right near the right tong of the autolaunch fork. I’ll be taking mine apart today, and I’ll try to remember to take pictures of it as I fix it.

And is anyone else having problems with the buttons for the menus? Mine either don’t register, or double register. It made it almost impossible to set it to free play.

Finally, needed to reseat my WiFi dongle to get it to be seen by the game.

Ok, so shooter lane.

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The two red screws lock it to the wood. The three machine screws lock it to the outside housing. Mine wasn’t misaligned as much as mis positioned.

If you’re comfy doing work on games… remove the two red screws. Then loosen the three around the shooter rod. You will then be able to reposition the entire shooter rod assembly. Move it a bit, put the playfield down, measure if it contacts the ball in the center. Remove ball, playfield back up, move again, repeat until you’re happy. Tighten JUST the 3 machine screws. Measure again (to be sure!). Finally put the red screws back in to lock it to the wood.

Mine was so far off that it was new holes for the red screws. YMMV. If you scratch your game moving around the shooter rod, well, you will learn to be more careful. Overall an easy adjustment.

And on to the switches inside the door…

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The board inside the black holder is bad on my game. I pulled the switch assembly out of my Deadpool, and the menus on GZ worked perfectly with it. Nothing to actually fix with membrane switches, so I’ll just call my distributor and have him get me a new set of switches. When I get a new game I tend to tweak settings, and I just can’t abide having the menu navigation not be smooth.

Hard wired or wireless? And if hardwired, where did you plug in the Ethernet cable? Top of the board, or the node board connector?

I randomly print them out from the Stern Insider Connected thread.

Ok, that was dumb. I just held up the web browser on my phone pointed to Pinside images to the QR reader and of course it worked. I’ll just stop that crap right now.

I’ve never liked QR codes, and I very rarely scan them with my phone. They seem very easy to exploit. As we went to that at restaurants recently I always thought about how easy it would be to print out a malicious QR that included a site with the menu and a bit of “extra”. Heck, hide it in the corner of a window near the menu board and someone will scan it.

My apologies to those that just “played” my Godzilla after posting their QR codes into a public forum.

This guy?

Yeah, all you need to do is hold up your phone with the browser open to Pinside and it reads peoples QR codes into the game. I was curious, and even the off angle ones just read right in.

Like I said, I won’t be doing it again. It was a dumb experiment.

Tale as old as time. Curious nerd that used to work in computer security has regrets after he sees exploitable thing, and exploits it to satisfy said curiosity.

I would never put a part that wasn't Stern authorized into a SPIKE game unless it was completely disconnected from any electronics inside the game. If I'm putting in something lit, it will have its own power. In SAM it was all fine, but not in SPIKE (in my opinion, you do you). If it is $20 more to get Stern Authorized, I pay $20 more.

I was just coming on here after finishing playing for the night… Guess I’m not done playing… update in progress.

While I wait, I finally think I understand this game. And I don’t think it was hyperbole when people were saying it might be one of the best games Stern ever made. However it’s definitely not the most relaxing game ever. I notice that I’m much more engaged playing GZ than a normal game. Like I’m planning my path the whole time, and trying to not miss things I need to progress. Every battle (mode) is started when it will be easiest. I plan what I stack to get through them.

I think I’ll have to start playing other games after GZ just to calm down a bit. What a great game. And it sounds like it might get even better tonight.

Depends… Do you like to play amazing pinball machines? If so, yes.

My only catch is that I love the theme. I think the theme integration of this game is astounding. They captured the spirit of the movies. But getting past the theme, the way the game plays (shots, rules, fun) is ridiculously good.

I can’t honestly proclaim it the best game ever made because I’ve owned a lot of great games. But is it the greatest game out right now? Yeah, it’s the best current game out there.

I was planning on doing this soon, and I priced out speakers for the game. It seemed that DIY only came to about $30 less than just buying the Flipper Fidelity kit that comes with everything, the adapters, and instructions. So I'm curious, is that because I priced out those same speakers as you on Amazon and they are much cheaper elsewhere? Or is it just a small savings?

And I really am asking because I'm curious. I can already tell that Godzilla is going to be in my house a very long time, so I was looking into better sound.

https://flipperfidelity.com/copy-of-stern-8-speaker-system-le-conversion-for-spike-2-pro-and-premium/

$174.95

For the ones that he listed:

Kicker DSC50 DS Series 5.25" 4-Ohm Coaxial SpeakerKicker DSC50 DS Series 5.25" 4-Ohm Coaxial Speaker
and "JBL Stage 810 800W Max 8" Stage Series Single 4 ohm Car Audio Subwoofer Speaker"

$70 (uppers) and $80 (lower). $150 for the three speakers needed.

So the Flipper Fidelity comes out to $25 more expensive, but also comes with the adapters to mount the upper speakers. And if I'm missing something here, feel free to let me know.

I'd be removing that. What an awful job they did. Just the feel alone would drive me nuts. There is always risk in removing it of course, so I'd be doing it very carefully. If I tore the decals, I'd put in cleaner Mylar if it hid it well, and if it didn't cover, I'd replace the decals. Life is too short for crinkly Mylar under your flipper fingers.

For pins in your house, always set them at the pitch you like to play them at. There is never a correct answer to that. Some people like them a bit more "floaty", whereas some people like them to have the ball come down straight and fast. It is all preference.

Having said that, get some rubber feet. They are AWESOME when testing different pitches. You can pop them under the back feet to try a higher pitch. You can put them under the front ones to try lower. It makes for much faster adjustments that don't get the machine out of level left to right normally. Then set it how you like it best.

For the 3 ball to the magnet plunge, mine didn't work at first. I had adjusted the autoplunger down so it wasn't smacking the balls all around. When I adjusted that back to default, it started "doing the thing" with the 3 balls a good amount of the time. I still need to make some tweaks to my launcher, but I just keep playing instead of tweaking... which is a good thing.

It will flop around when it is loose. So then you tighten it up until it just grips, and then a tiny bit more so the flipper moves when you get to the end of stroke of the flipper. Then check your play up and down so you are not pinching. The flipper should move just a little bit up and down and not bind at this point. You can tell it is right by the feel and sound as you grip the flipper bat itself.

Finally, you adjust your angle until it is pointing correctly. Tighten a bit more, check your play up and down again, confirm angle, and then lock that puppy down tight. Final check for binding, and then start playing.

All the checks and rechecks are because it is easy to move out of position as you tighten, and that you never want a binding flipper.

I actually noticed this for the first time last night. I was annoyed, and flipped the right flipper a couple times and I was amazed that I got Anguirus for my trouble.

Which shaker motor? Stern or 3rd party?

The setting in the game is how often, not how hard to shake. On one game I put a CT Red Tremor in, and had to change the weight orientation to calm it down. At that point I just stopped buying shakers.

I feel exactly the same way. I saw that sign and said "Gotta have it", and then I went to buy it and said nope (nothing against Stumblor making a living, all a matter of value for me). Almost all mods are out for me now. Of course I if I brought in another SAM game I'd ColorDMD it, but that's an exception that makes the game look more modern right away.

I do NOT like that topper. Godzilla is blasting the top of Godzilla's head with a heat ray??? Sheesh. If it is homemade, great. But if an artist looked at that and said "done", they should be doing something else with their career.

Every time I’ve felt that way about a game I’ve owned, I’ve turned around and sold it. If I don’t like it, I don’t want it in my house.

I'm a "Pro guy". Every Stern I buy is the Pro version. I find them to have slightly simpler, and much faster gameplay. So they just fit my style of what I like in a pinball machine.

Godzilla Pro has amazing gameplay. But if you are at all worried about missing something, the answer is easy. Get a Premium and never look back. If I was worried about missing out, I'd trade in all my Pro games for Premiums. But in almost every case, I find the Pro plays better for the long haul.

It's 2000 dollars, that's what it is. That's a lot of money.

When I pull the playfield for weight, I put the glass back in when I move it. It adds a couple pounds, but keeps the cabinet square.

Finally! What takes these guys so long

One thing I really like about the network updates is that I don't have to do anything. The first one was bad just because wifi in my basement stinks. So I just dragged a cable into the service closet. Now when there is an update, I just check, start it, and walk away. I come back later, and poof, restart, shut the door, and wait a minute for things like node board updates. I'm not flipping switches, I'm not looking for usb drives, just done.

I may not have leader boards on my TV yet (please Stern), but I sure do have low effort code updates. And I really like them.

I haven't regretted buying a Pro for a second. I tend to gravitate towards Stern Pro games anyway, so take that with a grain of salt. The game is slightly kicking my butt right now. I find it challenging and fun. I've had the game for 3 months, and I like it more and more.

Now here is my strange comment to put in the owners thread. I love the game, but it is my second favorite Stern right now. And that is because I have a tough time getting farther in the game. Some days just defeating one monster is tough for me. I could set it up easier to change that, but I like my games set up a little rough. So when I'm done with GZ, I'll toss a couple of games at Deadpool. DP is just fun, whereas every time I play GZ, I'm thinking. Still a great game and very glad I own it.

Ok, now that 1.0 is out, and I’m quite happy with it, I have a comment.

Keith, could you please not shut off all the lights while there is a ball still in play? Thanks.

Don’t take that wrong. I absolutely love this game. I don’t like they Maser strobe effect either. I think it should be toned down. But I don’t think all the lights should ever be off while a ball is still in play. That’s the one effect that bugs me.

It is easier in the menu to run the CLR. I think it is diag, and then the last option (you have to scroll to the right) is CLR. That will eject balls and autolaunch them, and you just catch them by the flippers. I have found that much easier and quicker on Stern games.

You probably shouldn't go into playfield art. If you think a bit of extra light on the subject would break your spirit, you should hear the things people say to pinball artists.

Finally! We've been waiting for... um... weeks?

Does it reduce ball save time? Are you sure?

I'm only working from the Pro here, and the Premium/LE may behave differently. But when a friend and I pulled out a stopwatch to time this on my Pro.

There is a different ball save time at the start of Godzilla Multiball depending on what you do. If you let them all trap on the magnet, it is longer. If you plunge the second ball lightly to have it hit a switch, the magnet releases the one ball it had, and ball save time is reduced. I suspect the ball save is keyed off of the "you're playing now" time and not something arbitrary of chewing up save time for the show.

Someone should run the tests on what happens with the ball save on a Premium. Do it once where as soon as the ball save light comes on, allow the balls to drain. Then time to when the ball save light goes out (ignore grace period after). Then do the same with the glass off to make sure none of the balls drain, and hit switches. Time until the light goes out. Post the 2 different (or same) times.

WOW. Just WOW.

After seeing these I did the slow mo recording on mine, and this is exactly what is going on. Everything is smooth through the shooter lane, but it is hugging the right side. Poof, as the ball drops it slides down the ridge you highlighted and chatters to a stop near the pop.

I'll be cutting up a piece of plastic to fix it. Thanks a bunch for identifying exactly what was happening.

Pinball is a fantastic hobby. There are so many great games, and just as many opinions about those games. The very best games will still have people that don't like them. And mediocre games will have fans that love them more than any other game.

The Top 100 is just a reflection of that. When you dig in, you will find the Top 100 to be drastically flawed. People tend to use a "better/worse" algorithm in their head to come to their final rankings. If they like Alien better than Godzilla, or paid more for it, or think it got a raw deal, their rankings will reflect those. Alien will be propped up, while Godzilla will get dinged.

We have also had years for the climb towards a 10. Rankings used to be more useful, but then more great games would come out. Rankings had to get higher and higher to keep the new game you loved near the top. I haven't actually done the math, but I'd suspect the actual rankings have risen every year I've been on Pinside. A game that used to be a 7 now needs to be an 8.

SEVENTYTWO games are rated at 8 or higher now! Ten years ago there were 28 of them.

I love playing GZ. It doesn't matter if GZ is ranked #1 or #100, I'll still be playing it tonight.

I'm always curious. Why come into the Godzilla fan club and say crap like that? Like specifically the GZ Fan Club? Are there people in the crappy Alien thread singing the praises of how GZ is better?

This is hilarious. Looking over the last few ratings doesn't show any manipulation AT ALL

Just the typical 3.166, 7.184, 4.956, 10.000 stuff of every game.

The 10.000 from PeterG is my absolute favorite:
"This game deserves to be in the top 10 of pinside. Therefore the 10."

THAT is a high quality review of Alien right there.

On a lot of copies of GZ, when you plunge the ball, it rides the right side of the shooter lane. Near the drop onto the wood, the ball drops down, and the right side of the ball hits the lane guide, sending it to the left behind the pop. It rattles there in a crappy way.

Abe’s fix prevents that by not letting the ball hit the guide on the right side. To demonstrate it, take a ball and manually move it along the right side of the shooter lane. Go down at the drop, and you will feel the lane guide shove the ball towards the left. THAT is the issue.

If you’re not experiencing it, awesome. If the ball rattles, that’s your fix.

That’s only a tough one because they have been difficult to get. But 6-9 months now seems punitive.

If it was the head, absolutely keep. Head decals are easy to do, and even replacing it if it’s damaged is pretty easy. The body decal is a bunch more work, and you’re unlikely to do a good job on your first crack at it. So that would have been a much longer chat with it my distributor.

I've owned quite a few great games over the years. The only reason I don't say GZ is right at the top of the list with the greatest is time. I've only owned it for 6 months. And that seems too short to crown it. However I can say that after 6 months, the game still feels new to me. It has that special something that makes me love a game, multiple ways to approach it. It has objectives that are easy, and others that are difficult. And when you get on a roll, the game is just wonderful. This game really is the whole package. The layout is fantastic, and the code is ... amazing. There are a couple minor things I'd want tweaked*, but it seems like they keep addressing them in the updates.

I had completely stopped buying NIB games. But then I played GZ, and I had to get one after that. The game is that much better than everything else out there. I realize others will disagree with me. No single game is for everyone. But for me, this game is an absolute home run. Just ignore the hype (including mine) and play it. If the game sings to you, it is worth it.

* = The one thing I would tweak is the final shot of some things. At times there is so much going on to keep track of, that I don't know where to shoot. 3 different colors flashing in an insert, while a different shot is the right one is tough to see sometimes. But I'm learning them. The screen tells you, but it helps to have someone else reading it in some cases. But really, that is such a tiny nitpick in such a great game. All it tells me is that I need to still learn the game better, and play better.

Never sell a game you still love to play. Even for GZ.

It’s called dogmatism

If I'm behind in a game, I won't even shoot for the Destruction Jackpot unless just that one shot would give me the win. I find it to be one of the most likely ways to lose a ball. Your observation is spot on. Within 10 seconds of the shot, I'm very likely to lose the ball. I think it is partly the lighting (hit or miss the shot), and the way it draws your attention.

Nope. It’s an OK game. Kind of fun. But not at these prices. GZ was worth it. Spectacular game with spectacular code. So that set the bar of value for the crazy money. Bond doesn’t reach it.

(Please note, just an opinion. But when Stern charges this much, they have to deliver the way GZ does. Anything less doesn’t earn my money.)

You didn’t miss anything. That’s the way the lights are programmed. It’s one of my very few nitpicks for this game. Before I play it, I adjust the lights in the room so I don’t get annoyed when I do something really good in the game.

This is the most important answer in pinball for me. Even in a small collection of 3 games, you need to have different types of games. If they are all long playing games, you won't ever be able to just scratch the itch of a quick game. But combine a long playing quest with a quick brutal game, then toss in a medium or classic game, and you have all the best of pinball at your disposal.

I think the real answer is that the timers should pause. Though I would really like to skip the city bonus after changing cities. Like I get it, move on.

I do understand I'm not the arbiter of what machines should go up and down in price. But I do know that I'd never make space in my gameroom for Guns and Roses no matter how low the price goes.

I do agree that eventually Stern will meet the demand for them, and it will be just the normal game where you have to take a haircut on a NIB when you sell it. Just like it always was. Though I do expect GZ to be here a very long time.

As long as it is your money instead of mine, I'm fine with it.

I just don't understand the toper prices. The only topper I want if Aerosmith, which does almost nothing. But when it went up to 2k, I knew I'd never buy toppers. Personally I think you should save your money, but it is your money.

This gave me a good laugh. Not because of Stern.

It's a dangerous game all around. I'm not going to pay extra for pinball DLC. And there are about 5" between the top of my game and the soffit for a heating duct over it.

If I pay for a DLC feature in a pinball machine, eventually I'll have to pay for the software to enable multiball. That slope only goes down the hill. Doing them in an LE is fine. I can choose what model I am getting at the start. But the rest is a hard no.

Unfortunately that node board will be priced at $1000. You’re welcome.

Just my opinion, but yes. The updates to GZ are so easy over the network. Plus, things like this:

"- Various behind the scenes improvements for correctness and performance."

They are polishing the game and improving stuff. They still won't delay the Saucer timer while the ball is in the scoop (hint hint Stern), but they just keep making the game a bit better. Even when they don't make a major change, the minor fixes are still nice little improvements. So yeah, update.

As you are around pinball for a long time, you will find that there are no "BEST EVER" games. There are simply great games. I've played and owned too many games to ever consider one "best", however, GZ is definitely a great game. It is in the upper echelon of games ever made.

When you are able to take a game you don't like to play, and still recognize it as a great game, that is when you will "get it". At that point you can separate personal love of a game from the real qualities that make greatness (that isn't an opinion of GZ, it is other games that I don't like to play, but I can recognize as great games).

Meanwhile, back in the Godzilla thread... I just went to Planet X for the first time! Yeah, it was the Early Planet X, but I don't care. It was a good game for me. I do love this game!

Blah Blah Blah.. oh, nice looking copy of Stars

I disagree with you both, just because it is Godzilla. I like to get points, just like anyone playing pinball. However, if I'm not in a competition, I'm playing GZ as a quest. And playing early Planet X is just a blast. It's a great objective, and fun to play. And yes, sometimes the opposite, I want to take down as many monsters as I can. I just don't think score is the real focus of this game.

And yeah, I am pretty sure the next time I play there will be "No chance" of finishing all 4 cities, so I'm headed towards fun. That might be because I'm just a middle of the road player, but I play with a smile

Move that game. Warnings are there for this situation. Use them or lose them.

(Yeah, I love that time after a big shove wondering if I’m getting a double or a tilt)

One of my favorite calls from the game is when it says "Dirty Pool" there. Little homages like that contribute to making this one of the best games ever made (yeah, I said that, it is).

This is the proper answer 100% of the time. Your game in Your house means Your setup. And you can change anything to set it up so it’s fun for you. Shallow, steep, 10 ball, closed outlanes, it doesn’t matter. Anyone judging it with gatekeeping is just insecure.

Street cred in pinball? You earn that by beating me (or anyone else) head to head on the same game at the same time. If you post 2B here, it’s cool, but it doesn’t win anything. Most people do it because they are proud of it, and what they saw in the game. But nobody thinks that means they can compete.

99% of pinball play is just for fun. Yeah, there are some people that think it should be 100% competitive play, or prepping for competitive play, but they miss out on the fun. Those are the gatekeepers. If you want to post 2B from a 10 ball easy game, go ahead. But you’ll know it isn’t really a 2B game. Just like when I tried to get to Valinor with an insanely easy setup. I still couldn’t do it, but if I had, it was just for fun.
If you’re enjoying the game, that’s all that matters.

I kind of envy you a bit. Not for the new kid, but because you get to know Godzilla for the first time. Enjoy your great "new" game!

I'm sure there are locations that never updated it. But wow, anyone that owns the game in there home? That would be nuts. The code was really good for release code, but it just kept getting better and better. Anyone running the original should be too embarrassed to post about it.

When I feel that on quest type games, I tend to pick something to focus on. On GZ it would be something like blowing up Tank Multiball, or Saucer, or Bridge. Then I try to just get the highest score on one of them. It is a different way to focus on the game, and I will ignore other parts that do not progress me to that thing.

Give that a try some time. Become the tank champ.

In adjustments, SPI, 55 (obviously in the new code). Disable MOTD there. This message was brought to you by the letter F (and the letter U, and the word Stern).

I have FOMO as well, BUT, I won't reward Stern for bad behavior. Tying a mode to a $1000 extra, which wouldn't even fit under my gameroom ceiling is just annoying.

I'm surprised we are still discussing Pro vs Premium. GZ is such an awesome game in all it's forms. Preference for one or the other really doesn't change how great it is.

With stuff like that, something is usually bad. I tend to want to cut the problem down as quickly as possible. So I'd first do basics like removing and reseating the SD card. Then I'd disconnect the playfield to see what happened. I'd then borrow an SD for the game from a friend to see if it was software. I'd pick that over writing one out, because I wouldn't be able to test the new one and could be compounding my problems. But obviously Stern would be a good call to make if those didn't help.

For me it was Aerosmith. I've never been a fan of toppers, but I saw one of these, and even though it was just some fading LEDs in an Aerosmith Wing, I wanted one. They were sold out, and I had just missed a local one. All of a sudden I watched the prices double. Then they doubled again, and all of a sudden I no longer wanted one. The last one I saw was $2000, and it sold fairly quickly.

And to keep this on topic, GZ ROCKS!!!!

I guess I need to check my center spinner, because I don't think I've ever finished it in 2 shots.

As for badges, I ended up sitting it out and I'm just playing normally. Of course I've earned some just by playing it, but I really don't see the point of trying to grind on my favorite game to earn them.

Godzilla rules, Jaws drools. Get a real game designer sharky!

FALSE!

The light was in my eyes.
The pizza made my finger slippery.
My beer was empty.
The game was too dark.
The game was too light.
That sling didn't fire when I expected it to.
I didn't sleep well last night.
My dog is sick.
My dog bit my flipper finger.
The legs are too tight.
The legs are too loose.
I stubbed my toe walking towards the machine.
This game is NOT level.
The rules changes since I played the .80 beta code.
One of the balls was dirty, it has a spot on it.
This game is too dirty to play right.
I got a text on my phone in my pocket, distracting!
Did you see the spin on that ball????
There is a glitch in the rules, that should have been enough points!
The rubber is worn and gave the ball a strange angle.
You were standing too close to me.
The coin door hit me in the nuts, and I closed it with my... oh you get the idea.

There are a million excuses to play badly. Playing well only has one.

Yes, I'm that good.

And just a tiny bit after

I love that moment when things are settling and I am smacking the right flipper to get what I want.

2 things.

First, I notice this more when I’m just trying to stuff the ball up the ramp. I’m making a shot that isn’t clean, and when I do that, I deserve what I get. A weak effort gets a weak result. I always realize I should have let the ball settle before making the shot.

Second, never leave your warnings on the table. Any time it’s coming straight down the middle and I don’t take at least one tilt warning, I’m upset with myself for just watching my ball go away.

Oh we are going to need a report back once you learn it. As a few people have said, modern games usually have 2 tilt warnings, then the actual tilt. I think it was WOZ that by default had the funky 2 warnings per game. But for the most part, a modern Stern will give you 2 per ball. There is also a "debounce" time between them, which means that for a small fraction of a second, you can't take more than one warning, so a big nudge on the game is going to take one, and "might" take 2 for the "double danger". Then you have to be very gentle and strategic.

So play for a while, and then let us know if you are losing less down the center. Don't take it all the way to bangbacks or death saves, just yank that flipper into the path of the ball if it is close to the edge of the center drain.

Go into the switch test and see if the switches are triggering when you press them. Odds are they are already closed, or you somehow interfered with the wiring or the switches when you fixed the flipper (no big deal, we have all done it).

The only one that bugs me is the shutting off of the lights. I can't count how many balls I've lost after collecting a destruction jackpot, just because I couldn't see the ball. I've always been of the opinion that pinball machines should never turn out the lights while the ball is in play. I've owned games where I specifically didn't play modes (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones) because the effects made it so I couldn't see the ball.

I don't like, but don't care about any other bugs. I don't care that after I lose a ball I finally will get informed that Hedora started. Unskippable cut scenes are what they are. But pinball demands that I can see the pinball. If you are going to shut off the lights, turn on a ball save so when I make the shot the game is fair. If I miss the destruction jackpot and lose the ball, fine. But when I hit it, don't penalize me.

(I know they won't change it, I'm just tilting at a windmill in one of the best games ever made)

Yes, the top 100 list is junk... however, I've played Elton John, and I'm going to say it, the game is fun! Is it 12-15k of fun? No, there is no single game that could get me to plunk that down. However, as a former JJP cheerleader who got burned by QC and electrical design issues, it's the first JJP game in a long time that I found fun.

Just to make that relevant, GZ is better